Chapter Twenty-Four: Astil


    “So, you have any siblings, Zade?” Astil asks. “I can’t believe I haven’t asked you this question.”


    “No,” I respond. “I don’t have any siblings. Don’t have any family really. I guess that’s one thing moving didn’t change.” I stuff more rice in my mouth, chewing hungrily.


    “I have a couple of siblings,” Xavier says, “Haven’t seen them in a while, though. I do wonder how they’re doing sometimes.”


    “What about yours?” I ask Astil. “I know about what happened with Artemis, but how did it affect your other siblings?”


    “Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad for my sister,” He replies. “She was already married by then. Her new family status didn’t change. My older brother, Demien, left for Aleumdaun Seom with a girl and I haven’t seen him since. He does send me letters every once in a while, but they’re expensive, so it’s rare.”


    “Yeah, that’s why I haven’t sent any letters to Jade yet,” I tell them. “Not only does it cost so much, but it would take a long time to reach, and to get a response, I would have to wait months. It just isn’t worth it.”


    “I don’t bother with my country,” Th’ul says, plopping his plate on our table and sitting down. “It’s much easier when they hate mages. You just forget about them.”


    “That must suck,” I respond. “Having your old friends turn on you.”


    Th’ul shrugs. “It’s been over a year. I really don’t care anymore. You learn to live with it, then you learn to not care about it.”


    “Th’ul have you ever heard of sending a message magically?” I ask him. “Master Thul was telling me about it, and I want to learn, but knowing it could take a long time to learn, I wondered if you knew a way.”


    “Wait, you haven’t been to the Message Room?” Th’ul wonders.


    “No?” I respond. “What’s the Message Room?”


    “Huh, I’m surprised you haven''t used it yet,” Th’ul says. “Basically, it’s a room where you can send messages to someone.”


    “Wow, genius,” Xavier tells him sarcastically. “I didn’t think it was for that!”


    Th’ul rolls his eyes. “Look, the point is, for a small price, you can ask for a message to be sent to someone.”


    “A price?”


    “Yeah, money,” Th’ul says. “It’s pretty cheap, but I wouldn’t advise sending a message every day. It would get expensive.”


    “Hmmm. I wonder why I haven’t heard of it,” I  look at Th’ul quizzically.


    “I think High Mages don’t want to spread the word about rooms like that because it could take your mind off your training. I found the room while exploring on my own when I first got here.”


    “Zenyth really is full of secrets, isn’t it?” Astil intoned.


    “There’s always more,” Th’ul responds.


    “So, should we go send some messages?” I ask.


    “That’s fine with me,” Astil says. “I should probably send one too.” Xavier nods.


    “Th’ul, you coming with?”


    “Sure.”


    — — —


    Th’ul leads us down a stairway. I look out the window on the wall, I can see one half of Magefell from here. The view never fails to amaze me. Magefell is just so beautiful. The glow around it isn’t so obvious during the day, but the city still feels alive.


    As we turn a corner, Th’ul opens a door into a brightly lit hallway, and my eyes are blinded for a few seconds. When my eyes adjust, I immediately try to look for the light source before remembering it’s magical. There is no source. The light just is. I’ve never seen a Zenyth corridor this bright, though. The room feels more illuminated than even the sun could do. Strangely enough, it’s a little chilly in the room.


    We pass by a door that says High Mages Only and I wonder what it means.


    “It’s a boring room,” Th’ul says as if he read my mind. “Just banned books and cursed artifacts.”


    “That sounds so cool,” Xander replies. “How can you call that boring?”


    Th’ul shrugs. “You can’t exactly use any of the artifacts. Ah, here we are.” We arrive at a simple, acacia door. I try the knob. Locked.


    “How are we supposed to open it?” I ask.


    Th’ul’s eyes glint. If he ever expressed himself, he’d be grinning. “I’ll let you figure it out.”


    “Ah, come on,” Astil complains. “You’re acting like we can figure it out easily.”


    “It took me an hour. I’m sure it’ll take you less,” Th’ul says lying down and closing his eyes.


    “Ugh,” Astil groans, waving his arms. “He’s acting like just saying Alakazam will—” The door opens.


    “What the hell?” Th’ul exclaims. “How’d you get it that quick?”


    “Huh, that was quick,” I grin. Th’ul grumbles something about an hour and being lucky, but I’m not paying attention to him. I’m currently staring at the room in confusion.


    The room is mostly empty, with a cobblestone floor and a painting of a High Mage who I don’t know on the ceiling. He seems to be raising his hands to the sky in prayer.


    The walls are purposefully boring. They’re black, which is cool, but otherwise, it’s just stone. Nothing appealing about it, but it does its work.


    I assume this room could fill about twenty people, but no more. It’s not a large room.


    What captures my attention though, is the man in the middle. Or what seems to be a man. It’s like a silhouette hanging in midair. The form is a man’s, and he’s naked. Or at least, I guess he’s naked. His entire body is black as night, and he has no details. As I get closer, I notice that the body isn’t completely together. The body is made of individual black globes, each spread only millimeters apart. I reach out to touch it, and the globes separate at my touch.


    “This, my friends,” Th’ul announces, “Is the Message Man!”


    “What are we supposed to do?” Xavier asks.


    “Well, go in him, of course,” Th’ul responds. Xavier chokes, and I can’t help but laugh a bit. “Not like that!” Th’ul glares at us. “Can’t you be serious for a little?”


    “You’re serious enough for all of us,” Xavier responds.


    “Anyway,” Th’ul continues, ignoring Xavier, “Over here, on the wall is a small depression. Enter a silver globule here and stand where the man is. From there, you’ll know what to do.”


    “I guess I’ll go first,” Xavier ventures. “Any of you can go after.” He walks over to the small hole in the wall and places a silver globule there. The globule slowly dissipates, but nothing changes. Xavier looks quizzically at Th’ul who winks at him and points at the man. Xavier walks slowly over to the black globes, almost like he’s nervous. As soon as he gets close enough to touch it, the black globes separate and form around him. He screams but then his screams stop.


    “Um…” He says. “My mother. Her name is Lysandra.” He pauses. All I can see are the black globes forming his frame. I can see a little of his facial features. Suddenly, the black globes forming his mouth move, and he starts to speak again.


    “Umm… Hi mom? How are you doing? I’m great here. I found friends. I miss you, though.” His voice becomes softer. “I’ll come visit as soon as I can. I promise.” He pauses for a few seconds. “Bye. That’s it.” The black globes leave his body and reform the man they were before.


    Xavier’s eyes are teary-eyed. “Thank you, Th’ul,” He whispers. Th’ul bows.


    “I’ll go next,” I say. I give the hole in the wall my money, and walk over to the man. When the black globes envelop me, I gasp. I feel a chilling cold.


    Destination? A voice asks in my head.


    “My best friend,” I reply, saying the words how Xavier did. “Her name is Jade.”


    Access Granted, The female voice replies. What is the message you would like to send?


    “Jade, it’s me, Zade,” I say, feeling a little awkward speaking to the black globes covering my face. “I just wanted to reach out to you. I hope you’re doing great. I’m fine, been learning a lot of magic. It’s been fun. I’ve met a lot of great people, including some actual warriors! Isn’t that crazy? I wonder what you’d do if you could see me right now. Probably throw a potato or something.


    “Anyway, I just hope you get this message soon. Don’t worry. I promise to visit you soon. As soon as I can, I’ll be there. Bye, Jay. I’m done.” I finish speaking, and the black spheres separate from me, and heat returns to my body.


    “Th’ul, do you want to go next?” Astil asks. Th’ul shakes his head. “Wel, then. I guess it’s my turn.”


    After letting go of his money, he steps up to the man, and the globes envelop him immediately.


    “Dammit, that’s freezing!” He screams. Me and Xavier chuckle, and Th’ul rolls his eyes.


    “Oh, woah! Why is there a voice in my head?” A pause. “My dad, Viktorius.” There was a pause longer than the one I had, but eventually Astil speaks again. “How’s life, dad? I’m good. I’ve got a girlfriend now, did you know that? She’s the best. I’ve been having a lot of fun here at the Zenyth Academy.


    “I saw Artemis again, dad. He’s exactly the same. He still doesn’t regret anything.” He starts to choke on his words. “How can he live with himself? How can he live with what he did to you?


    “Anyway, I hope you’re fine. I promise that one day I’ll bring back our reputation. You won’t always have to be where you are, dad.” My eyes are tearing up hearing Astil talk. “I’m done.” He’s visibly crying when the globes leave his body. He turns to us and wipes the tears from his eyes.


    “Well, let’s go,” He says, clearly not wanting to talk about it. “I have to meet Anni at the library. Are you coming with me?”


    We agree and follow as he leads us out.


    I feel bad for Astil. I relate to him, though I try to hide it. But I still can’t imagine what it would be like to have a brother who betrayed you. My hatred for Artemis grows the more I hear. Clearly, Astil is broken over his family. Thankfully, he can still live happily knowing his parents love him and want him to be happy. His parents don’t care so much about what happened to them. They only care about their kids, and that’s wonderful. Astil’s love for his parents makes me smile as we walk.


    — — —


    Anni kisses Astil as soon as she sees him. “How are you doing?” She asks.


    “I’m great, now that you’re here,” He replies, and Xavier gags. “I was just at the Message Room with them.” Anni looks questioningly at him, and he continues. “It’s a room that you can send messages to other people in. How are you?”


    “Oh, cool,” Anni says. “I’m great. Tired from yesterday, though.” Astil blushes.


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    “What are we doing here in the library?” Xavier asks.


    “I need to find some books for me and Anni,” Astil says.


    “I can help you with that,” Xavier tells him. They go off to find the books and Th’ul goes with them, leaving a confused Anni behind. I look at her.


    “So…” I say awkwardly. “They just left us here.”


    “Seems so,” Anni resplies. “We should probably catch up to them.”


    “Good idea,” I respond, and we start walking to where we last saw them. “How’s your relationship with Astil?”


    “It’s great,” Anni beams. “Astil’s so nice and considerate. I love him so much.”


    “Did you know him before you came to Zenyth?”


    She shakes her head. “No, I didn’t.”


    “But you asked him out not even a week after he got here.”


    “It was a dare.” I cock my head at her and she laughs. “I had a crush on him basically as soon as I saw him. My friends saw me looking at him, and dared me to ask him out. So I did. It was a great decision.”


    “Well, he wasn’t gonna say yes. We had to do it for him.”


    “Yeah, I know. Thank you for that.”


    “You know he was scared of you?” I whisper conspiratorially. “Before your first date, he was absolutely terrified.”


    She laughs. “Aw, that’s so cute. That’s so… Astil.”


    “How was he on that date?” I wonder.


    “Surprisingly comfortable. He didn’t act nervous at all.”


    Astil comes into view and Anni smiles.


    “I don’t think I deserve him really,” She says.


    “None of us do,” I reply. “He’s so innocent and carefree, but at the same time, he’s gone through so much and has become truly a wonderful person. But I think that if there’s one person in the world who deserves Astil, it’s definitely you.”


    “Really?” She beams up at me. “Thank you.”


    “No, thank you,” I tell her. “I may not have known him much before you met him, but I can see how much of a difference you make to his life. He’s so much happier because of you. You gave him a skill, for heaven’s sake. “


    “He told me about that,” She replies. “I’m so happy for him.”


    “Do you have a skill yet?”


    “No. I came here like six months ago, and I’m a Level 5, but I still have not unlocked one.” I can hear a twinge of envy in her voice.


    “Astil’s the first of us, huh?” I laugh. “Well, he deserves it.”


    “He sure does,” Anni says. Astil finally notices us behind him and runs over to us.


    “What were you guys talking about?” Me and Anni share a knowing glance.


    “Just about all of us,” Anni says. “Have you found your books yet?”


    “Some of them,” Astil nods. “Still have to find the one about shields, though.”


    “I could use one like that.” I say. “I’m sure it would be a good help.”


    “I’m actually behind on that,” Anni tells me. “I should’ve done it a while back, but I’ve been procrastinating a bit.”


    “If only you didn’t spend so much time with Astil,” Xavier jokes.


    “I’m gonna help her learn,” Astil says. “Considering I’m a defense mage, I know a lot about this kind of thing. Ah, here it is.” He takes a book off the massive shelf, and nods. “Let’s go.”


    We leave the library, heading for the gallery, where Th’ul tells us he has something planned.


    “You’re leaving us?” Astil asks. Th’ul shrugs, walking off.


    I sit down on the fluffy couch, drowning in it. The comfortable feeling of it makes me want to leave, but I want to talk to my friends.


    “So, Anni,” I ask, “What was life like for you before Zenyth?”


    She shrugs. “It was pretty boring. I’ve always lived in Magefell, just like Atty, but my parents are silk traders. I never really cared for their work, but I still had to work for them, at least until I Awakened.”


    “How did you Awaken?” Xavier asks.


    “I blew up a building down near the Harbor.” Anni smiles.


    “Wait, that was you?” Astil gapes.


    “How do you know about this?” I ask.


    “It was pretty big news at the time,” Astil tells me. “A girl blew up a residential building on Mayfeld street. I can’t believe it was you.” He beams. “That’s amazing!”


    “How did you all Awaken?” Anni asks.


    Xavier and Astil eagerly tell her about their circumstances. When Anni turns to me expectantly, I embarrassingly move around.


    “I um… I blew up my parents,” I say somberly.


    “Oh, I heard about that,” Anni replies. “I’m so sorry. It must’ve been hard.”


    I nod. “It was at first. I learned to live with it quickly. I had a good friend who helped me through it.”


    “Jade?” Xavier asks. I nod.


    “Yeah. Then I was shipped here soon after. So I didn’t really have so much time to mourn them. And here, I have so much to do that I also don’t really have time. I have you all to thank for that.”


    “It’s our pleasure,” Xavier laughs. “That’s what we''re your friends for. Making you forget your problems.”


    “I mean, it’s worked so far,” I shrug.


    “I’d like to think I’m worth more than that,” Astil grins.


    “You are,” I reply. “To some people. Oh no,” I look behind Xavier, “Is that S’Sammi?” Xavier’s eyes widen, and he shrinks on the couch.


    “Is it really her?” Xavier asks.


    “I don’t see her,” Anni says, confused. I snort and Astil hides a grin. Xavier glares at us.


    “I still haven’t forgiven you for that,” Xavier tells me. “One day I’ll pay you back.”


    “I wouldn’t mind the money,” I say and wink at him. He sighs.


    “What are you guys talking about?” Anni asks.


    “You didn’t hear about Xavier taking the love potion and falling in love?” I whisper conspiratorially. Anni shakes her head for once. I smile. This is gonna be good.


    “A couple days ago, I spiked Xavier’s drink with a love potion,” I tell Anni, who is already smiling, “And he fell madly in love with S’Sammi. All day he was pining for her. We had to physically pull him away from her.”


    “That’s so cruel,” She grins.


    “It wasn’t that bad,” Xavier groans.


    “It was worse,” I whisper. “Eventually, he started singing to hear and reciting potions. When the potion wore off, he still had a crush on her. Even now…”


    Xavier rolls his eyes. “You know how immature you are?” He asks.


    “I distinctly remember you saying you want to stay immature,” I respond.


    “I already regret it,” He says.


    “You know that you’re acting like you’re my age, right?” Astil asks.


    “The older you get,” I tell him, “The more you realize no one matures. We just grow up.”


    “That doesn’t make any sense,” Anni replies.


    “For now.”


    Astil and Anni share a glance and shrug.


    “Clearly, they’re too young,” I whisper to Xavier just loudly enough for them to hear.


    “Hey, don’t think like that,” Xavier says back. “They’re just not that wise.”


    “That’s so much worse,” I laugh. “But I guess there’s no running from the truth.”


    Astil rolls his eyes at Anni. “Old people,” He says, and she giggles.


    “You know, I can’t help but feel like your dad,” I tell Astil. “And for that disrespect, go to your room!”


    Astil rolls his eyes.


    “You’re just proving his point,” Anni tells me.


    “And you’re proving mine,” I reply.


    “This is a pointless conversation,” Anni tells me. “Is this how all your conversations work?”


    “No,” I reply. “Some of them are serious. Like the one about the bear. Or the one about the love potion. Or the one…”


    “Those are the worst examples you could’ve given,” Astil shrieks.


    “You weren’t there for the bear one.”


    “Y’all were laughing your asses off when I arrived,” Astil retorts. “I think I know when something is serious or not.”


    “Yeah, clearly,” I reply.


    A snore erupts from the couch next to me. I look over to find Xavier asleep. I turn to Astil.


    “I didn’t even notice he’d stopped talking,” I say. “It’s the middle of the day. How is he so tired?”


    Astil shrugs. “Well, I had a date with Anni scheduled for now, so I guess this is a good segway.” Anni smiles and takes his hand-


    “Have fun,” I tell them as they leave. “But not too much. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, son!”


    — — —


    I am levitating three things at once. It’s past lunch, almost dinner time. Last I saw, Xavier was still asleep. It’ll ruin his sleep schedule, but I don’t want to wake him. He’d just get mad.


    My dagger is floating in the air now, alone with the book and my sword. I close my eyes and prepare a fireball. I have an idea but I’m not sure I can do it. It’ll take a lot of concentration, but, if it works, I’ll have unlocked a better fireball.


    As the Flame Finger appears on my finger, I make it bigger. It takes a lot of concentration, but after about a minute, it’s about as big as my head. Then I mentally try to separate it, still concentrating on the levitating objects as well. My head starts to hurt as I try to do this. It’s harder than I thought. As the Fireball starts to break, I feel a small pain in my core. I wince, but keep going anyway.


    Eventually the fireball breaks, and I whimper. It hurt a lot, but there it is, in three pieces. I smile. Last step.


    I mentally fling the Fireballs and they whizz at the floating objects. None of them reach, the farthest one only going about five feet, but this is a victory. I’m beginning to learn how to do things on my own.


    Sometimes I forget that what I’m doing is magic. As a kid, I never thought I’d be a mage. When I was young, I really wanted to be a mage, just like everybody else. When I got a little older, I lost the enthusiasm for it. Not only did many people hate mages, but being a mage would be tough work. I know that some people hide their talent so that others won’t recognize them and recruit them. Mages often get the most dangerous jobs, like assassinations or fighting off a clan of wild animals.


    I met a mage when I was eight, who was only thirty but looked like he was eighty. He had told me that being a mage was not all it’s cracked up to be.


    Now, though, I don’t know if he was right. I’m not a full mage, but I’ve seen the High Mages. They don’t look too old, and they’re older than the average human, And the other mages I’ve seen walking around the Zenyth Academy don’t look like they have a tough job. Maybe that mage was just weak.


    Or maybe he’d had to deal with people who didn’t appreciate him. I hope I don’t find anyone like that, but if I stepped out of Magefell, it wouldn’t be long before I did.


    I hear a knock on my door. The objects I was focusing on fall to the ground. I groan.


    “Who is it?”


    “It’s me,” Xavier says from behind the door. “It’s dinnertime. You coming or not?”


    “Yeah, I’m going,” I reply. I pick the book up off the ground and set it on my bed. When I open my door, Xavier nods.


    “Let’s go,” He says, already walking. “Why’d you let me sleep that long?”


    “You would’ve been pissed if I woke you up,” I answer.


    “But I could’ve done something productive. Now I’m gonna be up all night, tired and bored.”


    “You’ll be fine,” I tell him. We reach the cafeteria, and get some food. I can’t see Astil or Anni here, so they’re probably in the city.


    I’m not really hungry today for some reason, so I just stab the food with my fork, vacant stare in my expression.


    “Are you ok?” Xavier asks.


    “I think so,” I reply. “Just not hungry.” My gut twinges. I can’t help but have a bad feeling about something.


    Xavier shovels food down his throat. “Man, my nap made me really hungry,” He exclaims. “Can I have your food?”


    I push him my plate. He smiles and thanks me. I bow my head. The gut feeling is getting worse, but I can’t explain it. I think I want to throw up. My throat feels a little dry, so I drink a little water. Immediately, my stomach complains.


    My heart speeds up as well. Something’s wrong. I know it. I just don’t know what it is.


    “I have to take a walk,” I tell Xavier. “I’ll be right back.” He cocks his eyebrows, but I shrug it off.


    “You look pale,” Xavier says.


    “I’ll be fine,” I reply, standing up. I limp towards the exit. Maybe my wounds got infected. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling bad.


    I shouldn’t have exerted myself so much. Panic starts to rumble in my stomach.


    No. I didn’t injure myself that much. There’s no way I’m feeling this bad from it.


    This feeling is more like a sixth sense. I know something is wrong. What is it?


    I try to breathe slowly, but I can''t. My heart hammers in my throat. I need to know what is happening.


    Someone comes running down the hallway. I ignore her, thinking she’s just a stranger. But her blonde ponytail is familiar.


    Anni.


    My heart plummets as she reaches me. She’s crying, tears streaming down her cheeks.


    “What’s wrong?” I ask.


    She struggles to speak, sobs wracking her body.


    “Calm down,” I tell her, even though I feel panic in my own body. She nods, and takes a second to breathe.


    When she speaks again, it’s in a pained whisper.


    “It’s Astil,”She tells me, crying again softly. “They took him! They took Atty, Zade! You have to get him back!”