A wizard came through town one day, telling of a time when she slayed a mighty beast of a dragon. "I had heard tales of great fortune beyond the walls of Wrath Isle's castle. Curious, I traveled many days and nights out at sea." She rambled on. "And as soon as I had almost scaled the wall, a great surge of black flames engulfed my rope. I then used my 'levitate' spell to cushion my landing.
"The roaring of the beast was deafening. My ears felt as if they had burst, and the spirit of the sea seemed to awaken. It sent chills down my spine!" She exclaimed, somewhat drunk.
I was interested, because my father was a Wizard in the Palesthenian Army. I desired to learn more of the world of magic, and how grand adventures await those who seek them. "How could you possibly defeat such a beast?!" I asked, oblivious to how powerful a wielder of magic could be.
"Ah! I'm glad you asked that, because it's a juicy story." she stated blatantly. "I ran, because I feared for my life. Overcome with fear, I took to the seas, where the Grand Black Dragon soared overhead."
"I began gathering up the energy around me, in an attempt to create a reservoir of unattainable power. The spell I used was a lost technique, in which I took years off of my life to gather enormous power. With this stored pool, I released the mightiest fire spell I could think of. The flash was that of myths, and the skies began to contort with flames, as the Dragon was overcome by the heat."
"The beast came crashing down next to my ship. The waves created by the beast's fall pushed me all the way to shore, but not before i got a souvenir!" She exclaims giddily, pulling out a fist sized scale of what seamed to look like a black gem stone. Interesting.
"How does one go about learning magic?" I asked, rather curious about her answer.
"It's tough kid, and the path comes with great loss" she sighed. "I've lost things that nobody can imagine losing. I would even say that my soul is withered."
My mother had described magic as parasitic to the human body before, but now i started to realize the truth to it. "I've lost things too." I put simply.
She smiled gently, and held her hand out, palm up. "Would you be so kind to take my hand?"
Confused, i did as instructed. As soon as my hand touched hers, it began to tinge with numbness. "What's happening?" I asked bewildered. She didn't seem to hear me however, and seemed to be staring off into the distance. I was about to move my hand from hers, but she gripped it tighter, holding it in hers. My hands had stopped growing numb, and now all I could feel was her smooth, ageless skin, against the callous' of my palms. The feeling was warm, and not a bad feeling in the slightest.
Just as I was about to say something, she pulled her hand away in what looked like fear. "What's wrong?" I asked sincerely. "Are you hurt or something?"
She quickly put up barriers in her mind just as I have always done. I noticed this, so I began to think. Was that numb feeling throughout my hand magic? And if so, what type was it? What did she just see?
"It's a fortune telling magic." She states, now seeming to be sobered up. "I cannot reveal one's fortune to them, without me facing a greater punishment, myself. I can say this, however. 'One day, you will lose more than anyone can hope to imagine. You will lose your way, and start a great rivalry between nations.' That is all I can say."
"I'm going to lose something huh? Then I'm just going to have to gain enough power to avoid losing what's dearest to me!" I exclaimed, having high hopes for myself. As soon as I began to mention power, the wizard got that fearful look once more. What will I lose? Can I keep myself from losing my way? If I went against my fate, would the wizard be punished, like she stated? Interesting.