Leith Crimsonmane, Nadine, and Gilmore waited at Donar's official residence, which turned out to be not an ordinary suburban house, but a sumptuous fifty floors apartment, and they lived on the thirty-fifth floor.
In the dining room, the three were eating lunch. Gilmore was, as usual, a greedy boar, devouring his third tomahawk steak. Nadine just stared at him while imagining how much meat the Big Yin could fit in his big belly. Watching him eat almost took away her own appetite. Meanwhile, the restless Leith was fiddling with the cherry tomatoes with a fork, pretending that they were too slippery to poke.
"How much longer do we have to wait?" Leith was starting to get angry. "Shouldn't we have left earlier?"
Suddenly, the front door slammed. Footsteps could be heard in all corners of the apartment, which were almost open to each other.
"Leith, Nadine, Gilmore! Where are you?" The footsteps' sound changed to Donar's approaching them. "Ah, there you are. Have you done your scran? Shall we go now?"
"About time!" replied Leith. He then immediately threw the leftovers into the trash and put the dishes in the sink. Luckily, Gilmore was just in time to pull the last bit of meat off the beef rib.
Nadine quickly washed all the dishes while asking, "So Uncle, how's Alicia? And where are we going, exactly?"
A slight sigh came out from Donar. "Alicia… I don't know how to put it, but she should be fine."
"What do you mean you can't put it?" Leith interrupted their conversation. "Something happened to her, did it not?"
"It's a long story. We'd better discuss it while on the trip," Donar said.
After travelling for almost an hour from Eidyn downtown to the quieter city limits, they finally arrived at an airstrip on a green plain.
"Hop off, kids," Donar said as he closed his carriage.
"Apart from a few airplanes, I'm not seeing a single building symbolising the Magisterium's office," said Nadine.
Gilmore showed his enthusiasm by speculating. "Och! Ah think Ah ken where the office is. Underground! 'Tis a pure secret that nae yin kens, especially if it's disguised as an auld port. Maybe there's a hidden door to the magic office bunker."
"No, ye dunderheid," Leith replied, "The office is over there." His index finger pointed up to the sky. They could glance a glimpse of mages soaring upwards on their magic brooms or on mounted griffins.
"Magic headquarters in the sky? That's absolute belter!" said Nadine, amazed.
Gilmore, on the other hand, was not particularly impressed. "Hmph, I think underground is better. I mean, above the clouds, isn't it more exposed than any skyscraper?"
"Aye, aye, whatever, mate. Just tell that to the Grand Magus about it," replied Leith as he walked with Donar towards one of the flying ships.
The four of them approached a spherical flying boat covered in grey metal. It had a large round window in front, complete with a pair of small lights, as well as two other round windows on each side.
"Whoa, Sphereship!" Gilmore exclaimed, "We'll fly a sphereship, Uncle Donar?"
"Have you never been on a sphereship?" asked Leith.
"Aye, Ah ken yer minted. You've hurled griffins, zeppelins, sphereships, and dozens more. Apologies Ah have nae hurled one," Gilmore retorted in annoyance.
"Hey, hey, enough, both of you. We're going to the Magisterium's office with this ship," said Donar.
Donar piloted the mini ball ship. Leith sat next to him as a copilot, while Alicia's two best friends took the back seat. The metal sphere began to open its two lamps and gradually floated into the sky.
Gilmore and Nadine—especially Gilmore—were very impressed to see the diminutive details of the world when the ship had taken off. They could also see a swarm of magicians going back and forth using whatever flying gear they used. He waved and knocked on the window, shouting at the wizards, who were stupefied by the silliness of the attention-seeking Big Yin.
"Haud yer wheest, Gilmore!" Nadine rebuked him. "Yer absolute boorish!"
Leith was at the front, expressing his agreement. "Couldn't agree more."
"Oh, shut it! Just focus on the road, lad," Gilmore replied. "If this ship crashes, the blame's on ye!"
As it got higher, the silhouette of a floating piece of land that blocked the blistering sun came into sight. A large building similar to a castle with a modern artistic touch, like the absurd parliament buildings they encountered before. One could not tell if Europa was entering a period of artistic renaissance, but one could tell their tastes were quite odd these days. The building was supported by earthen rocks with a glimmering magical core right in the centre. Perhaps that was what made the ground, even the surrounding crumbs, hovered. In front of the castle was a sign that read MAGISTERIUM OF THE ARCANE PLANE, THE PATRON OF THE WORLD AND THAUMATURGY.
After getting permission and landing, they rushed into the office. Without further ado, Donar met the office keeper. "We want to see Haddock and my daughter, now."
"Donar, My Lord! Of course, the Honourable Grand Magus is awaiting you. Please come this way!" A guard guided the four of them from a vast lobby of wizards into crowded halls.
***
A glimmer of light pierced the eyes of the dizzy Crimsonmane girl. She closed her eyes for a moment, then began to look around once again. The room she occupied was quieter and emptier than the court. She saw a lot of medical equipment and potions that, by common sense, were available only in certified clinics or hospitals. Alicia thought she must be somewhere between the two places.
"Hello! Are you awake?"
A foreign masculine voice made her gasp straightaway. She suddenly woke up and her eyes found the figure of an elegant man, heating a teapot, using his fancy wand as a lighter.
Blurred thoughts and vision still made it hard for her to comprehend the surrounding information. Upon closer inspection, she was actually in an office room, with empty bookshelves lined up while the destined books and documents were scattered on the floor. There's also an old, worn-out chandelier, and an owl flying here and there. A room with a gurney, and the eyesore empty bookshelves with a wild bird nesting inside. Yup, indeed a normal workspace for a busy wizard.
Alicia scrutinised the man. Reluctantly, she dared to ask, "Um…, hello? Are you a healer?"
"Healer? Ever seen a healer dressed like this? I must be the most wicked healer ever."
"Oh… so, not a healer? S-sorry…."
He chuckled. "No, no. I'm sorry for making you averse. Let's start again with introductions. My name is Lachlan Haddock, Grand Magus of the Magisterium of Arcane Plane."
"My name is Alicia—G-G-GRAND MAGUS?" Alicia put on her glasses to get a better look at the man's figure. Panicked, she threw away the blanket and immediately got up from the bed. Alicia lifted her skirt slightly and bowed to Haddock as a respectful gesture. "Your Honourable Grand Magus! I am your humble servant, Alicia Crimsonmane. I apologise for my carelessness that resulted in a tragic event in the court.…" She then groaned in pain, for her body had not fully recovered. Her hands reached for the gurney to support her trembling body.
Haddock rushed his being towards her. "Miss Alicia, don't push yourself! Stay in bed, please." The Grand Magus helped the bespectacled witch sit on her bed. "Your body is still adjusting to the 'Empathy Curse' you received back then."
"E-E-Empathy Cursed? I'm cursed?" The sudden moves made her grumble at the pain once more.
"I thought as an Arcane user you already know?"
"I don't, Your Honourable Grand Magus."
While guiding the girl's head towards the pillow, Haddock explained, "That's right, it's not knowledge for a laymen, anyway. To be short, it's a magic technique developed by mages with the power of Khaos. When the forces of Arcane and Khaos meet, you will feel a harrowing sensation, akin to experiencing Khaos being crushed by your own power. Though, it only applies when the emitted Arcane has not fully detached from you."
"But I've never felt that way against other Protos particle users before!"
"Are those users truly practitioners of mystic arts?"
Alicia fell silent.
"What can I say?" added the Grand Magus. "Everyone whom Arcane believes shall experience it. Especially when they're about to purge a Khaos mage. In the end, you won't just be fighting magic, you'll be fighting to see who can withstand the most pain."
"I-I see… I guess it was all my fault because I was too weak to endure the pain, wasn't it? I killed hunners of magicians back then," the girl whispered.
"Everything that happened before was not your fault, lady."
"But…," Alicia replied, "If it wasn't for me. All of them would have… oh, no. The scene repeated itself in my mind…." Images of the dead mage being gnawed away caused her panic attacks to flare up again. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, while struggling to breathe. Haddock nuzzled her back to calm the girl.
"Shhh… Alicia, look at me." The Grand Magus' palms fell on the girl's cheeks to turn her face to him. "It was horrible. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. But you will be okay. I know you're a strong girl, I can see it. Now take a deep breath and let it out."
Alicia followed his instructions. Slowly, her breathing rhythm became regular, and her anxiety tantrums were gone. "Smart girl," said Haddock. "Now, would you like a cup of tea and cookies?"
***
How glum Alicia still was as she sipped her chamomile tea and then tasted some of the pastries. Every now and then she looked at her left hand that was missing the magic stamp, then looked at the Grand Magus, then looked down again. It was past lunchtime, and she had not eaten anything since her release from prison. Haddock in front of her just stared at the shy lady. Perhaps this middle-aged man could not read the inconvenient situation he created for watching over her.
"Are you sure that's enough?" Haddock immediately broke the awkward silence. "Are you sure you don't want to try our chamomile-battered steak?"
Alicia looked at her chamomile tea when the wizard said about a steak with the same herb as her drink. He glanced at Haddock with an incomprehensible look.
"Chamomile steak?"
"The best in all of Europa," Haddock boasted.
"Because it's only available here, I suppose."
Haddock smiled at her slightly indifferent response. "Many people think they only used chamomile as an herbal tea. But did you know that chamomile, especially Stillmajik Chamomile, has an abundance of pollen? We can use both the pollen and the petals as spices in cooking that are no less delicious than eastern ones. The best part? Stillmajik is efficacious in rapidly recovering mana!"
"You seem very knowledgeable about food ingredients."
"Oh, of course," answered Haddock. "I found it. The chamomile steak is my recipe. Everyone loves it. Well, not all of them. Some don't seem to acknowledge my culinary work, your mother is included on the list."
Alicia immediately looked up at him, a sign that the Grand Magus had caught her attention.
"Yes, your mother. I remember she almost killed me because I often put absurd stuff into her meal. On purpose, to be spoken of. Not to mention her criticism of my chamomile steak, even though she herself hasn't put a single meat fibre into her mouth. Anyway, every time I share about my new recipe, she always puts on this contempt mien," Haddock imitated Alicia's surprised yet strange look, "Exactly what your face looks like. You Crimsonmane, are difficult to give compliments."
"I think Mama's reaction is quite reasonable, Your Honourable Grand Magus," replied Alicia.
"Oh, don't let all the commendations go to Crimonmane," Haddock brushed back, "They won't be able to accommodate themselves with all the arrogance."
One could not blame her if, like her mother, Alicia looked at this fashionable Haddock as a wizard with slightly deranged behaviour.
Even so, his charm was impossible to resist. Alicia finally smiled a bit thanks to the warm interaction with the Grand Magus. She ventured to bring up another topic. She said, "If I may ask, Your Honourable Grand Magus. What was Mama like when she worked as a witch at the Magisterium?"
"Just call me Haddock. Mistress Ailsa, yes? Hmmm…," Haddock pondered for a moment. "She was absolutely attractive in appearance. But Divine Mercy, she was very uneasy, petulant, nags a lot, and liked to find her own business even though she had tons of spare time. She made all the office workers tense. She was even more imperious than I am."
"So, Mama was basically the female version of Mister Bartholomew Strongbark?"
"Oh, no, no, Alicia. No one can match Bartholomew. Ailsa was far beyond him. It is said that he was born with a temper. He even cursed when he was born,"—Haddock imitated Bartholomew's deep voice—"'Oh damn you, woman! Why did you even throw me out of that dark and comfortable womb, just to drag me into this dry mortal realm? Curses are upon you, all earthly creatures!'"
The room atmosphere was broken by Alicia, who finally laughed—not caring if Bartholomew was eavesdropping behind the door.
Haddock continued, "But outside of working hours, your mother loved spending time with friends as well. Our division fraternises at pubs a lot, and Ailsa was a mad drinker, you know?"
"R-really? I didn't know my mother liked to drink," said Alicia, feeling she did not know her mother fully.
"Hey, there's no need to be embarrassed about that. That's normal for busy workers," Haddock seemed to have guessed Alicia's feelings. "Apart from that, your mother really cared about other people. Of course, she's a great mage. Almost all magic deviation cases wouldn't have been solved without her."
Time passed, and the girl's countenance became gloomy again. In retrospect, it felt odd to be able to let out a laugh now, when she had previously faced her first court of law.
"Bartholomew once accused me that I was part of the reason for Mama's disappearance. All just because I'm not a witch, possessing a dream to make the world happy with magic. He said something about that dream, a group of people who wanted to make it happen, and implied they were bad people. But I was nae a bad person, Grand Magus!"
Haddock was speechless. Now he felt bad for Ailsa's daughter. Because of Bartholomew, young Alicia would be watched over by other mages, either when she had or lost her Arcane magic. She might lose her privacy and that's unpleasant.
"Bartholomew said silly things, Alicia. Again, my deep apologise to you," Haddock sighed. "Most of what he said is true. There are some individuals who are united and share the common vision... have caused chaos in many places. Ailsa was one of the personnel assigned to investigate their whereabouts, but... nothing. We don't know anything about the group, even though their actions are as evident as a clear sky. It's like we're looking for a ghost. The necromancer was probably part of them as well. But I know you're not one of them. I will tell the others."
"So, you believe me?"
"I believe in Ailsa Crimsonmane, and in her ability to keep her children from distorting ideologies."
While the two of them were busy talking, a knock came from the door. Bartholomew opened it and reported, "Donar Crimsonmane is here."
Donar unceremoniously burst through the door, seeing his daughter with a slight wound, but still in one piece. "Alicia!"
"Papa!" Alicia ran and hugged her father right away.
"Thank goodness you're fine, hen." Donar's soft, worried voice reassured Alicia.
"Papa, I know I made a fatal mistake this time. But believe me, I'm about to tell you everything when you come home. I hope Papa will listen to my explanation first—"
"It's fine, hen. It is fine." Donar patted her shoulder. "You've been through a lot. Dinnae be so hard on yerself."
"Alicia! Are ye awright?" Nadine and Gilmore came in to find their little friend. She did not expect them to go all the way to see her at the capital, and then to the office above the clouds.
"Pals!" Alicia hugged her two best friends. "How come did you seek for me here?"
"You were suddenly abducted by a ninja and just disappeared. How can we just hang about, ya idiot?" answered Nadine.
"Scunnered we're a wee late, eh?" Gilmore feigned pity. "I wanted to see if you'd curl up crying against yon necromancer."
"Ah, Gilmore, stop it!" Alicia pouted. "Why do you even know about this?"
"Who doesn't? Uh, hauld yer horses. Is this supposed to be a secret? Yer Papa told us, anyway. Ah thought it's already breaking news."
While hugging them, Alicia happened to see her brother just idling in the doorway with an agitating aura, sending chills down her spine. Whether it's due to blood relations or anything else, even though her brother was very annoyed with her behaviour at that time, she also felt a sense of relief in her brother's heart.
No running and hugging. Hesitant, Alicia approached Leith. "Hey, Leith. I know this must be your initiative. Um, th-thanks for doing it for me. Sorry to trouble you with my rash actions back then. I'll try my best not to be an idiot next time."
Leith sighed, "You'd better be."
While Alicia was busy chatting with the others, Donar approached Haddock. "Thank you for keeping my daughter safe," he said.
"I didn't know you have two more children, My Lord. Especially there's a dark-skinned one?" Haddock expressed.
"They're not my children. Don't be ridiculous."
"So it seems. Looks like your daughter isn't as depressed as others think."
"She had a great time at Trinketshore, aye." said the father. "Unfortunately, those great times dinnae seem to last long, especially since she has found it."
"Oh yes, the magic orb." Haddock then called out to them. "Alright, children. Once the friendly session is over, it's time for us to have a serious discussion about this pure Arcane magic orb." []