Tinasha knew that a never-ending stream of months and years could rot a
person away.
No matter how one tried to bear the passage of time, even the bearing
would become a chore eventually.
Such people could even come to forget the concept of pain, an essential
part of what it was to live as a human.
It begged the question, what had become of Tinasha herself? She'd lived
for an eternity by relying only on her own strength of will.
Did she still have it? Had it become something else?
Perhaps she was fooling herself into believing she still possessed it?
What if it had just become a rote chore?
If it had, Tinasha thought it best to simply die already. Should she have
died on that day?
The night of the meeting with the Cuscull envoy, Tinasha came down with a
fever. Lucrezia tended to her, explaining that it had been brought on by
psychological fatigue.
As agreed, Lucrezia healed Meredina, grumbling all the way, and also
spent the night caring for Tinasha. Oscar could only guess at the things the
two witches spoke of that eve.
All he knew was that when Tinasha awoke the next afternoon after
Lucrezia had left, she seemed refreshed and back to her usual self.
"So you're telling me we've lost track of that gross envoy?"
"He's already vacated the inn where he was staying. It's possible he's
left the city, too…"
Oscar frowned. Sitting at his study desk, he crossed his legs while he
listened to Lazar's report. A short while prior, Als and Meredina had visited
the study to formally apologize for what had happened the day before.
Recalling how haggard Meredina looked despite having no memory of the
incident stirred up an angry flame in Oscar.
"I'd bet anything he's the one who did that to her, but we have no proof.
We should open up an investigation into Cuscull," Oscar declared.
"I'll send out a familiar. It'll be harder for him to avoid magic detection
than a regular person," Tinasha said, grimacing as she poured tea. Lazar
looked at her anxiously.
Taking a cup, Oscar glanced up at his witch. "You could rest for a little
longer, you know."
"I'm completely fine, really," Tinasha assured.
"I don't feel very convinced," Oscar replied. The steam from his teacup
tickled his face. He opened his mouth and filled his lungs with the
wonderful aroma.
Tinasha watched the prince from her spot next to him. Oscar sensed she
wanted to say something to him and looked up at her. "What is it?"
"Well, I was just wondering if you could give me two hours of your time
after you finish your work?"
This was the first time she'd ever made a personal invitation like this.
Oscar wondered what had gotten into her, but he didn't bother asking.
Instead, he replied, "I don't mind, but for what?"
"To vent my anger," she replied.
"…"
"Bring Akashia," she added.
"…All right," agreed Oscar.
Tinasha grinned at him and left, while Oscar let out a little clueless sigh.
At some point, Tinasha had drawn a small transportation array in a
corner of her room. Oscar followed her instructions and stepped onto it,
upon which he was teleported to a familiar circular hall. The walls around
him were a faint azure hue and perfectly smooth. Looking up, he saw the
central atrium; anything beyond that was too distant.
"The first floor of your tower?" he asked.
"Correct," Tinasha answered, waving her hand lightly to dismiss the
transportation array from sight.
"Why here?" Oscar wondered.
"Here, the walls absorb all magic that hits them, so my wards are at full
capacity, rendering your protective barrier virtually ineffective. Also, well, I
don't really want anyone to see us," Tinasha admitted, clad in a mage's
black robe. She walked some distance away from Oscar. As she did, she
gestured to him to indicate that he should step back, too. He obeyed and
moved a few paces away.
"Starting today, for one month, I want you to spar with me here for two
hours every day. I'll try my hardest not to die, so give me your best shot,"
Tinasha said.
Suddenly, she grabbed hold of thin air. A sword materialized in her right
hand.
Oscar was stunned for a millisecond, then he finally realized what was
going on and smiled nervously.
Tinasha stretched out her left hand, and blue flames flared up in her
palm.
"Let's begin," she said, kicking off the ground.
This was certainly one way to blow off some steam.
Although Tinasha had said she didn't go particularly easy on Oscar
when they'd had their mock battle, that was a case of matching her fighting
to his. Today, Oscar had learned firsthand just how hard it was to fight her
while she attacked from a safe distance.
"Well, it's the first day, so I suppose this is to be expected," Tinasha
observed after she finished healing Oscar's wounds. Utterly drained, he'd
flopped into a chair on the top floor as soon as she'd brought them up there.
Oscar accepted a glass of water Litola had poured. He looked up at the
witch as she dabbed his face with a damp cloth.
"Can I ask why we just did that?"
"Hmm… There are a lot of reasons, and I can't tell you everything,
though I suppose if I had to explain… I want you to have lots of choices."
"Choices?"
"No matter what happens from here on out, I don't want you to feel like
there would have been another way if only you'd been stronger. I want you
to be able to decide which path you want to take from among a wealth of
choices. That's my reason," Tinasha said, petting Oscar's head the same
way he often did to her.
She stroked him very slowly, doting as a mother would.
Oscar wondered if perhaps it had been Tinasha herself who had suffered
the pain of some mistake because she hadn't had enough choices. Mulling it
over for a moment, the prince felt his assumption was likely correct.
Every day after that, Oscar trained with the witch.
It was only for two hours, but because he got hit with a considerable
amount of magic, he slept like the dead to recover from the fatigue of it all.
She'd heal his wounds, of course, but evidently, nothing could be done
about his exhaustion.
He probably hadn't undergone such intense training since he was a boy
—when he'd first understood what the curse meant and desired only to be
strong. The witch educated him thoroughly on how to fend off long-range
attacks from powerful mages, as well as the midrange attacks from mages
who were more skilled at other kinds of battle, all on his own. There were
times she fought him one-on-one, and other instances when she deployed
her familiars as her vanguard, varying the types of attacks.
"You really should be able to see magic by now," Tinasha pointed out,
stopping her casting as he wrenched his legs, which were entangled in
invisible vines, apart. "You could see it back during the mock battle,
couldn't you? Don't let it affect your mental state."
"That's easier said than done… I can't see it; I can just feel it," Oscar
answered. Even now, he could tell there was something wound around his
legs but couldn't discern what it was at all. He looked down at himself,
attempting to take a step forward but unable to move.
"You have the raw talent to be a mage, but…I don't think you could.
You're not quite cut out for it."
"Could I or couldn't I? Which is it?" Oscar asked flatly.
Tinasha shrugged and undid the binding spell on him. "It's been almost
two hours. Let's call it a day here. You should get some sugar and some
sleep."
As if upon her command, a wave of real exhaustion pressed in on Oscar,
and he suddenly felt very sleepy.
"Oh, wait, don't fall asleep here," Tinasha cried in a panic. Even though
Oscar heard the words, he didn't reply and instead closed his eyes.
…When he awoke, he found himself lying on a bed in a dark room.
It was not his castle bedchamber. The wounds on his body had all been
healed, the blood had been cleaned away, and he'd been changed into fresh
clothes.
Rousing himself, he looked out the window to see the moon shining out
over the wilderness. There was no other room as high off the ground as this
one. This had to be the witch's bedroom on the top floor of the tower.
Turning back, he saw a sliver of light spilling from the door leading to
the next room. He pushed it open to see the witch standing in the center of a
large chamber, facing away from him. She'd changed her look from how it
had been earlier that day. Now her hair was all bound up, and she was
wearing an enchanted robe with a large slit up the left side.
She waved her hand over a scrying bowl, chanting to the sigils that
floated up from the water. She appeared to be concentrating raptly and did
not notice that Oscar had emerged from the other room.
He crept up behind her and caressed her exposed leg while kissing her
slender shoulder.
It was only then that Tinasha seemed to notice him. She looked up over
her shoulder and smiled. "You're awake?"
Tinasha looked so calm and composed that Oscar pulled his hand away
and frowned. "You're too defenseless," he complained.
"I was concentrating… I'd notice if an intruder came in."
"I don't mean that. If someone feels you up, you should get mad at
them."
"You're the one who felt me up, and you're going to say that…? Then
just don't touch me…," Tinasha grumbled. "I complain to you plenty if it
tickles or if you're getting in my way. I'm already used to you doing that to
me. If it bothers you so much, then you should be the one restraining
yourself."
Oscar went silent, and Tinasha left the room. Five minutes later, she
came back bearing some hot fruit wine with sugar added.
"I sent word back to the castle," she said.
"Ah, sorry you had to do that." Oscar accepted a glass and took a sip.
It was quite sweet. Dizzyingly sweet. The one sip made Oscar's head
jerk up.
"Drink it," the witch hurled back at him, as if she'd anticipated his
reaction. Reluctantly, he brought the glass to his mouth again.
Oscar managed to swallow half of the death-by-sugar drink before
setting it down. Not allowing Tinasha to scold him, he brought up a new
topic. "So what is magical power and magic anyway?"
"That's a very basic question…," Tinasha muttered.
"Well, I don't know the answer."
Tinasha sat down on a box placed by the window. The moonlight
illuminated her, casting a hazy shadow of her figure on the floor.
"Magic is interfering with phenomena by way of using magical power
that is drawn from an individual's will."
"…I didn't understand a word of that."
"Let me finish…," Tinasha said, looking exasperated. She snapped her
fingers, and the lights went out in the room. The space was now as dark as
it was outside.
"Say I decide to make this room bright… Then I'd light it. Whether I
use magic to manifest light or I ignite a lamp, the end result is the same. It
gets bright," Tinasha explained. She then snapped her fingers again. Light
was restored to the room instantly. "This is what it means to interfere with
magical phenomena by way of your own willpower. In other words, it's
already what humans do normally just going about their lives. Magic does it
—not with your physical body or speech—but with magical power."
"Oh, so that's what you meant," Oscar replied.
"To delve a little deeper, there are many rules governing what sort of
interference the physical body can accomplish—dropping an object from
above, moving something by exerting force, and so on. But at the same
time, rules like that also exist for magic in the world. However, while
spatially these rules are the same as those in the visible world, hierarchywise, there are a few places where they differ, so normally they don't
function in nature. They just exist. Are you with me so far?"
"Yeah." Oscar nodded, pouring a glass of water to chase away the sweet
aftertaste.
"Mages use magical power to pull those rules toward us and interfere
with natural things around us. So while you can't move a heavy rock via
physical interference no matter how hard you push against it, it's easy to
move it if you use a pulley-and-lever system. Mechanisms like that are
equivalent to spells in magic. If you cast a spell and move it with magical
power, you've accomplished a greater thing than if you hadn't used a spell,
even with the same amount of magical power. The more complicated the
spell, the harder it is to cast it, but you can reap greater results." After she
explained, she snapped her fingers again. A spell pattern of intricately
intertwined red threads appeared before her eyes. This must have been a
spell configuration.
She dismissed it with a wave of her hand and continued. "We're only
aware of a few of the rules for magic, but there are probably more yet to be
discovered. Even for those we do know, the magic that results will be
completely different depending on the spell configuration used… Do you
understand?"
"More or less." Oscar did understand the basic ideas, but he'd suddenly
felt like he'd been transported to a lecture hall. "What decides if you have
magical power or not?"
"We don't know if it's determined by one's body or soul, but it's entirely
hereditary. Bloodline appears to carry some importance, but it's not a
guarantee. People with magical power have it from birth, and those who
don't cannot acquire it through training."
"What about me?" Oscar asked.
"…You have it."
"I never knew."
Among the direct royal lineage of Farsas, there had never been a mage.
Tinasha had said bloodline was no guarantee, but even so, hearing that
Oscar had magical power was a surprise. Perhaps there had been a
Farsasian royal before who'd had magical aptitude but died never knowing
it.
With a grim half smile, Tinasha pointed to Oscar's sword. "But as long
as you carry Akashia, you cannot use magic. It keeps you from
concentrating the magical power inside your body. My protective barrier on
you is a complex enough spell that it can coexist with Akashia, however."
It finally dawned on Oscar what she meant when she said she'd prefer
not to lift the barrier because it would require a lot of effort. She was right
—normally, a sword that nullifies magic should not be able to coexist with
a spell that protects the user from all forms of attack. Oscar was struck by a
keen sense of gratitude for just how much of her craft she'd poured into
pulling off that spell.
"That said, because you have magic, you should be able to see it. Maybe
the reason you can't is because you think you're incapable? Tomorrow, try
focusing your awareness on it more," Tinasha instructed.
"…Got it," Oscar agreed.
Tinasha got off the box she was sitting on and came to stand in front of
him. With a cute flourish, she turned out her palms to him. "So what do you
want to do? Go back to the castle? Or if you're hungry, I can make you
something."
"You can cook?" Oscar asked, somewhat surprised.
"Sure I can. How many years do you think I've been living alone?"
"Like, a thousand?"
"If you're serious, I'm going to blow you up tomorrow," Tinasha griped,
giving him a dangerous smile that looked like she'd blast him to bits right
then and there.
As he often did, Oscar placed a hand on the witch's head. "All right
then, I want you to make me something."
"Okay," Tinasha replied, whirling around and disappearing into her
kitchen.
They were halfway through their month of training.
Tinasha didn't make Oscar explode the next day, but she did surround him
in a sea of flames.
The ring of fire Tinasha set rose high around him on all sides. Just
standing in its midst made sweat pour off his body, and he felt like he could
pass out from the heat.
"Escape before you collapse or get burned to a crisp," the witch
declared, looking down on Oscar from high up in the air. Her tone was as
light as if she were saying, Come back before sundown if you're going out
to play.
"It's pretty damn hot…" Oscar groaned, sending a testing swipe out at
the wall of flames. The wall retreated from Akashia, and a fissure formed
for a second, but the flames closed themselves back up once the sword had
retreated. In an instant, the wall looked the same as it had before, and the
witch offered him some advice. "Don't just slash like you always do, look
at the flow of magical power. Find the spot that's the linchpin of the spell."
"You say that, but…," Oscar muttered, trailing off.
One thing he'd learned in the past two weeks was that once Tinasha
decided to teach him something, she did so mercilessly. She was careful not
to go too far, but her methods were still harsh enough that it seemed a
wonder he hadn't died yet.
The results spoke for themselves, however. Oscar felt like he was truly
improving. His swordsmanship had been superior to Tinasha's to begin
with, and he already had combat instincts. His guardian witch seemed to
craft very specific lessons for Oscar, and he was absorbing techniques for
fighting mages like a sponge.
"I'm not telling you to use your mind's eye. Use your real eyes. The
magical configuration should be visible within the flames," Tinasha
instructed.
"Got it," Oscar answered. He was about to pass out if he didn't keep it
together. Wiping sweat off his brow, he stared at the wall of fire. While the
color and shape of the flames flickered and changed, it maintained its true
essence, vibrating hypnotically.
Oscar slowly inhaled, then froze. He wiped his mind blank, deciding to
trust only what Tinasha had told him.
Letting out a controlled breath, Oscar closed his eyes. When he opened
them…fine threads the same color as the flames had seemingly emerged.
They formed a huge arc, circulating inside the wall of fire in the shape of a
spiral.
Oscar craned his neck to survey the burning circle. Right behind it, there
was one spot where the lines were most concentrated. He drew Akashia and
approached the flames, then slashed lightly at that point as if he were
undoing it.
The sword tip touched the linchpin, and the instant it was cut apart…the
circle of flames petered out, as if extinguished. All that remained was the
boiling heat.
"Very good," Tinasha complimented.
Oscar sheathed Akashia and looked up to see the witch applauding
happily.
Oscar's progress with learning how to see magic was rapid. It was so
quick that Tinasha even asked if Oscar needed the remainder of the month
to practice. Once he learned to perceive spell configurations as well as
magical power that wasn't in spell form, his training turned from lessons to
more practical combat scenarios.
"Hmm, I'd really like to have you fight a human," Tinasha murmured,
leaning against the wall after Oscar easily defeated the demonic spirit she'd
summoned for him to practice with.
Oscar used a cloth to wipe the demonic spirit's blood from his sword.
"Don't make this sound like you're putting two bugs together to try to get
them to fight," he chided.
"I've never done that…"
"I have."
"Unbelievable… You're the crown prince. Why were you outside doing
something that vulgar…?" The witch chided with a disapproving frown,
then waved her hand to dispel the slain body of the demonic spirit.
Oscar put Akashia back in its sheath. "If you need a human opponent for
me, why not get one of our mages to do it?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? If a normal mage went up against
you, they'd have nightmares and sleepless nights. I need to find you an
opponent who isn't duty-bound to you."
Just then, a white light flashed into the tower hall. The entrance to the
tower had opened. A number of shadows stood outside the door, most likely
challengers.
"You left the door open?" Oscar asked.
"Huh, looks like I did. Oops, not good," Tinasha observed, straightening
up reflexively and going over to join Oscar in the center of the hall.
Outside were five men whose garb made them easily recognizable as
adventurers. They entered cautiously and were surprised to see Oscar and
Tinasha. "What are you two doing here? Come to take a stab at the tower?"
one asked.
Oscar and Tinasha exchanged glances, both unsure how to respond.
Then, the witch broke into a mischievous smile and clapped her hands
together. Oscar had a fair idea what she was thinking but prayed he was
wrong.
Without making a sound, Tinasha flew up into the air. She surveyed the
five stunned visitors from on high.
Two swordsmen, one mage with a bow in midrange gear, one mage with
long-range gear, and one mage for defense. The witch grinned devilishly.
To her, the timing could not have been more perfect.
"Welcome to my tower. I'm happy you've made such a sudden
appearance."
Her greeting caused a stir among the guests. Down below, Oscar had his
head in his hands.
One swordsman pointed his blade at Tinasha and asked, "Are you really
the witch?"
"Yes," Tinasha answered. "Have you come with some business for me?"
"Will you grant our wish?"
"If you've got the strength," she replied, causing the men to murmur
among themselves.
Another young swordsman from the group stepped forward. "Will you
really grant any wish? I mean, you look really beautiful, so if I said I
wanted you, would you agree?"
"I don't mind."
"Tinasha!" yelled Oscar angrily. Giggling, the witch alighted next to
him.
"However, I did say only if you've got the strength. Normally, you'd
have to climb to the top floor of the tower, but today is a special exception."
The witch snapped her fingers, and the open door slammed shut. Left with
no way back, the men stiffened.
Tinasha pointed one ivory finger at Oscar and announced silkily, "Defeat
him. If you do, I'll grant you anything you desire."
Nervous excitement filled the men upon hearing such a promise. They
probably thought this would be easier than taking on the infamous tower
said to eat those fool enough to challenge it.
An archer mage stepped forward. "One against one?" he asked.
"No, all of you against him," Tinasha declared, floating into the air
again and bringing her lips to Oscar's ear. "I'll make it so no one dies. Go
ahead and fight to your heart's content."
"Why, you…," Oscar started.
"Good luck!" Tinasha sang out, looking truly entertained.
Oscar had the distinct feeling that he'd become a bug. There was little to
do about it now, however. He took hold of Akashia.
That was the men's cue to ready themselves for battle as well. Oscar
looked up at the witch from her spectator's spot high above, then eyed the
young swordsman—the one who'd asked for Tinasha as his wish.
"I guess I'll start with him," Oscar mused.
Tinasha clapped her hands. With that as their signal, the battle began.
In the blink of an eye, Oscar had closed the distance with the
swordsman. With Akashia, he broke right through the barrier the defense
mage had set on him. It all happened at what should have been an
impossible speed, and the man's face froze in shock.
"Wha—?"
He was aghast in the face of unavoidable death. Without hesitating,
Oscar knocked the man's sword away and then sliced across his torso.
Instead of getting bisected, though, the man's body disintegrated like smoke
just before Akashia could touch it.
Tinasha had probably judged that to be a mortal wound and transported
him away. The four remaining men were in an uproar over their
companion's quick removal from the board. The other swordsman of the
group regained his composure and shouted, "Don't get careless! Attack all
at once!" He swung his sword down at Oscar.
It was a long, sweeping stroke, infused with strength and momentum,
but Oscar met it effortlessly. Ignoring the swordsman staggering from the
recoil of the prince's block, Oscar leaped in front of the mage, who was
trying to nock an arrow, and sliced through him.
Disbelief was written on the mage's face as he was teleported away, but
Oscar didn't even bother to watch it happen. He fell back for a beat. The
swordsman was back on his feet, and Oscar rushed him.
"Are you the witch's damn familiar?!" the swordsman cried.
"Please don't say rude things about people's contract holders," Tinasha's
exasperated-sounding voice called from above. If Oscar heard the witch's
words, he didn't react. Instead, he met the blade that came at him with his
own, eyeing the mage who'd begun chanting a spell all the while. On the
fifth clash, he knocked the man's sword aside and then swung Akashia
down on his opponent's shoulder. The swordsman disappeared.
It was then that the mage finished his incantation, and a blast of
powerful wind was launched at Oscar.
"Take that!" For the mage, the magic must have appeared a killer move.
Oscar merely reached out his right hand and crushed the core at the
center of the eddy. In an instant, the swirling gusts dispersed.
The mage was left aghast at such an unexpected feat, and Oscar edged
closer to him. From behind, another mage sent out an invisible binding
spell, but one flash from Akashia cut it down. The mage began reciting
another spell in a panic, but Oscar thrust his sword at him, and he
disappeared like his comrades.
Looking back, Oscar saw the final mage sprawled on the floor, and he
placed his sword tip against the man's neck. "It's over."
There was a beat, and then the final challenger was transported away.
The witch's voice rang out, clear as a bell. "That was over too soon."
"You need better taste in opponents," said Oscar.
"Sorry," she apologized as she fluttered back to the ground in high
spirits. Oscar sheathed Akashia, then caught her slender body in his arms.
Tinasha smiled as she patted down Oscar's mussed-up hair. "You exceeded
my expectations with how well you did. Let's put an end to this here."
"You sure? We've still got five days left."
"There's no real point in continuing. Thanks for all your hard work,"
Tinasha said, sliding out of his arms and onto the floor.
Eyeing her lithe form, Oscar murmured, "If I fought against you at your
full power, could I win?"
It was something the prince hadn't really considered before.
If such a day ever came, he'd be going up against the most powerful
witch. Oscar had only asked the question idly, but Tinasha bent her head
doubtfully, then looked up at him with eyes filled with loneliness. "Don't
you think…it would be boring to know that now?"
She cast her long black eyelashes down. There was a transparent
glimmer in her dark orbs. A smile played at her tiny lips, and in that
moment, she looked both like a girl and like a witch who'd lived for many a
lifetime.
This appearance of hers somehow felt distant to Oscar…or perhaps it
was trying to be. Someday, Tinasha really could vanish.
Lost in his musings, Oscar held his breath without realizing it for a
moment. Patting the witch's head, he managed to suppress his worries over
things to come. "I won, so grant me a wish."
"All right, just make sure it's something I can manage. You did work
very hard this past month. As long as it isn't marriage, I'll do it."
"Don't ruin my fun." Oscar pouted.
"I've learned my lesson." Giggling, Tinasha opened a transportation
array to take them both back to the castle. She held out a hand to Oscar. Her
palm was small and creamy white.
It seemed to shine as Oscar laid his own hand over it. When he
intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed lightly, she gave him a smile
tinged with both relief and sadness.