I hit my 18th birthday about a week ago. A couple of days after there was a small celebration thanks to my sister Railey. She set it up in the backyard and invited my friends, and a few of hers that I know. Together with everyone there, it was lively. She's a wonderful Arctic wolf who's always gone out of her way for me.
Yet days later, here I am wandering around the ruins of Wind Haven yet again. Anything that was salvageable has been. The dead that could be found were buried on the hill where I watched the town burn. The town isn't overgrown yet but there is new life. I think it was mutually agreed that Wind Haven would not be rebuilt. There was no decree from Red whether or not to do it, even though he willingly destroyed it.
The Fox, Red… He owns the world around him. After I was relocated to the small town of Sissle, I attended school. In history class, we learned about ancient civilizations, the world's growth, and the change of magic in the world. 226 years ago, in a world-changing event, Red unleashed his power on the world wiping out armies and nations that went after him. He showed himself to the world as the legendary nine-tailed fox; the demon of legends and myth to bring darkness to the world. With his power, he became a standing influence in every nation.
Mages and Magi began coming forward to the open public under his protection. They took advantage of it and quickly became the driving force in the world. Then came what was called "The Power Re-shift". The mages became too strong, too influential, and began oppressing the normal people. Red disagreed, even being a magic user himself. He cut off the mage's advancement giving everyone equal ground again.
The mages refuse at first. They didn't yield to Red's demands. Red pushed back but they pushed harder and violently. About 5% of the world's magic class was wiped from the planet. It was 3,521,203 people. The third worst "disaster" to happen in recorded history.
Because Red is still alive, he is able to teach about it himself. He says he didn't want to do it but it was for the good of everyone. It sounds tyrannical but he's never denied it or altered it. He's rather strange. He will commit these crimes against humanity and then let everyone know. When he came to power he cleaned up a lot of government powers and then let them rebuild. Very rarely does he intervene with how anything is run but when he does everyone takes notice.
His most recent action was the purge of Wind Haven. They say it was a purge because there was the center of an old resistance group housed there. Red claims that everyone that perished was a member of the group and those that walked away were innocent. Out of the small town that was Wind Haven, 57 of the roughly 1,440 lived. In the port city, no one walked away, and the world looked on and let it happen.
As I'm standing in front of the pile that was my childhood home I think of all the missed chances and how different things could have been. With a deep sigh, I turn around to head home but walk beak-first into what feels like a pillar. Railey snuck up behind me. She is a lot taller than I am. I stand as a 5' 2" Blue Jay while she towers over me as a 6' 2" Arctic Wolf. That whole species difference has a huge effect at a certain age. She smiles at me, "You're predictable. C'mon, let's go home."
From the ruins of New Haven to Sissle it's about a 30-minute drive, or in my case a five-hour walk. I don't have a vehicle but Railey does. It's an older one but because of her size, it's spacious, more so for someone my size. Part of the road back hasn't been well taken care of to where it's just a dirt road.
"So Blue." Railey wakes me up from my trance, "Do you feel better?" I'm a little confused, "About?"
"Just in general. You always walk to your parent's house, look mopey, and then come home. Are you able to make peace or are you just beating yourself up?"
"That's mean Railey."
Without warning she slams the brakes skidding along the broken road to a stop. I'm thrown forward then back into my seat slamming my head against the headrest. I look over and Railey is glaring at me with a scowl on her face. I'm disabled by those yellow eyes. Her paws are firmly gripped on the wheel with her arms locked.
She does relax her arms and softens her face, "It's because I worry about you. It's if you keep living in the past you're going to be stuck there. I don't want to see that happen to you. You understand?" I just nod my head but it wasn't good enough for her. She grabs my beak and makes me look at her, "Do. You. Understand?" I muffle out a yes and she lets go. Focused on the road again we start back home. It was a rather quiet ride after that.
I ate dinner, washed up, and disappeared into my room. It's a small 8' by 8' cube of space with a small bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a small desk with notebooks and papers from school. I still have another three months before I graduate and my magical studies are failing. It's a more advanced chemistry class that I barely understand. Chemistry was hard enough as it was. I'm not even a magic user so this class is all paperwork for me. That might be why I don't get it.
"Three parts Motus, one part Volito which is what again? Flight? Yea, flight. Those give lift to a mix of Aura, VIctus, and Pracantatio to… I'm pretty sure that's all wrong…"
"Three Motus, one Volito, pull Aqua, mix with Aer, and two Motus and you have basic lift on an object of 1.2kg or less. Adjusting for your size, you would need 41 mixtures to lift you. You could also use basic Pracantatio as an amplifier and half that."
"I'm pretty sure I would be called out if I got that advanced."
"Basic Magic Theory?"
"Yup. For being basic, it's complicated."
"It looks that way but you'll get it."
"I'm not a magic user."
"You could be. You just need practice. Besides, you used to love magic when you first came here."
"I somehow doubt that."
"No, you did. Because I would hug you." She wraps her arms around me, "Then I would hum a light tune to you." She hums one note, "And envelope you with warmth."
My body began feeling warm. My muscles began to relax and my eyes began closing. "And you would slowly fall asleep. I would tuck you in and kiss you goodnight." I slowly breathe in and out while she softly speaks to me. "But!" She jerks away quickly waking me up, "You don't like magic so I guess I can't do it anymore." I watch her as she exits my room. She looks back over her shoulder with a playful smirk before she rounds the corner to the hallway. Railey is strange but she takes good care of me. Her mother works hard to provide the means but Railey keeps the house together.
I've given up on this tonight. Magic Theory is just beyond me. I'll skim by but I really don't foresee me using magic or in a magic field of work. Seems like most of it is either teaching or research anyway. I turn off my bedroom light and open the window by the head of my bed. The breeze comes in quickly filling with a slight chill. It's become a ritual for me as long as it's not too cold or bad weather. It's relaxing but Railey was right. I liked her magic. I kind of miss it.
There's a soft knock at the door. I'm not totally responsive but I hum at the noise. I hear Railey, "Were you asleep?" I shuffle to see the door, "Not really."
"Can I come in?"
"Yea, what's wrong?"
"Nothing really. Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday again and say 'welcome to adulthood."
"You're weird Railey. I hope you know that."
"Yeah, yeah I am. I'm glad you put up with it."
"I'm stuck with you. I have no choice."
She lightly socked my leg, "You dick!"
"Haha! I deserved that."
"Damn right, you did."
The two of us try to keep quiet because it is late. Railey is sitting at the far end of my bed with her head sideways to her body so we can look at each other. Her fur glows against the moonlight. "Hey Railey, can I ask you for one more present?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Can you do that thing again, where you hum me to sleep with your magic?"
"But I thought…" She stopped herself halfway, "Yea, sure. But you have to roll over."
I move over and face the wall. Railey moves the covers so she's under them. One arm goes under my pillow to support her head and the other goes around my chest. She moves up against me. She softly hums behind my head while the bed begins to feel warm. I've never been able to find out what song she sings to me but I always feel at home. Before I know it, I'm asleep.