Chapter 14 - 14. Getting an ID (legally)

Glenn stood outside of the inn, staring at the two moons hanging high in the sky, hidden behind black clouds, casting an eerie glow over the scene below. The young man vowed to never touch Fiery Spirit ever again after this mess. The previous night had been anything but productive. He had lost five gold coins—whatever that was worth—and had gained no valuable information. Still, he took solace in the fact that he had released the pent-up pressure that had been building within him for the past few days. He felt both better and shitty. Surveying his surroundings, Glenn noticed that the line in front of the Magic Identification Bureau had barely diminished, even during the night. The bureau seemed to operate at all hours, a testament to the importance of its role to the city.Intimated by how long the queue was, he decided to first try his luck with the guard post, hoping to gain entry into the city without passing by the unending waiting line. Before doing so, he stowed away the Fire Staff, pushing slowly the weapon inside it. This was quite a novel and peculiar feeling to see the staff fitting in the leather bag that was barely the size of his fist. He took out the ornate sword as a replacement, tying it to his waist, his old scabbard gone with the corroded sword.The sword was encased in a golden scabbard and boasted an overly elaborate hilt. Glenn hoped that its ornamental appearance would make him pass for a noble, or provide at least a semblance of authority. He approached the guard post gauntly, stopped by two knights waiting there. They crossed their halberds in an intimidating manner. "Halt! State your purpose and identity!" one of them demanded, his eyes judging him, passing up and down on his body, stopping for a second on the golden sword. Glenn complied, pausing the consider his response. Would they believe that he intended to learn how one could fall from the sky or how to dispel an annoying, invasive evil hand? 'Hey, not cool, bro!' Ignoring Diamanes' irritated voice in his head, Glenn smiled politely at the guards. "Good evening, sirs. I'm here to meet a friend. I'm Glenn." The guards remained unimpressed. One of them retrieved a detailed metal wand from a back pouch, the tool composed of intricate gears encased in a transparent material that wasn't glass. At its tip sat a white crystal, spherical and faintly illuminated. Unlike Diamanes' crystal, this one didn't evoke any feelings or inspiration in Glenn. It just...looked magical, that's all. Pointing the wand at the young man, the guard found no indication of anything happening. The second guard let out a weary sigh and rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand. They had chosen who would take care of the night shift with straws, to change the routine. Never again. "Once more, please obtain proper identification before coming here. You need that to enter, kid." The guard stated his voice neutral and empty of any emotions as if he had repeated those same words a thousand times. Glenn thanked politely the guard, grateful for the information, and nodded. He turned back, disappointed. He had anticipated this response, yet he had hoped against hope, not wanting to spend hours in line amidst this...odorous crowd. Regrettably, it seemed he had little choice in the matter.He retraced his steps to join the queue, which stretched so long it almost spilled onto the other side of the road, disrupting the flow of traffic. The line only shifted when carts passed by, which happened frequently despite the late hour. Bored before even beginning to wait, Glenn attempted to engage Diamanes in conversation to alleviate his tedium. However, Diamanes retorted that he was "too busy watching Glenn's high school years" and refused to entertain him. Disheartened, Glenn stood in line, the queue seemingly refusing to shorten. As the sun gradually ascended, he finally reached the door of the Bureau, a sleepy look hanging on his face. Uncertain of what to expect, he waited for an invitation to enter. After several minutes, a monotonous voice issued from behind the door. "Next." Glenn happily obliged, pushing the doors open. The interior revealed a solitary figure—a woman with dark circles under her eyes—seated at a desk with a pile of documents spread out before her. Adjacent to her sat an odd contraption constructed from bronze gears, occasionally releasing puffs of steam. A white crystal, similar to the one held in the guard's wand, was embedded in the center of the contraption, much bigger than its smaller counterpart. It pulsed rhythmically in time with the exhaled steam.The woman regarded Glenn with an expression of indescribable weariness, her voice emerging laboriously as if from a great distance. Her disheveled hair suggested it had been some time since she had tended to it. "Are you here solely for an ID or the full package? The ID costs one silver coin, and the full package, double that." Opting for more rather than less, Glenn produced two silver coins and offered an empathetic smile. "The full package, please." He had always held sympathy for those who worked in such jobs, and he wished her the best. The woman appeared to perk up slightly as she accepted the coins, her movements betraying a hint of revived energy. She retrieved the document and slid it towards Glenn alongside a pen. "Kindly fill out this form first, after which we'll proceed with the Convergence process." Glenn complied, his pen scratching across the paper. The form queried his name, place of residence, and date of birth. Initially panicked by the last question, Glenn soon located the date in the upper right corner of the document. It aligned with his world's calendar, except the year was 3032. The utilization of the Gregorian calendar in another realm struck him as peculiar, but perhaps it was simply the most practical system. The form also inquired about his purpose in King's Rise, and Glenn settled for his fabricated excuse of visiting a friend. Once completed, he signed it, and the woman collected the form, sliding it into a slot within the machine. After a few minutes' wait, a hand-shaped container emerged from the contraption, shrouded in steam. The lady bowed, both her arms showing the container. Her hair fell messily in front of her face, giving her quite the scary look if added to the black circles under her eyes. "Please put your hand in here to begin the Convergence." Complying cautiously, Glenn inserted his right hand into the metal mold. It felt surprisingly soft and pleasant to the touch. The clerk triggered various mechanisms, and the contraption emitted a mechanical voice reminiscent of a human's."Please swear that you have no intention of opposing his Majesty." Lost in fascination with the enigmatic machine, Glenn complied instinctively. After doing so, the lady triggered yet another mechanism, and claws grabbed him, holding him in place. She then pushed a button, not even giving him time to understand what was happening. "Have a safe Convergence, sir." A flash of light appeared, and Glenn felt his body jolt everywhere, a sensation similar to an electrocution. Only his left hand, where Diamanes was held, has been left untouched. The latter seemed alarmed by the current events, in which he was previously uninterested. 'Wow, they're putting a seal on you, better get rid of that.' The pain caused by the machine began to go away as if blocked by something. Glenn managed to take the pain easily now that Diamanes had intervened. 'A seal?' he wondered. 'I'll explain later, get this over with first.' After a few minutes, the pain stopped, and the mechanical voice from earlier began to speak again. "Glenn; 21 years old; Human; Initiate; Visitor; License: One Year. Please renew your license before the end of the specified period or upgrade it. The Magi Brotherhood thanks you for your sponsorship." The metal claws finally let Glenn go at last, letting him take out his hand from the hand-shaped container. The lady bowed not so graciously, doing her best not to fall because of her exhausted body. "Thank you, sir; you can now leave. Have a pleasant stay in King's Rise." Glenn nodded, a bit confused by what happened, and left the Bureau by a side exit, avoiding the unending queue. He sat on the ground, looking at his right hand. A tattoo had appeared on the back of it, glowing in a faint blue light. The tattoo felt mystical, out of this world. There was a rune, similar to a trident, enclosed in a simple circle. Just looking at the rune made him feel something mysterious. The blue glow eventually disappeared, and Glenn just sat there, not knowing how to react. He didn't know how much time he spent in this world, but he already had both hands invaded by strange shit in that little time. Will he end up covered in tattoos? Standing up to try and find a more secluded place, after walking for a few minutes, he found a little grove that would allow him to be alone. Taking off the bandages, the mouth in his hand started gasping for air, taking out its tongue and tasting said air. "Ahhhh, it feels good to feel the air once more. Can you not muffle me next time? It isn't my kind of thing." Letting Diamanes breathe as much air as he wanted, Glenn tried to clear his head. He found a fallen tree to take a seat on and sat there. After a few seconds, he looked at his hand and the red mouth hosting the black little tongue. "Okay, so, in order, what did they do to me? I thought I'd get an identification card or paper or something, also, what the fuck was this machine, what the hell do you mean by seal; and finally, can I be a magician?" Diamanes cleared his throat and moistened his lips. "So… Can I get some water first?" Glenn looked at his hand, completely dumbstruck. "You... you need to drink?" The mouth smacked its lips as if it had been insulted. "Of course not; I'm not lowly enough to need hydration. It was just for more dramatic suspense." Glenn tightened his right fist, holding back the insults he almost spat, and looked insistently at his left hand. Diamanes sighed, disappointed that his host was too stupid to react the way he wanted. "Sigh… Alright, I'll start. The machine that was in that room had a Convergence function, meaning it could open the First Circle. You officially became what is universally called a Mage, a being that can harness magical powers, and you can be called an Initiate since you are only at the First Circle.The Seal I stopped you from getting was something that would make you never oppose the King, which also means the whole kingdom under him, in this case, Mun Irp. If you had tried to oppose him, well, you'd probably have transformed into something similar to the thing you met in the forest.Oh, and you have a magical identification now imprinted on your soul. And by the way, none of the usual logic applies to you thanks to my presence." Glenn kept on looking at Diamanes, his brain fuming with the information he received. "Uhh… Can you do it in a language I can understand, perhaps?" "Ughh… Okay. You. Glenn. Became. A Magician. You're Level 1. I freed you. You have an ID now. I'm great. Simple enough?" 'Should I just cut off my hand?' 'I'm in your head, moron; you'd only shut me up until it grew back.' Glenn hesitated there for a second to slice his hand off, but he knew he wouldn't have the cojones. Plus, he needed more information to understand what was going on. He rubbed his glabella, trying to make sense of it all. "Alright, stop me if I'm wrong. I now have an ID; it's just "magical" and is imprinted in my soul somehow. I also unlocked some kind of magic power. In addition, you saved me from being unable to oppose the King and transform into some kind of abomination if I were to be against him." Diamanes smiled, very happy that Glenn understood everything. Showing off his teeth, he then continued his explanation. "You've got it all right, perfect. Now, you can even see how I can be of use to you, like with the seal, right?" 'Not that I had any intention to oppose anyone, really.' "Anyway, I'll explain how to use your newfound powers. First, you need to—" Glenn heard a swift sound coming towards him. Reflexively, he protected his face with his left hand. An arrow lodged itself right in Diamanes' mouth, shutting him up. The victim of this sudden attack, Glenn, screamed in pain. It hurts! It hurts so much! He could only hold his hurt hand, trying to stop the blood from dripping out. Five hooded figures appeared in black robes in front of Glenn, slowly walking toward him. One of them was holding a bow, probably the perpetrator of the shot. One of them, with a slightly different robe, had a bit of clumsy red embroidery on it. The unknown figure came closer, a red sword in his hand. Glenn tried to leave, but when he tried to stand up, he saw that thorns appeared from nowhere, stopping him from leaving and sticking him on the tree. The hooded figure with the sword approached menacingly, his voice laced with madness emanating from beneath the hood. "Idiot... How dare you incinerate our Abbot's stash and believe you can continue to breathe?" Glenn tried desperately to get out, but the thorns were just getting tighter, scratching and hurting him. His efforts to cry for help were stifled by another thorn that silenced him. "You won't receive the gift of agony, you'll perish swiftly," the hooded man spat. The man swung the pommel of his sword into Glenn's head with brutal force, causing him to see stars and hear the echoes of insane laughter. As darkness encroached, Glenn's consciousness faded, and he slumped on the ground.