Kismet’s Tale

      Night came to the City of Haymouth. The cold earthly breeze made its way even in the clock tower of the city. There are individual rooms in the clock tower where the practitioner of the Magi path can gather the energy of the world.

“Oh my, a night visit?”

Cecilia smiled, as if expecting this.

The one who vaulted in was Mavin Tomas. In the shadows she could barely perceive his face. He approached her, but she heard no sound. His footsteps were masked in silence. His eyes however were pallid. The two holsters on his shoulders and the black-iron hilt that was dangling on his waist made Cecilia open her eyes fully.

“Does she know about this?”

“She’ll see this coming.”

He stood in the middle of the doorway. Cecilia found herself standing tall. She wore a thin sleeping robe that barely hid her features. Under the dim light she felt exposed. Nonetheless, if this was years ago, she would have felt heart beat not in fear.

He sidled around the room. His eyes scanned each corner. He first went to the artifact casing. Cecilia was about to stop him when he nonchalantly pressed on the symbols and opened the casing.

“How in the?”

He started checking the artifacts one by one. He placed it on the side and then checked on a decorated dagger with a ruby embedded hilt. Cecilia remained standing while he inspected the items. Mavin moved to the next artifact casing and once again pressed on the symbols as if he knew the password for it. She didn’t understand how he could possibly know.

“How did you know the password?”

“You should have an idea.”

He opened the casing. He checked the artifacts. He runs his fingers on one of the egg-like artifacts and after a long gaze at the artifact. He crushed it with his bare hands. Mavin kicked aside the artifact and started to one of the casings. This time Cecilia stood in front of him, barring his way. Mavin listlessly stared at her before he grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her out of the way. Cecilia drew on the sparks. Mavin made a gesture with his fingers and broke the gesture.

“What is that?”

“Anti-spark. I cannot use the sparks, but I can stop it from happening when I am in close quarters.”

“Why are you here?”

“You have eyes, Cecilia.”

“Then stop what you are doing. You are trespassing.”

“I am.”

“Do you know what this entails?”

“It means that I could have done worse than this.”

“You certainly are armed.”

“I am always armed.”

Cecilia sat on her bed with crossed arms. “You’ve changed. You were much nicer back then.”

“That was fifty-seven years ago, Cecil. And you, it looks like getting that title off you made you less stiff to talk to.”

“You hate me don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then why?”

“Nothing. I need an artifact and you are one of the Masters of the Old Magi. I thought about it with Natalya a while ago. Threatening Masters who could wield magical abilities that a battalion offers. You and three Masters have the ability to move undetected and if you stall long enough. There are chances that I wouldn’t find you or the artifact.”

“So are you here to threaten me?”

“Perhaps, although I told Natalya that we might just starve this city to death and cripple the business on the center and easternside. It surprises me that the industries have come so far in the years. I guess when you wage a war against the demikins… you start to rely on other countries.”

“Hah, please, you expect to be guilt-free when you were one of the inspirations on the genocide in the easternside.”

“I slaughtered the demifiends… and apparently that wasn’t enough. Even now they still walk and live on this land.”

“Do you need the artifact to kill them all?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

Mavin opened his mouth. Then the same external force clutched his throat. There was a moment of weakness that came to him immediately. He shook it off and breathed out hard.

“The truths are harder to skirt around.”

Cecilia raised her hands. “I felt the sparks gone from me for a moment. What was that?”

“It means you’re being tugged if you keep asking the same questions. How easy my life would be if I am not threatened by a wheel of fates.”

“Someone told me that the wheel of fate hasn’t spinned ever since. The balance of destiny isn’t going the way things are.”

Mavin stopped. “Did you have a view of the future?” He looked her in the eyes. The kind eyes that looked at her fondly once were now like unmoving stone.

“I have.”

“That so? Did you see how the world would go? How one day I will bury you in the ground?”

“I did.”

Mavin held a complicated gaze. “No wonder you readily agreed to that treatment. I doubt it worked for you.”

“I managed to hold on because of it. In a way the treatment was good enough that it kept me alive long enough for Minerva to return the sparks to me.”

“Your body should have enough sparks in it. It’s slightly inferior to what Natalya has, but even if I robbed you of the sparks right now. You’d live long enough at least to enjoy the days. Not that it matters.”

“And why would you do that to me? I thought you didn’t hate me.”

“Personally, I don’t. But I heard from them. How they made you as an excuse to murder and harvest the organs of my HOUNDS. It’s because of this belief that they waged a war against my home and cost the life of people who I cherished. I heard the truth already. That it was because Lady Shina was ailing and Arno wanted to save her. I could understand that. But what I couldn’t understand if you didn’t do anything and let it happen. Even when your brothers and sisters died. Even when Rene and Kristine died for this stupid cause. You did nothing.”

“And you did something? If you were alive then you could have done something. Where were you? You could have told me. You could have revealed to me your intentions and told me that you were going to be long-lived like me! You could have just said that.”

“Not that it matters, doesn’t it?”

“Of course it doesn’t. You must be so confident, just because she waited for you, and I didn’t.”

“We didn’t start on the right foot,” Mavin said, cutting her off. “During the tripartite war, when I was fighting in the front lines. We almost killed one another because we were taking the heads of many people. She doesn’t have the scar now, but if she had succeeded I wouldn’t be here. I took her arm as well.”

“The relationship between you two is strange.”

“It is. But we do better by talking it out. One lesson that I learned is that it’s best to talk it out. But there are also times where you just have to do what it takes as well.”

“Good for you.”

Mavin continued searching the room. He plucked her drawers and deftly searched every nook and cranny. “Where’s the sphere? Is it in the vault?”

Cecilia didn’t answer. “You won’t stop?”

“Schemes and tricks take a long time. And I think that it is funny that you Magis believe that I couldn’t do something about this. We came here nicely and considering that my wife had made a great choice in giving me options on what to do. Power and influence comes in handy.”

“For someone who was mad at me because of the lives that I cost by doing nothing. You are so eager to put your people into harm’s way. You do love being a hypocrite.”

“I sure do.”

“Do you love being so villainous?”

“What? Did I say that I was being righteous? That I was doing this for some greater good? If you still know some part of me. Then you know that all I do is for the sake of those who I cherish. That’s why you really need to become part of the people I cherish.”

“You’re threatening me.”

“I am. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to go to the vault where you people hid the sphere. And here I thought you’d keep it close. I guess some things really don't change no matter how many times the variables change.”

“What are you saying?”

“Just thinking how awful it is sometimes. So are you going to be part of the people I cherish or should I rob you of your sparks?”

Cecilia laughed heartily. “Would you mind if I dress up?”

“Go ahead.”

“I hope your wife approves of this.”

“I think you should be worried the fact that at she loves and hates you. I heard...some things about you two’s relationship.”

“Oh.”

“I think you should be worried about her more than you should be worried about me hurting you."

Mavin said again.

Cecilia tried to refute, but considering how they had quite a strange relationship in the past fifty-seven years. Cecilia only felt an awful foreboding.

“I’ll get dressed.”

“Good choice.”

“And you better get your conduit as well. It would be best if you do.”

“Is she not joining us?”

“I need her to watch over the other Magis who might have an idea to stop us.”

“You two are awfully in-sync.”

“Thank you, I guess that’s why I got remarried to her under a new name.  Turns out we have the same tastes...which I don't know if I should be happy or sad about. Go dressed up, Cecilia. I need to get that Sphere.”

Cecilia raised a brow first before she gave up. Mavin left the room without a sound. She didn't understand what Mavin was implying to her. But what she understood now was that she'd rather give up the artifact than lost her sparks.