7- First Encounter

            Nova sat in a corner of a large abandoned room meticulously trying to keep her head together as she squeezes out every last bit of information she could remember from the meeting that occurred just a few minutes prior. Her loud grunts could’ve easily been mistaken as a ghost by any random passerby, even though that would fit quite well with the theme of the rest of the place.

She took it upon herself to light her little corner with luminous greens as even with the afternoon still young, no sunlight could be seen as every window or ventilation had been sloppily barred shut. It was clear from looking at the place that some turmoil had once ravaged its residents who were no longer present. Who knows what kind of scene had happened at this very place, but none of that was respected as underground cults are using it as a mere meeting place.

Nova as well had no interest in this cold mansion’s story. She was too focused on writing down everything of value from the memory of the gathering.

            As it could be easily guessed, the gathering was centered around the two slain magi. Surprisingly enough, nothing of significance transpired throughout the meeting with only the vocal minority speaking. This however, was quite unsurprisingly to anyone who’s been in an underground meeting at least once before. It was clear in the first viewing that most magi do not mix well with other magi especially magi on the same level as each other.

            In the end, not much occurred with only the resolution of the entire hour being: be wary of nature magicians. Nova was rather grateful towards the lack of urgency towards the issue with her being the culprit after all, though she knew how despite most of them seemed uninterested in the topic, magi cared for their own safety like no other so she had planned to lay it low for the next couple of days, or at least until the next shift in attention.

            I should be wary of that three-armed hunchback; she was eyeing my robe the entire time.

            She flips through her notes to see if she was able to write anything about the woman. ‘Object Animation Expert… Is that an esper or a golem magus? What in the world did I write?’

            After reading through her own horrible writings, she decides to skim through the rest of her notes to find what other nonsensical descriptions she wrote in her haze. Reading through her own scribbles only gave her a light headache. She would excuse herself by talking about the sacrifice of quantity over quality, but she herself knew how much a joke that was. She could remember Amy tilting her head in puzzlement at some of the scrolls and notes at her home. At first she had thought the complexity of the spells and theories were what puzzled her, but looking back Nova now realizes it was something else that confused Amy. 

            As she grimaced at her own actions, she soon felt another presence �"like a spider crawling around her back�" someone was lurking.

            Her posture quickly perks up as she picks up on the grossly unnatural aura that resonated through the walls. A cold grasping hand caressed her heart the moment she focuses on the presence. Wooing calls reverberated in her head, though she had the instinct to see through the illusion it wasn’t of much help.

            I know it’s all in my head, but what isn’t? She retorts to herself as she tries to knock back some sense through a rather physical form, though as anyone would have guessed that solved nothing.

            She looked around the room to see nothing out of the ordinary happen with all the rest of her normal senses failing to pick up on what was going on, yet as a magician she was utterly terrified.

Sweat trickled down her face as she felt her legs already wanting to flee, though for now she concluded it would be best to not act too brashly and keep her pose. Not long after, she felt the presence slowly leave that should’ve been the end of it, but it wasn’t. What followed from Nova wasn’t a sigh of relief, but a brave front as she follows it instead. She felt the call of her desires walk towards it despite every other part of her brain telling her not to. She walked through the abandoned halls of the mansion while holding back her breath and only letting it out with the utmost class. She could hear her heart pounding quite loudly yet, what was she to do about that?

She crept slowly but surely towards the moving source. Now with ample time to contemplate on her actions, she was starting to stiffen. With the fire in her head now running short, the rest of her body was starting to pick up on how horrible of a situation this was. Though, it was probably too late to head back now so she went the only way she could.

Going down the grandiose stairs, she found herself gripping tightly on the dirty, termite-infested handrails she was avoiding to touch before. For now, there was something else that bothered her more than some mere gross creatures.

Hearing a loud thud in the background, she snaps to it, but it was too dark to discern anything. Wanting to cast a spell to fix that, she takes a deep breath to regain focus but suddenly felt the copious amount of dust floating around tickle her nose.

Now trying to do her best to hold it in, knowing full well that her life is currently at the mercy of a sneeze.

*Achooo…*

The sneeze echoed many time through the building multiple times and with each echo she could feel herself pale a shade whiter. Fortunately, or unfortunately, none of her stealth had mattered since the beginning as the other party could also sense her much better than she could.

            She failed to fully realize the difference in class between her and the one she wishes to stalk. She knew of their strength but even then she was still underestimating her match. Though, there was an understandable reason for that.

It was probably her desires leaking out; blocking her basic common sense just to have a foot closer to her mission. It wasn’t just the mission of her job here as well as there was something much more she was wanting of the grand magus. So important to her that even her own safety felt like consolation.

            Nova now felt herself getting lured into a trap, but if the other had wanted her dead, there would’ve been no need for trickery; so, she merely went to where she was lead. Not too long after, the presence halted as if waiting for her to catch up. Now standing in front of the remnants of the mansion lobby a tall figure blocked the exit.

            ‘You’ve been following me for a while. I dislike that.’, a cold voice was what greeted Nova. She felt terrified, yet for some reason, she knew she would not die here. She could not properly see the man who spoke, yet his imposing figure stood out even in the darkness. She casted a small flicker of light, yet before it could shine enough, it violently fizzled out.

            ‘Speak’, he suddenly spoke out. Now with a growing impatience and a lack of tolerance on her attempt.

            Unsure of what to say, she takes a second to think, yet the invisible pressure of time weighed on her heavily.

            ‘This one’s name is Nova.’, she introduced herself as such for some reason. ‘I wish to be a disciple of yours.’, she offered him with a slight bow, but after hearing a sharp sneer, she was already preparing herself to flee. She knew that was not the right thing to say as she regretted it not even a second after it’s utterance.

            ‘Do you really think you could get away with such a joke?’, a loud thud echoed through the abandoned mansion. He did not appreciate her offer. Not one bit.

            The moment he spoke out with such a tone, Nova knew her bravery would’ve been of no use here and ran, or at least tried to. The moment her legs tried to move, her sight was quickly taken and soon the feeling of her entire body as well. She quickly fell to the ground like a ragdoll, no resistance to the fall whatsoever.

Her eyes remained open yet there was nothing to see. Her mouth was sealed, yet she was still awake. She still had her hearing but at this point it only worsened the situation, as her paralyzed body quivered with every footstep looming closer.

            Her body soon moved without consent and moved towards the grand magus. She cannot feel her own movement, yet her own footsteps are loud enough. She felt the viscous aura assult her senses so much so that she wanted to puke if she could; or maybe she’s already puked and not just felt it.

 She felt a hand grab tightly on her shoulder almost snapping it in the process while she hears a whisper: ‘Anyone you speak of this incident to, I will kill. Do not ever involve yourself with me ever again.’

            She wanted to nod in response if she could, but her limp body was unable to produce any response. Though her thoughts might have come through as she felt the grand magus leave immediately after. Though it would take some time before her body could move freely again, she was left with nothing more than the memory of what happened as she opens her eyes to find herself in the same corner she started in.

She gently puts her hand over her chest, quite glad to feel her own heartbeat with her own hand. Though her every breath palpitated, she took a to her hand and started to write down every detail she could about the encounter as even behind the fear seared eyes, a spark of hope fueled her drive.

            I’m sorry I lied to you, we will cross paths again. I have too much questions about my family.

            After finishing her notes, she could finally take a long warranted sigh of rest; but just as she was able to let her shoulders loose, she spotted a small impish-creature through the corner of her eye. A small drop of sweat rolled down her face as she asks herself: since when has that been here?

            ‘As I’ve thought, the magus Marin is no more. You are but an impostor named Nova.’, the creature spoke in a voice that didn’t belong to it as the creature was a tiny golem that merely projected its master’s voice. Nova moved her hand to will the tiny earth golem to crumble, but it was no use. It was there to mock her while the owner was already way out of reach. Not missing a single beat, Nova could suddenly feel the presence of a couple magi closing in to her location.

            After being so close to death after the third time for the week, she wasn’t going to let there be a fourth.

            She quickly rose up a small treant and covered it in her robes and stuck all her specter hearts into its stem and sent it to the opposite direction of where she ran. It was an easy escape from there on. Though with her identity leaked, she could only curse at her luck as she faded through a different exit completely unnoticed.

             

Author's Note

I'm still writing this story. Hahahaha.