Chapter Eight: The Decay

Introduction to magic's decay.

Though Athena screamed for Primine the flames were still ejaculated from fingertips and shouts from his slick lips. His eyes were soulless and his face was aggravated. Athena was in tears as she watched Primine slaughtering civilians. It was not only the guards that wreaked the magical havoc of Primine Terros. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters were all unfortunate in the presence of the harbinger. Primine had to punish them for their judgment and their ignorance. 

Primine received no moral perception. Nothing, not even the groveling tears of Athena Celice prevented him from wreaking “justice”. Athena watched the eyes of defenseless victims. They were the victims of an unstoppable storm- a storm that outraged her! This wrought compassion upon her eyes which changed equally as white as the storm’s itself.

Her eyes became incandescent with rising steam-like streams rising into the air from her tear ducts. Her voice boomed as she stood to her feet, over the imprints of her cowardly knees.

“Terros!” The voice was unnatural! “Cease your madness, now!” 

Eyes within cowardly heads all around ceased escaping and glared in amazement at the beautiful gold haired princess whose tone lightened and had a crystallitic luster. Her hair literally reflected light as if being many strands of gold. The world was fearful as well as captivated as if a Goddess had truly descended upon Casted, reaping the fate of everyone. She was only here to reap the fate of one man.

This one man who Athena thought deserved death, in her present mind, did not understand his decaying mentality. Magic, as Primine eventually discovered in his late teens, steals one’s thoughts. One will begin to forget, one will develop a type of post traumatic-stress disorder, and one will begin to eventually become an unopinionated animal, only attacking on instinct and fulfilling his or her needs. However, magic was too important not to use. Primine had become addicted to the use of it. His life had intertwined itself into the use of magic, as a virtuosic pianist dares not to stray too far from the keys that give his life meaning. Though piano does not decay one’s health… But then again… Pianos are not tools that can be used as weapons or for excelling in certain fields of pride and battle.  

Primine turned, the fire still burning in his left hand. His eyes did not know what to expect. They were quickly blinded by a ball of light that seemed to be brighter than the sunlight itself. This was thrown by the fingers of Athena, the supposed Goddess. This enraged Primine, forcing the flames to burn brighter and higher, surpassing the length of his arm. Within the right arm, strands of plasma packed themselves firmly in his palm. Vengefully he threw the crackling ball of energy toward the close friend. With the lifting of the left hand, it dodged her. She returned, instead with a blue form of energy that seemed more pure than the water from what rained from the sky. 

Primine had never seen such energy. It flowed like water but traveled as quickly as air, and it was at once he was sent to the ground, lying on his back. He could not breathe, nor could he open his eyes. The power stung within his chest, but it was not long before all of the pain dissipated and he realized what he was truly doing. Primine opened his eyes to a darkened sky. What he had thought was a couple of seconds was truly a couple of hours. 

In his right mind, he searched for Athena, only to be panic-stricken by her absence. He looked around the dirt roads, noticing the blood stains on the dirt and the alleyways walls. He knew immediately what had happened and in no time the Order would find him. They would slaughter more than he had in his madness just to get to him. They were driven to the brink of insanity to grasp and enslave and murder mages. 

“Athena!” Primine tried to maintain a whisper but it was more of a loud ruffled voice that emanated. 

There was no response and he had no choice but to rise and search for her. He noticed that his body ached and he felt a bit off. His body felt lighter and he felt no fatigue, besides the aching of his muscles. He began roaming those empty, unfamiliar streets, searching for any sign of a young princess. When the thought of her royalty passed his mind, he immediately assumed the worst. Someone could easily recognize her and send her back to her family, or even ransom her back, be the soul dark enough. 

He heard low rumbles of beggars and gossipers in the night. ‘Twas nothing uncommon in any town. All of the no-gooders came out in low light so that their actions may be concealed. Primine, this night especially, was upon the shadows as all of the others. He was hiding from everything. He was hiding from the suspicions of civilians and the Order. He knew they would be there in no time; there was a massacre, and indeed a magical one.

“I wish Primine were here. This man makes me nervous.” The whispering voice of Athena seemed to be talking directly to him.

“Athena,” Primine nervously searched around. He heard the voice clearly, but knew not where it originated. He quickly assumed that her mind was calling to him. She desired his assistance and her mind was eager to attract him. Her essence was leaking strongly since she had tapped into her inner mana. 

He closed his eyes, feeling their burn through his eyelids. The world around him was dark, but soon pulses, showed body signatures. Heat. It was thermal identification that exploited hundreds of bodies before him. He expected a feminine figure that burned with the most excellent heat, the heat of mana. He turned in complete circles, searching high and low and even began walking around in the darkness that allowed him no sight of surroundings only people. Sure, he bumped into several storage crates and salt barrels, but it was a small price to pay to find that body that burned white hot with strings of mana streaming from it.

She was sitting, it seemed. Her hands were in her lap and as he approached the latched window he heard her conversation.

“I like to think that me mum will find me again,” this voice was from a large man that at least tipped a few inches over seven feet. 

“Oh,” Athena’s voice sounded synthetically entertained by his company. “I am sure she will, Tuvlar.”

“You know,” His voice gave away his condition. The man was a bit lost in the head. He was slow and it was a wonder that he was allowed to roam the streets, but the truth was that, though he was slow, he was smart enough to stay silent and keep away from other folk that would execute him for his mental retardation. He kept from those people. “You remind me of me mum. She was a beautiful lady, and she was kind, and she was very gentle. She would always sing to me. She would sing and she would play with the lights for me, until I fell asleep.” He smiled, poking the fire that stirred weakly.

“What lights, Tuvlar?” Athena was genuinely curios. 

“The fireflies that she brought from her hands…” His baby brown eyes instantly detached themselves. “She always said not to tell no one… Can you keep the secret? Please, I don’t want mum mad.”

Primine was speechless. He did not know how to feel. This young man’s mother was mage, and he did not care. He thought she was a lovely woman… He cared not, in fact, he rather enjoyed her magic.

Athena touched the young man’s hand, assuring him from his panic. “Don’t you worry. I would never tell anyone. In fact, I think I can make the lights.” She smiled reassuringly.

His eyes lit with such excitement as did Primine’s from the outside with curiosity. He could not believe that she honed her powers. She was coming to terms with who she was, and she was learning to hone her powers as a mage should. The darkness within the use of powers forced Primine to fear though. She had seen how he acted and he could only imagine how she would be, considering that she was an intensely powerful mage, the most powerful he had ever seen- And Primine had seen some darkly powerful mages. Those that hone the dark arts: necromancy, black magic, nefritamorph, arcmany, and demonic magic, tend to be more powerful than the standard elemental mages, but Athena was above them all.

Primine had found his way inside, blending his into the surroundings via transparency. He walked into the doorway, seeing the large manchild clapping in excitement and seeing Athena, eyes closed and smiling. Several orbs, representing fireflies, flew before he face, reflecting beautifully against her skin. They all acted just as fireflies, glowing dim and then glowing bright. 

Athena turned her face towards the doorway where Primine leaned laxly. 

“Hello Primine. I was hoping you’d soon come for me.” 

Tuvlar the Childish Brute was distracted by the beautiful lights and Primine was astonished by Athena’s power.