Revelations of the Lone Magus

In the wilderness of northern Minnesota, a young man swings open the front door to the modest cabin he built. He places his coat on the coatrack, and then checks the fireplace to make sure there is wood in it. Once he made sure the fireplace was full, he went over to his desk, located across the living-room from the fireplace. Grumbling to himself, he plops himself down onto his chair, and turns to his journal. He opens up the black book and begins to view the earlier entries. The young man reads a few these entries, examining them in depth.

Journal Entry #1 02 - 20 - 1995

Hello again, Yannick. I know that you will be reading this, since it is me writing to you. I am writing this entry to tell you what you really are, and the origins of what you are. Apparently you are what people have called, for many centuries, a Magus. These Magi are human beings are born with the ability to use magic. Of course, until a certain age, a human wouldn’t know that he or she could possess magic. The most common of ways these people find out if they are indeed a Magus, is when an emotion is provoked, causing a magic act to happen spontaneously. Come to think of it, there hasn’t been any other way to tell if one is a Magus other than through the triggering of spontaneous magic. From what sources have said, Magus are normally peaceful, and often train themselves to maintain control of their emotions to prevent their magic from running wild.

Why these Magi exist most likely has to do with a small group of priests that existed eons ago. This unique little story talks about how these priests discovered magic. The priests were trying to further reach out to God by seeking out enlightenment. Magic happened to exist for the longest time. It just so happens that through their search for spiritual enlightenment, they attained this ability.

After the priests discovery, they delved deeper into this power. It seems that being a magus has its perks. The biggest perk is the magic shield. I did a little more digging on this one to truly understand how it works because it was hard to understand what others meant by this. This is quite the neat ability for a Magus as it prevents you from being harmed by magic. Now, even though it helps protecting you from magic, it doesn’t protect you from physical attacks; and it can only protect you from so much magic. Some spells that Magi use can pierce through the magic shield, and physical attacks render it useless. Also, Magi can indirectly harm you with magic if they use target something else with their magic to attack you. I know this is all complicated for a kid your age to understand, but when you get older, it will come to you.

Oh, and I almost forgot, there also happens to be another mysterious power called alchemy. To be more factual about it, this type of ability doesn’t have much to do with magic. It’s more of an ability, nothing supernatural really. This is not something that you are born with, but rather learned. Parents often teach it to them at a young age, and few families out there have this kind of heritage. Word is that alchemy is accepted a much more than magic. Magic has the ability to control, and create; whereas alchemy can only manipulate, and shape material objects at a whim. One more vital piece of information: This is an ability your magic cannot resist. I beg of you, be careful when you’re out there.

This is all I could write for this entry. I’m sure that when you read this, you will be old enough to understand. Also be sure to keep this journal in case something happens...because I want you to remember me. I want you to remember that I helped you as a father. Please, please remember the good times we shared.

From your loving father,

Julius.

As he read the last few words, he places the journal down on the desk and begins to contemplate on what he read. Putting his hands on his head, Yannick tries to grasp on his father’s concepts and on what he meant. These concepts may give him a clue as to where his family may be. The journal entries also give him a clear meaning about how his father was like. Knowing that his father sat there, writing in this journal about his very origins gave him a sense of hope that someday, he’ll be able to find him and his family again.

Family...

“By the sons of…”

As he remembered all the good times he’s shared with his parents, he suddenly remembered a long lost sibling that his parents described. He only remembers that the sibling was his sister, but he never got around to finding the entry that described her. Fortunately for him, he was able to find that message with his magic. This power allowed him to decipher key words that were missing in the entry.

Picking up the journal once again, he turned a couple pages to his favorite entry where his sister was mentioned. With the reading habits of a scholar, he began to read diligently.

Journal Entry #12 05 - 02 - 1998

The world means a lot to me. I didn’t realize this until I met my little sister Sophie. She’s such an adorable little sister. Always hugging on me and telling me that I’m the best big brother she’s ever had. I never would have guessed she would look up to me so much...

Unfortunately, she still has no usage in her legs. Mom and Dad told me that she’s paralyzed, but I don’t believe them. They always say weird stuff to me like “Son, your dish is floating into the salad dressing.” or “Yannick, stop picking your nose with that floating toothpick.” They know that magic isn’t tolerated anymore, right? I mean, I know some people could get it but once they get it, they’re taken by the government and stuff for ‘special treatment’. Apparently, people with magic get more benefits and stuff.

Why?

Who knows.

All I know is that Dad really wants me to shut up about Magi. He says they’re the nicest people you’ll meet, even though they have magic abilities.

Anyway, Dad wants me to continue using this diary for some reason. I have no clue why either. He keeps telling me all about how the government could use your information or something.

Aw phooey, I’m going to school tomorrow. Better get ready!

Catch ya later diary!

-Yannick.

Setting the journal aside once more, Yannick thought to himself, deciding that the right moment to train was now, he pushed himself away from his desk. Getting up to his feet, he turned to start walking to the staircase next to the front door to his cabin. Yannick was just about to head up to his lab when heard a knock.

The mage immediately stopped and facepalmed, and let his hand slide down his face, “What is it now?”

Yannick wasn’t in much of a mood for any visitors today, but he remembered that he had been expecting fellow magus who lived close by to visit. Turning away from the staircase, he started making his way back to the door. Yannick pulled the door open to see the magus he had intended to meet.

“Good afternoon, Yannick.” The magus greeted a smile.

“Hey Derek.” Yannick was staring absently into the Magus’ yellow eyes for a moment. So creepy, and weird.

Derek tilted his head, perplexed by the absent expression on his friend’s face, “Something the matter?”

Yannick shook his head, “No, no. It is nothing. Please come in.” Stepping to the side, Yannick allowed for Derek to enter his cabin.

The yellow eyed magus took a moment after entering the cabin to observe Yannick. “Any reason why you’re wearing a T-shirt in the middle of winter?”

“I enjoy the cold a little more so than others.” Yannick retorted.

“At least you’re wearing jeans to keep your legs warm.” Derek took a pause to observe him thoroughly, “Moccasins? Honestly, you’re so weird.”

“Says the magus with grey hair, and yellow eyes.”

“I thought I told you that my yellow eyes and hair were because of some rituals I performed a couple years ago.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Well, at least I my skin isn’t pale.”

“I’m not that grey.” Yannick observed himself briefly, “Well, I still retain somewhat of a regular light tone. I can also at the very least say that my emerald colored eyes and shaggy brown hair don’t scare people off.”

“Whatever you say, Frenchie.”

“Okay, now that’s going a little too far. You can make fun of my outward appearance, but when you insult my culture, you’re asking for trouble.”

“Oh, I’m so scared of the Frenchie. Mind telling me where you keep your white flag? I’ll help you wave it.”

“Ta gueule et sois poli Derek! This is my house, and I am not going to tolerate that kind of crap!” Yannick chided.

“Whoa, whoa, I was just joking. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

A silence filled the room. The two Magi were staring at each other with quizzical looks on their faces until Derek spoke up.

“So, what did you say to me?”

Yannick’s countenance shifts to a nervous one. He shakily answers his friend’s question, “I, uh, told you to be quiet, and please be polite.”

“Are you sure that’s what you meant to say?” Derek asked, looking a little suspiciously at Yannick.

“Yeah, sure...let’s go with that.” Yannick replied, unsure as he glances around the room.

After the mood had simmered down a bit, Derek quickly changes his countenance from upbeat to blank. Yannick catches this shift in emotion, and asks his friend, “What’s wrong?”

Derek was caught off guard by this question, and fumbled with his words, “I-I think y-you should look at this.” Derek starts to reach for his back pant pocket, pulling out a newspaper, and tossing it to Yannick.

The young magus fumbles with the newspaper because his friend tossed it at his face. The magus looks at Derek with a death glare, and with a smirk, says, “Nice pass.”

“Shut up and read the damn thing.” Derek retorted.

Grinning, Yannick opens the paper to view the front page. What he saw, in big, black, bold letters, astounded him.

Three Dead on Countryside, Murderer Gets Caught, and Brought To Justice!

“What’s so important about this?” Asked Yannick.

Derek points to the first several lines of the story, his arm shaking as he reached for it. “Read the first line.”

“Oookay? Why is that so impor-” Yannick cut himself off while reading the first few lines of the story that was pointed out for him. Disbelief and shock was overtaking the magus, he couldn’t believe who the murderer was. “A-Amir?” He whispered to himself.

Noticing his friend tremble before him, Derek asks, “Are you going to be okay, Yannick? I know that he was a dear friend-”

“Don’t even start to call him that. He wasn’t even close to the word!” Yannick lashed out.

“Bullcrap, You know that’s a lie! You two were friends back in school. You said so yourself!” Derek was now growing a little suspicious of the magus. “Are you withholding information from us, Yannick? You know that being in a covenant with other magi requires you to share every detail.”

Yannick was shaking his head at Derek’s last statement, “Sometimes, knowing too much of one’s past could be damaging.” The magus lets out a sigh, “I think I need to lock myself in my lab for the day. I need to meditate and work on some spells. Please take your leave, I do appreciate your company for the short time you’ve been here.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Asked the very concerned Derek.

Nodding a little, Yannick answers his friend’s question, “I just need to blow off some steam from my day at the supermarket.” Yannick’s voice was now shrinking into a mumble as he continued speaking, “Freaking people at the supermarket. Hating the winter, all their needs, and whining about the cold. Why do I bother making small talk with them?” The magus throws his hands up at his last statement.

A now perplexed Derek was watching his friend walk up the stairs to his lab. “Okay then.” With that Derek leaves the cabin, still concerned about Yannick.

Meanwhile, Yannick enters his lab, and suddenly feels this weird sensation enter his body. His thoughts rushing back to the newspaper, Yannick’s emotions start acting up, and begins hearing voices.

“It’s the law...”

"Because you're one of them…"

"You're a MAGUS!..."

Paralyzed with fear, Yannick collapses to the ground due to the voices he’s been hearing.

*****

*RING RING RING!!!*

The ringing of the bell signaled the end of the day at school. As a result, the classroom began to rumble due to the sliding of chairs and loud bickering of its occupants. However, most of them were exiting the classroom, leaving a few behind to catch up with their friends. In this group were two boys who stood out the most, both wearing the same outfits because it signified their friendship.

"What do you want to do today?" the short blonde boy asked.

With a more timid and laidback response, the younger boy in question responds, "I don't know."

Both boys looked at each other due to their indecision on what they wanted to do. Suddenly, the short blonde boy shouts, "Let's go to my house! My dad made me a new tree house for us to use!"

The laidback youngster looks at the obnoxious kid with confusion. "What happened to your old tree house?"

Shaking his head in shame, the blonde boy responds with, "Don't remind me..."

"Oh, that's why."

The blonde boy nods and looks down at the ground in embarrassment, remembering the incident far too well. Shaking away the memory, the boy asks his friend, "Do you wanna go?"

The friend nods and motions for him to lead the way. The blonde boy smiles and turns in the direction of the exit.

"Onwards my friend!" he shouted, before marching towards the exit.

The rather timid boy stops for a moment, reserving enough energy for a well-needed face palm, before following his obnoxious friend. His friend's name was Amir, a boy he wishes had a sleep button. Amir would interrupt him when he wanted to tell him a story about how his mother brought him a new book about the Magi's Perilous Tales, or how his father bought him a new complicated puzzle book and solved all the puzzles in less than four hours. This realization of his friend made him dislike the concept of the rude behavior.

As they filed out of the classroom, they had to take a wide left turn in order to dodge a runaway janitor's cart. This allowed them a clear path towards the exit of the building; however, they didn't take this exact route because Amir had to be distracted by the popular girl in their class. She was a drop down gorgeous model to Amir. She was a bit older than he was, but he didn't mind that because he liked older women. Like him, she was blonde, short, had a cute smile, and orange eyes to boot.

Unfortunately for Amir, she didn't like him in the slightest.

"Hello Sheri!"

Pretending to ignore the high-pitched greeting, she continued to talk to her friend. Usually, ignoring someone meant that the person doesn't want to talk to the person asking to talk. Unfortunately, Amir didn't get the message.

"Sheri? Did you hear? I sai-"

Snapping to the high-pitched proclamation, Sheri yells,n"WHAT AMIR!?"

Amir tenses up and then falters at the sound of her yell. He thought that she wouldn't go any farther.

Oh was he so wrong.

"YOU ALWAYS GET IN MY BUSINESS! PLEASE..." She looks down at him and says in a calm, monotone voice, "Leave me alone."

She sighs, turning away from the now broken-hearted Amir and back to the conversation. For Amir, this was a stunning blow to his pride. Utterly depressed, he turns back to his friend and says, "Let's go to my house," he pauses for a bit, turning to look back at the girl of his dreams. "Girls are weird anyway."

The timid boy shakes his head a bit and walks towards the popular girl with a annoyed expression on his face. With a gentle voice, the boy says, "Hey Sheri."

She snaps to the voice saying,"OH NO NOT A!" She pauses when she got a look at the boy. "...Nother one?" Her eyes widen at the boys appearance.

"Why did you hurt my friend over there?" the boy says with a scowl.

"He was annoying me."

The boy face palms at this and replies, "That doesn't give you the right to yell at him like an ass."

The girl gasps and says, "What did you call me?"

"Oh I'm sorry," the boy replied, "did you not hear me?" The boy coughs a bit begins to encroach on her personal space, saying a word after each step he takes. He says in a venomous tone, "You. Are. An. Ass."

The girl stepped back a bit, banging her back against the lockers.  Feeling a bit nervous, Sheri blurts out, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again!"

The courageous boy smiles and steps back a bit saying, "Good, however; it's not me who you should be apologizing to."

The girl nervously sighs, turning to Amir's direction once again. She looks down to the ground and says, "I'm sorry Amir."

Amir's expression immediately rockets to a full on grin. He replies, "It's okay. I promise I won't be so irritating."

The girl's lips curve upward, the once nervous expression being replaced with a smile. "Don't worry about it. Maybe we can do something tomorrow?"

Amir keeps his grin on his face, nodding to her in hopes of doing something tomorrow. Slowly but surely, she turns back to the friend of Amir's and asks, "By the way, are you  Yannick?"

The boy nods and says, "Yep, the only frenchie in this town."

The girl giggles at this. "Well, I hope we get to meet up sometime...."

Yannick smiles and says, "Yeah, I'd like that."

He turns towards Amir and says, "Well, we'll leave you to your conversation with?"

The quiet girl falters a bit and says, "Jazz."

Yannick leaves his hand out for her, indicating that he wants a handshake. The girl sees this and tightly grips his hand, shaking it up and down.

"Glad to meet you Jazz."

"Same to you Yannick."

The boys smile and depart, leaving the two girls to their own measures. "I think that Yannick boy is handsome."

"He's pretty cute."

Leaving the building, the boys start to talk about their day. In their homeroom class, the teacher was writing on the board when someone sneezed so loud, that the teacher thought it was a gunshot, making him dive right underneath the desk. The funny thing about it was the phrase he said when he heard the noise. He said, "Holy Pay Days!"

Amir and Yannick began to laugh at the ridiculousness of the phrase. "Amir, that isn't even right! Why did he yell that out?"

Shaking with laughter, Amir gasps out, "I don't know!"

Yannick continues to laugh with Amir, howling like hyenas as they traveled to Amir's house. After walking for fifteen minutes, they turned the corner and arrived at their destination. Amir turns his head to Yannick and asks, "Wanna go through the backyard? I'll meet you near the ladder to the treehouse."

Yannick nods an affirmative. Amir turns his attention back to the gate in front of them, unlocking it with a key in his back pocket. The gate squeaks open as if it needed some oil on the lock itself. Curious, Yannick enters the backyard, the door closing as he entered. Amir locked the gate from the outside, making it impossible for anyone to enter without a key. Amir walked through the front door, shouting, "Mom, I'm home!"

In a few moments, a grumpy reply resounded, "Okay! Put your things in the living room and go outside!"

While Amir put his things away, Yannick continued exploring his friend's backyard. There was a very nice patio attached to the house that had red chairs, a redwood table, and an light blue nylon umbrella. To the right of these was a pathway that led to the big oak that laid in the center of the yard. The tree itself was, in Yannick's eyes, the largest tree in the whole neighborhood. It had a wide base and a lot of strong branches, making it a perfect candidate for a tree house. A ladder, as Amir had said, was in front of the tree, that led up to the bottom of the tree house. The tree house itself was light red on the outside with a brown roof and a sign that said 'Amir's Hideout'.

How could it be a hideout if you have your name on it?

Shaking off the obvious thought, Yannick walked up towards the  tree and began to lean against  it. Becoming comfortable in his current position, he gazes upward to view the giant. Not often does one begin to lean against such a massive tree; let alone one that is in a backyard such as Amir's. It's the only tree in the whole neighborhood that withstood the major thunderstorm that devastated the area.

While gazing upward, Yannick suddenly hears a door slam inside the house. He sets his gaze towards the back door and sees Amir saunter out of the house. For some reason, Amir likes to show off, even at the distaste of his friend’s.

Another thing Yannick hates about his friend.

He meanders over and looks over at Yannick.

"So, like the tree house?"

Yannick gives him a smile that says 'I hope you buy this' and nods. Amir smiles back and says,

"Great! Let's go up and see what's inside! My dad told me he added some things that our old one didn't have!"

The short blonde boy led the group, climbing up the ladder with ease. Yannick follows him up, being extra careful with the ladder because of its poor-looking appearance. Guess his Dad should've added a new ladder...

Not seeing where he was going, Yannick accidentally bumps into Amir's leg, causing Amir to squeak a bit. Amir looks down at Yannick and says, "Watch where you're going dude!"

Yannick replies, "Sorry Amir, I was in a daze."

"Well get your mind out of the clouds and head back to Earth buddy! Unless you want me to fall down?"

Yannick does a mental facepalm and sighs. He calmly replies, "No I don't want you to fall."

Amir smiles and turns his attention back to the lock, which was placed in an odd direction. Apparently, Amir had to turn his whole body to even unlatch the thing. Heck, if someone has to struggle to get into a hideout that is literally labeled as a target, might as well make them struggle to get in right?

Opening the lock, Amir turns his head to Yannick and says, "I got it!"

Yannick replies in a sarcastic tone, "Great, can you get inside now? I'd like to not fall on my butt from this height."

Amir chuckles a bit, pushing the trapdoor out of the way and climbing inside the tree house. Yannick quickly follows in and closes it. After settling in, Yannick took in the sight of the tree house.

His father did a good job on the placement at least.

The clubhouse had a gaming setup, giving the boys endless entertainment on their own console. Unfortunately, Amir's parents never lets him play first person shooters because it will apparently scatter his brains.

What a weird assumption that was.

Not only did it have a gaming setup, but it also had a pantry with an array of snacks to chose from, a few beanbag chairs, a bin filled with comic book magazines, a shelf filled with actual books, a bulletin board with a bunch of pictures of the old clubhouse; and a few battery-powered fans, in case it gets too warm.  This has to be one of the best placements for a clubhouse, however; the window was the only exception to it. It was a bit too low and it gave a view of the house. The reason this irritated Yannick was because it would be better to have a view of the rest of the neighborhood.

Despite the window placement, Yannick liked the new clubhouse. It had all the necessities they needed to make it so great. "So, what do you want to do Yannick?"

Yannick immediately snaps his gaze to Amir, who was sitting on a nearby beanbag. "I have the new game we can play on the new Nintendo 64! We could do that."

"Well what's the game?" Yannick asks.

"Banjo-Kaazoie."

Yannick smiles and says, "Okay, why that game though?"

Amir's smile fades a bit and asks, "Well, I  thought you would like it."

Yannick's smile fades just as quick and blurts out, "Dude we can play it, it's n-"

"No. Here, I gotta tell you something Yannick," Amir interrupts.

"What?" Yannick asks, a look of confusion on his face.

"Did you hear about that new law?"

"No..." Yannick said as his voice trails off.

Amir's countenance shifts to a sinister grin as if he had a plan he was scheming. Amir simply ascends from the beanbag, the beanbag floats away without a trace. Without turning his head, he stepped back and pulled out a metallic object from his back pocket.  For a few moments, Amir stood silent, his hand melding the material into a sharpened object behind his back. Yannick suddenly felt a bit sick, feeling a disturbance enter his brain.

Curious about this sensation, he asks his friend, "Amir, why do I feel funny?"

With a deathly soft tone, Amir replies, "Because you're one of them."

"One of who?"

Without missing a beat, Amir turns, grabs Yannick by the shirt, and holds his arm up. Yannick spots what is in his possession and gasps.

A dagger.

"You're a MAGUS!"

Without hesitation, Yannick teleports out of his grasp, making Amir miss his swift attack. Angry about missing Yannick, Amir turns around and says, "Come on, Yannick. Just like old times, except I'll be the one who wins."

Yannick, now confused and scared, begins to hatch a plan.

If I can distract him long enough to make a mad dash towards the window, I can escape without becoming sliced and diced.

With Yannick's objective in sight, he shouts,

"Over here asswipe!"

Amir snaps to his voice and with a demonic growl, charges Yannick with his dagger.

Without a moment of hesitation, Yannick quickly dodges his attack and makes a beeline for the window. Amir notices this and tries to stop him, not realizing that the lone beanbag he was previously sitting in was obstructing his path. This beanbag will be his downfall.

Amir trips over the bag, allowing the dagger to slip his grasp. Yannick notices this and dodges the projectile. Not wanting to hurt his former friend, he preps for his jump. With a deep breath, he leaps out the open window and begins his freefall.

Unfortunately, he didn't remember how high up they were, and is now falling at a fast pace towards the ground. Not only this, but Amir must have told his parents about him being a magus because the police were down below, pointing their guns at him.

With careful precision, one of the police officers fires his gun, impacting Yannick in his right foot. Yannick howls out in pain, but realizes that it didn't hurt as much as it should've.

What in the...

The police officer catches the boy and smiles. Glaring into Yannick's eyes, he announces with a demonic tone, "Ready for the brainwashing?"

There was only one thing that Yannick could do in this situation.

He screamed as loud as he could, wishing he could see his parents before the ‘special treatment’. "MOM! DAD! I'M SORRY! I-"

In one swift motion, the officer drops him in the backyard and hits Yannick in the head with his baton. Now, the young, timid, courageous boy lays in the yard in a battered, bloody state. The police officers and all the people who hurt him there have disappeared. Even the whole yard has faded away, except for three major things. The ground he laid on, the tree, and the house that was held in its branches.

The now injured magus stares up at the tree, feeling off about its appearance. Apples? I don’t remember apples in this tree! Maybe that blow to the head must have distorted my sense of reality…

Yannick tries to get to his feet and succeeds, but once he takes his first step, he falters. He curses to himself because of the pain the wound has caused him. Taking a second look at the treehouse, Yannick notices something was off about it as well.

“Why are there hearts on the window shutters?” He says to nobody.

Yannick limps his way towards the steps leading to the now foreign structure he once knew. After attempting to climb the steps, he realizes that it would be easier to crawl the rest of the way. I can do it… He grabs a step, trying to drag his body up it without breaking another bone. I can do it… Yannick continues his climb, containing a steady pace by using both of his hands. I can do it! He grabs another step and yells, “I can do it!”

Looking up to the tree house, he realizes he’s only moved two steps and groans. After several grueling minutes, he reaches for the doorknob and twists it with what strength was left in him. The door swings wide open, allowing him full view of the interior of the treehouse. Without wasting any time, he crawls into the house. Using his good foot, he closes the door. Taking a few breaths, he takes a moment to take in what he was seeing. A couple of tables  sat at either end of the room, and a staircase leading to a higher floor.

“More stairs. Just wonderful.” Yannick decides to lean against the wall. He has had enough for one day, and all the magus wanted to do was rest. With his eyelids starting to droop over his eyes, he speaks softly to himself, “I’ll figure this ‘thing’ out tomorrow.” He finally closes his eyes, bringing him into dreamland...alone.

Author's Comment:

Any opinions?

Suggestions?