Markl had heard very few stories of Wizard Ben Sullivan. In fact, he couldn't recall a single one about him from Howl or Master Xarx or any of their other magician friends. While his aging demeanor suggested he was well into his sixties or seventies, it was rather odd to not even hear mention of his name. As if he had simply appeared in Ingary out of nowhere.

Then again, that was exactly how Howl first came here all those years ago.

The wizard gestured his broad arms to showcase the expanse of his eccentric shop. "Please, take a look around. I hope you find exactly what you need."

Markl stepped cautiously about the shop. Every now and again he would turn around to catch a sneak peek of the wizard, wondering if he was tracking his movements in a similar way. Which begged the question in his mind: how does a blind man stop sly customers intending to steal? He wasn't sure if that was insulting or just a curious observation.

Maybe that was the reason why the shop was encompassed in complete darkness when he first arrived - or maybe he knew of a secret spell that kept watch over everything.

The blue flame smoked and startled the boy. He tensed as Vega's eyes glared back at him, as if she had the power to read his mind. While he hadn't planned on being a thief or sharing his thoughts aloud, there was no way for the demon to be sure of that. At least, he assumed she couldn't. Those eyes were a streaming twilight of terror.

Not only could she ignite an immediate fear inside Markl, but her eyes reminded him that much of Sophie's hair - both a burning starlight. Sophie and Vega seemed to have the same terrifying effect.

Markl went about his business. There was only so much time he could spend here before his quick transportation to Wales. He whipped his satchel around and combed through to find the cryptic letter. After he signed his name in blood, the entire message revealed itself. In order to accomplish Markl's desires, there were certain elements he needed that could only be found in a magical world.

Markl pulled out the crinkled letter and read each line carefully. Two mandrake roots, a pocket watch moving backward in time, a cleft hoof, a bottle of mermaid's tune, and several more.

Markl had only ever used a mandrake root, and those were nasty things to incorporate in any magical concoction. He wasn't sure that he could find everything here, but it was worth a shot.

As he scanned the shelves and brewing potions for his specified items, he noticed the tall wizard standing acutely in the corner. His blackened glasses shielded his eyes, yet Markl couldn't help the feeling that he was being eyeballed. The nerves crawled over and around his skin, making it that much harder to concentrate on his task. There was something oddly puzzling about this Wizard Sullivan.

Markl coughed loudly. "Um, h-how long have you had this shop in Kingsbury?" It was a simple question to spark conversation. Small talk never got him anywhere, and he didn't even really care about the answer, but it was better than not knowing what ran through the wizard's head. An enigma, a mystery, a veil of silk just barely covering the details - Markl was intrigued to know more.

"Several decades now," Ben replied, "I couldn't put an exact date on it. I've been in Ingary the majority of my life now."

Markl gleamed when he saw a bucket filled with mandrake root. He grabbed a few and moved on, asking a more curious question. "And where did you happen to link yourself to a fire demon?"

Ben burst into a cackling laugh. It almost reminded Markl of the Witch of the Wastes. The sound was a reminiscent chortle and filled with glee.

"Oh, how quick the conversation turned." He took off his glasses to wipe away the small teardrops that bled from his eyes, then quickly returned them to his face. "Seems like we don't enjoy small talk too much, do we?"

Markl noticed several bottles that appeared empty, but were labeled with various sounds. "I just find it easier to get to the main point as quickly as possible." A gryphon's roar, a frog's croak, a unicorn's neigh. Then, a mermaid's lullaby - perfect.

Vega chuckled like an angel, her voice echoing from within the lantern. "He is bold; you have to give him that much."

Markl turned around at the sound of her voice, though scrunched his shoulders in an anxious move when he noticed Ben standing directly behind him. He hadn't heard any footsteps, nor the click of his walking stick. Though initially Markl was afraid, a closer look showed Ben as soft and blissful. Such a dominating figure would normally have frightened the boy to his core, but Ben appeared genuine.

"Given you have your own experience with fire demons, I believe you are quite familiar with the act of building contracts with demons." Ben smiled wide. "Markl Pendragon."

He stood stunned. "You... wait-"

"There aren't many Markls around these parts," Ben interrupted and strolled down the aisle, "You might want to come up with a better alias next time."

Markl exhaled a long sigh. "Howl was always the best at that. I just wore a funny cloak that made me look old so his customers would take me seriously."

Ben stirred one of the boiling pots and lifted a ladle to smell the brew. "Ah, the masking spell. One of my favorites when I was a teenager, too. How is that sly Howl Pendragon doing, anyway?"

Markl was speechless. First, he clearly knew how old Markl was without seeing the visual description of himself. Even more, Markl had name-dropped Howl. He didn't mean to; it just slipped out. Strangely, though, it was reassuring - natural even - to share aloud. Something so intimate spoken to this wizard like they had been friends for years. More surprising than this comfort in sharing personal details, this man knew Howl.

But as a friend or enemy, Markl had no idea.

He scurried around the shop with haste as he spoke. "Fine. Not much to say about him." Slowly, he gathered most of the items needed for the spell in silence. Neither said a word as Markl rushed his search, finding the exact items necessary. The only one left was a pocket watch winding back in time. It had to be counterclockwise - not clockwise and not broken, but completely moving backwards.

"Shame." Ben said, eventually breaking the silence, "I was hoping to see him again - or rather, for him to see me again. He owes me a great favor."

Markl rolled his eyes. "That's a long line that you'll probably never get your return for - for whatever it is he's in your debt." No matter where he went - the Wastes, Porthaven, and especially Kingsbury - Howl seemed to have established a hefty list of bargains and burdens. Markl wondered what exactly he owed Ben Sullivan, but he found it best to stay oblivious to Howl's problems.

As of this morning, he basically cut ties with his old teacher.

"He has something very precious to me," Ben continued, as if denying Markl his desire for ignorance, "Or I guess, I'm not so sure he has this treasure anymore. It has been quite a long time since I lent this and not once has he relayed any bit of information back to me. It's something I've always wondered if I put into the right hands or not."

Markl perked his ears. Now he was interested. "What is it?"

Ben smiled wide - already, Markl noticed he had the most bizarre yet kindest smile he'd ever seen - before he spoke. "Well, if we're talking about the obvious treasure, it's my magical transporting cloak."

Markl froze in place, nearly sucking in a frightened breath. He hoped he hadn't alarmed either Ben or Vega with his nerves, but the boy was all too familiar with that cloak. From watching Howl charm beautiful young women to making sneaky teleportations all over Ingary, that was Howl's greatest possession since the day he met the narcissistic wizard.

He knew it well enough that Markl even had it stashed in his satchel at that very moment, hidden away from sight. If his plans were to be successful, he could not return the cloak to Ben. He wished he hadn't grown fond of the old man, otherwise he wouldn't be wrestling with a pang of persistent guilt for keeping it a secret.

Ben swayed down the aisles once more. "I don't suppose you've seen my beautiful cloak, seeing as you are his student."

"Former." Markl immediately corrected him. Ben's eyebrows raised from behind his glasses. Markl cleared his throat, turning away. "Former student. For some time now. We don't really see eye to eye."

Ben nodded slowly, like a church bell heaving its way front to back. "I'm sorry to hear that. I won't press you on the issue anymore. Perhaps I'll have to pay him a visit myself soon."

Markl continued scanning the shop for the final item, hoping to divert his attention away from Howl and his own lies, but back to his main objective. He couldn't imagine this shop had a pocket watch that went backward in time instead of forward. He was sure there were buckets full of other useless items, but this was by far the most obscure.

He couldn't understand what use it had for a magical spell. In fact, all these items were rather odd and had no relation to one another. Not even the mage's spells called for such peculiarity. If only the letter had told him what spell they were casting and how it would help him, then maybe he would feel more confident in his actions.

Ben cleared his throat. "Is this what you're looking for, young man?" He held a rusty chain in his grip, swinging the watchdial like a pendulum. Markl approached and narrowed his eyes at the hands of the watch, both of which were reverting backward in time.

Useless to their original needs, but very useful for his purposes. And once again, Wizard Ben Sullivan was one step ahead of him. "How did you-"

"If you don't want another magician to know your plans, you may want to buy all the requirements at different shops." Ben said. "Just some food for thought."

Markl sighed. "This makes me look like such an amateur."

Ben smiled. "Yes, but you still have a lot to learn. You're so young; don't let one mistake bring you down. Use this experience to do better next time."

Markl was taken aback. Though he'd only interacted with the wizard for several minutes, he was more gentle and kind-hearted than any of those years training with Howl and especially with Xarx. Ben didn't diminish his pride after one misstep; instead, he made Markl feel more confident. This stranger was remarkably different.

The guilt pressed deeper into Markl's heart.

"Although," Ben continued, his voice becoming more serious and rugged, "I do hope you know what you're getting into with this spell. It is no ordinary chant."

Markl tensed at his words. Could he even admit that he was oblivious to the actual spell for which these materials were meant? Should he ask what the spell entailed and what would become of him, thus revealing his idiocy? Such desperation for answers and truth left Markl vulnerable, powerless, and completely insignificant to the grander scheme of things.

Yet he knew what it felt like to be in the dark even before this cryptic spell. He knew the inner turmoil of exclusion and isolation from experience. Anything was better than Howl's treatment and Xarx's relentless desire for magical perfection. There had to be something better than what he'd dealt with for seven years; this spell was his key to true discovery.

Ben, tall and stoic, bent down to Markl's level. Though he didn't make eye contact, the young boy felt something connect to his soul. "Are you prepared for the consequences should they come?"

Markl stared at the pocket watch, following the broken hands as they ticked counterclockwise, never again to round the dial the way it was designed. Time was short; he had nothing left to contemplate, nothing more to consider.

He grabbed the watch, adding it to his new collection. "I have no other choice."

He expected a lecture. He waited for a long monologue expressing a past failure and what lesson the old wizard learned from his own experiences. Surprisingly, however, Ben Sullivan flashed a casual smile and a light nod. "Then I wish you the best on your quest, child."

Markl stuffed all the items into his satchel and finalized his purchase with the wizard. Something held him back, however, from pursuing his journey at the moment. There was a special way about Ben Sullivan that drew Markl to curiosity, a curiosity even greater than that of the mysterious letter.

"I have to ask," he began, "how you were able to know everything. I-I mean, if you can't see me or the items I was picking, how did you know my age and what I was planning to create?"

Ben tilted his head to face the blue lantern, Vega's fire still burning fiercely. Such tranquility and passive reserve, Markl hardly remembered she was in the room until she spoke. "Let's just say I'm like a seeing-eye dog without the fur and cuddly appearance."

It was a very strict rule with specialized spells to not reveal the contents of the agreement - or lack thereof - and instead use mystic wording to share the truth. Markl recalled all the times Calcifer subtly mentioned Howl's heartless behavior and how there was no way a man of his character could even have a heart. All those clues flew directly above a young apprentice and the facade of an elderly cleaning lady.

Markl breathed in deeply, relieved. He wondered if she was able to see within his satchel and withheld that information. However, of this he could never be sure. "Thank you."

"How do you plan on getting where you need to go?" Ben asked his final question as he opened the front door to invite the streaming daylight.

Markl adjusted his satchel, hiding the beautiful pink and blue cloak safely within. If it weren't for that promising letter, he'd have given it away immediately. Instead, he waved his own flashy smile toward the wizard as he spoke. "I'll find a way."