^^ Gradian City, Fallon Castle ^^

--- Lillian Cordova ---

"Come on, Lily! You're going to make us late!!!" My sister and her girlfriend tugged on my arms to try and make me go faster.

I sighed, walking at a normal pace. "Pamela, Ryan, calm yourselves. The parade will still be there in the ten minutes it will take to walk there like civilized adults."

Pamela grumbled, but released my hand, grabbing Ryan's instead. "Fine! But you're paying for drinks!"

"You are not imbibing alcohol in broad daylight, I do not care what the local statutes say about the legal drinking ages." I said dryly.

She pouted. "You're no fun."

"I'm not entirely merciless. As I will be with you, tonight you will be allowed to drink at the castle, under my supervision, and then I will safely escort the both of you to your rooms." I smirked.

She frowned. "We're both consenting adults-"

"Not if we're drunk, lover. I agree with Lillian on that matter. Either we do not drink, or we do not sleep in the same room." Ryan shook her head.

Pamela pouted again. "You two are too uptight."

"You are too loose." I smirked and popped her butt sharply, making her yelp.

Ryan snorted, and pet her girlfriend's hair calmingly. "You shouldn't bait your sister, Pam. She's mature enough to handle you."

Pam stuck out her tongue childishly.

"Put that back in your mouth unless you're going to use it." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

I snorted and shook my head. "What a pair you two make..."

I started hearing the yells and screams of the excited partiers at the parade, and Pam smiled, pulling my hand again. "Come on, I can hear-"

A crowd of people started rushing past us, screaming hysterically.

I drew my sword and amulet slowly. "Pam, Amulet. Ryan, sword." I snapped.

Ryan nodded and closed her eyes, summoning her thin French rapier, while Pam clutched her amulet, muttering a protective spell.

We continued in the direction the sounds had come from, and I caught one man's shoulder. "What's happening?" I snapped.

"Lemme go, you bitch, I'm getting as far away-"

"I am Lillian Cordova of the Fallon Castle Security Force, what is the situation?" I growled.

He flinched. "M-my apologies... there's a demon in the square. The parade was starting, and then suddenly the demon appeared, ripping this one guy in half... then another guy attacked him, but his arm got ripped off. It's a fucking bloodbath!"

I nodded. "Description of the demon?" I asked.

"It's hard to tell, under all the blood." He shrugged.

I nodded and released him. "Good. Thank you. Now lead these other civilians to relative safety within the Castle Walls."

He bowed, having recovered from his shock, and started leading people towards the wall.

I frowned, thinking deeply as we continued walking cautiously.

We entered the street where all this had started, and Pam puked against the side of the building next to us.

I sighed softly. "We missed the demon, it would seem-"

"No... he's there." Ryan shakily pointed at a small child, curled into a ball in the center of the street, surrounded by things I forced myself not to compute.

"That?" I asked, to be certain.

She nodded. "I don't feel any bloodlust... but fear, he has enough of that to shake me in my boots, secondhand or no. I can't quite get a lock on the source, though. He's young, maybe 6 years old."

I nodded and slowly walked forward. "Pam, clean all this... heal what you can."

She nodded and sighed, then gently spoke an incantation.

The blood started to retract slowly, reentering the bodies, and then stitching them up. There wasn't much energy drain, beyond that which would normally come from moving a bowl of water, or some such simple task, because luckily they were all basic amputations.

Not that the limbs would be operable in any measurable amount of time, and there was a chance they would still die from shock, but the less dead the better.

The bodies wrapped themselves in white linens, and carefully carted themselves away to the morgue, while the wounded were taken to the hospital.

I stood next to the small boy. Without the gore all over him, his black hair and leather-colored skin was quite fetching, I suppose.

I squatted slowly, looking for his eyes in the mop of hair on his head. "Hello? I am Lillian Cordova, of the Fallon Castle Security Force. What's your name?" I asked gently.

He curled up tighter. "Что ты имеешь в виду?"

I blinked. "Russian? Alright." I looked at Pam, and she nodded, slowly casting a translation spell.

"Is this the right language, little one?" I asked softly.

He curled up even tighter. "I just wanna go home... leave me alone..."

"I'd like to do that, little one, but I can't, see I'm a member of the Security Force in this castle, and that means that you're my responsibility... why did you hurt those people?" I asked.

"I didn't mean to. They didn't listen when I said they shouldn't touch me..." he shook his head.

I hummed. "I see. And is it alright if I look at your memories?"

He opened his eyes suddenly, exposing the vibrant golden irises. "You can do that?" He seemed distracted for a moment, and Ryan sighed in relief.

I smirked. "I can, indeed."

He sat up, and hugged his knees. "Well... okay. But only today! My family would be angry if you looked past that. Secrets."

I nodded and crossed my heart. "Only today, little one."

He nodded, and closed his eyes.

I gently placed a fingertip on his hand, and flinched at how cold he was, then relaxed and looked into his recent memories.

---

I snuck out the back of the Mansion, and giggled softly when I saw a woman in a maid's uniform scuttle by. "Young master?!? Please come out, you know the mistress gets very angry at me when I lose you!!!"

I slipped away, and mounted a horse. The stallion knickered softly in greeting. "Can you take me to Fallon Castle, Thunderhoof?" I asked quietly.

He snorted. "Can I? Yes. Will I? No."

I frowned. "You do owe me a favor, for that time I stole you apples and oats, and got spanked for it, Thunderhoof."

He snorted again. "Damn you and your long memory, boy. Fine. To Fallon Castle we go. Hold on, pipsqueak." He stomped once, and was suddenly storming through the clouds, his hooves emitting small sparks and bursts of superheated air, that sounded not unlike thunder.

At the speeds we were going, we would reach the castle in a few hours, so I laid down to get some rest.
-
"We're here, midget." Thunderhoof grumbled, tossing me off his back.

I grinned and landed on my feet. "Thanks, Thun-" he darted away, before I could finish.

I shrugged and looked at the giant gates. "Whoa..."

A short man leaning out of the window of the portcullis smirked. "It's a sight to behold, huh?"

I blinked at him. "What?"

"Oh? You're one of them foreign mages, eh? Gimme a sec..." he held up a magic crystal. "Just keep your nose clean, and you'll be fine. There's a parade, today, down on Corsica Street. Might be worth looking at."

I blinked again. "Thank you, sir!" I grinned and darted through the door he opened for me.

The city was much bigger than I'd imagined. I looked around, and then spoke to a man relaxing on a barrel. "Where is Corsica Street?"

He blinked lazily. "Russian... Corsica, huh? That'a way." He pointed to the left, away from the gate.

I smiled. "Thank you!"

The streets all looked the same, but I kept going, until I found the parade. I grinned at the bright colors, and stood still. "Whoa... I wish Papa could see this..."

"Oi! Move it, kid! You're in my way!" A loud man yelled at me, walking with a woman under his arm.

The woman huffed. "Seriously, kid, get out of the way, why are you just standing there? You stupid or somethin'?"

I blinked slowly. "What are you saying?"

"Oh just fuckin' great he's a fuckin' foreigner. Like what this city needs is more foreigners! Listen close kid. Go. Away." He enunciated clearly, then growled when I didn't respond.

He reached for my shoulder, and I flinched. "You shouldn't touch me. Bad things happen when-"

"Enough of your gibberish, kid!" He growled, and shoved my shoulder.

I flinched and covered my face as his body simply bisected itself.

The screams were delayed, as if people hadn't quite understood what was happening yet.

Then they started running.

I curled up where I was, and flinched every time people kicked me, only for their legs to shatter and rip off.

Next came weapons, which only served as sharp things that were quickly embedded in many a stomach or throat.

---

I pulled my hand back. "Oh my..." I sighed.

"So what's the verdict?" Pam asked slowly.

"He's got some magic worked into his skin that redirects momentum, I think... when people push him or touch him in any way, their force is pushed back with almost infinite velocity, is what it looks like." I sighed.

"What's that mean?" She asked.

"A shove on the shoulder by some xenophobic asshole equals a bisected corpse." I said simply.

She nodded slowly. "Ah. I see."

"Indeed... alright, turn that translator spell back on." I nodded.

She flicked her fingers, (no need to cast it again, with the latent magic in the air,) and I felt magic settle on my vocal cords.

"Alright, little one... I understand the situation, now. I can't get you home just yet, so you'll have to stay with me while your family comes for you, okay?"

He blinked slowly, and gazed at me. "Am I not allowed to go home?"

"Well... darling, even though it was an accident, you did hurt a lot of people. So the Count of Fallon will have to release you, after viewing your memories. Nothing to worry about, but you need to stay with me until you're released, okay?" I asked.

He nodded morosely. "Can I send a letter to my Mama?"

"Of course, dear, you can. I'll even help you send it! Come along, now?" I held out a hand.

He stood slowly, refusing my hand, and I smiled, gently touching his hair. "You'll be fine, little one. What's your name?"

"Oscar Cкрытые." He answered, and followed me demurely as we trekked back to the castle.

"What's that mean? That 'скрытые'?" Pam asked.

"Hidden. Secrets. Hiding." He provided synonyms, and I translated easily.

I hummed. "You know, I've seen magic like this before, in books, but never actually practiced it... seemed too draining."

He blinked slowly. "Magic? I'm not good at Magic. Mama said I needed to study more, or I'd be a 2nd-Tier Wizard forever."

I froze. Pam flinched. Ryan simply sighed. "Child, 2nd-Tier Wizards are among the most powerful and respected of all mages. I am a 5th-Tier Sorceress, and I am a member of the Elite Security Force, which is led by Lady Helena, a 1st-Tier Sorceress. Wizards are an entire realm above that, even a 10th-Tier, the lowest type. Perhaps your mother was confused, when she told you that? You might be a Warlock, I can believe that, from your power you've displayed so far."

He blinked. "But that's not right. Warlocks work with spells and potions. Wizards work with elemental and physical magic. My family are Wizards."

"No, dear, that's not what I meant. The Rankings that we use are not for the type of magic we use, but the intensity and complexity with which we are capable of using it. Sorcerer is the Second-highest of all Rankings. Wizard is the First." She explained further.

He blinked slowly. "Oh... then I am a Wizard, but you think my rank to be closer to that of a Warlock? What rank is that?"

She smiled. "Just below Sorcerer, I'm afraid."

We reached the bridge, and he hummed, skipping over all the white stones, which were placed in a diagonal pattern with the red and green stones.

"I see... and how are the rankings determined? Mama said that it was a matter of studying and learning things."

"Indeed it is, for the most part... but there's also the factor of pure power. Every person has a limit to the amount of magic they can summon. We circumvent that with amulets, which boost our connection to the spirit realms, the source of our Magic, but even then, there's a limit." I answered easily.

"And the more you can summon at once, the stronger you are?" He asked, and surprised me by doing a complicated flip, landing on his hand, and pushing off from it to land on a red square.

I cleared my throat. "Yes. Your magical power is determined by that. It usually means talent, as well, because the main cause of being able to take in and move more magic is simple aptitude, and wider meridians. It's determined from birth. There are ways to get stronger, though practice, meditation, and hard work, but most times it's simply not enough to catch up to raw talent."

He hummed. "What's a meridian?"

"Oh... Uhm... it's... I'm not much of a biological magician, so all I know is that a meridian is what carries your magic through your body." I scratched my head.

Pam sighed. "Meridians are magical pathways that trace through your body, carrying Energy; they travel everywhere, connecting your Soul, Mind, Self, and Mana Reservoir, the four basic components of a human mage. They're the same, for everyone, so they're pretty easy to understand."

He hummed again, skipping to a green stone. "I see. So, like river tributaries, the wider and deeper the meridian, the more water/mana it carries?"

Pam smiled. "Well done!"

"How old are you, Oscar?" Ryan asked.

"I am Ten Summers old! No one ever believes me when I say that, but I am!" He set his foot down sternly, and the bridge shook a little.

I smiled, fighting down the small amount of fear that came from the knowledge that this bridge was magically fortified, and the immediate calculation of the amount of physical force that would be necessary to shake not only those spells, (cast by a 1st-Tier Wizard,) but the 2,000+ year old stone bridge that had survived two millennia-worth of storms.

"Ten, hmm? Well, you're certainly eloquent enough." I nodded, and leading him through the illusion gates, which looked like they were closed, but were in fact wide open.

He hummed at the inside of the wood, and nodded. "Cool."

"So how often do you leave your house?" I asked casually.

"Not often. I sneak out every month or so. Mama is always worried I'll get in trouble. I suppose she's right, but I like the cities, usually." He hummed, examining a crystal ball by leaning much too close to it.

The witch displaying them raised an eyebrow. "No touching, boy." She said simply.

He leaned away, and shrugged, finding something else to look at.

"Cities?" I repeated, to be sure of what I'd heard.

"Yeah. Thunderhoof can always take me to a new place, and he's usually nice enough to take me home."

"Thunder... hoof?" Pam said quietly.

"His horse. Magic, flies... it's actually pretty cool." I grinned.

She nodded. "Ah. Got it."

"I suppose mama is going to come pick me up after the Count releases me... she's probably going to be very angry, at all the mess I've made, but I'm sure it'll all work out." He nodded, and picked up a purple sugar crystal, and bit into it.

It exploded into a dust of purple powder, and he sneezed violently. "Well that was interesting..." he hummed.

I smiled and handed him a cloth, to clean the dust from his face. "Yes, well, we'll have to go get that done, won't we?"

He nodded, and followed me as we left the Greater Courtyard, and entered the Mages Tower.