Millennial Mage

Tala faced Mistress Ingrit and Master Coinin as they were projected into her perception through Alat’s efforts.

The alternate interface could only hold the connection for a few minutes, so they needed to be efficient with their time. Even so, the man’s few words had already let Tala know that that wouldn’t be happening.

“It is good to meet you, Master Coinin.”

He smiled and nodded once. “Alright, brief and fast. I can do this. Did you notice anything different between this smiler and others you’ve seen before?”

She wanted to pass over the obvious name for the beings she’d seen, but she needed to be sure. Also, if there was already an established name for them, there should be more information about them available. Thus, she asked, “Smiler?”

Master Coinin gave her an almost-disappointed look as he answered, “Yes, I’d thought it would be obvious what I was referring to.”

She contained her desire to cut back and shook her head. “It is, I just haven’t heard that term before.”

“It fits, so…?”

“Ahh, so not an established term. Thank you. As to a difference. No? Not really. The ones I saw before all felt… the same? Like they always had been and always would be, forever unchanging, forever hungry, forever consuming. They were an emptiness beyond the void. After all, individual voids, or sections of the void, can be filled. These… smilers can’t, or at least they didn’t feel like they could.”

“And the most recent smiler?”

“It felt… incomplete? That’s not right. It was the same, but lesser, though that might just have been because I was sensing it from Zeme, rather than from within the Doman-Imithe. That’s why I wouldn’t swear to having sensed a difference. There are just too many complicating factors.”

“That might make sense, yes.” Coinin was nodding. “Do you think that the Doman-Imithe is their natural habitat?”

Tala blinked in surprise at the change of direction for the line of questioning but shook her head. “Not in the way I understand it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, creatures should be able to traverse their natural environment, and these were almost forcibly fixed in place.”

“That… that is an interesting way to look at it. I appreciate the perspective… What do you—?”

Mistress Ingrit cleared her throat. “The topic, Master Coinin.”

“RIGHT! Right, my apologies. We were discussing the fount. Your perception seemed to indicate that you felt you had a choice over the temporary fate of the gate, is that correct?”

“Yes. That is the sense I got.”

“But you also felt an… inevitability? Can you expand on that?”

Tala was a bit confused, and rather than allowing that confusion to last, she simply asked, “It seems like you reviewed my memories, you should know all I do. Right?”

“Ahh, but I don’t have your context. A person’s memories are stored for him or herself. As an example, you might think to yourself that a wolf reminds you of a childhood dog. In reviewing those thoughts, if granted to me, I would know that factoid, but I would have no idea what caused that connection to be drawn, nor would I inherently know anything about that dog from long ago.”

Tala frowned. “I’m not sure I fully understand.”

“Basically, your memories are encoded for your own mind and how you see the world. Thus, with such a small sample, I can only make guesses at some of the more esoteric parts, and let’s be honest, the entire experience was esoteric.”

She found herself nodding. “Oh, I suppose that makes sense. Yes, then. It felt like my choice would not matter for the gate’s, for the soul’s, final destination. What I was granted, or what I had seized, was the ability to influence the journey. To use your word, the ultimate fate of the gate seemed inevitable regardless of me or my choices.”

“I see, I see. And that inevitable fate, it was the next world?”

“That seemed to be the case, yes.”

“And on the topic of the next world. The power you interacted with there was hostile towards you?”

Tala shook her head. She was certain on this point. “No.”

“But it damaged you, correct? It instantly harmed you with the slightest exposure.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t make it hostile. Just as a mundane can drown in water if he is not equipped to traverse its depths. That fact does not mean that the water is hostile to the man. The fact that we often use anthropomorphizing, antagonistic language isn’t an indication of truth. The power isn’t hostile. It just is. And I am unable to endure it.”

“So, this power? The fundamental makeup of the next world…?” He gestured for her to go on.

“It felt like something about me was utterly out of place, like I simply couldn’t exist beside the pure power. Like an acid and a base.” She frowned. “No, that’s not right. It wasn’t an interaction of mutual destruction or dilution. The purity of the next world wasn’t tainted by my presence, I simply could not exist there as I am.”

“Fascinating.” Master Coinin seemed to draw into himself for a moment, considering.

“Master Coinin?” Mistress Ingrit had remained quiet for their short conversation, only interjecting previously to help the man keep on topic, and it seemed that she was again attempting to facilitate.

“Hmm? Yes, Mistress Ingrit?”

“Do you have any other questions?”

-I am nearing the end of what I can maintain.-

I’ll try to be fast.

“I think so. Mistress Tala, are you aware of the nature of existence?”

Tala arched one eyebrow, causing the man to laugh self-deprecatingly.

“I suppose that was a silly question, wasn’t it? It could mean anything, or nothing at all. In fact, if we think about”—he glanced up and saw Mistress Ingrit staring at him intently, stopped, cleared his throat, and redirected—“But of course, now is not the time for that. What I meant was: Are you aware of the tripod supposition?”

“That seems like an entirely different question.” Tala hesitated. “Unless you believe it to be beyond question in its relation to the nature of existence?”

“I do, actually, and I suppose my bias comes through rather strongly.”

“It does a bit, yes. Even so, we are getting off topic again. No, I don’t believe I have heard of it.”

He nodded, seemingly not expecting her to have known what he was referring to. “Well, the basics are that existence is composed of three things: Reality, Void, and Magic.”

Tala frowned but didn’t interrupt.

“Imagine they are the points of a triangle. The side opposite the point representing Reality is void-magic, or the line connecting those two points. The side opposite of Void is reality-magic, again the line. Thus, the side opposite of Magic is…?” He gestured encouragingly to her.

She realized it would be faster to guess than wait for him to continue. “Reality-void?”

“Precisely! Or rather a void in reality. I believe that is your ‘nothingness.’”

That… made a lot of sense, actually. “I think I can see that, and these three things make up existence? Like a tripod, existence can’t exist without all three?”

“Well, they obviously aren’t things, but loosely, yes. More specifically, they make up existence within Zeme. I wouldn’t dream of making a claim about existence outside of our fractured little corner.”

She grunted at that. That’s probably wise, yeah. “So, what are you driving at?”

“Ahh, yes, the actual question. How would you guess the Doman-Imithe fits into that framework?”

Mistress Ingrit closed her eyes and sighed, slightly shaking her head. Even so, she didn’t interrupt.

Tala blinked a few times, trying to grapple with such a monumental question.

-Tala…-

I’m trying!

She tried to clear her mind and give the best answer that she could, “Well… reality threads throughout, sheathed in the void, and the smilers were there, too. There… was magic, but it was all tied up, somehow, all doing various things rather than free-floating, just as the void and threads were…” She trailed off as she understood what he was getting at. “You think that the Doman-Imithe is actually existence? And somehow Zeme is… what? Just a cobbled together mass of unused pieces hanging off the center?”

He laughed once, almost triumphantly. “Yes! That is what I and many others have postulated, though not exactly. We believe that the Doman-Imithe was created to hold everything together, to provide the underpinnings for existence in its truest form, and then Zeme was constructed within that protective framework. This isn’t all of existence.”

Tala remembered speaking with Meallain and the City Lord of Platiori. They had either implied or said the same things. Still, she was trying to be quick. Instead of mentioning those conversations, she focused on a more tangible response. “Well, of course it isn’t. The next world isn’t a part of Zeme, but it clearly exists.”

He tapped the side of his nose while pointing at her with his other hand. “Precisely.”

Tala was about to add that the next world was also not a part of the Doman-Imithe, but Mistress Ingrit shook her head and interjected, “Alright, Master Coinin, you’ve followed your last trail. I believe our time is up.” After a moment’s hesitation, she smiled and added. “I do believe that we have some memories available for your acquisition which might be quite interesting to you.”

Tala glanced to the Archivist, and Mistress Ingrit smiled.

-She notified us. She is referencing the pertinent discussions with Meallain and the City Lord of Platiori.-

Perfect, then I don’t need to deal with it. She really is incredibly helpful.

-That she is. Now… please?-

I’m trying.

Master Coinin nodded to Mistress Ingrit in acknowledgement. “I look forward to our negotiations.” He then bowed to Tala. “Thank you, Mistress Tala for your time. May I reach out again in the future to discuss things further, should there be a need?”

Tala nodded. “I am open to the idea.”

“Thank you.”

She then turned to Mistress Ingrit. “Anything you need from me?”

The woman shook her head. “No, thank you. I just knew he’d get utterly off topic if he communicated with you by himself.”

He pointed to her, nodding sagely. “She’s absolutely right.”

-Tala!-

Tala quickly bowed to each of them, and they bid each other a final farewell before the two vanished from Tala’s perception.

Alat groaned. -Ow… Reinscription, please?-

Sure. Let’s do that now.

Less than five minutes later, Tala was reinscribed and back in her room, soaking in her massive tub.

I need to do this more often. It really is relaxing.

-Maybe without the massive strain on my pathways first? As to the bath, we don’t have that much time, but yes. It does seem good for you.-

Thank you for keeping up the conversation. That was really much more… pleasant? Useful? Efficient. Tala nodded. That was much better than trying to communicate through passing messages back and forth.

-I’m glad that I could be of service. I’ll be able to slowly improve, and we might be able to get something to augment the connection when we’re in a specific location, but I think it might be a bit expensive.-

It sounds like it’s worth looking into at the very least.

-Thank you.-

Of course. She shifted slightly in the amazingly hot water. It was incredible how different hot water could feel from being within a fire. Cold water might have been ‘better’ for a recovery from so much flame magic, but Tala had chosen a relaxing, if short, soak over a freezing plunge.

-You know, ice baths are good for you.-

Yeah, but they are really unpleasant…

-You would barely feel it.-

…maybe. She shook her head and changed the subject. Are we still going to be able to make it to Marliweather today? That felt so odd to even contemplate.

It was a week trip by caravan, but that was because the caravans took it slow to be as safe as possible. The distance was only about a hundred and fifty miles, and she could easily run that in a day, especially with her magical resonance so reduced.

It should have been a relatively trivial thing for her to make the trek, but instead, it had turned into an insane day.

While finding a Mage about to become a fount was unlikely, it wasn’t that unusual considering the range of her senses. Now, if she found another, she’d know something was really odd.

You know, I think us going around larger pockets of power might have increased our chances too.

-I agree. It seemed like the Mage was drawn to a place of lower power, so since we were trying to stay in exactly that same environment…-

Far more reasonable, yes.

-Let’s just not do it again. I agree, that would be a disturbing pattern.-

Or if another unlikely thing happens. That would be unideal.

-Are you trying to jinx us?-

Tala huffed a laugh. I suppose not. I’ll leave it.

With a quick aspect mirror, she cleaned herself within the water. The little grime that had stuck to her skin came free in the water, and Kit whisked that away to who knew where.

Tala stood, combed out her hair, braided it, and dressed for cross-country travel.

She coated herself in iron but let her through-spike maintain her appearance. No need to look odd for the Simons’.

-…I don’t think that’s their last name.-

Well, I don’t actually know it, do I?

-I could see if I can find it?-

No… if I need to know, I’ll just ask. She considered for a moment before sighing.

She should ask.

Even so, Tala almost summoned a door and simply stepped out into the wilds but thought better of it at the last moment.

Instead, she went back to the dining area, where Mistress Petra had more food ready for her. “Thank you, Mistress.”

“I’m happy to provide. That looked like hungry work you did.”

“It was that.” Tala gave a wan smile. She hesitated for an awkward moment before she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mistress Petra. I don’t think I ever asked for your last name?”

The woman tilted her head to one side. “I suppose you haven’t. It’s Zuccat.”

“And do you prefer Mistress Petra or Mistress Zuccat?”

“Usually, either is fine, but you and I are easily on a first name basis, I think.” She gave a cheeky smile. “Are we not, Mistress Tala?”

Tala grinned in return. “I suppose we are, Mistress Petra. Thank you.”

“Take care of yourself now. Eat and get us back to a proper city.”

“Will do.”

Tala sat in her comfortable chair and ate.

She didn’t linger, but she still made sure to enjoy every bite.

Even with the measured pace, she quickly finished, banishing the tray with a thought.

“Thank you again.”

Mistress Petra simply waved dismissively with a smile as Tala stepped through a summoned door and out into the wilds.

The valley below was still hot, even with winter’s steady encroachment.

Snow had begun to fall, and it sizzled when it struck the ground anywhere near the center. Even so, the outer edges were already being covered, black giving way to white.

Peace was returning to this disrupted corner of Zeme.

Tala picked up Kit, pressing the flattened pouch against her leg before enfolding it in iron.

She wanted to perfect her various accoutrements, so this time she didn’t use a layer of white-steel. Instead, she followed Alat’s suggestion and simply thickened the iron to obscure wherever that was needed. She also suppressed her through-spike, removing almost all of her magical presence.

Flow was still secured on the top of her left forearm, and her elk-leathers were reduced to a tight band around her neck, both fully enclosed in iron.

-Why did you add iron to make your face a blank mask, too?-

Anonymity can be useful at times?

-Yes, because there are so many Mages who can go around covered in iron.-

Well… it doesn’t hurt, does it? Besides, non-Mages can’t instantly tell it’s iron, can they?

-No, I suppose not. Well, we need a name for this configuration. ‘Travel?’-

I was thinking ‘everyday.’

-With the face? Or should I say, without a face?-

The through-spike will add the illusion of my face at need.

-I mean… I suppose? I won’t fight you on it. What about your eyes and mouth?-

I want to get in the habit of treating my mirrored perspectives like my main vision. This should help with that. I also want to get used to not breathing, so it’s not a draw on my attention in tense situations.-

-What if you need to speak?-

Then, I’ll open a slit or pull the metal back or something.

-As you wish.- Alat clearly didn’t think it was the greatest idea, but Tala disagreed. Keeping maximum magical containment would do wonders for her natural pathways and magical density over time, and this was the best way to do that.

Tala stretched briefly, nodded to herself at her easy movements, and took off down the hill away from the valley. She would circle the fire damage and continue on her way.

Terry flickered up beside her mere moments later. A few more flicks of dimensional power let him move all around her, seemingly examining her from every angle.

Her metal pulled away from her mouth as she addressed him. “I’m fine, Terry.”

He squawked once.

“I’m glad that you pulled back. That wasn’t something that you could have helped with.”

Terry squawked in irritation.

“I was careful, and I am fine.”

He did not seem mollified.

“I’m not going to do it that way again in any case. Don’t get your feathers all bunched up over it.”

He trilled a derisive series of notes.

“Just because I’m going to do it differently in the future does not mean I was reckless the first time.”

-Why do you think he tried to convey anything like that?-

Because it’s what I would have said if I were him? And his tone matches. Tala shrugged internally.

Terry let out a long-suffering groan but turned his attention forward once more.

They only ran like that for a little while before Terry began flickering around once again.

At that point, Tala fell into a rhythm and allowed Alat to bring up the next book for her to read as she ran.

The experience of reading as she did other tasks was more odd than usual because the book didn’t block any of her vision at all this time.

The book seemed to hover before her closed eyes, visible even so. Independently, she could see perfectly through her mirrored perspectives.

Thus, she was in a position to split her mind and attention as she moved.

It was actually a bit exhausting, mentally speaking, which meant it was probably good training.

I don’t split my focus very often, do I?

-No, you just jump between tasks or areas of focus. If you truly need to do more than one thing simultaneously, you rely on me.-

Tala found herself nodding as she ran. I’ve let that become a weakness. Let’s correct that, shall we?

-As you wish.-