My expression is focused as I stand in the centre of a courtyard, my vision concentrated on my opponents, the two before me red of hair, matching the crimson of our robes, as we read each other, waiting on the other to take action. The man on the left makes the first move, creating a whip of fiery, orange energy, which he lashes out at me, wrapping it around one of my legs.
As he tries and trip me up, I enhance myself with my Chi and resist, pulling my leg back with force and sending him tumbling towards me. As he does, I grab him by the arm and chuck him into the air with a telekinesis enhanced throw, a shout of surprise leaving him as he shoots up. The second man attacks while I'm dealing with the other, creating a pair of Tao Mandalas and throwing them at me.
Catching sight of the attack, I dodge to the side while summoning my own Mandalas, holding them in front of me defensively as his attacks pass me by. He creates a few more and throws them out at me, causing me to block with my shields, before he turns and creates a portal under the first man, catching him just as he's about to hit the ground. He emerges behind me from the exitway of the portal, shooting into me before I have a chance to react.
We crash to the ground, my scabbard coming loose and spinning away as the human missile rolls us over, straddling me. With shaky hands, he conjures a blade of orange energy and grips it with both hands, before stabbing down at me with force, my arms shooting up and gripping his, halting the attack. My superior strength successfully stops the stab and I start to push him back, when the second man appears above us, his fists raised.
Whipping my head to the side, I dodge his strike, causing his fist to impact the stone beneath, an audible crack sounding as it connects. The man screams in pain and steps back, his face contorted in pain, before he raises a leg and attempts to stomp me. Releasing an arm, I reach back and stop the attack, my hand gripping his foot and sending him off balance. The man manages to stabilise himself and starts to increase his force, causing my brows to furrow and sweat to drip down my face.
The strength and concentration needed to hold back the two men is making my arms tire, the limbs shaking with fatigue. Snarling, I mentally reach out to Jian as it lays upon the ground, connecting with it and summoning it from its scabbard. The sword spins to face us, then shoots out towards the stomping man, piercing through his chest faster then he can react, blood spewing from his mouth as he stumbles back. The eyes of the man straddling me go wide as he gasps, his strength weakening.
With my now free arm, I punch him in the face, causing him to grunt and the blade to dissipate, his concentration breaking. Grabbing him by the neck, I bring my knees up to his sides and grip, flipping us over and reversing our positions, then creating my own magic blade. Clutching his face, I bring the knife to his eyes, my expression sharp, and ask him, my voice hoarse, "Do you yield?" The man, no older then eighteen, nods slightly, wary of the blade.
Confirming his surrender, I dismiss the blade and stand, holding out a hand to him as he groans in pain. He grasps my hand and pulls himself up, bowing to me as he stands, before looking over at the body of the man I killed. His face is pinched as he stares at the corpse, then says to me, his tone slightly nauseous, "...That never gets any easier to look at." He furrows his red brows in concentration as the body starts to twitch.
First, its fingers fold back, then its hands and feet, the forearms and lower leg, then finally the thighs and upper arms, until the body is contorted into a square shape. It head snaps round, the cracking of its neck audible, then sinks into its torso as the dimensions of the mangled body starts to warp, disappearing in ways my brain struggles to understand. The sight is disturbing no matter how many times I see it.
The man beside me sighs as he watches the process, then glances at me, a frown on his face, "Do you have to keep killing me? It fucking hurts, you know?" He asks, his voice indignant, as two additional arms sprout from his back, gripping his shoulders and pushing. Slowly, head and torso first, a clone of him emerges from his body, stepping onto the ground.
I watch the act of creation, then laugh at his expression, saying, "You know the usefulness of your power, young man, you're going to need to get used to a little pain if you want to use it effectively." I punch him in the arm, causing him to wince. It's been an interesting experience, seeing the once bratty boy age into a mature young man, even if he still has a lot of room to grow.
A couple days after his seventeenth birthday, he woke in his bed facing an exact duplicate of himself, his dual screams of surprise waking the whole temple. That morning was a busy one, with Yi Hye-Rin and the masters conducting a thorough examination on him, finding no outside forces responsible for the event. Once the ruckus had settled down and no danger was detected, Yi Hye-Rin assigned his training to me, which I reluctantly agreed to.
While my first impression of him was that of a simple child with an attitude, I'm not so coldhearted that I would refuse to help him in a time of personal crisis. After all, I know what it's like to have change forced upon you by forces outside of your control. Plus, Yi Hye-Rin informed that me that if I manage to successfully train him into an apprentice, she would consider my own training as an apprentice to be complete, and promote me to disciple.
With that in mind, I've dedicated half my time here to teaching him, only recently managing to make him an official apprentice. The training sessions also gave me the opportunity to Spirit Read him, leading me to discover my second mutant, this one with an awakened power. This man, Thomas, had grown into the power of Self-Replication, the ability to duplicate himself. After much testing under the watchful eye of the Sorceress Supreme, we managed to map most of his power and, we think, all of its applications.
Thomas can create a single copy of himself that he shares cognition with, effectively becoming a single entity with two non-conflicting thought streams. This even extends to his astral form, with both Thomas' able to exit their physical bodies separately, meaning he has two astral bodies, something unseen in the history of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, according to Yi Hye-Rin.
Neither body is the main one, and he suffers no loss of identity or memory should the other die, thankfully. The bodies also share their senses, including pain, which is why I've made sure to increase his tolerance to it. A limitation we found is that he cannot clone mystical objects, only mundane items such as the non-magical robe he's wearing. This means that should he be chosen by a relic in the future, it cannot be cloned, much to the disappointment of the sorcerers.
Today was his final lesson under my tutelage, ending with a quick spar to round out the evening, a promise of a debt owed should he best me. Unfortunately for him, he lost, which he is quite unhappy about, going by the pinched look upon his face.
Brushing ourselves down, we walk out of the yard, the washroom calling our names, as the other Thomas stays behind to repair any damage we did. After the first time, where one of the masters scolded us, we've made sure not to make the same mistake twice.
…
As I dry myself and change into my red robe, the sign of an apprentice, hopefully for the final time, a little excitement flutters in my stomach. Finally, after four years of purposeful training, and learning as much as I can under the guidance of the masters, I'm becoming a disciple of Kamar-Taj. Only those who are considered skilled and learned in the mystic arts are chosen to be disciples and become official members of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the last rank until one is selected to be a master.
Barring abandoning the path of the sorcerer, leaving with only the limited magic you have learned, one can only venture beyond the grounds of Kamar-Taj when they reach this rank. While you could choose to leave with assistance from a Sling Ring, doing so without the accompaniment of a master is met with immediate expulsion. You will then be captured, and any mystical items on your person will be taken and returned to Kamar-Taj.
When I first heard of this rule, I wasn't happy, as I wanted to visit my home, until Yi Hye-Rin told me the reasoning behind this severe rule. She warned me, her expression serious, that fledgling sorcerers are easy targets for the forces of darkness, who can detect their untrained mystical energy. Some will simply kill the sorcerer and absorb their soul and power, while the more devious will possess their body and do untold levels of damage to the material realm.
She told me an example, a look of sorrow on her face as she spoke, of a time when she was just a novice, and how an older apprentice left the temple, breaking the rule. The masters searched for him to no avail, returning to Kamar-Taj empty handed, looks of worry on their face. It was only when the older boy returned that they learned, all too late, that he has been hidden from detection through the power of a great demon. That demon had eaten through the boys mind, consuming his soul and taking his body as its own.
With its own dark power and the magic of an accomplished sorcerer, it invaded the temple, laying waste to a third of its buildings, destroying numerous relics, and killing dozens of sorcerers. It was only through the sacrifice of the Sorcerer Supreme of the time that they managed to expel the demon, banishing it from this dimension and sealing its path to earth behind it.
The events of that day shaped how the coming decades of Yi Hye-Rin's life would play out, and is the reason, she said to me, that she was so distrustful of me in the beginning. Her recounting of the tale left her drained, her face pale and sweat on her brow, which she wiped away with trembling hands. For the next few years, Kamar-Taj closed its doors to new applicants, focusing on shoring up the three wards erected upon the earth by Agamotto, who created them to stop mystical threats from too easily entering this dimension.
The reasoning behind the rule finally clear to me, I accepted the fact that I wouldn't be able to leave with a heavy heart. So the fact that I'm finally allowed to leave, to reunite with my master and my chosen family? Fantastic. My anticipation for that reunion is much greater than what I feel about becoming a disciple.
Finally dressed, I straighten my robes and wave bye to Thomas, who nods, and leave the room, starting my walk to meet with the Sorceress Supreme. There has been a standing order issued by her, to me, that when Thomas advances to apprentice, I am to meet her in her chamber for my own promotion.
I pass through the passages of Kamar-Taj, taking in the decor as I move, the interior not changing much in my time here. Turning the final corner, I come to the open entryway of Yi Hye-Rin's chamber, where she sits with Master N'kosana, talking in quiet voices. I knock on the wood of the frame, announcing my presence, causing them to turn to me, Yi Hye-Rin giving me a smile, while N'kosana just nods in greeting.
Walking into the room, I stand before Yi Hye-Rin and bow, as N'kosana moves off to the side of the room. She pats my on my shoulders, the signal for me to stand, starting to speak as I do, her expression kind, "Apprentice Sarah," She starts, her eyes shining, "When you first came to Kamar-Taj, hoping to join us and learn sorcery, I admit, I was hesitant. Your very presence unnerved me, and caused unrest in the Eye of Agamotto." My eyes widen at that piece of knowledge.
"But, the events of my life have taught me not to judge someone based on that which they have no control over. If I did, the number of sorcerers under me would be much fewer." A small laugh leaves her as she looks up at me, "Today, as you stand before me, my decision is proven right. The enthusiasm you have shown for magic, and the kindness you have treated your fellow students with, has revealed who you truly are; a being of morality." My eyes sting with emotion, as I see Master N'Kosana nod at her words from the corner of my eye.
"My seemingly rash order to put a young, troubled novice under your tutelage, when you yourself had just become an apprentice, was not any kind of test, nor a chain around your neck. It was instead a representation of my trust in your character, and your potential as a sorceress." She places a hand on my arm, her expression proud, "Now, some days after your fourth year with us, you have proven yourself worthy of becoming an official disciple of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, a powerful mystic."
She turns to N'kosana as my throat grows tight, and I hold back my tears. Master N'kosana raises his hand, in which appears a green robe, the colour matching that of my Chi. He steps towards us and holds out the robe to me, a smile on his lips. Slightly bowing to him, I take the robe from him and hold in to my chest, feeling the texture of its cloth on my skin. The emotions I was withholding start to overcome me, as tears appear in my eyes, clouding my vision.
Yi Hye-Rin moves closer to me and raises her hand, wiping my tears away then cupping my cheek. She looks upon my sad face, her own eyes wet, as she speaks, "Congratulations, Disciple Sarah. I am proud of you, truly." I nod shakily at her as she finishes. Taking step back and removing her hand from my face, I bow deeply to her, finally speaking, my voice choked, "Thank you." I say. The simple words conveying more than I can express at the moment.
Straightening, I see Yi Hye-Rin staring at me, smiling, "As this is your final day as an apprentice, it's up to you how spend the rest of the evening. Tomorrow, your official duties start, beginning with finding your relic." I nod, the prospect of finding my fated relic somewhat distant, the emotion of the evening draining me slightly.
"Now, I would recommend you get some rest. You seem tired." She says. Her words resonate with me, a sudden bout of tiredness hitting me. Bowing again to her and N'kosana, I turn and exit, my new robe clutched in my arms, leaving them to the conversation I interrupted. The walk back to my room passes with no acknowledgment from me, my mind lost in thought. I've been so caught up in training to be a sorceress that I almost forgot the reason they exist.
The potential danger I've chosen to put myself in should be filling me with dread, the idea that I might die paralysing me; but why instead does my heart beat with excitement, and my nerves alight with anticipation? Is a side of me I never knew existed coming to light? I once felt this sensation when challenging the Deviant a few years ago, but the timing wasn't appropriate for introspection. Now, with the purpose of sorcery coming for me at light-speed, I need to do some thinking.
But that can be done tomorrow. Reaching my room, I enter and go to my desk, placing my new robes down on them, to wear in the morning. Grabbing a small gemstone from a trunk I acquired, I move over to my bed, looking down at the bundle of cloth next to my pillow. Kneeling down, I give it a little shake, causing a tiny pair of ears to poke out, followed by two beady eyes.
Smiling down at my companion, the little mouse I've named Stuart, I bring the gem to it, causing it to let out chirp. It stands on its little back legs and bites at the stone, then burrows into its cloth den. Stuart fed, I wipe my face and change, then climb into bed next to it, laying my head down and pulling the cover over me. Reaching over, I turn off the light and close my eyes, trying to ignore my thoughts.
Tonight, I'm going to sleep. Future Sarah can deal with these issues.