[As promised … the next of what I am now calling the “Kethyras” stories. Enjoy!]
[Updated Apr. 12, 2023: Reworked to somewhat “de-power” Helene. First version, she was, realistically, just too OP. See Superman Conundrum for more detail.]
[Minor update Apr 18, 2023: Slight naming changes of Mage abilities for “future-prooofing.”]
Helene Fabry, for most of her childhood, was an ordinary girl and treated as such — at least to the extent the youngest daughter of a minor Baron possibly could be. All the servant maids were kind to her and she was raised by her mother, the Baroness Audelia Fabry, to never look down on anyone or treat them poorly. Of course, when she ran around in the gardens surrounding the mansion and then dash back inside, she knew they would scold her about not behaving as a “proper young lady” should, and would then rush her off to be bathed and re-clothed.
Everything changed dramatically shortly after her she turned eleven. It was late one evening and she’d been feeling extremely tired that day, so she excused herself to go to bed earlier than usual. After no more than three glasses had passed, an extremely loud noise began to emanate from her room. One of the maids opened the door cautiously to peer inside, then shrieked in terror even louder than the noise which had sparked her inrusion. Everyone nearby was roused by the maid’s cry. As others drew closer, it now sounded as if there was some sort of massive storm, but somehow it was contained inside Helene’s room, with flickers and flashes of light shining from just around the slightly open door.
Her mother and a few maids approached. One of the older and more experienced maids cautiously opened the door fully, falling to her knees at what she beheld. Suspended in the middle of the room, Helene was upright and floating, her arms outstretched from her sides.. Surrounding her was a windstorm, mixed with flashes of lightning, and gravel — from who knew where? — flying everywhere. Helene’s nightdress was dotted along the lower portion with several small dark stains.
When Audelia saw her daughter, she reeled back, covering her mouth. “Oh, my sweet daughter. What is this? What have the Gods done to you?”
Just then, everyone in the mansion heard the sonorous loud banging of someone at the main entrance door. A butler hurried to greet the visitor. As soon as the door was opened, a middle-aged man, covered with a dark cloak and hood burst through, demanding, “There’s been an Awakening, hasn’t there? Take me there at once!”
The butler, having no idea what was this strange man was jabbering about, was about to insist the man leave when the newcomer suddenly twitched his head towards the bedroom wing, and began running through the mansion, unerringly, towards Helene’s room. Other servants attempted to stop him, but the man simply flicked a hand and they were flung back against the walls by a sudden gust of harsh air and disks of water, held unable to move, until he had passed them by. The water then crashed to the ground in a puddle as the pressure of the air simultaneously disappeared.
Once he reached the end of the hallway to where Helene’s room was, another flick of his hand and the doors were smashed open, allowing him to race through, unhindered. Again, the maids attempted to prevent him, but he once more cast them aside as though they were feathers.
Reaching Audelia, he stopped. “I apologize for my abrupt entry, Lady, but I was in the town and could sense an Awakening. I will settle things now.” With a curt inclination of his head, he dismissed himself and turned towards the door. Raising both arms before him, his cloak fell back, revealing the tight sleeves of his top. He was clearly struggling mentally as he moved his hands, muttering, “Oooh… you’re exceptionally strong aren’t you. Come now, be a good little girl and get this under control.”
Slowly, the raging storm quieted down, with the flying gravel and other debris within the room all dropping to the floor. Likewise, Helene slowly lowered and then fell backwards, rag-doll-like, ending flat on her bed once again. This complete, the man’s arms and shoulders dropped and he slumped, tiredly, against the doorframe, before straightening himself and turning, once more, to face Lady Audelia.
“My Lady. Again, I must apologize, but the matter was, as you may have noticed, urgent.”
“And who exactly are you, to barge into this mansion and intrude in this fashion?”
“Tristan Blackthorn. As you may have surmised, I am a Bound Ventromage, which is to say I have mastery over both air and water.”
All standing nearby began trembling and a few of the maids shrieked and turned to run away.
“Please, please. I am Bound.” He lifted an arm and tugged back the tight sleeve, revealing complex and extensive markings. “As you can plainly see. My powers are fully under my control.” He pulled the sleeve down once more, covering his arm to the wrist.
“And your reason for being here, Mage Blackthorn …?”
“I was passing through the nearby village and felt the stirring of power even from there. It was clear a powerful caster was undergoing an Awakening. It is part of all Mages’ duties to assist those who have Awakened … protecting them as well as all who are nearby.” He turned to the nearby remaining maids, “Quickly now! Bathe and dress the girl. And someone run to get a carriage and horse team prepared! I must get her to a Sanctuary and then to The Hub!” He turned, as if about to head back to the front entrance.
The maids looked at each other and then at their mistress, unsure of what to do. Audelia spoke quickly, “Sir! I am the Baroness Fabry and you will not be kidnapping my daughter like a thief in the night!”
The man paused, sighed, and turned back towards her once again. “My Lady… I say this not as threat, but as a question. How, exactly, would you propose to stop me from doing so?” He waited a moment for the realization everyone in the mansion would be utterly powerless against him.
“But, furthermore, would you truly see all within this household, and, possibly, everyone within a day’s horse-ride of here, perish? You saw for yourself what was occurring in that room. She may be one of the most powerful Mages I have ever encountered or even heard of for generations. She clearly has at least three affinities — those being air, water, and earth. It would not surprise me in the slightest if she had all four. And the Gods alone know if she also has any auxiliaries! And, most importantly … she has absolutely no control!”
He gestured theatrically towards Helene’s room. “She did all of that in her sleep! I would speculate that she has just this night come of age as a woman, and has consequently Awakened. Yes, you are losing a daughter, but you and all of your family and all you know nearby will remain untouched, unscathed and still amongst the living.” His voice softened. “And you will not burden her with the risk she might, unknowing and unintentionally, destroy all around her.” After a small pause, he finished. “Now, will you order your maids to do as I bid, or must I take matters into my own hands?”
Audelia nodded curtly at the maids. “Do as he says.” Turning back to the Mage, “May I be permitted a moment with my daughter before you steal her away?”
Tristan’s expression became visibly warmer and he bowed very so slightly. “Of course, Lady Fabry. May I suggest doing so at the carriage after your maids have prepared her?”
Seven years passed while Helene went through rigorous education and training. During this time, she grew from a young girl into a stunningly beautiful woman. With her powers fully Awakened, her pale yellowish hair had soon transformed to a color more reminiscent of silver polished to a shine. While her parents had both been tall, she was, unfortunately in her own eyes, about a head shorter than most of the other adults surrounding her.
Her first year, starting with her arrival, had been traumatic and initially quite literally painful. Even with the passage of time, though, she would still occasionally awaken in the middle of the night from the dreamt recollection — more a nightmare, really — of waking in the middle of the night, only days after her birthday, to find her room destroyed, and being hurriedly cleaned and dressed by maids, followed by a tearful farewell with her mother. At the time, it had truly felt much as if she was being kidnapped with no understanding of what was happening or why.
That night was followed by a journey of several days, going from Sanctuary to Sanctuary. At the first one, several strange markings had been inscribed in some sort of herbal ink along her arms and legs. At each subsequent Sanctuary, the markings were reapplied, having always started to wear away even in just a single day, regardless of how much she moved. Finally, the stranger, Tristan, and she had arrived at Magorethia — the city which surrounded The Hub — and then into The Hub itself. Helene had heard of both places, but only stories, not something which could possibly have concerned her … until now.
Tristan explained, as he drove the carriage through the city and then through the front gates of The Hub, how it was divided into several multiple-building campuses, each devoted to the different affinities. He had clearly had word sent ahead, a lone rider traveling faster than a carriage, as she was immediately hustled off for testing. As he had speculated to her mother, she was, indeed, a full Quadrimage, with strong affinities for all four main elements. However, unlike he’d feared, she was not a Polymage since she had neither Strengthening Light nor Corrupting Dark as an auxiliary. He saw this as a small blessing from the Gods, as he believed she would have been far too powerful to learn control were either true.
With her affinities confirmed, she was then required to undergo an extensive Binding process — longer than typical because of her multitude of capabilities, The Desmofilakoi spent hours upon hours researching the Binding constructs required for a Quadrimage, as there were no records describing the patterns required. This was followed by several days spent arguing and drawing complex formations on chalkboards and scraps of paper. Finally, all the Binders had agreed and Helene underwent weeks of excruciating tattoo application with occasional hot iron sealing brands applied to her arms and legs. She was constantly in tear-filled agony from the process, with little comfort beyond everyone reassuring her this would give her control over her “powers” — something she hadn’t understood at the time.
The years which followed were a continuous onslaught of studying, training and being tested. The Hub insisted all Mages in training receive full educations, not solely in use of their powers, but also in more mundane subjects. Consequently, there was a traditional education campus attached to the other facilities and she was required to attend those classes as much as she was required to attend classes for each of her individual affinities. And then, of course, there was the subsequent higher training to learn how to combine affinities and use them even more creatively. Eventually, given her wealth of capabilities, her instructors would just spend time concocting elaborate problems to force her to come up with creative solutions to manage them.
Her fascination with what she was now capable of was mixed with the constant reminder of how her arms and legs were now permanently marred. She now understood the “fashion” of Mages wearing garments and other accessories which fully covered their arms and legs. Of course, she also was constantly in the grip of the emotional turmoil of having been so abruptly and completely separated from her family.
But now, finally, she was free. She was allowed to leave the Hub, and Magorethia if she chose, unescorted and with no requirements to return by a certain time or date. The only onus placed on her — as with all Mages — was to ensure, whenever she reached somewhere she would be staying for an extended period of time, she must inform the nearest Sanctuary and Sanctuary Keeper. This way, if her powers and strength were needed for some sort of Hub-related task, she could be quickly contacted and asked to assist. As much as she, just like all of the students at the Hub, enjoyed spending time in the surrounding city of Magorethia, it was, however, not where she belonged, nor where she particularly wanted to stay.
The Hub received generous contributions (largely understood to be more than slightly extorted, in fact) from all ranks of aristocracy and nobility. This was done primarily as a method of assuring its financial health and stability. After all, no one wanted even the slightest of possibility of seeming responsible for any inability to keep Mage powers in check and controlled. The immediate result of this, though, meant after being released from their lengthy training years at the Hub, all “graduating” Mages were gifted a not-insignificant pouch, typically related to their strength. Thus, now she was able to travel on her own, Helene was comfortably well-off for the moment, although not anywhere close to the wealth she knew her family possessed.
She mounted a horse, provisioned and provided for her, and rode out through the main gates of The Hub to return, finally, to the wider world. There was, after all, only one possible destination after the past seven grueling years.
Helene’s feelings regarding her journey were conflicted. On one hand, she wanted her trip to be slow and gentle — too much of a possible reminder of her initial travel Hub-wards otherwise. But, at the same time, she desperately wanted to return “home” … at least the home she’d known in her childhood, before being forcibly relocated to The Hub. She understood, now, why that relocation had happened, and even why it had, indeed, been absolutely necessary. But it was still impossible not to feel a residual sense of resentment at what had amounted to being snatched away in the middle of the night.
Consequently, she compromised — urging her horse forward at no more than a steady walking pace, but wrapping them both in a bubble of air and wind. Even with the slow pace, this meant they could cover ground much faster. Were she to do this to herself while walking, the combined effort would quickly become exhausting. Riding this way, allowing the horse to do the physical aspect while she was “simply” contributing a supporting spell, was still tiring, but was manageable, so long as she remembered to eat and drink regularly. Thanks to her water affinity, keeping her water-skin full and clean was little additional effort.
Finally, after ten days of travel had passed, she reached the outskirts of her family grounds. The entire area felt unnaturally quiet and devoid of people. Perhaps she was misremembering what it was like in her youth, though. The dirt road was dusty and appeared untrodden for quite some time, giving way to a rising apprehension as she drew closer and closer.
Reaching the gates surrounding the mansion itself, she saw they had fallen from their hinges and rested, canted, to the sides. Behind them, the proud building, once a beautiful local landmark, was now barely a husk of its former glory. Riding closer, she saw a few men and women working together in one of the gardens. Searching her memory, she recalled that particular garden as having been used for vegetables to supplement what might have been bought from other nearby farms or a local market.
She pushed her hood back from her head and signaled to one of the men there. He nodded and walked over to her. “Yes, Mistress? Can I ‘elp you?”
“I’ve … been away for a long time. What happened here?” She gestured towards the fallen-down building and the surrounding grounds.
The man looked down at the ground ruefully for a moment and then back up at her. “Was the fire, m’lady. About four … no, five … years ago. Somehow, one of the ‘orses wasn’t stabled prop’rly for the night. It got out and got ta’ rootin’ around. Knocked over some lanterns. A’fore anyone noticed, the flames ‘ad consumed the entire place. All the servants and the Baron and Baroness and the other daughter was in the ‘ouse at the time. No one got out.”
Helene quickly covered her mouth with her hands, gasping out a quiet, “Mother … father … sister?”
The man continued, “After that, the barony was claimed by the Viscount. No one argued and we was tol’ the Earl didna’ care.” He squinted and looked at her closely. “Do I know you, Miss …?”
Feeling unwilling to answer truthfully, Helene answered softly, “A friend of the family who was away for far too long.” She sobbed quietly. “I hadn’t heard anything about this. Thank you for your time.” She reached into her pouch and pulled out a gold, tossing it at the man.
He snatched it out of the air and as soon as he saw what it was, his jaw dropped. “Miss? I can’t possibly…”
Turning her horse back towards the way she came, she looked over her shoulder. “Please? Use it to care for your friends and family … lest you lose them before you realize it …”
After seeing the destroyed mansion with the news of family’s death, Helene felt utterly empty inside. She now realized any dream of coming back had been completely shattered. She could no longer hold onto the hope of returning home and rejoining her family. It could only ever have been a short and temporary reunion, but it would have been better than nothing, and certainly better than this aching loss.
Once the horse had crossed through the broken gates again, she allowed herself to sob, then sag forwards against the horse’s mane, and began to cry. She continued this way for about a league — her mount moving slowly and methodically along the road — before she was able to recover herself. Doing so, she used a small clean cloth to wipe away her tears, and understood she needed to decide what to do next — where to go.
It was impossible to contemplate staying anywhere nearby. Doing so would cause far too many memories to be ever-present in her mind, and she couldn’t bear to continually confront the tragedy of what had occurred here. At the same time, though, while The Hub and Magorethia were well-known, and had been “home” for the past seven years, she felt she had … grown past … those. She was now a “graduated” Mage and it was time for her to grasp her future in her own hands and take control of the rest of her life.
With that decision made, she understood. Realistically, there was only one possible destination she could have — Kethyras, City of the Ascendant Moons.
