Chapter 163: I Don’t Know!

Maeve knocked on her doctor’s office door, she glanced at the empty hallway and pulled her auburn hood a tad lower. It had been months since she had last visited the merchant academy. At first, Maeve had wanted to go back to school, until the seven city lords had decided to make the loss of her family a political scheme and a bloody festival.

Now Maeve was glad she hadn’t come back here, till today. She could have gone to another doctor, even one who was also a white mage, but Maeve dreaded meeting a new doctor and having them pry into her life.

Maeve already knew the academy’s resident doctor, Lucy, and much preferred talking with her, even if it meant coming back to the merchant academy.

“What’s taking her so long?” Maeve sighed.

She went to knock again when the door creaked open.

Dr. Lucy’s face peered out from the crack in the door, her eyes widened at the sight of the young vampiress.

“Hi, doc, it’s been a while,” she smiled awkwardly.

“You… Have you been followed?” Lucy whispered and glanced at the hallway.

“No?”

“Are you certain?”

“I think so? I mean, I don’t think anyone noticed me visiting the academy, I took one of the back gates,” she shrugged.

Lucy grabbed Maeve’s arm, yanked her inside the room, and slammed the door closed.

Maeve stumbled but managed to catch her footing, “What was that for?”

“We can’t be too careful,” Lucy fiddled with the seven locks on her door.

“When did you get so many locks?” Maeve raised an eyebrow. Her jaw dropped when she noticed the state of the office.

Books were strewn about Lucy’s desk and the floor. Several empty bottles of wine laid in the corner. The windows were covered in thick curtains, obscuring the sun, leaving only a couple of dwindling candles to illuminate the room. Even Lucy looked worse for wear, her usual tidy hair was frayed and she had dark bags under her eyes.

“What’s going on?” Maeve said slowly.

“Hah, that’s good, I’m glad you still have a sense of humor, at least one of us does,” Lucy ran over to the window and peered through the edge.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking to see if anyone followed you,” Lucy whispered.

“I came alone. Look, I know my family is the gossip of the city right now, but I don’t think it merits this level of caution.”

Lucy spun around, “What? Do you think this is about your family? This has nothing to do with the dead.”

“Then what’s going on?”

Lucy stuck her finger out, “You.”

“What? Me? I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I promise I’m not here to bring you any trouble,” Maeve frowned.

“Trouble?” Lucy laughed. She ran a trembling hand through her hair, “I don’t know what any of this is anymore. I just need answers, I need to know.”

“Know what?”

Lucy opened her desk’s drawer and brought out a clear crystal orb. Silver spirals curled around the orb from the bottom up.

“That’s…” Maeve took a step back.

“A chromatic mana orb analyzer or what most people simply call, a chrome-probe. This particular one is of very high quality, crafted from an extremely pure cut of magestone,” Lucy placed the orb gently on the desk.

“I haven’t seen one of these since…” Maeve’s voice caught in her throat.

“Since you failed your mageborn exam three years ago, I remember, you told me all about it in one of our sessions,” Lucy nodded.

Maeve bit her lip, they weren’t very good memories.

“How did you even get one of these? I thought they were really expensive.”

“I may not be a very powerful mage, but I am still a white mage. Everyone pays healers well enough, especially the merchant academy.”

“Sooo, you bought one of these, why exactly?” Maeve stared at the orb doubtfully.

“I need you to place your hand on the orb.”

“What? Why? You know I failed the mageborn exam, do you want me to humiliate myself again?” Maeve snapped at her.

Lucy stared at her with a steely gaze, “Not every mageborn’s mana manifests at eighteen. Sometimes their hearts take a while to fully mature and develop, and begin to absorb mana from the surrounding ambience. We call them late bloomers.”

Maeve stared at the crystal orb, she remembered that day three years ago. How the crystal had stayed clear without the slightest hint of color. Of the shame and humiliation she had felt from being born inadequate, of not being able to live up to her siblings’ or father’s expectations, or worse, her mother’s.

She couldn’t bear that disappointment, not again.

Maeve’s shoulders trembled, she turned away, “I don’t need any of this.”

“Wait, just wait. All you need to do is place your hand on the orb, it’s that simple,” Lucy strained a smile.

“Look, I just came to get a refill on my sleeping potions, okay? I’ve had a few servants buy me some potions, but none are as good as the ones you prescribed… I’m not having nightmares anymore after my family… left. But now I can’t even fall asleep half the time. And trust me, I need my sleep now more than ever, House Mora’s businesses need my attention.”

Lucy began pacing around the room, “Can’t fall asleep? No sleep... no sleep…”

“Um, if you’re too busy right now I can always come back later,” Maeve pointed her thumb at the door.

“No!” Lucy grabbed her shoulders, “I haven’t been able to think about anything else these past few weeks. I need to know the truth. I’m begging you, place your hand on the orb, please. If you do, I’ll have my red mage business contact brew as many potions as you want.”

“As many as I want?”

“Definitely,” Lucy stepped back.

“Deal.”

Maeve took a deep breath, she slowly traced her fingertips over the crystal sphere and gently lowered her palm. The orb was cool to the touch.

Lucy held her breath.

Maeve’s shoulders slumped, “Nothing’s changed.”

“Wait for it,” she whispered.

“Agh!”

Maeve’s chest began to burn, the heat scorched from her heart and through her arm. Her muscles tensed and locked into place, she couldn’t move. Her body began to spasm uncontrollably. Inky tendrils sunk into the clear orb and dyed it pitch black.

“Maeve!” Lucy wrapped her arms around the small vampiress’ waist and pulled her away. She gently lowered the young woman to the floor, “Maeve, are you okay? Talk to me!”

Maeve coughed painfully, “Oh, gods, my insides burn, what the hell was that?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect your body to react like that.” Lucy swallowed,” I’ve never seen anyone have such a strong reaction…”

Maeve’s eyes caught sight of mage-probe, “The orb, it’s black. It changed color. That means, I’m… a mage!?”

“This isn’t a good thing, child,” Lucy stood up and dusted off her robes.

“Huh? What do you mean this isn't a good thing? This is amazing, I’m a chromatic black mageborn!”

“Chrome-probes are crafted and enchanted to only test a single color each.”

“Okay? And?”

“This orb was not enchanted to test black mana.”

“What? But the orb is black.”

Lucy rubbed her temples, “No, it is not. Take a closer look.”

Maeve pushed herself to her feet with a painful grimace. She walked over to the desk and cautiously leaned towards the black orb. She grabbed a nearby candle and shined it above the chrome-probe.

Maeve narrowed her eyes. There was something there, something faint, “It’s… red?”

Lucy slumped down in her chair, “The orbs absorb chromatic mana from the mageborn touching it. The more innate magical talent the mage has the darker the orb’s color becomes. Yours is so dark it looks black.”

Maeve took a deep breath, “What does that mean?”

Lucy took off her glasses and placed them on the table with ginger care, “It means you are probably the most talented red mage to have ever been born in Hollow Shade.”

Maeve felt her legs grow weak. She sat down, “Uh, t-that’s… good, right?”

“Remarkable, really. Except, it confirms my suspicions,” Lucy sighed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you remember that morning you came to me with those claw marks on your shoulders?”

“Of course, how could I forget? I was terrified.”

“Not enough, child. I believed your story that day. I took it upon myself to figure out what was going on with you. Your wounds did not seem to have come from any blade, so it was doubtful an assassin was involved. It was more probable to be some sort of beast. As for how it got into your room? Or why a beast simply didn’t kill you? Well, that was a conundrum.”

Lucy patted one of the books on her desk, “So, I took a different approach. I visited my alma mater, Hollow Shade’s magic academy. I went to the school’s library and began searching their archives for whatever I could find regarding magical dreams.”

“...What did you find?”

“Nothing, nothing about dreams anyway. What I did find was mentions of an old spell-form, a magic so rare that most magi have forgotten what it even does, the synchrony spell-form, true chromatic magic. Guess which color synchrony magic belongs to.”

Maeve glanced at the orb, “Red.”

“Correct. True mageborns are very rare. They may only be able to wield a single chromatic color like ordinary mono-color magi, but their ability to purify and expel the elemental mana within their bodies allows them to wield pure chromatic mana. It allows them to cast true chromatic spells. True reds are the rarest of all the true magi, even in the Scarlet Realm there were said to only be few.”

“So, my power is very rare?” Maeve nodded stiffly. “Which means… it’s very valuable.”

Lucy chuckled, “Valuable? Still thinking like a merchant I see. Supply and demand. No, you’re thinking too small.”

“I’m not following,” Maeve wrinkled her nose.

Lucy raised one hand and lowered the other, “Being a true mage doesn’t mean you are talented. More gifted in one’s own chromatic color than the average mage, sure, but it doesn’t mean you're actually talented. Someone can be born a prime mage and still be unable to cast the simplest of spells. Hollow Shade literally has half a dozen prime magi and none of them have been able to ascend beyond the rank of adept.”

Lucy gestured at the dark red orb and then at Maeve, “You’re not valuable, child. You are invaluable.”

Maeve smiled to herself, “I don’t think anyone’s ever told me that. Actually, my father told me the opposite, many, many times.”

“You still misunderstand. This is not a good thing.”

“What?” Her smile fell.

“Synchrony magic expands the consciousness of the caster, allowing them to project themselves into different places and gather information. Think of it as an invisible projection, an ethereal ghost able to travel across long distances. The more powerful the mage, the wider the cast range and the more details they can gather.”

“Okay, so we’re like super stalkers then? Great,” Maeve rolled her eyes.

“More like terrifying scouts and spies. Imagine being able to hear and see the conversations of your sworn enemies. How could one use that information against them?”

“So, true red magi are dangerous,” Maeve clasped her hands together.

“You still don’t get the full picture. Some magi’s abilities surpass their peers, their talents so great that it allows them to do things others thought impossible.”

Lucy pulled out a few pages of notes from her drawer, “I came across an old book in one of the academy’s rare archives, entailing a story of a powerful true red arch-mage from the Scarlet Realm. It was said that his synchrony magic was so powerful, so vast, that his mind could innately garner all the details around him and predict an outcome based on those details. A well-predicted guess, you could say.”

“What are you implying?” Maeve glanced at the notes.

Lucy pointed at one of the pages, “The arch-mage’s predictions almost always came true perfectly. Sure, the predictions were limited to only a few days, perhaps a week or two, at best. And sure, sometimes there were some minor flaws with the prediction, instead of a lady wearing a blue blouse, she wore a red dress. But in the end, no one could deny that this arch-mage could accurately predict the future. Just like you.”

Maeve's throat felt tight, “It’s real. I was right, I wasn’t crazy.”

“Yes, you were,” Lucy nodded solemnly.

“Wait, but I’m not an arch-mage, I’m not even a mage. I’ve never cast a spell in my life.”

“...Very talented, untrained mageborn often cast spells by accident. They can’t help it. Their emotions get the better of them and the mana within their bodies react, then boom.”

“I don’t remember ever casting a spell,” Maeve shook her head.

“Tell me, Maeve, when are your emotions the strongest? When do you feel as if you are about to die?”

Her eyes widened, “My nightmares.”

“You’ve been having nightmares for years, but your mageborn abilities have only recently awakened. Your mind went through a traumatic event every single night and sometimes your mana reacted to it. You exhibited all the signs of an accidental spell cast, a pounding heart, your body burning from the mana flowing through you, sweat covering you from the exertion. Everything was there, I just didn’t see it for what it was, an infant mageborn.”

Maeve skimmed through the notes, trying to comprehend what was happening, “I don’t understand. You’re saying I was casting spells?”

“My best guess is your synchrony magic was mixing in with the psyche of your sleeping mind. Your nightmares were mingling with your predictions, blurring the actual future you saw.”

“B-but, I’m not an archmage like the man in the story. And I’ve never cast any other kind of magic either even when I have literally been in life and death situations.”

“Chromatic red’s ordinary spell-forms are alchemy and wards. Neither of which you’d be able to cast without the proper equipment or arcane linguistic knowledge. As for being an arch-mage, I can only guess that synchrony’s ability to predict the future has nothing to do with your magical skill, rather your overwhelming magical talent. If you train your skills, I imagine you’d be able to harness your abilities and predict the future far more clearly.”

“So, if I go to the magic academy I can learn how to control my abilities?” Maeve asked eagerly.

“NO!” Lucy screamed.

Maeve jumped back in fear.

The doctor pulled her hands back, “You don’t understand, you really don’t understand the implications of all of this. You probably think you’ll use your abilities to predict the next big trade offer, perhaps snag a few thousand gold coins with a good deal.”

“The thought crossed my mind,” Maeve admitted.

Lucy peered out the window, “The powerful lords and ladies of this Realm will see something else entirely. Imagine the power you could offer them, the ability to predict their enemy’s every single move. Don’t you see? Your existence itself changes everything. You have just become the Realm’s most invaluable strategic weapon. Not only Hollow Shade, but Frost Rim, Undergrowth, and Murkton, every single Great City, every single being with an ounce of power will be after you.”

Maeve’s face paled.

Lucy grabbed her hand gently, “If people were to find out about you, they will never stop chasing after you. They will capture you and they will put you in a cage, forever. You can't train at the magic academy, it will be your undoing.”

Maeve swallowed, “What am I supposed to do then? How do I learn how to use magic and avoid being found out?”

Lucy’s hand trembled, “That’s the whole problem, isn’t it? Someone’s already found you.”

“What? Who?”

“I scoured through hundreds of books regarding dreams, Maeve, hundreds. I never found anything about dream magic. Tell me, what sort of being is capable of entering your dreams and hurting you? What sort of power do they possess to have known about you? Who exactly is looking for you?”

Maeve recalled the enticing voice in the dark corner of her nightmare, the hand that stretched out from the shadows, the cold fear that reached into her soul. Some part of her knew it hadn’t just been a dream nor a vision of the future. Something had happened that night, something she could not explain.

“I-I don’t know, Lucy, I don’t know!” Maeve’s voice grew shrill.

Lucy grabbed a half-empty bottle of wine, “Me neither.”

“Lucy.”

The doctor downed a few gulps and wiped her face, “We need time to think up a solution. I promised you I wouldn’t let you go through this alone and I won’t. Have you had any weird dreams since you stopped having nightmares?”

“No, not a single one,” Maeve shook her head.

“Good, that’s a start. Perhaps whatever is chasing you in your dreams can’t reach you so long as you don’t have nightmares, or maybe it's when you cast synchrony spells, I’m not sure…”

“I need some air, I can’t breathe,” Maeve gasped for breath.

Lucy gripped her hand tight, “Calm down, Maeve, it’s going to be okay. We just have to stay quiet about all of this and keep your secret safe. So long as no one else knows about you we can still figure something out.”

Maeve licked her lips, “Um.”

Lucy’s jaw went slack, “Please, please, for the love of gods, tell me you didn’t tell anyone else about this.”

“...There is one.”