Edna bobbed and weaved, taking several turns through the slums. Where was she going? She had no idea, but she wanted to get as far away from that place as possible. Her entire body was filled with an energy she didn’t understand.

Completely focused on running, she accidentally slammed into the legs of an older man, who stumbled. Edna, however, had it far worse, as the recoil sent her reeling backwards, and she summarily fell down on her butt. “Ow….” Wincing, she looked up. The elderly man was looking down at her with a puzzled look. “Why hello there, little girl,” he rumbled with a pleasant voice. “What has got you in a hurry?”

She didn’t want to say, so she hastily averted her gaze. “Well, why not take a moment to calm down? Running like that is dangerous; at least pay attention to your surroundings!”

And now she was being lectured. Her entire body seemed to hum with energy, and it felt completely alien to her. Wrapped in the vision of watching Albert burn, she wanted to desperately cry.

“…don’t cry now, here…” The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped chocolate, offering it to her. “Perhaps this may make you feel better? I know how kids love candy…” She stared at it in mute shock. Chocolates weren’t quite expensive, but they were still pricey. For this man to willingly offer it to her without complaint... she hesitantly took it and unwrapped it, then put it into her mouth.

The sweet taste in her mouth was heavenly! It was one of the best things she ate. And, the sweet taste helped soothe her raging mind, allowing her to focus on something other than her situation. “Ah, that cheered you up, didn’t it?” The old man laughed heartily. “Now then…my, you’re rather filthy. Might you be an urchin?”

She didn’t quite know what that meant, but she figured it had something to do with her homelessness. “Hm…you seem quite different. It’s dangerous for a young girl, will you let me escort you to my place until I can find your parents?”

Nope. There was no way she was going to fall for that. Her mom had told her about this kind of people. She shook her head furiously. The old man laughed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “I know, I know, stranger danger, right? But, I’ll have you know I’m quite a respected man. I have a position that would surely be compromised if I were to do anything quite so dreadful. I just want to talk, is all; at least give me the benefit of the doubt?”

She looked around, trying to find a way out…only to realize she had no idea where she was. The buildings were no longer ratty and decrepit looking, but rather respectable and clean. Seeing this, the old man smiled, as if driving home the fact he had won. “You have no idea where you are, do you?” he asked her. She involuntarily winced.

“These parts are a bit dangerous. Come with me for a bit, and I promise I’ll take you home.” The old man quietly urged her. Edna stared at him, trying to think of the benefits and cons. With her mind addled over the recent incident, it was hard to think. Plus, this old man was offering her the choice of a calm discussion and comfort. She had never had a father, or much of a father figure outside of Bob, so this was…quite a pleasant turn of events. “…ok,” she said softly, deciding to throw caution to the wind.

Besides, if worse came to worse, she could always…do that again. As she thought that, she felt swamped with exhaustion, and immediately collapsed. “Ah, are you alright? You must be terribly exhausted…” the old man picked her up with deceptive ease, princess carrying her. “Since you seem unable to walk, I’ll go ahead and carry you. Feel free to rest.”

As always, being embraced felt nice. For Edna, who had a keener sense of touch, the immediate contact put her at ease, and made her feel safe. She tried to stop breathing so heavily, trying to calm herself. “You…are unusually warm,” the old man said softly as he began to walk once more. It was true- holding her was like holding a small ball of heat, or something like that. Her hair and eyes were surely something to behold as well- those colors weren’t natural, no matter what angle you looked at them from.

And, his sharp eyes did not fail to notice how feverish and distressed she looked- they were the symptoms of an ailment he was all too familiar with. That was the main reason he had wanted to take her with him- in her current state, she was more of a danger to herself than anything else.

Edna found herself falling asleep, and then woke up, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. “Ahh!” letting out a startled gasp, she sat straight up, looking around in a panic. “Calm down, there’s nothing to fear,” a reassuring voice told her. Edna calmed down, and realized she was currently sitting on quite a pleasant, comfy couch that was exceedingly fluffy. At her waist was an equally luxurious blanket. Across from her was an old man sitting in an armchair, book in hand.

And, she was able to think clearly and calmly; the unsettling warmth within her had faded away.

“Well, I trust your nap was enjoyable?”

“....” she said nothing, quietly staring at him.

“Well, it’s alright then. Now, do you want to talk about what had you in such a panic earlier?” he asked her. She hesitated.

“You can tell me anything, you know? Are you aware of contract magic?” Edna frowned. It sounded familiar, but she had no idea, so she slowly shook her head. “Well, in short, a contract is made, and with contract magic, you can magically enforce it so either one or both parties, if in mutual agreement, must follow through with the agreement, or face crippling punishment,” he explained.

“For example, I’ll do one now. I swear to not reveal to anyone the details discussed in this room.” With those words, a pale white light surrounded the old man, which then faded away. “Does that make you feel better?”

That was magic! Actual magic! Which meant this man must be a wizard. Wizards were trusted members of society who practiced magic. Since magic was a cornerstone of all technology within the Empire, being a wizard was both an honor and duty to those who could. To betray that public faith meant making oneself a public enemy. Edna knew this much since her mother had spoken of such wizards. And, he might be able to explain to her what those flames were.

So she opened her mouth, and told him everything that had happened. After she had finished, the old man closed his eyes. “I…see. So, in short, in a fit of rage, you inadvertently cast a spell, and severely injured the son of a noble?” he smiled. “Well, I’m sorry to hear about your mishap. Sometime things can happen. Albert, as you mentioned, is a known troublemaker. I assure you I’ll take care of him, so you need not worry about his threat.”

“Eh? You can…do that?” Edna asked, stunned. The old man nodded. “Of course. My influence far exceeds his. After all, I am the Grand Master of the Gran Sars!” she tilted her head, her eyes widened. She had no knowledge of magic, and was not even educated properly, but even she knew of the Gran Sars.

In this world of magic and fantasy, there were four known organizations of magic, each governing a core part of the world. The Magestry, presided by the Elder God of Order, Bergen, which focused on maintaining law and ensuring magic was regulated and nothing unethical was going on.

There was the Chantry, a group that focused on healing and humane relief, there was the Magi, a reclusive group of Mages who focused on obtaining all knowledge of the world and preserving it within their fortress, and finally, the fourth and undoubtedly most powerful of the organizations, the Gran Sars, an order dedicated to furthering the development of magic and its offensive capabilities, though Edna only really knew only a bit about the Gran Sars only, since it was the only magic organization that was headquartered in the Apollyn Empire that played an active role in its politics and external affairs.

And this man just so happened to be the head of such an organization! Edna was awed to be in the presence of such a man. Can he....can he really help me?