Eldritch Guidance

Chapter 9: Where Things Begin

In a far away land in the distant past, a young twelve year old Scarlett was running through an empty field with great excitement. In her hand held close to her chest was a red glass sphere.

She had finally done it, after countless attempts. She had managed to infuse pure flame energy into glass. She had tried hundreds of times, but this was the first time she had managed to do it without the glass melting.

She was rushing off to where her teacher was staying. She didn’t know how long the infused glass would last, so she needed him to look at it right away.

Young Scarlett eventually came to the edge of a wooded area with a path. The road ahead was shaded by giant trees and it looked as though this route was rarely used. Even so, the day was bright and the greenery looked welcoming, so the young girl continued on her journey.

Taking that path, she made her way through the overgrowth to a simple hidden lodge. She immediately entered inside to find a handsome red haired older man with red slitted reptilian eyes. He was slim in his appearance, but carried himself with a certain air of old wisdom. He was reading a book inside the quant and simply furnished interior of his lodge.

The man was named Cinder, a fire dragon in Human form and Scarlett's teacher. The man noticed Scarlett entered and looked up from his book in surprise.

Cinder: "Oh Scarlett. What’s got you so excited?"

Scarlett: “Teacher, teacher. I finally did it. I infused flame into glass, like you told me to.”

Scarlett presented the glass sphere to her teacher. He carefully took the sphere from her hand and held it up to the light. He rotated it a few times while closely examining it.

Cinder: “Pretty basic, but I would not expect less from a first success.”

He placed the sphere on the table and smiled at Scarlett.

Cinder: “Congratulations, you passed. This is indeed a successful infusion of glass and flame.” He said as he patted her head.

Scarlett was ecstatic. She was becoming a ball of pent up excitement and happiness from the praise she was getting from her teacher.

Scarlett: “I did my best. It was a lot of work.”

Cinder: “I can tell. So, can you tell me the process that you did to get this result?”

Scarlett: “OK. Well, previously the glass always melted or shattered when I tried infusing it. I started slowing down the rate of aether that I was putting into it, that kept it from shattering, but not melting.“

Cinder nodded his head, approving of her method.

Scarlett: “I continued to try, but it always just melted. I then focused real hard on this infusion, and it was almost like I could see the fire itself entering the glass. Focusing on that, I realized that the flame was not being evenly dispersed. I then focused the flame aether where it was thinnest on the glass, until I got an even distribution. And then, well I made that,” she said, pointing at the sphere.

Cinder: “Amazing. To think that you would come so far in five years.”

Scarlett grinned further at the praise of her teacher.

Cinder: “Now let me explain something to you. As you know, aether can be felt, but not seen. However, when you were infusing the glass, that flame you saw was in fact pure aether mixed with the fire element. Normally it’s impossible to see without the use of a device designed to detect it, but people like us have a special ability.”

Scarlett: “Is it our ability to use pyromancy that allows us to see aether?”

Cinder shook his head.

Cinder: “No, it's this.” He said while pointing to his eye.

Scarlett: “Your eyes? But teacher, I don't have dragon eyes like you.”

Cinder chuckled a little at his students' response.

Cinder: “True, but that's not what's important. It’s the color, we both have red eyes. That is what allows us to see aether.”

Scarlett was born with an incredibly strong affinity towards fire, and people born with such strong affinity could sometimes manifest odd physical traits. In Scarlett's case, she was born with red hair and eyes, despite neither of those characteristics being part of her biological family.

Scarlett: “Why do red eyes allow us to see aether?”

Cinder: “It’s not the eyes themselves, it's an ability called the eyes of truth. Something that only seems to manifest in beings with red eyes. As to why that’s the case, I'm unsure.”

Scarlett: “So this eye of truth ability is what allows me to see aether.”

Cinder: “My dear disciple, the eyes of truth can do so much more than just let you see aether. They reveal the truth of the world. It's said that they can allow you to see the past and future. I can tell you from my own experience that my eyes of truth allow me to see a glimpse of a person's fate.”

Scarlett: “Wha… You can see the future? Does that mean you can see my future too?”

He nodded his head.

Cinder: “Yes, but only a glimpse. The only thing that I see of your future is that your decision will lead you to a cross road with you and eight other people, and each will go their own way.”

Scarlett: “That's so vague. What’s it supposed to mean?”

Cinder: “Like I said, I only see a glimpse. It could mean nothing or everything. Anyways, in time you will be able to master this ability. Maybe one day you will discover more secrets of this power for yourself.”

Scarlett: “I’ll be sure to practice real hard to master this ability.”

Cinder: “But be warned. Beyond practicing seeing aether, use this ability sparingly. People who have used the eyes of truth too much go blind, or mad. Do you understand?”

Scarlett: “Right, I'll only practice by looking at aether, so I don't go blind.”

Cinder: “Good. I'm glad you're taking my final lesson to heart.”

Scarlett was so happy by the praise she was getting from her teacher, it took her a little while to process her master's comment. Her happiness was beginning to be displaced by her apprehension.

Scarlett: “What do you mean by this being your ‘final lesson’.”

Cinder: “I have nothing left to teach you. Any further improvement on your magic you will have to do yourself.”

Scarlett: “But, there are still so many things that I still don’t know about pyromancy. I still need you.”

Cinder shook his head.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Cinder: “No you don’t child. The world is to be your teacher now. Don’t worry you’ll be fine.”

Scarlett began to panic.

Scarlett: “I-I can still visit you and get some advice if I ever get lost, right?”

Cinder: “I'm afraid that won’t be possible. I think I'm going to enter my eternal slumber soon.”

Scarlett: “Are you sick? I thought you said dragons are eternal.”

Cinder: “Our bodies are eternal, but not necessarily our spirits. I grow weary of this world and I think it’s time I left it to you youngsters.”

Scarlett: “You're just gonna roll over and die like that!” She shouted out.

Tears were starting to form in her eyes. She was sad that she would never be able to see her teacher again.

With a pained smile, he closed in on Scarlett and gave her a hug.

Cinder: “Now, now. Don’t cry little one. It’s just the way the world works.” He said as he patted her head.

Scarlett tried to hold back her tears, but couldn't.

Cinder: “How about this. I'll stay with you for one more year before I leave. How’s that sound?”

Scarlett managed to regain her composure a little and nodded.

Cinder: “That's good. No need to be sad, we have to celebrate your first successful infusion. I think I can scrounge together a cake.”

Eventually a year would go by, and when Scarlett went to visit Cinder, he was gone.

??????????????????

Beneath the Cait teahouse. Back in the current day.

Cid: “So let me get this straight. Your teacher was a dragon. Like, giant lizard with wings that breathes fire, kinda dragon.” He said with an exacerbated surprise.

Scarlett: “Only sky dragons have wings. He was a fire dragon, so no wings, but yes your description is apt.”

Cid: “Why am I only hearing about this now?”

Scarlett: “My teacher made me promise not to tell anyone who taught me. So, in the past when people would ask, I would say I was self taught.”

Cid: “That’s not the issue I'm having. I-I can’t believe that there are still dragons on the continent. I thought they went extinct.” He said in disbelief.

Cid recalled the history lesson he had received in school. It was taught that in ancient times dragons and giants fought each other across the western continent. Eventually the giants won and slaughtered all the dragons, leaving only their bones and the stories told by the giants.

Scarlett: “Oh that. Well, they are extinct here. The stories you heard about the dragons fighting the giants and being exterminated are all true.”

Cid: “I-I'm confused. Are you messing with me again?”

Scarlett: “The dragons on this continent are extinct, but that doesn't mean they don’t still live in other places outside the western continent.”

Cid's eyes widened from realization of what Scarlett was telling him. If what she said was true, then that would mean this dragon she knew could only be from the eastern continent.

Little was known to him about the eastern continent, but he did recall hearing stories of giant flaming birds and turtles the size of islands that are said to reside there. If that was true, why not dragons too.

Cid: “Then, the eastern continent…” he said while pausing to consider the implication of this new information.

Scarlett: “Yes, I hear that there are indeed dragons still in the eastern continent, but they are said to be very reclusive. So much so, I hear people living there doubt even the existence of dragons.”

Cid: “Amazing.” That was all Cid could say at the revelation he had received.

Scarlett: “However, not to disappoint you, but my teacher was not from the eastern continent. He was from the island continent of Dravall.”

Cid: “Hm, where’s that?”

Scarlett: “It’s between the eastern and western continent. You will likely never hear about it. You need to cross the deep ocean to reach it, so it’ll likely go unknown for years to come, unless they develop a method for long distance flights.”

The deep seas were said to be dangerous. It was a place where giant sea monsters of impossible size resided. Any boat that tried to cross the deep ocean would risk being attacked and dragged down by those monsters. It made travel between the continents difficult, resulting in very little information between them being shared.

Cid: “How do you know this? Did your teacher tell you about this place?”

Scarlett: “He did. Told me not to tell anyone, but he’s not here anymore, so I don't care.”

Cid: “Did he say why you're not supposed to tell people?”

Scarlett: “It had something to do with Dravall law. Dragons from there are not supposed to directly interfere with the affairs of other races.”

Cid: “So I guess he was breaking their laws by interacting with you. That’s why you were not supposed to tell others.”

Scarlett: “It was more complicated than that. From what I understand, if a dragon limits their power and changes their form to match the race they’re interacting with, it’s OK.”

Cid: “Why is that ok?”

Scarlett: “I guess it was acceptable for them to pretend to be another race and interact with us. As to why that was fine, I don’t know."

Cid: “Also, one more detail I need to get straight. You said dragons can change their form. Are you saying dragons are shapeshifters?”

Scarlett just shrugged.

Scarlett: “I don’t know if all dragons are, but my teacher was. When I first met him, he appeared to me as a human with red lizard-like eyes. A trait that most would assume came from a mutation. It was only later that he revealed to me that he was a dragon, and what he really looked like.” She said as she took a sip from her teacup.

There was a pause in the conversation and Cid just sat there, processing. He had just heard a series of bombshell information. It was the kind of info that would completely redefine much of what people knew about ancient history and the world.

There were still countless more questions he wanted to ask about dragons, but remembered that he was supposed to be asking questions about Scarlett.

Cid: “So when your teacher left, was that a factor in the development of your trust issues, from a feeling of abandonment?”

Scarlett smiled.

Scarlett: “Look at you. And here you said you're not a therapist.”

Cid: “I'm not, and the question still stands,” he said, as he rolled his eyes.

Scarlett: “Honestly, you might be right. He made me promise not to tell anyone about him. I really don’t know when, but I stopped caring about keeping that promise. Could it be resentment from when he left? It could be at least a contributing factor.”

Cid: “I see. Anyways, after your teacher left you, what did you do after?”

Scarlett: “Right. After he left, some time went by before I could leave my little farming town. It was quite easy for me, since I had little attachment to that place. No parents and an aunt that didn’t really want me.”

Cid: “Wait, before you keep going. You never told me where you're from.”

Scarlett: “You wouldn't know it, especially not now. It was in the Gix Empire, now known as the Warring States.”

The Warring States was another thing that Cid did not know a lot about. He knew that it used to be an empire that controlled almost half the continent in the past. Now it's a series of warring states stuck in a perpetual civil war, with borders that were constantly changing from the fighting. The conflict had been going on for decades now, with only brief moments of cease fire before the fighting would resume.

The few people that he had met from there have all been refugees, fleeing the conflict. So he could imagine what the situation might have been like for Scarlett when she came here.

Cid: “Oh, damn. Sorry about that.”

Scarlett: “Don’t worry about it. I did say I had little attachment to that place. Anyways, I left for Graheel and got into the Celestial Eye college. After I graduated, I managed to climb the college hierarchy and eventually became a professor here. My study was of ancient & lost civilizations at the time.”

Cid: “Really? I never heard about that. You’d think that would be something that would come up in my black magic class. Especially someone who became an archmage from the Celestial Eye college.”

Of the seven Colleges, the Celestial Eye was known to be the most prestigious of them all. It was difficult to get in and graduate with full degrees from. Those who did, would become some of the most influential people in the world of mage’s. Many of the archmages of today and in the past were also once students of this college.

Scarlett: “They probably conveniently leave that detail out when they teach about me. It’s probably embarrassing for them that I came out of that institution, only to become one of the most infamous black mages.”

Cid: “Yeah, about that. Why did you go bad? What was the turning point?”

There was an uncomfortable long silence that followed from Cid’s question.

A nervous sweat started to form on the back of Cid's neck. He began to wonder if this was somehow linked to her trauma she was talking about.

Cid: “You know what, forget about it. If you don’t want to say, that’s OK.”

Scarlett: “No. That’s fine. I need to talk about it. Just give me a minute.”

Scarlett stared at the table in silence. Digging up those memories in her mind made her tremble. She just wanted to forget about them, pretend that event never happened, but she needed to tell this story, for herself, and her new to be disciple.

Looking up, she saw Cid sitting there waiting patiently. She then took a big gulp of her tea and exhaled deeply before speaking.

Scarlett: “It was thirteen, maybe fourteen years ago? I was still a professor at the college back then. I had made an expedition to an ancient site north in the Wildlands, it was just me and my eight other disciples that went. It was there that everything changed and went wrong.” She said with a slight tremor in her voice.