Written for: Gurepu's
Vina.
“Vina! Come on, we have to patrol the perimeters!” Thea, a Skydancer, called to her.
“Coming!” Vina, a Fae, answered, flying forward to Thea as fast as her small wings could flap.
As the duo began their patrol, with Vina sitting on Thea’s head, Vina teased, “Did you just pick me because I'm small?”
Thea shook her head, nearly dislodging Vina. “Hey! Watch it! I'm not ready to be flung off just yet!” Vina cried indignantly.
“Well, it was your choice to sit there, so your risk,” Thea replied, and Vina could imagine a smirk on her face. Sighing a little, Vina sat back and watched the surroundings.
Suddenly, Thea seemed to sense some movement and motioned to Vina. “I'll go this way around the rocks. You go the other way, across that small stream. See if we can circle around the intruders.”
Vina nodded excitedly, this being the first time she had a crisis on a patrol. She quickly zoomed off in the direction indicated by Thea, apprehension and adrenaline roaring in her veins.
She spotted the intruder first, a hooded figure that seemed to be a Nocturne. Given her small size, he did not notice her, but saw Thea the moment she stepped out of the undergrowth. The Nocturne seemed to gather some magic and fired a bolt at Thea, and to Vina’s astonishment, Thea crumpled to the ground.
Vina roared with rage, rushing forward, but the Nocturne was already flying away. As she watched, he seemed to drop something onto the ground. Flying forward, she saw that it was a scroll, small enough for her to carry but still almost the size of her entirely.
“Whatever. Don't have to return this to that Nocturne. I don't care,” Vina huffed, turning to find Thea. Seeing her friend motionless, she hurriedly called for reinforcement from her Fae friends. Dozens upon hundreds appeared from the trees high above, swooping down from their sap houses to help Vina. Together, the Fae family worked together and dragged the Skydancer to safety.
After reporting to the Clan Leader on what had happened, Vina prepared to head back to her own sap house. Like a train had hit her, she remembered the scroll the Nocturne had dropped. Flying back to the attack zone, she found the scroll still lying there. She picked it up and brought it back to her sap house, deciding to read it the next day.
-- -- --
Why hello there, little Fae. I see you've become my new owner. I know we will have an exciting time together, Vina.
Vina jerked awake, eyes scanning the darkness. The voice seemed so real, it was not from a dream. But there was no one else in her sap house. Who had spoken?
I'm right here, in your room, Vina. Can you see me?
Vina darted her eyes around, her breathing becoming more nervous. Looking onto her study table, she saw the scroll she had picked up in the day, glowing with a faint spectrum of light.
Intrigued, Vina moved closer to the scroll. It continued to glow, glowing brighter and brighter as she got closer and closer. Somehow, the lights seemed so mesmerizing, so beautiful…
She flipped open the scroll to get the shock of her life. Inside, scribed in small print to save space, were hundreds and hundreds of spells. As she read, she realised each of them had to be performed using a single form of magic - dark magic.
She slammed the scroll closed, but it was undeterred, continuing to glow. She closed her eyes and turned away. “I can't do dark magic,” she whispered to herself. “Anything but dark magic.”
Why so? Don't you know that dark magic is the most powerful out of all the forms?
Vina shook her head and went back into bed. The scroll was silent after that.
-- -- --
“Vina! The Clan Leader wishes to see you,” a guard, Celeste, called to her. Wondering why, Vina entered the Leader's Den and bowed to the leader, a grand Imperial named Orcus.
“Come, Vina. Sit here. I have news for you,” Orcus told her, his tone grave. Vina sat down with a fearful thought.
“Vina, Thea...She has very unfortunately passed away...The magic used on her wasn't normal elemental magic, it was a more powerful, darker form…”
Vina stared ahead, not knowing which she was more shocked of. Her good friend's death, or the fact that she was killed by dark magic. Orcus stood up and walked out, leaving her alone.
“Dark magic kills Thea,” she whispered to herself. “I cannot use dark magic. Never. Ever. I have to get rid of the scroll!”
Oh, dear. Getting so worried. I can assure you dark magic is not dangerous at all.
“Then how can you explain Thea’s death?” Vina snapped.
Dark magic, like every kind of magic, depends on the user. The Nocturne that attacked her - my previous owner - used his powers for the wrong reason. I trust that if you have enough strength and self control, you will fight against the temptation to use your magic selfishly.
-- -- --
“Aww, see who's still playing catching butterflies! Why, if it isn't Melody!”
From far away, Vina could already hear the jeering and mocking of the bullies. The voice belonged to Jace, the biggest egghead among the Faes in the Clan. And Melody was the smallest Fae.
Vina pushed apart the last leaves to find Jace and his group towering over Melody, malicious grins on their faces. They were evidently enjoying Melody’s fear and terror.
“Oh, butterfly, here I come!” Jace mimicked in a singsong voice. “Got you, butterfly!”
From Vina’s vantage point, she could see tears start to stream down Melody's small face. She leaped out of hiding and ran to stand between Melody and Jace, yelling, “Get away, Jace!”
Seeing her, Jace seemed to smirk. “Oh, your mommy is here to protect you, Melody! Now let's see how your mommy can deal with this!”
Without warning, he swiped a claw towards Vina’s face, but she dodged and the side of her shoulder was scratched. She clutched her bleeding shoulder, glaring up at Jace. However, Jace seemed to have enough and stalked off haughtily.
“Vina! Are you alright?” Melody asked in concern. Nodding and biting back the pain, Vina ran out and off to her own sap house to treat the wound.
-- -- --
If you had had dark magic, you would have been able to defeat Jace in one swipe. And now, look at you.
“Shut up, scroll!” She yelled, bandaging her wound as fast as possible. However, the pain was too excruciating and she bit back a scream.
A simple healing spell can make that as good as new. Are you sure you don't want to learn it?
Vina bit her lip as she tried to wrap it tighter.
It will put you out of your current misery in a few more seconds.
Having bandaged it a little too tight, Vina nearly lost all feeling in her wing.
Come on, Vina. I know you want to learn it.
Vina gritted her teeth. “Fine.”
-- -- --
Vina flew, keeping her eyes on the path ahead. The sun shine through the canopy above, giving the fallen leaves a surreal golden glow.
“Vina, how's life going?” Her patrol mate, a Guardian named Rosy, asked. “You've been pretty quiet lately. Are you sure everything is fine?”
“Yes,” Vina sighed. “You don't have to ask. I'm fine.”
Rosy seemed to consider something for a moment. “Do you want to attend the opening of the new generator with me? I heard it's going to be the invention of the century and power thrice as much as three current generators combined!”
Vina shook her head. “Um, maybe not this time, Rosy. I have...Personal things to do. I'm really sorry. Maybe Argentum will go with you.”
Good, good. You will stay to learn more from me. In due time, you will have power thrice as much as three new generators combined!
-- -- --
“Vina. We meet again.”
The icy voice came from Jace, now older and bigger than she last remembered him to be. She glared at him, preparing a battle stance. Seeing her determined expression, Jace smirked.
He rushed forward, claws aimed for her face, but she dodged all his offensive attacks. There was no one else around to comment on her fighting tactics, so she could use any style she wanted.
Just as Jace was tiring, she placed her claws together and chanted a spell under her breath. Smoking purple wisps grew between her claws and as it grew bigger, Jace’s eyes widened. He was about to shout a protest just as the bolt hit him in the chest. He fell to the ground, motionless.
Vina looked at his body emotionlessly, before flying away. However, just as she left, the clearing was swarmed by other Faes.
“Jace, wake up!” “Jace, what happened to you?” “Someone get Orcus!” “I sense dark magic!” “Jace, my son, please wake up!”
Good, you have done everyone a favour by ridding the world of this bully. It's a small step to a big goal.
The more Vina watched the grieving family, the more she became doubtful. Was killing Jace really a good thing? Was this not what the Nocturne did to Thea?
-- -- --
Vina flew onward south, her few belongings on her back and the scroll clutched in her claws. She kept glancing backward for fear someone would come after her, but no one did.
She decided to flee after seeing what dark magic had done to her. She took the scroll to make sure no one else found it. The scroll had fought back, searing her claws, but ever since they left the Tangled Wood, it had not made a single sound.
She landed near the Expanse for the night to rest. She set the scroll carefully to the side and set about preparing to eat and make camp.
Use your magic, young disciple. There is no other dragon around here.
Sighing, she complied. What the scroll said was right.
Suddenly, she heard wing beats in the darkness and turned her head upwards. She saw a dragon diving towards her, its breastplate gleaming with the insignia of her home Clan - an Owl and an Eagle. Without thinking, she fired a dark magic bolt upward, and hit the dragon with a thump. Wheeling around, the dragon plummeted down.
Good job, my young disciple.
-- -- --
How long had passed? She did not know. She did not remember. But she knew hundreds and hundreds of assassins were sent after her, and all of them were defeated by her dark magic. The scroll praised her after each success, and soon, she felt she had lost her former self and soon, she gave in to the power of the scroll.
Years and years must have passed because she saw the scroll getting older and her limbs getting stronger. She took joy in raiding nearby Clans, sometimes even massacres occurred under her claws. Every time she succeeded, she felt a sickening sense of victory. Of satisfaction. Of bloodlust.
And she loved it.
But a dragon’s body can only hold a certain limit of magic. Anywhere beyond that, it would be disaster. Vina disregarded that, using and growing her magic until she was stretching herself to her limits.
The darkness exploded from her with a roar, and she screamed, a ear-splitting cry filled with years and years of blood and tears, filled with a painful history and filled with memories that would taint her mind forever.
And she did not remember anything after that.
-- -- --
She burnt the scroll.
She tossed away her old notes.
She was determined to forget.
But she knew those memories would stay with her forever.
She decided to start over again.
-- -- --
“You'll have to focus, Urasa,” Vina spoke patiently, adjusting her daughter’s pose. “Focus is the key to learning this form of magic.”
“How many forms are there, Mom?” Urasa asked.
“There are four known forms. What you're learning is mage magic, the most common and easiest. There's astral magic, to do with the power of the stars and zodiac. And there's elemental magic, magic of each element,” Vina explained.
“Then what's the last?” Urasa asked again, curious.
“That's…” Vina paused, memories flashing across her eyes. “Don't worry about the other forms, daughter dear. Just focus on the mage magic, and you'll be fine.”
star | she/her | fr +15 
