Phoenice

Phoenice, the Aspiring Psychic

“Okay,” Phoenice took in a deep breath, focusing on the mirror. “Today is going to be the day, I can feel it.”
She peered deep into her crystal ball, feeling excitement well inside her.
There had just been so many failures so far - it felt as though everything that she tried ended in disaster.
First, there was the problem of her observatory. She had wanted to be a diligent comet tracker and help her clan with its arcane studies, but there was hardly anything in space that interested her! The physical world felt so dull sometimes, when there was an entire unseen shadow that lived in its in-between, full of magic and endless possibilities.
Must arcane only belong to the skies? Couldn’t magic be another way to serve her clan?
But she still felt like a disappointment deep down. That was why this had to work. Her last prediction, along with countless others, had not come true, and she had only paltry work with enchantment. Sure, she could bring a few spoons or a rock to life, but nothing big or exciting. Nothing that she could use to persuade her clan that she was not just spiritual dead-weight.
Last night, in a fit of desperation, she had even thrown caution to the wind and called upon the spirits using her magic crystal. All of the sacred tomes warned against such an exercise, speaking of curses and future damnation, and entire clans being left in flames. But none of the books had prepared her to be laughed at!
Just who did those spirits think that they were? Calling her a “useless apprentice” and a “hatchling magician”, it was enough to make her blood boil!
“I’ll show all of you that I’m still worthy of being arcane,” Phoenice muttered, into the crystal mirror. “I’ll show everyone that I’m not incompetent!”
The Pearlcatcher focused all of her energy into the crystal, struggling to channel a part of her essence - her very soul - into the mirror. With the will of her spirit, she could surely convince even the hardiest of beings that she was worth taking seriously.
“Come on,” She hissed, feeling the power surge within her.
“Yes, it’s working! It’s working!”
Then all of the lights in her observatory went out, along with a great burst of energy.
Loud, high pitched laughter taunted her from the depths of the mirror, echoing around the room.
“Oh, shut up!” Phoenice moaned. “At least I’m trying, okay?!”
She felt even more useless with this latest failure, searching the dark for a light. “You don’t have to rub salt into my wounds.”
Now able to see once more, the poor dragon slumped onto a chair and sighed. She turned away from her crystal ball, deciding to spend the rest of the evening skulking. What else could she do?
Well, she could return to the study of her comets, but that would feel like acknowledging that she was just no good at magic. . .
That was when her wandering, desolate gaze rested upon a new hat that was sitting on the desk opposite her crystal ball. A hat that most definitely had not been there before.
“Oh my,” Phoenice gasped, instantly flying to her feet.
“I did it! I managed to bring something back from beyond! A magical hat from the next world, perhaps capable of rendering its wearer invisible or invincible or-”
Trembling with excitement, she grabbed the hat, intending to whisk it onto her head right away to discover its secrets.
When the magical hat moved out of her grasp, Phoenice truthfully almost passed out with shock.
Instead, she made a horrible gasping noise and leaped straight into the air.
“Calm down, one has to expect these things with magical sacred items,” Phoenice chuckled. “C-Come here, hat.”
The hat dodged her next attempt as well, choosing instead to levitate a few feet above her head, uncatchable unless she were to fly after it. And there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t be faster than her. . .
No, no no she was not going to give up! She had been through too much to let her first major success slip out of her grasp. This proved that she was gifted, that she did have talent, and that her clan was wrong!
“Please come here, hat,” Phoenice demanded, her voice shuddering between demanding and pleading. “I am your master! I brought you into this world. . . please come to me?”
To her delight, the hat allowed her to grasp it this time.
“Yes, yes, safe now. . .” The hat murmured, quietly. Instantly it added in a much louder tone: “Hello Phoenice!”
Struggling to contain her excitement, she giddily responded. “Hello erm. . . hat! How are you doing?”
“I am very well! I hope that you are also well,” The hat said, happy now that she was no longer chasing it. “I am at your disposal for anything that you need! Anything at all that you require, request of me and I will complete it. I am your loyal servant, master Phoenice.”
A magical servant! She wanted to jump for joy - every magician had a magical servant! It was like she was finally initiated into the true guild of psychics. And what was even better, she had brought this creature into her world with her own powers, without the help of anyone!
She almost wanted to laugh at the spirits beyond her mirror. To think that just last night she was allowing herself to be called such names. Those same spirits would be shaking her paw now, if they could!
“G-good!” Phoenice sputtered, excitedly. “Thank you, loyal servant! I will require your talents for all of my future studies! Let’s begin immediately.”
“As you wish, my lady,” The hat responded, dutifully, and transformed before her very eyes.
Its next form looked exactly like her, from the black tuft at the end of her tail to the gray horn on her head. She stared into her own eyes and suddenly felt the room spinning around her.
This time Phoenice wasn’t able to prevent herself from passing out, the concerned expression on her own face being the last thing that she saw before she succumbed to shock.