Students of Magic

Students of Magic is a part of The Heirs of Zyainor Volume Two, also part of Tales of Arkain.

## Synopsis

Tojaz of Zertaq, one of Parlea's bullies, had a change of heart and went on protecting her, up even seeing a ghastly experience himself.

## Story

I close my eyes. I would use my magic or my hands to shut my ears as well but I know it to be for naught. On the contrary, it would be an encouragement to make the screams go even louder and louder. It is not their punishment alone, it is mine as well. I have created a monster and this is the price I have to pay. I was a naive child, unaware of the consequences of my actions. Some friend suggested that we'd put that little girl in her place. I took charge of this idea and... went through with it. Would I do it again? No. I was young and naive and stupid, I had no idea what I had done. Now I do. And I regret it. Our target, half-human half-elf, was a very nice and sweet but shy girl the same age as us back then. Talented too. Maybe were just jealous? After all, she received her training from no one less than High Lord Birram himself! Two years had passed until the high lord called me into his office. I was too foolish to imagine why, but that changed soon. He wasted no time, telling me that he would destroy me, my family and everything else I hold dear if I continued. The only option he offered was that I would from now on not only leave her alone, I would guard and protect her. I agreed. I do not think that Parlea knew of this meeting between me and the high lord, she was shy at first but when I had apologized and promised I would cause her no more trouble and prevent anyone from doing anything to harm her, she welcomed me with an unsure yet warm smile. It was this moment when I had realized how monstrous my actions had been. How could I have been hostile towards such a nice girl with such a wonderful smile? How could I have caused her mental pain with foul words and actions? I am not sure if I had fallen in love with her for that short moment, but my will to go through with this grew much stronger.

Ever since then I had seldomly left her side, made sure that no one would mess with her even if it alienated me from my friends. I had no other choice and my friends would never have understood - besides, my talk with Birram was to stay between the two of us. I was not allowed to tell anyone, not my family, not my friends and most importantly not Parlea. The irony is that by now, I have lost everything except for Parlea. My friends stopped being my friends. I had to use... I was forced to use violence against them to make them leave Parlea alone. And my family? Gone. Birram had kept his word, it was not his fault. The true horror is that it was their own doing that doomed them! My family had made deals with the Demons, it had been proven that they were indeed traitors. The very day that proof had been given, the Blackguards of the Black Keep destroyed my home and killed everyone inside. For a moment of grief and suffering I hated them for it, but I came to realize that it was my family's fault, not theirs. If they had not done what they did, someone else would have. Or even worse, the Demons could have taken advantage of it! With my family and friends gone, all I had left were Parlea and my place as a student in the academy. Guess what, I lost the latter. I failed too many important tests, my arcane power was there but not good enough to become a full mage, a REAL mage. Instead, Lord Taray, a good friend of High Lord Birram and Guardian of the Lightning, offered to have me trained into a Thunder Knight of his order instead, combining my limited arcane knowledge and power with martial arms. I would take my lessons while Parlea took hers. I accepted, knowing that the only alternative would have been to join the army or one of the other orders in Zyainor.

The lands of my family had been stripped from us due to the betrayal, so I didn't even have a home I could have returned to so I stayed. I became a Thunder Knight as Parlea's training intensified. Having lost everything gave me just another reason to stay close to her. Did we ever become anything more than a young woman and her guardian? No, and neither of us would want that. I open my eyes, gazing upon the damage. It had started a few years ago and over time, it had only become worse. She seems not to understand why it is like this herself, she even used to cry afterwards and still does it from time to time, but it seems that causing pain is what gives this otherwise completely friendly, peaceful and harmless young woman a sheer endless amount of pleasure beyond my - and probably her - comprehension. It had begun with insects, then continued with rats, later dogs, cats, birds, horses, and now? A prisoner. A human being. Her status as the personal student of our headmaster gave her access to otherwise locked areas like the dungeon and no one asked any questions, the guards were probably told to leave her be. They even left the prison cells, waiting outside for her to be done with whatever she wanted to do! I wonder if High Lord Birram knows about her... urge? Yes I think you can call it that. On any normal day there was no way you would even suspect this sweet young woman to have a hobby she herself does not completely understand. This was the first time she tortured a human and she seemed to love it. My ears are still ringing. I can still hear the screams. The body smells as if it had been burned, bathed in acid and... I will not even bother to describe what exactly it looks like, it has been cut, squashed and completely and utterly destroyed. It doesn't look like something that used to be a humanoid being, it looks like a sack of meat! Parlea stands there, looking at the dead body. Smiling. "I know I am not supposed to be enjoying or even doing this. But it felt good. Very good. Too good. Do you think we can do it again soon?" she asks me. I shake my head. "If this happens too often, people will start noticing. And this was the only prisoner here in years, a spy I think. We do not have any prisoners most of the time." I explain. She turns around, looking into my eyes. She is no longer smiling, instead her gaze is begging, other men would melt when she'd look at them like that. She is beautiful, I will admit that, but I am not falling in love with her even if I am destinied to stand by her side forever. "Do you think... my mother would hate me for this? Or my father? Or my sister? I-- I don't know why I keep doing this, I- I can't stop!" she says, sad and desperate at the same time. I say nothing, knowing the answer as to why she is doing this. I understood this shortly after it had started. After a while, we leave. The guards resume their positions in silence. I am sure they are going to remove the corpse with no questions asked. I expect them to inform Birram about it, but more than that is unlikely to happen. I can feel my stomach filling with pain. It is my fault. All my fault. My friends and I had bullied Parlea as children. She had felt enormous mental and physical pain for a long period ot time, now she had grown an addiction to it, but she wished to CAUSE rather than suffer it. I do not know who her parents are, but there is one thing I know for sure: I, Tojaz of Zertaq, will protect their child, even if she walks further down the path to torture and pain. It is my destiny and my responsibility. I will do what I can to make sure that she stays safe - and that she will, despite this particular flaw, become a grand mage of Zyainor, serving the realm. That is my way serving our great nation, my Ca'laer and Ca'lea.