The Sorcerer's Might

The forest howls with every step I take. I'm hundreds of paces in but I need to take ten-thousand more to get out of here. It's still noon so the sun's brightest lights should illuminate everything in sight but the forest serves as a natural barrier from them. The daylight renders the entirety of this forest eerily picturesque. Despite the dangers it possesses, there's no denying that this place is awe-worthy. The crowns of the trees standing tall and proud sway as the wind makes its way through. The sun's rays peeking through dance their way around. The rustles of the nearby vegetation are like soft, harmonious tunes to my ears. I don't blame the wildlife for choosing to settle here. I think I'll do the same if I'm in their positions. This here is what I call a sustainable way of life.

          I stumble upon a river so I take a sip of its fresh, cold water and refill my jug for the rest of my journey. For every direction I look at, I only see the abundance of green and a little bit of brown. This is a forest after all. What do I expect? Whenever I sense a wild animal is close, I almost always keep everything to myself so I won't disturb them. I see a lot of them the deeper I trek into the woods. I watched a skulk of foxes play with each other, feed a colony of rabbits near an almost decaying tree, and then a herd of moose paraded themselves just a few paces in front of me. I really thought that was the end of me. I didn't know moose is so huge. It's really different when you're used to seeing all these creatures in the pages of a book than in their actual living flesh. Very captivating. A pair of birds also decided to dance around me one time. It's like their inviting me to dance with them so that's what I did. Their tiny wingbeats serve as the silent music to our soulful three-way tango.

          I'm under the impression that everything will go swimmingly throughout this expedition due to the wholesomeness I witnessed and experienced a few moments ago but, of course, the Gods have other plans for me. I found myself at the edge of a cliff and my dumb luck decided to take action so I fell. Gravity flings my body like a ragdoll as I roll down an almost unending, steep dirt slope until my body hits a bulky tree trunk down below. I feel my soul leaving its vessel. It's a good thing I have a good grip on it. However, a seething pain wraps its way around my left thigh. It's sliced open and blood is gushing out aggressively. I have to do something fast. "Potion!" Where are the potions I brought with me? I scramble to look for them in the pack still dangling across my torso. "Saints, no." I mutter under my breath as tears peak through the corners of my eyes. All the vials are shattered, making their contents go to waste. I know I violently rolled down on that cliff but not so violently that every single potion is now deemed unusable. I will not stay here and wait for me to bleed out and die.

          I close my eyes tightly, trying to remember the lessons Mother has been teaching me before about healing magic. Placing both my hands over the huge opening of the wound, I start to chant as I harness energy from all around me. After all, Mother said the purest form of magic is everywhere. Thinking that I'm in the heart of nature itself, an immense amount of magic should be within arms' reach. All I have to do is command them like how she does. "Leah siht gnipag dnuow." I chant but nothing happens. "Please." My breath is now running short. "Focus, Vatic. This isn't how you'll die!" Anger seeps through every sinew. "Leah. Siht. Dnuow. Won!" I articulate more profoundly. The air around me trembles, the ground seems to harden even further, and a gust of wind whips past my entire body which renders a swift and excruciating pain to my exposed innards. It finally happens. The wound on my thigh slowly closes while most of my blood trickles back into it. The sight almost triggers my fight or flight response with my hatred towards blood but I must stay firm. I have to overcome this or I won't be able to fulfill this journey.

          I can't seem to walk properly after healing myself. I probably used all my energy with just this one spell. I have to replenish before I can continue. I feel my left thigh tense with every step but it doesn't hurt as much as I imagine it. I find myself lying on top of a moss-covered boulder. It serves as a good cushion during this well-deserved break. The streaming water from the river right next to me eases my still-hectic heartbeat. Suddenly, I hear a strange rustling of bushes directly from my blind spot. Something's in there. Something huge. I just healed my thigh. "Saints, please just be some friendly wild animal." I whisper. I sit right up as soon as the same rustling completely wakes me from my almost-slumber.

          "Calm down." A deep, raspy voice rings inside my brain. "It's just me. By the Gods, you're hard to find."

          Me? Who's Me? "Who are you? Show yourself!" Exclaiming, I try to stand up straight to take my combat stance. Whoever it is, I have to be ready to defend myself. Mother said no one's living in town or the entire island anymore so who is this stranger? Did someone decide to live in the depths of this forest? There's a huge chance that's the case. But from the tone of his voice, he seems to know me and it appears that he purposely searched for me here in this vast forest.

          "What in the God's name? You can finally hear me, eh?" Excitement envelopes his every word, puffing off a sound I can only ascertain as a chuckle. "Well, nice to meet you. I'm your trusty companion, Masid, from the Panthera lineage."

          A Black Panther slowly emerges from the bushes, revealing Masid proudly walking towards me. His excitement eventually overwhelms him as he transitions to charge at me, maximizing the strength of his hind legs. A foot away from me, he lowers his entire body and springs up swiftly to jump and land straight to my chest. We fall to the ground, laughing. He rubs his head, body, and his tail across my whole stature along with his deep, heavy purring accompanying his gestures. Did he just speak to me? Am I finally losing my marbles here in this forest?

          "Masid," I grab his head so I can look him in the golden, sharp eyes. "Speak."

          He shakes his head off from my grasp. "I'll imagine you didn't just insult me by treating me like a dog." He jumps on the moldy boulder I was just resting on earlier, putting one paw over the other then rests his head on them. His posture is very elegantly captivating as the wind brushes through his shadow-like coat.

          "Saints, you can talk!" I exclaim, putting my hands on my temples in an attempt to not completely lose my mind.

          "It's more like 'You can finally hear me!'" His tone mirrors mine, teasing.

          "Yeah, right." I sit next to him still drenched in awed disbelief, beaming a toothy grin. "But how?"

          Apparently, as Masid confirms, my cerebral channels awakened by me performing my first successful enchantment, establishing the telepathic bond I share with my familiar which turns out to be him. Admittedly, having familiars is one of the many things I don't have a firm grasp on when it comes to the realm of witchery. I should paid more attention to Mother's teachings. For now, it's a one-way communication as he's the only one who can speak through this newly formed bond of ours. As the only receiver in this line of communication, I can only respond verbally. However, if I can manage to refine my affinity to magic, I can talk to my familiar via brainwaves as well as Mother and Calista are capable of doing.

          "Impressive, right?" Masid says as he paddles his paws on the running river water.

          "It is!" I join, crouching right next to him. "So all this time, you can understand me?" He nods enthusiastically then takes a few gulps of the fresh, cold water.

          All we do now is talk, talk, talk as we find our way out of this vast forest. At least it isn't boring anymore. I continue to appreciate the place as this is the first time I'm in here, after all. The natural energy surrounding us is now a constant presence for me. It hums with every move I make. It's like a natural song being played for me to enjoy. Fully-pledged witch is what I am now but I prefer to be deemed as a sorcerer. It has a lot more ring to it. My power may be eons away from Mother's but I know I'll get there eventually. I will be regarded as the Sorcerer of Hiraya sooner or later.

          "Stop." Masid halts from traversing our chosen track. "I sense something amiss."

          "You're right." I agree, scanning the area for any kind of anomaly. A smell of decay emanates somewhere near us. It's an awful assault on my sense of smell. "Follow me." I run towards the source of the stench.

          As we approach the small clearing nearby, the unbearable smell intensifies. Instead of peaceful, constant hums from the energy surrounding me, they're replaced by horrific cries of nature reverberating throughout my body as we come closer. The isolated patch of green grass reveals a family of bears lying lifeless on the forest floor. I prepared myself to encounter bears before I even entered the woods but not like this. I draw myself even closer to their soulless bodies, Masid tailing me from behind. My breath becomes heavier from the last, panic starts to crawl from the warm blood coming out of every hole of their bodies to my already trembling flesh.

          Blood is coming out of their bodies. Their eyes became sunken as a fresh stream of dark crimson fluid passed through their eye sockets to their widely open mouth. Looking closer, it appears that they have been vomiting the same substance as well. If they didn't die due to the loss of blood in their systems, then what did? My vision distorts as panic starts to corrupt my heartbeat. I feel freakishly heavy and weightless simultaneously. I can't hear or feel anything else aside from the foreboding drumbeats assaulting my very being from within my chest. The harrowing sight of the lifeless bears triggers something in me. Flashes of black and white lights beam right in front of me in an odd chorus.

          Silence.

          Even the frantic beats of my heart have gone mute. Opening my eyes, I find myself standing in front of the ever-so-beautiful fountain situated at the middle of the town square. The statue of the equally beautiful and majestic forest nymph perfectly posed on top of it makes the energy around me hum with passion. I remember this place. I blink. The picture-perfect scenery that was just right in front of me was altered into something totally opposite. As I regain my sight, everything is tainted red. The townspeople are all around me like a soulless mob of tall grass, frantically swaying and running about. Everyone seems to be sporting similar expressions with each other. Dark, sunken eyes, mouth agape, and their arms are outstretched. Immense amounts of blood are gushing out of their eye sockets and cave-like mouths. This. Is. Hell. It takes all of my power to scream. I force myself to take in all the air my body allows then let it all out as loud as I can. Silence. Nothing comes out. Even I can't hear myself. As soon as my mouth shut from my inaudible, breathtaking wail, everyone snaps their bloodied stares right at me. My body rattles even more severely from the utter terror it serves. They start to trundle towards me.

          A sudden heaviness crashes on my chest.

          "Vatic, stay with me!" Masid shrieks as he circles around my body, lying rowdily on the forest floor. He appears to be able to make me snap out of that flesh-melting reverie I'm just in. He gestures to prepare to jump then it hits me how he did it. I've come back with his weight crashing directly on my chest.

          "I'm awake! I'm awake." Grunting from the pain I feel from… I don't even know anymore, I place my palm on Masid's head to calm him down. I think I broke a rib or two from his attempt to save me.

          "What happened to you?" He asks. "As soon you saw the state of these bears, you suddenly lost consciousness and started screaming from the top of your lungs."

          "I don't even know what that was but I feel a sense of familiarity." My words are still trying to catch my breath. "I feel like I've been there before."

          "What are you talking about? You're just still probably dazed. We should find a better spot to rest on."

          "No. We have to go." I pick myself and my pack up then walk as fast as I can away from that area all while trying to compose myself so I won't have Masid worrying about me. "Let's go!" I beckon enthusiastically, raising my arms up to the skies like nothing happened.