the sage of the clouds

One, two, three...

Bang!

I hold my hand out, and a searing ray of explosive light bursts forth, crackling as it slams into the training dummy. The air ripples with heat, and when the dust settles, there's nothing left but a smoking crater in the hard earth.

"Better. Again!"

Rav lounges on a billowy cloud of magic above me, yawning as he waves lazily. "Do I have to do eveeerythinggg?" he whines, flopping onto his back and fanning himself.

I scowl up at him. His shaggy white hair and mischievous blue eyes peek over the edge of the cloud, his ears twitching in amusement. "You look funny from this angle," he adds.

"We're out of training dummies," I snap, putting my hands on my hips.

Rav tilts his head back to look at me upside-down, grinning. "You're supposed to be resourceful, kid. What, do I have to make more?"

It has been a year since I was last on the moon. My teacher, Kieran, and I just celebrated my eighteenth birthday. Speaking of, Kieran and I returned to the earth as we'd planned. We decided the best course of action for us was to make use of the three years we had to prepare, and so we sought out a Magician who could be my teacher. 

At first we asked Adma, but she was not able to help. There were Magicians working in the army of Asteria, but to Adma's point, me making contact with any of them would just spell trouble for me. After all, if word got out that there was a powerful Nephilim wandering around Asteria, the chances that I would be 'coerced' into joining the royal military were just too high. Despite this, I still maintain frequent contact with Adma. She's been keeping me apprised of the situation with the Flamekeeper. Seems like there are no concrete plans for him to blow up the moon. At least not yet.

On the day I left for the Ferin Village with Adma, that guy we fought, Leoni, was apparently able to escape. Nobody knows how, but Adma suspects that there may be a mole working in the royal army that is loyal to the Flamekeeper. That creep is still around, somewhere. And he probably would like nothing better than to harvest Kieran and I. Ugh. I don't even want to think about it. It makes my wings hurt.

After returning to the earth, Kieran and I made our way back to the Ferin Village. He'd made a friend there - a young Ferin girl named 'Decoy'. It's a strange name to me, but Ferin names in general have a bit of a unique flair to them. We've met someone named Spike, and another particular fellow named Tack...and of course, there's my teacher. His name is literally 'Ravager'...but everyone calls him 'Rav'. 

Rav was introduced to us by Decoy. She's a magic-user, too - many Ferin have powers, but she's not a Magician. To be a Magician is to command a type of magic in its totality. Rav has power over 'Cloud Magic', and mostly uses it to ensure he's always got a fluffy place to sleep. He has a Guide and a Vessel too, just like me.

A year ago, when Decoy introduced us, I wasn't sure what to make of him. The 'Sage of the Clouds' didn't seem very sage-like, lounging on his magic cloud and whining about effort. But Decoy swore he was the real deal, and Rav did agree to train me—after a bit of haggling.

Rav's 'destiny', as given to him by his Guide, was to save the village from an existential threat from something known as the 'God of Storms', a feat he accomplished at the tender age of twelve. Since then he's been in something of a 'retirement' phase, living a hermetic life atop a tall mountain that overlooks the Ferin Village. His triumph over the God of Storms remains a legend to the Ferin living here, though, and the people have taken to calling him the 'Sage of the Clouds'.

Many young Ferin who aspire to be heroes in their own right come to him to learn the finer points of magic. He's embraced his teacher life, all these years later, and so Decoy thought he would be a good match for me. I'm the first non-Ferin he's taught. It didn't seem to bother him any, though. 

'As long as you're not human, you can chill.' 

Those were his words to me when I asked to become a Magician.

'Oh, but...those funny wings of yours. Can I see 'em? Gotta have proof you're not a regular boring old human after all, eh?'

He tapped his ears, I remember. 'See?' he said. 'My Ferin parts are all hangin' out for everyone to see. So you might as well just give me a little peek, ya?'

Kieran was offended on my behalf. I didn't mind, so much. He was supposed to become my teacher, after all, and he was a legendary hero. If I couldn't trust him, who could I trust?

'Okay,' I agreed. 'But one one condition. You train me for a full year.'

'Aghghhghghh...'

I don't quite remember the sound. Something like agony and complaining fused together into one apathetic lament. 

'I GUESS my schedule is open for the next year or so...'

And so that's how I netted myself a powerful Ferin Magician teacher. Oh, but I never did show him my wings. Told him I needed to get the full year out of him first. 

'But then you can't prove you aren't a filthy human!' he argued. But the deal was already done. 

Along the way, I've considered it. Over this past year, Rav has become a true confidant for me. There's nothing he doesn't know about my life - about Rylin, Kieran, the moon. All of it. Everything except what color my wings are. Oh, but he's tried to ask Kieran.

'Can't you just give me a hiiiiiint?' he purred one night into Kieran's ear. He'd been drinking that night (not unusual). 'Do they have feathers? Do they just kinda...float there? Are they retractable? Some weird, sick mechanical bits poppin' out of your back?'

Kieran was blushing. He's always a little shy to even talk about wing-related matters. 

'They do 'come out', I suppose. And if I had to compare them to anything, I suppose I would say they're kind of like...glass? Or like the thin layer of ice on top of a partially frozen pond...'

Rav was already passed out by the time I explained. Curled up into a ball. The cat ears aren't the only cat-like feature of his. He's also got a long white tail, and all the mannerisms you'd expect of a now-twenty-year-old-cat-human hybrid. Which is to say, he hyper-fixates on random things and falls asleep all over the place. 

It's been over a year since I came here, and Rav hasn't mentioned my 'year of training' once. I think he just likes having Kieran and me around—it keeps things lively.

One other person is living here, and that's Rav's Vessel. Her name, aptly, is Breeze, but we call her Bree. She's cute, more animal than human in some ways. Instead of arms, she has beautiful wings and a large beak where her mouth and nose would be. Her plumage is an elegant, deep blue, the tips of her feathers trimmed with a glossy, golden sheen.

Usually, she's up at the top of his 'pagoda', resting. Being a Vessel is physically exhausting work. I've only really spent time with her a few times. If she's here, she's sleeping. If she's awake, she'll fly off to who-knows-where. Rav calls her his girlfriend, but I never see the two of them hanging out. Like...at all.

Despite all that, she chose to become Rav's Vessel. Her affinity for the air makes her a perfect Vessel for his Cloud Magic.

Rav told me once that he can 'fly on Bree' if he ever needed to get somewhere quick. I casually mentioned it to Bree one time, and all she said was:

If Rav thinks I'll let him fly on my back, he's in for a surprise. I'll take him higher than ever—and let's see if his clouds can catch him when I drop him.

She followed that with a polite snicker, as she covered her face with her wing-tips. 

My thoughts drift back to the present as I glance at Rav. He's sprawled on his cloud, eyelids drooping like he's seconds from a nap.

"Hey, Rav," I start. Kieran and Sola were out together, visiting the Ferin Village for supplies. They wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Bree was also not in her roost, one one of her week-long journeys. It was just Rav and I here today. Sort of a perfect opportunity.

"How about I show you my wings?" I say, a sly smile on my face.

"What!?" Rav yells, leaping off the cloud and landing with feline grace. "Finally! I've been waiting forever!"

"Just one condition."

Rav bounces on his heels, ears twitching. "Anything! Just show me already!"

I smirk. "Get me some more training dummies."