THE WITCHS’SON STORY iDEA.
“Come on, come on. “The young man complained. He’d been trying his best for weeks, but magic was a finicky mistress. “Visualize the image. See the mana transform the object. Magic is your will, acting upon the world THROUGH mana.” He took a deep breath and tried again.
His eyes closed till the veins in his head would about burst. His fingers were so stiff, you’d have sworn he was born with them like that. His tongue caught in the intense grip of youthful canines. There was a tingle in his fingers. He could feel it. He was on the cusp of a break through.
“Ditio!? Ditio Mathus! Where are you!?” A firm voice called out.
“Shit!” The young man exclaimed. He shook his hand violently, in the hopes that whatever magic was about to happen, it wouldn’t be strong enough to execute itself. It was too bad his shaking, caused him to lose his balance and he tumbled from his perch on his favourite tree.
“Owww.” He groaned. He rolled into a fetal position and held his head in pain.
“Ditz!” The voice shouted. It was closer now. Closer than Ditz would have liked. “Ditz what are you doing out here? In THAT tree?”
Ditz rolled onto his back and sighed. “Hey dad.” He opened his eyes to see a sweaty, burly middle aged man with matted red hair and a satchel over his back. The mans’ name, was Vaun “Do you have to run around the forest with no shirt on?”
“I wasn’t running around the forest. I was catching lunch.” Vaun stated firmly. “And I shouldn’t have to run around the forest, In search of a GROWN MAN.”
Ditz sat up and turned to face his father. He yawned and parted his obsidian bangs away from his eyes. “You don’t HAVE to hunt a grown man down through the forest. Ten more minutes and I’d have come home anyway.”
Vaun sighed. He plastered his hand across his face and massaged his nose bridge. “Ditz…how many times have I told you to leave this tree alone?”
Ditz scrambled to his feet. “I have left it alone. I always feed it Margrave elixir before I climb into it.”
“Margrave Elixir?” Vaun asked confused. “Why does that name sound…Wait! Is that why there are dead Robins all over the hut!? You were brewing things again?”
Ditz shrugged.” You don’t actually BREW Margrave elixir.”
“DITZ!” His father shouted.
“Alright yes! I was mixing elixirs again.”
Ditzs’ father looked like he was about to shout, but halfway through his frustration he stopped. He closed his mouth, pouted then sighed. For a minute it looked like he smiled, but it was too fast for Ditz to be sure. Vaun readjusted his satchel on his shoulder and turned around. Most likely towards their quaint little hut deep in the forest.
“Just…don’t take too long to come home.” Vaun sighed. His voice was soft and sounded full of disappointment.
Ditz tried his best to come up with words. Words that might make his father think better of him. Words that might help him understand, but there weren’t any. None he could draw to mind at least and just as quickly as his father had appeared. He had once again disappeared, through the ever changing vines and brush of the wood.
Ditz groaned and looked to the sky. All he had wanted to do was perfect his magic. After all, he was an adult now. Being an adult on Asyloan meant one of two things. You apprenticed yourself to someone In town, or you made your way to the mainland. To Tazean. Ditz wasn’t apprentice material. He hated the smell of the forge. Marcia, the baker would never allow him to alter her bland recipes. He wasn’t as strong as his father and raw fish disgusted him. The only worthwhile Job was being Mayor, but no one would vote for a scruffy, pale, skinny young brushrat with no nobility to his name.
No. For Ditz, his only real option was to reach Profio. There he could study at the Authority Of Magic. Or work at one of the many libraries throughout the city. In time, He might even become Archmagus. He liked the sound of that. Archmagus Ditio Mathus! It had a ring of nobility. Of respect. Archmagus was a position everyone looked up to. If he became Archmagus, then he’d no longer be a brushrat.
Ditz shook his head and slapped his face. He had a bad habit of daydreaming when he was depressed. Ditz formed a fist then stuck his Index and middle finger up. He focused intently on the tip of the higher finger and said.”IOK!” Just as quickly as he said it, he pointed to the ground and finished. “EVARGRAM OKEN!”
In a swirl of light and a huff of smoke. A black cat appeared at his feet. A glib smile on its face. “Do I only get summoned when daddy hurts your feelings?” It said. Pride and sarcasm in its voice.
“Shut up Margrave!” Ditz commanded
“Oh don’t be cross with me boy!” The cat laughed. It walked up to one of the trees’ roots and placed a paw upon it. “I told you years ago to let this tree die.” Within seconds the root under the cats’ paw started to wither and turn to ash.
“Stop that!” Ditz protested. He fired a kick at Margrave, but the cat was too fast and jumped out of the way. With Margraves’ paw off of it, the trees’ root returned to normal.
“It’s a dead Ein tree boy!” The cat snarled. “No matter what you do, it will never learn again. It will never bloom again. No matter how many of my elixirs you feed to it. It cannot teach you wordless magic.”
“Since when have demons been so pessimistic,” Ditz said. “And it’s a DIEING Ein tree, not a dead one.”
Margrave looked up at Ditz with an annoyed expression. “First off, I am a greater imp imprisoned in the body of a cat. Don’t just use the word DEMON like I’m some lost soul seeking solace.” Margrave liked his paw before he continued.” Secondly, dieing or dead, the tree can’t give you what you want. So it’s best you stop wasting mana trying to talk to it and focus on more fruitful endeavors.”
“Oh yeah?” Ditz scoffed.” And what exactly is a fruitful endeavor to you?”
“Women!” Margrave exclaimed with glee. “Human women are so soft. So delicate. Aren’t you an adult now? I could teach a few spells to charm a nice lass or two.”
Ditz sighed and narrowed his eyes at the cat. “You just want me to get someone pregnant so you can leave the cat and possess the baby.”
Margrave snickered. “Can you blame me? This cats’ soul has long left the body. All I ever have are cravings for meat or the urge to kill. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve done real mischief? Actual mischief! Not just stealing fish.”
“You shouldn’t do any mischief, ”Ditz said.
“Imps thrive on Mischief boy! We don’t eat and shit like you humans do. If I don’t cause a little chaos I die. It’s as simple as that.”
“Yeah well, maybe it’s time you died. Maybe—“
Ditzs’ thoughts were interrupted by a heavy vibration flowing through his body. He felt like his eyes were slowly evaporating. In the corner of his mind, he could hear a voice.
MAIUS! MAIUS! VEX THE SERPENT! SET FREE MOTHERS’ WRATH.
Ditz held his chest and cried out. The pain was excruciating. The pain in his eyes had stretched to his head and there was now a sustained ringing in his ear.
“Boy!” Margrave shouted.
Ditz snapped back to reality. All the pain was gone and the sounds of the forest filled his ears. He turned towards margrave to see his paw once again on the tree. This time the wither and decay had stretched up the trees’ side. Almost to the lowest branch.
Ditz made the same gesture as when he summoned Margrave, only he pointed towards the mischievous cat this time, and shouted “IKEGAD IRANIMAK!” A powerful bolt of lightning left his fingertips and electrocuted Margrave to cinder. Within seconds the tree was back to its radiant self again.
“Is that how you respond to someone calling you!?” a voice responded from behind Ditz. From a puff of smoke, margrave had reappeared unharmed.
“It is when you’re a mischief demon who won’t listen,” Ditz replied. Irritation filled his voice.
Margrave liked his paw and scoffed.” It’s a good thing I made sure to absorb some of my elixir from that tree. That’d have been the end of my short lived life.”
“You’re two hundred years old and I’ve got tons of elixir next to the fireplace back home. You can stand a death or two.”
“How rude!” Margrave groaned. He watched intently as Ditz held his head and examined his hands. “You alright? You seemed to be in pain a while ago.”
“I’m fine,” Ditz said. He shook away his concerns and dusted his gray sackcloth vest off. “Come on, dad’s waiting.”
“Fine,” Margrave huffed. “But you should pick up your trinket before you leave.”
Ditzs’ eyes widened as he felt the side of his neck. It was gone. The one item to remind him of his mother. He had nothing else from her. Nothing else to remind him of her. Just a single strange feather, turned into an earring. Ditz spun around. His eyes trained at his feet. Two paces ahead of him, an amber glint caught his eye. It was the earring. It was resting peacefully between a snail and some twigs.
“You damn cat! Why didn’t you tell me it was there?” Ditz shouted.
Margrave chuckled.” I’m not obligated to tell my murderer anything.” Margrave got up on his hind legs and began to claw at Ditzs’ pant leg. “Come now boy. Carry me. Revival is tiresome.” Ditz rolled his eyes and picked the cat up by his scruff. “Ah! I said carry me, not manhandle me!”
“Shut up!” Ditz commanded.
Despite his outward behavior, he actually enjoyed banter with Margrave. He loved this tree and he loved this forest, and despite his disdain for it, he loved the town. So why? Why all of a sudden, no matter how hard he tried to shake it. It felt like it was all about, to disappear.