The man completely ignored what Koal said and instead smiled radiantly at Christina. "Greetings, young lady!" he said. Christina returned an awkward smile. "Greetings… Lord Julian," she said, but shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She could clearly sense that something was wrong, but she was too inexperienced to realize what was causing that feeling. Yet it was a testament to her intelligence that she was still able to perceive it, even subconsciously.
Nero looked into Koal's eyes; his smile was flawless and friendly. He seemed not to have noticed any of it.
"Sit down!" the mage said, gesturing invitingly with one hand for Nero and Christina to sit on the sofa next to Koal.
The two did as they were told, Nero to the right of Koal and Christina to the left of her father. Sure enough, there was a chessboard in the middle of the table. Koal's king had been knocked over, and Nero realized he was checkmated by the queen. But he also noticed that Koal had clearly had opportunities to turn the game around. He had played against Koal often and was well aware of the old man's skill.
"How are you, Christina? It's been quite a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" Julian was just chatting with Christina, who nodded. "Yes, almost four months."
Julian waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, that's my fault. Unfortunately, I've been too busy and couldn't make it to our scheduled meeting, but may I say that you've become even more beautiful in the meantime? You've grown into a true young lady!"
A slight twitch ran through Koal when Julian said this. It was so subtle that Nero wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been sitting right next to him and felt it. It was the twitch of muscles suddenly tensing, like a reaction to sudden danger. Nero's dark eyes darted toward Koal, but the district leader's face was still a mask of friendliness.
"Umm… thanks," Christina said, looking to her father for help. She caught Nero's gaze. She seemed to be begging him to end this situation.
He blinked before turning his attention back to Julian, who was about to bring up another topic of conversation, but Nero spoke first, "Esteemed mage Julian, may I ask what kind of magic you possess?"
Julian frowned at this sudden question, turning his attention back to Nero for the first time since he'd entered the room. "What do you mean?" he asked, as if he hadn't understood the question.
Nero shrugged, "I don't know much about magic, but I do know that every mage has different types of magic. There's water, wind, earth, fire, and so on. Every mage has one of these abilities. Or don't they?"
Julian nodded, "Well, yes, you're almost right, but there are exceptions to almost every rule. There are multitalented mages who are capable of wielding multiple types of magic."
Nero's eyes widened. "Are you a multitalented mage?" he asked stupidly.
Julian's frown deepened. "No, I just said that… never mind. What was your question?"
"What kind of magic do you have?"
Julian smiled amusedly as he raised his hand. A light breeze swept through the room, ruffling the hair of those present.
Nero let out a gasp of surprise, "So you're a wind mage?" While he was talking to Julian, Christina stood up and quickly left the room. By the time Julian noticed, she was already gone, but Nero was already asking his next question: "How do you actually know if you have magic?"
Julian raised both his eyebrows, "How can you not know that? Every child knows that."
This time, Koal answered for him, "You must excuse him, Lord Julian. As I reported to you, he has lost his memory—at least a large part of it."
"Right, so you don't remember the big ceremony you went through as a child where they tested your talent?"
Nero shook his head, "Unfortunately, not. Could it be that I was never tested?"
"Hmm," said Julian, "Perhaps. It's actually customary for a child to be allowed to be tested for magic starting at age ten, but residents of small villages or hermits might be overlooked. Do you know when your parents passed away?"
Nero tilted his head to the side, but then shook it. Julian sighed, "Well, it's very likely that you were tested, but Koal has told me about your intelligence and fighting skills. If you're lucky, you'll be selected in one of the drawings and can then be tested again or even made a mage right away."
Nero smiled eagerly. "You're right!" he said, though inside he had to suppress his disappointment. He had hoped for more from this man, but it seemed he wouldn't be getting out of here so easily.
"One more question," said Nero.
"What is it?"
"If I don't want to be a mage anymore, can I leave?"
Something flashed in the mage's eyes. "Why wouldn't you want to be a mage anymore?" he asked, evading the question.
Nero smiled weakly. "Maybe I'd like life as a mortal. "So?"
Julian returned the smile. "No, you can't leave. After all, you signed a contract to stay here until you become a mage."
"Oh, really? Did I?"
"Of course, every mortal has one. You must have forgotten."
Nero looked at Julian; his dark black eyes seemed to peer directly into his thoughts. He knew Julian was lying, but he couldn't prove it without contradicting his own story. And even if he did, it wouldn't change anything. He wouldn't be able to talk his way out of this situation, so he simply smiled, "It was a very informative conversation, Grand Lord Julian, but unfortunately, I must take my leave now. I've just come through a grueling battle and need to rest." Nero bowed deeply as he stood up. In fact, Julian stood up as well, "Actually, it's time for me to go as well. There are still many important matters to attend to!"
Koal stood up at the same time as Julian, "Then I'll escort you to the door."
"No need! At your age, you should take it easy. I'll find my way." With that, he stepped through the door while Nero and Koal bowed once more. They heard the front door open and Magrett politely saying goodbye, then he was gone. Nero's friendly expression vanished instantly and turned icy, but this was nothing compared to Koal, whose face transformed into a mask of pure rage.
"I hate him!" Koal hissed, his voice dripping with loathing, "I hate them all!" He slowly closed the door. "Nero," he continued, "I know you know much more than you let on. I don't understand the reason for it, but I don't think I noticed what you just did for my daughter. That repulsive man, the way he looks at my little Christina… pah." He spat.
Koal paced around the room, muttering angrily to himself. Nero remained silent for a moment before finally speaking up, "You're hiding something from me, Koal. It wasn't just a friend of your family who told you about Julian's presence, was it?"
Koal stopped abruptly as he laughed, "Of course not. Her entire job is to inform me of such things."
Nero walked back to the sofa; the pain in his stomach began to throb even more intensely, but he didn't let it show. "Sebastian Koal," Nero addressed him in a cold voice, "answer me a question."
Koal sat down across from him, but not before glancing with disgust at the spot where the mage had been sitting just moments before. "What do you want to know?"
Nero took a deep breath. "Do you really believe that the Chosen are being turned into mages?"
Koal laughed out loud, "Of course not. As if those haughty snobs would accept lowly mortals like us into their ranks."
Nero nodded in agreement, "That was my thought as well, but then why are you here?"
Koal leaned back, his eyes gazing sadly ahead. "We were a wealthy mortal family back where we come from. We enjoyed everything—servants, wealth, dignity, and respect—but only among mortals. Then one day, a mage came to our house, a mage who wanted nothing more than a warm meal and a place to sleep." Of course, we gave him both. As a thank-you, he offered us a place in this camp, where we would have the chance to become high mages like him. He promised us a high position in the camp, where we would lack for nothing. At first I hesitated, but it was never about me—it was about Christina. True, we were respected, rich, and so on, but only in the eyes of mortals. A single mage could, if he wanted to, tear down our house and kill us one by one, and no one would punish him. Such, unfortunately, are the ways of this world. I didn't want that future for Christina, so I gave up everything we owned and came here."
Koal smiled sadly, "Unfortunately, I quickly learned that this is nothing more than a slave camp from which no one escapes alive. At least, no mortal."
"How do you know that?" Nero asked curiously.
Koal looked at him, his eyes flashing with suspicion. "This is something I can't just tell you, Nero Davis—after all, I know next to nothing about you."
Nero slowly leaned back, his eyes flashing. "Well then, it's time for me to tell you about my past!"