Taptaptaptaptap
Maya let out a groan as she turned over in her bed, lazily extending a hand towards the source of the noise before letting it limply fall hanging over the edge of the bed. When extending a hand failed to reach the source of the noise, she tried simply shutting it out, wrapping the covers of the bed around her tightly, relaxing slightly as the sound seemed to be shut out.
TaptaptaptaptapTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP-
The green-haired teen shifted uncomfortably under the covers for a short while as the tapping became louder and more insistent. Finally, she hurled the covers off of herself and leapt to her feet. “Alright, I get it!” She groaned, shuffling around the small Lamia Scale dorm room sleepily to discover the source of the noise. As it turned out, it was the window. A small black bird sat on the windowsill, tapping the pane of glass incessantly with its beak. Maya blinked at it a few times, her sleep-addled mind piecing together what she was seeing. When everything clicked, she let out an exasperated sigh. What was making the bird so interested in her room? It wasn’t like she kept food in here or anything; her ability to consume food had only continued to decline since the incident. Whatever it was, though, the bird was immensely obnoxious this early in the morning.
Maya hurled her window open, expecting the bird to fly away in shock. Instead, the bird hurled itself into her room, did a quick lap, cawed once, then exploded in a shower of black feathers, obscuring Maya’s vision and causing her to let out a cry of surprise. Once the feathers cleared, Maya noticed that a letter had appeared on the bed. Had the bird been a magical messenger? Maya didn’t know anybody who could do that.
Well, there was no way to know who is was from without opening it. The girl walked over to her bed, wincing slightly as she stepped over the black feathers barefoot, and inspected the note. It seemed normal enough; there weren’t any seals on it, and the only markings on it read, “To Maya”. Maybe a message from the Magic Council or something? Telling her off for not fighting with them in Navrick? Yeah, right. Like they’d ever notice a novice mage like her.. Plus, the letter would have been super ornamental if it was from a bureaucracy-laden place like the Council. It did seem like the only way to figure this out was to just read the letter. She torn open the envelope, pulled out the plain-looking sheet of paper, and began to read.
Maya Meletzo,
The time has come to take your development to the next level. Come to Warehouse 17 on the Hargeon docks; you will know what to do when you enter.
Your Friend,
Z
Maya stared at the letter, puzzled. Who the heck was Z? What did they mean by ‘her development’? Why did they go to so much trouble for a theatrical delivery? It seemed incredibly suspicious to her. At the very least, she should talk to Gisen before doing anything about it. As she moved to put the letter down, however, she noticed that there was more writing on the back.
I know where the Doctor is. If you do not appear within the hour, I will leave and take the information with me.
Your Friend,
Z
Maya froze. That changed a lot. Gisen was out right now, if she remembered correctly; it might take too much time to find her and ask her about it on such a strict time limit. She finally had a lead on the Doctor’s whereabouts, she couldn’t let it slip through her grasp.
Maya hurled on her walking clothes and took off through the Guild Hall, making a beeline for the docks.
--
About fifteen minutes later, Maya stood in front of the large warehouse in the Hargeon Harbor with a large 17 emblazoned on the front. She was panting heavily; she had basically sprinted the whole way here, wanting as much time to deal with whatever was inside. The huge door was cracked open slightly; if Maya squeezed, she’d probably just barely make it through. That probably wasn’t a coincidence. She straightened herself, took a few deep breaths, and ducked through the door, letting out a small squeak as she squeezed through.
She felt the atmosphere change almost as soon as she walked in. The entire place was totally saturated with magic; the Lacrimas embedded within her were reacting against her will, lighting her up like a Christmas tree despite her best efforts. The only sources of light in the warehouse were the opening behind her, Maya herself, and a dimly glowing Lacrima a fair ways away seated on a table. Seemed easy enough.
Maya took about twenty minutes getting to the Lacrima in the center. She walked exceedingly slowly; there were mundane objects littered all over the path, making it almost impossible to find a good path. The fact that the Lacrimas within her were the only things allowing her to see certainly didn’t help matters. She tripped more than a few times, cursing her clumsiness every time she fell flat on her face; by the time she made it to the other Lacrima, her face was slightly bruised from running into things and nearly hitting the floor.
Once she reached the Lacrima, Maya realized that there was another note on the table next to it. More challenges? She was already sick of this one. Still, it was the only lead she had, so she read it.
Maya Meletzo,
So you made it.
I suppose introductions are in order. I am a former collaborator of the Doctor’s who has grown sick of his rampant experimentation and disregard of human life. Due to several...shall we say unsavory incidents, I cannot give my true name at the moment. You may call me Z in the meantime. I am an artificer; that is, I am a crafter of magical items and tools. I know you are suspicious, but rest assured: I am your ally against the Doctor.
I do not know his true name. Ever since I met him and most likely before that as well, he has simply been the Doctor or Professor. He is an absolute genius in the field of metamagic and magical mutations, but he is a sociopath as well; he has absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life. We worked together on what was ostensibly a fake Lacrima heart for those that needed them; they would allow the elderly to shake off heart problems and other issues. Behind my back, however, he expanded upon them, creating a system that could completely replace a human’s organs. By the time I discovered his ploy, it was too late; he had already operated on you.
You, Maya, are a completely unique being: Not quite human, but not quite anything else either. You are more of a sentient magical generator within a human shell, but even that falls a bit short of describing what you exactly are. You have untold amounts of potential stored within you, but most of it is locked away; as you battle and experience life, the Lacrimas within you will adjust to your body, granting you strength.
The Lacrima you are likely using to read this letter is a tool that will advance this integration. Simply use your ability to instill mana within things upon it and it will activate, draining all the excess mana from here and storing it within you. This will kickstart the Lacrima integration, giving you a major power boost.
I’m sorry that I can’t give you more information at the time, but I honestly do not know about the Doctor’s current whereabouts or capabilities. Rest assured that I will contact you whenever I discover more. In the meantime, become stronger. You will need all the power and allies you can get to face the Doctor.
I wish you good health and strong will.
Your Friend,
Z
Maya stood there, rereading the letter several times before leaning on the table, mentally exhausted. That was a lot to take in. It basically confirmed what she had been worried about the whole time: She was no longer human. Was she even still Maya? She had the memories and the outward appearance, but there was so much change otherwise that some people might not even recognize her. It was heavy thinking, to say the least.
Maybe he was lying. It was possible that this was just meant to throw her off, make her question her existence. There was one way to confirm or deny the letter: The Lacrima. Would it actually work as the mysterious Z said it would? Only one way to find out. Maya reached out a trembling hand and grasped the Lacrima, the sphere cool and solid against her skin. Unlike most Lacrimas, this one didn’t get immediately drained when she touched it; an interesting sign. Clutching it tightly in her hand, she activated her Instill ability, pouring mana into the Lacrima.
Everything happened at once. A blast of wind generated from nowhere as all the magic in the room suddenly collapsed in on Maya’s position, engulfing her in a bright light. The door that had been cracked open slammed shut loudly, but Maya didn’t notice; she was too busy with sensory overload from everything around her. She suddenly caught a glimpse of the entirety of Hargeon Town from every angle at once. The smell of a pie several blocks away caught her attention for the briefest moment before the sound of a train horn tore her thoughts away. It was too much. She was going to-
And suddenly, it was over.
Maya fell to the ground, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling blankly. Surprisingly enough, her breathing was completely even and she didn’t feel hurt in the slightest, even after that mental turmoil. In fact, she felt great. It was as though she’d just had the best meal she’d ever had, times a hundred. She felt full to bursting, but content and happy as well on a level she hadn’t even known existed. It was wonderful.
As she sat there, Maya thought about the future. Maybe it didn’t matter that she wasn’t the same Maya as before. Even if she wasn’t technically the same person, she had the appearance and the memories. The original was long gone at this point, so why not stay as herself? She was pretty attached to herself, after all. Plus she didn’t want to have to abandon her life again. Gisen, Moto, Aera, and many others were waiting for her to come back; the thought of leaving them threatened to tear her heart in two. Her newfound power would only help in her quest to find the Doctor and exact justice. Hopefully, Z would be able to help as well.
Maya finally brought herself to her feet. The glow of the Lacrimas within her were fading, but they lasted long enough to allow her to make her way back outside. Head held high, she began to make her way back to the Lamia Scale guild hall. She had a lot to think about, and more to prepare for.
EXAM END
Maya let out a groan as she turned over in her bed, lazily extending a hand towards the source of the noise before letting it limply fall hanging over the edge of the bed. When extending a hand failed to reach the source of the noise, she tried simply shutting it out, wrapping the covers of the bed around her tightly, relaxing slightly as the sound seemed to be shut out.
TaptaptaptaptapTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP-
The green-haired teen shifted uncomfortably under the covers for a short while as the tapping became louder and more insistent. Finally, she hurled the covers off of herself and leapt to her feet. “Alright, I get it!” She groaned, shuffling around the small Lamia Scale dorm room sleepily to discover the source of the noise. As it turned out, it was the window. A small black bird sat on the windowsill, tapping the pane of glass incessantly with its beak. Maya blinked at it a few times, her sleep-addled mind piecing together what she was seeing. When everything clicked, she let out an exasperated sigh. What was making the bird so interested in her room? It wasn’t like she kept food in here or anything; her ability to consume food had only continued to decline since the incident. Whatever it was, though, the bird was immensely obnoxious this early in the morning.
Maya hurled her window open, expecting the bird to fly away in shock. Instead, the bird hurled itself into her room, did a quick lap, cawed once, then exploded in a shower of black feathers, obscuring Maya’s vision and causing her to let out a cry of surprise. Once the feathers cleared, Maya noticed that a letter had appeared on the bed. Had the bird been a magical messenger? Maya didn’t know anybody who could do that.
Well, there was no way to know who is was from without opening it. The girl walked over to her bed, wincing slightly as she stepped over the black feathers barefoot, and inspected the note. It seemed normal enough; there weren’t any seals on it, and the only markings on it read, “To Maya”. Maybe a message from the Magic Council or something? Telling her off for not fighting with them in Navrick? Yeah, right. Like they’d ever notice a novice mage like her.. Plus, the letter would have been super ornamental if it was from a bureaucracy-laden place like the Council. It did seem like the only way to figure this out was to just read the letter. She torn open the envelope, pulled out the plain-looking sheet of paper, and began to read.
Maya Meletzo,
The time has come to take your development to the next level. Come to Warehouse 17 on the Hargeon docks; you will know what to do when you enter.
Your Friend,
Z
Maya stared at the letter, puzzled. Who the heck was Z? What did they mean by ‘her development’? Why did they go to so much trouble for a theatrical delivery? It seemed incredibly suspicious to her. At the very least, she should talk to Gisen before doing anything about it. As she moved to put the letter down, however, she noticed that there was more writing on the back.
I know where the Doctor is. If you do not appear within the hour, I will leave and take the information with me.
Your Friend,
Z
Maya froze. That changed a lot. Gisen was out right now, if she remembered correctly; it might take too much time to find her and ask her about it on such a strict time limit. She finally had a lead on the Doctor’s whereabouts, she couldn’t let it slip through her grasp.
Maya hurled on her walking clothes and took off through the Guild Hall, making a beeline for the docks.
--
About fifteen minutes later, Maya stood in front of the large warehouse in the Hargeon Harbor with a large 17 emblazoned on the front. She was panting heavily; she had basically sprinted the whole way here, wanting as much time to deal with whatever was inside. The huge door was cracked open slightly; if Maya squeezed, she’d probably just barely make it through. That probably wasn’t a coincidence. She straightened herself, took a few deep breaths, and ducked through the door, letting out a small squeak as she squeezed through.
She felt the atmosphere change almost as soon as she walked in. The entire place was totally saturated with magic; the Lacrimas embedded within her were reacting against her will, lighting her up like a Christmas tree despite her best efforts. The only sources of light in the warehouse were the opening behind her, Maya herself, and a dimly glowing Lacrima a fair ways away seated on a table. Seemed easy enough.
Maya took about twenty minutes getting to the Lacrima in the center. She walked exceedingly slowly; there were mundane objects littered all over the path, making it almost impossible to find a good path. The fact that the Lacrimas within her were the only things allowing her to see certainly didn’t help matters. She tripped more than a few times, cursing her clumsiness every time she fell flat on her face; by the time she made it to the other Lacrima, her face was slightly bruised from running into things and nearly hitting the floor.
Once she reached the Lacrima, Maya realized that there was another note on the table next to it. More challenges? She was already sick of this one. Still, it was the only lead she had, so she read it.
Maya Meletzo,
So you made it.
I suppose introductions are in order. I am a former collaborator of the Doctor’s who has grown sick of his rampant experimentation and disregard of human life. Due to several...shall we say unsavory incidents, I cannot give my true name at the moment. You may call me Z in the meantime. I am an artificer; that is, I am a crafter of magical items and tools. I know you are suspicious, but rest assured: I am your ally against the Doctor.
I do not know his true name. Ever since I met him and most likely before that as well, he has simply been the Doctor or Professor. He is an absolute genius in the field of metamagic and magical mutations, but he is a sociopath as well; he has absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life. We worked together on what was ostensibly a fake Lacrima heart for those that needed them; they would allow the elderly to shake off heart problems and other issues. Behind my back, however, he expanded upon them, creating a system that could completely replace a human’s organs. By the time I discovered his ploy, it was too late; he had already operated on you.
You, Maya, are a completely unique being: Not quite human, but not quite anything else either. You are more of a sentient magical generator within a human shell, but even that falls a bit short of describing what you exactly are. You have untold amounts of potential stored within you, but most of it is locked away; as you battle and experience life, the Lacrimas within you will adjust to your body, granting you strength.
The Lacrima you are likely using to read this letter is a tool that will advance this integration. Simply use your ability to instill mana within things upon it and it will activate, draining all the excess mana from here and storing it within you. This will kickstart the Lacrima integration, giving you a major power boost.
I’m sorry that I can’t give you more information at the time, but I honestly do not know about the Doctor’s current whereabouts or capabilities. Rest assured that I will contact you whenever I discover more. In the meantime, become stronger. You will need all the power and allies you can get to face the Doctor.
I wish you good health and strong will.
Your Friend,
Z
Maya stood there, rereading the letter several times before leaning on the table, mentally exhausted. That was a lot to take in. It basically confirmed what she had been worried about the whole time: She was no longer human. Was she even still Maya? She had the memories and the outward appearance, but there was so much change otherwise that some people might not even recognize her. It was heavy thinking, to say the least.
Maybe he was lying. It was possible that this was just meant to throw her off, make her question her existence. There was one way to confirm or deny the letter: The Lacrima. Would it actually work as the mysterious Z said it would? Only one way to find out. Maya reached out a trembling hand and grasped the Lacrima, the sphere cool and solid against her skin. Unlike most Lacrimas, this one didn’t get immediately drained when she touched it; an interesting sign. Clutching it tightly in her hand, she activated her Instill ability, pouring mana into the Lacrima.
Everything happened at once. A blast of wind generated from nowhere as all the magic in the room suddenly collapsed in on Maya’s position, engulfing her in a bright light. The door that had been cracked open slammed shut loudly, but Maya didn’t notice; she was too busy with sensory overload from everything around her. She suddenly caught a glimpse of the entirety of Hargeon Town from every angle at once. The smell of a pie several blocks away caught her attention for the briefest moment before the sound of a train horn tore her thoughts away. It was too much. She was going to-
And suddenly, it was over.
Maya fell to the ground, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling blankly. Surprisingly enough, her breathing was completely even and she didn’t feel hurt in the slightest, even after that mental turmoil. In fact, she felt great. It was as though she’d just had the best meal she’d ever had, times a hundred. She felt full to bursting, but content and happy as well on a level she hadn’t even known existed. It was wonderful.
As she sat there, Maya thought about the future. Maybe it didn’t matter that she wasn’t the same Maya as before. Even if she wasn’t technically the same person, she had the appearance and the memories. The original was long gone at this point, so why not stay as herself? She was pretty attached to herself, after all. Plus she didn’t want to have to abandon her life again. Gisen, Moto, Aera, and many others were waiting for her to come back; the thought of leaving them threatened to tear her heart in two. Her newfound power would only help in her quest to find the Doctor and exact justice. Hopefully, Z would be able to help as well.
Maya finally brought herself to her feet. The glow of the Lacrimas within her were fading, but they lasted long enough to allow her to make her way back outside. Head held high, she began to make her way back to the Lamia Scale guild hall. She had a lot to think about, and more to prepare for.
EXAM END
