Mage's Apprentice

[WP] A mage's magical power and abilities are determined by tattoos that are only visible to other mages. You have not encountered another mage for years, but today someone compliments you on your ink.

*****

I almost blew up the coffee house out of instinct. It had been a decade since someone could see the sigil on my forearm, and I almost died because of it. After all, the only person who can kill a mage is another mage.

"Seriously, that's a sick dragon," said the barista, handing me my coffee. She had a whole sleeve of tattoos, but they were all mundane. That didn't mean anything, though. She could easily be hiding a sigil under her clothes. "That style is really unique. Where did you get it done?"

I glared at her, refusing to grab the coffee.

The barista flinched back.

I looked over my shoulder to check for an ambush. There were several other customers in the room. None looked suspicious. They all just minded their own business, typing away at their laptops or eating bagels. If I destroyed this place, innocent people would get caught in the crossfire.

Why would the barista point out my sigil? If she wanted to catch me off guard, all she had to do was wait. Her name tag said 'Dawn'. She seemed unnerved by my intensity, trembling a little. Could she really be an agent of the Elder Council?

"Uhh... sir?"

I grabbed the coffee, but hesitated to walk away. Turning my back on her might be my doom.

"Move it, pal!" said a customer behind me.

I was holding up the line.

My paranoia urged me to fight, but I quickly dismissed that thought. These people were just eager to get their morning fix. Any delays were met with contempt.

A silent pressure kept mounting on me to walk away. I couldn't afford to just leave, though. This was a severe security breach. Dawn (if that was even her real name) could potentially sell me out to the elder council.

I'd successfully avoided them for the past decade. The thought of having to flee the country again filled me with rage. I went to the back of the coffee house and sat in a corner alone, waiting for my beverage to cool down. From that vantage, I studied Dawn and her interactions with the other customers.

Nothing out of the ordinary occurred. I figured she might be using a charm spell to get more tips, or telepathy to make her job easier, but that never happened.

Dawn appeared to be an average woman in her early twenties. I knew that wasn't the case, though. She wouldn't have seen my sigil if she were a normal person. Her attitude just didn't make sense. There had to be an explanation for this.

Unsanctioned mages were a rarity nowadays. To my knowledge, I was one of only a handful in the world. Then again, the leyline nexus in this city made it difficult to track magical activity. It'd be silly to assume I was the only mage hiding here.

"Excuse me," said a portly man with a neatly trimmed beard. His name tag implied he was the manager of this store. "Is there a problem?"

I glanced at him. "No."

"You keep leering at my employee, and it's making her uncomfortable. I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

I didn't argue back. That would just draw more attention to me. I exited the coffee house, but didn't give up on finding out more. I needed to investigate Dawn. Letting her be could leave a trail that would bring the council's wrath.

This had to be handled with care, though. Dawn might actually be unaware of her magical potential. Not only did I fear getting exposed, I also feared getting her in trouble with the council. She might be living a life of blissful ignorance right now. I would give anything to stay that way back when I was her age. Learning about the magical world was an easy way to lose your sanity.

And so, I hid in an alleyway, waiting for Dawn to finish her shift.

I'd never felt more creepy in my life. This wasn't something I liked to do. An outside observer could easily mistake me for a weird stalker, and I couldn't blame them. It was a necessary evil, though. I needed to be sure I was safe before moving on with my life.

Dawn left the coffee house at midday. Her quick stride made me afraid that she knew of my presence, but then I noticed she was heading to a college campus, seemingly late for a lecture.

I tried to stay on her trail. The fact that I was in my forties meant that I would stand out in that environment, especially since I didn't look like a professor at all. The best I could do was wait outside the building she entered and hope she wouldn't use another exit.

A few hours later, Dawn emerged from the building with much less enthusiasm than before. She stretched out her arms with a yawn before leaving the campus.

I blended into a crowd of pedestrians while following her.

For all intents and purposes, Dawn looked like an ordinary woman for her age. Suspecting her of being an agent of the council felt more ridiculous as time went on.

I slowly started feeling ashamed about this whole endeavor. Was this really what my life had devolved into? I'd once been one of the mightiest mages in history.

Now, I was living in fear of a harmless young woman, wasting an entire day on her just to feel safe. Perhaps, instead of giving into paranoia, I should just be strong enough to endure any hardship.

No.

I couldn't do that. It was the same arrogance that got me exiled in the first place. This was the rational decision.

And then, caught in my self-loathing daze, I realized Dawn had disappeared.

A horrible shiver went down my spine.

"Why are you following me?"

I turned around to see Dawn behind me, holding a can of pepper spray.

Great. "How did you-"

"Answer me!"

I sighed. "This isn't what it looks like."

Dawn scowled. "Really? I know you've been stalking me all day. My friends saw you too."

Shit. I didn't think of that. Now there were more witnesses connecting me to her. I couldn't back down, though. This was my chance to learn what she knows. "Look, I can explain, but if you're going to threaten me, you're going to need more than pepper spray."

Dawn stayed quiet. If she could use magic, now would be the time.

"You wanted to know about my sigil, right?"

Dawn squinted. "Sigil?"

I was almost convinced that she didn't know. Almost. For all I knew, Dawn might just be a great actress.

"What are you talking about?"

I showed her my forearm. "This. You can see it, right?"

"Duh. Who can't?"

"Most people."

Dawn widened her eyes. "So... you're the same?"

"Same?"

Dawn scanned the area for people, then dragged me into an alleyway. "I... I have one too." She then turned around and lifted her shirt, showing me her back. A pair of wings were engraved on her shoulder blades, each glowing with power. Sigils. "I've had it for as long as I can remember. Nobody could see them, though, so I thought I was insane. It's... why I love tattoos so much. Can you tell me more?"

I shook my head. "If you've been able to live well until now, then you're better off not knowing."

Dawn pouted.

"I mean it. You have no idea of the madness that lurks in this world. The fact that the council doesn't know of your existence is the biggest blessing on Earth."

"Council?"

I pursed my lips. That was too much information.

"Come on!" said Dawn. "Don't leave me hanging like that."

I made eye contact with her. She didn't flinch away. Her earnest stare demonstrated great conviction. I needed to scare her away. "Fine, you want to see what's going on?" I lit my hand on fire and threw a fireball deeper into the ally.

It melted a dumpster in an instant.

That should do it.

I'd never met anyone who didn't run away at the sight of one of my fireballs, mage or layman.

"That was awesome!" shouted Dawn, thrilled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"Can I do that too?"

It didn't scare her at all. If anything, it emboldened her.

"Y-you know, I could do that to you, right?"

"Will you?"

"No, but-"

Dawn shrugged it off. "Then what's the problem?"

I couldn't help but drop my jaw. This girl was kinda nuts. Nobody in their right mind would see this and not be intimidated. I scratched my head for a second, then said:

"I got nothing. This is ridiculous."

"What?" I frowned. "No."

Dawn slumped her head, disappointed.

For some reason, I felt bad over putting her down like that. Dawn said it herself, she hadn't met anyone who could see her sigil. Living like that, constantly doubting your sanity, must've felt incredibly isolating. I knew that because I'd been surviving the same way for close to two decades. From her perspective, this was the first time in her life someone could give her answers. Getting rejected must feel crushing. I couldn't just ignore her now. If another mage had found her, she could've been in great trouble.

"Fine," I said. "If you want to learn more, meet me at the park tomorrow at 4 AM."

"4 AM? That's really early. Can't we do it later? Or now?"

"It's my final offer. Take it or leave it."

Dawn bit her lip for a moment, then said:

"Okay. 4 AM."

And so, I found my first apprentice in decades, and maybe even a new friend.

*****

THE END