Eldritch Guidance

Five minutes ago. Outside the Mystic Emporium Cid was frozen in fear.

In the world there are two unique categories of mages, black mages and white mages. This categorization does not necessarily intricate a practice of any special type of magic, but how mages utilize their magic in relationship with social norms and laws.

To be labeled as a black mage is the same as being labeled as a criminal. Someone who uses their magic to hurt and murder people, or use forbidden magic.

Without a doubt in Cid's mind, black mages are the most vicious and dangerous people in the world. People that needed to be avoided at all costs.

So how did he end up in this situation?

Alexandria Scarlett, also known as the Scarlet Witch in other places, is one of the most infamous black mages in recent years. She is wanted in over a dozen countries, and is famous for burning her victims alive, and right now she was walking towards Cid.

He was sure it was her. Cid had done a class on black mages and remembered seeing her face during a lecture. Her magic abilities were said to be on par with that of an archmage when using pyromancy.

Cid was nervously sweating. The new knowledge he acquired could help in a fight, but it would still pale in comparison to the power of an actual archmage. His only option was to run, but he was doubtful he could actually get away from someone of that level.

“What do I do? I can’t die like this. Maybe I could create a distraction and use that to get away.” Cid was contemplating a way to survive this situation.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize that the Scarlet Witch was already standing right in front of him. She stood a little taller than Cid and looked down at him with piercing red eyes with a smirk.

“Is this what it feels like to be stared at by a predator?” Cid thought frozen in fear.

She just stared at Cid, like she was a cat about to play with her food. Her red eyes shifted from his face to the book he was holding. Her smirk broadened into a bigger smile upon seeing the tome Cid was holding.

Scarlett: “ Hmm. A fellow patron I see. How fortuitous a day that we are to meet.”

Cid was amazed. He couldn’t believe he was still alive and not burned into cinders. She was just talking to him right now. He noted she called him a ‘fellow patron’, Cid wondered if she had mistaken him for a fellow member of a cult.

It’s not uncommon for black mages to also be members of cults. This would be no exception for someone as infamous as Scarlett, but despite her fame, there was no record Cid could recall that mentioned about any cult she was involved with. This was not to say she wasn't a part of a cult, but that information was not public knowledge.

Cid knew far too little about the cults of the nameless gods, and that was the information he most desperately needed right now. He needed to keep pretending to be a member of the same cult as her to avoid a fiery death. His only hope was to try and be as vague as possible, so as not to give away that he wasn't part of any cult.

Cid: “Um yes. Nice to meet you too, fellow compatriot.”

Her smile and composure remained unchanged, as she leaned in closer to Cid's face.

Scarlett: “My my. So nervous. You must be relatively new.”

Cid: “Uh yes. I just joined recently.”

Scarlett: “Join? You don’t join. You are chosen.”

“SHIIIIIIIT!! I already fucked up and barely said anything! Why didn’t I take those classes on cults!” Cid thought to himself in panic.

Cid: “Um yeah no. Sorry i meant…”

Scarlett: "Right now you're wishing you knew more about me, and you're trying in vain to hide your lack of knowledge while you panic."

“Oh shit. She can read my mind. I'm so dead” Cid thought in complete resignation.

Scarlett: "And no. I can’t read your mind. You're just so easy to read. You were giving off such an air of guttural fear when you saw me. I can only assume that fear stems from my reputation. After all, people in terror will assume and say anything to save themselves."

Cid: “If you're going to kill me just get it over with. I'm done being played with.” He said resigning himself to his fate.

Scarlett: “Oh. The boy is growing a spine. However, you may think I'm going to burn you alive, but I don't harm fellow patrons.”

Cid: “Why are you assuming I am part of your cult?”

Scarlett: “The better question is, why are you making assumptions about me.” She said as she backed away from Cid."

Cid: “If you're not talking about a cult, then what are you talking about?”

The Scarlet Witch ignored his question as she just stared longingly past Cid.

He looked to see where she was staring at. She was looking directly at the Mystic Emporium

“Does she know Mr Li? Wait, when she called me a fellow patron was she referring to that store?” Cid thought to himself.

Cid: “Do you know Mr Li?”

Scarlett: “Oh ho. The boy has figured it out.”

Cid: “How do you know him?”

Scarlett: “Like I said, we're fellow patrons of Mr Li. I came today to ask Mr Li if he found me a lab assistant, and it seems my prayers have been answered.”

Cid: “What are you talking about…”

Before Cid could say anything, a ball of flame burst forth from Scarlett's hand before extinguishing itself, revealing what looked to be something like a business card.

Scarlett: “Meet me at this address in a week, and I will not take no for an answer.” She said as she handed Cid the card.

Cid: “Wha???”

Cid's mind went blank. There was too much happening to him at once. One of the most wanted criminals in the world, Alexandria Scarlett, appeared out of nowhere and has some relationship with Mr Li, and was forcing him to become a lab assistant.

“Wait. Did she say lab assistant? Didn’t Mr Li say he could get me work as a lab assistant? You don’t think…” Cid silently thought while Scarlett walked right by him and entered Mr Li's store.

Left alone, Cid just stared at the front door of the Mystic Emporium for a long time before he looked at the card he was given. The card had an address and a meeting time on it. The location in question was some sort of teahouse.

He stared back at Mr Li's store and let his mind wander further.“What in the world did I get involved with? I knew that Mr Li was beyond my understanding, but to be involved with the Scarlet Witch herself.“

There was no doubt in Cid’s mind that the lab assistant job he heard about from Mr Li was her.

“Can I really work for someone like that? She didn't seem to want to hurt me, but was that true?” Cid pondered to himself.

The crimes of the Scarlet Witch were numerous. Arson and murder being the most egregious with a body count that made Cid shudder. Her actions in those cases were not the actions of a human, but a monster.

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Cid: “A monster huh…”

Cid stared at the book that he received from Mr Li. He recalled the truth it had revealed about the world, and where he fit in it. The knowledge he gained had saved him, and it was knowledge that Mr Li had given him.

Cid: "Ahh whatever. I'll just trust Mr Li."

Cid had just given up on thinking about it. He was going to follow Mr Li's advice and try to stop overthinking things and go with the flow.

Cid pocketed the business card and proceeded to walk towards the college.

“She had red eyes too. I wonder if they are related somehow?” Cid pondered as he headed back to the dorm.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

The familiar ringing sound of a bell echoed through the store, as Scarlett opened the door. She must have heard that sound a thousand times already.

Sitting behind his usual table was her dear ‘benefactor’, John Li. He then looked up to notice Scarlett.

Scarlett: “Mr Li, It’s good to see you again.”

John: “What a wonderful coincidence. I was just thinking about calling you.”

The comment he made was innocuous, but she knew better. She believed that John Li was an ancient creature beyond simple human concepts. She understood that he was coy and masked the true meaning of his words. Any comment he made had more significant meaning than most would realize.

Through those conversations and strange happenings, Scarlett created a hypothesis a while ago. John Li was capable of manipulating fate.

What were the chances that the same day she went to John to ask about a lab assistant she would meet a fellow patron. In all the years she had known John, she had never run into another patron while visiting him. There were too many strange happenings to be a coincidence.

Trying to infer deeper meaning by using that hypothesis, Scarlett concluded that the “wonderful coincidence” John spoke of was probably not a coincidence, and he was saying in a coy way, he manipulated fate for her to be here and to meet that boy. Him mentioning about contacting her was indication in her mind that it probably was the case. The ‘calling her’ was probably that feeling she got earlier today, where she just felt like visiting John.

“To manipulate fate just to talk to me. It could have been almost romantic, if it was anyone else.” Scarlett thought to herself silently.

Scarlett: “It's good to see you too. It feels like forever since we talked.”

John: “It really does. Have a seat and let's have a quick chat.” He said as he gestured towards the chair opposite of him.

Scarlett seated herself in front of John. While she was doing that, John had produced a pot of her favorite tea from behind the table. She had seen him do that before, but it never stopped her from wondering how he was able to manifest objects just out of sight, especially without creating any aether fluctuation.

John: “So what brought you here today.” He said as he poured a cup of tea for Scarlett.

Scarlett smirked a bit at the question.

She believed that this was John’s act. That he knew exactly what brought her here, but liked to pretend to be a normal clueless person. This was something that she and all his customers would ultimately go along with and entertain. It was not something she understood why he liked to do this, but figured that it was not her role to question such a powerful being.

Scarlett: “Hmm. Well I just felt like visiting you today.” She said with a smile while sipping her tea.

Just like how she believes everything John says had double meaning, Scarlett would do the same. Her words were to convey that she was “answering” John's manipulation of fate.

John: “Is that so? Well that is flattering, but next time could you visit me earlier. I was about to close up shop for the night.”

“Hmm. It sounds like he’s disappointed in me that I took so long to come here. The next time I get a feeling to visit John, I will have to assume it’s him manipulating destiny and go right away.” She quietly thought to herself.

Scarlett: “I'm sorry I came so late. I got lost in my research and forgot about the time.”

John: “No worries. I just would hate for you to travel all the way to my store and be unavailable for you. After all, I know you live outside the city and it's quite a distance to get here.”

“That's an understatement.” She thought to herself.

Scarlett actually lived in the Wildland in the far north, thousands of miles from here. It was not an easy task to travel from her compound to Graheel. She had to set up a secret teleportation network to get to Graheel, otherwise the trip would take her weeks. She thought that John's comments were him being coy.

This however, was something John didn’t know. He just assumed from previous conversations they had, she lived just outside the city boundaries.

Scarlett: “Thank you for your concern. I’ll keep this in mind. You said you wanted to get a hold of me.” She said, trying to steer the conversation.

John: “Oh yes. Remember when you told me you were looking for an assistant. Well, I think I found someone.”

Scarlett: “Oh, really?” She said with a smirk.

John began to tell her about Cid and his situation, while Scarlett nodded along.

Scarlett knew she had already met the person John was talking about, but that was the game. She needed to put on an act of being a simple researcher and ignorant of all this, going through these conversations and pretending to be unaware. The consequence of not doing so would be severe.

Eventually John finished his explanation and looked at Scarlett expectantly.

Scarlett: “So he needs money to finish his education. Is that right?”

John: “Correct. He didn’t feel comfortable taking my charity, so I told him I would ask you about that research assistant job.”

Scarlett: “You told him about me?”

John: “Well, not directly. I just told him I knew someone looking for a research assistant. I didn’t reveal your name or anything. So don't worry, I didn’t break our promise. I know you're trying to keep a low profile.”

It was a promise they made many years ago. At the time she was weak and couldn’t defend herself. She needed to hide back then, but now it’s different. The Scarlett of today would have not cared if John had revealed her identity, especially if it was to another fellow patron.

Scarlett: “I see. Thank you for that. Well, if you feel like he can be trusted, I can take him on as an assistant.”

The truth was that even if Cid was not the assistance John promised her, she would still try to subordinate him if possible. Those who received John's guidance were more valuable than gold and excellent allies to have.

John: “Excellent. Here is his contact information.” He said as he handed her Cid’s phone number.

Scarlett: “It is a shame though that he wishes to receive education from that place.” She said as she took the paper with Cid's contact information.

John: “Really? I wouldn’t have expected such a learned woman to disapprove of seeking education.”

Scarlett: “Seeking knowledge isn't the problem, it’s the institution. Let’s just say I have some problems with the way the college does things, and leave it at that.”

John nodded his head in response.

Scarlett was betrayed by the people who worked at the college long ago, and they have been a thorn in her side ever since. They were all liars and cheats that would do anything for power. Knowing the kind of people there, she was a little concerned about having Cid so close to that place, but she trusted John, so she didn’t say anything about it.

Yet again, John did not know this. He assumed that she disapproved of the way they teach their students. In his original world, schools focus more on students' GPA rather than teaching them useful life skills. An issue he agreed that needed correcting. He assumed it was a similar situation in this world, so he was sympathetic.

John: “I understand. I do hope you can teach the kid a thing or two while he works under you, to fill in the gaps of his education.”

Scarlett was surprised by the statement. The meaning behind his words was undeniable in her mind. He wanted her to take Cid on as a full blown disciple, not just a simple helper. The first time in a long time since meeting John, she felt apprehensive. She had thought she would never take on another student in her life, but now John was asking her to do so.

She wasn’t even sure if she was ready, but it was a request from John and she would never refuse him.

“How cruel. Asking Me to take on a disciple when he knows how painful that is for me. Although, it has been a long time since that day. Maybe this is John's way of helping me move past this.” She thought to herself.

Scarlett stared blankly at the table for a few seconds before responding.

Scarlett: “Um… yes. I’ll be so sure to whip him into shape the next time you see him.”

John: “Hahaha. Don’t be too hard on the poor boy. Anyways, it’s very late right now and while I would’ve liked to talk more, I need to be closing up shop.” He said as he stood up to walk her out.

“Is this my punishment?” She wondered to herself.

Scarlett wanted to talk to John more, specifically about her experiments, but was being sent away. She could only guess that it was in relation to her not responding to John's “call” earlier. Now he was not willing to even entertain a conversation.

In the time that she knew John, they would have semi-regular conversations.

During those interactions, she would be telling him about the experiments she was doing, and then he would give her vague suggestions on how to improve them. Sometimes she would be able to grasp the meaning of what he was saying, making great strides in her research, but that was not to happen today it seemed.

She was led outside and goodbyes were said. The store closed its door and turned off its lights inside, leaving Scarlett alone on the dim street.

“As far as punishments go, it could have been worse. He only denied giving me any hints for my experiments.” She pondered to herself.

Scarlett: “Although, maybe this isn't a punishment, there might be more meaning that I'm just not seeing. Regardless, I probably shouldn't visit John again until I take Cid fully on as a disciple. We’ll have to get to know each other more before that, and I'll have to figure out what to do with him while he’s attending that school.”

She began to walk down the street, contemplating the work that was ahead of her in the coming days.

As she was making her way to her hideout, she snapped her finger and a man that was in hiding burst into flames. The man in question was using invisibility magic to stalk Scarlett, but he did not go unnoticed by her.

If anyone was here to witness this, it would be a horrifying scene to behold. The man screamed and raved as a sickening smell of burnt flesh and fat filled the street. He rolled on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish the fire, but to no avail. During this entire process nothing could be heard. The man was clearly screaming for his life, but there was only silence. Some strange power that Scarlett possessed robbed the man and his surrounding of all sound.

Scarlett did not even look at the man as she casually walked away.

Eventually the man would stop struggling and collapse. The flames would turn his body and everything he carried to ash.

People living in the neighborhood, unaware of what transpired, would wake up in the morning to find a small pile of ash and soot in the middle of the street.

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