Judgement - Part 3

Lu paused for a moment to meditate on their options. As Nauzet had said this seemed like the end of the road, one way or another. They let out a deep sigh while putting their ideas in order, standing up and walking around the small room for a bit. Unconsciously, they took a hand to their chest and touched the scar, feeling it, from the left shoulder to the hips. The other hand went to their mouth and Lu started to unwittingly bite it with anxiety. First softly, then harder and harder as they got lost deep in their thoughts. Sitting back down on the chair, Lu realised now the pain and bite marks on their hand.

“And make sure to tell me all the truth and only the truth. You may be able to lie to me, but you won’t be able to lie to the judge.”

“I was born in a small town called Highwaters in Dalia’s Crown, to the south-east. My mom died shortly after my birth so my father raised me. He was one of the most respected people in the town… I also had some friends around my age… they… I mean…” Lu had an idea of what they wanted to say, but as the old memories of their childhood filled their mind the nostalgia became overwhelming, breaking their voice and flooding their eyes.

Nauzet gently extended his hand to hold Lu’s. “It's okay, take your time.” After a moment of silence he gave them something to structure their thoughts around. “That scar on your chest, how did you get it?”

“I am not sure, I have always had it. My dad said that when I was little some embers fell on my chest and they tried very hard to heal me, but I still have the scar.” Lu had never questioned that story, but now saying it out loud it sounded a bit wild.

“Sounds like a scary experience." Said Nauzet, letting go of Lu and scribbling down on his magical book. "Continue when you are ready”

A few minutes passed before they continued. "When I was eight, my father taught me the spell. I practised each day, but I thought I would never actually do it. I am sure he thought he might have more time to teach me later.” They paused for a moment, trying to distance themselves from what they were about to describe, reciting it as a historical recollection of events rather than personal experience. “When I was ten, the town was assaulted by a group of people. I don’t know who they were, or what they wanted. My father tried to speak with them, but they instead killed him first, before plundering the town and killing everyone. I only survived because I got lucky and they didn’t find my hiding spot. I don’t know how long I was alone afterwards, I think for around a week, before some soldiers arrived and found me ‘shivering like a beaten up dog’, as they said, still beneath the floorboards under the wardrobe. I think I didn't move the whole time I was there.”

“Can you describe the... attackers in a bit more detail?” Asked Nauzet, trying to be as tactful as possible.

“I only remember them wearing dark cloaks that hid most of their faces and bodies, like some kind of crazy cult or some shit. But I also wear a dark cloak to hide, so I guess I am not going to criticise that.”

“No symbols or anything we could use to identify them?”

“Not that I remember”

“Okay then.” Nauzet continued writing down everything Lu said.

“Afterwards I lived with one of the soldiers that rescued me, Captain Lidia, and joined the army at 13 like everyone else. I don't remember much details from that period, I was alone most of the time and we did the same routine every day for years so I don't have much to talk about, it is all a blur. I think people didn’t know how to treat me… or I didn’t know how to treat people." Lu’s voice cracked again. That period of their lives that they always remembered as boring and lonely now felt like a peaceful and simple time they might even consider going back to. "During this time I continued practising magic in secret. I used to imagine… dad was there helping me. After a few years I finally managed to succeed. I didn't tell anyone since most of the people there didn’t like mages.” Lu mindlessly reached for their scar again as they continued talking. “Barely a week or so after that came my first real deployment, I think I was eighteen. We were sent to fight off a group of bandits that had been causing problems in the area. It seemed like a simple task at first, and it was, but when we were out in the field I noticed some hooded figures among the residents of the town we were protecting, and I got afraid... I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but they reminded me of the people that burnt my home, so I got scared. So scared that I left everything and ran away. I had no real connections, or at least It didn’t feel like that at the time. Now I think I at least owe an explanation to Lidia. We were never really close, but we got along quite well.” Lu paused, holding back the tears in their eyes. They were not going to cry here.

"Did you desert at that moment?” Asked Nauzet.

“Yep.” They answered, clearing their face. “Ran away and never looked back. Afterwards I was… lost. I remember that my dad used to say that magic could even revive the dead, so at that moment I swore to myself that I would find a way to bring my family and friends back…”

“Try to avoid mentioning that part as much as you can.” Interrupted Nauzet, gently squeezing Lu’s arm to comfort them. “Resurrecting the dead is not a topic to be talked about lightly. At best it is restricted magic, at worst it is an immoral practice that destroys the soul of innocent people… Or at least that is what most people believe. I know it can be done.”

Lu, with wide open eyes, stared at Nauzet for a few seconds “Do you really believe so?”

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Nauzet smiled. “I know so. I have been practising magic for over two centuries and I can confirm your father was right: magic can make any wish you have come true, if you know how to use it.”

“Tell me how, I need to know, I need to know who to ask, how to learn it!” Shouted Lu, holding Nauzet’s hand, laughing with relief and excitement.

“If everything goes according to plan…” He said slowly, calming Lu. “We will meet again under different circumstances and then we can talk about anything you want.”

With a wide smile on their face Lu nodded enthusiastically, then continued their story. “So, I assumed whatever the way to bring people back was, it was going to be expensive. And I also had no money, needed to eat and was a fugitive so stealing seemed like the logical option. It started small, looking for loose coins, some pickpocketing… And it slowly escalated. I am not quite sure at which point I actually started to break into places, but I always tried to keep things small and simple to avoid getting tracked.” Lu looked down, ashamed. “Also, I kind-of feel obligated to say that sometimes I still see the hooded figures. Is hard to explain, cloaks are common and even I use one, but sometimes… I see a figure, something that reminds me of that day. I get paranoid and I run away. I don't like staying in places for long.”

“Do you think they are following you?”

“I don’t know. I think it's just my mind playing tricks on me.” Said Lu playing with their hair.

"It sure is. After what you endured it is no wonder that you still feel paranoid and living a life on the run must have enhanced that feeling." Reassured Nauzet. "I believe that what happened that day was just some crazy people taking advantage of the innocents in the town. It has become sadly common since the war started. How did you end up so close to the capital?” The elf asked.

“I headed this direction because I wanted to go to Dragon Isle University, thinking I could research about resurrection or find someone who knew something. That was the plan, but seeing how I ended up I think it might have not been my best idea.”

“It was a good guess, the execution of the plan is what I believe was not up to par.” Nauzet wrote down the last statement from Lu and then remained silent for some time. “What were your parent’s names?”

“Edgar and Tatiana Lowfield.”

“Is Lowfield their family name?”

“Yeah, I think that is how names work.” Lu replied taking their index finger to their chin and looking up, as if in deep thought.

“I am asking because I met an Edgar an a Tatiana at Dragon Isle some decades ago…” Nauzet flipped through the pages of his magical book with impossible speed. He stopped at one blank page and tapped it with two fingers, causing an image to slowly fade in. The image showed two people in fancy clothes, wearing stoles similar to that of Nauzet but with different colours. A man and a woman. The man was short, with a well kept beard, darker skin and short curly hair. Definitely looked like how Lu remembered their father, just younger. He was holding the hand of who Lu assumed must have been their mother: another human, pale and covered in freckles and moles with gorgeous green eyes that seemed to lit up the picture. They were both smiling and looking at each other. Lu took the book away from Nauzet and stared at the image. They had no way of knowing if the scene depicted was an invention or if it had actually happened, but they didn’t care. Nauzet tried to take the book back, but Lu was holding it tightly, hypnotised by the vision of their long lost family. A single tear fell down their cheek and landed on the book, going through its pages and revealing them momentarily to be just a mirage. As the image flicked out and back into existence, Lu managed to part from it and let Nau take it back.

“Did you know them?”

“Yes, in fact I was their tutor for a long time.” Nauzet smiled and looked into Lu’s still teary eyes. “I had a feeling I had seen that look somewhere. You remind me a lot of your mother.”

Lu laughed and whipped their eyes with the back of their hand “My dad used to say the same.”

“They were both brilliant mages. If it wasn’t for the Magus soaking up all the spotlight your mother would be remembered as the most talented chronomancer of this century. It is a shame that they decided to run away and change their names.”

“Why did they do that?”

“I was hoping you could help me answer that.”

“I am not sure, I don’t remember my dad talking much about his life before moving to town… Oh!” Lu stomped their feet on the floor and sat straight, looking at Nauzet. “You asked for symbols, right? Do you have anywhere I can draw something?” Nauzet offered a blank page in his book. Using only their finger, Lu drew on the page a crude symbol that seemed to resemble an eye that had been stitched open. “This was a symbol my father had in a lot of his books and things. Do you have any idea of what it means?”

“Well… It rings a bell but it is not a common one. I will have to do some research.”

Nauzet smiled again, wider than ever before, and added “Maybe if you end up going to the University yourself you might be able to do your own research about this symbol."

"That would be ideal, but…" Lu made a point to close the restrainer with a loud clicking noise "...there might be some stuff that you need to help me sort out first."

The elf closed the book and stood up. "Your trial is in thirty hours. I will come around to your cell regularly to give you any updates and in case you remember anything you want to tell me. I will do my best, but I can’t guarantee anything. If everything you told me is true, I think we have a good case to argue with the judge and try to get us what we want.”

Nauzet and Lu walked back to their cell without talking much. He seemed happy and confident after the conversation, which made Lu feel at ease for a bit, before they remembered they were relying on someone they had known for an hour at most. Also, now thinking about it, how did he knew about the scar?

When they arrived, Lu walked in and Nauzet closed from the outside. “Thank you.” They said.

“You are most welcome, I just hope I am right in believing in you." He closed the shutter on the small window.

Thirty hours, just over a day. Lu sat down on their bed, with nothing to do now but letting the time pass. For the first time in many years Lu was still, with only memories to keep them company and nowhere to run from them. Memories of long lost evenings down by the river with their friends, of the embrace of their father early in the morning, of having dinner with the neighbours twice a week, even of the long nights around the fire singing songs with the other recruits. As much as they tried to push the memories and the feelings away they kept coming back, unrelenting like the waves of a stormy sea. Soon Lu stopped trying, giving in and sinking to the depth of their emotions. For the first time since they lost their town, Lu allowed themselves to cry about it, to feel their grief. With the sadness of a repressed past finally catching up to them, mixed with the unyielding and desperate hope that they might one day see their loved ones again and undo their fates, they laid in bed and loudly cried themselves to sleep.