(Madelyn"s POV)I"m at home, minding my own business in the living room while most of us are out.
I was crafting a PlayStation controller out of a block of wood; purely for the good memories I"ve had and something to remember if I somehow forget the reason why I"m here.
Steven was reading a book next to me, sitting comfortably on the couch in his grey cardigan given to him by Hugo. He was shooting looks at me, the kind that shows he"s worried.
Steven: "Madelyn… are you… alright?"
Madelyn: "I am, just bored."
I know he can be caring and it"s nice and all, but I like to have some alone time without someone asking me a question just because they feel bad. I"m just really in a "f.u.c.k you" mood and I don"t want to lash out on someone that doesn"t deserve it.
Steven: "If… you had the chance, would you go back home?"
Home?
This is my home, for now. I want to live in a city, like Everhand if it"s the way Steven has been hyping it. I"ve had a taste of the open life and while it"s enjoyable, it just isn"t for me. Hunting and fishing weren"t as easy as I had hoped it would be. Let"s not forget the shortages of supplies when things get tough.
To top it off, my feet have been through enough poorly crafted shoes for one lifetime.
Madelyn: "…no…"
I still want to see this world, I"ve only witnessed a fraction of it so far. It can"t be all happy and rainbows, I should know that. There"s so much to do here!
Madelyn: "I just want to learn magic."
Steven: "Magic? Well, the only way is through a contract."
Madelyn: "A contract? What is that like?"
Steven: "It"s, uh, a contract. Like interspecific cooperation in a sense. The servant will receive their so-called "master"s" Magic Power and in return, you pretty much do everything they say."
Do everything they say? I"m not sure how I would feel to have someone as my master. I prefer to do my own thing in my own time.
Madelyn: "I have to do what someone says? That"s lame."
Steven: "No, it"s not. You have to find the right one."
Madelyn: "How do I find the right one?"
Almost like I said some keyword, his face lights up as an idea popped into his head.
Steven: "Actually, you can be my servant. If you want."
Madelyn: "Servant?"
Well, he isn"t a horrible person. It"s starting to sound like a good deal. He can"t be that much of a jacka.s.s and make me do something above and beyond.
Madelyn: "You won"t make me do anything unreasonable?"
Steven: "No."
Madelyn: "Promise?"
I can"t believe I just said that! It"s been so long since I made a promise with someone that I feel like I"m in my freshman year again.
Steven: "I promise…"
Madelyn: "Alright, how do we get started?"
Steven: "Well, I"m not sure myself."
Our prayers have been answered as Young Mi enters the cabin. She"s smiling and happier than usual. I"m not sure if anyone else made the deduction but I know it"s because we"re in Twilight, a completely undiscovered archipelago. It"ll make anyone wonder what juicy and amazing secrets are hidden here especially for someone as adventurous as Young Mi.
Young Mi: "Good afternoon."
Steven: "Good afternoon, Young Mi. Where are the others?"
Young Mi: "With Rayna, they should be here in a few minutes."
Steven: "Oh, well, could you help us with something? I want to make Madelyn my servant, but I don"t know how to do it."
Young Mi: "Then you want a bonding ceremony."
Steven: "No, a contracting ceremony."
Young Mi: "It"s the same thing. Nekomatas call it a contracting ceremony."
Because of the "bonding" ceremony, the idea of marriage crosses my mind. I was put off by the servant thing and I"m starting to reconsider.
Madelyn: "I want to learn magic but don"t want to give myself away to anyone."
Young Mi: "Really? It"s not marriage if you"re thinking of it like that. Steven is a good person, I know he"ll be a great master for you, Madelyn. If you need time to think, then go ahead."
Madelyn: "No, I want to use magic!"
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Steven: "Well, thank you, Young Mi… can you do it?"
She stops and takes a deep breath.
Young Mi: "Are you sure this is what you both want?"
Both Steven and I look at each other before back at Young Mi, silently nodding.
Young Mi: "Good… I can get started right now, but, Steven, I need you to rest."
Steven: "s.h.i.t… alright, just do it quickly."
He seemed reluctant suddenly and when Young Mi placed her hand on his head, I found out why. She used her power to render him unconscious and lay him flat on the ground. It was like he was knocked out in a fight! Her magic zaps away his energy!
Madelyn: "Wait, will he be alright?"
Young Mi: "He needs to be asleep, or—"
She slowly pats her chest where her heart is.
Young Mi: "—It can be very painful."
Talk about a leap of faith. If this is so complicated, I wonder how people got around to figuring this stuff out. It"s like an easter egg, there"s no finding all of them in normal gameplay. Or, you know, back then, someone had to be crazy enough to eat chicken eggs for the first time.
Young Mi: "Oh?"
She had her hands out, glowing a purplish color over his body. It was like she was inspecting him on a much deeper level.
Madelyn: "What"s wrong?"
Young Mi: "I won"t be needing to prepare anything, he"s already been contracted. It went over my head that he was already a servant."
Madelyn: "Contracted? Well, how does it work? How does it tell you?"
Young Mi: "It"s a sense one can gain after practicing magic. Not everyone can do it as it takes time and patience."
Madelyn: "How does a servant get magic?"
Young Mi: "Think of this as a tree: the trunk is the master, the branches are the servants. They get their magic from the master."
Madelyn: "If it"s like a tree, then what about the roots?"
Young Mi: "Then—the roots are what channel the magic to the person. Everyone has them, and some more than others. You, on the other hand, it"s like you"ve lived all your life on a place devoid of magic for centuries, no, millennia, and it shows. Your roots are virtually non-existent!"
Madelyn: "Then, Steven? How come he can use magic after he told us he was too far from his master to have a connection?"
Young Mi: "He formed his own roots. His body used his master"s roots as a guide to form their own."
I could start off as a branch and eventually become my own tree! Surely, I could be a better mage than Steven if I really put my back into it.
Madelyn: "Alright, then let"s get started."
Young Mi: "I also need you to rest before I can continue, Madelyn."
Madelyn: "Will it hurt?"
She shook her head and grabs my arms. She was at least generous enough to have me lay down first before she started. As soon as her hands reached the back of my neck, the energy in my body was drained almost instantly, and I slipped into unconsciousness.
For now, I felt like I was in limbo; floating aimlessly in a dark void…