We Three Knights

At first, Olivia didn’t understand how her mother’s eyes always seemed to be a different color. She suspected that her mother was manipulating them, and Olivia needed to know how. If she was feeling happy, her eyes would turn a radiant yellow. If she was feeling sad, her eyes would turn midnight blue. And, if she was upset, her eyes would turn a deep crimson.

This wasn’t the only strange phenomenon Olivia observed. If her parents wanted something on a shelf or in another room, they would point a stick in its direction and the item would float to them. And whenever Olivia cried, they would make pretty sparkly colors appear. Olivia liked those sparkles. But more than that, she wanted to create them herself.

At only five months old, she could understand speech. She learned that the wonderful moving colors around her were called magic. She watched the spells being cast, memorizing them. Because one day, she would be the greatest wizard alive.

At one, she could walk and follow her parents around their massive manor, watching them perform magic and learning from them. She had to know more. After listening and watching her mother read her stories for two years, she could finally make out what the letters meant and, by three, she could write and do mathematics. It wasn’t long before her parents realized she was a prodigy.

At four, they let Olivia read elementary magic spell books where she could recite every spell and the required wand movements just from memory. The rudimentary magic sustained her curiosity for a week, and then Olivia grew bored. So, she started sneaking into her father’s study to read his advanced magic spell books. She practiced day and night as she tried to cast spells like her parents. But no matter how hard she tried or how much she knew, she couldn’t get any of them to work.

At six, her mother’s eyes changed to a peculiar color, one Olivia had never seen before, an olive green. The color clashed terribly with her mother’s long, black hair.

It remained that color for eight weeks before turning black. On that day, she learned that her body wasn’t capable of containing mana, which would explain why every spell she tried failed. She would never be able to use magic. Olivia cried in her mother’s arms as she apologized, more to herself than to her mother. After that day, her mother’s eyes would never change color again.

They classified Olivia as one of the forsaken, a wizard that mana has abandoned. She will never be allowed to set foot in the Imperial Sun City, go to the academy, find a job, get married, or even have children, as the country is afraid she will pass on her affliction to the next generation or those around her. The forsaken are the abominations of the wizarding world, a blemish to be erased, and no wizard would want to be associated with one.

At seven, her parents moved away, leaving Olivia to live alone in the manor, sealed away to protect the rest of the world. There Olivia lived in almost complete solitude.

The only visitor she had was from her family’s steward, Elizar, who would stop by once every three months to check on her. He would come by to deliver books, essentials, like toothpaste and shampoo, or anything else Olivia may have asked for him to purchase, which was never refused. She once asked for two suits of armor so she could sleep, believing she had soldiers guarding the world from her affliction. And the next time the steward appeared, he had exactly what she requested.

With the books he brought, she taught herself how to cook, cultivate a garden, non-magic advanced medicine, and magic. Well, she learned what magic was. Even if she couldn’t use any, she still wanted to learn everything she could. She was also curious about the mysterious world around her and longed to see it someday. Aside from on her pages Olivia had never seen the outside world.

On her tenth birthday, Elizar appeared. Olivia had spent the last three birthdays alone, so she was eager to greet him. She swung open the massive oak front door and looked out excitedly at her guest. The wind howled as heavy rain battered the marble steps. It was storming furiously when her steward came staggering up the staircase.Olivia could tell something was wrong. His silver hair that was normally combed back slickly now hung over the right side of his face like a curtain. He was clutching his chest, and a cloth covered his left eye. And there was blood—a lot.

He lifted his gaze and found Olivia standing in the doorway. She had never seen him wear such a sad expression. “Forgive me, my lady. I have failed you.”

And then he collapsed.

At ten years old, Olivia performed surgery for the first time in her life. Elizar’s lungs had collapsed, several of his ribs were broken and his left eye was missing. He was lucky to be alive.

He remained in a coma-like state for three years, and she cared for him the entire time. When Elizar finally woke up, she couldn’t have been happier. Any proper doctor may have been able to heal him, and sooner.

After ten months of therapy, Elizar regained his ability to speak and finally told Olivia what had taken place years prior.

Elizar supported her parents as they fought in a battle against a powerful enemy. A demon. Demons are the most dangerous species on the planet. Their purpose is to conquer the world and all things within it. Seven hundred years ago the Demon Queen was defeated by the Imperial Sun City’s King and an order to eradicate the species was given. Most have died off but there are still a few powerful ones who remain, or so I’ve read. My parents seem to have come across one. They all tried to escape, but the enemy was too strong. Elizar was the only survivor.

Seven years later, despite her parents’ death, she was still sealed in the manor. A barrier protected her family’s manor and the land surrounding it. And from what she could tell, the seal only applied to her.

Olivia tested objects and animals and learned they could all pass through the barrier freely. And she had observed Elizar pass through many times. But if she tried to cross the barrier, it would teleport her to her bedroom. There, it sealed her in for two hours. She thought this was her parents’ way to punish her for trying to escape.

One day, she had returned from watering the yellow daisies in her front garden when the most handsome young man, with long copper hair, pulled into a narrow ponytail, came walking up the stone path. He told her he was lost and needed directions to a nearby town.

For Olivia, it was love at first sight.

Her heart longed for the young man, but she knew once he found out she was forsaken he would surely leave her too. So, she provided him with directions and returned up the marble steps.

However, the next day, when Olivia was trimming the bushes, the young man came walking up the path again. This time, Olivia noticed he had a scar on his right cheek. She wondered what could have harmed such a beautiful face.

“Good morning miss, I don’t mean to bother you, but I wanted to thank you for helping me find my way yesterday.” He bent low as if bowing to royalty. “If it isn’t too much, I’d like to thank you properly. The Gardenia festival is next week. Would you like to go? .... with me?”

Her heart fluttered in her chest.

The Gardenia festival was an annual tradition among the citizens in this region. Once a year, the town of Flora hosts a festival to celebrate this year’s crops and trade amongst one another. There is music, dancing, contests and so much more. Olivia read all about the festival and always dreamed of going. Now she would have a chance to see her dream fulfilled and finally be able to live like a real wizard.

Only she wasn’t a wizard at all.

She was forsaken and, therefore; It barred her from attending the festival.

Olivia looked at the handsome man and, though her heart wanted nothing more than to go with him, she knew it could never happen. “I’m afraid I cannot make it to the festival this year. However, I will still accept your gratitude. I hope you have a magical time.” Before he could say another word, she walked up the marble steps and inside her home, shutting the door behind her. Only when she was inside did she let herself feel the pain as tears rained down her face.

The next day, Olivia began looking through the recent batch of books Elizar had brought her. There were one hundred and fifty-two of them this time, and if she didn’t catalog them now, she wouldn’t have time to read one before the day was done.

The books were stored in a magical container, the shape of a grimoire engraved with a magic circle. When activated, this circle will release one content item upon each activation.

Magic circles don’t require any mana to activate.

When a magic user creates a circle, they imbue it with their mana, storing a piece of their power until it’s activated. As long as you know the correct way to activate the circle, anyone can do it. The creator’s stored power is finite, of course, but you can refill the magic circle with your mana, allowing for the object to continue functioning.

The entire manor runs off of circles and scripts. Each time Elizar comes by, he uses his mana and replenishes them, since Olivia isn’t able to.

She pressed her right index finger on the bottom right corner of the box, activating the circle. In a stream of white and gold, a book materialized, landing gently in Olivia’s hands. ‘Magic 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Wizardry’. She grabs the book tightly, clutching it to her chest. She had been waiting for this year’s edition ever since the council announced there would be a whole chapter about the forsaken.

And she knew the perfect place to read it.

Olivia ran out the door and down the spiral staircase, carrying the book close. She knew she should finish with the sorting, but she couldn’t wait to learn something new. She ran through the foyer and swung open the front door.

The first thing she noticed was how sweet the air smelled, the second was how blue the sky was, and the third was the handsome young man walking up the stone path to her front door.

He was carrying a basket and a bouquet of hydrangeas. When he noticed her standing there, he smiled and waved.

Panicked, Olivia slammed the door and locked it tight.

A moment later, a knock came, and a voice called from the other side, “Uh, good evening, miss, since you said you couldn’t make it to the festival next week. I thought I would show my gratitude with a picnic instead. There is a lovely lake not too far from here and the view is quite remarkable.”

She couldn’t breathe.

Her heart and mind were competing in the biggest race of her life.

Olivia sat there quietly in hopes the man would leave. After thirty minutes, her breaths evened out. She peeked out the entry window and found that the young man was still standing there, patiently waiting. If she left him there for longer, she was certain he would eventually leave. So she returned to her library and began sorting the batch of books again.

Two hours later, she finished organizing the books into their new homes and was ready to read the first. She found the book lying on the floor in front of the entry door and her heart beat faster as she thought of the young man who had once been waiting on her front steps. She would cherish that memory forever because Olivia knew she would never get another chance again.

Wiping the stray tear from her face, she opened the front door once more. The smell outside was no longer sweet, the sky was a dull blue and the stone path was empty. Olivia read in a book once that when your heart longed for something it would never have, the world could feel like a darker place.

Olivia closed the door, deciding to read another day.

The next day, Olivia tended to her garden. The tomatoes were ripening prematurely, and she couldn’t allow that. After giving the plants some Magi-Slow, a yellow powder that will slow the current stage of a plant’s growth, producing an even bigger and juicer harvest, Olivia moved on and watered the cucumbers.

Once done with the garden, Olivia took a break and was ready to start the new book. She headed down a dirt path just outside the garden leading to the cotton candy woods behind her home. The trees here collected so much mana that it became visible, even to those who could not sense it, and it reminded Olivia of cotton candy.

She followed a trail of dandelions leading to an opening in the heart of the woods. The light glistened and reflected off the mana, creating a shimmering dust in the air. Sometimes, if Olivia focused hard, and after a few hours of unsuccessful attempts, for one second she could feel a small amount of mana. However, in this spot, she could feel the mana without even trying.

The mana in this forest looked and felt like a mirage, casting a rainbow-colored haze in Olivia’s vision. Mana was being pulled into the center of the opening by a stone, absorbing it in wind-like streams.

The mana comes from everywhere. Any time a wizard uses any type of magic, be it a spell, circle, tool, or weapon, it releases the mana into the atmosphere and it then gets absorbed into nearby natural items or dissipates. Very few wizards can absorb casted mana.

This stone is one of those natural items.

It absorbs mana from everyone in the valley, and possibly farther. Once the natural item reaches capacity, it will release the mana into the immediate area, and anything or anyone who can use magic can absorb it, increasing their overall magical power. The magic you receive varies based on how much mana the item has received, and what kind of mana the wizard can use.

Olivia found this stone when she was eight years old, after following the strange trail of mana. It was the first time she had ever seen what mana looked like outside of a spell being cast. Olivia has been preparing for the day the stone will release its mana and when that day comes, she will be there, ready and waiting to become a wizard.

She climbed up on the stone and opened her book to chapter thirty-seven: The Forsaken.

“Chapter Thirty-Seven: Forsaken.”

Mana is in the air we breathe. Mana is in the sounds we hear. Mana is a part of the earth beneath our feet. Mana is in everything.

Every person on this planet can absorb and use mana for magic circles, spells, tools, and various other items. Those with the ability to use this mana are called wizards. Those without the ability to use mana are called forsaken. The ability to absorb mana is very simple and requires a basic skill set to use. Those who are forsaken lack this basic ability.

The society we live in today relies on one’s ability to use mana, and if someone cannot, then they are not worthy. To protect society, the forsaken must never be allowed to mingle with wizard-kind. To reduce this curse, the Imperial Sun King ordered that it be illegal for them to marry or bear children. It also barred them from all cities and villages. All forsaken must be registered with the Knights of the Imperial Sun…….”

“-AGHHHH” Olivia screamed in frustration.

The council finally acknowledged the forsaken, only to display them as a waste of space.

She lay down on the rock and covered her eyes to hide her frustration.

“Miss, are you okay?” a male called from the forest.

Startled, Olivia jumped to her feet and began searching for the voice. Who was that? And why were they here? She looked behind her to find the handsome farmer staring at her from the edge of the woods. The sun kissed his bronze skin creating a soft glow around him. He was holding a bouquet of white dandelions and a picnic basket.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

He stared at her with pity before smiling sweetly as he walked towards her rock. “I was on my way to your home to ask you on another date when I heard you scream. I ran as quickly as I could to make sure you were okay.” His smile burned through her as he walked closer. He was gorgeous.

She felt herself turn pink. “Well, as you can see, I am fine. Thank you.”

He reached the edge of the stone and lifted the flowers towards Olivia. She noticed he was careful not to touch the stone.

She stared cautiously at the dandelions and then at the handsome man below her. Now that she looked at him closer, she noticed his eyes were the color of amber and his copper ponytail reached far down past his waist. He wore khaki pants and a simple white shirt. To most people, he wouldn’t have looked very impressive, but to Olivia, he was like a phoenix that sang directly to her heart. She wanted him. She needed him.

She grabbed the dandelions and scooted over to make space for him on the rock. His eyes widened and Olivia swore they turned gold, but when she blinked, they were amber again. “What is your name?”

Instead of climbing on the rock, he placed the picnic basket, or that’s what Olivia thought it was, on the ground. After tapping the center of the lid, he lifted it and reached his arm inside the basket, he pulled out a table and placed it near the stone.

He reached back in, pulled out a set of chairs that look more like a pair of thrones, and started setting the table with plates, cups, silverware, and even food. Once he finished, he walked over to the stone Olivia was on and reached his hand up for her.

He looked at her with that damn smile again. “My name is Aric Amedoria and ever since the moment I laid eyes upon you, I could not get you out of my head. So please allow me to get to know you better and grace me with a moment of your precious time.”

Olivia’s entire world tilted, and before she could think, she was sliding off the stone and into Aric’s arms. He chuckled, “Pardon me, but this is when you would introduce yourself?”

Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, so she looked away, embarrassed. “My name is Olivia Mar-. Olivia. It’s just Olivia.” Even though she was falling for him, she must still be cautious. If he knew her full name, he may learn what she was. Of course, she intended to tell him at some point, but only after the date was over. She knew it wasn’t right to hide it from him, but she didn’t know when another chance like this would happen.

He guided her to the table, and only after she was comfortable did he sit down. Olivia stared in awe as food she had never seen or heard of before magically appeared on the table. Olivia took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of exquisite delicacy. It melted over her senses, relaxing her body as she eagerly loaded up her plate. She had crossed to the middle of the table to grab a jello-like substance, that looked almost as if it were made from crystal when she saw the amused look on Aric’s face. He nodded his head to her left. Her mouth fell open as she stared at his plate floating between each dish, controlled by his mana to fill with food.

All wizards were capable of a simple flotation spell, as it requires the basic ability to control mana, which anyone can do.

Anyone who can use mana, that is.

She felt her face turn crimson. “I could do that too, but I like to preserve my mana.” She laughed awkwardly and began stuffing her face.

He stared at her curiously, as if contemplating her excuse. After a moment, he smiled and called his plate back to him. He stood up and began loading his plate without using his mana. Once he reached her end of the table, he set his plate next to her. Before she could question him, he left to grab his chair.

Olivia felt a lump in her throat when the cup beside her filled with a red bubbling liquid. She looked over at Aric as he poured the beverage into her glass before taking his place beside her. “It’s glaribone juice. My family has a farm east of here and there’s a colony of glari that inhabits the grove nearby. I juiced this myself. What do you think?”

Glaribone juice comes from a worm-like creature that inhabits places near agricultural areas, such as farms or natural fields. Plants absorb the mana in the Earth and use it to grow, while also breaking down the mana’s properties to remove any soul mana that it can’t absorb. It releases the soul mana back into the Earth and sends it outside of the field.

Glari worms are about a foot long and feed off of this soul mana and cycle it, absorbing it into their soul. For an unknown reason, this causes the worms to create an exoskeleton as bones form. Once it has absorbed enough soul mana, it will transform into, on average, a six-foot-tall shimmering butterfly, with a conscious. The glari butterfly can absorb mana and use it to spew venom, and because of its bone-like interior, it can withstand physical attacks and act as its shield. To get glaribone juice, a wizard must defeat a glari butterfly and remove the bones, which is no easy feat.

The bones contain mana spirit.

High-level creatures that gain intelligence within the soul can absorb mana into their soul and can use that soul mana to enhance their current spells and abilities. This process only happens to animals or spirits. But we can harvest that mana and use it for ingredients to cook potions with to increase the density and power of a wizard’s spirit. It is very rare and costs a high price. Even a forsaken can improve their spirit, at least that’s what Olivia read in a book once.

So she had always wanted to test that theory. And what better way than with Glaribone juice?

She carefully lifted the glass to her lips and tasted the bubbly substance. The tangy flavor swirled in her mouth and popped furiously as she drank it down. After she finished the glass, she could feel the juice working its way through her channels.

Every person was born with mana channels inside their entire body that regulate the absorbed mana to one point. Just below the heart lies a crystal orb, where a wizard stores the absorbed mana. Even though Olivia is incapable of absorbing mana, she still has those channels and an orb, except hers are just empty. When she attempts to absorb mana, it just bounces off her skin, as if her body is rejecting it.

A wizard’s soul orb is their lifeline. If destroyed, they die. With enough practice and meditation, a wizard can find their soul orb, which is in a different place for everyone. Conveniently, Olivia’s soul orb is in her heart, right next to her mana orb. The glaribone juice sets itself nicely inside her soul orb and begins dissipating into soul mana, which is then violently pushed out of her mana channels and back into the woods.

Her vision blurred as she gasped for air and shook. Even her soul was rejecting her.

For the first time, Aric’s smile faded. The mana in the forest was easily detectable and, for that reason, he could see what happened.

Olivia tried to play it cool. “Wow, this juice packs a punch, doesn’t it?” He stared blankly at her. “You said it was called glaribone juice, right? I’ve never had it.” Her halfhearted laugh echoed across the clearing.

He chuckled as he poured the juice from her glass into the Earth. He poured her a new glass. “Few wizards have ever tasted this juice, so I can understand if it is too much for you. Please have some cranberry instead.”

Relieved, she ate her meal while Aric talked about his family’s farm, the various animals they raised, and the crops they grew. What started as small talk turned into hours of conversation and laughter until Olivia lay on the floor of the forest next to Aric, with the moon shining brightly over them.

“Now that I’ve told you my life story, I’d love to learn more about yours. Just Olivia.” He teased as he scooted closer to her. She could feel his arm press up against hers.

She didn’t know what to tell him. The only past she had was filled with sadness and fear. How do you tell someone how alone you’ve been when you’ve only just met them? She franticly searched her memories for anything she could tell him.

“When I was a small child, my father would sing to me just before bed each night. He would work long hours and wouldn’t make it home until well after my bedtime, but he would never say no to a lullaby.

’I would make my mother promise that if I fell asleep, she needed to wake me up just before my father came home so that he could put me back to sleep. And my mother always kept her promises.”

She closed her eyes, remembering her father’s soft and gentle voice as he climbed into the bed with her, holding her tight and singing a sweet lullaby.

“One day I went to sleep and asked my mother to promise to wake me, as I had every night. She didn’t respond and continued tucking me into bed. It didn’t matter though, because I knew my mother would do it, anyway. I’m not sure why I woke up, but something told me to. It was like a voice whispering in my head telling me to wake up.

“I looked around my room and saw the morning light creeping through my bedroom window. I frantically jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, hoping I hadn’t missed my father coming in yet. As I ran through the manor, I noticed how increasingly quiet it was. Eventually, I reached the front door, only to find a letter. I never saw my parents again.”

Only after the story was over did she realize tears were falling down her face. She hadn’t meant to share something so sad and personal, but once she started talking, she couldn’t stop as a weight steadily lifted itself from her shoulders. This was the first time she had ever shared that moment with anyone. She sat up to find Aric staring at her with his legs crossed as the moon reflected brightly in his amber eyes. The surrounding mana flowed around him in a haze of orange until she thought she saw a vision of a dragon before it disappeared quickly.

They stared into each other’s eyes and the world stood still as her heart beat faster. Aric pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her.

“I’m forsaken.”

He stopped.

Her tears fell faster. She knew one day she would have to face this rejection. “So you should go. Thank you for everything. I will never forget you. But you may forget me.” She stood up, releasing herself from his arms, and headed towards her home.

“If I could forget you, I wouldn’t have begged you to be with me today.” She turned to face him. He was standing now, and for the first time, she noticed the black strip of hair peaking from his left side. He was staring at her intensely with that ridiculous smile that made her heart flutter. That made her want him.

“I can’t use magic, Aric. I never will. I’m an abomination. Even my parents couldn’t stand to be near me.” This was the first time she ever said the words out loud, and they cut her like a knife.

“Olivia, I’ve known you couldn’t use magic from the moment we met.” She held her breath. “You watered the flowers in front of your home without magic and when I appeared before you today, you were carelessly lying on a natural mana stone. Do you know what happens to a wizard who touches those stones?” He questions.

I shake my head. I had not read or even heard anything about mana stones before. I’ll have to ask Elizar for books about them.

“If I were to touch that stone, it would have siphoned all of my magical power and killed me. If I’m being honest, just being so close has me feeling slightly woozy.” She hadn’t noticed it before, but he appeared to be slouching and his bronze skin was paling. He walked over to Olivia and, without another word, he grabbed her hand, guiding her through the forest.

Olivia’s mind was moving so fast she couldn’t sort it all out.

He didn’t care?

He knew this whole time she was powerless, and he still came for her. Her parents’ letter had told her that no one could want her and here was a man telling her he would. After a short walk, they reached the edge of the forest that led back to Olivia’s garden. Aric let go of her hand and stood in front of her.

He was standing taller now and his skin appeared brighter as color returned to his cheeks. He was absorbing nearby mana. “Olivia, it does not matter to me if you’re forsaken or if you are the most powerful wizard alive. I have never been happier. And I want to continue being happy. With you.”

Olivia laughed. She always dreamed of the day she wouldn’t have to be alone, and she knew it would make her cry. However, Olivia cried even at the smallest things.

She grabbed Aric’s hand and smiled back at him. Today was the first day of their journey together and the happiest day of her life.