MagiStream

Here's another entry. It's a bit sad, but I hope you enjoy it! I welcome feedback, and if someone finds a grammatical error please tell me! Thanks!

Everyone knows that people who want to make their marks on the world go to Synara, where technological and magical advancements cannot be rivaled by any competitor; as such, some of the most powerful mages in the world reside there, hoping to be found useful by the Synara’s opulent nobility.

Long ago in that country, a particularly famous mage named Serine lived. She was superior in both power and beauty, and was consequently the object of admiration, fear, and envy alike. Her strength made her the prime target of kings and other nobility for magical aid. Unfortunately, the number of people who sought her services equaled the number of assassins sent by the jealous and fearful to kill her.

In order to rest from such a lifestyle, she retreated to a quiet lakeside villa for a time. It was a lovely place: the water was as clear as glass, and the sun made the water shimmer with thousands of imaginary crystals. The water was bordered by the shadow of the forest that extended from its northern bank. A small, backwater village had grown up along the water’s edge as well; the people lived there changelessly, content with their separation from the problems of the denser cities. It was a poor but also peaceful town; that aspect made it a prime spot for Serine to relax.

The villagers, cut off from urban life as they were, had not heard of Serine; however, they could feel the mage’s potent magical aura and were awed by her almost-divine beauty. Such feelings made the poor people kept their distance, which made the mage very sad and lonely indeed. She often spent hours on her porch, watching the village while practicing small magic in the air.

On one such day, Serine was considering her return to the Synara city life. Her life there was stressful and dangerous, but at least she was surrounded by people that needed her. Here, she was lonely. Thinking thus, she sat on her porch, idly creating small magic beings of blue flame, which leaped and danced through the air. The mage had been lost in thought; when she finally came to her senses, she found a two young kittens staring at her with wide eyes. They were dirty and half-starved; fur was missing in places, and one had a piece of its ear torn off. Still, they sat before her, not running from her display like most creatures had done. The thought bewildered her.

“Do you like this?” she asked, taking dirt in her hand. Serine threw the particles in the air, and they turned to bubbles as they fell to the earth. The kittens were far from scared; instead, they mewed with delight, pawing at the bubbles and pouncing on them.

It was the start of a beautiful friendship. The mage took them into her home and put them under her care. Once the dirt and grime had been washed away, they were very handsome creatures: one had cream-colored fur with ginger markings. The other was black with white markings. They licked her and cuddled Serine, never leaving her alone; with them by her side, the mage was finally happy.

However, Serine could not leave her duties as a mage for long. She returned to the city, but she took her new friends with her. The kittens did not mind the change; rather, they reveled in it, never tiring of following the mage in her tasks that took her around the country. The kittens, now grown into beautiful animals, became a trademark of the mage’s presence: the beasts would sit on the roof of whatever building Serine had entered.

Before long, the people all over Synara knew and loved the cats, which had the power to make Serine’s smiles brighter and light the mage’s eyes with a merry glow that had not been previously witnessed by anyone. Unfortunately, the pets were also subject to Serine’s enemies.

One night, the mage woke to the sound of a great crash and the smell of smoke. The assassins had come once more, and this time they came armed with mages. They set her home ablaze with magic fire that could not be doused and sealed her doors and windows. These sealing charms Serine broke easily, but doing so distracted her from the assassins’ movements. As one man prepared to cut the mage down, her two cats leapt into the blade’s path. The resulting blow gave serious wounds to her pets as well as causing them to hit the ground with a force that broke their legs. Seeing her beloveds thus injured sent Serine into a killing rage, taking down all who had come to hurt her.

However, such use of magic had its toll; Serine was left with little energy strength, and her house still burned around her. She looked upon her broken friends with a feeling of horrible guilt; this would not have happened if not for her. With the last of her power, she gave the cats wings on their backs and the order to fly away, being they could not run. The two did not want to leave, but she assured them she would be all right. So off they flew; as they retreated into the night, Serine collapsed with a smile, knowing her loved ones were safe.

***************

The charred remains of Serine’s house were found by the nearby townspeople a few hours later, led to the site by the winged cats. All of Synara mourned the loss of such a great mage. In honor of Serine’s service, the royal family decreed the ones she loved most—her pets—would live the rest of their lives in luxury. Today, the descendents of those two are still kept by the aristocratic women of Synara. Most people have forgotten the creature’s origins, but the memory of Serine will forever be remembered by the cats that bear her wings on their backs.

Very good!

Thanks! It's odd, though, that indents don't show up. I wonder why this is? I edited in spaces between paragraphs to help the eyes.