MagiStream

Nowadays we see so many mages walking around with powerful creatures as pets. Most of us take it for granted, but a few of us wonder why it is that taming these powerful beasts is so easy when many of them could easily tear apart their masters. These are the people who remember best the exhilaration of hatching their first friend, and the bewilderment and awe for the unquestioning loyalty and trust these creatures put into humans, who are in fact the least trustworthy species of all. Is it power and intelligence that gained their loyalty? Doubtful. Smart and strong as humans are, we are insignificant compared to the powers of the natural world. And what use is wit and trivia in the face of talons and jaws the size of the human head? Well for those of you who wonder, there is a story to tell…history or legend, one cannot say. It’s a little bit of both…

Now, to clear up some difference between a few generations of changes, let us be informed that in the past, the same creatures eating from your hand now were man’s enemies before. They were more powerful than their contemporary descendants, whose power is diminished by domestication. Misunderstanding and power breeds fear, and fear in turn gives rise to brutality. Violence makes no friends, so of course man’s efforts to conquer nature’s powers became an uneasy war between steel and talons, arrows and firebreath.

Someone once said all good legends start in a tavern. The statement is debatable, but this story does in fact start in an inn that many of you may find familiar. Remmy’s great grandfather Remius built the place close to the forest to help—and of course earn a pretty penny from –the mercenaries and merchants travelling across this part of Synara. It was the only inn in its area, and the last place for comfortable food and shelter for many days if one’s travels took him through dark forest just beyond. One day, a young mage with his elderly yet knowledgeable master made a stop at the inn. A mercenary, spying the pair’s fine clothing, decided to fill his pockets in between his jobs. He ventured into the forest and stole a bright glowing egg, knowing how valuable it was to knowledge-hungry mages and hoping to become rich by selling it. The egg’s mother, a large silver phoenix, was not amused and followed the thief back to the inn. The inn was quickly set ablaze in wild blue flames as the mother unleashed her wrath upon the human shelter.

Fortunately for the inn, the elderly master was a skilled wizard, and after a long battle between the furious mother and the panicked but united efforts of the inn’s inhabitants, the phoenix was slain. The cost was great: many died, including the greedy mercenary, and the old mage had reached the limits of his age. He predicted great turmoil in the near future, for news of the great silver phoenix’s death would surely travel fast, and her fellows would not be pleased. Then he too died before the night was through, leaving his apprentice Aerion his last words of wisdom.

But what of the egg? The egg became the first egg in the history of Synara to ever be raised by a human. Forgotten in the bushes in the chaos of the battle, its survival instincts urged it to call out in its mysterious, inexplicable way to anyone who could care for it. Thus it ended up in the care of the young mage Aerion, who hid it from his peers and raised it with all the love and care anyone could possibly give. This warm, tender love made the hatchling grow up different from others of its species. She loved her caretaker in a way no other creature knows how to love, and while it certainly diminished some of her natural powers, none could say she did not enjoy her travels with the young mage, who after a while could no longer hide her in his pack. Aerion named her Seraphina, and they were always together. They avoided human towns and phoenix roosts alike, preferring the mutual silent understanding of each other’s company.

Nonetheless, as predicted, the small scuffles between man and beast magnified into full out battle. Relations between humans and creatures descended into enmity and malice. Their hate and war scarred the land. Rivers dried up and trees were cut down. A human caught outside alone was as good as dead, and the ordinarily territorial creatures resorted to flocks and packs to protect their young. In the middle was Aerion—who became not so young anymore—and Seraphina, who both refused to take sides and could only watch as everything around them burned. Their love, however, was not a secret. When the warriors were out fighting, the women and children would whisper of the love of Aerion and Seraphina. No one was sure if it was a true story or not, for Aerion still avoided major cities. Seraphina herself was a mystery to her kind; even before the war, great creatures did not fraternize with humans.

The tide was eventually turned in the creatures’ favor. Mother nature wins in the end, and the war was becoming proof of it. The seas became inaccessible as leviathans and krakens sank all the human ships they saw. The air was no better; gryphons hunted down the carrier pigeons, cutting off major means of communication. Phoenixes patrolled the skies, raining fire and ice alike on the citizens below. Unicorns would lead people astray in the forest and cause them to be lost, and there are always dire wolves behind the shadows looking for a snack. In a desperate attempt, one of the last groups of capable humans decided to raid a cave that was the main nesting site of their foes, hoping to destroy their future enemies before they hatched. To their unpleasant surprise, they found one of their own, Aerion, guarding the eggs with Seraphina at his side. A bitter fight ensued, and bottom of the cave collapsed, sending everyone tumbling to the rocky remains of a river below. Though they could easily save only themselves, Aerion quickly cast a spell to save the falling eggs, and Seraphina caught the helpless soldiers on her back.

All this commotion alerted the rest of the creatures, and they rushed towards what seemed to be the last fight the humans will ever fight. The humans, meanwhile, tried to kill Seraphina. Their arrows slew Aerion instead as he threw himself in harm’s way to protect the phoenix. By then the army of talons and fangs were upon them, and the humans braced themselves for their final stand.

But when they clashed, no one attacked. All attention was drawn to the pitiful squawks pouring from where the mage had fallen. The Seraphina’s silvery white feathers were stained with blood from fretting over the late Aerion. Glistening silver tears spilled onto the barren rocks. She screeched warningly at anyone who approached, man or beast, and insisted on grieving in solitude. No one had encountered such a sight, and their hate became lost in bewilderment. The less stoic of them shed a few tears also, affected by the display of tragedy and misery. Eventually, the crowd dispersed without consequence, though all heard the distraught bird’s weeping last nonstop through the night and into morning. By the next day, the squawking had diminished into miserable coos and gurgles. A small trickle of water had formed around the pair. The beasts hid away their eggs again, but watched their strange compatriot confusedly. The humans avoided the site, fearing death by the beak of an obviously upset phoenix. On the third day, the weeping ceased. The humans were fearful, but they couldn’t resist a peek. The bird and mage were gone. In their place was a small but healthy stream. In the stream were a few eggs. The humans were bemused. Why would the beasts trust their eggs out in the open after so recent an attempt at their destruction?

It was Remius who found the note. He noted a piece of parchment on the ground, wreathed in blue flames but not burning. It read:
To protect what is important to him, my master killed the phoenix and orphaned her egg. The egg is at my mercy, and it is my choice to love it or destroy it. My master predicts that in the future, many will have to make the same choice. I am still bitter over recent tragedies, so I will wait for tomorrow to decide.

The innkeeper took a breath and bravely but quickly took one of the orphaned eggs from the stream, hoping the creatures lounging nearby would not kill him. He brought it to his inn and waited for it to hatch, and then raised the young gryphon carefully, and with great respect. Following his example, a few of his companions did the same. Some of the hatchlings did not find domestication agreeable and fled back into the wilderness. Most hatchlings found mages more agreeable, since of the humans they were most attuned to nature. Eventually, mages from all over the land came to adopt an orphaned egg. Likewise, the creatures learned that eggs they couldn’t care for will find safe homes if they left it at the stream. The wild beasts still never learned to truly trust humans, but the hatchlings from the stream and their descendants eventually became an important part of human culture. It was as if to celebrate the love of Aerion and Seraphina, man and beast both agreed to use the site as a place of compromise.

No one is quite sure why the stream sprang back to life. Magi historians theorize that the ancient wild creatures know of it, but there is no way to ask. There is also no way to know for certain why the revenge-crazed creatures suddenly chose to stop their attack on the human race. In fact, no one can even guess at how the wild ones were able to communicate with each other across sea and wind, how they pass on the story of Aerion and Seraphina to their hatchlings. Perhaps the earth simply chose to forgive the wrongs that caused the river to dry up.

Of course, over many generations, a few branches of once-wild creatures became domesticated. Their strength is not as great as their wild relations, but they found companionship in humans that their cousins could never enjoy. Unfortunately, they also became easier to tame; one only had to raise one to tame it. Thus, many people have forgotten the old hardships and lost their reverence for these creatures. However, a few people do remember, and they are the ones who work the hardest to maintain the peace between man’s world and nature’s world. They remember the old words of wisdom: True power comes from the ability to forgive.