บท 33: Narrow-minded and pitiful.
Madelyn gasped in horror and shock. Not only were there damage and destruction all over her neighborhood, but a lot a people, some of them she knew, were injured, dead or dying. She could hardly breathe. The air was scorching hot and her lungs were hurting. The scent of blood faintly permeated the smell of burning houses and burning flesh. The previously pleasant and peaceful area looked like a scene of desolation. Everywhere she looked, she could only see tragedy and sorrow. Her aloof demeanor was hard to maintain and her carefully wrought mask was starting to show some cracks, her true self clearly visible behind the facade.
The rescue teams, the mages and fire fighters as well as soldiers were mainly located in the center of the capital, close to the battleground where the damages were the worst. No relief was provided in her district and the number of victims was alarming and kept on increasing.
She was a mage and she'd already lived long enough to see her children, grandchildren and possibly her great-grandchildren from her first marriage die, had she kept in contact with all her offspring. However, for the last few decades, ever since her third husband's untimely death, she had adamantly refused to have another family, going as far as cutting ties with all members of her family, even the closer ones, while they were still alive, healthy and in their prime. She couldn't bear to see the people she loved die anymore and she'd rather be lonely than grieving every day of her long life.
She was still young compared to Soon-Yi and some other mages. But, in spite of her outward appearance, she felt like an old lady. No wonder mages all ended up alone or chose another mage as partner. In the end, she had seen too many deaths and suffering and her job as a healer didn't help much. Many soldiers she had healed just rushed back to their fated death without a word of thanks as soon as they were able to walk. Some even resented her imperfect healing spells. She was only a low-level mage but felt like a slave. She was mentally exhausted.
In addition, going from one place to another without respite was wearing her down. Mage Madelyn was not the wandering type. Even though her current master, the First Prince Zhou Xi, had her relentlessly roaming the various duchies of the empire, providing healing and relief to the wounded soldiers or to the poor people, in each and every destination, she couldn't help but settle down, if she had to stay more than one week. Therefore, she had a great number of small abodes all over the country and was involuntarily acquainted to an incredibly large number of citizens of various social standing and all kinds of trades. She didn't know how many of them had died in the calamity befalling the capital and maybe the rest of the Empire now that the dragon was flying elsewhere, however, the sadness weighed on her heart.
Madelyn was currently distraught. Healing people she didn't know was her everyday job, however twice now, misery had invaded her private sphere. Firstly, her cottage where Ernest Dottery had found refuge with Wei Lin had been attacked. Secondly, her house in the capital was now surrounded with ruins and still burning buildings. Even though she had received no direct damage to herself or her properties, she felt that misfortune fell a little too close to her for her to keep her cool, lately.
She was far too emotional when she sensed danger closing in on her. Even with her lifelong experience of all kinds of trials and tribulations, she was still too green and sometimes wet behind the ears. She couldn't help but panic and make the wrong decisions. How long would it be until she could be as level-headed as Soon-Yi and Cheng Hu?
This was probably the difference between an inexperienced low-level mage and these several-hundred-year-old geniuses. Madelyn's envy was so overwhelming that her hatred towards Soon-Yi was almost choking her and her respect for Cheng Hu was bordering on reverence. Obviously, this same gap between her and the topnotch mages in the Empire was so wide that she often couldn't even comprehend their behaviors and their way of thinking. What was the cursed golden haired child to Soon-Yi, for the latter to adopt him, raise him and go after a legendary dragon for his sake? This was a mystery beyond Madelyn's understanding. As a mage, Madelyn knew she still had a long way to go to reach the apex. However, in spite of her hard work, she felt impatient. She wasn't even clever enough to be a good schemer and her stratagems were a disappointment and a failure more often than not.
Of course, Madelyn, as one of First Prince Zhou Xi's personal mage, had to admit that she felt slightly guilty about her last plan. She had taken upon herself to betray Ernest Dottery, the son of her benefactor, and report to her current employer that Wei Lin had been at her cottage. As expected, the First Prince had immediately taken action to save his favorite wife, however Madelyn hadn't expected someone to beat him to it and kidnap the pregnant woman from the clutches of Dottery, the unlucky and stalker-ish first captor.
Her not-so-clever petty revenge against the spoiled and impudent child Ernest had been foiled and from there, everything had gone out of her control, from bad to worse. She just couldn't fathom how a huge dragon had appeared in the capital and wrecked havoc to such an extent. Her house had remained undamaged thanks to some enchantments her master had taught her a long time ago. However, what was the use of a lone house amidst what looked like a devastated battleground?
She wandered alone in the destroyed district, in a state of utter confusion and anxiety about the future, healing whoever and whatever she happened upon, indiscriminately and without thinking, even the ownerless animals. Once again, she was reminded of the frailty and worthlessness of those lives. And the sole idea on her mind was that she wished her own life would be different, not as meaningless and trifling as these nameless citizens and neighbors.
While providing relief, her mind was wandering. Her whole life currently felt so insignificant with regards to such disaster. It was depressing. In the end, it was truly a wonder that her heart wasn't numb to the suffering of people after so many years of seeing them struggle and die. It seemed like she hadn't steeled and hardened herself enough. She desperately needed something to hold on to, her hatred was the one thing that had been unchanging for years on end, ever since her third husband had been murdered by demons. Little by little, her mind cleared and she was able to regain her sanity. Her hatred had been the true core of her being for so long, it was the only thing that kept her sane, on the outside at least.
Her steps led her to the center of the capital. The imperial palace showed signs of battle but most of the burning parts had been taken care of. The fire fighters, mages and soldiers had efficiently quenched the flames, each in their own way, according to their abilities. The buildings, mansions and palaces here were sturdier than the houses in her neighborhood and Madelyn was slightly surprised at the state of this central district that had been at the heart of the fight against the dragon. It had withstood the calamity quite well, in spite of the tremendous power of the legendary Spirit beast.
A little further away, the Academy of magic had already been repaired. The prideful mages had seen to it that their reputation, as well as the facade of their prestigious building, was unblemished even though part of the damages and pain had been inflicted by the Great Mage and her predecessor. Madelyn's rage towards Soon-Yi flared even more. At first, she had thought that the fight between the two Great Mages had drawn the dragon directly in the central district, however she had heard from some victims she had healed on her way that the dragon had been after a golden haired boy and had left to capture him.
Of course, that was only a rumor but Madelyn had immediately assumed that Soon-Yi's foster child had been the mysterious golden haired bait. She didn't know what had been the Great Mage's purpose in attracting a dragon in the capital to destroy and kill, however, she had no doubt that it was Soon-Yi's fault. And the main culprit was long gone, rushing after the dragon, unexpectedly denying herself the pleasure to gaze at the calamity she caused, much to Madelyn's surprise.
Mage Madelyn had intended to enter the Academy of magic to see if she could be of any help, but on second thought, she had stopped in her tracks: maybe Soon-Yi was back and hiding there to observe the city? Looking back in the direction of the Imperial Palace, Madelyn had been utterly shocked to see that the banner on top of the Palace had been changed. She was staring, oblivious to her surroundings, yet try as she might, she couldn't recall the owner of the banner. Was Soon-Yi's true purpose to overthrow the emperor's authority and take advantage of the chaos to seize power?
It seemed quite suspicious. The emperor Guo Ning and empress Li Feng Lan totally trusted Soon-Yi, it would have been quite easy to kill them or take the power one way or another. Would Soon-Yi have waited this long under the imperial rulers if she intended to overthrow them? Definitely not. Madelyn, for her part, had always had a hard time obeying someone less powerful and shorter lived than her. Soon-Yi was the most powerful mage of the Selnan empire, in other words, the pinnacle of all magic users in the territory, she could overrule anyone and everyone. If Madelyn could have wielded such power, she would never have acknowledged any master and would have seized control long ago. Moreover, Soon-Yi was trusted or feared enough that she didn't need the help of a dragon to take over the government. It didn't make much sense.
Truly, Madelyn was getting a splitting headache just trying to grasp Soon-Yi's intent. She tried to imagine herself in Soon-Yi's shoes but it didn't help her figure out what was the use of the dragon. She just felt embarrassed, ridiculous and ashamed. Thankfully, her awkward moments had no witness. In the end, she gave up and headed towards the closest Ministry to gather some intel. She certainly wouldn't step right in the middle of danger without some kind of preparation. She intended to live her one and only long life for several centuries at least and to the lonesome and bitter end.
However, the silence in the buildings she visited was eerie. Except for a few corpses belonging to both soldiers and insurgents, the Ministries were empty. The officials, down to the mere servants, were nowhere to be seen. Madelyn knew most of them had been unconditionally loyal and she surmised that they had been taken hostage or killed somewhere else.
A wicked idea then emerged in Madelyn's mind. She couldn't understand Soon-Yi's scheme, which was frustrating, however, she felt she could still thwart it somehow. She knew all too well that a carefully thought-out plan could go astray over the tiniest miscalculation. And she intended to foil Soon-Yi's ploy whatever the cost.
Cautiously, Mage Madelyn made her way throughout the Imperial Palace ground. The government had already been taken over, the former officials were now prisoners and they were kept in the audience room, the real headquarter of the government and heart of the emperor's reign. It was heavily guarded by the insurgents and utterly dangerous. There should be something easier and more significant for her counteraction.
Whoever the insurgents were, Madelyn could only assume that they were part of Soon-Yi's plot. She just couldn't get past her obsession towards her enemy. If she intended to oppose the Great Mage, she should support the empire's rule however she could. Moreover, as she was the First Prince's personal mage, it was only normal for her to take the imperial family's side. Even though she failed to notice that her duty came only in second place in her priorities, she felt heartened that her grudge and duty were not at odds.
Truthfully, she'd always thought that political struggles were shallow, dynasties and empires could rise and fall in a few decades or centuries. Long-lived mages shouldn't meddle with politics, but only hermits were truly free. She knew Soon-Yi wouldn't care all that much about one regime or another with her very long life and tremendous magic. However, she didn't know her very well and circumstances could always tip the balance and have the Great Mage involved in mundane fights for power. In the end, she had never been able to read Soon-Yi's mind but wouldn't consider any other possible mastermind. At least, with regards to her stubbornness, she wouldn't lose to anyone, even Soon-Yi.
On her guard, Madelyn pressed ahead towards the Inner Palace where she could hear the sounds of a fierce battle and many explosions. The Emperor must be with the Empress in the Inner Palace, otherwise the whole regime would have collapsed and every supporters would have already surrendered. It was a pity that Madelyn wasn't as proficient with attacking spells as with healing spells.
Madelyn's element was Earth but she had mainly trained her healing abilities to an adequate level, as part of her job for the First Prince Zhou Xi. Her other spells were admittedly trash. They were so lame and pitiful, she could only laugh wryly to hide her shame.
Healing could be performed with any magic elements but Water was the most suited and effective, whereas Earth was the worst, requiring a lot of practice. Moreover, Earth elements were better qualified for defense and only high-level Earth mages could attack with spikes or golems. She was too weak.
She could only create a ludicrously small-sized swarm of needles from the ground but couldn't make them fly, therefore she was only good enough for support, piercing the feet of the enemies. Her golems were even more useless, she could only summon a dozen of dirt balls rolling slowly on the ground and requiring all her concentration.
Her only current asset was that she could rely on the element of surprise. Pinpointing the exact location for her stoned needles, she managed to give an accurate support to the mages protecting the Inner Palace. Her sneak attacks coming from the ground were unexpectedly more effective than she first thought. It boosted her confidence and she boldly took advantage of a blinding mist spell from a Water mage to hide and slip through the enemies – killing some of them as best she could – then enter the Inner Palace.
Her reserve of magic elements in her core was still high and she helped the others mages and fighters with her healing spells and some recovery potions. The heartfelt thanks had never been so rewarding and she almost forgot her first motivation. Moreover, these shows of gratitude came from the elite of the empire. Even the Emperor and Empress owed her a whole lot. Madelyn would be sure to rise in power and maybe go back to the Academy of Magic with honors, after Soon-Yi's downfall. Her smile was cruel and creepy but nobody noticed in the middle of the battle. With Madelyn's help, the imperial forces began to regain lost ground. She was the Empire's heroine and intended to make sure to trample down Soon-Yi's fame and pride.
Finally, Mage Madelyn was so full of herself, even looking down on the Emperor and Empress – how could mere people without magic compare to her? – that she let her guard down. Suddenly, she felt an excruciating pain in her guts. Her hand touched her midsection and it felt warm and slimy. She looked at her bloody hand in disbelief before collapsing on the floor. The enemy was also launching sneak Earth attacks and their mages were significantly more powerful than Madelyn.
Without the element of surprise, she was truly inadequate for a battle. The spike that pierced through her continued to fly and embedded itself in the thigh of a soldier. The man merely grunted, remove the spike, and totally ignored the poor Madelyn. He was an imperial knight, sworn to protect the imperial family. Shielding them with his body and receiving a wound in their stead was his pride and honor.
The unconscious Madelyn would never have been able to understand this commitment. Such ideas were utterly alien to her way of thinking. Then again, long life and self-preservation were far from a walk in the park, even more so for a pitiful mage like her.
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