Natural Colors

Natural Colors

Megumi Masono

 

It was early summer, and white and pink roses filled the garden. Many of them were in full bloom, round bursts of color that perfumed the air with their scent.

A gray stone house stood at the back of the garden.

This is the place, right?

Standing outside the low hedge, Kyleid felt depression wash over him. He sighed.

This had all begun two weeks ago. He’d visited his master, Kai, to ask for a favor after a long absence.

Two years had passed since Kyleid had become a magus craft artificer and started his own workshop.

“I think it’s high time I completed an original device and made a name for myself. Can you help me?”

Kyleid had spoken with passion, and Kai had nodded as if he understood. Kai was an experienced mage, and while he was certainly very old, he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had blond hair and blue eyes—a strikingly handsome man.

“I know just what you mean,” Kai had said.

“Then you’ll help?”

But just as Kyleid’s hopes rose, Kai’s smile turned evasive. Kyleid knew Kai well enough to see the signs. This sort of smile meant he was searching for a reason to refuse.

Shortly after Kyleid’s parents had died in a traffic accident, Kai had entered his life. He’d claimed to be a friend of Kyleid’s father. Kyleid had never met him before, but it seemed his parents had often turned to Kai for advice about their son, so Kai knew everything about Kyleid. He said, “You have the potential to be a mage. Would you like to be my student?”

Kyleid had no idea what made him accept that offer. He simply nodded, without hesitation. In hindsight, his grief and loneliness had been so great that Kai’s cheery disposition had seemed like the sun breaking through the clouds. They’d lived together for over a decade before Kyleid finally set out on his own.

Kyleid knew his teacher well. He wasn’t surprised when, after a long silence, Kai said, “I know someone better suited to help you.”

Unable to simply ignore his master’s suggestion, Kyleid had come here to see the individual in question. Feeling extremely reluctant, he made his way up the path through the roses to the front door.

He was reluctant for several reasons, mainly that he’d never met the person who lived here. Kyleid wasn’t the most socially adept, and it took a great deal out of him to meet new people…especially if that person was a woman. Kyleid had actually never met a female mage before.

He stood outside the door, looking in vain for a doorbell.

Do I just knock, or…

Uncertainty always annoyed him. He directed the bulk of his frustration at Kai. Couldn’t Kai have just accepted Kyleid’s request?

He was always like that. Always ready to give up, always foisting his work off on others. Kyleid knew he was just lashing out, but he couldn’t silence the thoughts.

Here, at the last step, his courage abandoned him. He stood uselessly at the door for an incredibly long time until the person inside finally opened it for him.

The woman who answered the door had brown hair and pale brown eyes. She looked around thirty. Her long, fluffy hair was bound loosely at the back. She smiled, but her eyes were piercing. There wasn’t a trace of hesitation to be found in her expression. She seemed very strong-willed.

Unprepared, Kyleid completely failed to think of anything to say, but the woman didn’t wait.

“How long did you plan on standing there?” she said, without so much as a “hello.” “If you’ve got business with me, spit it out.”

Her hostile tone irked him, but he had been dithering.

“Hi. I’m Kyleid Fein.”

Kai had often told him that good manners were the best answer to hostility. Kai had never been a stickler for manners himself, but this rule alone he’d stuck to firmly.

“Kai sent me. Is Elda here?”

“That’d be me.” Still smiling, she looked Kyleid over. She was on the small side, with her head only coming up to Kyleid’s shoulders, making her glance up to meet his gaze. “You’re very tall,” she said, as if this were his fault somehow.

“Not especially,” he said. She was just tiny. Pointing that out would be rude though.

“Come in,” she said, relenting. She moved aside and waved him in.

Inside, the smell of roses only grew stronger. She led him into the living room, where they sat opposite each other on a pair of couches.

“I got the letter from Kai yesterday,” Elda said. “Said he’d sent his student my way, so I should help however I could. But he didn’t bother writing a damn word about what exactly you required.”

“Only yesterday?” Kyleid said, surprised. He’d spoken to Kai nearly two weeks ago. What had taken the mage so long?

“In other words, I’m to hear what you have to say. If I’m not interested, I’m free to turn you down.” Elda grinned at him. She seemed to be deliberately provoking him, testing his reaction.

Kai sent me to her! Why didn’t he at least explain?

Kyleid directed his anger at Kai again. Kai was Kyleid’s polar opposite, always cheerful and outgoing, very good with people. However, he also couldn’t say no to a woman and was frequently careless with his words and actions. Whenever Kyleid asked him for something, Kai never just did it; he’d put it off or forgot completely. Perhaps the fact that he’d remembered his promise this time was worth celebrating, but if this introduction didn’t pan out, then he’d been useless. Kai’s careless attitude was both irritating and exasperating. He’d sent Kyleid all this way, and now Kyleid might have to leave empty-handed. But then a thought occurred.

Well, if she turns me down, that’ll give me an excuse to make him help.

This thought calmed him considerably.

“I asked my master for help first. He said you’d be better suited for the task, so here I am.”

Right. Just state your business clearly.

His mind made up, the words flowed easily enough.

“I’m a magus craft artificer. I’m working on a certain device and recently completed a prototype. To test its functionality, I need to expose it to magical activity.”

“What sort of device?” she asked. Elda didn’t bother hiding her skepticism, but she was at least hearing him out.

“I’m trying to make a device that measures how much magical energy is expended when magic is performed.”

Kyleid removed a dark brown leather bag from a small trunk. Inside was a brown wooden box, twenty centi­meters tall and forty centimeters across.

“It’s merely a prototype. I’m currently calling it the measuring device.”

He opened the lid. Inside was a smaller pouch made of the same leather as the bag. Kyleid removed the contents and laid them on the table.

They were long, thin rods made of semi-transparent stone, five in total, each a cylinder with a rounded tip. All were the same shape but of different lengths and thicknesses. The smallest was only five centimeters long, while the longest was nearly ten. The shorter ones were much thinner. The longer they got, the thicker they became.

“I made these by shaving down several types of minerals and combining the dust. I’m calling them Vibration Crystals. These crystals react to magic energy by vibrating and releasing light. Charting their reactions allows me to measure how much magic energy is being used. If I can prove the Vibration Crystals respond to magic properly, I intend to make a more elaborate version next. But to do that, I need to be present when magic is being used, performing experiments and gathering data.”

“You’re a mage. Why not try them on your own magic?”

“I’ve done that any number of times, but only three of the five ever vibrate. The results are always quite similar. I need to find out if this is my own limitation or a flaw with the device. To do that, I need the help of an experienced mage.”

“Why did you decide to make something like this?” Elda sounded baffled.

“If we know exactly how much magic energy is expended for each spell, I believe that could solve many problems. At the least, it would eliminate the risk of overusing magic.”

“I don’t think that’s something we particularly need. Such a risk would be much more common among alchemists.”

Kyleid shifted uncomfortably. He felt like she’d seen right through to what he was really trying to accomplish.

“Perhaps a mage of your talents has no need of it, but it could be quite helpful to someone in training,” he said.

“Would it?” Elda considered this. “I guess I’m just not that interested in something I wouldn’t use myself.”

Looks like I failed to convince her of the importance of my work… Kyleid was disappointed. He’d explained it clearly, yet he’d failed to make her at all curious. That definitely hurt.

But the mischievous, mocking smile on Elda’s face transformed into a more pleasant one.

“You have very beautiful eyes. I can’t remember the last time I saw such a deep blue,” she said.

“Huh?”

Kyleid blinked at her. Where had that come from?

“I love beautiful colors,” Elda said, like this was incredibly important. “Very well. It’s a request from an old friend after all. Stay as long as you like, but don’t expect too much from me.”

“Um, you mean…”

“I mean I’ll help with your little project, but I won’t change the way I work. If you agree to that, then you’re free to do as you like here.”

“Got it. And, thank you,” Kyleid said, not really sure what to think.

He was relieved she hadn’t sent him packing, but part of him felt like he’d have been better off if she’d refused outright and forced Kai to help.

Kyleid had tried and failed to have Kai explain why Elda was better suited for the task. After meeting her, Kyleid still had no real clue. She didn’t seem like the most helpful soul, nor the type of person who would let Kai shove his work onto.

The guest room was comfortable, but Kyleid had trouble sleeping.

 

When he woke the next morning, the first thing he saw was the unfamiliar ceiling.

“Uh,” he groaned, taking the alarm clock from the bedside table. It was nearly noon.

Crap! Kyleid jumped out of bed.

He opened the curtains, discovering that the cloudy skies of the last few days had given way to clear blue.

This is bad… He’d been nocturnal for a while now and always had trouble waking up in the morning. Even in someone else’s house he’d turned off the alarm and gone right back to sleep. He was all set to run out of the room when he realized he was still dressed in his pajamas.

Right, calm down.

He took a deep breath and quickly changed.

In the hall, the smell of roses had grown even stronger. He followed it and found himself in the kitchen.

Elda was wearing a cream-colored, knee-length dress, and a grass-colored apron. Her hair was loosely bound at the back, and she carefully watched a pot on the stove. The pot was filled with water and rose petals in all shades of pink and white.

He was about to speak to her when she switched off the flame, held her hands above the pot, and began chanting a spell.

Argh, I blew it.

He was mad at himself. He’d been in such a hurry to get down here he’d forgotten to bring the measuring device. It was too late to run and fetch it now. Here was his chance, and all he could do was stand and watch.

Elda pressed her palms together. Something like dark pink threads began growing between her clasped hands.

The threads wound themselves around her slender frame. They interwove to form a single, thin cloth about twenty centimeters long. The pink became even more vivid. Something flimsy, like a silk shawl, fluttered around Elda’s shoulders.

What is this?

Kyleid had never before seen colors like this used in magic. He tried looking closer, but the whole thing suddenly vanished without a trace.

Only then did Elda leave the pot, turning toward Kyleid at the door.

“Morning,” she said.

“Good morning.”

“It’s almost noon, you know.” She grinned. He felt sheepish, but curiosity overcame his embarrassment.

“You were using magic?”

“Yes, making something for a client. Lotion infused with rose water.”

“I saw something that looked like pink cloth.”

“Yeah, mages can see it,” she said, dismissively. But she caught the question in his look and shrugged. “If you wanna know, I can tell you. When I use magic, I always pick a color I think would be appropriate. It’s like I’ve got threads of all colors, and I pick them out one at a time. One thread after another until they’re all woven together into a single cloth. It looks like a cloak, so people call me the Colored Cloak, or just Colors.”

“Fascinating.”

This meant he could easily know when she was starting a spell and when she was done.

Maybe this is why Kai said she was suited for the task? Because it’s easy to tell?

But it was a real shame he hadn’t been able to measure this spell.

“Don’t suppose you’d be willing to use magic again?”

“Nope. I’ve got nothing else to do that needs it.”

He’d figured it was useless to ask.

“Um, what time do you usually get up?” he murmured.

“Hmm. Usually around five, I guess?”

“Got it.”

Five…

The very idea was depressing, but he’d have to put up with it to complete his measuring device. His emotions must have shown on his face because Elda was clearly ­trying to repress a smile.

“No need to force yourself to match my schedule, you know.”

“But I need to be around when you’re ready to use magic,” he said firmly. “As long as I’m here, I’ll match your schedule. I’ll wake up at the same time as you tomorrow.”

“Suit yourself,” she said, laughing. Then, as if she’d just remembered, “Sit down. Time for lunch.”

She sliced up a baguette and made cheese and tomato sandwiches. Perhaps she thought this wasn’t enough food for two, so she also put some egg salad on sliced bread.

“Tea? Black or herbal?” she asked.

“Black will be fine.”

Elda put some tea leaves and hot water in a large tea pot and set it on the table. “I generally don’t get fancy with meals, but if it’s not enough, just say so.”

He could tell she was being hospitable, but the way she said things was always so domineering it made him shrivel up. He forgot to even answer, just watched her expression.

“What?” she asked.

“Oh. I wondered if you were angry about something.”

She looked genuinely surprised. “No. Why would you think that?”

“I just…feel like you’re giving orders or scolding me.”

“I sound that bossy?” She grimaced, then nodded. “Come to think of it, the locals also make faces sometimes when I’m talking. Maybe that’s why. I’ll have to watch for that.”

“No, I apologize for speaking out of line.”

“Oh? I always feel much more relaxed when people state things clearly. I was just thinking you were a man I can talk to.”

Elda didn’t seem angry, which was a relief. To avoid letting anything else untoward slip, he took a big bite of the baguette sandwich. As he did, someone pounded furiously on the door. The sound was so loud and close that he jumped, almost dropping the food.

In addition to the hallway door, there was a door in the kitchen that led to the garden. The knocking continued.

“Come on in! Who is it?” Elda called. As she stood, the door opened. A young woman ran in.

She had short chestnut hair and big eyes—very cute. But right now she was white as a sheet, and quite beside herself. Closing the door behind her, she said with a weak voice, “Elda! Please! Find my ring!” Tears flooded her emerald green eyes.

“What happened, Claire?”

Elda put an arm on her shoulders and led her to the chair. Elda took a small pot from the shelf, made some tea, and gave Claire a cup. The smell was sweet, yet clean and crisp.

“Drink this first. It’ll calm you down.”

Claire took a sip.

“It’s good,” she said. Only then did she look at Kyleid, sitting across the table from her. “Who is this?” she asked.

“Student of a friend. Staying here a few days for work. Don’t worry about him. Where’d you lose your ring?”

Claire’s eyes wandered for a moment, but she answered, softly, “In the forest. You know, by the river where I always used to go.”

“I told you that place was dangerous and that you shouldn’t go there anymore, remember?”

“But…but I knew nobody else would be there…” Claire covered her mouth with both hands, fighting back tears.

Elda grabbed a chair and sat down next to the girl. “This ring is important?”

“John gave it to me when I saw him in London last month. We’re engaged, but I haven’t told my parents yet. We’re going to tell them when he’s here on his next vacation. He told me not to let anyone see the ring, but I was just so happy! I went to the forest alone to try it on in secret. The way it caught the light was so beautiful, I was overjoyed. Oh, I should never have done that.”

Claire bit her lip, hanging her head.

“I took the ring off to put it back in the box, but there was a loud splash. I jumped, then took a step closer to the bank. I suddenly tripped on something and fell, and the ring went flying. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. Maybe it fell in the river!”

The tears were flowing now.

“I don’t know what to do! If I’ve lost my engagement ring, how can I ever face John again?”

With that, Claire put her face on the table and sobbed.

“In the forest, by the river bank. You sure pick the worst places to lose things,” Elda said. She looked a little put out but gently patted Claire’s back. “That’s enough crying now. It’ll be okay.”

Claire looked up and grabbed Elda’s arm.

“Please, Elda. Find my ring!”

“Hmm.” Elda seemed to be thinking this over.

Desperate, Claire began babbling. “Of course, I’ll pay you a reward! You don’t want money for problems like this, right? I know what you like. It’s a little early still, but once they’re in season, I’ll bring you strawberries and raspberries from my uncle’s farm every week. Please, help me!”

Not even trying to wipe her tears, Claire pleaded with Elda. Elda met the girl’s gaze with sadness in her eyes. After a long, long silence, Elda freed her arm and took both Claire’s hands.

“Okay then. I’ll do it.”

Claire’s face lit up. “Really? Thank you!”

“It’s too soon to thank me. There’s no telling if it’ll work or not. Tell me something: Did the ring have a gem?”

“Yes, a sapphire. My favorite.”

Clutching her handkerchief, Claire got to her feet.

“I’ve skipped out on work. I’d better get back.”

Once she was gone, Elda sighed deeply, as if trying to expel something toxic from her body.

“Sounds like a tough one,” Kyleid said.

Elda looked as if she’d just remembered he was there.

“Oh, this is no problem at all. I was thinking about something else entirely.”

Kyleid must have appeared puzzled, because she shot him a wry smile.

“I’ve lived here five years now. Sometimes, like today, I get asked for sneaky things, things people want kept secret. I don’t take all those jobs, but I sometimes wonder if my presence here causes more harm than good.”

“Um, that’s a tough question. I’m not even sure why you’d ask it.”

“I can’t really explain. But if a mage like me weren’t around, Claire would have never asked for help finding her ring. She’d have searched for it herself, over and over, and if she couldn’t find it then she’d tell her fiancé what happened and apologize. Maybe that would be better than to handle it all in secret. Maybe I should have turned her down, but I just felt so sorry for her. Whenever I take a job, I kinda regret it.”

“I don’t think you need to regret helping those in need.” Kyleid didn’t really get what was bothering her. “I’m sure if she told this John fellow she’d lost the engagement ring, it would be a huge shock. I’d feel sorry for both of them. It’s clearly better if you can find it.”

“Maybe.”

“Definitely! I’d say refusing to help when you can do something is…cold-hearted.”

“Oh, good point. I didn’t really think of it that way.” Elda nodded and then gave him an awkward smile. “I’ve traveled on my own for so long, maybe I forgot how to relate to other people. It’s good to get outside opinions every now and then. Thanks. That really helped.”

“No, not at all. I didn’t say anything that insightful.” He’d just said what he thought and felt embarrassed to be thanked for it.

“Then I’d better get ready.”

With that, Elda left the kitchen.

She returned a few minutes later, having changed into a white shirt, blue cardigan, and jeans.

“Sooner I get this over with, the better. I’m off to the forest. You coming?” she asked.

“I am. Just a minute.”

Kyleid ran to his room and grabbed the bag with the measuring device.

Elda walked out the kitchen door and into the backyard.

The backyard was much larger than the front. Many types of flowers grew there, though the only roses were some small, double-flowered, yellow blooms that grew alongside the walls.

Kyleid recognized a tree with small white flowers—an elderberry. But that was the only tree he knew. Never one for horticulture, he was unfamiliar with much of the garden. Shrubbery fenced in the perimeter, and beyond that was a gentle slope covered in soft green grass.

It’s blinding.

The sunlight itself wasn’t actually all that bright, but Kyleid felt momentarily dizzy. How long had it been since he’d ventured outside on a bright, sunny day? He’d spent the last few months cooped up in his workshop, slaving over his prototype. He’d basically only gone out to get groceries.

Elda made her way through the garden and out a small wooden gate nestled in the hedge. Turning, she headed into the trees.

Sunlight bled between the branches of the oaks and beeches, brightening the forest. Low-lying underbrush was all around, but plenty of paths were wide enough for human use.

Elda moved quickly, with purpose. Kyleid could barely keep up; he had to scramble to catch her a few times. After a while, he saw the river flowing through the trees. Elda left the path, stomping over the underbrush to the bank. The river itself was about five meters across, and the forest continued on the other side. The water wasn’t particularly high, but it flowed fast and clear.

At last Elda stopped, and Kyleid was finally able to catch his breath.

“Really? You’re winded from that? You really ought to walk more,” Elda said, shaking her head.

“I…clearly could use more exercise… Is this the place?”

“Yeah. Claire loves it. Often comes here alone. When she proudly displayed a sapphire ring, they must have thought she was showing it off. Highly likely a neighbor pulled a prank on her.”

With that, Elda began chanting under her breath. Dark blue threads emerged from her cardigan, wrapping themselves around her.

Kyleid hastily took the measuring device out of his backpack. To ensure he didn’t drop it, he attached a thick leather strap to the box and hung it from his neck.

He opened the lid and took out the pouch with the vibration crystals inside. Then he loosened the bottom layer of the box, flipping it over to display the five hooks he’d fixed there. He hung each of the vibration crystals on these hooks in order from smallest to largest and was ready. The crystals dangled from a piece of string, swaying in the breeze.

Much like the first time he’d seen Elda do magic, the threads multiplied around her body, eventually forming a single blue cloth.

Strange… Glancing from Elda to the device, Kyleid was baffled. She was clearly using magic, but the vibration crystals weren’t responding at all.

Is she too far away?

He’d never tried using the device outdoors. He was standing two or three meters from her, trying to stay out of her way. Maybe that was the problem.

Kyleid moved closer to her from behind, a step at a time. The two smallest crystals began vibrating. Each gave off a soft, throbbing light. The crystals’ reactions always came in stages; as the magic energy increased, they not only vibrated, but began glowing. The longer they glowed, the stronger the magic they detected. The smallest of the crystals responded to the faintest magic, and at the highest volume the device could detect, all the crystals would be vibrating. Then the light wouldn’t pulse at all but instead shine brightly.

Elda’s shawl left her shoulders, drifting away as if carried by the wind.

At last, the shawl vanished into the river.

A few seconds later, a dark blue pillar of light rose from the water about a meter off the bank. But this shone only for a moment before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Elda’s magic stopped, and the crystals stilled. Kyleid took a notebook out of his pocket, recording the results of the measurement. For now, he could only roughly guess the numbers, but if he could prove these stones measured magical energy accurately, eventually he’d be able to connect them to a meter that would be more exact.

“Seems like she definitely dropped it in the river,” Elda said, turning around. “Well? You manage to measure me this time?”

“Yes, thanks. What was that spell?”

“I was calling to the sapphire in the ring. A spirit responded, telling me where it was. Now the question is how to get it back.”

She folded her arms, staring at the water’s surface as she thought. Kyleid had nothing helpful to add, so he just watched.

Suddenly, all five vibration crystals began shaking. Light pulsed out of them several times like a camera flash. Not only that, each crystal swung wildly on its hook, as if trying to smash into the others. Kyleid had never seen them move like this.

“What the… You aren’t using magic, so how…”

“Quiet,” Elda snapped, stepping protectively in front of him.

A horse appeared before them, soaking wet as if it had just risen out of the river. Water dripped from its mane and tail. Kyleid could tell immediately this was no ordinary horse. Its eyes shone with clear intent, staring ­directly at them.

“It’s a Kelpie. It lives in this river. Rarely shows itself, but it looks like it’s after something today. They’re dangerous, so don’t provoke it. Just back away. And do something about the noise that device makes, if you can.”

“I’ll…try…”

The five crystals still flashed violently, hummed loudly, and spun on their hooks.

The crystals react to neighbors as well?

Was the Kelpie using magic? Or were the stones reacting to its very existence? He wasn’t sure. Unfortunately, he’d never considered how to stop the crystals’ reactions.

Oh. Distance. I can just move away.

Remembering how the device hadn’t reacted to Elda’s spell at first, Kyleid took the strap off his neck. He held the device behind him and began slowly backing up. But the Kelpie shook itself as if to stop him, stamping its hind legs on the ground.

Certain it was gearing up to attack, Kyleid froze.

Compounding the threat, the Kelpie bared its teeth and let out a loud whinny. Satisfied that Kyleid had completely stopped moving, it turned to Elda.

“You want to recover the ring? I could give you a ride,” it said. Its voice was chillingly cold, a low rumble from the bowels of the earth.

When Elda said nothing, the Kelpie pressed her for a reply.

“Or should I fetch it for you? Doesn’t have to be you. I could take that human there. Would take no time at all.”

Kyleid had never met one before, but he knew about this water horse. Anyone who climbed on its back would be dragged under the surface and drown.

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll figure something out on my own,” Elda said.

The Kelpie wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“You think the river faeries will give it up that easily? They love pretty things.”

“Pretty things? Well then, this might be worth a try,” Elda said softly. She addressed the Kelpie, speaking clearly. “No matter how many times you offer, I won’t accept your deal. I cannot give you what you desire.”

The Kelpie stamped its forelimbs in frustration. It said nothing more but neither did it look ready to leave.

“It knows we’re mages,” Elda whispered. “Given that it spoke to us, I don’t think it intends to attack. But stay on your guard, and don’t take your eyes off it.”

With that, she moved back to the riverbank. She held her arms out before her, placed her palms together, and began chanting a spell.

Each finger moved in turn, as if reeling something in. One thread after another appeared: Red like roses, orange like the setting sun; yellow like the rapeseed flowers that bloom in the spring, and purple like the lavender that flourishes in summer; blue like the sky on a sunny day, indigo like the deep sea; green like young shoots budding. All types of colors twined around Elda’s body.

The threads moved like they were alive, twirling in the air. They began gathering together, winding around each other, finally forming a giant cloth that covered Elda’s entire body.

The resulting cloak was of a brilliant pearlescent hue, the colors shifting wherever the light hit it. At first it looked silver, and then as the yellow flourished, it turned gold, then pale pink. It shifted from one soft color to the next.

With her glittering rainbow robe, Elda appeared to be bathed in divine light.

How beautiful…

Kyleid couldn’t take his eyes off her.

But the moment couldn’t last forever.

When Elda began her magic, the crystals’ vibrations intensified to the point where he had to keep a tight grip to avoid dropping them. Kyleid put the strap back on, hanging the device from his neck. He then used both hands to steady the box, but the vibrations running through it were like nothing he’d ever felt before. His arms shook violently. The crystals had been flashing rapidly, but now all five shone with a steady light, spinning constantly. The strings seemed poised to break.

Kyleid tried subduing the crystals’ reactions by distancing them from Elda. The moment he started moving, the Kelpie looked away from Elda and glared at him. Once again, he froze. He’d just have to put up with it until her spell was done.

Elda reached her right hand out toward the river’s surface. The pearlescent gown left her body, drifting through the air and falling into the water. Glittering in the light, the current caught it, and the gown vanished, melting into the river.

Ah…

Kyleid sighed despite himself. Those colors had been so beautiful. Now that they were gone, he felt a profound loss.

Then, the water changed where the robe had vanished. A whirlpool spun itself up, growing to nearly a meter across, increasing in speed. Walls of water formed around it, with the center plunging into the depths like it was trying to drill a hole in the riverbed.

Elda knelt on the riverbank, put her hands side by side, and pushed toward the whirlpool. A ring popped out of the center, drops of water trailing in its wake as it drew nearer, and landed right in her open palms.

A moment later, the whirlpool disappeared. The river went back to normal.

Elda took out a handkerchief, and carefully dried the ring off. She checked it over, studying it from every angle before wrapping it up and stuffing it in her pocket.

“Looks like they chose your side, Colors,” the Kelpie said, having watched all this in silence. It spoke in even tones. Kyleid found it impossible to guess its thoughts.

“Yes. I need not disturb you any longer,” Elda said, choosing her words carefully.

With her magic gone, the crystals’ movements weakened slightly, and the lights began pulsing again. They still spun on their hooks though.

Doesn’t look like they’ll stop until the Kelpie’s gone.

As he thought this, Kyleid looked up, and their eyes met. The Kelpie’s attention had been on Elda during the spell, but at some point its focus had shifted.

The gray horse had stayed perfectly still this whole time. Now, with a clatter of hooves, it charged right for Kyleid.

It all happened so fast he had no time to run. He just stood rooted to the spot.

“Kyleid!” Elda shouted. She took a few steps toward him, appearing to move in slow motion. The Kelpie was enormously fast.

Just as Kyleid thought he was done for…

The Kelpie kicked the ground right in front of him and jumped, easily clearing Kyleid’s head. It turned and said, “It went well this time, but don’t give yourself airs. We aren’t always that nice. This is a warning. We can attack you at any time.”

“I would never dream of underestimating you,” Elda said. “But if you would harm us, remember that we have means of protecting ourselves.”

The Kelpie snorted derisively and vanished into the water.

“Whew…”

The tension had drained out of Kyleid. The moment the Kelpie vanished, the crystals fell silent. They had definitely reacted to its presence.

But Kyleid’s relief only lasted a moment.

With a shrill whine, the smallest vibration crystal shattered, its pieces falling to the ground.

“Agh!”

Kyleid let out a little shriek, but it sounded like someone else’s voice.

As if his scream were the signal, the crystals each broke in turn and in order of size, until the largest hung covered in countless fractures. For a moment, Kyleid hoped against hope that this one would at least survive, but it turned to dust and covered the grass at his feet.

All his energy left him. He slumped to his knees.

“This…this can’t be happening.”

He felt Elda’s hand on his shoulder but couldn’t speak. He stared hopelessly at the broken shards.

Elda watched in silence, but at last she undid the strap around his neck and took the box from him. Opening the lid, she found the crystals’ pouch and gathered up the shards, pouring them inside.

Kyleid watched, unable to think, unable to do anything.

The pieces were so tiny Elda could only gather so many of them herself, so she chanted a spell softly. Several white threads appeared, weaving a piece of cloth so tiny it was almost a string. It vanished, and, as it did, the translucent fragments rose as if snared by the wind, formed a line, and poured themselves into the pouch.

Elda placed the pouch in the box and hung it from her own neck. Then she took Kyleid’s arm and pulled him gently to his feet.

“We’d better get home.”

She pulled Kyleid’s hand, and he stumbled after her.

As they walked through the forest, he gradually recovered and his brain began functioning again. Frustration and self-pity overwhelmed him. If he opened his mouth, he believed he would scream.

Perhaps she picked up on this, because Elda didn’t say a word.

He was so focused on controlling his raging emotions that he barely remembered getting back to Elda’s house. He suddenly found himself sitting on the couch in her living room.

She left him alone for a while and returned holding a mug.

“If the smell doesn’t bother you, drink this. It’ll calm you down.”

The mug smelled faintly of mint. He took a sip and found it a little sweet; she must have put some honey in it. He wasn’t sure what other herbs were mixed in, but it definitely warmed his belly.

“You’re still quite pale. Once you drink that, you should sleep a while,” she said.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you look after me…”

“I wasn’t planning on meddling, but…I guess I just can’t leave well enough alone. You seem pretty unstable.”

He wished he could deny it, but he currently lacked the energy to argue.

Elda sat opposite him but said nothing more. She just stared into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Kyleid put his cup down. He took out the leather pouch filled with the vibration crystal shards that Elda had gathered for him. He poured a few out into his hands, but couldn’t bear to look and quickly put them back.

Nothing I can do with these… They’d shattered, much like his dreams and hopes. He’d seen a clear path to finishing the device; so clear it made the downfall even harder. It was his own fault for not considering their durability, but an even bigger problem was that they’d reacted to the appearance of the Kelpie at all. That meant this device wouldn’t have been able to accurately measure magic energy in the first place.

His mind wandered uselessly from problem to problem. Growing fed up with it all, he muttered under his breath, “Guess I’m back to square one.”

Elda’s gaze snapped back to him. “It was a prototype, right? It was supposed to discover flaws. Seems like you were really rushing to finish it. Any reason why?”

“I was rushing?”

This surprised him. No one had assigned him to this task; there was no deadline. He hadn’t intended to rush at all. But looking back, there had been a part of him in a hurry to finish as soon as possible, and he was all too aware of the reason why.

He was hesitant to tell her though. She didn’t really seem to expect an answer anyway. Elda just gave him an indifferent stare, like this had nothing to do with her. Yet he felt like her concern was genuine, if only because he’d sensed warmth and care in that cup of tea.

“This device is for an alchemist friend of mine,” he said, making up his mind to tell her. It felt like a cloud hanging over his heart began to lift.

 

Chris—the alchemist in question—had been Kyleid’s friend since they were children. They were close as could be. But ever since Chris had entered the alchemists’ academy, they’d grown apart, meeting once a year at best. Shortly after Kyleid left Kai and began his own workshop, Chris had come to visit.

“I heard you went out on your own, so I figured I should drop by.”

The years seemed to have taken their toll on Chris. There were dark cycles beneath his eyes.

“You okay, Chris? You look exhausted.”

“Do I? If it’s that obvious, maybe I really am overdoing it,” Chris said with a self-deprecating grin. “Research is an endless cycle of hypothesis and experimentation. I try to pace myself, but before I know it, I’ve used too much magic. Maybe there’s a disconnect between how much magic I think I’m using and how much I actually expend,” he said.

“Don’t be silly! You were a star student at the academy! Seriously, if you overdo it you could really hurt yourself.”

“Yeah. You should take that advice yourself, now that you’ve got your own business.”

 

They’d parted all smiles, but what Chris had said stuck with him. This was the first time Chris had sounded defeated. That conversation had given Kyleid the idea to create a device that could measure magical output. He’d wanted to make something original now that he had his own workshop, and by making the device himself he could address his own self-doubt.

Chris had earned a reputation at the academy, and Kyleid had always felt inadequate in comparison. They weren’t equals, and that thought had bothered him for years. But if he could complete this device, he was certain Chris and his colleagues would recognize his talents as an artificer. Best of all, the device would help Chris.

But Kyleid hadn’t wanted to tell anyone he was making it for a friend. He thought that was too much information and faintly embarrassing. The more he’d buried himself in creating the thing, the more scared he’d felt. Chris was a proud man and not one to accept help easily. If Kyleid admitted he’d made it for him, Chris would undoubtedly insist he didn’t need it. He’d been so anxious at the thought that he’d avoided seeing Chris ever since.

But if I show Chris the completed device, I’m sure he’ll want to try it out.

He’d convinced himself of that anyway.

“But I wasn’t rushing for Chris. I’m sure I was trying to finish it quickly so I could earn myself some accolades.”

Kyleid bit his lip. When the vibration crystals shattered, the first thing that had popped into his mind wasn’t his friend, but his own happiness, which now seemed very distant indeed. He felt even more pathetic.

“This isn’t just a matter of the heart. Even physically, I’m not cut out to be an artificer. I’ve spent months working on the measurement device, and lately I get tired so easily and get too sleepy to work. I can’t make the progress I should be making, and that frustrates me. I’m sure the crystals broke because of my own lack of focus.”

Kyleid hung his head, staring at his hands.

“Stop blaming yourself.” Elda’s voice no longer sounded gentle. “If a thing breaks, it can be made again, but people don’t work the same way.”

Kyleid looked up in surprise.

Elda appeared genuinely concerned.

“You’ve had a nasty shock today. That takes its toll on both body and soul. You need to be conscious of that and pamper yourself.”

“I know that, but how?”

“Go straight to bed. You’re absolutely exhausted, I’m sure. Even if you can’t sleep, stay in bed a while. I’ll bring some food up later.”

“Okay.”

She had a point, so Kyleid went to bed.

Alone in his room, the fatigue washed over him. As he told her about Chris, Kyleid had realized he wasn’t terribly altruistic. Deep down, he wondered if he was really making this device for himself.

“I think it’s high time I completed an original device and made a name for myself.”

He’d told Kai that because he didn’t want to admit the truth, but perhaps that really had been his motivation all along.

Enough! I don’t wanna think about this anymore… He forced himself to change his clothes and lie down. Almost instantly, he was asleep. He woke up several times, but never felt like getting out of bed, and eventually drifted into a deep slumber.

 

While he slept, Kyleid felt someone enter the room. He kept his eyes firmly shut until he heard the curtain flung back, and the morning light struck his eyelids.

Ow…

He slowly opened his eyes and found Elda standing by his bedside.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

Kyleid sat up.

Hmm? I fell asleep in the afternoon…yet it’s still light out?

He felt like he’d been asleep a lot longer though. Elda saw the confusion on his face and shrugged.

“I didn’t think you’d sleep straight through till morning,” she said.

“What? What time is it?”

“Seven. I was getting worried, but you look okay. You must be starving. Come down to the kitchen.”

I slept that long?

He was surprised, but his head felt much clearer. He was in a far better mood than the day before. Still, months of hard work had gone down the drain, and he was a little mad at himself for being able to sleep so soundly. Everything felt so suddenly meaningless that he almost wanted to laugh out loud.

He changed and went downstairs to find breakfast waiting for him. He had no appetite, but Elda stared so shrewdly that he began forcing it into his mouth.

“Oh, what happened with the ring?” he asked.

“I guess Claire couldn’t stand waiting. She showed up here shortly after you went to bed. I gave her the ring, so I’m sure she’s relieved. She burst into tears the moment she saw it. Surprised the hell out of me.”

“I’m sure those were tears of joy. Good thing you took the job.”

“Yeah. You were right about that,” Elda said.

He finished eating. Elda had clearly been anticipating this and brought him out into the backyard.

“What do you think of this garden?” she asked.

Kyleid was confused.

“I guess…it’s well looked after?”

“I didn’t mean that…” Elda said, annoyed. “What do you feel when you look at the flowers here?”

“I don’t really know much about plants, so… I mean, you’re growing herbs and stuff here? They must come in handy. You’re incredibly organized.”

“Agh, you intellectuals. Always thinking with your head first.”

Elda let out a deep sigh and pulled a brown medicine bottle from her pocket.

“This is an oil made of rosemary, Saint John’s wort, and two or three other herbs.”

She poured a small amount of the oil into her palm and then rubbed her hands together. When the oil was evenly coated, she held her hands out to Kyleid.

“Close your eyes and smell this,” she said.

Kyleid did as he was told, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply through his nose. He smelled something faintly bitter with a crispness quite different from mint. He took a few more sniffs, and his breathing improved considerably.

Elda may be using magic here, but it felt so good he didn’t have the urge to check.

At last, the smell faded, and she spoke again.

“Now open your eyes and look at the garden.”

It appeared the same as it had before.

Elda pointed at the plants growing closest to them, chanting their names like the words of a spell.

“The herbs here are mint, rosemary, and yarrow. The one with the reddish-purple flowers is common sage. Rue is the one with the green center and yellow petals. These are less common, but I also have some hyssop, with the pink flowers, and some chamomile.”

She moved through the garden, repeating this process.

“The ones shaped like torches, all fiery red, are strawberry candles. The white ones are lace flowers, and the pale purple ones are Canterbury bells. The light blue ones with gauzy petals are blue poppy.”

As Elda called each name and pointed out its corresponding flower, Kyleid slowly began registering all the colors and shapes.

Yesterday he’d thought the elderberry’s blooms were white, but today he could tell they were softer, more of a cream.

Then he looked past the flowers and realized the leaves were all different as well. He hadn’t registered them as anything but green before, but there were so many different shades of green, some bright, some dark. Now that he’d noticed it, he could no longer see the plants as all the same.

“I had no idea there were so many colors here.”

“Not just here. The world is filled with all sorts of gorgeous colors.”

Elda’s words led him to look up at the sky. How long had it been since he’d really noticed that blue? He remembered how much it had once meant to him. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt ready to cry.

The trees and flowers that swayed in the breeze were so full of life. Life flourished all around him, its power dazzling. This was why each color seemed so fresh and clear, so filled with beauty.

“How did I not see how vibrant all this was?” he asked.

This newfound sight made it seem like his old world had been black and white, all dull shades of gray. Just ­being in a place this beautiful, this resplendent with color, filled his heart with joy.

“You just forgot,” Elda replied.

“Is this magic?”

“In a sense. That oil did sharpen your senses a little. And by drawing your attention to each in turn, the plants here led you to perceive all the colors around you again. That was all it took to remind you of nature’s beauty. This magic isn’t mine, it’s from the flowers themselves. Truth is, before I even met you, Kai’s words had bothered me.”

“He said something about me?”

“Yes. He said he wanted you to look not at the numerical representation of the magic you were using but directly at the phenomenon occurring before your very eyes. But he felt this would be difficult for you to do after so much time locked up in a workshop, cut off from nature. Just now, you felt the beauty of the world, and it touched your heart. Don’t forget that feeling. Even if you complete your device, don’t ever look at magic as being by the numbers. That’s my wish as well.”

“I understand.” Kyleid was surprised by how deeply Elda’s words affected him. He felt light, like a burden had fallen from his shoulders.

Elda took a long look at his face, then smiled.

“You look much better. When I first saw you, I was instantly worried. You were so pale and gloomy!” she said.

“I was?”

“You didn’t know? Do you think Kai sent you here because he couldn’t be bothered?”

“No… Well…”

Kyleid wasn’t sure of the answer.

“Knowing him, that may well be part of it. But he had another reason. You may not have known it, but, when you first arrived, you were suffering. You didn’t look like someone filled with hope, excited about creating something new. Kai was very worried about you. He said you’re a workaholic and you get so wrapped up in what you’re doing you forget to sleep and eat. He asked me to make sure you got some proper rest here.”

“He did?”

Kyleid was amazed. The entire time they’d lived together, Kai had never once said anything like that to him.

“He’s hardly the type to admit what he really feels. But if he was willing to ask me for something like this, you must be very important to him.”

“I never even stopped to wonder.”

Rather than be glad his teacher was concerned about him, he felt sorry for all the things he’d never stopped to notice.

“If you wish for him to know how grateful you are, just show him how well you’re doing. It doesn’t have to be for long, but forget about your work. Relax here a while.” Elda winced. “I’m giving orders again, aren’t I? Um… I meant, you can relax here, okay?”

“Sorry, that’s my fault. You don’t need to be so worried about the way you say things,” Kyleid said.

He now regretted having said that to her. If he’d known her better, he’d have never brought it up.

“I’m glad you told me. It made me stop and examine myself. I’m just trying to say that I’m not forcing you. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

Given the broken measuring device, it made sense that he’d want to get back to his workshop as soon as possible. But for some reason, he really didn’t feel like it.

“I won’t get in your way?” he asked.

“A little late for that!” Elda laughed. Reassuringly she added, “I’m a loner by nature, so I never considered living with anyone else. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy having friends drop in for a stay.”

 

Kyleid took Elda at her word, and, for the next five days, he didn’t think about his job at all. At first she dragged him around the garden, and he helped collect rose and elderberry blossoms. Once he began taking walks of his own accord, she stopped meddling. He didn’t go anywhere near the river, but he did walk around the forest, savoring the colors and scents of the trees, touching their trunks and enjoying the feel of their bark on his palms.

As the days passed, he began thinking about the measuring instrument again.

First, I have to make it more durable.

And he had to stop it from reacting to faeries.

Which means starting over from scratch.

But this thought no longer pained him as the energy to make that fresh start welled up within. The shattered crystals and the need to create the device again gave him a chance to reevaluate himself.

He still wished to have his skill acknowledged, but now it wasn’t everything. The desire to help his friend was definitely still present in his heart.

And now, reminded of the world’s beauty, he wanted to be someone who lived a life without shame.

He returned from his walk, entering through the back door into the kitchen. On the kitchen shelves he saw a stuffed rabbit. It was wearing a black tailcoat, like a character from a children’s story. At nearly fifty centimeters tall, it was hard to overlook.

“Has this stuffed animal been here the whole time?” he asked.

“No, I just brought it down from my room.” Elda reached out and took it off the shelf. “I had a colleague of yours make this for me a long time ago. He’s named Phil. He’d guarded my house for a very long time, but a few months back he stopped working.”

“Oh. Is that why you don’t have a doorbell?”

Elda stroked the rabbit’s head fondly.

“I wanted to send it out for repairs, but the artificer has passed on. I didn’t know who else to ask.”

“So you were thinking about asking me?”

“Basically, yeah.” Elda winked at him. “Of course, only if you feel like it. I just wanted to bring it up before I forgot.”

“I don’t have my tools with me, so I’d have to bring him back to my workshop.”

“Please do.”

Kyleid took Phil and looked into his red eyes.

Had this white rabbit once run around the kitchen and garden, letting Elda know visitors had come? Or had he led guests to the parlor? Kyleid could imagine him doing both. It must have been a lonely day when he stopped working.

He felt a sudden urge to fix Phil right away, so he made up his mind.

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow,” he said.

Elda didn’t look surprised. “Off to make another measuring device?”

“I think I probably will, but that won’t be my only task. I’ll make sure to do other jobs along the way and develop that device at its own pace. I think it’ll take a while, but I don’t want to just give up.”

“Then let me offer you a piece of advice: Get your friend to help you. When things aren’t working out, ask him for advice. You may well find a way to solve your problem,” Elda said.

“But…” Kyleid hesitated. “If Chris says he doesn’t need it, I…”

Even now, he was frightened of Chris’s rejection.

But like a mother watching her child, Elda smiled. “Is this friend of yours incapable of understanding how hard you work? How you feel? Is he the type of person to trample all over good intentions?”

“No, he definitely isn’t.” The strength of his own denial surprised Kyleid.

Elda nodded. “Good. Then you’ll be fine.”

How much had his own fears and inferiority complex tied his hands? He was now aware of how much they’d prevented him from making the right choices.

He hung his head, frozen to the spot. Elda gently put her arms around him.

“Don’t worry. I know you can do it,” she said.

Kyleid couldn’t respond. He buried his face in her shoulder. He’d even forgotten how it felt to rely on someone else.

“Now then. Keep your head up and get ready for your trip home!” she said, slapping him on the back.

 

When Kyleid left the next morning, Elda walked him to the front gate.

“You’ve been such a help. I can’t thank you enough,” he said. He was so grateful his chest felt ready to burst, but he couldn’t put this feeling into words.

Elda smiled and nodded, as if she understood everything going through his mind.

“Take care of Phil for me, and come visit again sometime. Bring Kai with you, if you like.”

“I’ll make sure he knows the offer stands.”

Part of Kyleid didn’t want to leave, but he brushed that thought aside. This isn’t the end. I can see her again whenever I like.

With that, he quickly walked away, thinking about the future.

When he got home, he had a mountain of work to do. But before any of that, he needed to write a letter to Kai, one that would subtly express his gratitude and let his master know he was all right now.

To my beloved teacher:

Color has been restored to my world.

 

 

The End