MxM dA ff1 - Chapters 1 through 5

"Long day, huh?" Vaith asked, sitting down at the conference room table, but no one answered him. As far as he could tell, Merleawe was asleep, and Yue was either sleeping with his eyes open or lost in thought. Fern... where was Fern? Vaith looked around, but couldn't find him. He could understand Glenn not being there -- it was a Sunday, after all -- but Fern going missing? "Have either of you seen Fern?"
"As far as I know, Fern is in Merleawe's room, resting." Yue replied, still seeming more interested in the far wall than in Vaith.
"Why?" Vaith demanded, and Yue glanced over uneasily at Merleawe.
"There was a slight... altercation... today." Yue explained. Vaith tried not to sigh. Normally, Yue would tell him what the issue was, but this time he didn't seem eager to speak anymore. Noticing his gaze, Vaith figured it was probably because he didn't want to upset Merleawe. And if Yue was trying to protect her from something...
"Is Mel all right!?" Vaith asked, beginning to grow worried. Now that he thought of it, the faint rise and fall of her breathing was the only sign she gave of being alive...
"Merleawe is fine, though I'd imagine she's trying to rest, and could use some peace and quiet." Vaith glanced between Merleawe and Yue for a bit, trying to decide.
"So you want me to leave?"
"Or to just stop asking pointless questions."
"They aren't pointless! I have a right to know when something major is going on with one of my friends!" Vaith exclaimed, standing up, slamming his hands down on the table, and that seemed to rouse Merleawe a bit, and she shifted slightly. Neither Vaith nor Yue spoke for a while, and it seemed Merleawe gradually drifted back to sleep. Vaith sighed, then asked quietly, "Yue, are you sure she's all right?"
"Physically, she's unharmed. Mentally and emotionally, she's a bit worn-out. And please... I need to focus, or I might not be able to detect any other magical threats throughout the palace, and Merleawe needs her rest."
"Other magical threats? Yue... so you mean...?" Vaith asked, and  Yue nodded. Vaith felt almost as if he had been kicked in the gut. That was why Fern was "resting"... that was the "altercation"... "Who would try to--!?"
"Be quiet, Vaith." Yue snapped wearily. "No one else must know what happened, at least until there has been time to mount a proper investigation. And standing around here gawking like a fool will do no good. If you want to make yourself useful, check in on Fern. From what Merleawe told me, the spell used on them shouldn't cause too much harm to Fern in and of itself, but redirecting anything through the shadow spell is very draining for the Hahaze."
"Yeah, I know, but that seems to be a moot point. But... isn't there something I could do to help out Mel?"
"Nothing that I'm aware of. You'd have to ask her once she's awake. Anyways, Vaith, it's best if you're on your way. As I said, I need to keep my focus for this tracking spell, and you're not helping."

.
.
.
"Are you feeling okay, Fern?" Merleawe asked, and he nodded.
"Yep. I'm all right." He said, then glanced out the window. "I was just doing my job. But what about you, Mel? I mean... I know, with the shadow spell and all... you're fine, but... it's just so hard to believe that something like that would happen."
"I know..."  Merleawe sighed, glancing down at her half-written report. "I mean, of course I can understand how people would be upset with my appointment -- I am the first female Master Wizard, after all -- but I can't imagine anyone would actually try to attack me, at least not before I had had more than a month to accomplish anything. And I guess the others are just as shocked."
"Really? I haven't seen them." Fern mused, leaning on Merleawe's desk. "I mean, doesn't Yue usually drop by by this time? And Glenn wasn't in the conference room this morning... though I did run into Vaith in the halls. He looked busy."
"That's probably because Yue's been running himself ragged, looking into what's happened. Though yes, it's not like him to not follow his schedule. And I saw Glenn earlier; he seemed pretty shaken up and worried about me, so he did his best to cheer me up. Speaking of, I still have some of the pastries he baked left over. After yesterday, you could probably use some comfort food."
"You sure there's no cinnamon in them?" Fern asked guardedly, narrowing his eyes, and Merleawe smiled, shaking her head.
"I'm sure, Fern. Glenn's not really a prankster, and I think he mentioned something about it being a good idea to give you some too."
"All right. Where are they? And what's up with Vaith? He's kind of full of himself and doesn't usually greet me anymore, but he was definitely avoiding me more than usual."
"I'm not sure what's up with Vaith. I didn't overhear too much of the conversation, but it seems he's been instructed to help increase the palace security, though Yue mentioned something about him having to be discreet about it, since I guess having soldiers doing rounds along with the regular guards would look bad..." Merleawe sighed, then remembered the other thing she had to tell Fern. "Also... Fern?"
"What's up?"
"I don't know... it could just be because I'm still a little shaken, but... after that happened yesterday... I guess... the magical presence of the shadow spell... it just seems strange, somehow." Fern stood up straighter, trying to hide some emotion  which Mel couldn't quite identify.
"You've noticed it too? I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me... or maybe still some imbalance from taking that spell."
"But this isn't your first time being someone's body double. I thought you'd have noticed--" Merleawe broke off, noticing that she'd hit on a painful subject.
"I've only ever taken minor spells for Slyth before. So yeah, I have some idea what the "normal" feeling of the spell activating is, but I don't know... maybe it was the power of this one... or... I don't know. What was that spell, anyways? I didn't have much time to try to think about it." Fern sighed. "But yeah. Mel... I'm not sure this is the time or the place to talk about it. I mean, people could just be barging in at any time, you know?"
"The time or place to talk about what?" Someone asked, and Fern bristled, turning around to face Lecto.
"Gah! How did you get in here, stalker person?" Fern demanded, and Lecto sighed irritably.
"The door was unlocked, you know. Anyways... Mel, I was told to deliver this..." Lecto stepped forward, and handed a heavy stack of documents to Merleawe, who put them off to the side of her desk.
"Thanks, Lecto. But please, knock before entering next time!" Merleawe snapped, and Lecto looked away uncomfortably.
"I'll try to remember. A-all right. Well, I take my leave." He mumbled, then turned and left, just as quietly as he had entered.
"Talk about awkward...!" Fern grumbled. "But yeah. Mel, any idea what that spell was?"
"I'm not too sure. All I really know is that it was a non-elemental, medium-powered spell. There might have been some sort of curse or side effect attached to it; I'm not sure, but that would explain whatever's going on with the shadow spell. But are you sure you haven't heard of anything like this?"
"None of the instructors ever told me anything like this, or even the Elder. I mean, I guess that the Elder would know... since he's been alive a really long time and has seen pretty much everything that magic can do, but he's a week or so of travelling away, and as this is now, I really don't see any reason to put up with that hassle. But I guess if experience is what we're looking for, Yue may know something, since he is the oldest of our group. I mean, since I'm pretty sure he's never had a body double, he probably wouldn't know too much, but it's worth a shot."
"Yes, but in the wake of all this, are we sure we want to place any more burdens on our friends?"
"Yeah, you're probably right. He's probably stressed and cranky, anyways. Best to avoid him. We'll wait to see if this magical imbalance resolves itself."
.
.
.
"Yue." Merleawe called, but he didn't look up at her. "Yue, I need your help."
"What with?" He asked gruffly, not looking up from what he was working on. To Merleawe, it looked like scribbles, but since Yue was being very deliberate and careful with the pen strokes, she guessed it was a diagram of some sort.
"That spell that was used on me..." Now Yue turned abruptly to face her, looking worried. "Do you have any idea what it was?" Mereawe asked, unconsciously taking a step back, and Yue sighed irritably, putting the pen aside.
"How should I know, Merleawe? I only arrived after the fact, after all... if you want to know which spell it was, why not ask your assailant? But then, from what I've been told, he's hardly been cooperative with any questioning efforts... and if you're just asking out of mundane curiosity -- which I hope you are -- aren't there more important things to be done?"
"W-well actually..." Merleawe began, suddenly unsure. She hadn't been able to detect the imbalance enough to tell what it was, exactly, but there still was something wrong... "I was more wondering about... aftereffects."
"You shouldn't be experiencing any." Yue said quickly. "The shadow spell should have taken everything. If you're worried about Fern, I can look into it, but I have a busy schedule, and I highly doubt he'd be receptive of any efforts to "help" him."  That's right... Merleawe thought, Yue and Fern don't really get along. The generation gap really doesn't help things. Neither does that incident with the diary. So why did Fern suggest I ask him, especially since Yue's already proved that he's not the best in dealing with curses and the like?
"But..." Merleawe sighed, then cast a barrier so no one else could hear. "But what if I am?" As if those words held weight, she could almost feel the dark beads that had formed on the magical strings connecting her to Fern. She knew they weren't doing her any harm, but still...
"Then let us pray it's just your imagination playing tricks on you." Yue said guardedly. "Have you spoken with Fern about this?"
"Yes... and he suggested we might talk to you about it, since you might know something."
"Well, I don't." Yue sighed. "But what is it, anyways? It's not serious, I hope?"
"Just... I can feel... sense... darkness... in the bonds of the shadow spell... and there's some sort of magical imbalance to go with it." Merleawe explained, and Yue glanced out the window ruefully.
"It's not getting any worse, is it? Either way... I... such things are not to be taken lightly. I have done some research into the workings of the shadow spell and the bond between Hahaze and human, but... I've never heard of something like this. If you're sure there definitely is an imbalance, and it's not just your mind playing tricks, then you must look into this and find some way of resolving it. I'm afraid I don't have any answers beyond that. We can't put our new Master Wizard at risk. That you were attacked at all is unacceptable, but to have this happen..." He broke off. "No..." He muttered under his breath. "I'm probably just overreacting. But Merleawe... if you do feel it's serious, you need to fix it. There are a few others who might know more, though. The Academy principal might know something. He may not be up to date with the most recent developments with magic, but he has studied magic far longer than I. It's possible he's encountered something of the like in his readings. You could also ask my uncle. He was the one who selected Fern to be Slythfarn's body double, after all, and he used to be one of the Magical Department's leading researchers, back in the day, mostly investigating things outside of the scope of the regular schools of magic... which I suspect this is. Or, of course, if you're willing to make a journey that long, you could ask the Onburu Elder. He's the most likely to know of something like this."
"Um... Yue... could you... write that down?" Merleawe asked, struggling to get all the information encoded in her mind.
"I'd rather not waste any more time, but since I suppose you won't remember it otherwise..." Yue grumbled, taking a fresh sheet of paper out of his desk drawer, and picking up the pen again. Merleawe couldn't help but notice that, for the first stroke, he forgot to dip the pen in the ink. So he's pretty unnerved by this. Maybe I should have just let it slide. But there's definitely something wrong... but is it getting better, or getting worse? I can't tell...

.
"Wait, so where is Mel again?" Vaith asked, and Yue sighed irritably, as they passed one of the guards making his rounds in the palace hallway.
"I told you, she and Fern went to speak with the Onburu Elder." Yue snapped. "Can't anyone remember anything?"
"Well, yeah, I remember that they left, I guess I remembered they were going to one of the Hahaze villages, but I have a lot on my mind, and things fall out occasionally." Vaith grumbled, and Yue opened his mouth to reply, but Vaith cut him off. "It really doesn't help that you keep assigning me to something new every day. I'm only one man, Yue. I can only do so many jobs. I --"
"You need to make up for your lost time."  Yue interrupted. "We are where we should have been a year and a half ago. We may be at peace, but that's no reason to grow lax, with all the threats still around us. And we shouldn't be discussing such things here."
"Cast a kekkai or something. You're a wizard, right?"
"A moving barrier takes more focus and magic than I'd like to use right now."
"And now you're the one who doesn't want to work."
"The risks outweigh the benefits, that's all. And this is where we need to part. I have a Council meeting I'm needed at. Why don't you head on down and see Glenn? You've been supervising patrols all morning. You probably didn't get any breakfast, and it's hard to work all day on an empty stomach. Glenn should have something for you to eat." Vaith stopped short.
"Whoa. I didn't think you cared at all."
"Of course I care. If you can't even remember important details, like Merleawe's trip, then you obviously need to do something to improve your focus, or there's no point in you being here at all." Yue explained, leaving still-stunned Vaith behind.
"...Huh." Vaith said, after a while. Yep, he's definitely been a lot more mellow lately... well, comparatively speaking. I don't know what's having this effect on him, but whatever it is, I could stand for it to keep up. Vaith sighed, glancing around the hallway again. He didn't really understand why Yue -- and not just Yue; now that the other Ministers had been informed of what happened, they were getting on Vaith's case, too -- insisted on keeping security that much tighter, when Mel wasn't even around to be in any danger. He supposed they might have been worried for themselves, but really, that was no excuse to keep piling duties onto Vaith.
So when Mel had been appointed Master Wizard, Vaith had finally given in and decided to accept the role of Commander-In-Chief. Of course, Agros had made it so that Vaith had to spend a few months on "probation," which to Vaith seemed like "not being allowed to attend half the briefings he needed to in order to do a good job," and "having his authority questioned every step of the way." And Vaith could live with that. Just a little break-in period of getting back into the swing of things. Besides, he needed that time to get used to giving orders to some of the generals, rather than taking orders from them. And of course he had to learn which ones to trust and rely on, and which ones he had to be careful around...
And then, somehow, he had been put in charge of tightening palace security. Which would make sense if the military were serving as guards... but no. Somehow he was in charge of the regular palace guards, too.
Couldn't Yue think of anyone else to pass those duties off on to? Wasn't he the one who processed a lot of the feedback about the army? Then didn't he know some other officers who'd be able to help? Or not even officers; putting a military commander in charge of a civilian force wasn't exactly standard procedure.
"I didn't expect to see you down here so early, Vaith." Glenn commented, and Vaith glanced over at him.
"Neither did I, actually." Vaith said, wondering if he had somehow teleported to the conference room, though he knew it was probably because he had walked there without realizing while he was lost in thought.
"You look tired."
"I think we all do..." Vaith sighed. "Seriously... I just still can't believe that anyone would try to hurt Mel. And then all that we have to do to pick up after this... I'm just worried... I think she mentioned something to me about the shadow spell being wrong, but..." Vaith let himself fall into one of the chairs at the table.
"I know it's hard to believe. On that note, have you gotten any more information on what actually did happen? Was it just an isolated occurrence, or...?"
"I'm not allowed into half the meetings. Even then, I'm not sure if either Mel or Yue even bothered telling the Council about what happened. I'm just in charge of the guards, what do I know? With things as they are, we have to leave it up to our wizards to fix it. And..." Vaith broke off, noticing that Glenn was staring out the window. "Glenn? You okay?"
"Too many things are happening at once... you probably haven't heard, and I'm not sure I should be telling you this, but... the Archbishop is very ill, and there's a good chance he won't pull through. He's... been the one holding the Church together... or at least the branch of the Church more prevalent in Viegald and its surrounding areas... but with so many disputes, without a strong central leader... not that it's any of my business how others choose to worship God, of course, but it will be much more difficult to coordinate charities and goodwill missions if the separate factions branch off from each other." Glenn explained.
"Oh. Right. I forgot you had your stuff going on, too." Vaith said, then remembered what he had been sent down there for as his stomach growled. "Glenn... do you have any food?"
"Well, since I didn't expect anyone would be down here for another few hours... we still need a bit of time before the biscuits finish cooking. Still, if you're hungry, I'll see if I can't find something  for you to eat."
"All right. Thanks, Glenn." Vaith smiled, but for some reason he just couldn't get back up onto that platform of aloof carelessness that he usually could. Things were changing, and changing  fast... and Vaith wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
.
.
.
"Oh? Welcome back, Fern, Master Merleawe." The Elder said, and Merleawe nodded, bowing slightly, as she stepped into the room. "It's rare to see anyone return... is everything all right?"
"About that, sir..." Fern began, and the Elder glanced at him critically.
"Shouldn't you let your master speak first?" He asked, and there was a moment of awkward silence.
"It doesn't much matter..." Merleawe stumbled a bit, trying to find the right term of address for the Elder. "...Sir." She said finally. "What I mean is -- and what Fern was probably trying to say, is... well, yes, there have been a few... problems, I think, but..." Merleawe found it a bit strange to be looking down at someone who held authority. She was used to being the shortest in the room, so it was a bit strange for her to address this child-sized man with the respect due him.
"Problems? Could you please elaborate?" The Elder asked, concerned.
"Would it be all right to close the door, first?" Merleawe asked, remembering that her business was with the Elder and the Elder alone.
"Or, Mel, you could cast a barrier. That'd work better." Fern suggested, ignoring a reproachful glance from the Elder.
"Go ahead... take whatever precautions you may need." The Elder said, and Merelawe nodded, motioning for Fern to take care of the door as she put up a barrier around the room, preventing anyone outside of it from hearing. "Do you feel safe now?"
"Yes, sir." Merleawe nodded. "Anyways, Fern and I... well, someone tried to magically attack me. The spell was redirected to Fern through the shadow spell, and Fern seems fine now, but..." Merleawe broke off again, looking for words.
"But...?" The Elder asked.
"But there seems to be some sort of dark magical residue, Sir. I can't "see" it too well on the strings of the shadow spell, but I know it's there." Fern explained. The Elder nodded gravely.
"I see. And is that residue growing or shrinking or changing in any way?"
"It's not growing..." Fern said, closing his eyes to think. "It's not shrinking either... But it is changing. I'm not sure exactly how, though. In some places it seems to be sinking into the strings, and in other places it's growing lighter." Merleawe listened, surprised Fern could tell all that. She knew that the Hahaze generally had sharper vision and hearing than humans, but she wasn't sure about anything else. But then, she supposed, Hahaze might be more perceptive to magic than humans were, or at least Fern's side of the "shadow" spell gave him that effect. But then if they were resistant to magic, how would they be able to sense it? It didn't make much sense. Merleawe wished she had paid more attention to the Elder the first time, when Fern had first been assigned as her body double.
"Well, I have heard of things like this happening..." The Elder sounded a bit worried. "Did you come to see me because you did not know what to do about it?"
"Yes, sir." Fern and Merleawe said in unison.
"All right. This sounds like a corruption spell... one that would most likely take a few months to take effect. But if you can sense it already, then it most likely is too late and purifying the corruption would take too much power..." The Elder sighed, glancing between Merleawe and Fern.
"What would happen if we could not purify it?" Merleawe asked, worry rising in her chest.
"It depends upon which specific spell was used... there are several. We don't have much documentation of the effects because such spells are dangerous and forbidden, though perhaps your Magical Department's archives would hold more record on the effects. But from what I'm given to understand, some corruption spells kill, others drive both the Hahaze and the human to madness, and others merely break the bond of the "shadow" spell."
"But Sir, is there nothing we can do?" Fern sounded a bit more worried than Merleawe felt, although she felt herself shutting down a bit. So death, madness, or... simply having the spell broken. To have all this happen in just such a short time... but the Elder did not sound overly concerned, so she was not sure if the old man knew a way around it or simply was too serene to be bothered. He didn't strike her as an emotional person, after all, and since Fern had mentioned that he was over two hundred years old, he had probably seen many more humans and body doubles come and go and likely wasn't as bothered... but this was her life  She wouldn't let it be cut short by--
"Unsealing or breaking the "shadow" spell before the corruption can fully take hold should be enough to stop it, and much of the curse should dissipate, although what remains..." He glanced at Fern "Would be redirected to you, young man. And whichever way you two choose to handle this problem... there are risks and benefits. You'll need to carefully consider each course of action."
"And what would happen then? And how do we break the "shadow" spell?" Merleawe asked, feeling a little bit dizzy from worry. But she couldn't let this shake her; she still had time and she knew she wasn't in iminent danger of anything, but if to save her Fern had to suffer... the tradition of body doubles had always bothered her, and she had known that Fern was seen by many as being "lower" and disposable, but knowing about something and experiencing it were very different.
"Mel, we really don't want to break the "shadow" spell. We want to unseal it." Fern said seriously.
"What's the difference? And what are our options again?" Merelawe asked.
"If the "shadow" spell is forcibly broken, all its energy will rebound on the body double, almost always proving fatal. Because you two have only been bound to each other for approximately six weeks, and if this is the first spell you have taken for her, Fern, then there is not as much energy in the spell as there could be, so breaking the spell likely would not kill Fern, but it would certainly hurt him, that in addition to some of the corruption spell rebounding on him too. Depending upon the strength of the corruption spell and what condition Fern is in after the breaking of the "shadow" spell, he may or may not be able to escape its effects. You would be perfectly safe, Master Merleawe, presuming the spell can be broken -- doing so would take a great deal of magical power, and that power must come from an outside source if you do not wish to put yourself at risk of the spell rebounding on you, too."
"How much magical power?" Merleawe asked.
"More than is normally found in humans. It would take a rare and powerful mage to break that spell, and one with a good deal of experience. It's a delicate balance of power; too much and there would be too much energy flowing through the spell, enough to not only kill Fern but also cause substantial damage to the general surroundings. Too little and that magic will only add to the pool of the power of  the "shadow" spell and make it harder to break."
"What about unsealing it?"
"That, too, would be a difficult task. Unsealing the spell would take just as much power, but even more focus. While the energy from the "shadow" spell itself would dissipate and not cause any harm to Fern, the corruption spell has a chance to take full hold on him, and if not him, then likely on some poor hapless passerby." The Elder explained, then sighed. "And then, there is another problem, even should you be successful: one Hahaze may only go through the binding of the "shadow" spell twice. Fern has already reached that limit. Reinstating the "shadow" spell after... would not be an option."
"Pardon me saying so, Sir, but I thought it was three times." Fern interjected.
"Many people think it is three times, because of the magical significance placed on the number three, but the limit is twice." The Elder explained, then looked at Merleawe. "Master Merleawe, I know this is difficult for you to hear, and must come as a shock, but we will do everything we can to ensure that you can escape the effects of this curse, and with any luck, you will be able to escape this unscathed."
"I understand, but I don't want Fern to suffer, either..." Merleawe said. "Are there any other options?"
"We could attempt to purify the corruption spell out of the "shadow" spell. This would take an enormous amount of power, focus, and benevolent energy, but it is the safest course of action. It may be difficult, because finding someone with the capability to even break the "shadow" spell would be difficult enough."
"Well, for what it's worth, I am the Master Wizard..." Merleawe pointed out. "Are you sure I could do none of these things by myself?"
"Theoretically, you could. Your predecessor managed to unseal the spell on his own, and even after years of being bound by the "shadow" spell, but pardon my saying so -- you have had far less experience than Slythfarn had. Slythfarn was groomed to be Master Wizard since the was five years old, and made to understand the workings of the "shadow" spell from an eary age as well. You... from what I have heard, have had no such training. It is safer for you to rely on the experience of someone else.  No matter which course of action, if you take it on your own, the curse may well rebound onto you. Keeping you safe is imperative, so we must find another person to deal with this corruption spell."
"Sir, could we not simply invert the steps of the ritual that seals the "shadow" spell in the first place?" Fern asked, and Merleawe wondered why she hadn't thought of that.
"If the "shadow" spell were not compromised by the corruption spell, then we could. However, as things stand..." The Elder sighed. "We must find you a powerful wizard you trust, who has some experience with the workings of the "shadow" spell, to see if he or she could perform one of the three processes to save you from this curse."
"Well... perhaps Yue could... he was the one who sent us to you, after all..." Merleawe said, trying to think. The other wizards she trusted... Yue, Lecto, Tirika, Zinioa, and Beatrice. Of those, she was fairly certain that only Lecto, Yue, and Beatrice were familiar with the "shadow" spell and the body double tradition. And since Beatrice was currently on a mission in Vilata, and Merleawe doubted Lecto had enough power to do what he had to do, Yue was the only option left.
"Yue Alistelaford?" The Elder asked, and Merleawe nodded. "From what I remember of him, he'd most likely have the power to break or to unseal the spell, but I am almost certain he'd be unable to purify out the corruption spell. Then again, I could be wrong -- it has been over fifteen years since we met last, and he may well have changed. You'd be best to find someone with more experience than he does -- he's still young -- but if you know no one else with enough magical power, then I suppose he might be able to solve your problems."