Observation [Invite]

The Magister continued on through the charred remains of what was once a lush, verdant forest. His eyes scanned the area, darting from one side to the other, keeping both a lookout for any interesting specimens he could restock on and as a constant vigil for anything that may launch an attack against him. He was no stranger to these lands; he was aware of creatures both sentient and not that would test his will to survive. It was, after all, survival of the fittest in this region.

It did not take too long for something to catch his gaze. Within the blackened skies he saw a light that trailed by, its glowing aura lighting up the darkness around like a beacon. He took pause, remaining still as he followed it with his head. After some moments the object touched down not too far from where Oud was. With a hum, he took a step forward as he moved to where this object had landed. If it was anything like what he had seen recently, it could prove to be something of alien origin, something that would prove valuable in his studies.

His feet trudged through the ash and blackened soil before he came to a small clearing by the waterfront. He watched from the shadows, burnt husks of trees obfuscating him. He studied what he found—a young-looking being of a fair nature donned in bright-coloured robes of yellow and white. She gave off a sense of importance and, considering how well-versed in magic she was, potency. Her regalia that would befit royalty was twinned and complimented her apparent power.

”You assume that it was caused by only a single individual,” the Magister called out as he stepped from between the charred trunks of the ashen trees, revealing his presence to her after she had spoken, his ears able to hear her every muttered word despite the distance between them. ”Or, that it was caused by demons. I will tell you this much: you are half correct.”

He made his way towards her, his hands folded behind him, his gait unassuming, just as though it were a casual stroll as one friend spoke to another. His eyes trailed from her for a moment down to the creature she had subdued. Behind him, his fingers formed into claw shapes. He wanted nothing more than to fry the creature to a dishevelled husk with lightning but he would remain calm. He turned his attention back to the young one.

”You seem to have a keen interest in this planet. Fortunately, as a researcher and scholar myself, I may be willing to divulge information… in exchange for information about yourself.” A small smile crept upon Oud’s dark green lips. If he could garner even minute details about this person—who she was, what race she belonged to, her she came upon her magical gifts—it would magnify his knowledge tenfold. It would make this excursion worthwhile.

The Magister gave a wry smirk and a shake of his head. ”Then it seems that your understanding is short-sighted, your conclusions based on conjecture at best,” he chided, out of pity mostly, ””Although I will not fault nor judge you for it. Even the younger generations of my fellow kin reach the same falsehood. The name of the Mazoku originated from a bygone era by a fool who was too enamoured by their own power and vainglory.”

Oud paused for a moment, taking into account what the two of them knew. Considering the girl’s lack of knowledge, he may be able to spin her opinion around in his favour provided she did not hold onto any stubbornness she may possess. ”The Mazoku were a well-respected caste among my people, their powers held in high regard. However, as is seen in most civilizations, going against the grain results in becoming social outcasts. Some wanted to walk their own path. Some wanted to expand their horizons. These things were against namekian teachings. As such, they were exiled to this place. It is true that this place has become a battlefield between the Mazoku and Warrior clans especially but this place has been as it is now long before the Mazoku called this place home. How this place came to be had since been lost to antiquity. It is the reason why I am here.”

He glanced over his shoulder and the remains of what was once a living, thriving place, the same as any other place on this planet. Where blue fields and trees once stood, only ashen fields and charred husks of black wood stood. Where once wildlife had been free to roam in peace, they were now replaced with mutated creatures of various shapes and sizes who hunt to survive.

”Still, much can be learned from this place… and other places.” He turned his attention back to the girl. ”To reciprocate the gesture, I am Oud, Magister of Namek. Well met… Tiamat.”

He gave a small smile before he continued, ”Introductory aside, you ask of what I wish to know about you. Imagine this for a moment: an outsider, whom you’ve no idea of they are friendly or hostile, enters your domain. What would you ask? From that perspective, I would ask who you are and what your intentions are. You’ve answered the first, at least.”

He stepped closer. He did not feel the need to be threatened by her presence given that she was the outsider here. ”I also wish to know about your magic. You are obviously a sorceress of some power. Tell me, what sort of magics do you wield? Was this something you had learned or is it part of your birthright?”

It had become apparent to the Magister that this girl was not only one of a stubborn nature but also one of confidence and knowledge. The first two was able to be seen by all but he wondered how deep her knowledge of Namek went. She was strong of character as well as magic but, as the people of Namek would say, ‘the most rigid of branches will still snap on the winds.’ Oud wondered how far he could push her before she would break.

”You claim to have observed this planet for some time yet it is one thing to observe and another to understand,” retorted the Magister as he approached her closer and closer until there was but a two-meter gap between the two of them. It had become interesting for him to know of how young and small she looked now that he was up close in person to her. How she had come to know so much was both intriguing yet erred on the side of caution.

”If you have indeed observed our world for as long as you have, then you would know of what had happened in the past” he continued. ”A few too many Mazoku Clansmen were too hungry for power, they attempted to take over the planet, but were stopped by the other clans. And, so, the entire Mazoku people were banished—an entire people punished for the sins of the few. You’ve done as much the same, judging them in their entirety. Short-sighted, indeed…”

He paused for a moment. He glanced over the top of the girl, his eyes over the seas, beyond the horizon, towards the mainland that he had once called home—that the Mazoku Clan had once called home. He was aware of the reason for himself being here and yet it fell upon the precipice of hypocrisy that other Mazoku who had nothing to do with the conflicts had been banished here. It made him scowl for a moment, his hands forming clenched fists behind him.

Then, he relaxed. He exhaled quickly. His fingers loosened. He glanced down at the girl, straight-faced and sobered. ”You are correct, however. Many of the Mazoku are fools who became crazed with the dark powers they invoked. They were weak in power, in character, in mind.”

He spun on his back foot, his back towards the girl as he glanced up at the dark skies, watching as the clouds of ash rolled through the air from a volcano so far away from them that it seemed impossible for the plumes to reach so far out. ”The Mazoku have been around for millennia, far longer than you and I have been alive, I am sure. So, I ask this: if the entire clan were always filled with crazy, power-hungry fools bent on world domination, then why was it only fairly recently that they have been exiled?”

He glanced over his shoulder, catching the girl with the corner of his eye. ”You may have observed it but I have lived it. The two experiences cannot be compared and this is not to be contested—it is logical enough.”

He turned to face her once more once she had spoken of ancient magics that were best kept buried. It came as a surprise, a bad one, that this knowledge was known beyond Namek and even resided on another planet at some point in time. The Magister paused, tension filling the air around them. He glared at her. Then, he spoke, ”You speak of Porunga, of the Dragon Balls. Turn from your quest—it is folly to ask of such things. Their knowledge is left only to the Guru of Namek under sworn oath to never reveal their secrets to anyone else, even their fellow Dragon Clansmen. If you wish to help find the next candidate for Guru, that is your decision to make, but I suggest you stay away from knowledge beyond you. No good comes from the Dragon Balls.”

He knew of their significance. He knew of their power. He knew that so many conflicts were waged over them, most often lead by the Mazoku but even some Warrior Clansmen had steered from the path to attain them by any means necessary. Oud couldn’t help but hypothesize than the Northern Scar became what it was because of the Dragon Balls, directly or indirectly.

Still, talks of magic continued. It was here that the Magister understood the gravity of the situation he was in, of whom he was speaking to. The fact that this girl was dressed as she was, had apparently observed the world for a long while, and that her powers originated from the otherworld—a place that Oud had only heard tales of in passing from myths and legends—made him understand that, before him, stood some sort of deity.

”I see, now” he replied with a small smirk. ”You are a divine being. It is all coming together now. A being of light wielding the magics of creation. How fitting it is that we discuss the Mazoku, the wielders of dark magics, diametrically opposed to your kind. How fitting, indeed, it is that we stand here…”

Oud shifted sidewards and began to space to one side, his back towards the girl. ”You suggest that I should abhor the teaching of the Mazoku but I am not the learner. I am the master. ” He turned to face her again, a sizeable gap between the two of them. ”The small-minded masses of living protoplasm think that light and dark are opposing forces, destined forever to clash in cosmic warfare… and yet here we both are, standing amongst the charred remains of a verdant world… talking. No anger. No aggression. No violence. No war. I wonder if this surprises you. I wonder if you expect me to lash out at you like the foolish, crazed Mazoku I am. Or… are you beginning to see—see that not every Mazoku is the same.”

Oud closed his eyes for a moment. He took in each word that the girl had to offer him, every inflection and insinuation, and he still came to the conclusion that he had all this time—stubbornness and judgemental was what she was, if not indeed to her core. He didn’t know whether to blame her, as that was the opinion of even his own people, or not. Considering she had apparently observed this world for as long as he had, perhaps a little longer, he did so nonetheless.

”What our clan was founded upon and what we have become are two different points in time that cannot be compared,” stated the Magister, his tone sharp and spoken as a matter of fact. ”Between then and up until recently, we had integrated ourselves into namekian society, becoming well-respected peers of the other clans. It is unfortunate that we have arrived where we are now but I have no doubt that, in time, we will be able to re-join our clans once more. But… you are correct. We are to be treated with care and caution. Many Mazoku are susceptible to giving in to the dark urges owed to them by the power in their veins.”

How was he to contest that notion? He had seen too many of his clan fall far into darkness because their minds and souls were too weak to handle the power of their birth-right. He was different, however.

Yet, despite it all, he was chided upon for his worldview. He glanced at the girl, watching as she took her eyes from him. ”You call it bias. I call it perspective.” To think that he would be judged based on his experiences. It was outlandish. It only served as further proof of the girl’s own lack of perspective, of false judgement, of inability to understand. ”You only show, once more, your short-sightedness, if not absolute blindness, to the people you “observe”. I have lost much. No, perhaps I would consider that I have lost everything. You admit you have no personal attachments to this world, yet you think you have the moral high ground. You cannot judge another until you have stood in their place and you are not qualified to judge anyone. If this is by design, then it is heavily flawed.”

Oud did not care if she was of divinity, if she was indeed higher than the mortals because of birth-right or class or position of power. In his mind, she was a foolish child trying to assert herself with more portance than she actually had.

Still, she had claimed that he had misjudged her. Perhaps in parts but he had enough reason to judge her as a whole. He remained listening—the more she talked, the more he could gleam about her. He had no care for her character, that much had already been cast in stone for him. He was more interested in what she did and what she could do.

”I have no shame in admitting when I have assumed wrong, A researcher and scholar such as myself is bound to come to the wrong conclusions. If we knew everything, there wouldn’t be people like me seeking understanding.” A shame, a pity, that the girl did not share his mindset considering her capability to judge others based solely from an outsider’s view. ”Then, perhaps, we are more similar than one would care to think or admit. We are both sorcerers in our own rights, though I admit that my powers have waned over the years. Not enough practice, I suspect. Still, it seems dark powers still remain my domain when compared to yourself. Perhaps I can teach you what I know of it. After all, magic is magic and power is power. It is not the power that is negative—only the intent of its wielder.”

“Negative.” It was a vague yet universal term. The girl’s use of good and evil make the Magister scoff, then chuckle, his shoulders visibly shrugging with each exhaled laugh of pitied humour. ”Good and evil. Such contrite, wholesome notions created by non-intellectual mortals. Some say war is an act of evil, yet using an act of evil against an evil person is considered good. These notions are based solely on one’s own moral compass. Such strong, all-encompassing terms used to judge and label someone or something without seeing deeper into it, without changing one’s perspective. Fitting that you would use those terms.”

Of course, he would jab at her judgemental nature. How could he not when she had flaunted it so openly, even in this moment. ”You assume too much with your “clairvoyance”… and yet, you are wrong once more,” he stabbed at her with a conceited tongue, taking pleasure at the opportunity to demonstrate her own lack of foresight once more. ”I cannot sense your power and nor do I care to, for I have no interest in any test of strength against you. If you care as much as to boast of your power to inflate your own ego, then by all means—you are only impressing yourself. If you believe that I am trying to get on your good side because of it, then you are wrong again. Aside from your supposed divinity and magical powers, I know nothing of you.”

Then, he smirked. ”You are correct in one thing, I will give you that much credit in the very least—“ he admitted as he gestured towards her with a light wave of his hand ”—I am, indeed, “using” you for information but that is no secret, as I had already stated as much. I wish to learn of everything. People, places, civilizations, worlds—all of creation—no matter how long it takes, for I intend to live forever.”