The Gilded Gaze

Gone. The summoning circle and any evidence of its existence was gone, save a small innocuous circle in the center barely worth noting.

That wasn't the only thing that'd changed. Her whole room had been restored to an orderly neatness, notes piles in square stacks and books alphabetized and sorted into shelves. Stains removed, and even her bed made.

"Oh," she muttered. "Thank you."

He bowed. "Trivial."

She couldn't think of anything to say. Goodbyes were something she was never good at. "So...that's it for now, I guess?"

The serpent nodded. "I suppose. I will take my leave." He closed one eye, wagging his finger. "And I do ask you get some rest. A tired student is a poor student, after all."

With that, his long body began to move. Began to unwind, his entire length moving away from his spot on the floor.

The circle behind him, glowing. Widening, yawning like a growing star. A white light filled its maw, sparkling with silver radiance. Ssalka turned to it, facing it, the light playing across his dark scales.

"Remember," he stated. "My name, and my symbol. All you need. Goodbye for now, Floria."

He slithered in, torso-first. The rest of his tail followed, winding until the very tip of his tail disappeared into the portal. In an instant the light vanished, and the circle snapped shut to its original size. A simple drawing on the wall now, all other evidence of his encounter gone.

Flora raised a hand. "Bye, you weird snake teacher."

Her thoughts turned to what he'd taught her. Even with one 'lesson', she already had learned so much. Things that seemed so obvious now, things that would take the magical world by storm if she were to reveal them.

She needed more, she affirmed to herself with a nod. The more she knew, the more famous she'd become.

A small, proud part of her entertained the thought; of her entering the Ninth Circle, already its wisest member as a recruit. The prospect of it made her giddy. hee pressed her hands against her cheeks to make a little squeal of excitement.

"Yes!"

She was going to do it. She was going to realize her potential.

With a little help from a friend.

Her premature celebration was cut short by a series of rapid-fire knocks against the door.

Floria jolted, spinning around to the door as a sequel to the knocks pounded against it like an angry woodpecker.

"Ms. Praa'ta," she grumbled. As if anyone else knocked like that.

Her mood darkened, and she shuffled over to the floor. At least this wouldn't end in disaster now.

She opened the door, revealing the Dark Elf staring down at her with a deadpan glower. Behind her, a gruff-looking, bulkier mage with a cape behind his shoulders. One of the library's security.

"Ms. Alwinday," Praa'ta started, "How are you?"

"...Fine?"

"Good. I regret to inform you, but under the Authority of the Chief Librarian, your room has been randomly selected for a search. Contraband, illegal items..."

Her eyes narrowed. "...Unsanctioned borrowing of library property..."

That made Floria frown. The nerve of her! She thought she stole the book!

I mean, I stole a book. Just not that one.

The dark elf pointed over her head. "We'll need to come inside. Now."

Floria pulled aside the door. This action brought a brief flash of confusion in the dark elf's eyes, and Floria cherished every moment of it. She made a show of opening her door as slow as possible, keeping on until the elf moved forward and pushed aside.

She gave the room a once over. Her look of confusion only deepening, suspicion creasing in lines across her lips. "Hmmmm." Looking over her shoulder, she nodded to the librarian guard still standing outside. "Mr. Zaad. We may begin."

He burly mage tugged on his belt, striding forward in heavy steps. "Right-o, Mrs. Praat."

"Praa'ta."

"Yeah sure." He looked to Floria, his gruff frown cracking into a tiny, assuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll be out your hair in no time."

"Mr. Zaad," Praa'ta warned, "sometime today."

He cleared his throat. "Yep."

The mage raised his hand, palm glowing red. His own aura, pouring over the room like a bloody fog. He began a sweep of the room, casting his magical scan over every inch of Flora's quarters.

And Praa'ta...the dark elf had no magical ability. But she did possess a keen eye, and walked about Floria's room, manually inspecting it. Lifting pillows, scooting journals. Searching with dispassionate eyes, moving from one item to the next with a sense of quiet urgency.

Floria stood, watching them work. Enjoying Praa'ta's little desperate display, her stoic demeanor suffering hairline cracks as she failed to find anything.

Finally, the guard's aura faded. He reached up a hand, sniffling his scarred nose. "Yeah, nothin' here, Ms. Prad."

"Praa'ta."

"Yeah, sorry. Looks clear."

"Yes," she affirmed. She swept her gaze to Floria. "I must admit, I was expecting...less than organized quarters."

A tiny nod of respect. "Do keep this habit, Ms. Alwinday. It will serve you well as a mage."

She crossed her arms, leaving without another word. Her heeled steps tapping out against the stone floor, out the door. She stopped.

"Mr. Zaad?"

He lazily followed her, cracking his knuckles. "Yeah. Who's next on the list?"

She whipped around, staring at him with a furious eye.

The guard raised his hands in mocking surrender. "Sorry, sorry."

Turning back, she resumed her walk without him.

He watched her leave, then turned halfway to Floria. "I don't care for her."

A voice called out the open door. "I heard that, Mr. Zaad!"

He winced and sulked out the door. Closed it behind him, sealing it shut.

The wards resettled, locking Floria within once again.

Silence gripped the room. She was actually alone now, having escaped dismissal or worse by virtue of her discovery. The Spirit of Knowledge demanded she write some of her experiences down, but one step towards her desk made the Spirit of Sleepy scream louder.

She was tired. Very, very tired. A glance at her bed sealed her fate; a spell of fatigue settled into her body, the sheets drawing her in. She was already under the covers, not remembering how she got there.

Her whole body rolled in a sweet ache of thanks for the rest. Floria closed her eyes, breathing in. Already asleep as the air drifted out.

-----------------------------

She woke up in the early morning, a solid twenty minutes before her day's shift began. All it took was a lazy glance at the clock to drop that reality on her. She was already sprinting out the door, running with demonic speed towards her station.

The double-doors to her wing flew open, the previous shift lazily reading a book on the central desk. He glanced up.

"Hey Floria."

She waved to him, tugging at the sleeves of her uniform. "Hey."

"You run here?" he asked.

"Overslept."

That got his attention. "You? You barely sleep at all. What got you-"

"Overslept," she answered, approaching the desk. Her co-worker dismissed it with a shrug, gathering his things and giving the chair to her. He left without another word, nose still buried in his book.

Floria leaned back in her chair, relief gripping her limbs. Had she been late...

The second hand struck the hour. Her shift had started.

Staring out into the wing's rows of books, she watched a few scholars and old wizards browse the sections, lost in their own worlds. Her teeth flashed in a dark amusement; already she probably knew more than every single one of them. And that was from one lecture from her summons.

Normally, she would read to pass the time. Jot down idle thoughts, and scribble notes in the side of some journal. But now, all she could think of is getting back to her quarters, and interrogating Ssalka further. What else did he know?

What didn't he know?

The shift dragged on. One hour lagged behind the other, the monotony only broken by the occasional check-out or lost patron. She barely noted any of it, going through the motions like an automaton until the hour hand drew near to the end of her time.

She was busy staring into a particularly red spine of a book at the far end of the room when she felt two gentle pokes on her shoulder. She turned.

Lay'sa, waving with closed eyes and a nervous smile.

Floria glanced at the clock. Half an hour late.

"Hey Lace."

"Hey..." Lay'sa replied with a meek tone. "Sorry. I just-"

Floria stood up. "Honestly, Lace? After saving my skin like that you can be as late as you want. Just don't let Praa'ta catch you."

Her sharp ears drooped. "Yeah. Luckily, I mostly know her routes."

"...What?"

She tapped her forehead. "I'm the same rank as you, and I've been years three years longer. I haven't lasted this long not avoiding that lady."

"Huh. That...explains a lot."

"What?" she replied with a joking frown. "I have depths."

With a final smile, Floria began her journey of the wing. "I'm sure you do, Lace. It's all yours."

Lace took her seat and pulled a sandwich out of her pouch, munching on it like a starving animal.

Floria

left the wing. Through the twisting halls of the library, the door of her quarters. She pushed it open, closing it behind her with a slam.

Home again. She dumped her cloak on the bed, fixing her vision on the small circle on the far end of the room.

Still there. The only clue that she hadn't imagined the whole thing.

With a bit of chalk from her desk, she sauntered up to the simple circle, pressing the white stick against the hard stone. She traced the Ssalka's symbol from memory, the almond-eye and flowing lines. Soon enough, it was done, staring back at her.

She tucked the chalk away, pressing her hand against the eye. "Let's see if you're a demon of your word."

A hesitant pause.

"Ssalka."

The eye vanished. Pulled into the stone like a sinking rock as a white, blinding light filled the circle. Filled it and pushed it, growing by the second until it took up most of the wall, twinkling sparks as bright as fireflies pouring out of its glowing mouth.

She stepped back, in awe. It really did work.

And already, he'd answered her.

A darkness in the center of the light. A vaguely man-shaped torso, its boundaries blurry in the light.

Two lights appeared. Two, glowing yellow embers in the void.

A summer gust blew through her room, kicking up her loose clothes. She whipped an arm to shield her eyes, watching through her half-shut lids as he began to come through.

First a claw, tapping against the portal's edge. Then a hand, on the other side. A long, forked tongue from the gate's depths, then his serpent's head with a flared hood.

Ssalka.

He slithered into the room like he owned it. Hands behind his back as his whole length wound out of the portal into a coiled position in front of it. Settling onto himself, laying upon his tail with his hood outstretched in...amusement?

The portal slammed shut behind him, its last few sparks twinkling into nothing.

His torso moved, winding across the floor until he was right in front of her. He leaned down, taking her hand and laying a polite kiss upon it.

"Floria Alwinday," he cooed. "So, so good to see you again."

The way he said it. Like the easiest thing in the world, treating her like a noble queen. A wave of heat rose inside her, a heat that crawled across her face and chest. A lump in her throat, growing heavy. Her lips suddenly so very dry.

She forced it down. Crammed the feeling into a tiny ball, tossing it down her soul. By sheer will she cast away the warmth, ignoring his overly friendly greeting. No. He was here to teach here; nothing more.

She rose a hand, her fingers bent in uncertainty. Did a person wave to a demon?

With a smile, he returned the gesture. "And I must say, you look much more well-rested than last time."

"Hello, Ssalka," she answered. "I'm, uh, taking you up on your offer."

He politely inclined his head. "I expected nothing less."

Ssalka let go of her hand, pulling back to his coiled rest.

She took her place on the cushion, folding her legs. "Guess we should get started?"

"I would assume."

"...Are you always this mysterious?"

"Perhaps."

Floria rolled her eyes. "You're a funny guy, Ssalka."

"I am only pleased that I amuse you," he calmly replied. "But please. Enough pleasantries. You've called me, and I have answered. Would I be correct in speculating that you wish another..."

"Lesson," she confirmed.

He clasped his claws together. "Good!" he declared. "Very good! And so soon after our last!"

With a sigh, she looked up toward the ceiling. "I mean, I'm still wrapping my head around what you told me. Some of it seems kind of out there, but..."

"Yes?"

"-But, I don't know. I can't refute any of it."

"If you could, that would be delightful. I do so love it when I am proven wrong. Though sadly, such an event is astronomically rare."

"Huh. Makes sense."

"And that's what intrigues me about you," he continued. "How quickly you understood. How quickly you pieced it all together. It's your mind, Floria Alwinday. You catch on quick. I like that."

"Is that really the reason you're giving me these free lectures?" she pressed.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps my motives are unknowable to you, and perhaps they're hostile. But tell me: if I meant you harm, would I not have hurt you when we first met?"

The memory of him tearing away the gate surfaced in her mind. A nightmare scenario for any summoner, yet she'd come out unscathed. Not only that, but having a polite conversation with the being that even now could rip her to shreds with a single thought.

He raised a claw. "And, remember my oath."

She nodded. "You did give your word. But just know...I don't completely trust you. Not yet."

His grin widened. "As you shouldn't. Clever, clever, clever."

She tugged on her clothes, cracking her neck. "If you're done with the sweet-talking, maybe we could...?"

The serpent's eyes lit up with glee. "Ah! Of course! And tell me, what would you like to know about this day?"

She looked to her legs, sinking in indecision. Entropy was always such a huge thing in magic, and now she...knew it. Knew what it was, why it was, how it was. But as she'd listened to him lecture the last time they'd met, it was obvious that was only a piece of a much wider puzzle. She just had to think what else connected.

After a pause of silence, she looked up into Ssalka's eyes.

"What is the nature of the soul?"

His brows shot up in surprise. "Interesting. That's your inquiry?"

"Yes."

The serpent raised his head an inch, eyes flashing golden hues. Bright yellow want, drawing Floria in with a wave of weakness that turned her limbs to jelly. She swayed on her cushion, thoughts peeling away like the tide.

She felt...wanted. Noticed. The being's attention fully fixed on her, his vast mind dwarfing hers.

In that moment, Floria felt very, very small. Small and warm.

A voice cried out within her. Demanding an answer for the question before she drifted off into oblivion. It surged in her chest, her mind peeling back from the shining fire in her brain. She shook her head, snapping herself back to reality.

When she recovered, there was Ssalka. Laying in front of her, the remnant of a glow dying in his eyes.

She coughed. "Did-"

"Did what?" he asked.

She dismissed the thought. Already, her memory was...fuzzy. The event fading like a waking dream. Tried as she might, all she could remember now was his...eyes. The light. Was she even remembering that right? Was she-

"Soul," she muttered. "I think I asked you about the soul?"

"That you did. And I will answer."

He pointed a claw at the wall. Shining lines of light appeared across the stones, shining out like beacons.

Floria watched as glyphs revealed themselves. Entangled and entwined in complex equations and stories.

"Unlike entropy," he explained, "the nature of a soul is far more complicated. But! Doesn't that make it far more interesssssting?"

She studied the glyphs; a few she recognized, but most were unknown to her. Likely unknown to anyone. But just staring at them...she was already beginning to understand.

He pointed at the furthest glyph on the right; a bird standing in reeds. It surged, brightening at his gesture. "Let me explain..."

----------------------------------------

It was incredible what he knew. How he was able to explain so much, so simply, so effortlessly like a master storyteller. Less a lecture and more grand tale, but less no educational as she sat, mesmerized by his knowledge. She asked fewer questions this time; she simply didn't need to. She understood.

His words carried implications. Of the religions of men, of a mortal's ultimate fate. So much of it strange and fascinating. Was it what he revealed? Or the way he said it in that smooth, hissing voice of his?

Without thinking, through his lesson she could feel that strange warmth blanketing her own soul, a goofy grin stretching her lips. Every time, she fought it down. She was here to learn, not gawk at the strange naga!

"Which leads to..."

Ssalka trailed off, his serpentine eyes meeting her bleary gaze. He flicked his wrist, the glyphs on the wall popping out of sight.

Floria jerked awake, the spell of his tale broken. "Bluh?"

He smiled. "Are you well, Floria Alwinday?"

"Yeah," she blurted. "I mean, yes. You can keep going."

"But should I?" he countered. "You've been sitting there for quite some time. You should take a break."

She glanced at the clock. He was right; it had been a while.

More importantly, her back ached and so did her butt. She rose to her knees, massaging her neck. "Ah..." she complained. "Gods, I need a warm bath."

"Oh?"

"And a meal, too."

"Oh."

His long tongue danced from his lips. "Very interesting that you would say that."

"Huh?"

Ssalka raised his body, snapping his claws. The portal on the wall drew wide with power, gleaming white. He moved in front of it, spreading his arms out wide.

"If it interests you...I could provide."

"Say wha?"

He flared his hood, setting him as a dark figure against the light of the gate. "My realm," he proposed. "Where I...reside. If it pleases you, I would extend an invitation, Floria Alwinday."

That got her attention. She looked past his shoulders, to the gate that led to the unknown reaches of reality.

"You...you could do that?"

He nodded. "Could and can."

She considered it for a tick. "Is it safe?"

A slight bow. "With me? Of course."

This was uncharted territory. There were always stories of mages being dragged screaming by their summons into their portals when something went wrong, being invited like this...

There was so much about him that was different. If she accepted, and even returned, that would be a revelation in itself. The things she could learn on the other side...

"Do I need to do anything?"

"No spells or wards necessary."

He held out a claw, his rings shining in the light. "Just take

my hand. I'll do the rest."

"Now hold on, Ssalka. Gotta think," Floria said, feigning a frown and crossing her arms. She made a display of tapping her foot a few times in an even rhythm, then dropped the fake frown and took a step forward. "Done thinking. Do your worst, Ssalka."

She extended her hand. He took it into his, wrapping around it.

"Oh, such a terrible thing to ask of me. Forgive me if I refuse for now."

And he struck. Darted backward with blinding speed, his torso flying into the brightness of the portal. A stricken cry of shock died as a squeak as she was pulled off her feet with him, dragged into the brightness that consumed her mind and soul.