The temple was a massive structure, supported by columns and walls. Softened and weathered with time, its marble body stood no longer as a haughty creation of Man, but a being rightly claimed by nature. Canals filled with idle water ran on either side of the room and converged to an elevated platform. Orbs of light hung in the air, like ornaments on a tree, that were made of a pure, blue light.
On the platform sat a figure swathed in drapes of swirling patterns. They were dwarfed by the grandiosity of the temple, but sat with a comfortable poise. With their legs folded beneath them, hands on their lap, they were completely still as the water, the orbs, the air. Waiting.
The sharp sound of a chime. One of the orbs began to pulsate, and the figure opened its eyes sharply—an intense gleam that reflected the light. A flash to the left. Then right. Left again.
One by one, the orbs began to dim and glow in quick succession. The entire temple lit up in a silent symphony of light. The figure traced the movement of the orb closest to them. It bobbed up and down in time with its light patterns, the only one to exhibit any movement. It jerked to the right and bumped into another, the collision creating a fierce flash. The figure flinched and lowered the rim of their hood, narrowed eyes locked onto the orb. It jerked around a bit more, excited and unsure, before it drifted in front of the sitting figure. It floated gently downwards, flashing all the while, and as it touched the ground, the other lights that filled up the room extinguished in a final flash.
The only light within the entire temple came only from the orb, but it had taken on a changed form; it looked like a glass ball now, emanating a constant light rather than being composed of it. The figure hovered a hand over the orb that rested at their knees, with long, silken sleeves dripping to the ground.
A swipe of the hand—
and the final light was extinguished, swallowing the temple in darkness.
“That’s beside the point. What matters is the application of it—the power and scope of it would be unprecedented!”
“It’s precisely then that such application requires unprecedented care."
Two people sat across from another separated by an oaken table, neatly arranged compared with the rest of the small room; colorful knick-knacks peppered the shelves and books were stacked in every crevice. One had a handsome, androgynous face and leaned forward with an arm perched onto the wooden tabletop; while the other was old and gaunt, with his back to the chair and arms crossed. They stared at each other, ignoring the soft ticking from somewhere in the room.
The androgynous figure knocked her fist on the oaken counter top in frustration, a dull noise lost amidst the intensity, “Everything has consequences. And what about the implications of not applying a new magical technique? We’ll run ourselves to our grave with only talk."
“Ah, Esme—but you're asking the right questions,” the old man said with a mischievous lilt, “that’s already half of the work needed to be done."
Esme froze a moment before leaning back into the oaken seat with a shake of her head. The man in front of her smiled in return and they sat quietly, the sound of a clock ticking dominating the silence.
“Arty,” she said, “once I do come up with a way to make this revolutionary, surely fantastical application of magic succeed, I definitely won’t come to you."
“I have no doubt,” Artemis replied. He picked up the pipe that had been resting on the table, wispy curls of smoke rising from the intricate piece, and took a deep inhale.
Esme watched him exhale, something like an old dragon, thick smoke hinting at churning embers somewhere she couldn’t see. She’d found herself enjoying his company more and more from when she first met him; they got along like friends for whom time had no cutting edge. She respected his honesty and intellect, always pushing her to look beyond what she could see. He admired her blazing charisma and quiet thoughtfulness, a combination he had encountered in very few people throughout his life.
They met while Esme had been searching for her hero advisor, something that all “heroes” were required to do as a part of their training package. The boring, patronizing, and crazy options—she’d sat through them all and decided that she was going to go mad before completing her training—then she met Artemis, a fiercely respected intellectual within the dark magic department.
Esme patted the armrest of her chair and pushed herself to stand, “Well, I’m heading out now. I’ve got to wrap up this mission before the day ends. It’s always a pleasure to see you, Arty."
"A few more before your final one, correct? And stop calling me that.” Artemis rolled his eyes, and took another inhale of his pipe.
“That’s right. I’ll be out of here soon, though perhaps not saving the world, as everyone else is convinced I’ll be doing.” She grabbed her brown coat at the hanger near the entrance and pushed down on the metal handle of the door.
“Goodbye, Esme. I expect nothing less than magical application the world desperately needs the the next time you roll around."
“I know you’ll make do with whatever I bring,” She laughed and pulled the handle behind her, the door sliding snuggly into its frame with a firm thud.