Tale of Four

[Two Months Before Cillian’s Death]

Alice looked around the world beyond the door and felt her heart beat rapidly at the sight before her. Behind her, the door closed on its own, as if it could think for itself and when she turned and opened it, it revealed the entrance to a dim bar, and not the Mad House.

Her grin grew even wider as she finally understood the magic of what she was experiencing. "Chesh..." Looking around for her friend, she noticed the girl had vanished and ran a hand through her fiery red hair in annoyance, angry that her friend always seemed to disappear without a word. "Whatever." Throwing that annoyance to the side, her wide grin returned as she took her first steps into the outside world after ten years in the Mad House.

The dusty streets of the roads stained her green robes, and all around, men and women wore rags over their faces, fighting the elements. Looking down at herself, she stared at the people’s outfits. Their clothes were light, and their skin heavily tanned, compared to her pale white skin that bordered on looking ill. With a nod, she snapped her fingers, her robes shifting, becoming thinner. The sleeves shrank, and the hood vanished, instead becoming a mask she could pull over her face.

Without the hood, the sunlight blinded her, and with another snap of her fingers, she formed a sunhat that many of the people around her wore. "Perfect." Her outfit, a perfect blend of a Magi’s robes and the Desertlands native outfits, created an even stranger look than before, now getting weird gazes from people who were already used to seeing Magi in their normal attire.

Happily marching forward, Alice stared at everything with wonder, stopping at stalls and drooling over food before running across the next enticing smell. Yet that interest quickly died down as she realised the painful truth.

’So boring.’ She had expected the first door she walked through to lead her to a crazy world where she could see things that were only spoken about as urban legends by the Magi, but instead, she ended up on a random street in a random town. The people around her spoke about worries that didn’t concern her or events that lacked any of the flair of a good story.

Slowly walking, she spotted another bar, this one less dark than the last and walked in, taking a seat at the table. She patiently waited, tapping the table with a half smile, wondering why no one came to serve her. ’I could have sworn this was the right thing to do.’ Pursing her lips and making noises, she looked around as people shot her pitiful glances and refocused on their own drinks and conversations.

Eventually, one of the bar workers saw Alice’s lost look and realised it was a Magi fresh out of the Mad House. With a sigh, he walked over and slammed a mug on the table in front of her, taking a seat. "Girl. Do those old folk not tell you anything after you leave that cursed place?"

Alice looked at the barkeeper and smiled, taking the mug with two hands and downing its contents, feeling the beer trickle down her chin. Although the taste was bitter, it wasn’t any worse than a potion. "Of course they do."

"Then why did you sit and wait. You come to the bar to order a drink." The man spoke as if Alice were an idiot, and quickly realised she was when she looked at him with stunned eyes. "Never mind. A copper." Alice tilted her head in confusion, and the barkeeper groaned, got up and waved his hand in annoyance, deciding to let her have the drink for free.

Quickly finishing the drink and waiting, she looked around, wondering why no one came to speak to her. Eventually, she grew bored and got up, leaving the bar and carrying on. Trying to find soemthing of worth, she stopped at numerous shops hoping to see at least a spell book or artefact created by another Magi, but after twenty minutes of finding nothing, she couldn’t help but slump on the floor and pout.

"This place sucks," Chesh said from above her, and looking up, she saw the girl lying atop a low rooftop, hanging off the side.

"Where did you go?" Alice replied as people looked at her strangely. It was only for a moment, and, seeing that she was a Magi, they set aside the weirdness of her actions.

"Wandered around for a bit. But there’s nothing here." Chesh sighed, making Alice slump into herself.

"Maybe we should just stay in the Mad House. At least the guys there tell interesting stories." Her excitement to explore the unknown had already vanished, seeing the everyday life of the people around her. Even when she studied scrolls and totems or practised the arcane, she found that more exciting, even if it was tedious.

"We can’t, Alice." Chesh firmly refused, crossing her arms over her chest. "We already knew that this could happen, but imagine if we stumbled acorss those places of legends. Or what if we found an old Magi creation? Or even a spe..."

"I get it," Alice said and groaned, unable to put up with Chesh’s droning. "Should we go back then?" Chesh nodded and rolled backwards, onto the roof, vanishing. Going to a random door, Alice placed her hand on it. "Va’tar." The door glowed for a second, and Alice opened it, revealing the Mad House once more. Stepping in, she closed the door behind her, appearing in a different location from where she left.

Sliding down the stairs railing, she watched the ever-changing doors before her and a group of passing Magi who gave friendly waves. Eventually, she saw Chesh’s black hair in the distance as deep as the abyss below, leaning against the wall. Jumping off the railing, she stood before the grey door and rested a hand on its handle.

"The last one didn’t count. Agreed?" Alice asked, making Chesh playfully smirk.

"Of course." Throwing the door open, Alice dove in like it was her first time once again, an expectant look on her face as she completely pushed out the memory of her time in the Desterlands.