The Kirin Village [June Short Story]

Hey peeps!

I had originally thought to do this short story in "Arcanist Fables #2" but obviously, that didn't happen. SO, this is a story told from the viewpoint of the gold kirin who bonded with Helvetti, the Autarch.

Enjoy!

Shami

The Kirin Village

It is a sad and lonely life when you cannot speak to those around you.

And today I lie dying, unable to utter even a single word to those who have cared for me. Their gentle hands and soothing susurrations helped to ease the ache of corruption in my breast, but I could not thank them for their tireless work.

“What a beautiful golden coat,” a caretaker said as she stroked my side. “Please don’t leave us. We need you, o’ great kirin.”

They didn’t know my name.

No one would, except for my eventual arcanist. Because, deep in my bones, I felt the magic of the world shifting. As a gold kirin, I was tied to the heartstrings of nature, drawing from a pool of magic no one could fathom.

But I was so small and weak. Without my arcanist, I would never know my true capabilities.

“I’ll fetch you some water,” the caretaker said as she left me in the opulent room.

Alone again, separated from all the other kirins, arcanists, and denizens of our small, secluded village. The sickness was taking them one by one. A terrible disease they knew little about.

I knew nothing about it either, but I felt the pain in my bones. After I had been infected, they took me to the most comfortable house in the middle of town, and swaddled me in all the down blankets I could handle.

But it mattered not.

Unless my arcanist arrive…

Death was coming for me.

The village outside stirred with energy. People ran to and fro, but I couldn’t see them. I only heard their footfalls and the edge of excitement in their muffled words. Perhaps good tidings were upon us.

“O’ great kirin,” someone said as they hustled my room.

I stirred from the blankets, my hooves wrapped tightly. I couldn’t stand.

A woman made her way to me with a waterskin. She wore a smile as bright as her white robes. Her strawberry blonde hair reflected the lanternlight well, and when she stroked my mane, she did so with a gentle touch.

“A scholar and an apothecary have arrived at the edge of the village,” she whispered. “They brought supplies and expertise. They promise to help us. Perhaps this terrible illness will finally be dealt with!”

Good news, indeed. I had hoped she would speak of my future arcanist, but she didn’t mention that. Instead, I placed my head back on the blankets, and waited for my eventual treatment. Perhaps, once I was strong, I could wander the land and search for my one true fate and purpose in life.

***

Although the scholar and apothecary had entered our village yesterday, it wasn’t until the next evening that the village protectors allowed them to see me. I was the most precious mystical creature in the village—that what they told me day in and day out—so it didn’t surprise me that they would be so hesitant to allow strangers into my room.

Then again, if I was cured…

“O’ great kirin,” the same woman said as she entered. “The apothecary is here to see you.” She held the door open as a man stepped inside.

Someone stepped in. Someone imposing. And I sensed him long before I really saw him. A person’s soul was unique and their own. When I felt this man’s, it was unlike any other I had ever encountered.

If I weren't so sick, I would be able to know if he were my arcanist. Perhaps once my head cleared, I would know for certain...

He stepped into the room, wearing robes of white and purple. His boots went to his knees, and were caked in the mud. The forest and swamps that surrounded the village were difficult to navigate. Most couldn’t make it.

The glitterwood forest was steeped in magic. Once upon a time, when god-creatures first roamed the world, their magic gave birth to this woodland area. Since then, it has housed incredible magics, but it’s been a secret to the world.

The village here kept it all safe.

A second man pushed his way into the room, practically shoving the woman to the side. His soul—he was bonded with a relickeeper. I knew the moment he drew near.

“Only the apothecary is needed,” the woman said.

“That’s where you’re incorrect,” the relickeeper arcanist replied, his voice icy with disdain. “I’m here to help Helvetti with his practices.”

The woman milled around the door, her brow furrowed. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, but eventually bowed her head. “You both have cured so many in the village already… I suppose, if you promise to be gentle, you may both tend to our greatest charge.”

Greatest charge. That was the formal way they all referred to me as.

“Your mystical creature is in good hands,” the relickeeper arcanist muttered. “You may leave us.”

That command didn’t sit well. The woman hesitated. She held the door and then spoke in whispers to the protectors who waited just outside. After a long moment of contemplation and debate, she eventually stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Leaving me with the relickeeper arcanist.

And an apothecary named Helvetti.

The man stepped forward until he was near. His soul felt different, and I didn’t shy away. When he placed his hand on my body, I knew something was strange. But I was ill. It was difficult to understand what all my senses were telling me.

“I told you,” Helvetti whispered. “You didn’t believe me, Theasin, but I was correct.”

The relickeeper arcanist, Theasin, strode over, his eyes narrowed. He was a tall and thin man who wore clothing like the walls wear decorations. It hung stiff, and his hands were wrapped in tight black gloves, hiding them from the world and all sunlight.

“It’s gold,” he whispered as he stared down at me. “Perfect. I’ll need some of its fur. Or scales. Whatever that is. Perhaps some of its bone marrow.”

Helvetti placed a hand on my back.

I took in a weak breath.

“We already have kirin bodies,” Helvetti muttered. “If you mix the magical properties of the kirin, with the enhanced magical capabilities of the glitterwood, you should be able to develop an illness that only latches to magic. It won’t affect a mortal or a normal animal.”

Theasin shot Helvetti a glare. “It needs to be powerful. Far more contagious than anything you’ve seen before. You said the gold kirin was basically magic itself, didn’t you? Then we’ll need its body to make this work.”

Helvetti slowly shook his head. “We can’t harm it. There should be no chance of it dying. This is a special moment. This kirin is almost as rare as the god-creatures themselves. How many arcanists have you heard who even speak of a gold kirin?”

They spoke freely in front of me, muttering their schemes. I knew they didn’t fear me speaking to the others—I never spoke to them. But what did they hope to gain? What was it they wanted? A sickness?

Perhaps Helvetti understood the look in my eyes, because when he met my gaze with his own, he half-smiled.

“Theasin has plans,” he whispered. “To take control of magic itself.”

“Don’t lay bare my intentions to the beast,” Theasin snapped. “It doesn’t need to know.”

Helvetti glared at the other man. In a tone that bordered on aggressive, he said, “I’ll get you the scales. Once I’ve administered the medicine, we can move on to the rest of the houses. If that’s all, I’ll get to work.”

The relickeeper wasn’t needed for the curing. Theasin glanced at me, and then the other man, before storming from the room. He was the one in charge, it seemed, but the apothecary was the one who knew the deep properties of healing and the gentle flow of magic.

I could tell.

The relickeeper arcanist seemed to lack those skills, even if he had grand desires.

“Everything will be better for you now,” Helvetti whispered. He reached for a vial in his robes and then slowly mixed the contents into my waterskin. “I won’t let any harm befall you.”

Once prepared, he fed me the drink. It tasted of grass, but that was fine. I liked grass.

“Theasin Venrover has been helping me,” Helvetti whispered as he reached for another vial. “You see, I’ve known about this kirin village for some time, but I was never able to reach it on my own.”

He rubbed something across my scales. In a few moments, the aching waned.

“Did you know that the world suffered from magical corruption, it took the form of a natural disaster?” Helvetti smirked as he rubbed more of the ointment on my legs. “The champion of that time was someone who could rattle the very stars. And now… the second time corruption will come to the land… it will take the form of a disease.”

A disease…

The illness in the village was potent and dangerous, but it wasn’t a magical corruption. Not yet.

“Who will be the champion of our time?” Helvetti quietly asked. “It’ll be someone who knows medicine.” He finished with his ointment and exhaled. “Theasin claims he knows a way to bring more magic into the world, but magic is just another natural element. Like wind. Or water. But adding more soil to the world won’t make it better.”

That made sense.

“Humanity makes things. The ground doesn’t spawn medicine. That’s a man-made product that improves the world. Homes don’t jut from the rocks. Another man-made wonder. Theasin wants to add more magic into the world, but I wish… to refine it.”

My arcanist… would be a leader, far more influential than any other.

I knew. The magic spoke to me about times long past.

Throughout the annals of magical history, only men and women of extraordinary leadership leave an indelible mark upon the world. These leaders always possessed a unique blend of vision, courage, and charisma that ignited the flame of change within others.

True leaders also possessed an unwavering clarity of purpose, fueled by an unyielding belief in their ideals.

And… leaders were only truly revealed in times of adversity. In the face of daunting challenges, they rose above the turmoil, guiding their people through the storm.

But… it wouldn’t just be the vision and determination that set my great arcanist apart from others. It would be their ability to bridge divides, to forge unity in the face of discord.

“Theasin will make a plague,” Helvetti whispered. “And I will cure it. With one of the newly born god-creatures. I know, because I’ve done all the research. I know how to get the runestones, and find their lairs. I’ll be there to make the world better. Forever.”

Was a great leader someone who caused discord… and then solved it afterward?

I didn’t know.

But as the medicine seeped into my body, I felt a greater purpose building in this small village. The magic here—the passion here—was greater than before.

When Helvetti patted me again, it seemed softer than before.

“Magic is the only element that I care for, kirin,” he whispered. He sighed as his expression darkened. “It’s the one true source of limitless possibilities. Fire, water, wind—even this medicine—have limits. But not magic.”

He was correct. That much I knew. Few people ever touched true magic, though.

“Ever since I learned of human weakness, I’ve yearned for the power of pure magic.” Helvetti shook his head. “When I was young, a caladrius arcanist healed my eyes after an accident. When I was a young lad, a phoenix arcanist saved me from brigands. Their power was unmatched, and while my friends and family died to simple illnesses, or hunger, arcanists roamed the lands, untouched by time and sickness.”

I listened to his passions, my own mind filling with realization.

“I’ll make it so that… everything has magic,” Helvetti whispered, like an icy promise. “No matter what it takes.”

And it was then I knew—the man had the conviction of a leader. A good leader, I didn’t know, but a great leader it was for certain.

The importance of great leaders couldn’t be overstated. They possessed the power to alter the course of history, and to shape the destiny of nations. They were the architects of progress, and the harbingers of a brighter future.

That was my purpose. I would be a lantern to help guide the way for my arcanist. My coat—golden and bright—was both a metaphor and a symbol. I would help the great change that was to come.

“Helvetti,” I telepathically said to him.

The man’s eyes grew large, and his posture as stiff as a board. He hadn’t expected my magic, or my voice.

“I want the world to be filled with magic as well,” I said. “And if you believe medicine is the best way to do that, I will be the one to aid you. Take my scales, make your corruption, but also take my bond, and let my magic deepen your soul so that it may accept others. Because, together… we will bring the best element to the world in full force.”