The Apathetic Mage Loves Cats

Chapter 26: Notes

"So, I understand that I'm, for some reason, this mage that you're looking for. But why? How? I'm not someone who is a king like Zing or as smart as Melan. So, why me?" Iban and Akan both shook their heads in a questioning motion.

"He never said anything about it," Akan confessed. "In actuality, we were just relying on instinct to find you. Of course, familiars always know who their next masters would be, so it was easy enough for Iban to find you." Akan looked over at Iban before continuing. "And, if we're being honest. We have no idea why we are looking for you. Other than Melan's notes that took us this far, we just assumed that you would understand your role in all of this as well." I shook my head. It was too much information to actually process. To think that I would be placed into such an important situation when all I wanted to do was to live and die peacefully after my hard life back on Earth. What was the point?

"So, let me get this straight," Caiden started, sitting up and letting the blanket pool around his knees. "Forever ago, humans and demons lived together. Then humans suddenly got jealous of demons and killed a bunch of them so that they could obtain their magical mage abilities. Then demons were forced to go... somewhere else and off Ekalen to get away from them. I don't fully understand that, just that they somehow left..." Caiden trailed off, his brows scrunching up in confusion.

"Zing actually managed, after the attack, to move us to a place... I guess you would refer to it as a "hell"? Here on Ekalen at least. You can only go there with mage abilities, and you can only leave with mage abilities." Iban intercepted.

"And the entrance and the exit are pretty restricted to demons. I don't believe a human could ever manage to get there without our aid." Akan finished, looking at Iban for confirmation. Caiden shook his head, and I could practically see cogs turning inside as he struggled to understand the information being stated.

"Right..." he said, almost breathlessly. He shook his head once more, letting everything he was just told scoot to the back so he could continue his previous statement. "Regardless, you all went someplace else. Then, Iban went on a journey to find his second mage, Melan, because his first one, Zing, was killed, although it was planned, in the fight against humans and Zing told him to do so. Melan poured over Zing's notes and once he died, he gave you two notes about moving on after he knew he would die to find your third mage and master, and that happens to be Alan. Am I generally right about this information?" Caiden forced himself out of his own head to look up at Iban and Akan. His eyes bounced back and forth between the two. I watched as goosebumps formed on Caiden's arms during his conversation and moved the blanket from his lap and wrapped it around his shoulders, urging him to hold the ends in his hands so that he could tug it firmly against himself as Iban nodded his head in confirmation.

"Okay, now that we have all of that straight, why the hell am I here then?" I froze as Caiden had managed to ask a genuine question. One that I too was curious about. He was right. If all of this was about me, then why would Caiden be here? Wouldn't it be a liability on demons if he...?

"The prophecy," I muttered out, almost unconsciously as I figured out the connection at the same time. While reading the prophecy, I didn't really have a clear picture of the contents of the individuals involved within it. I knew that I obviously was in it and so was Iban, but it never dawned on me that Caiden would be the other person involved. I never thought about it because Caiden had nothing to do with my world. Since he was a human, he had nothing to do with demons and mages.

"Prophecy?" Caiden asked, turning to me. I looked up at his green eyes, full of curiosity, and nodded.

"A while ago, Iban made me read three prophecies, and I think you're a part of them," I answered back. My thoughts were a bit distracted though, as I tried to recall what exactly they were about. To be truthful, I didn't really try remembering them, anticipating that when the time came Iban would just give them back to me so that I could read them again. Of course, it now makes sense... "but I never thought you would be a part of them." I muttered out loud accidentally. Caiden's eyes were already wide, but at my confession, they seemed to grow wider.