THE APPRENTICE II

37

Heskit was giving Hazel a tour around the right wing of the castle, where the garden and dining room were found— he figured it would be better to start where she was already familiar. They turned the corner from the dining room and he opened the door to a room filled with those canvas sculptures that she found so intriguing. They were lined up in chronological order, started from the end of the room to where they were standing by the door. There were multiple sorcerers and mystics on them, which sparked her curiosity.

"What are they about?" She tilted her head with fascination to get a closer look. There were sculptures of mystics and sorcerers doing magic together, some with portals to what looked like a different planet, of them shaking hands, and others, of sorcerers fighting dark entities.

"The story of Pentadilune." He revealed and observed her still puzzled expression. He connected the dots and led her to the very first picture at the end of the hall. "A long time ago, mystics and sorcerers lived on the same planet— your planet, Earth. Both were unaware of each others' existence. Mysticism, being highly visual and vibrant as a practice, however, naturally garnered unwanted attention from both humans and dark forces,"

"But it's not like you can protect yourselves, cause it isn't combative by nature," She continued and he nodded.

"This was when the sorcerers stepped in. They came up with a solution, which was searching for a planet that would protect us from them— a place filled with light and positivity, a blessed land: Pentadilune. This fixed two problems: One, the protection of our people, and two, the decreasing amount of energy for both parties because magic, as you know, is a finite resource,"

"Huh, I see. So we protected you? That's why we're so venerated here?,"

"Protect." He corrected and pointed to the canvas that contained the combative sorcerers. "The nature of mysticism will not change, nor will the presence of darkness. Your people protect our planet from every single mystical threat, with some sorcerers residing here to stand watch. This is why you are all venerated: not only are you warriors, heroes that have saved us and will save us countless of times, but also possess skills and characteristics that a mystic would never even dream of perfecting."

Hazel took the history in and admired the history behind their land. She never knew it was so rich and legendary. Heskit turned to her.

"Which why having you, a Master of the Mystic Arts, the Apprentice of Strange, is the biggest honor I will ever receive." He gave her another genuflect and she gave him a bow. He opened the door for her and gestured for her to walk through it.

They arrived at the ballroom, where people were carrying giant floral arrangements and setting up long tables in every corner of the room. The room had an extravagant aura to it, filled with gold and white walls, gigantic paintings, marble floors, and crystal chandeliers.

As they took notice of their presence, everyone in the room dropped everything to bow. The king and queen scurried to the two.

"Master Wolfe! What do you think of the decorations?" The queen chirped with delight and gestured all around.

"It's...magnificent! What is it for?" She inquired.

Heskit's parents flashed him a look of confusion. He groaned to himself and sighed. He turned to Hazel.

"I forgot to tell you that there'll be a gathering in your honor," He revealed "a celebration,"