Atazrial Stories

Story 2, Short Story 1

warnings for the following:

- alcohol

this story is in NO WAY related to Atazrial's main story line. i simply came up with this as a 'villain arc' story for it Atazrial ever snapped and finally lost her mind lolol. this story is NOT narrated by Atazrial, and the character it IS narrated by has no affiliation with Atazrial in her main story line. <3

I turned my attention to the stage in the middle of the common area, sipping my spiked punch. I couldn't tell if there was a flicker of some type of curiosity in my eyes, but i assumed this was such, as my friend beside me nudged me and began to speak.

"You saw the magician too, Kate?" my friend, Alexis, leaned in and asked me. I flipped my head back to her with an embarrassed sort of smile on my half covered face.

"I did, yeah. It might just be some type of fake though, I doubt they'd get the real Atazrial here."

We were attending a masquerade party of sorts at one of our friend's manors. Me and Alexis went back very far with our friend, Callum, who was hosting the party. And so far, it was amazing. The decorations were beautiful, everyone looked extremely elegant in their gowns or suits and masks.

Even the magician Callum had hired fit the theme. She was in a tight black suit with a white shirt underneath and a black bow-tie fitting nicely around her neck. Of course, her face was also accompanied by a black masquerade mask to match her clothing and her head was decorated nicely with a tall-ish top hat. She certainly fit not only the attitude of the party, but the basic description of a magician. Not only was she just a magician, Alexis and I could only assume the identity of the magician was Atazrial the Great, a very high-end and extremely popular illusionist.

As i thought about this and the overbearing atmosphere the bright, shadowed yellow lights gave, i almost completely drowned out Alexis, who was still standing directly right in front of me.
"..Sure he would, I mean, it's Callum! I would believe it if he did somehow book her here." Alexis spoke to me, then taking a sip of her drink as well.

I could only safely assume that she was still speaking about Atazrial, and I filled in the blanks where I had spaced out.

"Oh, right, true." was what eventually came out of my mouth. Dry, yes, but i wasn't entirely all there to begin with. For god's sake, we were drinking alcoholic punch. You'd think that our twenty-eight year old bodies would be able to handle it this far into the party.

The party went on throughout the night, and the magician started her act just a few minutes after mine and Alexis' conversation on the topic ended. As it got later into the night, and deeper into Atazrial's magic tricks, she attracted more and more of the crowd into the center of the hall and to the wooden stage where she performed. I mostly stayed near the tables where the food and drinks were being placed, while Alexis was pulled in more subconsciously.

Everyone was currently clapping for a trick she had just finished, where she had transformed a few cards into a tank of fish, then followingly made the tank disappear. Of course, I clapped politely, my drink in my dominant hand. Though I couldn't help but notice every now and then, one to three people would walk out of the main hall and down another hall I knew led to the restrooms. I assumed some of the finger foods were getting to their stomachs, and i laughed it off.

The magician, Atazrial, bowed until the clapping subsided.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone!" she announced, a smile wide on her lips. She seemed very calm, eager, and, dare I say, 'chill' when she interacted with the crowd. I, myself, didn't entertain her tricks for too long. Some could be easily explained, others couldn't, but I was never a fan of magicians anyway. I picked at some food on the platters that occupied the table in front of me, tasting new delicacies I had never even heard of.

"Alright, for my next magic trick, I must start with a question!" Atazrial then spoke out to the party-goers, leaving a few with curious and confused looks on their faces as they awaited her question. I couldn't tell if Alexis noticed my lack of eagerness or not.

I wonder where Callum finds this stuff...He probably has a chef. I thought to myself, detaching myself from reality once more as I drowned most of the party out and let my brain process the flavors in my mouth.

"Who, if you remember," Atazrial started again, "drank from the punch bowl that's on the right side of the table?" she asked, pointing to the table i currently was at, indulging in my foodie habits.

The crowd quieted for a moment, i could only assume most were thinking, trying to remember. But the silence didn't last long, as only a minute later, they all chattered amongst each other again and laughed as people raised their hands. most people didn't, which meant they drank from the left bowl. Atazrial laughed along with them– something I noticed.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" the spiffy magician started once more, then clapped her hands together once. "What if you learned the punch bowl on the left was poisoned?"

Suddenly, most of the people attending the party went quiet. I hadn't been paying much attention, but i heard her last question. I slowly turned my head from the table of food and beverages to see everyone's eyes glued to the lady on the center stage, mine included. Then people began shouting. From the mostly incoherent yells, I put pieces of the final puzzle together and snapped back to reality. This was real. I looked down at the cup that my fingers currently wrapped around, my hand noticeably quivering. I then aimed my gaze down at the punch bowl i had just taken my drink from. Then looked at the bowl to the right with pure horror.