Mogtober 2022!

10: Favourite Antagonist

Three guesses who this will be!

Yep, that's right, Ezra Squall! My joint-first favourite character of the entire series! What I thought I'd do was a sort of backstory for him, but it's like a moment from his past that he sees. I don't know how you say it in English, I'll edit this, so it has the write phrase/word as soon as I work out what it is. (If anyone knows the term for what I'm talking about then please let me know!)

Ezra Squall stepped out of the blinding golden light of the gossamer train onto the rooftop of proudfoot house. A small smile curved his lips as he began to hum. He hadn't been anywhere near Wunsoc, not even on the Gossamer, in decades.

The girl faded into view, no doubt returning from one of her "ghostly hours". Ezra wondered if he had been in it. After a few moments, Ezra noticed the girl tense, and she spun round to face him.

"Is this the best they can do for you?" He asked, "Dead, irrelevant information from dead, irrelevant Wundersmiths?"

The girl, Morrigan Crow, was silent, but Squall could see her making sure the shimmer of the gossamer was there.

Ezra shook his head, "Tell me, have you learnt anything since we last met? I bet your precious Wundrous Society hasn't even given a thought about your education since the outbreak of the Hollowpox..." He noticed Morrigan's eyes narrow, as if she was suspicious of how he knew about it. "I bet they think the wunimals are much more important that a puny wundersmith who is lightyears away from where she should be."

Fire blazed up around him, courtesy of Morrigan's desire to prove herself. Ezra grinned to himself. If he played his cards right, he could be greatly benefited, as could Morrigan.

-------------------------------

Ezra turned to leave, rage boiling inside him. Yet again, Morrigan had turned down his invitation to be his apprentice! Even with the promise of a Hollowpox cure, she had still turned him down. He began to picture his most precious belonging, a picture from long ago and the gossamer train was almost there when Morrigan's voice sounded behind him once more.

"Why did you kill them? Why did you murder the other Wundersmiths? Your friends? They trusted you!"

Those last three words dew Ezra back into his past. He'd been thirteen, a teenager, happy and carefree. It was before everything happened...

"Ezra! Race you to the owl tree!" Elodie's laughter spilled out across the park.

"That isn't fair! You got a head start!"

"Too bad!"

The two sat down under the tree, laughing and delighting in each other's company. "You know," Elodie said thoughtfully, "I trust you."

Ezra blinked, "Thanks. Nobody's ever said anything that nice about me before."

"Really?"

"Yeah... my family threw me out because they liked my sister more than me, and I don't think the other Wundersmiths like me that much..."

"Oh, come on, Ezra! You know that isn't true! Take Brilliance, for example! She sees you as her own son! You're the only person who takes Owain seriously, and he likes you for that, and Mathilde has always loved you as a sibling!"

"Are you sure?" Ezra looked at her in surprise.

"Certain Ezra, not only that, but we all trust you. All of us. We're all your unofficially adopted family!"

 Ezra grinned properly for what felt like the first time in months. For the first time in his life, he knew that everyone liked and trusted him. It was the best he'd ever felt.

Panic seized Ezra's body as he realized he couldn't tell Morrigan this. He'd have to do something, and quickly! In the blink of an eye, he used Masquerade to turn his appearance demon-like and he channeled some of his earlier rage.

"One thing you need to learn," He snarled, "Is that wundersmiths don't have friends!"

As Morrigan shrank back, the gossamer train blazed into view and Ezra felt himself vanish back into his own body, back into the republic in a nanosecond.