Azriel Capoue

Chapter 1

"Look here, Pete, it's terrible, I know that much. But what you are planning is out of question! I mean, I know why you'd decide something like this, but you know, and I know, that it's impossible. We are talking about the papacy for heaven's sake."

The soft bump sound on the door was enough to make them seize conversating. "Ouch!" I rubbed my forehead as if I was smearing Cocoa butter over it. Mission failed. Not only did I almost break my frontal bone when I accidentally head butted the hardest wooden door in the universe, I also blew my cover. One would think the plan all along was to distract the two from whatever they were up to, but no, my plan was to eavesdrop-though it didn't look it. Azra would have done a much better job than me. She was the sneakiest little thing I'd ever seen.

"Mom and dad are talking about you."

That's how she always began the conversation after she'd gone to eavesdrop and gotten an in-depth information.

"Really?" I'd ask. And then she'd nod slightly as if she didn't want to tell me.

"Well, gossip girl. Tell me what you heard."

Those conversations always started the exact same way, like we were stuck in a loop or something, though the details were different of course. It had to be. I didn't repeat mistakes; I always improved my style.

"Azriel?" He called calmly.

I opened the door suspensefully to reveal myself, with questionable thoughts in my head about how exactly that man knew it was me. I mean, the bump sound didn't echo my name, right? I was sure about that. Also, I ruled out the possibility that he could see through stuff, especially with the door in question. It was so thick; an X-ray vision wouldn't have been able to capture what was behind it. So, how exactly did he know I was the one behind the door? At the time, I thought it was a supernatural power or something. But thinking back on it now, there was no one else in Uncle Jab's mansion, apart from the three of us. He had no wife, no child-and none of the maids had reported to work that day.

Our eyes met immediately, and as a response to the nervousness I was feeling, a sheepish smile followed.

"Come, Azriel." He demanded, with a soft smile across his face.

I smiled back right away, properly, and raced myself to him.

He gently put his hands under both sides of my armpit and raised me up high. A mysterious happiness came flooding in me, and the giggles and laughs couldn't seize. He knew raising me up high was one of the things I loved. It made me feel like I was on top of the world, and I could do anything. I'd be sad or very annoyed for whatever reason, but the moment he lifted me up, my mood immediately changes just like that, and all the antagonistic thoughts go away; temporarily though.

He brought me down after a short while and sat me into the couch.

"Uh – I didn't see you holding that earlier." He uttered.

"Yes, Dad... I just made it appear; Maaagic!!"

"Whoa...! I didn't know you were a magician... Would you teach me how to do that?"

"Uh – no! That's my thing. I'm the only one who can do it."

"Aww..." He sniffled in a sorrowful manner, wiped the edges of his eyes, and pretended to cry.

"Don't cry – don't cry..."

"Teach me how to do your magic and I won't cry..." He said and pulled out his lower lip, with both of his eyes closed and his head titled in the other direction.

"Oookay, I'll teach you my magic, if you agree to teach me alchemy." I mouthed.

"Of course... even though the papacy doesn't permit me."