Sciro: Book One - The Mage World

EPISODE ELEVEN

WEIRD NEW SCIRO

“Thank you so much for visiting!” Miya called out, her warm smile never fading as she waved at the departing group.

“Thank you for the food,” Loer responded, bowing slightly. His voice was polite but distant, his eyes already on Kane, who was now shoving his cards into his pants pockets with a satisfied grin.

Kane, already a few steps ahead, waved a hand dismissively over his shoulder. “See you around, Saike. If you ever come to Eortes, that is.”

“Oh, you’ll see me, alright,” Saike replied confidently, crossing his arms and flashing a smirk that was both playful and slightly menacing.

Kane scoffed, not bothering to turn around as he rolled his eyes. “I refuse to believe that attitude comes with his magic,” he muttered, clearly amused but trying to maintain his nonchalance.

Loer chuckled softly at Kane’s comment, while Aldine waved one last time to the family before jogging to catch up with the two. The trio continued down the path, the cheerful noise of the village slowly disappearing behind them. The sounds of people talking and laughter gave way to the open quiet of the plains, where the wind whispered through the tall grass, and the world seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction.

It wasn’t long before Kane’s sense of ease dissolved into something more unsettling. His brow furrowed, a subtle tension creeping into his body. Something didn’t feel right.

Kane slowed his pace, his hand instinctively reaching toward his pocket. His fingers brushed against the fabric, but the familiar bulk of his Sciro cards wasn’t there. His heart gave a sudden, jarring lurch.

“Uh… guys, wait a second,” he called out, his voice tense as he began patting down his pants, panic rapidly bubbling up inside him. His movements grew frantic as his fingers searched deeper, but the unmistakable feeling of his cards was nowhere to be found. “No… no, no, no, no!”

Loer and Aldine stopped, turning toward him, concern painting their faces. “What’s wrong?” Aldine asked, her voice soft but alert.

“My cards! My Sciro cards… they’re gone!” Kane’s voice cracked slightly as he spun around, his eyes wild with disbelief. He patted down his pockets again, as if they might miraculously reappear if he just checked hard enough.

Loer raised an eyebrow. “Did you leave them back at Miya’s place?”

Kane shook his head, his voice growing more panicked. “No, I had them! I swear I put them in my pocket right before we left!”

Loer let out a low sigh, his calm demeanor contrasting sharply with Kane’s growing hysteria. “Then where did they go?”

“I don’t know! They can’t just vanish!” Kane’s voice was growing more desperate, his breath coming out in short, sharp bursts. His hands trembled as they frantically searched the ground, crawling on his hands and knees as if he could somehow will the cards back into existence.

Loer, ever the laid-back one, crouched down and half-heartedly pushed aside some grass with his fingers. “You’re not going to find them crawling around like that, man.”

Kane shot him a glare, his frustration palpable. “Could you at least help instead of complaining?”

Loer shrugged, clearly unbothered. “Hey, it’s not my fault you were careless.”

“I wasn’t careless!” Kane snapped back, his hands clenching the grass beneath him. “I know I had them.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Loer’s mouth. “Yeah, genius. Just waiting for a chance to fall out.”

Aldine, who had been scanning the path, jogged back to them. Her eyes were filled with a growing frustration. “I didn’t find anything. I’ve already walked the path three times,” she said, her tone grim.

Kane stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants. His mind was racing, the loss of his cards gnawing at him. “They can’t just disappear into thin air…”

Loer flopped down onto the grass with a dramatic sigh. “Maybe you should use some magic to find them. Isn’t there some spell for that?”

Kane blinked at him, still caught up in his panic. “What are you talking about? What kind of magic?”

Loer raised an eyebrow, looking at him like he’d just asked if the sky was blue. “Coordinate magic. It’s basic. You picture what you’re looking for and—bam—you find it.”

Kane scowled. “And where exactly are we supposed to find someone who can do that?”

Loer raised a finger lazily. “Well, not me. I’m an earth element user. Maybe Aldine?”

Aldine shook her head, her arms crossed. “Nope. That’s not in my skill set.”

Kane groaned, rubbing his face in frustration. “Great, just great. So, what kind of magic do you have, Aldine? You never actually told me.”

Before Aldine could respond, a strange, deep trumpet-like sound reverberated through the air, cutting through the quiet like a blade. The trio froze, their eyes wide as they listened to the eerie noise that echoed across the plains.

Kane’s heart skipped a beat. He turned toward the source of the sound, scanning the trees in the distance. “What the hell was that?” he whispered, his body tensing up.

Loer, his eyes narrowing, pointed to the treeline. “Something’s moving back there… something orange...”

Kane carefully parted the bushes, his breath hitching when he saw it. A grotesque creature slithered out from between the trees, its body unnaturally long and twisted although it held normal human limbs, with sickly pale skin that glistened in the sunlight. Its eyes were disturbingly sharp, like it could see straight through him. A creature between a fox and a human.

Kane stumbled back, his heart pounding. “What… what is that?!”

Aldine’s face paled, her voice a shaky whisper. “That’s a Ximce…”

Kane’s mind raced. “What the hell is a Ximce?!”

Loer, now on his feet and uncharacteristically serious, stepped forward. “It’s a Sciro. One of the creepiest ones. Probably a spirit dragon.”

Kane’s mouth fell open. “Probably?”

Loer nodded grimly. “They’re rare. Not much is known about them.”

Kane’s eyes flicked to the creature’s hands, and his breath caught in his throat. There, gripped tightly in its grotesque fingers, were his cards.

“My cards! It has my cards!” Kane shouted, pointing. “Hey! You! Give those back!”

The Ximce stared at him, unblinking, then spoke in a deep, haunting voice. “No. I like them.”

Kane’s jaw dropped. “Did… did it just talk?!”

Loer shrugged, his serious demeanor faltering. “Sciros can talk, dude. Welcome to the magical world.”

Kane, regaining his composure, straightened up. “Look, Ximce, I need those cards back. I earned them.”

The Ximce’s unsettling gaze locked onto him. “And I need friends. I’m keeping them.”

Without thinking, Kane blurted out, “Okay, how about this: I take you in as my Sciro. You’ll have a friend, and I’ll get my cards back. Deal?”

Aldine’s eyes widened in horror. “Are you insane?! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

But the Ximce’s eyes glowed, and it slithered toward Kane, handing him the cards. A soft, golden light enveloped the two, and in an instant, the ownership of the Sciro transferred to Kane. His name now appeared on the cards as the rightful owner.

Kane stared at them in disbelief. “Well… that was easier than I thought.”

Aldine sighed, her hand on her forehead. “You’ve really done it now, Kane…”