Serenus - Sarcastic Newcomer Edition

Chapter 15: In Wizard's Mind

Kratos was not exactly thrilled with my brilliant plan to meet the wizard alone. In fact, he was so unenthusiastic that he insisted on coming along, just in case my genius got me into trouble. He even suggested bringing some guardians who could play hide-and-seek in the forest, ready to leap out and save me if things went south. But I wasn't about to let my covert operation turn into a circus, so I vetoed the idea. I tried to convince him that the wizard might not appreciate the surprise of hidden bodyguards, and after a fair bit of grumbling, he finally gave up. Of course, that didn't stop him from escorting me to the village border, staring after me with all the intensity of a worried mother hen as I disappeared into the forest.

After what felt like hours of wandering through the freezing woods—because naturally, wizards don't hang out in convenient locations—I finally found him. There he was, perched on a rock, looking like he was contemplating the meaning of life or perhaps just the best way to siphon off more power. I cleared my throat loudly, shattering whatever deep thoughts he was having. He looked up, clearly surprised but as cheery as if I'd just popped by for a friendly chat.

"Welcome, Thinker! What brings you so far from the village?" he asked.

"Oh, you know, I came to talk to you about an important matter. I know why you are still here. You want to collect as much power as possible before you go," I said, cutting straight to the chase.

"Yes, I've mentioned that before. So, what's new?" he replied, raising an eyebrow as if I was stating the obvious.

"Well, here's a thought: How much power do you think your body can actually handle? There's got to be a limit, right?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

The wizard frowned, clearly not a fan of the idea that he might not be an infinite power sponge. "I don't know that," he admitted, which was music to my ears and my heart did a little dance.

"Exactly! And what do you think happens when you try to absorb more than you can handle? Any guesses?" I pressed, hoping to nudge him in the direction of caution.

"No, I don't know that either. Why are you asking?" He was clearly intrigued but also suspicious.

"I had a dream last night—more like a vision, really. I saw you trying to suck the power out of the Moontree," I said, watching as his eyes lit up at the mention of the Moontree.

"The Moontree, huh? So, what happened when I took its power?" he asked, barely containing his excitement.

"You died," I replied flatly, watching as his excitement deflated like a popped balloon.

"What? I died? How is that possible? Oh, it was just a dream. And dreams are just dreams," he added, trying to brush it off, but I could see the doubt creeping in.

"Sure, it might be just a dream. But what if it's not? What if there really is a limit, and you push past it? You might want to consider the possibility that trying to drain the Moontree could end very badly for you," I said, hoping to plant a nice, big seed of doubt.

He started pacing, clearly wrestling with the idea. Finally, he stopped and gave me a skeptical look. "How do I know you really had this dream? How do I know you're not just trying to protect your precious trees? You were pretty emotional about that tree yesterday."

"Yes, you're right. I don't want anyone to hurt the trees—they're kind of important for the whole survival-of-the-island thing. But I'm not lying to you. I saw what I saw, and I believe that if you mess with the Moontree, it'll be the last thing you ever do," I said, laying it on thick.

He fell silent, clearly torn. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. "If you're telling the truth, then maybe there's a chance it could be dangerous for me. But the more likely scenario is that you're lying to protect the island."