Familiar's War

Chapter Two

Xael reclined on the couch with a sigh and turned her head to peer at the empty house. Maude wasn't back from work yet, so she could only assume he was pulling two shifts. Xael could feel a pout forming, as the tv droned white noise in the background. She was bored! She wasn't supposed to go a long time without Maude for this exact reason. Her hand rubbed across the smooth suede underneath her fingers and picked at the seam of thread stitching she found. Her eyes lingered in the air as she stared at nothing, and let her mind drain of thoughts for a few minutes. 

Her attention was then gained as golden light streaming through the window behind the TV caught on the dust particles in the air. The sight made a memory itch, but the memory wouldn't come out of the recesses of her mind. She slipped the sleeve off of her arm and ran her fingertips across the raised smooth skin of the scars as she contemplated attempting another failed magic spell, but was relieved when she heard a key jingling in the front door's lock. 

Xael flipped herself off the couch and rushed to the navy blue painted door to greet Maude. She had been trying to catch him since Tuesday to ask him about the Mangata. She had been unsuccessful in her attempts thus far since he had been working weird hours recently. Her hands grasped onto the rough texture of the brown recliner next to the door, breathing in the fresh air as the wind gusted through the opening front door. 

Maude entered as he rubbed idly at his right eye in aggravation. He hadn't been getting enough sleep recently, so the sun's rays entering his eyes made them itch. His mouth parted in a slight yawn, and he closed the door behind him, blinking in the sudden darkness of the house. When he got his bearings, he eyed Xael who was looking at him eagerly as she leaned against the recliner. He could only sigh softly in resignation. That girl was bound to find a way to force him to talk to her even when all he wanted to do was sleep. 

" What can I do to help you at the moment-" Maude began before a yawn interrupted his speech, "What do you need?" Xael scratched the back of her head while her face scrunched up slightly with shame. 

"It can wait if you're busy." Maude rolled his eyes before nudging Xael towards the couch in the living room and following after her. Where Xael had gingerly sat back down on the couch, Maude slumped into it before leaning against Xael's shoulder. He was tired, and he wasn't about to just talk with Xael while sitting up, he wouldn't stand for it. His eyes felt like they were dry, but he knew it was only because he was sleep-deprived. 

" So the other day in class, they told us the basics about the Mangata, but I was wondering if you could elaborate on any of it?" Xael implored, her voice high and wispy with uncertainty. She should have just waited until Maude had a day off to ask him, he was about to fall asleep on her so she felt terrible. Maude startled when she spoke, which alerted her to the fact he had started to fall asleep on her making her feel even worse for wasting his time when he could be making up lost hours of sleep right now. 

" Well there is approximately fifteen Mangata summons, and those who summon them are called Managats. It is speculated that the Mangata are demons granted power by a goddess. It is also believed they were created by the goddess to defeat a great evil." Maude replied in a tone thick with sleep. 

"They have eleven Managats that are known at this time. In history, this is the largest amount of Managats that we have had. Before Mercy Vacuous, the last Managat in the city was found over two hundred years ago." Xael listened with rapt attention, eager to learn all the information that Maude could bestow her with. She was invested in the topic because it interested her to no end, it made her wonder who this Mercy person was. She kind of wanted to know what being a Managat entailed, and what it must feel like to be tied to a being blessed by the goddess.