“Oh. A visitor.” A man’s voice states plainly. I wipe my eyes as best I can and look up. An old man, deeply tanned with stark white hair, watches me. As soon as I meet his gaze, his gray eyes take on a somber look.

“The vision was hard on you, wasn’t it?” He asks, his voice gentler and compassionate now. I simply nod; my mind and voice not being quite back to normal yet.

“Hmm.” The man looks around the forest as he thinks, “I guess you should come with me for now.” He finally states and gives me a hand up. We walk in silence down the dirt path. Surprisingly, though the man is clearly in his sixties or seventies, he moves with a nimble grace down the path. I plod along beside him, thinking that I must look clumsy in comparison. It’s now that I also realize that it’s almost full daybreak out, which makes me wonder how long I was frozen back there. I left around midnight, so I must have been in this forest for at least five or so hours for it to be almost daylight out. I shiver slightly, noting how numb my hands and face are in the brisk autumn morning.

“Don’t worry, there’s a fire and some food back at my cabin.” The man says, giving me a reassuring smile. I feel slightly embarrassed, being treated so kindly by a complete stranger. Which also gives me pause. Why am I just following a random person that I met in the woods?

“W-who are you?” I ask, my voice shaking slightly. The man smiles again.

“You can call me Jax, short for Jaxen.” He says lightly.

“I’m assuming you were sent here by Antares?” He asks and purses his lips. Is that the man-cat’s name?

“I was approached by a man speaking through a cat, but I was never given a name.” I answer. Jax sighs, and his eyes are somber as he stares down the path ahead.

“So, you’ve come for Emi’s sake, I take it?” He asks.

“Yes. How do you know her?” I ask in response, eager to finally get some information. Jax hesitates.

“...You can just think of us as old acquaintances. Though, it’s been a long time.” He says after a long moment, and he states it plainly, almost with a practiced level of detachment. The way he says it makes me decide not to push him on it.

“Can you explain what the hell I saw back there? It seemed so real…” I ask, my sentence falling off as the image flashes into my mind again. I forcefully shove it from my mind for now, instead looking at Jax expectantly.

“I’ll explain. After we get inside and get warmed up. My cabin is just through these trees.” Jax says in response, and points ahead at a cluster of thick trees. The path is narrow as it passes through, and Jax takes the lead, with me following close behind. A clearing of ankle high grass and dandelions opens up. The area is just big enough for a small cabin made of neatly stacked logs and the large pile of firewood next to it. The path leads directly to the front door.

“Welcome,” Jax says, opening the door to the cabin, “Though I’m afraid there isn’t much to see.” He continues, gesturing to the meek interior. A fireplace sits opposite the door, with a small table centered in the room. On one side is a twin-sized bed and on the other is a toilet and bathtub, only separated by a standing divider. In the corner of the room next to the ‘bathroom’ is a short countertop with some bread on it.

Jax heads over to the fireplace first and moves the almost dead ashes around to make room for another log, which he tosses on in a shower of sparks, then gently blows on the ashes until they flare up again. He moves deftly, with what I can only assume is years of experience. I stand awkwardly in front of the entrance, unsure where to be.

“Oh, sorry. You can sit at the table there.” Jax says, with an apologetic smile. I take a seat and watch as Jax cuts a few slices of the bread, then reaches into a container and pulls out meat of some kind and dark yellow cheese. He brings it all over on a cutting board and places it in front of me.

“I hope you don’t mind. I don’t have much to offer you.” He says, taking a seat in a rocking chair by the fire, which he turns around to face me.

“I don’t have much of an appetite anyways.” I mumble. Even the thought of food right now makes me feel a bit ill.

“That’s understandable.” Jax says, as he rummages around in a small wooden box next to him. After a few seconds of searching, he comes up with a ball of yarn and two needles. He looks at me and raises the yarn.

“Do you mind if I do this while I explain?” He asks. I nod.

“Great.” Jax says, pulling out the yarn and expertly creating a neat row of it with the needles in the blink of my eye.

“Where should I start?” He wonders aloud, his eyes focused on the yarn.

“I suppose I’ll tell you first that the vision you saw was entirely fake. So, there’s no need to worry about that. I know it can give people some awful images.” Jax says and gives me a pointed look. I nod, feeling some weight off my heart.

“Next, as to what it actually was. It was by all accounts magic.” He pauses for a second, then continues.

“An old and terrible magic which affects your reality as you perceive it. It can make you see the death of all the ones you’ve loved, over and over, until you grow insane. It can make you see the most joyful scenes imaginable, surrounded by friends and family, while you’re getting your throat slit. It can do all these things and more.” Jax’s voice is bitter, and he speaks as if he were spitting bile. His hands work faster at the growing rows of yarn in front of him, a representation of his agitation. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly drops the yarn and stares at me. His eyes aren’t angry. They’re downturned at the edges and are a dull gray.

“It is an awful thing and so are the people who practice it.” Jax says, his voice shifting to a somber tone.

“Is Emi one of these ‘people’?” I ask, looking deeply into his eyes. Jax looks high over my shoulder.

“She is.” He states. It’s obvious, but I had to ask.

“I see…” I say slowly, “she doesn’t seem like an awful person though.”

“No, she isn’t. You could call her an exception.” Jax says with a wry smile. I sit in silence for a few minutes, mulling over everything. If Emi is one of these people who practice magic, then whatever danger she’s in is something that’s far over my head. How am I supposed to help her with this situation?

Though, I knew this already. I was sent here by a man-cat for gods’ sake! I saw Emi use her magic, if only for a moment. So, I knew that this was all over my head. The real question is how can I make myself useful to her now?

“How do I tie into all this then? And how is Emi in danger?” I ask. Jax sighs.

“Honestly, I’m not quite sure. Antares is a fickle person, and he never gives much helpful information. The only thing I was told is that if I wanted to help Emi, then I had to train you.” Jax says wearily.

“That’s it?” I ask.

“Yes.” Jax says.

“How do we know we can trust this Antares person? He was pretty ambiguous about whether or not he truly wanted to get Emi out of danger.” I say, my voice rising slightly in exasperation.

“He doesn’t wish to help Emi directly. Of that I’m certain. Though, when it comes to credibility, he deserves all of it. Antares is the only known seer to ever have existed. He could tell me that I’ll die in two weeks, and I’d accept it without a second thought.” Jax says with the conviction of a person of God.

“Then why send me here?” I ask quietly.

“For fun, I would guess. He wishes to ruin someone’s plans. I just don’t know who yet.” Jax says.

“So, all we can do is play along in his game and hope he isn’t leading us to put Emi in more danger? Just so he can have fun?” I ask, my voice oozing contempt. If I see that cat again, I’m going to give it a nice hard kick.

“Yes. That’s all we can do. I know it’s frustrating.” Jax says, his eyes distant again.

“Fuck!” I exclaim, then continue in a more controlled anger, “Fine. Next time I see him though, I’m going to kick his ass.”

“NO!” Jax yells, startling me. His eyes are dark and heavy, his fists are clenched, and his brows are lowered. Even though the fire is still smoldering strongly, darkness begins to settle over the room. It creeps outward from Jax, emanating from his back in smoky tendrils making it harder to both breathe and see.

“If you ever see him again, do not speak and do not listen. Turn and run like your life depends on it. Do you understand?” He speaks with a hushed fury, his voice cracking like the snow on an incredibly cold day. I give one firm nod. My heart pounds, and a thought occurs to me. He’s one of those ‘awful people’ who practice magic. Has he done any of those examples he mentioned before? Several seconds pass in a tense silence before Jax finally nods and releases his fists. His expression grows gentle again, and he stares down at his lap. The shadows are gone, like they never existed in the first place, but my heart still races all the same.

“I’m sorry.” Jax says simply and stands. He walks past me and opens the door to the cabin.

“You must be tired. You can use the bed to rest if you wish. I’ll be gone all day today.” Jax says with his back to me. His voice is a bit uneven, and I can hear the rawness in it.

“The only thing I ask is that you don’t leave the clearing. I can’t guarantee your safety if you do that.” Jax says and steps out the door, closing it behind him.