Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory.

For Better Or For Worse.

Prologue

It had been a while since anyone had visited the house of Hines, the great Magician, for this very same purpose that this young lad held. Pale, chalky skin stood out starkly from the rich browns of bark that encased the trees. It was almost as if he was being scorned at by a society of people who had no regard of the fair-skinned like himself. There had been a time where one too many a beginner traversed upwards towards his or her dream, only to fall away, becoming pheasants and hairdressers instead of people who upheld justice and the balance that was so intricately entwined into the world.

Then again, everything was about balance, was it not?

The little boy now knocked furiously on what everyone would call “a door”; Hines would call it someone’s “destiny”. His knuckles rapped against solid teak as hinges creaked. The child peered inside, taking in sights and sounds – crickets chirping sweetly to melodies unknown – as he stepped in, greeted by a shimmering crystal that was floating mid air, entwined by massive branches of the tree that held the house. A gentle, bearded man hummed as he strutted around, seemingly as healthy as when he was a lad of similar age to the boy.

“And so, what brings you here, son?” His voice was pleasingly mellow, yet inspired with a certain tinge of wit. “Is it regarding the legends of monster-slayers that you have heard about? Maybe someone in the school taught you something that you want to learn more about? Or how about the fact that you look ready to be a Magician?” To that last point the man chuckled to himself before setting off, the little tune starting to stick in his throat as he resumed his humming.

The lad took in a deep breath of cedar.

“Pray yes, sire. I do wish to become a Magician. A Cleric, for that matter.” The clear, resonant voice stopped Hines in his tracks as he stepped on his beard, taking great care not to rip it off as he stumbled towards the boy, incredulous. The way he had answered to his sarcastic remarks was certainly one that could be applauded for one his age, but wanting to be a Magician was a request that he had not heard often. The part about being a Healer, in itself, was purely absurd.

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, young lad,” Hines muttered as he kneeled into position, eyes on the same level. “You do see your friends, bow, sword or dagger in hand, ready to take the world on. But the Magician? You’ve had enough difficulty having lived a life with only intelligence to your aid, and only a basic level of strength. Dexterity, I see in your limbs. Why not join the Archers instead? I am sure Master Athena would be more than pleased to receive another potential candidate for Ranger or Sniper, for another legend to be created.”

To that, the young boy produced a book that even Hines was amazed that one of such a build could hoist towards the top of Ellina. The lad placed the book at Hines’ feet.

“I like to have things done. This book I had promised myself to read, study and apply. This book is the book that inspired me to come here and to seek the path of a Magician. Supposedly, those Archers, Thieves and Warriors have a joy in their strength, but I find joy in mine.” His eyes shone with excitement as he continued. “The wonders of science and magic intertwining together in this world, all explained in these words of wisdom; why not allow me to join the caste that represents the intelligentsia of our nation? Why let this thinking and mental fortitude go to waste in repeated stringing and restringing of arrow over bow? Not to be disrespectful, sir, but I find that a waste of mental capabilities.”

Hines got up with a sigh. This intelligence was of enough proof. But where that intelligence would lead, he would not know. All the lies that had been told to him before, all the promises that dissolved as soon as impatience set in, all the determination lost from people: they all still piled up in his little house. They were unseen, but were certainly felt only by him.

“Because I don’t know what else to do.” That single statement sent Hines’ thoughts scattering. The words, again, penetrated through him like the finest-made slivers of magical projectiles, silently bombarding him. Nothing he could do? That was a question that would have to be answered sometime. Hines stood there, his wand positioned menacingly above.

If there was a reason for this child to find purpose in magic, then so be it. There was nothing that even a person like himself could do to change the destiny of a person: influence, but not change.

The elder swung his arm upon the beginner, the strike that the boy had expected melting into soft, warm liquid as he looked up, a golden light shining in his pupils as he stood, enthralled at the sight.

“Magicians, how pitiful they look to the world,” Hines expressed with a sigh of what seemed to be contempt. “They scorn us like how Elvin folk used to scorn at humans. The art of magic is so beautiful, and makes up so many components of the other castes’ skills, yet they can only look at us and go, ‘What on Victoria do these pathetic beings exist for?’ You do know the truth, do you not?” The voice now turned from a bright, zesty tune to mild, still and cold. The gravity of the words, as gentle as they were, struck the child, like how the lad’s very own pierced the old man. They registered, but did not stop young, eager eyes from looking earnestly at the angel only he did see in the yellow light.

“I shall hold you to your promise,” the mellow voice broke his stupor, the blessing that Hines had granted so spontaneously upon the child now surrounding the crystal. The child felt his soul drift towards the source of his new position, taking in everything that prickled at his senses. “But please, don’t seal that promise into you, whatever you do.”

A smile shaped its way behind the calm façade, before Hines glanced at the crystal, the newly initiated blessing carving out runes of the subject’s name, pieces of bark crumbling to the floor, vanishing in a puff of shimmering dust, and nothing else..

“Despite the fact that you are, certainly, wise beyond your years, I cannot allow one like you to be of the second class: that is, unless I verify your level of skill. The next few days will be your test. Pass it, and I shall allow you to continue in your destiny. Fail, and you continue to learn until you have been deemed fit to advance.”

The child stood, still incredulous. He bowed low, standing there in respect, before making his way out of the room that had held his destiny, face showing no physical evidence of joy, but his eyes sparkled for what he had given, and what he had received.

“May the wind be at your back, Magician Zeke.”