Collection: Sage Eyes

---

Mero: WHY ARE YOU LEAVING SO EARLY?
WERE YOU FIRED?
Tiffani: MERO, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU? DON'T DRAW ATTENTION TO ME.
Mero: ABEL STILL WANTS TO MARRY YOU. HEATH WOULD PAIR YOU WITH TRISTAN, BUT TRISTAN DOESN'T WANT TO.
Tiffani: THANKS. BUT TODAY I NEED TO GO IN.
IT'S MY PARENTS' FUNERAL.
Mero: FUNERAL? WILL THERE BE A FEAST?
Tiffani: OF COURSE.
Mero: WILL THEY BE EATING THE DEAD BODIES?
Tiffani: WHAT??!!
Mero: YOU EAT DEAD RAPTORS, DEER, COARS...
Tiffani: BUT NOT HUMANS!
Mero: WHY NOT? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? HUMANS ARE CARNIVORES, AFTER ALL.
Tiffani: I NEED TO GO TO HONOR...MY PARENTS.
Mero: LET'S GET GOING, THEN!
Tiffani: NOT WITH YOU. I'LL GET CAUGHT. I NEED YOU TO SNIFF OUT SIMON WHILE I BUY SOME FOOD. MEET ME BACK AT THE HIDEOUT.

---

Esma: I'VE SEEN THAT LOOK BEFORE. THERE WAS SOMEONE, WASN'T THERE?
Tiffani: NO, OF COURSE NOT.
Esma: DON'T TRY TO FOOL ME. IT WAS A BOY WASN'T IT?
Tiffani: ...HOW DID YOU KNOW?
Esma: GIRL, IT'S ALWAYS A BOY.
Farlon: WHAT'S GOING ON THERE? GET BACK TO WORK!
Esma: TODAY IS THE KING'S FUNERAL. SHE JUST NEEDS A MOMENT TO GRIEVE.
Farlon: UGH! HURRY IT UP!
Tiffani: TODAY'S THE FUNERAL?
Esma: YES, EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IT.
Tiffani: ESMA, CAN YOU COVER ME? I NEED TO LEAVE.
Esma: WHAT? AFTER EVERYTHING, YOU'RE ASKING ME TO COVER YOU, TOO? (SIGH) YOU OWE ME.

---

Tiffani: HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?
MAGIC IS UNNATURAL.
Esma: UNNATURAL? WHAT IS GIVING US THIS LIGHT?
Tiffani: BUT USING IT OURSELVES CORRUPTS US!
Esma: WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR SEVERAL DAYS NOW. AM I AN EVIL WITCH?
Tiffani: BUT...!
Esma: (ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME FIRED?)
Tiffani: NO, NO. I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO OFFEND. I WOULDN'T WANT YOU FIRED, EVER. YOU'VE BEEN SO NICE TO ME, ESMA.
Esma: DO YOU THINK I CAN JUST FORGET WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ME? HOW WILL I WORK WITH YOU NOW?
Tiffani: IT'S JUST WHAT WE'RE ALL TAUGHT, RIGHT: THAT MAGIC GOES AGAINST THE TEACHINGS OF THE JUDGE LORDS.
Esma: NO, THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN THAT.
THIS IS PERSONAL FOR YOU, ISN'T IT?
DID SOMEONE WITH MAGIC HURT YOU, ROSE?

---

Tiffani: I'M A PRINCESS.
HOW CAN THEY MAKE ME WORK ON SEVENSDAY? IS THERE NEVER A BREAK?
Esma: ROSE, WHO DO YOU HOPE IS THE NEW KING?
Tiffani: HUH? UM, I DON'T KNOW. I NEVER THOUGHT MY...
KING JORJ WOULD DIE, YOU KNOW?
Esma: WELL, I HOPE IT'S MARC HEATH. AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS SON, HE DESERVES IT.
Tiffani: YES, I SUPPOSE SO.
Esma: ALSO, CAN I TELL YOU A SECRET?
Esma: MAYBE IT'S NOT MUCH OF A SECRET, BUT I'M FROM MAGEDA. I CAME HERE BECAUSE JORU HAD LOOSENED THE LAWS ON MAGIC USE BUT NOW I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE ABLE TO STAY.
Tiffani: KING JORJ NEVER PERMITTED MAGIC! IF YOU WANT TO BE HERE YOU SHOULD CHOOSE NOT TO USE MAGIC. IT'S STILL AGAINST THE LAW.
Esma: REALLY?! MAGIC IS A PART OF ME. I CAN'T JUST TURN IT OFF. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO JUDGE ME LIKE THAT?

---

Tacoba: ...AND I TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO HELP HER GET BACK TO THE CASTLE, WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING IMPRISONED AGAIN, AND WE WOULD PROVE HER INNOCENCE, BUT THEN THAT LIGHT THIEF TOOK HER AWAY. MY GUARDS COULDN'T FIND HER, AND I THINK HE KILLED MY GARDENER.
Mari: THANK YOU, TACOBA, BUT CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE SHE IS NOW? OTHERWISE I HAVE A FUNERAL TO TAKE CARE OF.
Tacoba: WEREN'T YOU LISTENING? WITH THE THIEF. UNLESS HE SOLD HER.
Mari: DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE THIEF IS?
Tacoba: SURELY AT A SNAKE EYES HIDEOUT.
Mari: SNAKE EYES? WHAT DOES THE LIGHT THIEF HAVE TO DO WITH THEM?
Tacoba: YOU DIDN'T KNOW? HE'S ONE OF THEM.
Mari: SNAKE EYES? THAT MEANS WE CAN FIND THEM! THANK YOU, TACOBA.
Tacoba: THANK YOU? IS THAT ALL I GET? IS THERE NO REWARD FOR FINDING THE PRINCESS?
Mari: ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO INTIMIDATE ME?
Tacoba: BE CAREFUL HOW YOU SPEAK, COMMONER. REMEMBER YOUR PLACE OR YOU'LL REGRET IT.
Mari: MY PLACE? YOU'RE IN MY OFFICE. NOW LEAVE.
TIFFANI, I'LL FIND YOU

---

Simon: SO YOU CAN GO BACK IN TIME?
Shiara: ONLY IN A SMALL AREA OVER A SMALL TIME PERIOD.
Simon: COULD YOU BRING SOMEONE BACK FROM THE DEAD?
Shiara: I SUPPOSE IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT IT WOULD TAKE A LOT OF ENERGY AND YOU PROBABLY COULD ONLY REVERSE IT IF IT WERE CAUSED BY MAGIC.
Simon: WHY JUST FROM MAGIC?
Shiara: BECAUSE MAGICAL EFFECTS TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO BECOME PERMANENT IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD, SO YOU'D HAVE A SMALL WINDOW TO REVERSE THEM. BUT NATURAL DEATH INVOLVES PROCESSES IN THE WHOLE BODY AND WOULD BE MORE THAN ANYONE COULD HANDLE.
Simon: BALANCE
WHY ARE WE FIGHTING? IT'S TOO LATE TO ENTER THE TOURNAMENT NOW.
Shiara: UNLESS YOU GET A NOBLE TO SPONSOR YOU.
WOULD TACOBA DO SO?
Simon: HA! NO. BUT ISABEL MIGHT...

---

Shiara: THERE ARE OTHER MAGICS BASED ON OTHER TYPES OF ENERGY, LIKE MOVEMENT, MAGNETICS, SOUND, AND SO FORTH. BUT ADVANCED MAGIC DRAWS ON LESS OBVIOUS ENERGY LIKE TIME.
Simon: TIME IS ENERGY?
Shiara: IN A WAY. BY PLAYING WITH NATURAL ENTROPIC PROCESSES, WE CAN SPEED UP OR REVERSE THE TEMPORAL INFLUENCE IN A SMALL AREA.
Simon: WHAT DO THOSE WORDS MEAN?
Shiara: IF I EXPEND TIME ENERGY, THEN YOUR HAND WILL MELT FASTER AND START TO HEAL ITSELF.
BUT IN THIS CASE, IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO REVERSE WHAT YOU DID BY ABSORBING THE TIME ENERGY, BRINGING YOUR HAND BACK TO WHERE IT WAS BEFORE YOU FROZE IT.

---

Shiara: HERE, LET ME HELP.
WE'VE GONE OVER THERMAL MAGIC, BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE EASIEST TO UNDERSTAND.
YOU CAN ABSORB ENERGY FROM OBJECTS, ALTHOUGH YOU USUALLY WON'T GET MORE MAGIC THAN YOU USE, BUT IT STILL HAS ITS USES, LIKE TO PUT OUT A FIRE.
YOU CAN EXPEND MAGICAL ENERGY TO CREATE HEAT.
TO CREATE THE FIREBALL AS YOU DID, YOU CAN REDIRECT ENERGY, LETTING THE HEAT FLOW FROM SOURCE TO TARGET WHICH USES LESS MAGIC THAN BY EXPENDING.
THAT IS WHY YOUR HAND IS FROZEN. YOUR CRYSTAL HEART DIDN'T HAVE QUITE ENOUGH ENERGY. YOU SHOULD HAVE STOLEN HEAT FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE.
BUT IT'S EASY TO OVERFILL OR GET DRAINED WHEN DOING THAT, SO YOU NEED BALANCE.

---

Simon: Stop!
Shiara: BALANCE.
YOU NEED EMOTIONAL BALANCE AS WELL.
Simon: WHY? I MADE A FIREBALL. YOU TOLD ME THAT WAS DIFFICULT.
Shiara: YES, BUT LOOK WHERE YOUR HEAT CAME FROM.
Simon: !!!

---

Simon: AND BECAUSE I'M CURSED. ALTHOUGH I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS.
Shiara: DARK ENERGY IS TAKING SOMETHING FROM YOU. I'M NOT SURE WHAT. YOUR STRENGTH, YOUR HEALTH, YOUR WITS. PROBABLY YOUR ABILITY TO DO MAGIC, BECAUSE YOU CAN TAP INTO YOUR POWER EASIER THAN A NOVICE, BUT IT SHOULDN'T COME OUT SO UNPREDICTABLY.
Simon: OR MY ABILITY TO FIGHT. I WON'T BE ADVANCING TO THE TOURNAMENT. SO NO PAY. BECAUSE I'M TOO 'PRIDEFUL'.
Shiara: YES, YOU KIND OF ARE.
Simon: WHAT WAS THAT FOR?
Shiara: WE'RE COMBINING YOUR MAGIC AND FIGHTING LESSON TODAY. THE FOCUS IS ON BALANCE. YOUR CRYSTAL HEART TAKES IN MAGIC AND EXPENDS IT. OVERFILL IT AND IT WILL SHATTER AND KILL YOU. EMPTY IT AND IT WILL CRACK AND KILL YOU.
Simon: WHAT!? KILL ME?
Shiara: IT'S NOT EASY TO DO EITHER, JUST LIKE IT'S NOT EASY TO DIE FROM EXHAUSTION. BUT MAGIC WORKS BEST WHEN BALANCED. SAME FOR FIGHTING.
SO SIMON, GET READY TO FIGHT ME.
Simon: PSSH, I'M NOT FIGHTING YOU.