Supreme Magus

It was close enough to the stage to watch the performance, but also with more free space around it compared to most seats.

Realizing her blunder, Kamila laughed the whole way while holding the bouquet.

”Sorry, I didnʼt mean to be rude. Where should I put these flowers?”

Before she finished the phrase, a waiter brought a vase while another carried a third chair so the bouquet could spread its fragrance without standing between them. Kamila didnʼt miss how the staff was too friendly and the table too good for two new customers.

Her motherʼs words started echoing in her mind and made her face turn glum.

”Be honest. Do I really look like a mortician?” Lith mistook her expression for disapproval and cursed at himself for not following his sisterʼs advice about dressing in light colors.

”What? No. It looks good on you, but in your shoes, I would take off the jacket. You are a little overdressed.” She said while smiling again at the odd question.

”How was your day?” Lith asked after noticing that something was off.

”It started pretty bad, but itʼs getting better. What about you?”

”So far so good. At least today nobody tried to kill me.” He said with a sigh while a waiter brought them the menus.

”Today? What about yesterday?” Lith told her about the Abomination in the Trawn woods using the same tone with which he placed their order.

”How can you be so calm? You almost died twice in as many days.”

”I told you before. My life is pretty crazy. If you read my personal file, you know in what kind of mess youʼre getting yourself into.” He said with a sad smile as the band started playing what he considered nothing more than rhythmic noise.

”As you always say, letʼs not talk about sad stuff. What do you think about the music?”

”They are good.” Lithʼs shocked expression at her answer made her laugh heartily. ”Why that face? Donʼt you like it?”

”Not much. The sound is good, but it has no soul.”

When their plates arrived, they started talking about their respective plans for the future. Kamilaʼs goal was to rise up the army ranks. Becoming a Colonel was her dream, but she knew that unless she achieved something big it would come too late in her life to matter.

”If life was a fairy tale, Iʼd say I want to become the first magicless General of the Kingdom. Sadly, the rank of Colonel is the ceiling, even for geniuses.”

Lith didnʼt know how to answer. He had no big dreams or ambitions aside getting rid of his reincarnation problem. He longed for power and money, but only because they were the means to an end.

He would do anything to achieve his goal, yet he had never stopped considering what he would do if he ever managed to make it.

”Iʼd like to teach in an Academy.” Was all he could think about. ”First, thereʼs something I need to do, though. Itʼs the reason I became a Ranger. I need the army to obtain the means to cure a dear friend of mine.”

Kamila didnʼt buy the ʼfriendʼ part for a second, but she didnʼt press the matter any further. Meanwhile, the band was offering the customers the opportunity to take part in the performance.

”Why donʼt you go up there and show them how itʼs done?” She said it as a joke.

”As long as you promise me that whatever you hear and see, you will not laugh at me.” He replied taking her by surprise and extending his hand to her.

”Deal.”

Lith stepped on the stand among some mild applause and took the Mogarʼs equivalent of a Spanish guitar from the hands of a musician. He asked the band to not accompany him and then he started playing.

Or better, he started cheating. Lith didnʼt know how to sing or play, but he had learned from magical beasts how to use air magic to reproduce whatever sound he wanted.

It took him his full focus to perform a slightly modified version of ”The Noise of Silence” by Shimon and Carbuncle. It was one of his favorite songs from Earth. It required only a guitar to be played and it felt like it talked about him.

He didnʼt look at Kamila not even once. He was too busy trying to pluck random strings while following the rhythm. When he finished, the lead of the band shook Lithʼs hand and whispered:

”Hope your lady friend doesnʼt play any instrument because whatever you did, you didnʼt get a single string right. Good luck.”

”I donʼt need luck.” Lith replied before going back to his table.

”Did you like it?” He asked with an expectant look.

”Itʼs beautiful but very sad. I would have never taken you for a poet and a musician.” Her eyes were a little watery, she felt like the song talked about her too.

”Iʼm neither. Someone else wrote the lyrics.” Lith chuckled and then explained to her the trick behind his performance.

”Well, youʼve got some nerve.” She couldnʼt help but laugh seeing how people had fallen for his deception and looked at Lith with admiration.

”Thereʼs one thing I donʼt understand. Why go through all this trouble and then tell me the truth about it?” No matter how flashy a magic trick was, once its secret was exposed it would lose its luster.

”Because I wanted to impress you.” He replied with a warm smile. ”Magic itʼs not only about exploding stuff or healing people. The beauty of Mogar is that magic is everywhere. It plays a big part in my life. In a way, it defines who I am.

”Thatʼs what I mean when I say that I wanted to impress you. Not through music or rhymes, thatʼs not me. Iʼm a mage, hence I used magic to share something I like. As for the truth, I learned from experience that starting a relationship on a lie never works.”

They spent the rest of their dinner chatting, but this time Kamila called for the check the moment they were done eating. Lith took the box of sweets while she carried the flowers and accompanied her to the nearest Warp Gate.

She fiddled with the control panel for so long that Lith started to fear she was too drunk to remember her own address.

ʼWeird. We drank even less than the last time.ʼ He thought.

”Itʼs still early. Would you like to come to my place for a cup of tea and a snack?” She asked while pointing at the box.

”I would love to.” Lith replied a bit too fast, realizing she was completely sober.

Kamilaʼs house was a two room flat. The kitchen and the living room shared the same space. There were only two closed doors, which were likely to lead to the bathroom and the bedroom.

”Do you mind preparing the tea while I find a place for the flowers, oh great one? Everything you need is on sight.”

Lith filled the teapot with water and put it on the stove. Everything worked with magic crystals, making it akin to a modern kitchen.

”Do you like your tea strong or light?” Lith asked while picking the amount of leaves and mint.

”Both are fine.” She replied.

Lith turned around, discovering that she was standing right behind him. The first three buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing a fair amount of her bosom.

ʼThatʼs at least a C cup…ʼ

The moment Lith raised his eyes to meet Kamilaʼs, she took him in her arms. One hand behind his head and the other on his neck, she forced Lith to bend down and kissed him. Softly at first, like a schoolgirl at her first, clumsy attempt.

He didnʼt let her go, drawing her closer to him while she kissed him with growing passion until she clung to him as a lifeboat in the storm her life was. His mouth managed to part her frenzied lips at the first attempt, sending tremors along both their bodies.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, she pulled away from him.

”Wait.” Kamila said with a quivering voice.

”Too fast?” Lith asked without bothering to hide his disappointment.

”The bedroom is that way.” She pointed at the second closed door as her legs wrapped around his waist, bringing their faces at the same level before starting to kiss Lith again.