Magic Meets Might

Answers

The interrogation room was small. In order to not feel claustrophobic, I kept my wings folded tightly against my back. The lighting was poor and one wall was a mirror. I could tell they were on the other side. With cold eyes, they'd be watching me, listening to me, and debating the nature of my death, incarceration, or exile. Just a guess at that. They were taking no chances- I was handcuffed to the table and a rope ran from my ankles to the legs of the table. If I tugged at it, runes appeared that burned into my skin.

"Who are you?" Seto's stern expression made me shiver and his voice was none warmer.

"I told you already. My name is River Walters. I was a normal girl, right up until this happened." No it's not, no it's not. I don't have a name. I'm not normal. I have the wings of a dragon and magic to match. Already I could tell this wouldn't end in my favor. To describe my feelings- ten miles south of "Hopeless" and a few degrees below miserable.

"Liar! You're hiding something," the sorcerer shot back icily. Seeing me avert my gaze, Seto softened his tone and added, "We won't hurt you or think of you any differently then before."

"How can I take that word for truth," I muttered, a growl in my throat.

The chair creaked as the sorcerer leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "You're right, I can't guarantee anything, but if you keep holding back, I will not put in even a word for your freedom to the others."

I sighed. He wants to know what happened to me with the mirror. He must know something about it's properties and he must know I had a vision. "I'm not sure if this will help because I don't think it's me. Cassandra River Ambrose. T-the man in the mirror kept calling a girl that."

Seto stiffened. "Describe her."

"Um..." I racked my chaotic thoughts for the memory of last night. "I'd say 19? Slim, not particularly muscular. Grey green eyes? Long ginger orange hair that was slightly wavy? Oh, and she had a- a symbol on her arm."

"What was it?"

"I can't remember." Something in the memory of that mirror seemed to lock itself away from me. "Who is she?"

Seto leaned back on his chair and tears started rolling down his cheeks. "She was one of us. Us four. Greatest sorcerers of all time. We had to protect Minecraftia. Only three of us did. The fourth is the reason we protected this world. He is who we protected it from. Then Cassy almost died, some freak spell accident that backfired...She was terribly weakened and one night in the hospital, she disappeared. We never saw her again, not even...Well I don't know what they found but they said they buried her. The job got harder, I retired. Notch and Herobrine were fighting and fell into the Void. Being gods, they didn't die. Notch eventually turned tail to run and Herobrine trapped him. Notch issued an "Endgame" command to reboot Minecraftia. The Ender dragon came to be as a guard to keep Herobrine trapped.

Cassy has been missing -presumed dead- for a very long time now. She was always cheerful and funny." Seto's eyes glassed over, traveling to memory world. I feel uncomfortable now being in this room, hearing memories told by a stranger about someone I was supposed to be. He didn't say it but there was something else there. Seto's voice carried the soft wistful tone of love. Of Cassandra, of Minecraftia, of what this world once was.

Did he mean for me to be subjected to this? Why set for me an impossible standard of living up to a dead woman's life? It's like children playing at the sea shore. They look back to retrace their steps and act surprised when the waves have washed them away.

"I remember, she stopped the Sky Army cavalry on their way to the Squid Fortress. 400 horses paused because two turtles were crossing the road. When she died, Notch called for a Minecraftia-wide truce. If there was a battle, they didn't think I was up to the task of healing or fighting." He started crying freely now.

I ruffled my wings uncomfortably. This was me? I don't like it. All that happened? I'm scared. I don't want the responsibility or pressure of filling the hole in his life.

Seto seemed to pull himself together and his face reassumed its unemotional mask. I pretended to ignore his eyes, red and puffy from crying. "Describe the man you saw."

I frowned. "White, glowing eyes. Cyan tshirt, jeans, magic."

Seto winces and I pretend not to notice that too. I have enough to worry about than the identity of the man who ravaged my face and arms on a dark road. "Next question. What is the last thing you can remember?"

"Before coming here?"

"Yes."

"I was in the forest. It was dark. A man stood before me. At first, I thought he was holding a torch. Then he turned around and his eyes were the light that I had seen. Blank, soulless light. He smiled and beat me around. He asked if I remembered him, I still don't. Then he pinned me against a tree and I blasted him back with some strange magic- out of nowhere. He knocked me over the head with the sword and I woke up outside these gates."

"Anything else?"

My hand flew to the leather sheathe, still hanging across my torso. "I found myself with this...and a dagger."

"Describe the weapon."

"Short, dark steel, balanced, and a red gem set into the silver hilt."

"Nothing before that?"

"No."

"What exactly did you see in the Mirror? What happened between y- Cassandra and the man?"

"I can't tell you that."

"You have to."

"I won't."

"What did you see?" He hissed.

"Not. Telling. You," I retorted. 

The temperature in the room plummeted and a cold wind began whistling around. "Do you take me for a fool, Cassandra Ambrose?" The sorcerer's voice echoed around. His eyes glowed bright purple and wisps of smoke hung around them. "Do you take me for some bumbling idiot who would accept nothing of importance was seen through that mirror?!"

I stood my ground (or chair, rather), and only released a slight shiver."Him. Again."

"More detail, please." The wind died down, the glowing lessened, and Seto returned to his seat.

"He wanted more power. He said he was going to make the world forget about Cassandra River Ambrose. That he would undo everything she did. Everything I did."

"That is very bad. You say he took yo-her magic?" Seto is trying so hard to stay collected. Would it me be easier to accept the identity of Cassandra?

"Enough to make me into this." I spread my wings and folded them around myself.

He nods, "Some mages do have a regression form- if their magic is scaled down, they make a backup of themselves to fall on. Did anything else happen? With most victims, the Mirror speaks."

The Mirror's soft voice echoed around my head, You pledged to rid this world of him...let's see if you can keep that promise. "The Mirror did not speak to me." Sorry Seto, but that secret is one I will keep.

"I believe we are done here." He stood up and left me in the cell. I heard the door shut and bolts slide into place. Now I am a prisoner.

"I promise."