Why are you so desperate to get rid of your magic?
"All I ever do is hurt those I love most."
Have you ever thought to find a teacher?
"Who'd teach a useless waste of life like me?"
Alright... lesson one... you're not a useless waste of life. -- Anon Guest
To make the world a better place was a bigger job than Wraithbind thought. The first thought to tackle was, Who am I making the world better for?
A world made better for Elves was not better for any intelligent creature that was not an Elf. A world made better for dragons wouldn't have Elves in it at all, never mind any of the other beings emerging into the knowledge of the world.
A better world was one in which all intelligent creatures had an equal chance for choices in their life. That would take longer than one Elf's lifespan, and a very, very open mind.
Such as sympathy for a Hellkin who wanted the magic taken out of their bones. They were willing to be Wraithbind's servant for the rest of their life. What hit Wraithbind in hir heart was the final statement, "And if I have a soul, I swear it to you." They had to have a soul, or they wouldn't be suffering on behalf of all those they loved.
"I am unable to do as you wish," said Wraithbind, "but I can teach you how to use that which is yours."
"Why? You're an Elf and I'm a monster."
"It's because you see yourself as a monster," said Wraithbind. "Nobody should have that kind of shame about themself." Ze lifted up the Hellkin, and looked them in the eye as ze might any other normal citizen. Well. What the rest of society considered a normal citizen.
That cherry-red hand trembled in Wraithbind's gentle grip. Those burning eyes looked so startled to be treated with the dignity their own people denied them. "And you believe that," they said, voice barely a whisper.
"I made a vow to improve the world," said Wraithbind. "I'd be a sorry fraud if I didn't, and the gods would be very angry about that."
Taking on a Hellkin as prentice would hurt hir social standing amongst Elvenkind, but Wraithbind was used to that. Most of Elvenkind thought Wraithbind to be completely mad. Putting hir hand to a god's heart had to have done something to hir brain.
They hadn't started to wonder how long Wraithbind had been wandering. Not yet. They'd soon catch on that Wraithbind's oath had done more than something to hir head.
"And it won't hurt anyone any more? I can be a useful monster?"
Wraithbind also had to wean this poor soul from openly hating themself like that. Not an easy task. But making a better world was bigger than one Elven lifespan.
But the gods already knew that, and made certain ze could.
[Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash]
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