The Sorcerer's Game

11. Truth of birth

Azriel followed Michael as he looked around him. The place was brightly illuminated, and he could clearly see where he was going and what the place around him looked like. The place had a vintage feel to it, and everything seemed to be a part of a castle, just like the ones he had seen on the television. Everything looked amazing and beautiful. But to Azriel, everything was equally confusing. Even though he wanted to, he could not admire the beauty of the place around him.

Soon they reached a room with gigantic wooden doors which had intricate designs on them. However, there were no handles on them, and Azriel wondered how anyone would enter the room. 'Was there an advance a way to open the door?' Just as he thought about it, his eyes widened when the door opened automatically. All he heard was Micheal utter a word.

'Aperto? What the heck is aperto? What language is this man speaking?' He wondered and walked past the door, which closed the moment he entered the room. Azriel was still staring at the doors in disbelief when he heard Micheal speak from behind him.

"You must be wondering what is happening and why you are here. Am I right?" He queried, and Azriel turned to him immediately. 

"I don't understand anything, Mr. Glenn. What is happening, and why are we here?" Azriel put forth his dilemma before the old man, who all of a sudden looked wiser and authoritative to him. "How did I end up here?"

"Azriel, there are a lot of truths you must know, about you, us, and the place you are in right now. This might take some time. Do you want to have something before we proceed?"

Although Azriel was hungry, he was more curious about the bizarre events that were happening around him. So, he just shook his head, pushing his hunger away.

"Very well. In case you feel hungry, do tell me. I will take you to the dining hall." 

Azriel just nodded at him, waiting for the man to start speaking what he wanted to hear.

"Azriel, what do you know about yourself?" Micheal questioned as he took a seat behind the desk and gestured Azriel to take the chair in front of him. Azriel followed his silent orders with a frown.

"Why are you asking this, Mr. Glenn?" He questioned skeptically. 

"Because you need to know your identity before I can reveal the other secrets you have no idea about. So, tell me what you know about yourself." Micheal leaned forward and clasped his fingers together.

Although Azriel found his words strange, he decided to go ahead and answer him. He had no other option too. He was in a strange land, surrounded by weird people, and the only people he was acquainted with were his Chief and the man who was sitting in front of him. He could only put his trust in them for now.

"Mr. Glenn. I am an orphan. My adoptive father was a Colonel. He passed away two years ago."

"What about your real parents? Do you know about them? Have you tried to search for them?"

"I did. I searched for them as per my adoptive father's orders. But I haven't received any result yet." Azriel sighed lightly. Even though he was unwilling to search for his real parents, his father had taken his word before he had passed away. So, he had no choice but to follow his wishes. It still puzzled him to think that his father had asked him to search for his real parents when he was on his death bed rather than the time when he had revealed the truth of his birth to him.

"I see. Have you ever thought that your parents might be dead since you are unable to locate them till now?"

"I have, Mr. Glenn. But I have not got any details about them yet. I am still going to try until I can no longer go ahead with the search." Azriel replied honestly. He was still confused by the turn of events and the predicament he was in. 'Why is Mr. Glenn asking me these questions?' He wondered.

"I see. What if I were to say that I know one of your parents?"

"You do?" Azriel was stunned by his revelation, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, I do. I know who your mother was."

"Was?" Azriel did not miss the use of past tense here, and his frown deepened.

"Yes, was. Your birth mother is dead. She died a month after you were born." Azriel was not devastated by the news. He had never met his mother, and even if he did, he was just an infant when he could barely understand what was happening around him. Although he did feel depressed, he was not in grief. 

"May I know how she died?" Azriel spoke after a long time. 

"She was murdered, Azriel." This caught the young inspector's attention, and he gave an incredulous look to the man before him.

"Murdered? How? Who? I mean who murdered her?" Azriel was spooked on hearing what had happened to his mother. He had never expected her to be murdered.

"That," Micheal gave him a look filled with guilt and regret. "We don't know."

"What do you mean, Mr. Glenn?" Azriel narrowed his eyes dangerously, and Micheal, at once, sensed a powerful aura radiating from the man. It was incredibly strong, stronger than anyone he had known. He was rendered speechless for a few minutes as he stared at Azriel with an incomprehensible look.

"Mr. Glenn?" Azriel's low voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Your mother had been missing for days, and when we found her, she was severely wounded and..." Micheal could not continue any longer, and Azriel too did not dwell upon it.

"What about my father?" Azriel noticed that the man had not once spoken about who his father was, and he wondered if it was intentional or if there was something he was hiding from him.

"Your father is still alive. But..."

"But?" Azriel urged him to continue with his brow raised.

"How do I tell this to you?" Micheal thought for while. "Do you remember the man who attacked us when we first landed here?"

Azriel nodded at him, wondering if that man was his father. 'No, it can't be.' He shook his head at once. 'Micheal told me that my father is still alive. So, it can't be him.'

"Your father is his Master." Micheal tried his best to explain to Azriel. But he knew he had failed miserably.

"Master?"

"Yes, Azriel. Before I divulge about that man, you need to know something else."

"And what might that be?"

"You need to know who we are and what our identity is, and this includes you too. You too are one of us." 

Azriel wondered what the man would say to him. 'Is there more to all of this? Haven't I been surprised enough today?' Micheal could more or less predict what was running in the young man's mind, and he gave him a helpless smile.

"Azriel, did you notice anything strange here?"

"Strange?" Azriel chuckled softly at his question. Since the time he had landed in this place, every small thing seemed strange. He could not even explain how he was feeling. The shock had rendered his brain useless, and it had lost its ability to process anything. "Mr. Glenn, do I even have to explain what I am feeling right now?"

His words made Micheal let out of helpless laugh. "Apologies. That question was redundant. What I was trying to say was that you must have noticed that we are normal. We can accomplish things which not a normal human can do."

Azriel nodded at him. It was true that nobody around him seemed to be normal or even human. He recalled how the woman had cured his Chief in the blink of an eye and how the door to the room had opened with just an utter of a word. 'Do these people here know magic?' He wondered, and just as the thought came to him, the old man smiled.

"You are right. This is all magic. But that is not how we would term it. We call it sorcery. We are all sorcerers, and that includes you too."