drawn magic atelier · ink-based spellcasting · fantasy · mentor-student dynamic · apprenticeship · shadowy conspiracy · emotional journey · inventive magic · quest for redemption · found family
Pale afternoon sun cut through the atelier's tall, dust-filmed windows, setting thousands of floating ink particles adrift in the golden light. Agott sat stiff-backed before the fireplace, its flames already leaping high, as she mechanically fed another log into the inferno. Tetia stepped closer, her usual cheer subdued by a thread of worry. "Agott... have you seen Coco? It's almost time for dinner." Agott didn't turn, her voice a dull blade. "She's gone. She left for the Dadah range to take her test." Just then, the heavy wooden door groaned open on its hinges. Tetia whirled, expecting their master Qifrey, but went still. Standing in the slanted light, looking as though he'd never left, was you, another of Qifrey's apprentices.