Miaka's thread

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Zaphiel started slowly, saying, "You must forgive me, I know not how much you know about this land or its history.  Also, our records don't speak much of the war, except to say how horrible and destructive magic was.  The war of magic depopulated the world, and those who one supposedly formed "The Order" and swore off all magic except for healing.  Te strongest and best of "The Chosen" sacrificed their lives for victory, while those of us of weaker nature were left to tend the people, the other races, and help them prosper in the new world."

He paused again.  "I believe it's almost all lies."  He sighed and paused again for a moment.  "The chosen, who lead the towns as Arkanel does, are not born on the continent.  At least I don't believe so.  Lafiel calls me her father, but she is not my biological daughter, I just raised her when the monks brought her to Glendale."  He looked fondly at Lafiel.

"I escaped my right of adulthood," he frowned.  "Escaped is the wrong word.  I resisted my trial.  The current chosen, Arkanel, myself, others on this continent are the weakest of the race of magic users that won the war.  They once ruled openly, but still rule today.  In response to the war, they set up the people as breeding stock.  Breeding for experiments, breeding for their powers, and cattle for the magic that keeps this continent perpetually subjugated to them, without knowing.  I somehow resisted the compulsion to believe this way of things is right.  I shuddered as I participated in the rites of decay, where those over forty, and not of the chosen, are sent to fulfill their real purpose, as guinea pigs and cattle."

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"That's horrible!" Miaka cried out, blanching. She hadn't seen anyone over forty in Arkanel's town, now that she thought of it, but she never gave it a second thought before.

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Zaphiel nodded. "That they would set up a world for their 'cattle' speaks ill of my brethren. I know. I started training in secret, finding those who would fight with me. I intend to first destroy the means by which they control us, and prevent the people from using magic. Once this is accomplished, if it can be accomplished, I have no doubt their wrath will be severe.  That is what we are training for, that is what this small force is intended for. Arkanel fears our success, he fears the reprisals it will cause, but I think he most of all fears the loss of his way of life."

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"How did you manage to resist your rite of adulthood?" Miaka asked curiously.

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"I was always a bit of a troublemaker, and extremely curious when I was growing up. Through trial and error, I learned to impose my will upon others, but more importantly to shield myself from such effects. There are technigues that can be used to harden the mind, and more importantly, clear the mind of ill effects after they've been imposed. I used some of those techniques before the rites, hoping that would be enough. Unfortunately, they weren't, but I had a back-up plan for just such an occurrence."

Miaka noticed a self-satisfied smirk play over Zaphiel's face as he spoke.

"I had left myself a note, a set of instructions for clearing the mind. I had hoped that enough of my old self would still exist, and it did. I was able to remove the compulsions they had placed upon me, allowing me to remember most of what I had seen, and more importantly, what I truly believed about the situation."

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Miaka nodded thoughtfully, having had intimate experience with such compulsions. "Could you describe what happened in more detail? How the compulsion was made, and what were the steps you took to shrug it off?"

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Zaphiel looked at the girl intently, "How much do you know about the mind? It's workings? And most importantly placing magic upon the mind?"

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"Not much." Miaka shrugged. "Yui-chan's the bright one." Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, she said, "The ultimate compulsion that exists in Konan is done with a magical seed. They feed it to someone, and his personality changes completely... it even locks away his memories." Miaka shrugged. "That might be why it works so well, in part."

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"It sounds similar to what we undergo. I thought I could hide part of my mind from their probes, overwriting their orders and keeping my memories in tact, but they were ready for my attempts. I don't know how they bypassed the magic I had cast on myself. Had they found the spells, hidden as I thought I had, or had they just destroyed them in their processing. I doubt I'll ever know." He sighed and took a drink.

"I was young, headstrong, and believed myself invincible. Years later I started this movement. Arkanel, knew of it, but called me a fool, and eventually cast me out, which is when I took up residence here." He smiled as he gestured to the hall. "Camelot, and the secrets it protects. I'm ready to start, and I think you're here because Arkanel knows this."

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"Camelot, and its secrets," Miaka repeated quietly. "Like the pillar of fire beneath the main keep?"

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"Pillar of Fire?" Zaphiel asked.

"Arkanel mentioned it," Miaka offered in way of an explanation. "If you don't understand what I'm talking about, it might be a good idea to check the lower levels for it, wouldn't it?"

Zaphiel nodded, "I'll have to do that."

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"You haven't mentioned the exact way you've managed to break the compulsion put on you," Miaka reminded him. "After all, wouldn't we be able to release more Chosen from the prisons of their minds that way?"

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"A spell. One I had researched and practiced upon a friend of mine in my youth. It clears the mind of compulsions and other altering effects. I don't believe in doing so without the person's leave. Some of those here, I could persuade, but most here were brought before their time," Zaphiel responded.

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There are more Chosen here? Miaka thought in surprise. "How many people do you have with you Zaphiel?"

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Zaphiel thought for a moment before responding, "We make up a mere two hundred strong. Twenty five are chosen, while the others were persuaded to believe in our cause."