"Hello? Head Whisperer?"
There was silence for Gwyn, except for the crackling of the torches outside the door. She approached the entrance. The barrier wasn't transparent; it was like a second door. She put one arm through, and nothing felt different. Soon, her entire body was through.
But once it was, the room was full of different creatures. Gwyn thought there were hundreds. It reeked of an animal farm or a rescue shelter.
"This one is Mitzy, this one is Brenzy, this one is, oh… There you are!" The Head Whisperer put down a small gerbil-looking creature on a shelf and approached her. "What are you doing here, Chosen One?"
"You asked me to come here?"
Gwyn wasn't even sure what she was doing now.
She was beyond exhausted at this point and just wanted to get some food. She stepped over a dozen mice chasing a ball on the floor.
"Is that so… well. Welcome to my abode! Be careful where you step. There are a lot of little guys here."
What he meant was different creatures. All of them seemed to live harmoniously. Nearly all of them had some characteristics that made them similar to Earth creatures, legends, and cryptid populations.
Snakes curled up with mice, sleeping peacefully. Birds and bugs flew with one another. Cats and dogs chased each other playfully.
Toys, food, water bowls, and other pet accessories covered every square inch in this massive space. The variation between their Earthly counterparts was sometimes dramatic, or they were an unrecognizable new species. Gwyn was mesmerized by all their appearances.
"Oh, and this is Mordecai." Ren placed a hand on a black cat-like creature. It had three golden eyes and a three-pronged tail, but the other features were typically feline. "She is our resident trespasser."
"She?"
Gwyn noticed that the gender didn't match the name.
"Oh yes… when Mordecai first showed up, we thought she was a girl! One scribe named it Mordecai, but then we discovered he was a she."
Somehow, the Head Whisperer couldn't remember what we talked about seconds ago, but could remember every pet name within his chamber.
Gwyn stroked her hand over the soft fur of the feline.
"I see."
"And this over here is—"
"Head Whisperer." Gwyn was annoyed at the constant distractions. "You didn't bring me here to show me all of your pets, although they're very adorable."
"Right… right. Do you know what I asked you to do?"
Gwyn shook her head.
"I can stay and hang out with your pets until you remember."
She decided to compromise until the Head Whisperer figured out what was so important that she had to be brought here immediately. Well, as soon as his body let him. Plus... I mean... There were tons of cute animals in here. It was a fair assumption that she could keep herself busy for the moment.
"No, no. I've… written it somewhere here, I'm sure." He walked towards his desk and gently scooted off several small creatures, all taking naps on his parchments. He picked up a page and read it. "No, no, that's not it."
Mordecai, the three-eyed black cat-looking creature, was now awake. Rubbing up against Gwyn's leg. She knelt and scratched her head.
"Hello, Mordecai." Gwyn scratched the spot she knew most cats liked in front of their ear. Mordecai stretched their face to lean into the affection. "Do you like the name Mordecai?" Gwyn asked, and the cat immediately chirped in response. "I guess you do!"
"No, not this one. Where did I put that blasted…?" He pointed a finger at a bird that resembled a snowy owl with red horns. "Gretchen! Where did I put that… important thing… I think it had something to do with the Chosen One."
Silently, the white owl dove down and opened a drawer with their claws. They stuck their head in the cubby, then pulled out a paper with their beak. Gretchen then eagerly looked at the Head Whisperer.
"Gretchen, what's this?"
He took the parchment and unrolled it. Then the owl flew off, grabbed a pair of spectacles, and landed on Ren's head, placing them on herself.
"Ah, much easier to read when I can see."
He laughed, and Gwyn rolled her eyes, still petting Mordecai.
"Why don't you use magic to see better? Is there a spell that I can do to make my vision better?"
"Well… yes, technically." He lowered the paper from his face. He hadn't actually been reading it. "But if the spell rebounds, you see, well… actually, you won't see much of anything ever again. Painful stuff, I tell you."
His lips smacked, and his mouth hung open. A bug then flew in and out of his gaping jaw.
"Why? Don't you have specialists for that sort of thing?"
"Did you learn nothing at the Academy? Magic can and cannot do everything, my young scribe."
"Not a scribe… Also, I'm on, like, my second day."
"Who are you again?"
"The Chosen One!"
What is wrong with the Head Whisperer?
"Which one? You know, there are like... twenty-five of you."
"The twenty-fifth!"
Ren nodded as he shuffled in place. She watched as wabbajacks and insects crawled all over him, but Ren didn't seem to mind or even notice.
"Ah, yes. Well, twenty-five, the potential for magic is infinite, you see." He smacked his lips. "But with the infinite potential of positive comes the infinite potential of negative as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Anything imaginable is possible." He makes a big gesture with his hands. "Once, I tried to cast a water spell… here is the kicker… I cast milk instead! Heheh. My friends were covered in it! White stuff all over their face and body!" The Head Whisperer was nearly rolling on the floor with laughter. "It could have easily just been lava, poison, or something worse than those combined. But milk!"
More laughter, and some animals seemed to join him.
"That doesn't sound very funny. What if you hurt someone?"
Gwyn asked, confused about the magical properties of… well, magic.
"Oh, don't be such a drag." He waved his hands. "Milk is good for the skin anyway. I bathe in it regularly."
A moment of silence.
"Right."
Gwyn imagined the Head Whisperer in a tub full of milk and shivered.
Going to have nightmares of that.
The Head Whisperer continued.
"Little girl, magic is as wild as Keceo itself. It requires a connection and understanding of what you're casting to do so that it succeeds. That is why our people are not given catalysts until they can prove they will not kill themselves or their fellow citizens with them."
A little intense.
Gwyn didn't know if she would ever get to what he had brought her here for, but at this point, she may not mind.
"How does one acquire a catalyst?"
"I mean, you can go to Gold General and get a cheap one! It won't be very good or have sufficient magical manifestation and manipulation. It could also be more prone to rebounding. Could also be a scam."
Gwyn blinked.
"So..."
"So yes, um, you have to have a legal parent or guardian whenever you are buying a catalyst." He stroked his chin, and several bugs crawled out from the folds in his skin. "I know you are just a little girl, so I can accompany you."
He held out a hand that looked as though it might turn to dust if she touched it.
Gwyn was tight-lipped.
"Thanks for the offer."
"Don't mention it my dear." He then smacked his lips and narrowed his eyes. "You don't want one... Do you?"
"Me? Oh, no. Why would I want anything that could help me or the elves."
"That's what I was thinking!" He leaned in close. "You know... since you are young, giving you a catalyst would be like giving a loaded crossbow to a child."
Gwyn heavily sighed.
"I am a legal adult where I am from."
"Whatever you say, little girl."
Gwyn was at her limit. She was certain the Head Whisperer had no idea why he brought her here, and her stomach was beginning to eat itself, she was pretty sure.
He smacked his lips and choked on a bug that flew into his mouth.
"Zepper! How many times do I have to tell you not to go into Papa's mouth?" He pointed his finger at a little beetle-looking creature. It flipped over, revealing its belly. "Oh, I can't stay mad at you."
And he petted the insect.
I have died. I am dead, and this is the last of my synapses firing. This is the only explanation for this insanity.
"Do you intend to read the note sometime today?"
"Who are you?" The Head Whisperer smacked his lips for the millionth time. Zepper tried to enter his mouth, but the Whisperer smacked him just in time.
Gwyn pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I am going to go, if that's okay."
"Sure, lady. Whatever you say." Ren opened the note, and a clang was audible over all the animal chatter. "What's this?"
Ren inspected a purple item that glowed vibrantly.
Gwyn turned and looked at the item. It was a locket.
"What's that?"
"Hmmm, some sort of prophylactic device."
It was not that.
"Uh…" Gwyn bit her lip. "I don't know about that."
"Oh, so now you are an expert on what and what is not a prophylactic?" he said sternly, smacking his lips in an agitated manner.
"Well…"
"I see… since your parents abused you as a child, you have developed an acute sense of hostility towards others, unable to deal with the conflicted feelings of inferiority within yourself." He exploded into anger. "You come to my office and accuse me of not knowing the difference between a prophylactic and anything else." He huffed. "Listen here, little girl. If you want to take your aggression out on anyone, take it out on Zepper."
Gwyn looked towards the beetle. The beetle looked towards her. They had a kindred understanding. The cycle of abuse ends here.
"I don't think I want to do that…"
"Fine. If you can't properly deal with your past, and you want to blame others for their lack of prophylactic knowledge, then so be it." He turned from her. "To think, all of this is because I haven't told you the twenty-fourth Chosen One wishes to have an audience with our new Chosen One."
Wait what?
Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.
"But I'm the new Chosen One!"
He turned, far more jubilant than before.
"Oh yeah! That's what I wanted to tell you."