[Mage] Humanity

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

One of my first efforts with the first person. As always, I don't rate it that highly, but it's not my worst piece of work.

I walk through the streets of the city, and I am not seen. It wouldn’t have surprised me before- few want to acknowledge the poor and homeless, and I appear as such even if I am neither as I judge such things. But now it is as if I walk in a different world from them, and it is a trivial part of my arts to help the feeling along.

The secrets I know, the things I see, these are all part of the heritage denied to humanity that I seek to wrest away from the self-made gods who stole it. But I look around and I see a people who are not ready.

I look at one man and with barely an effort see the lines of his fate as they proceed into the future. I can equally see his desires, his drives, even his thoughts. But I am not sure I understand him any more.

I seek the Ascension of all humanity, but the knowledge I have gained towards that goal sets me apart from the very people I seek to uplift.

With a gesture, unseen by those around me, I negate the influence of a spirit that would have been overly detrimental if allowed to proceed. I see the spirit cower as it realises my presence and activities. Was I right to do that? To set my will above that of an aspect of the world that is?

I turn down an alley, and walk past a small gang, some drunk and others high. They notice me enough to take an interest, and I become aware of the desire to cause me harm. I redirect it into a subtle fear of me, not enough to cause any great reaction, but enough to stop them from wanting to attack me.

As I walk, I ponder the power that I possess. It is easy to see how those of much greater power in an age long gone decided to set themselves up as gods. I believe they were wrong to do so. And have fought, in my way, against them and their servants ever since my Awakening. But am I any better than them when I casually control the world around me in these ways?
And these questions burn into me ever more now- when I close my eyes, I see the spell written on my eyelids. I know what that spell means, once I have the final key. I know of the rules that would bind me, but equally of the power I would possess. And I wonder, can anyone possessing that power still act for the good of a humanity they no longer truly understand?
Hubris. The curse of the mage. How can I escape this and yet still have the power to do what is needed, to stand against principalities and dominions?

I turn the corner, and my senses come alive as I see one of the Awakened before me. Her pattern is alive with the Supernal, and she glows with a physical and mental exuberance that is easily visible to my senses. I see her familiar as it flits around her, its belief in itself a bulwark against the predatory world around it. I briefly envy its self-assurance, even as I recognise that its nature means it cannot be anything other than self-assured.

All this passes through my mind in an instant, then I recognise my apprentice. I force myself to focus on a more mundane level and greet her.

“There you are! You have to come along now- we need to get you all cleaned up and into your new suit in time for the speed dating.”

“Speed…dating?”, I say, suddenly slightly bewildered by the hurricane I have been caught up in.
“You asked me to help you with social skills, remember? Trust me, this’ll be good for you.”
I allow myself to be dragged along, bemused at how suddenly my focus has been disrupted. As I go, I ponder the fact that perhaps, what I need to keep me in touch with humanity is someone to stand between the worlds, and remind me of the one I have trouble with…

Comments

[kathminchin.livejournal.com]

Ok, that had me laughing out loud. Awesome