The Griffin, Atrax

Sanctuary in Curiosity
"I keep having that same nightmare...the day my father threw me into that cave," Atrax thinks to himself as he gets out of bed, "I don't know why he did it...What was his motive? His drive? What was he hoping for? Why can't the past be erased? The past that keeps me from controlling my future..."

It had been a week since Atrax first went to Magnolia. Since then he's been torn by the same continuous nightmare of his father forcing him to learn unorthodox magic. Like every other morning, Atrax gets up from his bed and gets dressed for another day at Phoenix Fireheart. He walks down the stairs to the commons; the members are all scattered; some by the job request board to find a manageably job, others getting early starts on their chores.

"Morning, Atrax!" Masson calls out from the chore board.

"Hey..."

"Damn, you still look tired."

"I feel tired..."

"Well I hate to say it, but you got groceries again"

"Great..."

"Hey, well, look at the bright side..." Masson continues, "...Drakōn has to clean the corridors, not me!"

"Is that supposed to make ME happy...?"

"Sure is! 'Cuz now you can remember that he has it worse than you."

"Oh yeah,...I'm sure he's writhing in envy..."

"Hey..."

"Yeah..?"

"Just remember to be careful, Atrax..."

"I know..."

"You and I gotta stay rivals, so come back so I can beat you."

"Alright..."

Atrax went upstairs and got his hooded black cloak. Meanwhile, Masson went over to the commons' counter where Nukumi was in charge of breakfast distribution.

"Hey Nukumi!" Masson said, in a quite loud voice.

"Hello Masson, did you want your share of breakfast?" Nukumi responded.

"Oh, sure. What's on the menu?"

"We have fried egg sandwiches. Everyone can have two."

"Ah, ok. I'm not a fan of eggs but I suppose it's better than nothing..."

Nukumi placed a small plate with an egg sandwich over the counter to Masson. Masson, who was sitting in on a wooden stool, leaned over the counter.

"Hey, I need to ask you something important," Masson started, "I need you to tell me what you know about Atrax's past. You're the only one he'd tell."

"Huh...but why do you need to know that?"

"Do you believe in that precognition crap?"

"Well uh-"

"Neither do I, but I'm beginning to get a really bad feeling. Atrax is usually depressing and all, but he's becoming even more dark since the Foglia incident.  I just have a feeling that some of this might be related to him somehow."

"How much do you need to know, though?"

"Everything he told you up until the point where I found him in that alley way. I need to know what his motivation is behind his pursuing of magic and how he became unorthodox."

"Alright, but promise me you wont let anyone else know. I don't know how Atrax would feel..."

"I promise."

"Ok, well I believe he said it all started thirteen years ago..."

''"That's it. Keep your strokes tilted.  Good job!" Mōnē Noctua, Atrax's mother, said to a young Atrax who was practicing his reishotai, or clerical script, calligraphy. ''

''"Why must you teach the boy something useless like fancy writing? He should be practicing his magic." Atrax's father, Phaios Noctua, said strictly to Mōnē.''

"He's already practiced enough Disassembly Magic."

"Then he should learn another magic. Teach him to use Light Magic."

"He's just a child, he cannot retain that much. Why are you so inclined to make him learn all this magic?"

"You don't need to know. But he must become powerful."

"I have a RIGHT TO KNOW!"

"I've had enough! The boy will master magic, and that is the end of it.  He has no need for the garbage you are teaching him now!"

''Phaios snapped his fingers and the pages which Atrax was writing on, caught fire and burned to ashes within the dark blue flames that emerged. Phaios then walked to the door, exited the room, and slammed the door shut. The room shook with the force at which the door was closed. Mōnē walked back over to Atrax.''

''"It's OK, Atrax, you can do it again." Mōnē said to him, while pulling out another piece of paper from the drawer on the table's side. Mōnē then shed a single tear as Atrax looked up.''

''"Mom...why are you crying?" the young Atrax said softly.''