b a r e b o n e

even at the best of times i'm out of my mind

All he knows is that his father is in Loess.

He had left his mother with the illusion that he was still sleeping peacefully beside her, though he knows that the illusion will fade by the time she wakes up again. She is about as useful as a mother as a drizzle is for quenching a wildfire – a smidge useful, naturally, but in the long run there just isn’t much impact. He hasn’t quite mastered his powers yet, leaving a trail of dead and dying foliage as he travels, but he can’t help but wonder if Rowe will even follow him, or if she’s happier with the small illusionist leaving her side. It’s time.

She had told him things about his father – his name, for one – and the land that he lives in, ruled by the mad serpent king. Serpent king. The boy is curious about the horse that is also apparently a snake, and the motley crew that he has gotten to follow him so far. He wonders if his father is among the ranked, or just another stagnant member only there to bolster numbers. He hopes that Oxytocin is better than that, but he has never met the man.

It only takes him several hours to make the trip, and he isn’t even tired as he crosses the boarder carelessly, nibbling at the grass every few steps. His scales glimmer in the morning light as he bends a new illusion, abandoning the one he had left with his mother. It was too much of a drain on his energy – working one on himself is completely different and much easier. He ages himself in the blink of an eye, and adds small details here and there. To an outsider, a non-magician, he would look around two, perhaps three, and this scaled body – normally black – gleams with a hint of red. He has also added a pair of non-functional draconic wings, just to add to the glamour.