Chương 76: First Performance II

Zephyr sipped on her wine as she enjoyed the performance. The Oracle Hand was in the midst of performing a series of card tricks, each increasing in complexity. Amazingly, she wasn't able to find the hidden trick in a single one. Not yet. If she were closer to the stage or used an ability, it wouldn't be a problem, but she enjoyed the challenge it provided. After the famed magician swept up all the cards in his hands for a final time, he took a step back.

The gymnastics girl from earlier performances, Clara, returned to the stage. The freckled girl wore a bright smile and excitedly waved out into the crowd, confidently walking onto the stage. Beside her, another figure pushed forward a wooden box. Tall, and filled with holes with closable flaps, revealing a hollow interior. It had three components. A triangular one at the top, a larger, square one in the middle, and a taller rectangle at the base.

The Oracle hand walked into the box and stuck his right arm out from one of the holes on the sides. Then, he stuck his head out from the center hole. Zephyr swirled the drink in her hand and tilted her head. The magician retreated his entire body into the three boxes before Clara closed all the flaps. Then, she grabbed the top, triangular box. With a yank, she fully separated the box that should have only contained his head. She dragged the box along with her and placed it near the center of the stage.

The trick was a little too obvious for how much time they were giving it. After Clara closed all the flaps, The Oracle Hand simply ducked and hid within the bottom two boxes while the top one got carried away. To her surprise, Clara went one step further and picked up the middle box as well and carried it to the far left side of the stage. While in her hands, The Oracle Hand's distinctive black gloves stuck out of the box and did a one-hand shuffle of the deck. Zephyr focused her eyes.

Now his body's in the middle box on the left side of the stage. Despite the trick being so simple, she was still impressed by his flexibility, as he managed to fit his entire body into such a small box. Clara walked back to the bottom box that had remained untouched so far, carrying it to the right side of the stage. Now, there were three boxes. The tall box on the right. The prism box near the middle. The cube box on the left. All of a sudden, the flap of the middle box opened, revealing The Oracle Hand's mask.

The box was far too small to fit any human being, let alone a normal-sized one like The Oracle Hand. At most, there was only enough room for his head, and maybe his shoulders. Clara shook her head, paced to the central box and closed the flap again. Then she lifted the triangular box off the ground and replaced it near the back of the stage.

"How in the world…" Beside her, Erden seemed to be just as confused as she was. Wasn't his entire body scrunched in the box to the left? How had his head gotten into the triangle? Was the gymnastics girl so strong she could carry an entire human being with no strain? The Oracle Hand's leg popped out of the tall box on the left side of the stage. Clara ran over and pushed the leg back into the box. Just a moment later, his hands popped out from the box on the right side of the stage!

"An ability to separate body parts?" Zephyr mused.

"Didn't you say he also had telekinesis for the last trick? Are you saying he's a Weaver?" Erden challenged.

"No… probably not."

"Could be a gadget of some sort," Erden proposed.

"I could probably make a mask that moves from afar." Clara continued shuffling the boxes around the stage. The magician kept popping out from within each box. No matter where she moved them, somehow The Oracle Hand managed to pop out his arm or leg or mask from any given box.

"Or maybe, there are three copies of him?" Erden suggested.

"He is wearing a mask after all, so there could be a doppelganger in each box."

"How would all three fit in the same box at the start?" Zephyr pointed out.

"Also doesn't explain how he's able to shrink his body to such a small size to fit into such small boxes."

"How about this?" Erden smiled.

"They're triplets, each with a different ability. The one in the triangular head box can shrink, and the other two have abilities like telekinesis. Just like that, everything is solved!" Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. She chuckled, keeping her eyes locked on the show. At the end of the trick, Clara collected all three boxes and placed them back at the center, restacking them to their original shape. The arms popped out. Then the legs.

Then, finally, the head.

"And that's…" Rora began. With a thud, the magician freed himself from the boxes, revealing himself to be fully connected, and all by himself despite their theories. He performed one final bow.

"Magician in the box!" Rora's voice thundered in the hall. A round of applause travelled through the audience.

"That was pretty fun, all things considered." Zephyr joined in on the applause.

"For this next trick, we're going to need a volunteer…" Rora began. Immediately, a few hands already shot up from the audience.

"Not just any volunteer." Rora wiggled her fingers at the crowd.

"See, The Oracle Hand had already anticipated your doubts. Right now, each and every single one of you is trying to discern what sort of ability he may have. Despite, of course, him showing no aura whatsoever." Zephyr clicked her tongue. The magician's guess had been right.

"So why not expel all your doubts at once?" Rora boomed.

"At the Hand's request, I would like to formally invite the Mayor of this great city to become a volunteer." A wave of gasps rippled through the audience, Erden included. Zephyr tightened her grip on the couch and redoubled her focus. With the Mayor's perception, no ability to use, unless the Hand was of a similar power, would go unnoticed. And someone of that level wouldn't ever be performing at a show like this. Are they expecting him to deny the request?

A bold strategy, but one with immense rewards should it work. Until now, she'd been convinced the tricks involved some form of hidden Energy contraption. But in making this offer and risking the legitimacy and fame of their entire performance, every single trick was legitimized. Rora continued.

"We also invite him to publicly denounce us should he find any hint of abnormal Energy fluctuation. Otherwise, we'll gladly take on an audience member as a volunteer."

"Damn," Erden mumbled.

"They must be expecting him to refuse." The two shared the same theory. Zephyr looked to the wall beside her, the room the Mayor stayed in, then back at the stage. Silence. The Mayor hadn't replied, and the murmurs among the crowd only grew louder.

"Of course." The powerful voice boomed across the circus, shattering all expectations. A pulse of aura came from the booth beside them, and a white-haired figure appeared, floating in the air. From their room, they could only see the fluttering coat on his back as he floated down to the stage, waving to the entire audience. Once he arrived at the stage, he turned to face the crowd with a warm smile.

"Round of applause for the Mayor!" Rora cheered.

"Didn't the reports say his demeanour was generally cold?" Zephyr asked.

"I thought so too." Erden shrugged.

"Although I also think I recall hearing that he was nicer with the regular citizens." Zephyr leaned in. The show was initially nothing more than entertainment and an excuse to chat with the Mayor. Now, she could actually get a proper insight into his character. A heavy, iron lockbox dropped from the ceiling square in the center of the stage. It stopped just before crashing on the ground being held up by nothing but an exceptionally thick braided rope. Another worker wheeled in two massive spinning wheels.

The first was filled with various letter-number combinations, and the second with various words. Rora stepped forward.

"Before this show, The Oracle Hand looked carefully into the future and had made a few prophecies. It's all written down and placed right inside that lockbox." The Oracle Hand seemingly materialized a key out of thin air and handed it to the Mayor. Next, he materialized five darts.

"That right there is the only key that can open up the box. Hold on to it closely, please. As for those darts, please shoot one onto each of the wheels, and tell us, and the crowd, where it landed." The Oracle Hand walked over the wheels and gave them a spin. The Mayor grabbed the darts and began throwing them as instructed. When the wheels stopped, the Mayor read out the results.

"4B, favourite animal."

"Could the audience member at seat 4B reveal their favourite animal?" Rora's voice was quieter now. More serious. Even then, with the pure silence in the hall, not a single word was difficult to hear.

"A-a peamey!" The audience voice replied.

"An adorable little mammal. A peamey! Please shoot two more."

"6G, year of birth."

"139," The audience member yelled out.

"139!" Rora's voice boomed.

"Just one more dart, but for this last question, you'll have to answer it yourself!" Could they have paid the Mayor off? Maybe they're collaborating?

"Favourite food." The Mayor read, after the spinning wheel stopped.

"Well, there's only one obvious answer. Ichoris' specialty is stuffed deer."

"Who doesn't love Ichoris' stuffed deer! Now, before we open up that box, did you feel any inkling of any suspicious Energy in or around that box?"

"Nothing at all." He replied.

"And did you feel anything suspicious coming from anywhere else?"

"Nothing."

"Surely not…" Zephyr mumbled. If this trick were done on anybody else, Zephyr would be convinced they were paid off before the end. But the Mayor himself? Ridiculous! The Oracle Hand signalled his approval, and the Mayor slowly walked up to the hanging metal box. He inserted the key. A twist. Opening the crate revealed a small piece of paper. He grabbed onto the paper and slowly unfolded it, his eyes scanning the contents. The audience waited in an intense silence. The Oracle Hand took a step backward.

"4B and 6G, please state your names." The Mayor politely asked.

"Jeremy."

"Richard."

"And for the audience, if you could please read the note out loud." Rora asked. The Mayor paused, taking a look at The Oracle Hand, before looking back at the crowd. His eyes went back to the page as he began reading.

"Jeremy's favourite animal is the peamey. Richard was born in the year 139, making him now 25 years of age. Mayor Magnus's favourite food is, of course, the stuffed deer." The audience went silent. The curtains behind the Mayor slowly closed, slowly blocking their view of The Oracle Hand, who was in his signature, deep bow. After a few more seconds, he was completely gone. The audience still hadn't spoken a single word. Zephyr's breath shook as she finally exhaled.

"Incredible." The sound of a single clap echoed on the hall walls. It came from the Mayor, who wore a subtle but impressed smile. This time, Zephyr thought it looked more genuine. She pushed off her seat and joined in on the applause. Before long, the remainder of the audience joined in, the claps compounding on one another. Soon, a chorus of cheers joined in, and they continued long after the curtains fully closed and the stage lights dimmed out. Almost every single member of the audience was out of their seats.