2. The Secret of Invisibility

The Adventures of Godrik the Magician*

“Invisibility is such a mystery, but I’m sure I’ll master it soon,” Godrik says, sounding befuddled. “It has the added element of darkness — of darkness and the undead — that I wasn’t anticipating.” A rooster crows outside, and the town of Eastham is waking up. He and the elf Seraphina have been studying in her room at the inn, discussing the magic of illusion for several hours. Night is lifting.

“You are different from the others, my friend,” says Seraphina. “You seem to grasp the essence of glamor.” She holds his gaze for a moment — something she rarely does with mortals. “Most Humans want their magic to be real, but you chase illusions. Why?”

Godrik pauses a moment, as though considering how much to say. “Not just the magics of illusion, my dear. The magics of projection. You Elves should know what I’m talking about since you are, yourselves, projections of the Feywild. The magic of illusion is the magic of projection. Humans are also projections, but we are projected from the Outer Planes. That’s why we feel like such strangers in this world.”

Seraphina looks profoundly sad for a moment. “Yes, it is the reason why you seem to suffer from old age. The Fey is connected directly to this world, and the Elves are already at home here. But Humans…. This…