⚙️FOUR SORCERERS, pp. 202-209⚙️

A selection of the latest pages of the comic! More precisely, the second part of the attic scene (the link at the top of the message leads to the first part).

I'm putting together such selections because pages come out slowly one by one, and there's no way to appreciate the whole scene at once. At least this way you can refresh your memory 😁

It turned out to be a very, very long dialogue scene, all because it was time for Madlen's revelation — the very "fourth sorcerer" from the comic's title. Until now, she had been "hiding" from the reader (viewer?), remaining a mysterious girl from the attic whom everyone is somehow very afraid of and who periodically makes a pompous entrance into the frame, generating an aura of a languid mistress and... nothing else much, lol. She makes snide remarks, snaps back, and flatly refuses to chill in the same company, while somehow elusively saving everyone from deep trouble or playing the role of a guard dog 🌚 And finally, when two-thirds of the comic are behind us, she steps out of the shadows and shows a bit more depth and character.

What is this scene about overall, and why is there so much chatter?

Generally, Aidan and Madlen (despite their young age) are two very strong and headstrong characters who both clearly know their worth and are not willing to silently swallow someone else's crap. Moreover, they are initially wary of each other — Madlen senses in him a boiling cauldron of emotions from which she instinctively tries to stay away (I think it's clear why), and Aidan clearly sees before him a rude and thorny person who thinks too highly of herself but whom (because of her magic) he can't just verbally snap at, as he constantly does with Brett and other characters. One way or another, circumstances persistently bring them together, forcing them reluctantly to make contact. Aidan simply has nowhere else to go but to climb up to that damned attic again and again, and Madlen, in turn, has to react to this. And in the course of this interaction, a lot of different information comes to the surface. About the characters themselves, their personalities, worldviews, survival methods, magical abilities, and finally, their views on the current situation. It took a lot of effort and "failed takes" to fit all this into one maximally compressed but emotional dialogue. Quite a sweaty job, I must say 😩 And still, in the end, it came out to about 18 pages or so...

And yes, most likely, a lot remains undisclosed and even causes outright bewilderment. Why does Aidan first evade answers and then suddenly go all-in and persistently demand help from Mad? Why is Madlen so callous in her analysis, and why does she so persistently "dissect" Aidan at the very beginning? Why does she consider him a liar, even though she can perfectly sense when she's being lied to? Why is she so rude to Dominic and Sher? Why, despite all of Aidan's desperate attempts to reach her, despite all his arguments, pleas, and concessions, does she ultimately still refuse to help him, and even calls him a dreamer again? Why does he get so furious and deliberately push her to an emotional breakdown, knowing that she could retaliate with magic in a way that would make things unpleasant? What is that crack on the column? Why is Madlen so furious? Why and for what exactly does AJ apologize at the end of the conversation? I deliberately do not give direct answers; I want the reader to analyze this scene on their own.

Actually, I would really like to hear your theories in the comments :D Although I understand that most likely few people will be truly interested in this. At the very least, you can just say whose side you're on. Who do you think is the victim, and who is the pig and aggressor? Or do you think both are right and wrong in their own way? Or maybe you noticed some interesting details on these pages, for example, at Madlen's workplace, or in Sher's album, or in the characters' surroundings? What options does AJ have left, and how will Maddie behave next? In short, it's time to share your opinions and theories about the plot!