Book One – Chapter 4

After his expulsion, Yves needed to remain hidden from the academy, wherefore he had first concentrated his endeavours on artefacts that could disguise the wearer or conceal his magical or physical presence. The amount of false trails and disappointment with this endeavour were beyond measure.

He first found a hat that was claimed to make the wearer invisible. However, it only worked for the part that actually fit into the hat. So when worn, the hat would turn invisible and make it seem like half of Yves’ head had been severed right off. Holding up a mirror, he could then look at his own brain whenever he pleased. It really never pleased him.

Eventually, he stumbled upon his first Cloak of Concealing. It was a dusty old cloak made from moth-eaten wool. When worn, it did make the wearer invisible — to moths. Only to moths. Its singular, somewhat random power was to repel insects attracted to wool. However, it only worked when being activated by channelling energy, so any other time it was as defenceless as any regular coat, and thrice as shabby.

For some reason, Yves could not find it in himself to part with the Socks of Invisibility. They worked, but only on the feet covered by the socks, while the rest of the body remained in plain sight. Unlike the similarly frustrating hat, the socks possessed a remarkably rare attribute — they also concealed the wearer’s feet from a wizard’s second sight, effectively erasing the hidden wizard’s energies.

The cloth had once been part of an actual cloak with the same rare power. It had belonged to a wizard who had tragically succumbed to a curse while seeking refuge in a secluded human habitat. The villagers, unaware of the dying visitor’s true identity and the nature of his ailment, buried him without knowing that a deceased wizard must always be sent off into the void with the Ritual of the Dead.