BOOK 1, CHAPTER 20 – The Nature of Magic

Artien retreated into himself. He canceled Divine Sight. He left his five senses behind. He pushed his feelings out. He reached to his mana source, observing.

He watched the mana burn. Some of it left the flame to circle naturally through the body during meditation. The amount that left the flame was returned. This created a cycle. He followed the mana that left, wanting to see the full cycle.

The mana that left the flame traveled through his body, circling through every veins. The mana entered his flesh, rejuvenating it. Some of the mana was absorbed while the rest continued on through the cycle. He hit a point in the cycle where a new stream of mana joined the first. He stopped, wondering where it came from.

He traced the new mana influx to it’s source. His lungs! They took in the air from outside, filtering out what he needed. It also filtered mana, pushing it to the rest of his boy. This replenished the lost mana through the cycle, the last of it entering his mana source. His body, through a cycle, was strengthened without losing anything.

Awed, he left his meditation. He looked at his body anew, seeing the hands before his face differently. He realized, mana was literally in all of him. He activated Divine Sight, flexing his fingers. Looking so intently, he saw mana as golden specks in and on his skin.

He closed his eyes, the golden specks remaining. He moved his arm. The specks moved along, growing in density. His arm became solid, his skin a golden sheen. A chill swept his body with awe.

He looked at his other arm. Identically, it was solid. Beneath him, his body was defined. Even the clothes on his back took on shape. He moved on, seeing the world with new eyes.

The grasses waved in the soft breeze, rustling back and forth. The sound carried on small waves of mana. The pool of water swirled, golden sheens of different shades giving depth. He watched the water, captivated. He crawled forward, dipping a hand in it.

The pool rippled on the surface. His hand skewed, showing an eerie bend. He looked up at the tiny, tiny particles of light glittering closely together. The light sprinkled down, drawn to the life below. Far above, thick fog of dark gold drifted about.

He looked back down, his hand sinking into soft mud. He grasped it, seeing an off-shade chrome gold ooze as he squeezed. The mud slipped through his fingers, as if alive. His heart beat as he stood. He looked around, the world truly a place of gold.

Before him, the grass became waving wheat. A sea of gold glittered, etching itself into his soul. An unnamed emotion welled within. He took a step, seeing the grass part. He turned towards the lake, taking off at a run.

What seemed like a short moment passed by unawares. He stopped at the water’s edge. He felt tears well up. The lake, once blue, was a thousand times more beautiful. Hundreds of shades of gold swirled together in clusters, joining into one solid before parting again.

He looked off in the opposite direction. He ran at full speed, quickly crossing the valley to the forest. Large stalks of amber climbed into the sky. They separated into rivers. At the edges of the rivers lay pools of golden-yellow leaves. They rustled, greeting the wind.

Artien fell to his knees, completely overtaken. The feeling overwhelmed all else. He was unable to speak. To cry. To move. He could only see.

While he ran around, Little Green and Kor followed him. Little Green from the time at the lake. She hoped searching the lake one more time proved a miracle exit. Instead, she found Artien standing by the lake. He faced it, his eyes closed. Concerned, she approached.

A small hand suddenly barred her path. Beside her, Kor appeared. She glared at him distrustfully. He looked at her and smiled, shaking his head. He quietly shushed her, bringing a finger to his mouth. He tapped the corner of his eye and pointed at Artien.

They watched as Artien’s head moved, but his eyes never opened. What seemed like hours passed. Little Green grew anxious. Kor grabbed her, circling her forcefully on his arm and holding her in place. Try as she might, she couldn’t release herself. She widened her eyes, carefully changing her opinion of him.

Artien moved, turning towards the forest. He sped off, breaking into a run. A small wind chased him. Little Green’s eyes chased his figure, watching him disappear with speed not shown before. A strange energy flowed through their connection.

Kor chased swiftly after Artien, not wanting to miss a moment. His small body seemed to glide across the ground despite his frail appearance. They shortly caught up. Kor kept his distance, only stopping when Artien did.

Artien stood in front of the old forest. His head pointed towards the ground. It was as if he could see with his eyes closed. His head rose, soon pointing at the sky. A moment later, he fell to his knees.

Little Green felt a struggle inside. In her heart worry was paramount. Through her connection with Artien, the strange energy pervaded inside. It filled her body, moving to her spirit and soul. An indescribable moment was shared between man and beast.

She was overwhelmed, her worry vanishing. She felt the urge to cry, finding herself unable to shed a tear. She became confused, wondering what was happening.

Kor sensed the connection between the two. He released Little Green, surprised to see her not leave to Artien’s side. Little Green helplessly slid to the ground. He caught her, gently releasing her body into the grass. Still she didn’t move.

Her gaze moved skyward, following Artien’s posture. Her eyes glazed. Though she couldn’t see, she knew something momentous must have happened. To be able to share it. She was blessed.

Artien’s senses slowly returned. He regained control of his limbs. He felt Little Green come to his side. She said nothing. They simply were together.

He reached out, turning to her. She raised her head, her eyes showing a dark-gold fire within. He pattered her head, smiling. Her scales formed a pattern, striking against the long grass. He stroked the line of newly healed skin, a pale gold against the dark.

Little Green climbed up his arm, circling around his neck. Through their connection, no words were necessary. They simply were.

Kor watched them, slightly jealous. He frowned, pushing on his chest. “What is this?”

The question went unanswered. He rushed to his feet as he once more followed Artien. The pair arrived at Artien’s practice location. Kor climbed atop his rubble pile, spying from afar. He watched as Little Green left Artien and meandered back to the inn.

A smile returned to his face. His eyes glittered hungrily. His attention never left Artien, afraid he would miss something spectacular. His hands grasped at his clothes, fisting in his eagerness. He let out an excited laugh.

Artien once more sat cross-legged. With great effort, he calmed himself. The overwhelming feeling left, replaced with hope. He looked at the grass, sky, and pool. He watched how the mana flowed.

From the sunlight to the leaves of the grass. The grass soaked up the mana, creating it’s own cycle. It breathed, soaking up nutrients and mana below ground and exhaling it back out into the air.

The pool gathered the rays of sunlight, absorbing the warmth and spreading it to the surrounding soil. The warmth fed smaller beings in the soil, all processing cycles that returned the mana to the air. The air itself swept the mana around, sharing it with everything else. Mana flowed in and around all things.

A spark of understanding hit. Artien quickly acted, casing a small fireball. He held it in his hand, seeing it with new eyes. Still, no changes were apparently visible. Instead of feeling frustrated, he changed his perception. He canceled the spell, letting the flame die out.

He raced to the forest, gathering branches and twigs. He hauled them back, placing them in an area clear of grass he’d burnt before. He stacked them up, then used a small, tiny fireball to start a fire. The twigs caught, eventually spreading to the branches. The fire burned as he sat back and watched with Divine Sight.

He created no images, no spells. He just watched the flame dance as it devoured the energy stored in the branches. He traced the mana in the fire back to the branches. Like his body, the branches had stored energy in it’s lifetime. The energy was consumed to feed the fire, which created heat.

The heat came off the fire in waves, strongly glittering with mana. The heat waves cooled, joining the rest of the mana in the air. Tracing the waves back, he watched carefully. He leaned closer, seeing something faded slowly take form. He followed the cycle to it’s source, seeing a symbol appear inside the flame.

Mana taken from the branch into the flame cycled into the symbol, expelled as heat. The more he watched the process, the more the symbol solidified. He watched for hours. He was ignorant to Little Green’s morning visit to eat. Seeing how into it he was, she left.

Kor watched the entire time, his smile growing wider. His feet and trembled, his toes curling into his sandles. “He’s close now.”

Something inside Artien’s mind shifted. Divine Sight revealed the symbol within. The meaning became clear. In the moment, he reaches out to touch the symbol. His mana instinctively coated his hand, as if it was aware of the symbol’s power.

He traced his fingers across the symbol, remembering it’s every curve. He placed his hand beneath the symbol, then pulled it toward him. The symbol split from the natural burning flame. A second copy, fed by his mana, followed his hand. There it slowly converted his mana into warmth.

A small flame surrounded the symbol, only as large as the energy that fed it. The warmth given also relied on the same, only emitting heat as strong as the flame. The cycle was complete. Artien laughed, feeling like he finally understood.

He sat back, the flame in his hand dancing. He let the symbol do the work. He watched the flame, controlling them with ease. Elation filled his heart and he grinned. A loud clapping sound rang, drawing his attention.

“Well done!” Kor said as he approached.

“I get it now! It took me a long time, but I finally get it.”

Kor crouched next to him. “What do you get?”

“The nature of magic!” Artien laughed.

“Now you have a starting point. From here, it’s all up to you. A master can only teach you so much.”

Surprised, Artien glanced at him. “Is it so simple?”

“Once you understand, you grow from there. A master is unnecessary.”

Artien grinned, nearly splitting his face. He looked around. “Where’s Little Green?”

“She left a while ago. You missed your meal.” Kor teased.

Artien snuffed out the flame. “I’ll stop for now. She’s probably lonely.”

“You’re not going to continue?” Kor asked sadly.

“Later.”

Artien ran back to the inn, his stomach growling harshly. He rubbed his belly. “I’ll fill you up soon.” He licked his lips as he entered the room. Little Green woke up, eyeing him, then turning away.

“Sorry I missed breakfast!”

Little Green remained uncaring, turned away.

Artien knelt at the bedside. “Please. Feed me?” He begged, sticking out his lower lip.

“Ewe!” Little Green said, disgusted. “Don’t act like that!”

“Then you’ll feed me?” He gave her puppy eyes, a killing blow.

“Yes! Just stop already!”

Little Green jumped off the bed and they ate outside. After their meal, she cornered him. “What were you doing earlier?”

“Using Divine Sight more… better?”

“You mean, more effectively?”

He nodded. “That’s it. More effectively. It let me see mana in a way that I can improve on.”

“What’s that mean?” She asked, confused.

“That my using spells is getting better.”

“That grin is creeping me out. Stop it.”

“I can’t help it!” He laughed. “When I’m good enough, we can leave here!”

“We can leave?!” She yelled.

“Once I’m good enough.” He stated.

Little Green whipped the end of her tail at him. “Then get to it.”

“Owe. Alright! I’m going. Stop hitting me!” Artien ran away from her, laughed half the way.

He reached the practice area, taking a deep breath as he sat down. For once, since the events back at the village, he felt there was something he could do. Something that cave him hope. Something that gave him a path to take. That something was magic.