Chapter Sixteen: Love
For the first time in a long time, I wake up refreshed. Last night was amazing. Nothing beats talking to your friends for hours. I got back late and immediately went to bed. It’s probably seven in the morning now, so a little late. I haven’t been doing so well on my magic, so I need to do more today. I should ask Master Thul to tell me about the Mage War, but I won’t today. Better to practice for real today, and leave history for another time.
Master Thul pops into existence as he always does when I need him. I’ve begun to think it is a little creepy, but it’s magic. Magic is creepy no matter how you spin it.
“Let’s review what you’ve done, shall we?” He asks, and I nod.
I go through all I’ve learned, starting with the simple Flame finger and ending with the Core Shield. I’m getting quite good at it honestly, so it’s a shame that it doesn’t really do anything.
“I’m ready to learn something new,” I tell Master Thul.
“That is acceptable. Do you wish to expound on something you already know, or learn something totally new?”
I think about it for a second. “How about we expound on the Flame Finger a little?”
Master Thul nods. “Check your book to make sure you have enough Mana.”
I open the book to the now familiar first page.
Mage Zade Helstorm.
Level: 2
Skills: To be unlocked
Mage: Necromancy and War
Age: 17
Chapters Completed: 2
Mana: 80%
EXP: 200
Well, apparently I have a new chapter. I open up to it. It’s about the Mage War. I feel a surge of excitement. I really want to read it now, but I know it’s better to practice magic.
“I have enough mana,” I reply.
“Good,” Master Thul responds. “Today, I’m going to teach you another simple thing. I’m going to teach you to move fire.” At my questioning gaze, he continues. “Until now, you’ve only learned how to create a little bit of fire. Now you will learn how to move that little fire from or to something.”
“Like a fireball,” I say.
Master Thul chuckles. “Exactly. Like a fireball.”
I smile. “That’s cool.”
“You are a War Mage after all. It’s only right you learn something like this so quickly. First, make the Flame Finger.”
I do so, and as soon as it’s on my finger, I open my eyes. I''m getting used to it so much that I barely need to concentrate to keep it up anymore.
“All you’ve learned so far about magic,” Master Thul tells me, “Has used your core in a specific way, called Transfiguration. It’s using your core to create something. Now you will learn Infusion. I want you to give a little of your core to the flame. Not a lot. Don’t worry, this will not actually remove anything from your core. It’s only Mana.”
I nod and close my eyes. My core comes into vision immediately. I try to grab a piece of it but it’s too slippery. I try to cup it and the same thing works.
“Think of your inward hand like a straw,” Master Thul tells me. “Suck in a little bit of your core and bring it to the flame.”
I do that. My core resists, and I pull slightly. I use my inward hand/straw to suck it in and finally, after what seems like a force field breaking, it works. My core erupts into the straw. But I’ve put too much in the straw. I immediately feel drained. I took too much Mana. Thankfully, I’m able to put it back and try again. This time, only a little goes.
“You’ve got it now,” Master Thul says. I don’t know how he knows I’ve done it, but sometimes he just does. “Now, give it to the flame finger, and push it in my direction.”
I give the little piece of core to the fire on my hand and open my eyes in time to see it fly away towards Master Thul and dissipate after just one second in the air, not even getting halfway towards Master Thul.
“Good job!” Master Thul sounds pleased. “The more you do this, the more experienced you’ll be at it, making a more powerful flame. One that shoots farther and faster.”
“I’m happy to learn.”
“Then try again.”
I do so. This second time, it takes me at least two minutes to be able to make my Flame Finger a fireball, but, once I do, it travels two feet this time, double what last time did.
So I try again.
And again.
And again.
I try over fifty times, and at the end, I still can’t get it over three feet. Most times I can’t get it over two. And after about the fortieth time, I start to do worse. My Mana is depleting really quickly, so I can’t hold it for too long.
Soon enough, I decide to go down and have breakfast. It was a good practice session. I was able to do something new. I’m sure I’ll hit Level 3 soon.
— — —
“Wow, you’re learning how to make a fireball!” Astil beams. “That’s so cool.”
“What are you learning now?”
“I’m learning how to change something’s appearance,” Astil says. “An Illusion.”
“And I’m learning how to defend myself from spells,” Xavier tells me. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s really difficult.”
“I imagine,” I reply, “I already have enough trouble putting a shield around my core.”
“And that’s the easy part!”
I put another piece of meat in my mouth and chew. I love the food here at Zenyth.
“Do you know where the food here comes from?” I ask Xavier.
“I bet you they make it with magic,” Astil says. “They just shake their hands and BOOM! There’s a fried chicken in their hands.”
“If so, I need to learn how to do that,” I say. “Infinite food sounds amazing.” Astil pats his stomach, which growls.
“Yup, you said it,” He said, going to get more food.
“That boy is going to get fat some day,” I tell Xavier.
“Oh lay off. He hasn’t gotten fat yet.”
“Yeah, that’s what my friend, Rodr said,” I tell him. “He can’t even move now.”
Xavier bursts out laughing. “Is that true?”
“Yeah;” I reply. “Although it might’ve been the bear attack that killed his legs.” His jaw drops.
“That’s evil, man.”
I shrug. “You should see the bear.”
“I hate to ask but: What about the bear?”
“It was delicious,” I respond, and Xavier rolls his eyes.
Astil comes back, food in his mouth and a full plate.
“What were y’all talking about?” Astil asks.
“Bears,” Xavier responds.
“What about them?”
“Never pick a fight with a bear if you want to keep your legs,” I say, “At least that’s the one rule that runs Rodr’s life now, considering he’s not the one running.” Xavier laughs again, and Astil looks confusedly at me.
“I’m missing something, aren’t I?” He says.
I look at his plate. “You forgot the rice!”
“Not about that,” He replies, exasperated. “About the bear.”
“We have bear here?” Xavier snorts.
Astil looks like he’s about to punch me, but he smiles anyway.
“You’re insufferable. You know that?”
“Not as insufferable as the bear,” I respond.
“Wait, so Rodr is still alive right? How does he live like that?” Xavier’s question is surprisingly genuine, and Astil still doesn’t get it.
“Well, you know. He had to walk it off. Well, shake it off, really.the first step was the hardest, considering he couldn’t walk. He had to put one foot in front of the other. Well, he tried anyway. He fell.” Xavier is laughing so hard that he falls off the chair. Astil looks at me.
“You’re making fun of someone without legs, aren’t you?”
“No, he has legs. He just can’t use them,” I say wisely.
“That’s kind of mean,” Astil responds. “You wouldn’t say that if you walked a mile in their shoes.”
“I think that would be impossible,” I note. Xavier tries to get up, but fails from laughing so hard, and Astil shakes his head, but even he’s smiling now.
I notice Th’ul coming up to us. He’s not smiling, obviously, but he does look somewhat cheerful. He puts his plate of food next to us, and I notice how little is on it. No wonder Th’ul is so skinny.
“Guys, you’ll never believe what I just did,” Th’ul tells us monotonically, “I just spiked Tuy with a laxative. I heard him screaming in the bathroom.” Xavier once again starts to laugh, and I can see him crying from it.
Something about what Th’ul says reminds me of something. What is it?
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Oh yeah! The love potion!
I run to my room, not even bothering to tell them anything, and when I reach it, I grab my potion and read the instructions. I’m supposed to think of who I want a person to fall in love with, and pour the potion in their drink. They’ll be in love with the person for five hours. Hmm. It’s somewhat weak, but it’ll work.
I stroll back to the cafeteria where Th’ul is telling Xavier and Astil about the laxative. As Xavier is laughing, I think of the first girl I can see. I think her name is S’Sammi, and I smile. I pour the drink in Xavier’s drink.
“What are you—” Astil begins to tell me, but I shush him.
Xavier is laughing so much he chokes. As he chokes, I hand him my drink. He thanks me and downs the whole thing. I try not to laugh as he winces at the drink.
“Ugh, what the hell was in this?” He sees my face. “What did you do? WHAT DID YOU—Ooh.” He spots S’Sammi. “Guys, ever noticed how hot S’Sammi is?”
Astil glares at me, and Th’ul gives me knowing smile. “You spiked him with a love potion, didn’t you?”
“This isn’t a potion!” Xavier complains. “It’s the real deal.”
“Of course it is,” Th’ul reassures him.”You should ask her out on a date.”
Xavier smiles fondly. “I should, shouldn’t I?” He walks off before I can stop him and I look at Th’ul, eyes wide.
“What have I done?” I laugh.
“Just look,” Th’ul says.
I look behind me and laugh as Xavier strolls casually towards S’Sammi. She sees him and says something to him, one eyebrow raised. Xavier tells her something with a goofy smile on his face, and S’Sammi’s shocked face tells me everything I need to know. I can’t stop myself from laughing. I hear both Astil and Th’ul laugh too. Xavier keeps saying something, and I can see some of S’Sammi’s friends laughing. S’Sammi just looks confused. One of S’Sammi’s friends looks pissed, though. Eventually, S’Sammi says something that to me looks like a nice rejection. Xavier comes back to us not even slightly sadder.
“She said no,” Xavier tells us, “But she’ll say yes the next time. She’s lovely, don’t you think?”
S’Sammi sees us laughing, and walks over to us with three of her friends.
“What’s happening here?” She asks.
“I spiked him with a love potion,” I say apologetically. “You were just the first person I appended to notice.”
“Zade, is it?” S’Sammi asks. I nod. “Look, that’s funny and all, but please keep him off me. Those potions tend to last a long time, and I don''t want anything creepy happening.” S’Sammi looks like she appreciated the joke and two of her friends do too. But the one who looked pissed before crosses her arms.
“That’s cruel, you know!” She yells at me. “You shouldn’t do that to people.”
“Stop it, Ffary,” S’Sammi tells her.
“No, I won’t!” Ffary responds. “What do you think he will think when the potion wears off.”
“Embarrassed, I’m sure.” I say. “And furious, at first. But that’s what makes it so funny. He’ll appreciate the joke later.”
“You’re crazy,” Ffary huffs and storms off. S’Sammi looks apologetically at us.
“I’m sorry about Ffary,” She says and I shrug to tell her it doesn’t matter. “Tell me his reaction when he ‘wakes up.’” She grins. “Just keep him off me as best you can.” I promise to try and she walks off.
“Well, that was fun. Hey, Xavier, how about—” I cut off when I see Xavier’s not there. I turn around in horror and see him walking up to S’Sammi. I run to him and pull him back. This is going to be harder than I thought.
Between chortles, Astil talks to me. “How potent was that thing?”
“A little too potent,” I respond. “A little too strong.
— — —
I have to physically restrain Xavier while I’m at the library. Astil and Th’ul decided he was my responsibility, so I’m forced to hold his hand like he’s a baby as I walk around. I get a couple of confused looks and more than one knowing one.
I’ve come to the library to research a little bit on fireballs. It would be cool if I could learn this fireball trick a little faster. I asked the Questioner about books on fire, and it gave me three I would probably need. There were a lot more on fire, but the Questioner said these three would be most important.
The Questioner is a small spherical device specifically in the library that gives a mage perfect recommendations for books. All a mage has to do is ask it a question, and it responds.
I’m currently reading a book called The Art of the Fire. I skipped the first few chapters that detailed random facts and ideas about fire. I’m not here for the theory. I’m here for practice.
“Do you think S’Sammi is coming to the library? She must love books considering she is so smart, right?” Xavier asks me.
“Sure she’s coming. You just have to wait a couple more minutes in silence, okay?” I ask in annoyance. He nods excitedly. He starts singing something. I can’t hear it perfectly but I hear something about S’Sammi being beautiful, and his love for her. He starts describing things and I quickly stop paying attention to him. Some things are too awkward and strange for even me to listen to.
I try to focus on the book. It’s telling me that putting too much pressure on my core when I’m trying to just take a little out might separate my core. But not only do I have to not use so much force but I also need to go a little softer. I can’t give too hard of a touch or the core will be more resistant. I’m focused on my reading but eventually I can hear Xavier telling me That S’Sammi isn’t here. I’m getting way too exasperated and people are giving us annoyed looks. I can’t do this anymore.
I leave the library, Xavier asking me if we’ll be visiting S’Sammi.
— — —
“I’m tired of him!” I half-shriek, half-tell Astil. “It was funny the first half-hour but now it’s too much.”
“There’s still four hours left,” Astil replies. “It’s your problem. Speaking of Xavier, where is he anyway?” I look around wildly and I don’t spot him.
“Oh no! That’s not good.” I run, Astil running after me.
“I can’t believe you lost him,” Astil yells at me.
“It’s hard following him. He was busy writing love poems a minute ago. I don’t know what could’ve happened.”
Astil stops running and his jaw drops.
“Is Xavier doing what I think he’s doing?”
I look out a window to the Zenyth courtyard. My eyes widen in horror. I can see Xavier knelt in front of S’Sammi. Thankfully, S’Sammi seems to be laughing but I’m speechless.
“I think I made a mistake,” I say.
“No, this is amazing,” Astil laughs. “We should go catch him, though.”
We run down Zenyth and out the door there until we reach the courtyard. What I saw through the window is now so much worse. Xavier is singing to her! Badly, too! I walk over and grab Xavier.
“I’m sorry, S’Sammi, I—” I start to say,
“No, it’s fine. In fact, I want to keep hearing him sing.” My jaw drops.
“You want to…Why? His singing is horrible!”
“Yeah, it is,” S’Sammi responds. “That’s why I want to keep hearing it.” I shake my head and listen to Xavier. As far as I can tell there’s no rhyme or reason to the song, but it does detail in length everything Xavier loves about S’Sammi and soon S’Sammi is flushed in embarrassment.
“On second thought,” She says, “That’s enough. I am glad he doesn’t really feel this way.”
“But I do, my love,” Xavier protests. I cover his mouth and drag him away.
“Shut up. You think she appreciates you contradicting her?” He shakes his head. “Exactly. Now go stay in your room and take a nap.” He nods and I’m able to get him to enter his bedroom and soon I can hear him snoring. That love potion must have really messed him up.
— — —
I’m talking with Astil now two hours after Xavier entered his room. He’s still asleep, thankfully.
“What’s your problem with Artemis?”
Astil groans. “He’s the worst, Zade. The absolute worst.”
“How? Why do you hate each other so much?”
“He’s always been somewhat mean to me and my family, but especially to me. And things took a turn for the worst when he turned eighteen.” Astil teared up a little.
“The day he turned eighteen,” He continued. “You know what he did? He publicly denounced my family. He shamed us all, telling others about us. Nothing criminal, mind you, but he did spout some stuff that wasn’t true, and it tarnished our reputation a lot. I didn’t see him much after that, and if I did, he would beat me up. One day, I stood up to him, and he realized he couldn’t beat me up anymore. So we never saw each other again. Until now.”
“How did your parents take it?” I ask him somberly.
“About as well as you’d expect them to. They were hurt and angry. But the real trouble came after. Because of what Artemis told people, my parents’ business shut down. They were the best blacksmiths in town, but, as soon as Artemis spewed out his lies, no one wanted to buy from my ‘criminal’ parents anymore.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And it gets worse,” He continues. “I was forced to change my name. My parents forced me to anyway, so my name wouldn’t be stained. My name used to be Hardin Reddin, now I’m Astil Starblessed.”
“Would you prefer I called you Hardin?”
“No, I was only ten when my name changed, and I’ve gotten used to it. Plus, Astil Starblessed has a kind of ring to it,” He chuckled sarcastically.
“Isn’t Astil a word from the old Arcadian dialect?”
“It means ‘lucky.’ Lucky that I got away scot-free I guess. That’s why I went to stay with that innkeeper who really loved me, you know. I lied about it to you. I stayed with her for a couple of years because it would be bad for me to stay with my parents.”
“You’re thirteen now, right?”
He nods. “It’s been three years since Artemis messed up my family. I haven’t seen my parents in months. They could be homeless.”
“Must be hard,” I tell him, “And Artemis didn’t suffer any consequences?”
“Of course not,” Astil said bitterly, “He was the hero of the story to most people. He joined the Vanguard, got a pretty girlfriend, and he’s living his best life.”
I realize how horrible it feels. It reminds me of Eren.
“I…I don’t know what to say,” I tell him. “I killed my parents, you know that. It was a horrible experience. But some people were shocked that I was mostly better after a month. But it wasn’t my fault.
“You see, my parents had been drifting apart from me for a long time, for several reasons. Eventually, the dam broke. I hate that I had to Awaken then, but there you go. We all have our demons. Some are worse than others, but they all affect us in horrible and amazing ways.”
“You’re hiding something from your story, aren’t you?” Astil asks.
I wince. “I…Don’t want to talk about it.” Astil grabs my shoulder.
“It’s okay. You know how many people I’ve told about Artemis?” I shake my head. “You. That’s it. I can’t bring myself to tell anyone. If they’re from Magefell, they’ll hate me. I’m from the Reddin family after all! If they’re not from Magefell, they’ll think I''m a coward for abandoning my family.” His voice was shaking by now.
“Hey! You’re not a coward. You told me your parents made you. They were protecting you. If you ask me, your parents sacrificed their time with you so that you could live a great life. Your parents are heroes, and you, you’re just a victim. You’re not a coward. You’re not weak. You just had life forced on you at an early age. It’s not fair, obviously, but I know that’s made you stronger than most people.
“I’ve seen you protecting Anni,” I beam at him, joy plain on my face, “You stood your ground when Raakhshas attacked you. If that’s not a sign of a strong man, I don''t know what is. What Anni sees in you, it’s not just a handsome man. It’s a strong, protective one. One who stands up for what is right. You’re the strongest one of all of us, Astil. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know if I would''ve had the courage to fight Raahshas. It’s all you, man.”
Astil wipes away tears from his eyes. “Thank you. I don’t know if what you’re saying is true or not, but thank you.”
We fall silent, holding each other up, until Xavier finally wakes up.
And the talk with Astil has given me an idea.
— — —
Xavier is feeling the last effects of the potion now. He found S’Sammi once more, and this time tried to kiss her, but we were able to pull him off.
The potion should wear off anytime now, and I called Th’ul and Astil to the Gallery to reveal my plan.
“Are you sure S’Sammi is coming?” Xavier asks me.
“Yes, she said she would be here, and she has a surprise for you,” Th’ul snorts.
“S’Sammi is so…” Xavier shakes his head and looks at us confusedly. “Where the hell am I? What’s happening here?” His eyes widen. “Oh no! Please tell me I’ve been dreaming the last few hours.” He glares at us. “What have you done?”
“I just put a little love potion in your drink,” I laugh.
He growls at me. “Why would you do that? Oh, no. S’Sammi. I’ll never be able to look at her again.” He keeps complaining, and I interrupt him.
“Okay, that’s enough. Xavier, I have something important to say.”
Xavier glares at me. “What?”
“I have an idea on how to fight the cult.”
Astil cocks his head. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m going to offer myself as bait.”
Astil’s jaw drops. “Why would you do that? And what is that going to do anyway?”
“I’m going to threaten the cult, then isolate myself and let them know. I’ll give you a signal, and you’ll come into the room when the Cult does, then we’ll trap one of them and get information.”
Astil snorts. “That’s a dumb idea.”
Th’ul looks at me inquisitively. “No, it’s not. Well, most of it is. But some of it is good. What we need to do is identify the cultists here at Zenyth. Instead of baiting yourself to fight them, present a challenge or something like that. Get them to be alone with you. Call us in at some point. Anyway, the point is, if we know who the cultists are, we’ll have a better chance of fighting them passively.”
“But aren’t the cultists very open about their beliefs?”
“Not all of them,” Th’ul responds. “Most of them prefer to keep their faith hidden.”
“Then it’s a deal,” I say, smiling.
“No,” Astil looks around wildly, “I didn’t agree to this. It’s too dangerous.”
“I say go for it,” Xavier says, “It might not work, but if there’s any way to stop them, I say why not?” He still looks very annoyed with me, but he’s a little mollified now.
“Don’t tell Anni about this,” Th’ul warns Astil. “Keep it a secret. From everyone.”
“Why?” Astil asks, very annoyed, “She’s trustworthy.”
“I know,” Th’ul says, “But I also know she’s prone to gossip sometimes.” Astil blushes. “Just don’t tell her. Don’t keep it a secret, but don’t tell her. Okay?”
“Fine,” Astil huffs.
“I’ll announce it at breakfast tomorrow,” I tell my friends and they agree.
I’m happy about this plan. Is it a good one? Not really. Do I care? Not really.
I’m just really excited to finally be proactive. I’ve been passive for too long.
It’s time to attack the cult.