Magic training

“Focus… Feel it flow through your body, feel it and then… release it!”

I always thought meditation was only a tool for those who needed to learn to control themselves, how wrong I was. It’s like forfeiting control, and substituting it with presence and intention, like if the world only existed for consciousness to be able to be. The mana flowing, the wind howling, my breathing—everything happening in this instant, even if not perceived, it’s for me to be, no… it’s more than that… it’s for cycles to cycle—for infinity to be perceived through eternity.

I concentrate mana at my hand, relaxing every muscle without sacrificing strength, and recite the incantation, imagining Lloyd's face on the tree I’m looking at.

“Oh flames of eternal passion! You who dance on the palm of time! with none other than space to prove you right! I ask for your secrets! I ask for your light! Burn!”

The heat and the light, I felt them form from intention, Intention and mana. The fireball expanded rapidly, and if she hadn’t spoken, I would’ve turned into charcoal.

“I said release it!”

*BOOOOM* It hit directly at the target, and fire began to spread.

“Now use the water spell I taught you!”

“Oh flow of eternal peace! You who without form gives form to the world! Mother of life! I ask for your blessing! I ask for your cries! Flow!”

A stream of water extinguished the fire.

“Great! Do you think you can put the tree back into place with earth magic?”

“Put the tree back? How? The spell you taught me only creates a boulder to throw… Shouldn’t that be done with some kind of healing magic?”

“I won’t deny that healing magic would be more effective, but the idea is for you to understand how spells work.”

“Uhm… I’m sorry I don’t follow”

“Don’t you see a pattern in the incantations?”

“Yeah but… what with it?”

“For example, if instead of wanting to extinguish the fire from the tree we wanted to pierce it?”

“Oh! Then I would need to change the last word from flow to pierce, right?”

“Exactly! The first part of the spell strengthens your connection to the element, the next two sentences of the spell increase the amount of mana deployed, the two last sentences increase the control you have over the spell, and of course the last word is the actual activator. Or… How I like to call it—The lie! So how would you modify it to fix the tree?”

“Oh structure of form! You who through outburst created and destroyed! Standing still for us to grow! I plead for your power! I plead for your strength! Grow!"

The earth bumped the tree, just throwing it aside.

“Close!”

“If it’s not grow then… Oh structure of form! You who through outburst created and destroyed! Standing still for us to grow! I plead for your power! I plead for your strength! Pull!"

The earth pulled the tree into position and I repeated the incantation but now with “Fix”. The tree stood, and I turned to face my teacher.

“Nice! That’s a way to do it. You get the hang of it now?”

“Yeah! Does it mean I can learn how to fly?”

“It’s theoretically possible… but it’s not as simple as you think! Only pure-blood demons and angels can do it intuitively.”

“But… I should just point my arms down… and then… Oh! Currents of freedom!”

“No, no, no, no, wait!”

“You who through sheer persistence molded earth!”

“Stop it!”

“Eternal movement, eternal change! I plead for your wisdom! I plead for your faith!”

“Don’t do it!”

“Fly!”

———————————————————————————

How weird… the water which used to be cold… it’s strangely warm… well… more than warm… It’s comfortable…

Where is everyone else? Did you all manage to forgive?

No…

My lungs still burn…

Even with everybody gone.

So why? Why does this feel so cozy?

Oh… right…

——Hum, hum, hummm, hummm——

“hum-hum-hummm, hum-hum-hummm.”

Her voice is really an angel’s. Before opening my eyes I was enchanted by her lullaby, spoiled by her soft touch, melting on her lap.

“What happened?”

“Oh! Don’t move too erratically. You hit your head when falling.”

“Ah… right…”

“I’m glad you’re ok…”

“Hehe…”

I stayed on her lap, until the last sunray faded, and then I asked:

“The song you were singing… What’s it called?”

“Uhm… I’m not sure. Granny used to sing it every bedtime until I fell asleep.”

“It’s a beautiful song.”

“I know right? It calms me down when my mind starts racing at night. And it’s also… kind of sad. I wonder if there’s a full version out there.”

“I’m ok with just hearing your version for the rest of my days.”

“Don’t say things so embarrassing…”

“But it's the truth.”

“Then… I’ll have to sing you to sleep more often.”

“I look forward to it.”

We returned to the town and looked for a hostel.

“Could you give us a room with two beds please?”

“I’m sorry, we’re only left with a one-bed room.”

“Oh… Do you know any other place where we can stay?”

“There’s no need for that! We can sleep in the same bed! You know… since we’re engaged…”

Sofia said, playing with her fingers.

“Then we’ll have the room please.”

“Sure! Have a good night!”

“Thanks.”

We went to our room.

“Are you sure about this?”

“We’ve already slept two times together so… I don’t see the problem.”

“If you say so. But this is not as wide as the barn or the castle’s bed…”

“We’ll be fine.”

You’ll maybe… but last time you were all over the bed—In a fricking king-sized bed!

“Then would you sing me to sleep?”

“Of course! Lie on the bed.”

I did, charmed by her scent, relaxed—ready to be spoiled, cuddled, and once again—An angel sang a demon to sleep.