Magical Answer

How to explain and not sound insane? How to explain and not sound insane? My mind is stuck in a loop…

“Saw you slept in a tree.”, Nir’s voice breaks my looping thought. “Done that a few times myself.”, He adds.

“How would you know that?”, I ask the gorilla of a master.

“All the bags of supplies had sensory spells put on them.”, The man answers with a grin. Sensory? Like scrying? “We do that to make sure we know where you are and also if you make it through the night.”, He explains a little.

Knowing magic is not his forte, we are lucky he could tell us that much.

“So you spy on us to make sure we don’t die before you actually train us?”, Birta inquires with both annoyance and suspicion filling her voice.

“When you put it that way.”, Nir replies looking away while clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“What did you do to make sure you didn’t fall out of the tree?”, I ask Nir to get back on track.

“Nothing.”, The master answers quickly shifting his gaze to mine. “I don’t move around when I sleep so I have no need to be worried about falling.”, He continues with pride. Not sure that is exactly something to be proud of but, good for him I guess.

“Oh, well drat.”, I respond as I snap my fingers. “Guess I’ll figure it out on my own eventually if I do it again.”, I add.

“Well I said what I wanted to say to you.”, Nir says before turning around. “See you later, probably.”, He finishes with a wave goodbye to us both.

-- -- --

Not a word is spoken between Birta and I while we head back to our dorm.

“Fine, you don’t have to answer me.”, Birta finally speaks standing in front of the room’s door.

“I’m sorry.”, I whisper barely audible even to myself.

The room is oddly dark. Oh right, we closed the shutters of the window. I am about to create an orb of light in my hand but Birta does the simpler and smarter idea, the teen opens the shutters, letting in the sun’s warming light.

“How long do you think it will take them to give us our schedules?”, I ask as I sit on my bed. I really do want us to get along in spite of my inability to tell Birta the entire truth about myself.

“Probably at least tomorrow.”, The ogre answers disinterested. Did I upset her that much?

Instead of finding out the answer to that question, I decide to leave her be for at least a bit. I think that is for the best.

I take a deep breath in and close my eyes. It has been a little bit since I tried to cast any magic so I decide to do just that.

I focus on my hands resting on my knees. A shadow, simple and harmless. Imagine the refreshing chill of having less light upon me.

No shadow envelops my hands. Instead I begin to choke. Why!?

“Oh, that can be problematic for a reborn.”, Skadi’s words replay in my mind. Is this what she meant!?

“Are you okay!?”, Birta’s voice focuses me into the small dorm, her strong hands wrapped around my small shoulders.

“I- don’t- know.”, I sputter between gasps for air, trying to breath.

“I’ll go get a medic!”, The teen exclaims in terror as she rushes out of the room.

Why am I having difficulty breathing!? I continue choking until a familiar Lautanese rushes into the room behind Birta.

“I’m here!”, Ifran claims as he steps to my side. He grabs out a small vial filled with some kind of black ooze. “Drink this.”, He gently orders wrapping a hand around my shoulder. “It should help.”, He adds with a smile.

The medic quickly helps me drink the nasty ooze. It tastes like a mix of ink, marigold flower, and lemon.

I gag for a moment trying to keep the concoction down.

“Will she be okay?”, Birta inquires to the medic.

“Should be.”, Ifran responds as he puts the vial back in a pocket. “What I just gave her was an all purpose mystic medicine.”, He begins to explain turning to the teen. The medic looks at me as he continues, “It sounded like she might have some residual distress from the anti-magic.”, The Lautanese finishes.

“What does that mean?”, I ask after finally catching my breath. Birta quickly steps to my side before Ifran can speak.

“While you may have been magically healed immediately after the spell was cast on you.”, Ifran answers while Birta sits down next to me and puts a strong arm atop my shoulders. “It still causes a little bit of side effects.”, He continues, “One of which is when you try to cast a spell you instead begin to choke and the spell doesn’t manifest.”

“How long can it last?”, Birta asks in my stead.

“Usually a week.”, The journeyman answers looking at the teen. He looks at me before adding, “But with her high potential and affinity with every element it could be longer.”

Longer? I sigh in understanding, that does make sense.

“But reborns’ physical forms are completely made out of data.”, Skadi’s other words repeat in my mind, ‘Or what others would call magic.”

I am pure magic… To be the target of something that is meant to completely destroy magic…

“What happens to something made of pure magic?”, I weakly ask. The medic stops in his tracks and turns around to me instead of leaving.

“It simply disappears. Returned back to the element or elements that it was.”, He answers. He turns back and stops at the door before asking, “What brought that question on?”

I doubt either of them would believe me. I would not believe. No, I am not even sure I believe it still. But there is evidence for it to be true.

“Doctor patient confidentiality?”, I ask before answering him. The man turns around to face us before he speaks.

“Not a word to anyone else.”, He answers, his gaze resting on Birta so that she understands that as well.

“Alright. Not a word.”, The ogre responds with uncertainty understandably filling her voice.

I take a deep breath in as the room remains silent.

“I am not human.”, I say before the silence can take hold. I exhale deeply before adding, “I am made of pure magic.”