Creepy Magic

The first lesson I learned about fantasy worlds was a harsh one. Traveling by foot was a lot more painful than it seemed. Even in my modern-day boots that were generally comfortable, I had to rest my feet constantly, and every night, I tried to breathe life back into them through massage and elevation. And it wasn’t even just my feet that hurt; my legs and back, even sometimes my shoulders, were so sore that even laying down would hurt.

And of course, it’s not like we got to stop at inns and sleep in nice beds. I mean, I got it, he’s a Demon Lord and we can’t just go prancing into human towns, but couldn’t we at least scare some unsuspecting family and take their house (and their beds) for a night? But no, that was out of the question. Despite Aggie’s love for the dramatic, he wanted to keep a low profile while we traveled. I begrudgingly agreed.

So, instead, we were sleeping on the hard ground. I used my cape as a makeshift pillow and blanket the best I could, but it wasn’t thick enough to protect me from much. Aggie didn’t seem to enjoy it much either, but he was better at having a poker face about it than me. I got the feeling that this was pretty much how his side of the legend went every time.

As promised, Aggie trained me as we journeyed. I wanted to start with something big and flashy, but he kept it realistic, and we focused on control. It was annoying, but I understood why it was needed. We started with breathing exercises and keeping my anger in check. It felt basically a lot like therapy. The only difference is that Aggie didn’t ask me about my feelings. In fact, he tended to disregard them entirely. I went along with his whims for the most part, but I wasn’t afraid to fight back if it got too out of control.

There were certain things I had to draw the line at. This was definitely one of them.

“In no uncertain terms is that thing ever coming even close to my mouth!” I screeched and stamped my foot into the earth.

Aggie watched me with a bored look on his face. “I mean, that is really up to ya, but ya need to eat something. It’s really not that bad. Kinda fishy tasting.”

“Great, now turning me off to sushi.” I rubbed my forehead. “But still, no. That isn’t something that’s edible!”

Aggie held up the offending thing between two fingers. The lizard wiggled in his hand, trying to be freed from the Demon Lord’s grasp. But even if it looked like he barely had a hold on it, his fingers firmly held the tail in place. He brought it to eye level and stared hard at it.

“I mean, it’s just a lizard, not like it’s a bug or something. Even I dun wanna eat bugs.” Aggie stuck his tongue out and cringed. At least we could agree on that. But lizards? I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

Aggie shook it at me. The little creature flailed about, trying to break free. Aggie took it back and shrugged again. “Well, guess yer on yer own for food then. There might be some frogs by that creek we passed. Is that more acceptable to yer palate?”

I felt the bile rising in my throat. Frogs!? That was even worse than lizards. I slumped down to the ground, defeated. Couldn’t we catch a fish or a bird or something more edible? At this rate, I was going to die of starvation. I slumped to my knees.

While I sulked, Aggie continued building his little fire with one hand. He stacked stones around it to keep the branches in place. When he was finished, he let out a low whistle and I begrudgingly obliged. I held my hand up towards the branches. Using an image of my anger, I let the fire out in small spurts, carefully lighting the makeshift firepit and only it. (My first attempt may have ended up with a bit more things on fire.)

As much as I could complain about Aggie as a person (ur, demon), he was actually a decent teacher. He was a lot more patient with me than I would be if our positions were switched. He’d banter with me, but when I was really frustrated, he would guide me and make me calm. I expected him to be uncouth and disagreeable, but he was far less hot-headed than me. He for sure was more agreeable to be around than those uptight villagers.

Another thing Aggie was trying to get me to learn was how to sense other magic. It was still something I couldn’t grasp, mainly because I didn’t feel anything but rage for my own. However, as I brought my magic back into my belly, I felt a chill run down my spine. I sat up straight and glance around. What was that?

“That would be magic,” Aggie answered. For a moment, I wondered if I had said that aloud, but looking back at him and the look on his face, I could tell he just guessed from my reaction. His lizard, now dead, was roasting over the fire. I averted my gaze from it and instead just focused on his face.

“Is that what it feels like?” I tilted my head to the side. I didn’t expect it to feel so…cold. I didn’t like it at all. The unease that passed over me still lurked in the back of my mind. Why would magic feel so wrong?

Aggie removed his dinner from the fire and blew on it to cool it down. I turned my eyes away from him and to the flames this time. I felt calmer looking into the orange and red licking at the branches. I could feel the warmth settling over me. It was so much better than that other magic I just felt.

“Magic isn’t so simple. We all feel it differently. In yer case, ya probably didn’t like it much, but for me, it was wonderful. It is part of my magic after all.”

I paused to think. Simply labeling it as ‘uncomfortable’ wasn’t enough. That magic I felt was a stark contrast to my own. They were like comparing day and night. Where mine was hot and passionate, his was cold and empty. It felt like his magic could pierce deep inside of me, chill my heart, and freeze me solid. It could eat me away and never be satisfied. No, I didn’t like it at all.

I turned my gaze back towards the fire. Yeah, I was glad my magic felt different than that.

“Your magic is creepy. No offense.”

Aggie stuck his tongue out at me. “Humans are so sensitive! But I suppose that difference is why ya humans are so afraid of us demons.”

I frowned but slowly nodded, deciding not to take that as an insult. If all demon magic felt similar, it was no surprise that humans would be weary of it. But what about on the other side? Was human magic bothersome to demons, too?

“So then, what is my magic like to you?”

He folded his arms across his chest and turned his gaze to the sky. “Hmmm….usually human magic is very light and fluffy, but for yers, it’s more like something spicy. I quite like it.”

“Spicy!? What, are you eating it?”

“Well, I got a pretty good taste of it when you attacked me when we first met. But it’s more just the feeling, the aura it gives off.”

I felt my face flush. He wasn’t wrong so I couldn’t refute it. I quickly learned my lesson about shoving fireballs into demons’ mouths. I cringed remembering his reaction. I imagined humans at least wouldn’t like it as much. But it wasn’t a topic I wanted to continue.

“Okay, fine, that’s fair. So, I sensed your magic. Why?”

Aggie jumped to his feet, placing his hands on his hips. “Fu fu, now that is a good question, my spicy Mage! And fortunately for ya, it has a really easy answer.”

Ignoring his grandeur, I decided to think about it for a second. I went through what I remembered of fantasy books I read. The answer was actually pretty obvious. So, I stole his thunder.

“Is it because one of your ‘tattoos’ is nearby?”

He slumped forward and groaned. “Mage! Why ya gotta do me like that? But yeah, that’s exactly why. It will react to my magic too, but demon magic tends to react stronger to human magic, which is why it reacted to yours first. I don’t know why, so don’t ask me.”

Damn, I was going to ask him. So much for that. Another mystery to push to the back of my mind.

I just shrugged instead. “Okay, so how do we find it?”

He stood up straight again. He thumped his fist into his chest, head raised high. “Easy! Now that I’ve felt it, I got the trace on it. So, just follow me!”

He stomped the fire out as I got to my feet. He looked excited, but I still wasn’t sure if I shared his sentiments. I may have decided to have the Demon Lord teach me magic, but that didn’t mean we were on the same side. There was no way of knowing when he would surpass me and easily subdue me. He seemed content with not killing me for now, but how long would that last?

I shook the thoughts from my head, literally. Stray strands of red bounced around me and stuck to my cheeks. I wiped them away. He watched me with one eyebrow raised.

“You are so weird,” Aggie mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“The pot calling the kettle black.”

“What? Pots can’t talk!”

Yeah, of course, that was his problem with my words. I guess idioms didn’t translate well across that magic he cast on me. I wasn’t going to bother trying to explain it to him since it wasn’t that important.

“Never mind.” I shook my hand to dismiss it. “Just know that you are as weird as me, if not more. Let’s just get going.”

“I never said I wasn’t weird, though I prefer ‘eccentric.’”

Aggie led us toward another forest, this one thicker than the last. Yay, more trees. I was soo ecstatic to be back. At least this one was actually cooler than the burning sun. I felt a brief bit of solace beneath the heavy shadows speckled with dots of pale light. Aggie walked straight through, not bothering to watch his footing. I followed after him, carefully dodging low hanging branches and roots jutting from the ground beneath my feet. He started getting too far ahead of me, and I had to call him back.

“Sheesh!” Aggie frowned, hands back on his hips. He hadn’t broken a sweat at all. Unlike me, who was tiring, coated in sweat, and almost panting. He looked like he was just out for an afternoon stroll. I felt the heat rising within me just looking at him. I hated that smug look on his face.

“Excuse me for not being up the same physical standards as you demons. I was part of the ‘go-home’ club in school. I’ve never been one much for sports.” I dragged my feet as I made my way over to where he waited.

“I don’t understand a lot of the things ya say.” He threw up his arms in exasperation. “But okay, I think I get it enough that ya are weaker than me. I’ll slow down for you, Akari.”

The way he said my name sent a chill down my spine. I glared at him. “I am just a human, Aggie, but don’t think I am afraid of you.”

He grinned back. “No, I know you’re not.”

After that exchange, he kept a much slower pace that I could actually mostly keep up with. I kept anymore griping to myself, though there were many times I wanted to take a break. I forced my feet to keep moving. The dull ache in my stomach was heating up, and I had to push it back down. No arson for now, maybe later.

I couldn’t feel what Aggie felt until we were much closer. The uneasiness washed over me, the hairs on my arms standing on end. It was like the air around me dropped in temperature. The air even felt thick; there were unusually dark shadows stretching across our path. Aggie stepped right on them without a care, but I tried to step over them and for the most part managed. The few times I did have to step on one, I felt a chill in the leg that touched it. Yeah, Aggie’s magic was creepy.

Aggie suddenly stopped and crouched to the ground. He motioned for me to do the same, so I did. I snuck closer to him until we were nearly shoulder to shoulder. I followed his gaze to see what he was looking at.

“What is that?” I whispered.

Aggie gave me a halfhearted grin. “That is what happens when my magic gets split. It finds a temporary host until I get it back. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”