The Principles of Magic

There was a knock on the door.

Mel didn't feel like opening the door. Lately, anyone in that castle just pissed the girl off.

“Honey, it's me.”

She recognized Hades's voice coming from the hall and stood up. Mel’s heart began to race as she remembered her magic lessons.

The god smiled as the door opened. He was as impeccable as ever, dressed in a moss green suit. Behind him he could see three humanoids with gray and translucent skin, clear signs that they were dead.

“Who are them?”

Hades couldn't hold back his excitement.

“I found the three best mages among the souls in the Elysian Fields. They will be your magic teachers.”

The three bowed to Mel, which did not impress the girl. They weren't what she expected, even though she knew the chances of Rete being her teacher were zero, she still had hope.

“Enjoy your day, you can call these ghosts whenever you want to learn.”

He kissed the girl's forehead and left. Mel watched the teachers, all bearded old men, one with black beard, another with gray beard and the last with white beard.

“We heard you're an aspiring mage,” said the black beard, smiling.

“That is great! More young people should have this interest.” Continued the gray beard.

“Should we start?” Completed the white beard.

The young goddess looked at the three feeling lost and received three gentle smiles in response.

“If you are not ready, we can start later,” said the gray beard.

“No! I'm ready, we can start.”

They made Mel sit on the floor and close her eyes. The black beard began the explanation.

“Magic is a rare talent to have and even rarer to polish.”

“To master magic, you need to know yourself. Knowing who you are at your core,” said the gray beard.

“So, miss, who is Melinoe? You don't need to answer out loud, no one else needs to know who you are. You can no longer doubt who you are.”

What do they mean by that? That I'm a princess of the underworld? That my mother is Persephone and my father... I don't understand, how is this going to help me do magic?

“It's not about thinking, it's about feeling.” Mel heard the voice of one of the beards without knowing which one because her eyes were closed.

Well, I'm Melinoe. I like spending time with dead people, they're easier to deal with than the living. I like music too and...

One of the beards began to mutter.

"From the look on your face you're not doing it right. Who is Melinoe? That's all you have to answer.”

She was starting to get annoyed with these ghosts, they didn't understand her. Mel took a deep breath and tried again.

After a few minutes of meditation, she found herself in a huge green field, full of the most diverse plants, some that she didn't even know if they existed or if she was just imagining what the plants on the surface would be like. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, something Mel had never seen before, and somehow it felt extremely real. She felt the heat on her skin, perhaps a little too strong for her liking, but she was enjoying it nonetheless. The scent of the plants surrounded Mel with a nostalgia and tranquility that she hadn't felt in years. She lay down on the grass, being hugged by them and seeing the blue sky.

Mel's peace didn't last long. The sky turned gray like her eyes as storm clouds approached and soon the rain began to wash over her. She got up and looked around, looking for something to protect herself from the storm, unsuccessfully.

She and the plants were completely exposed to the storm that surrounded her in the most unpleasant way possible. Her wet clothes stuck against her skin and the drops were so strong that it hurt. Then the lighting started.

Without any protection, the diversity of flora was targeted by lighting that seemed to strive to cause the greatest possible destruction. The ground shook with every thunderclap and she struggled to keep on her feet. With nowhere to run, Mel knew that it was only a matter of time before she herself was hit.

And when she heard the deafening thunder that seemed to hit her neck, she opened her eyes, returning to her room.

She still felt wet, realizing she had sweated during her waking nightmare.

“This one looks pretty troublesome.” The black beard commented to the other beards.

She looked helplessly at the teachers and felt judged by the three looks she received.

“Your essence seems to be very… troubled,” said the white beard, trying to be kind “that's not necessarily a problem, you just need to embrace who you are to touch the gift of magic.”

“I don't want to hug…that,” Mel replied, trying to catch her breath.

“Then you'll never get to be a sorceress,” answered Graybeard.

Blackbeard approached and placed his ghostly hand on Mel's shoulder.

“I had some troubled students. It is not impossible to learn magic, but embracing your essence is essential.”

He chuckled at the two similar words he used at the end of the sentence and stood up.

“Okay…I'll think about it.”

Mel made a hand gesture and the three ghosts disappeared. She sat on her bed and staring at the wall lost in a storm of emotions.