Dark Dimension (1)

The assassin was waiting for me, sitting directly on the dusty ground. She had had tied her silver and red hair in a ponytail and traded her casual outfit for a loose tank top. In front of her was a large duffle bag. She pulled out what would be the object of our training.

“Candles?!”

“What keen observation! They’re homemade.”

The words escaped my mouth before I could fully process the thought. Aurora had a broad smile that immediately alerted me to her bad intentions. Whatever I was about to face, it wouldn’t be easy.

“I don’t get it. What are we going to do with them? Was this your so-called interesting training?”

“Today, we’re going to play with fire!” she joked darkly.

I didn’t like her humor; you could never tell if she was serious or just messing with you. Maybe she managed to do both at the same time?

We definitely do not come from the same world… I thought, feeling disheartened.

"I specially designed this exercise for you. It’s a sort of 'first contact' with magic."

Was it really a good idea to start my approach to magic so soon? Wasn't I at risk of causing another explosion if I lost consciousness?

"For a first contact, incantation sand would be more appropriate and less dangerous," I objected.

I shouldn’t have accepted her help, even if her gesture was driven by good intentions. I knew it was a mistake… She was like a hungry dog pouncing on a piece of ham. I had barely acknowledged that magic would be indispensable to me, and she had gone all out the very next day.

Why keep me if I’m a walking danger? What’s your interest in all this? I could totally overthrow you if I managed to master this power… What aren’t you telling me, Aurora?

"Our goal is to understand how your magical malfunction works. For that, we need to stimulate your life source. So, no, we won't be playing around with cheap incantation sand."

"It would still be more reasonable to start with a risk-free activity. I could try to activate a magic stone detector or whatever?"

Her face suddenly closed off, and her tone became very unpleasant. "I am the magic expert here, you’re not going to teach me the risks of the profession. I know what I’m doing, okay?"

"Oh yeah? You know the risks? So I might lose control and throw explosions in your face? That's exactly what you're looking for, isn't it?"

When I impulsively approached her, the girl cast a spell that forced me to sit down. She didn't need to utter a single incantation to impose or lift the heaviness from my shoulders.

"Of course not, but we don't have a choice! As long as you don't have control over this magic, you're a ticking time bomb, and it’s better for everyone if you explode here rather than in the middle of a city!"

"It's really strange, because in my entire life, it's only with you that I've exploded. It makes me think that you are the problem!"

The assassin closed her eyes for a fraction of a second too long, enough for me to sense her irritation. She eventually sat down calmly next to me.

Why was she so eager for me to control this power? Did she want to use it for personal gain? Were my days numbered? Whatever the answer, I was losing out. I was forced to give her my information while she was free to keep me in the ignorance. She seemed to know exactly what was wrong with me but chose not to tell me.

A vial of green sand emerged from her pants pocket. She handed it to me with a decisive gesture. Had she anticipated my reaction from the beginning?

"Since you seem to know everything better than me, go ahead, do it your way! Light this candle with your incredible talent, and we’ll use your methods."

To be honest, I wasn’t talented in any field. I did have a good level of education and fencing skills, but that was far from meeting the minimum requirements to enter the Court academy or the royal army. Whenever any effort was required, the servants would handle it for me. As a result, my activities were very limited, and I had no idea of the extent of my abilities.

Obviously, I did nothing in response to the challenge Aurora had just given me. It wasn’t worth further humiliating myself by proving how incapable and dependent I was. I had visited the Court many times, met the greatest researchers in magicology, and despite that, I knew almost nothing about the subject.

“You will soon succeed your father, so stop wasting your time watching these underlings!” It wasn’t uncommon to hear Delphine scold my curiosity this way. As my steward, she followed me around all day and forbade me from doing a lot of things to protect me. What exactly had she protected me from? Today, I was at the mercy of the worst threat, and I had no weapon to face it.

Aurora chuckled arrogantly. “When you don’t know something, don’t act like you do. Make sure to remember this first rule.”

She sought approval in my eyes, but I looked away in shame.

"I understand that this exercise might seem counterproductive to you. But please, hear me out, and you'll see that it's not."

I grimaced in dissatisfaction, after which my tutor began her explanation. "The explosion you created wasn’t a spell like the ones cast with incantation sand. It was raw magic."

"Like the kind used by magical creatures?"

"No creature is capable of using raw magic. Each has magical abilities specific to their species: dragons generate fire in their throats, horses manipulate gravity to avoid fatigue, and arbates summon their food through teleportation. Their common point? They've never learned to use these spells. They’ve always done it intuitively. That's why today, you’re going to try to find the explosion switch in your subconscious."

Her reasoning was sound, but having not seen my magical explosion with my own eyes, I found it hard to believe her when she talked about raw magic. What exactly could this type of magic do? Was I really the author of this mysterious explosion?

"You think I’m like these magical creatures?"

"That’s what we’re going to find out."

"But you said they each had only one magical ability. If my ability is to create deadly explosions, why did you choose candles?"

"Just because you have only one ability doesn't mean you can't regulate its intensity. With a target like the candle, you’ll naturally make a smaller explosion. At least, that's my theory."

"Your theory?!" I panicked.

"I’ll stand behind you, so if it fails, you’ll disintegrate... at worst, one or two trees."

I ran a hand over my face, hoping to wipe away the despair.

"Are you sure there aren't other ways to do this exercise?"

"None. And before I forget, your second rule is to come back here and repeat the exercise every day without fail. I'll show you once what needs to be done."

"Isn't it just about lighting it?"

"No."

My tutor picked up a first wax candle from the bag. She buried it in the sandy soil with her foot. Then, she pulled out a simple magical lighter from her pocket. She lit the wick of her candle without taking her eyes off me for even a second.

Why is she staring at me like that?

As soon as it was lit, the flame grew to enormous proportions before stabilizing immediately. The surprise was so great that I lost my balance in a sudden backward movement. All the dusty soil I had stirred up settled delicately on my clothes. Aurora hadn't moved an inch and was laughing in my face.

That sadist! She knew it would make me flinch; she just wanted to humiliate me! I cursed inwardly.

"What did you do to those candles?!"

"I dipped their wicks in alcohol! Otherwise, it wouldn't be fun!"

Aurora eventually became a bit more serious as I dusted myself off. She waited for me to get back in position before continuing her demonstration.

"After lighting the candle, you have to control its intensity so that it doesn't melt in less than ten minutes. It's all about concentration. As they say: magic is mental!"

To concentrate, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her hands approached the candle, which inexplicably changed the color of the flame to neon green. It was the same green as the incantation sand, the natural color of magic. The flame had shrunk and wasn't disturbed by the drafts.

"And when you can do those two things, you'll be able to do this:"

Her thin, pale fingers moved away from the candle, drawing a portion of the fire with them. With her eyes still closed, she traced abstract shapes in the air with the burning trail. I was bouncing on the spot with admiration, reverting to the child fascinated by the wonders of even the smallest magical artifact.

If it was just a matter of concentration, then imitating her shouldn't be that difficult. The desire to succeed was itching at me; I wanted to see the surprise in her blood-red eyes and openly laugh at it to get my revenge.

You’ll see if I have talent! I thought, staring at her closed eyelids.

Her nonchalance wouldn't last. I was determined to turn the tables, and this exercise would be my first attempt. In reality, I was challenging her at her own pitiful game, and it was probably what she expected of me.

I shouldn't have accepted her help...