As I gently move my finger, pointing from one side of the room to the other, I watch how my shoebox slides slowly, lazily, over the carpeted floor. I am moving a damn object with nothing but my mind and the piece of paper that I am holding in my hand. This should be an amazing feeling, a great crowning moment of my magical instruction! Telekinesis is no small feat (I think).

But I still am so worried, so distracted…

“Shit is going down in Bisontia”, said the Boy over a call. “The news hasn't picked up on it yet but something happened. Something big. The emperor is deadity-dead-dead.”

Vito has a way to learn news before the big channels begin broadcasting them. I sometimes wonder how the hell does a thirteen year old know these things? Probably from friends or something? But the point is: his predictions and comments tend to be quite accurate, especially when it comes to matters of war.

First the stuff happening in Filastin, the general conflicts between Bisontia and other countries in the West, and now the death of its Emperor? Judging by the way the boy spoke of this, it didn’t seem like it was a ‘natural causes’ sort of deal… but he said he didn’t know the details of it either.

Apparently the whole deal is shrouded in mystery.

“Do you think it was a mage thing?”

I don’t think it would be wise to suddenly start attributing everything that happens to magic. You know the saying ‘to a hammer, everything looks like a nail’ and stuff like that. I need to keep my mind open to possibilities, it could have been a terrorist attack! After all, the government of Bisontia had been quite unpopular both nationally and internationally, so it wouldn’t be that strange for a terrorist cell to target him…

With a rather heavy effort, I use my mind to carefully make the box move up and down. Like in Vito’s 3D modeling program, I just imagine arrows on the box, three arrows for the X, Y and Z axis, and use that to guide myself when trying to control the shoebox… I don’t need to point at it, soon I realize. But it makes things easier.

Urgh, but I can’t focus on it enough! I can feel myself struggling to lift that damn box, until it suddenly falls by its own weight, slamming on the floor. I sigh, yeah, there is no way I can actually work with this rune right now.

So, I decide to continue with the next! The ‘Mending’ rune. Taking a page out of Steel Alchemist, I draw the rune on a piece of paper, lay it on the floor and then I tear the box into pieces, setting it on top of the paper.

“Alright then, I assume this one has to be used like this.” I reasoned. “... Although I guess I could also just use my finger, right? Just point at a broken object and demand it fix itself?”

I soon decided to try both approaches, just one at a time. I first touch the paper and enunciate.

“Aka!”

The paper almost immediately dries up and breaks down, while the pieces of the box begin to float, fuse with each other again, and reform the whole thing before they land softly back on the floor. I can’t help clapping a little bit there, and excitedly I grab the thing and tear it apart again, drawing the symbol on a piece of paper, holding it close and pointing at the pieces with excitement.

“Again! Aka!”

It’s like I am talking to the box, demanding for it to obey… and it does! The paper breaks apart in my hand, but the box quickly fixes itself!

“Hah! Who needs to think about a breaking civil war when I can do this?!”

… I inadvertently begin thinking about it again. Damn it.

I wonder, do I know anyone from Bisontia? I know Gal is from Rayah and I think I heard Mort is from Dobrand. But what about Canny? And Aoi??

Should I check on them?

“That’s what a friend would do.”

Right. I can practice this later. I sit back with my computer and begin looking around. Aoi isn’t connected, but Canny is.

… and I feel terribly shy all of a sudden. Urgh. He’s a friend, I have to be able to just talk to him, right? I can just go ‘Yo, what’s up’, and he’ll respond if he has the time, right?

“What if he doesn’t, though.”

Then he doesn’t respond, obviously.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t take that as rejection? Tiresome bitch.”

Urgh, I hate it, but you have a point there. Still, I want to see if he’s okay! So I will swallow my selfish concerns for now and just go for it!

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Hey Canny! >.< Sorry to bother you!

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: How are you doing? n.n

I try to focus back on my practice to avoid obsessing over Canny’s response, meditating… How does this work exactly? Because my instinct tells me immediately that just because this spell works to quickly repair a box, it doesn’t mean it will work to repair an entire building, or a car, or even a broken bone!

In fact, considering that magic somehow seemed to make a distinction between “Living matter” and “Inanimate objects”, something tells me this won't work as a healing spell at all.

“Hey. I don’t wanna contribute to your delusions but… what if you can use this at a distance?”

At a distance? You mean, hold the symbol and stand far away from the object I wanna repair?

“We tried that already. No. I mean, draw the circle, put the things on the circle, then walk away and try to activate it from afar.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“Huh.”

Huh.

I stand up and set things on the floor, drawing on another page, setting pieces of broken box on top of it, and then walking to the room’s door. From there, several steps away, I point at the rune and exclaim.

“Aka!”

It works! Again the pieces float up and begin to reassemble. I smile before the entire world seems to tremble, shake and swirl for a moment! My face hits the floor and I can feel my nose immediately redden and complain from the sudden impact. Perfect, that’s going to swell…

What the hells even happened!?

“Urgh, everything is spinning…”

“Head light, stomach empty, legs! Status report!”

I try to get right up but… I can’t. There’s no strength in me to do it. Could it be that I abused my magic too much? Mustafá did tell me that I was ‘Too weak’ for proper spellcasting, so maybe this is what she meant.

With a tired sigh, I simply accept my fate and decide to live the rest of my days doing the best impression of a bear rug, at least until Mustafá returns. But then, I hear it: sweet notification sound! Someone has answered me, or just talked to me over the messenger!

“Must… reach… computer…”

Shifting gears and now doing my best impression of a skink, I begin to rept on the floor, crawling with my legs and arms until I reach my good ol’ chair and climb right back up with all my remaining power, letting out a sigh and trying to focus my view on the computer now on my lap.

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): yo tav

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): no apologizing girl, it’s all chill

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): it’s fun talkin to ya

A smile curls on my lips, this man really is a bundle of positivity isn’t he?

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): im honestly kinda worried tho

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): did you check out the news at the belltower?

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: The Belltower? o.o

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): right, youre new

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): it’s basically the newspaper for mages

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): check this biz out

Canny sends me a pumpkin link, and by clicking it I immediately enter a news page with pictures of the “Bisontia Incident”. Fuck, so Vito was right and not only that, it is a magical situation after all!

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Shit ._. Yeah I heard of this… don’t tell me you live in Bisontia T_T

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): born and raised in klinton, gb

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Fuuuuuck ;-; has this stuff hit the sleeper news yet?

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): nope

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): wait how did ya know this then

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: My brother told me, he seems to be “in the know” of things?

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): your bro a mage?

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Huh, not that I know. o.o

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: He always seems to know shit though ó.o I suspect he gets it from his friends

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): this shit dangerous girl

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): they say this was a magic attack

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): tell your bro to be careful

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Will do! >.<7

Damn it all, now that is the last thing that I need, is Vito a mage and he didn’t tell me!? Impossible, that boy tells me everything!

“He absolutely doesn’t. Even if it feels that way, he’s a teenager.”

“Yeah, you know they are bundles of secrets and awkward comments.”

Fair. But still, I feel that if he was a mage, he would totally come clean and tell me just to share the gossip, right?

“Like you did?”

Perfect, now I feel guilty. With a loud sigh, I shake my head and try to focus some more energy into the talk I will have with Vito later! I have to tell him to steer clear of this topic… and when he asks why, uhhhhh…

“His computer is not secured, nor is his router.”

I know, I know. I’ll.. uh… call him?

“Insecure phone.”

Fucking. I guess I’ll tell him when I go home next weekend then! If I really can’t do anything before that.

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: You be careful, okay? u.u We don’t know what’s gonna happen but, be careful.

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): dont worry tav, shits gonna be fine

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): everythings fine so far

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Ok good.. oh wait O.o what about Aoi? Is she Bisontian?

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): she my neighbor

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Fuuuuuck ;w;

I guess that explains how they met, and how Canny ended up helping her. Although that only opens more questions in my brain: how long has Canny been a mage? Did he actually teach things to Aoi? How long have they known each other?

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: … Oh by the way n.n I got my entry level license today!

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): cool stuff

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): did 82 help you with that?

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: She… pointed out that I had to do it, and took me to the DMV n.nU

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): guess thats somethin

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Yeah… I actually have a few questions uwu

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Do you mind if we talk with the rest of the group? n.n I want everyone to feel included!

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): thats adorable

man don’t you lecture me with your $30 haircut 8): sure thing girl

I sigh softly. Again with the blushing! I feel like a damn schoolgirl, I guess that comes from craving positive interactions with people, right? It’s all just that, right?

“Well. Get to know him closer. If you still feel like this after it… then we got bad news.”

Gods damn it…