Melody was excited. She was holding books that would teach her magic! Real magic! Not the sleight of hand those pansies who pulled rabbits out of their top hats practiced! She had never gotten home as fast as today, never ran as fast as she had. With a spring in her step and a grin that seemed impossible to wipe off her face, she opened the door to the living room.
“In a few days, we will once again celebrate the anniversary of one of the greatest days in American history,” The announcer said through the old radio on their windowsill. “It will have been fifty years since the United States sentenced John Augustus Merryweather to an eternity of imprisonment and ended our conflict with Vietnam for good. In fifty years, the world has changed in many ways. But we will never forget the cruelty an…” Melody shut off the radio, she never liked hearing about the aftermath of the war. Old people remembered it too much and young people listened when it came to Merryweather. Melody decided that today was not the day to get lost in thought. She gripped her books on magic tight and ran upstairs and as she opened her door, ready to start learning.
“...” Melody was confused. Her mom was never at home right now, yet there she was, sitting on her bed with her customary ‘we need to talk look’. She knew what the talk was going to be about but she’d been avoiding it for as long as possible, afraid that her mom would forbid her from learning any more from Uther.
“Sit down darling.” Catherine patted the spot on the bed next to her. “I’ve been fearing this day since I got you. I hoped bringing you to a town as small as Churgitt would keep you hidden from the magical world but I …”
“Why though?” Melody interrupted her. “What good would it do to hide me from a world that I would have come in contact with either way?”
“What was I supposed to tell you then? ‘Melody, sweetheart, you know how every time anyone finds out where you come from they’ll probably hate your guts? Well, turns out you’re also so blessed with magic that you WILL be hunted by any magical being you come across. Oh, and almost forgot, now that you know, it’s like you’ve lit up a massive sign telling them where you are.’” Catherine’s voice cracked a bit. “I have spent years hiding you from people who would see you dead, years upholding a bargain with a man I despised so that he would surround you with an information shield. And I was happy to do it, happy to take care of a little girl because I couldn’t have kids of my own. I decided it was safest to keep you as hidden from the magical world as possible, and tried to prepare you for what was to come. Because listen to me, Melody, you will learn things about yourself that are dark and scary. You will see the world in ways that can either temper you or destroy you. So I want you to remember, that I’m always here for you. I will always be here for you.” She grabbed her daughter and held her tight for just a few seconds. “Now get to learning, you’ve waited long enough for this.”
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All of Melody’s excitement had left her after the talk with her mom. She was confused, part of her was angry that Catherine had known and not told her and another part understood. She didn’t know how to handle that. She wanted to scream at someone, tell them to turn back time and give her another chance. But she knew it was pointless. And yet that tiny voice in her head screamed that NOONE HAD THE RIGHT TO HIDE HER BIRTHRIGHT FROM HER.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
She caught herself. That voice was the same that had told her to fight the ghoul, prideful and vain and filled with hatred towards anything that wasn’t her.
She took a deep breath and let the rage wash over her. That wasn’t who she was, or who she wanted to be. She was Melody fucking Black. Proud of who she was, yes, but not raging at the world for things that could no longer be changed.
You could change it though. The voice whispered, with time and practice you could change the past.
She sighed. This wasn’t going anywhere. She turned to the books Uther had given her. She needed to take her mind off the problem and what better way than to dive into a world that had just opened up to her?
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Melody’s Beginner Guide to Magic
If you are able to read this part, that means you have listened to me and started reading this book first. Good, trusting my judgment is important, even when it seems as if I am going mad. Because I can promise you, I have lived for a long time and madness has not caught me yet. That is the first lesson this book was meant to teach you. Trust me. Now, we’ll get to the more interesting stuff
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As Melody read further, her eyes widened in surprise. Some of the things here were not what she expected.
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‘The first thing you should know is that magic is not some universe-altering force. It does not break its laws, nor does it bend them to its will. Because magic is a law of the universe itself. Codified into its genes like gravity or the laws of energy. Magic is the law of change, a manifestation of the universe’s need, no, it’s hunger for it. It is a gift to the beings that give the universe the capacity to feel.’
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The book continued dumping far more information on her than she’d expected, most were explanations of what stereotypes about magic were real and which ones weren’t. That was followed by explanations of why science couldn’t explain certain forms of magic. After a few more tangents she arrived on the last page.
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‘So yes, it can do things that science cannot explain, but that is simply because our knowledge of science has not yet reached the point where we can understand everything. Now the reason that not every living being has access to magic is quite simple. Magic can flow through everyone, but we are not fully capable of handling the forces that flow through us, especially not when we are young. So we evolved with a simple solution, our souls are dammed up. This protects us from the damage that magic can do to us but also blocks us from accessing the magic. So the first step of magic is simple, we need to poke a hole in that dam, allowing that magic to find release through us.’
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That’s where the book ended. When she closed it though, a small piece of paper fell out, instructing her to read specific pages in the dark magic grimoire. It also told her to check the time and wait if it was already too late.
It was 1 am, and Melody was tired so she decided to follow Uther’s advice. Sleep took her and she slept deeper than she ever had before.