Chapter 20 — It Does have some Perks
I relaxed my will under their scrutiny and the spell vanished, the ethereal light from my magic which filled the dim basement waning with it. Fren had extinguished the candles at some point in the night which now left the room dark.
Feeling better from my state the night before, I focused my will, imagining lighting each candle with a spell. I spoke the word “Ignis” and several snapped alight with small bursts of flame. I felt the draw on my ‘Fortitude’ which was the magical pool of energy I could harness rapidly, it was diminished somewhat from my previous spell, but the changes were minor. I would recover given time thanks to working within my circle which supplemented my recovery.
“That was amazing,” Lana said. She positively radiated vitality, energy, and femininity. “This all is. I feel incredible, like every stress I’ve ever had was relieved while I slept,” she sighed, and spun around, taking in the room. “And all my injuries are healed.” She stretched her shoulders and neck, “I haven’t felt this good in years. Thank you Fren,” she said, hugging the ancient forest being. She awkwardly laughed and I heard her mutter, “Never thought I’d be a tree hugger.”
“I am pleased,” Fren said, his voice full of his own brand of enthusiasm. “Cal needs someone to watch his back where I cannot venture. I am glad he has confided who he truly is, in you.”
I looked down at Lana’s breastbone, looking to where the cut she’d had was, it had been smaller than mine, and now it was basically nonexistent. I felt relief at that, not wanting her to be scared the rest of her life due to meeting me.
“You weren’t lying,” she said. “I wish I could do that every night.” Her joy dispelled my darker thoughts about her injury.
“Honestly, me too,” I said. “It does take a lot out of Fren. But our wounds were minor and he hasn’t had to use much power recently.”
Fren nodded his head, “It was a pleasure to serve and meet you. Now I must rest, the morning light is most beneficial for my recovery.”
Lana gave him another hug, then Fren strode away and settled into his grove to recuperate.
“What was that you were doing? I only caught the last part fully.” She had gestured to my rune inscribed circle on the floor, the metal and crystals glimmering gently in the soft light beginning to fill the room beside the candles I’d lit.
“What did you see?”
“Thin lines spreading and twisting across the floor in the air. It looked like a mandala of lights all around you. They almost looked like strings. Then they shifted all at once and… well, you glowed for a second.”
“That’s good. It means you have some ability to see magic. Many people do, but some can’t even see things like that.” I was thrilled she’d been able to see my spell. It probably reassured her that everything that had happened last night hadn’t been a dream.
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Lana grinned, before biting her lower lip, “You said you could check me last night, to see if I can do this. Can we still try that?”
“Yes,” I said, gesturing to the circle around me. “You just need to sit in the middle of this circle, it will help and give us the best assessment of what might be possible.”
Lana quickly obliged. She settled down and crossed her legs in front of her as I had been sitting only moments before. I took a moment and brought over a few more candles. It made the magic circle less ominous and let her see the beautiful stones, the wood I’d painstakingly carved, the countless adjustments I’d made to the circle to fit me, and my power carved out into the floor like a declaration. Some were emblems of earth that helped me draw in that type of power at an instinctive level. I carefully placed the candles at locations where they would assist my flame affinity. I didn’t need them, but I wanted to do this properly and it gave me time to settle my mind. I was far too excited that Lana wasn’t freaked out by me and what I could do, and for this next working I would need clarity of mind more than anything. It would make the process more comfortable for her.
Once ready, I moved to the floor and sat across from her, both of us barely within the iron ring, “Now try to stay relaxed, you might feel some changes around you, pressure, maybe noise. For everyone its different.”
“I’m literally the most relaxed I think I’ve ever been. Last night was like the perfect spa retreat. I got to fight, had to lie to the police, then had a relaxing night. I couldn’t be better!”
I choked down a laugh, “Well, if you like that, we're just getting started. Welcome to my cluster of a life, but it does have some perks. I had fun too, given the circumstances. You should see what a real date with me is like.”
She grinned, showing white teeth, “I do have to say, I’m kind of curious.”
I paused, unsure what to say, then decided to proceed with what we were doing, “For this spell, we will need to hold hands.”
Lana gazed at me for a moment before reaching out. Her hands were slender, smooth, and warm. I clasped them lightly in each of mine and began cultivating while also engaging the outer ring of iron to let energy in but not out with an effort of will and a touch of my barefoot on the metal. I was looking for a resonance in her with the inward-flowing power. My energy played up and down my body, cycling through my core. It was the reason people believed in chakras. Those who could cultivate on a slight level, even if they couldn’t intake monster cores or perform magic, could cycle their own body's inherent energy in a similar way. Lana’s body, soul, and mind would instinctively follow mine in the circle. Like the ocean tide lifting all the ships in a harbor, we were both where energy was plentiful and moving, it filled my core as it would hers… if it could. The odds were basically nil that she would have powers, but you could never know without testing. Clair had told me stories about entire families with the talent who had been found in the past. It was probably a blessing it was a rare gift; most magical creatures largely ignored humans because they didn’t develop cores unless their power was awakened and then cultivated. Yes, vampires needed blood, and ghouls loved flesh, and other creatures fed on emotions like pain, love, and fear—but it was nothing more than that.
We sat like that for some time, but I knew after the first few moments that she didn’t have any true magical affinity. She was empathic enough to pick up on magic, perhaps even more than most, but at the fundamental level there was a difference. Wizards had some change, some alteration or mutation which allowed for using energies rather than just feeling or sensing them. They had an inherent power. Still, cultivating with someone like this could help refine what abilities they had.
“I’m sorry,” I said, opening my eyes.