“You wanna learn magic,” Destiny asked. Her head resting on the arm of the couch, her legs stretched across my lap.

For me, this moment is magic enough. Her legs on my legs, my arm resting on her knees. I could stay like this for an eternity, maybe I will. Flesh on flesh, she’s so much warmer than I am. I always thought vampires would be cold, but she’s not and it surprises me every time she touches me, which is more and more. I’m not complaining, just enjoying the surprises as they come. I usually dislike being touched but when she touches me, it’s as if every nerve in my body lights up.

“Hello, anyone in there,” she calls out again.

“Yeah, sure,” I respond.

“Sure you want to learn magic or sure you’re awake?”

“Both, I guess. But I’ve never seen you use magic.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t,” she mocks me as she rolls onto the floor and takes a cross legged position.

“Are we meditating again,” I just follow her role.

“Something like that. We need to learn what kind of magic user you are and maybe what school of magic you’re in,” she says.

“You’re going to need to explain.”

“You always need me to explain stuff to you,” she smiles and rolls her eyes.

“You knew I would ask.”

She giggles, “I knew. But I like to feel smart and it helps when you ask me to explain.”

“You’re smart anyway,” I stare into her eyes when I say it.

“Keep talking like that, one day you’re going to get into some trouble.”

“As long as it’s with you, I might like that.”

“Keep trying, you’re not as smooth as you think you are,” she laughs and gives me and pulls me down to the floor next to her.

“Alright, alright. Enough laughing at me. Let’s talk magic.”

“Well, there’s a lot of kinds of magic, and then variations on it. There’s alchemy, anyone can do that with enough practice. But there are also people who turn water into oil or rocks into gold who claim to be the real alchemist. Really, it’s just science with a few magical elements. Maybe use magic as a power source or magic boosts some kind of medicine and then they call it a potion or whatever. Next is Ceremonial or Occult magic. That’s all the rituals and sacrifice stuff, stuff cults think they’re doing. Well, I guess some of them do succeed.”

“That’s not what we’re learning is it?”

“I’m not learning anything. You are. Anyway, there are a few different types of magic. Everyone has a natural gift for one, maybe two or three. You might be able to learn a little outside of those and some you just don’t have any chance of learning if you aren’t born with it. Take Foresight magic for example, these people can basically see the future. Fortune tellers, people who can predict the weather, see a few seconds ahead or centuries. They all fall in this category, but if you aren’t born with it, you just aren’t ever going to learn it. Got it?”

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“Yeah, but what are the other types because I’m pretty sure I can’t see the future,” I joke.

“Conjuration, which means conjuring other creatures, animals, elementals and so on. You might not be able to do the big stuff, but little stuff is possible with enough practice,” She holds out her hand and summons a small light in her palm. “No need to carry a flashlight when you can make your own. Hold out your hand.”

I hold out my hand, as she places the light into my palm. It’s as if I’m staring into a flashlight. The light stays bright for a few moments then flickers away. “Okay, that is kind of cool.”

She giggles again, “You’re easily impressed.”

“But you like it,” I smile.

“Whatever. Enhancers generally are healers or they can boost their own physical and or magical capabilities. Shifters are unnatural shapeshifters. There’re elementals, these folks usually have one element that they just lock with. Might be fire, water, ice, earth and each has perks and disadvantages. Sometimes people can learn two at most. The rarest are light and dark, you’ll probably never see those. Within each of those types people can get specialized and do things. Everyone can learn to shoot fireballs, but some people might learn to turn their bodies into flames. That’s a basic run down.”

“What type are you?”

Destiny starts to laugh, “well, I’m an enhancer. Not so good at healing, great at enhancing my own attributes. Unfortunately, I’m a vampire and it doesn’t do me much good because that alone puts me in a class of my own. I suppose if I had to fight a troll or something big and strong it might help, but I rarely need to use it.”

“Well, that explains why I never see you use magic,” I laugh at the irony of her situation.

“Enough jokes. Let’s find out what you are, now close your eyes.”

I don’t even question her when she says to close my eyes now, “okay, now what.”

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Destiny says.

“What do you mean,” I ask.

“This,” Destiny says when I feel her hand on my head.

***

I wake up on Destiny’s couch passed out, my whole body is stiff. Almost like an electric shock is running through my whole body at once, not painful, but uncomfortable. I force myself to sit up on the couch, and clinch my fist, hoping some of the pain will subside. Instead I get a glimpse of my skin, and noticed raised blue and purple bumps across the surface. Some of them look to be festering wounds, the sight makes me woozy and nauseous. What did she do to me? The electricity running through my body gives me a painful jolt. Several of the blisters across my body pop. A different fluid draining from each. The scent of a thick yellow fluid makes me nauseous. Another jolt of electricity flows through me, blurring my vision and causing my body to jerk in odd motions.

***

“So what did you see,” Destiny asks.

“What,” I open my eyes, I’m still on the floor in the same position.

“Yeah, one of the ways to test for affinity is to just put a whole bunch of magic into someone, then they see a vision and you go from there. I’ve been told that it hurts a little,” she smiles innocently.

“Really, you tell me now.”

“I apologized,” she shrugs.

“It was like, my whole body was full of electricity, but there were these pimples, no, bubbles popping up on my skin. Different stuff oozing out of each. Puss, lava, some kind of green fluid, I think I saw a snake. Then I blacked out again.”

“Sounds like you’ve got two. The bubbles are classic conjuration stuff and the electricity sounds like you might have a little elemental in you too.”

“Okay, so how do I use it?”

“Well, we’re going to have to train you, but let’s start tomorrow after you’ve gotten a chance to rest.”

“That sounds good,” I lean back resting against the couch. “Because that took a lot out of me.”