9 Years, Village Outskirts. Get a good grip on it!

Whoosh! Three stones fly through the air, in varying speeds. One flies measly ten to fifteen meters, another one hits a flat stone in the distance, leaving a small dust cloud where it impacts, and the third one sails far over the stone, landing over fifty meters behind. Needless to say, the third stone belongs to Ione. Three days ago, she figured out movement manipulation, with a little guidance from myself. She has been training it since, and her results are truly speaking for themself. Not only did she break all my prior distance records, she even did so with ease.

The second stone belongs to me. In the last week, I have again and again put it further in the back, yet I have been able to hit it every single time, except for a few. I redeploy it at different positions every time, as to be able to train my general aim, and not my aim for a specific point, but that had no impact on the results. I should go out in the forest and hunt soon. Having a live, moving target is completely different to shooting an immobile stone. However, I should not tell Brian of that. He despises violence and killing, especially against animals. Brian is my friend, so I do not want to hurt his feelings, although I do still not understand why it would hurt him if I killed an animal. It is not his pet, is it?

It still feels very weird to refer to him as my friend. To refer to any person as my friend, really. I never had one before. I do not even fully know what that means and implies, being a friend. But after I burst out in tears last week in their room, and Brian comforted me, even for minutes long, while I was nothing but a pathetic crying bundle. I felt that I owed him to offer my friendship afterwards, which he accepted. I am doing my best.

Speaking of him, the first and closest stone belongs to him. His throws are not bad, by no means. For a thirteen-year old with no magical assist, that is. A thirteen-year old very skilled in throwing stones, but still a thirteen-year old. However, It does not seem to dissatisfy him any more. He seems hell-bent on overcoming me and Ione with only the power of his muscles, and if I would not know better, I would have guessed that he will surpass us in a week or so. All his fancy technique, his spinning and gracefully twisting into the throw, the power of his arm far surpassing mine, will mean nothing in the face of magic. Its the reason why a magic guild and not a fighter's guild is ruling this country.

Brian only rarely trains with the water cup now. I, and Ione, try to get him to every once in a while, but he refuses mostly, and if he does start, he also stops very quickly, and always seems sour after it. I am wondering whether or not he actually gave up on learning magic.

We are out of stones. Since our travel times to get the stones are that different, everyone going to get his own stone would not be efficient, therefore I and Brian tag along with Ione as she goes collecting hers, while we pick up our stone along the way. I do so with a little magic assist, because I can. All in all, we throw for maybe three, and then collect for five minutes. It may not be very efficient, but on our walks, conversations develop. I am very active in them when they are magic-related, and remarkably less so if they are not, although I try, at least.

This time, Brian starts it. “I think I understood movement now!”

What an interesting thing to say, interesting and also unbelievable. But, in doubts for the accused, so I will assume he is right and look where it goes. “You did?” I look over to Ione, and see an expression on her face I have learned to read as “Reasonable doubt” over the long time we spent together.

“I think I did, at least. See, I have watched stones fly for so long now, have so many stones, how could I have not understood it by now?” He seems very excited about bringing us this message.

“It definitely did not work the same way for me. Wished it would.” Ione expresses her doubt with words now, but in a backhanded manner. I agree with her, but I want to see if all of this leads to something. “If you understood movement and the energy behind it, you can enhance it with magic. That is how it works. Can you do that?”

Brian snaps back, having taken that as an insult, somehow. “Of course not! I have not found my magic yet, you both know that. I -” He stops from one split second to another, and grows very, very silent. He nods, and we continue our way after that. The conversation steers into discussion of mid-air direction change after that, but Ione and me are the only ones partaking in it. Brian does not come out of his silence, and walks a few meters behind us. A quick glance over my shoulder reveals that he has a anticipating smile on his face. He is beaming with energy, and his eyes seem to be directed inward. If I were to project that behaviour onto me, I could think he got an idea he wants to test.

Not minding Brian's strange behaviour, the discussion continues. Do complicated movement patterns have to be announced beforehand? Or do you do it after the throw, with added commands? This is regarding Iones use of magic, of course. Direction change is a triviality for me, but Ione struggles with it. We reach the stones, and Ione swiftly collects them while I watch. Once she is done, we return to the throwing line, continuing our conversation where we left off. Brian still does his own thing, trotting behind us. Silence returns after we pass the line. I restricted conversation while throwing, as to not distract each other, and me. Safe for Ione's chants, of course. She can not help it.

Everyone of us has ten stones. Since the ground is little more than flat, hard dirt and dust, with a few weeds sprouting here and there, they are easily spotted. Can I change direction without losing speed? This question circles in my head, since a few days already. If so, it would grant me access to a lot very advanced techniques, which I developed, but simply am not able to use. How I change direction now is fairly inefficient, I slow the stones velocity down, only to add velocity in a different direction. It gets the job done, maybe, but lacks power build up, and will not work for very high speeds.

“Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!” Every few seconds, Iones chants her spell, always sounding the same, although not monotonous. Her voice has something deeply vibrant to it while chanting, almost a bit hypnotic to listen to. I am through with my stones as well. I look over to Brian. He is sitting at his spot, looking at his stone. Right next to him, another nine stones lie on the ground. I want to tell him we're done, but Ione holds me back. “Give him some time.” I nod, and we go on the way to collect stones.

Once we return, Brian seems to be anticipating us, and as soon as we cross the line, he lines up for a throw wordlessly, and seems to put all his power into it. It flies down the way perfectly normal. Brian sits down again, taking the next stone, and continues to brood over it, unintelligibly mumbling from time to time.

Ione and I continue with throwing our stones. It is probably for the better to just leave Brian be, no need to interfere if it does no harm.

Time flies by, as always when using magic. This is at least partly due to magic euphoria, which makes everything seem to pass faster. We just came back from collecting, and are currently throwing again. A stone passes my left, where it did not for a while. A glance over my shoulder reveals Brian standing on my left, all of his stone in close vicinity for quick access. He is already taking the next one, and makes a weird gesture with both his hands enclosing the stone. After that, he twists, twirls, and throws the stone with all his power. Nothing unusual happens. As every time before.

I concentrate on my own stones again. I feel like at this point, I would be able to hit the target eyes closed, had I acquired it first. I try it. After opening my eyes a few seconds later, it is apparent that I missed. By a wide degree as well. Would have been too good to be true, I guess. How could I remove the visual component?

Can I, using magic, see with my eyes closed, or covered? What kind of magic would I have to use for that? Light magic? Does that even exist, is light its own energy type? I do not think so, it is probably a sub-category of warmth. Sun rays are warm, after all. But what distinguishes light from warmth? Closed ovens are as warm as open ones, and Bodies radiate heat even without glowing at all. Maybe light becomes warmth after hitting a surface, and is its own energy before? Questions over questions. Maybe, at the magic academy, they would have answers to those questions. The adapter interests me none, but all the other knowledge... Maybe I should attend one day, after all. Maybe even Arstibal will let me in. Maybe even...

A stone passes me on the left. It impacts, a few meters next to my target stone, leaving a dust cloud.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“152 Meters... Not my best shot.” The tone in which they are spoken deeply contradicts the content of the words. I turn around. Brian is standing there, a beaming smile on his face, joyous from one ear to another. Incidently, the stone flew about one-hundred and fifty meters indeed, as it is the distance I have set my target up on. I doubt that Brian knows that, though. I am a bit at a loss for words, honestly. My mouth is not agape, this feat costs me a lot of my willpower.

“Rei, why are you looking at me like this? I did it, right? There is nothing wrong, right?” Hearing that, I quickly normalize, meaning empty, my facial expression. “You did it. Congratulations.” Ione, hearing that, turns around as well, shaken out of her concentration. “You did it, Brian?” Did she not see it? Or did she thought it was my shot?

“Yes! I did it! Sister, I did it!” Brian seems wanting to emphasize the fact that he did it. It is his right, though. It is not an everyday feat. “That's great! Now both of us did it at last, huh...”

Yet, something feels off. Surreal. Brian did manage to immediately handle movement manipulation? What's even weirder, the power behind his throw... He immediately came almost as far as me. Nowadays, I could perhaps reach two-hundred using my full coefficient. That is, without special techniques like tying a stone to a string, or similar things. With that, reach is and never was a problem. Accuracy, though.

Sure, according to Arstibals test, Brian had the highest coefficient. By a lot, compared to me. Still, compared to Iones usable coefficient when she started off, it seems ridiculously high. Are those fifteen points really making such a difference? Or is there something else, something I have overlooked?

There is only one way to find out: Ask him. “How did you find your magic? I did not hear you chant like Ione, did you find the magic muscle? What about magic euphoria?”

“That are a lot of questions, Rei... I will think. “How did you find it”, how did you find it? It just was there, clear how to use from a moment to another.” Ione nods, and adds: “I can only describe it the same way for me.” Looking back, it also was what happened with me. From the moment I used the magic adapter, I felt that there was this magic muscle I could use. Like it had been there since ever, and I had simply been ignorant to that fact. Thinking back, it had already been over three years since then.

“I also still don't know what you mean with the “magic muscle.” Upon hearing that, I keep a sigh for myself. Yet again, something new and unexplained opened up, just when I thought I had widely figured it out. But, there is no helping it. “Can you describe how you did it? Or actually, can you repeat it?” Brian nods. I keep a close look on everything he does now. Ione, right next to me, does the same.

Brian, seemingly fully aware that our gazes lie upon him, picks up a stone with a fancy gesture, and holds it in his right hand, his throwing arm. After that, he grasps into the air with is left, and closes to a fist. Then, he encloses the stone with both hands, and makes movements like he would be forming something, maybe clay, or kneading dough. Then, he releases it, throwing it with all his power.

Whether expected or unexpected, the stone sails through the air, and impacts at roughly half the way between the line and the practice target. Without a doubt, magic. “Explain what you were doing there, please! It looked like you were holding something in your hands, and pressing on it. The stone?” Ione started asking questions before I got the chance to. “I will explain! Okay, it is like this. Rei, you explained us all about energy, right? How it affects everything? How magic is only another for, of energy? Since I understand movement, I can also form movement! Easy! I take magic energy, form it into movement, and stick it onto a stone!” Brian is telling this very excitedly.

That makes an surprising amount of sense, and no sense at the same time. To shape energy, you would have to touch it first. Magic is not some sort of clay. Yet, Brian claims that is what he does. Ridiculous, though I will try to keep that judgement to myself. Brian used magic, the goal he, and I, worked towards for such a long time. Does it really matter how he did it? I can still secretly think that he is wrong. “The stone did not fly nearly as far as last time. What is the reason for that?”

Brians face brightens up even further upon hearing my question. “Easy! I took more energy before, so it flew farther. Makes sense, right?” Not only did he prove a gigantic magic power, he also uses output regulation from the get-go. I do not understand him. I wanted to keep back, do not question his words. Yet, his claims... “But, you can not just touch magic like it is clay! It is a principality that it does not interact with matter, its just not possible to do.”

Brian does not take that very well. “Well, of course you can! I did it, that is proof enough!”

“No, you cannot! There must be a different thing working here, maybe you are using a shortcut or...” I said I would not undermine his claims, but they are too outrageous. Iones way, I can see that. It is merely using the voice as the muscle, instead of the muscle. But this? It is completely different. Brian must be fallen victim to a wrong assumption. Maybe he is using his hands as a muscle, or maybe...

My thought torrent came to a halt, as I saw Brian's hurt expression. “Maybe you are right, Rei. YOU are not able to do it. YOU can not touch magic.” Ione does not come to my side in this one. “Brian finally used magic, that is what counts, right? Don't get hot-headed over the details, now.”

Fine. What does it even matter? Brian found his magic. That is all that counts, right? Of course it is. “Fine! Brian, I am sorry. Forget everything I said. Actually, forget all of it! You can use magic. Great. Train it or something, I guess.” I turn around, ready to get going with my stones, again.

“You are being a jerk, Rei! Why?! It is not like you!” Hearing that shout coming from behind my back, I wince. A jerk? Why would he call me that?

“Are you mad because I can use magic? Is that it? Why would you be?” Of course I am not mad. Why would I be? It has been our goal, all the time. We have reached it, now.

“WHAT exactly do you want me to do? I said it was great! You discovered your power! Not only that, you immediately learned two advanced techniques, ones that I needed weeks to accomplish! You showed power way higher than what I have seen to this day! Great! I SAID all of that already! WHAT else do you want me to say? Do you want me to give you a medal? Do you want a MEDAL?”

Silence. Only after the fact I realized how far I raised my voice for those words. Silence.

Eventually, Brian speaks up. I do not see him, as I am still staring at the throwing range. I hear him as clear as only possible, though. “Rei? Are you... Jealous?”

This question lingers through the air, unwilling to dissipate until answered. Am I jealous? I ask this question to myself. When acting emotionally, my actions are not lined up with my thoughts. I act on impulses. Do, and say, things that, under a second thought, would never have prevailed. I hate it.

I need to clear my head. Think. Rationally. I raise my hand, form a fist to give myself a blow. Then, I realize that this would not be a good Idea. Rationally, it would be a bad thing to do. This revelation brings me back, makes my thoughts more level-headed. Yet, I gulp, since I dislike what I am about to say.

“Yes. I am... How could I not?” Speaking those words, I turn around. Ione sits on the trunk, not really participating in this. Brian just looks into my eyes. “Oh, Rei... I wasn't aware...” He approaches me, and tries to give me a hug. I squirm, and he ceases his attempts. He is towering me by a head, I am not really comfortable with it.

Brian sits down, and gestures me to do the same. I sit down legs crossed as well. “Listen, Rei... I do not understand much from magic. I may be talented in it. I may have power... Or at least, you and this magician said so. Since some people have more of that than others, it is always going to be unfair. You can be angry at that. Its okay! But, think of your own achievements! You thought yourself magic, through self-study and a book! You developed complicated, wondrous techniques! Mastered Heat and Movement! And most of all, you taught all of that to us, my sister and me! Without you, we would still be able to use magic as good as a brown-speckled horse! Our magic, that is not our, but your achievement! While we learned from you, you discovered all of it by yourself! Two years ago, when you where Seven! If anything, I would have to be jealous of you! You are far more amazing than I could ever be, having achieved power not by birth, but by your own hard work!”

His tirade is over. Against all odds, I actually feel better now. Brian raised valid points. As a rational person, I can not come around adjusting my position after hearing them. The praise I received has nothing to do with that, naturally. I get up, shake out my legs to keep them from going numb, and take a deep breath. Seeing that Brian still looks at me, I nod in his direction. “Thanks.” A relieved look runs over his face.

In all honesty, I am interested in what Brian can do with his magic. It may contradict most of what I know about magic so far, but when thinking over it, that only means I am on the verge of learning something new, which I always had been excited about. “Let us do testing, then! Brian, we got a lot of things to try.”

Brian nods. “Tomorrow? Very early?” I look up, realizing that the deadline is nearing. I nod. “Yes. Sounds good.” I look over to Ione. “You can come if you want, or you do not. It is up to you.”

Ione looks at Brian first, then at me, and quickly gives her answer. “I think I will come. I can't miss out on my brother's magic, can I?” Brian's face is beaming as bright as ever. “Great! Until tomorrow!”

Like that, our ways part after the short, filled with chit-chat way to the village entrance. While the siblings head right into the centre, I take a path on the peripheries, following the wooden wall enclosing the village. I leave through a small gate in the back, and shortly after arrive at our shed. I push open the door. Father and Mother are sitting on stools, and he is rubbing her left leg with a green, leafy paste. “Now... That should help.” Father finishes as the door swings open. “Thank you, Darling... You know I would have gone to the healer myself, but the leg is just...” Pain swings in her voice. I do not know whether or not it fully is of physical nature. “I know, I know. It's alright.” Father plants a kiss on Mothers lips, and turns around to me. “Is it not a bit early, Reiland?”

“We stopped a bit earlier today... Starting even earlier tomorrow in return.” Normally, I remain on site a bit after Ione and Brian leave, and sort my thoughts while the sun sets. Today, I felt like I rather should get some extra sleep.

“There is some stew in the pot. Help yourself with it.” Father remarks that, and faces Mother again. As of lately, her leg got even worse. Father spends a lot of time with her, and does things she normally would have done. Leaving the house is out of question for her.

I take a glance in the pot. Water, and a few plants. Not quite vegetables, rather a mixture of common herbs and weed that may barely count as herb as well. I think back at the Stews we used to have. Rich vegetables. Mushrooms. Meat, even if it was frog. They even where creamy, when we had enough money to buy starch. Water with herbs is just not as filling as that. My ribs are more visible than they used to be.

I eat all the leftover soup, assuming that my parents already had their share. Then, I head to bed. Surprisingly, It does not even take long for me to fall asleep.

Dream 3

I walk along a wide, straight path. It is barely more than trampled dirt, but stretches up to the horizon. In the distance, mountains tower, but they seem to far to be reached. Since I have nothing else to do, I pick up the pace. Walking, even running seems easy and light. Runner's High envelops me. Then, a sharp pain. I try to ignore it, just run further. I manage for what seems a minute, but my speed dropped tremendously. Everything seems heavy, tiresome, cumbersome. Finally, I take a look down at my legs. A bloody stump is flailing through the air where my left leg was, while I jump forwards on my right. A crimson trail leads to the leg, left on the path back when the pain set in. Panicking, I stumble back, and try to reattach the leg. It does not work. Yet, I try. And try. And try.

Until everything fades to black...