July 8, 491 U.C.

Fire, the harbinger of destruction and change, worked tirelessly, burning throughout my body. Then it dimmed. And with that, came sleep. I embraced the black until my eyes opened to once again see white.

The pad in the medpod jiggled as I moved and hit the side. My joints popped and creaked as I began trying to move. Wondering if magic could turn someone into an old woman, I looked down and just saw the medpod.

“Medpod! Open sesame!” I yelled at it. No, it’s not the official method, but it works. The top of the canopy slid open, revealing the ceiling of my room. I frowned at the cobweb in a corner. I’ll clean that later. The light hit my eyes, causing me to hiss and turn. I glanced out in search of my dutiful father. He was absent, likely caught up with work or something. Instead, I saw shelves of books and some toys. Turning from the shelves, I frowned as I didn’t hear anyone.

“Dad?” I asked loudly.

“Coming.”

I waited, glancing at my made bed with a purple blanket. A chemistry set was next to my desk. Fishing gear and sparring equipment were leaning against that. With a growing sigh, I hoisted myself out and shut the door. Then I began getting dressed, pulling on a purple bathrobe so I could shower.

Finishing, I opened the door and poked my head out. My long hair swung into my face. Turning, I grabbed the amulet from my desk and spun back.

Dad walked up. “Sorry. I had to use the restroom. Did it work?” He studied me.

Focusing inward, I searched for magic. I found a ball of it pulsing inside of me. It seemed to be connected to something that I assumed was a spell given the intricate pattern. It reminded me of the enchanting book he’d gotten me last year. “I think so?”

He frowned. “And you refused the familiar, right?”

“Yes. It tried to trick me.”

“Of course it did!” Dad said with a wild look. “I warned you. You didn’t accept, right? That’s very important.”

“I didn’t, dad. I didn’t. Calm down,” I said rapidly to try to stop the incoming rant about fae trickery.

“Can you access your magic for me?” Dad asked. “I need to confirm everything.”

“Okay?” I just sort of flexed it. It’s like a limb. You get used to it. But I got ready to feed it into the spell.

“Remember to wear your mother’s amulet. Let’s head to the training room to try your spell. Do you have an idea about it?”

“Yes. It said user time dilation.” That’s when it hit me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Never trust a clock.

“Shower. Then we’ll spar.”

I walked into the shower. A nice douse of water flowed over me. Showers are great. I wasted time and water that day. After it ended, I used the air option. It blasted water off of me. Then I walked out, put on a towel, and brushed my hair.

I also glanced at the mirror. I don’t know if I changed much. I wished that I had remembered to look before it all. Either way, I matched the dream now.

I headed back to the room. Then I put on the amulet. My appearance shifted back to a late-blooming girl with brown hair and freckles. Then I got dressed, opting for a black skirt with a tank top. Walking out of the room, I headed to the sparring area with a smile.

Dad was there waiting as I walked into the wood room in my bare feet. I grabbed the swords as my stomach grumbled. Then I walked up and took a stance.

Dad approached and made a lazy thrust.

I used the spell. Then I danced away from the pitifully slow attacks. The irony of getting a haste spell was not lost on me as the clock failed to move. I mulled over that while dodging and twirling around him. With a vaulting leap, fire ran through me. The spell died. I went tumbling across the floor like a rag doll, stopping with my head against the wall and floor. That’s when my stomach voiced its own opinion by grumbling at both of us.

“Problem?” Dad asked with a raised brow.

“I ran out of mana.” I picked myself up.

“You need to pay attention to that.”

“If you get me an ocular computer, I could enchant it so that I can see it instead of just guessing.”

“If you want one of those, you know how to get it,” Dad said.

“That’s risky, Dad. They might track it.”

“You know how to do it intelligently, Casey.”

“Fine. I’ll take care of it.” I’ll just buy an old, used one, I mused to myself.

Dad nodded. “Good. You know that we may be seen as villains. But we will be the heroes who saved mankind! Our quest is the most noble. Together, we will grant magic to everyone! We will remove our oppressors…”

I tuned out. He was on a rant about the fae again. I already understood my part in it. I didn’t need to hear it again. I grew distracted by the clock that seemed to be slowing down again. My eyes locked onto it. The second hand seemed to go into rebellion at the act; the ticks took longer and longer every moment. I could have sworn it laughed at me. The desire to chuck a rock at it was at an all-time high. I thought about chucking my training sword, but that would have landed me in a world of training.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Instead, I tried to see if I was accidentally using some magic to slow it down. I spent a small eternity and found nothing. So, I assumed it was the clock. Growing bored with my old nemesis, I turned to Dad and tried to cast a haste spell on him. It did not work. If anything, the rotten clock slowed since I’d looked at it again. With time’s treachery at an all-time high, I began musing about new spells or alterations to them. I needed a way to speed up the slow things around me.

“…And that is why we will take our true places. To that end, you must increase your power. When you are strong, we will be able to initiate phases two and three. That is very important, Casey. I need to start that project. We need you to be ready soon. We need magic if we hope to survive...”

I wondered what abilities I’d get while he continued. I hoped for a montage spell. It would speed things along. And I could skip the dangerous bits. I was pulled away as the fear hit. My mana had run out in moments. Racing out to hunt things sounded horrible. Maybe it would be best to fish.

“Now, go level,” Dad finished. “I expect a progress report each day.”

“Can I fish?”

Dad paused and contemplated. Then he nodded. “Yes. It’s probably a good idea. Do that for today.”

“Thanks.” That was a relief. I was glad he understood the dilemma.

“Take the excess to Job for now. I’ll purchase another shop soon. That’s a work in progress.”

I nodded happily.

“Keep up on your studies, of course.”

“I get it.”

Dad headed for the door. “You can go fishing in the early morning or in the evening. Get breakfast and start your studies.”

I turned and headed to the fridge. Reaching inside, I pulled out a meal in a tube. It was jerked from my hand.

Dad stood there with it. “Nice try. You know the rules.”

“Dad! I’m tired of it!” I scowled at him. Spinning, I palmed one from the fridge.

“Follow the diet, Casey.”

I scowled, slipped the tube into my pocket, and then started cooking a gilfish salad with lemon juice. – I’m skipping this part. If you want a story about cooking, pull up one of those reality shows. Mine was uneventful. I was twelve. I copied videos to do it.

After my meal, I grabbed my trusty fishing gear and headed to the river. Having learned my lesson, I tied my sling to one of the grates to prevent the face-skiing. Then I waited, enjoying the smell of the water and enjoying the sound of it flowing by.

A seaweed washed back and forth. I started imitating it while I waited. While enjoying our little dance, a fish joined in, its tail waving in the water. I shot the spear. The tines sunk into it, sending a small burst of red into the water.

The fish fought the rebar while I waited for it to calm down. Then I pulled it in. The large green and brown fish wriggled as I ended its life. Looking over, I saw a cop who wanted nothing to do with the wild girl who was killing the native wildlife. He promptly went down a different street. It made me giggle.

I turned back to the fish, gutting it and stashing it all in the bio-bag. The blood began siphoning out into another pouch with the guts. Turning back, I repeated the process while mana flooded into me again. At least it didn’t burn. It just swirled through me. Some of it joined my little core, swirling in a mix.

After an hour, I’d caught three fish. Not needing more fish in the house, I headed for the local butcher, Job.

I meandered through the streets and stopped at a large building. With a grin, I walked to the back and knocked. The door swung open, revealing a woman in an apron. She had her greying hair pulled up in a bun.

“Hi, Stacey!” I said happily. “Is Job in?”

“He’s breaking things down. More fish for us?” Stacey asked with a smile.

“Yep!” I held out the bags.

She took them with a smile. “You are getting very good at it.”

“Thanks!”

This work was stolen from Magical Girl Platinum by Samantha Nelson on Royal Road. Please message me there.

“Need anything?” Stacey asked.

“An ocular computer,” I admitted.

“Hmm. We may be able to get a used one.”

“That would be great.”

Stacey smiled. “I’ll add it to the list.”

“Thanks! Take care. Tell Job ‘hi’ for me.” I liked those two. She smiled, handed me a cookie from her shop, and sent me on my way.

I ate the chocolate cookie while I walked down the streets, occasionally waving at other locals. One of them appeared to be a girl that was my age. I waved and got one back. That perked me right up.

As I reached home, I waved to an older neighbor and then wiped my face, clearing the evidence. Then I headed to my room, sat on my chair, and began meditating. After several eternities, I was a fidgety, bored mess. I closed my eyes again.

“Ela, how do I meditate?” I thought in case it would work.

Ela’s voice rang through my mind. “Just give me a name. I’ll help train you.”

“Tricky devil!” It went silent. I began trying to meditate again, fidgeting repeatedly.

“Meditate… Meditate… Boo!” Ela yelled into my mind.

My eyes snapped open, and I groaned. I shut my eyes and began again. I mostly felt sleepy.

“BOO!” Ela yelled into my brain.

“Monster! I banish you!” I cried into my mind. “Familiar, begone!”

“You can’t!”

I opened my eyes. My meditation plan was in ruin until I could get my reputation above zero. With a sigh, I grabbed the enchanting book and picked it up.

The art of enchanting is a complex and… I was already bored. I read it. I am not copying it here. You’ll figure out how this works. I spent time studying it. After that, I turned to my normal studies. It was a long and arduous affair. That was one of the words in it. Pretty good, right?

Dad poked his head in, interrupting the grueling studies. “Progress?”

“Three fish,” I said while spinning in my chair. “Whatever that means. I can’t figure out how to meditate. And my familiar keeps yelling at me when I try.” I continued my spin.

“Unfortunate. Try to get that to stop.”

“I will. How’s phase two coming?” I asked cheerily as he passed into view again.

“We’re getting warehouses. Ideally, get six fish or more a day. We need to start exposure to the others so that they’ll be ready.”

“Got it.” I nodded. It's working. A smile spread across my face. I'll be normal.

“Keep an eye out for invasions and other ways to grow.”

“I will.” I stopped spinning. School is as good as mine! I wobbled as the dizziness hit.

“Wear your mask and dress. It’s a special fabric that should provide armor.”

“I get to go to school next year, right?” I asked.

“We’ll see,” Dad said without committing.

I scowled. “You promised.”

Dad scowled back. “We’ll see. Study.”

I turned back to my studies while he left. I don’t imagine you have much interest in chemistry, so I’ll skip it. You can watch a boring lecture online if you want. That’s basically what I did throughout the rest of the day. I needed to be ready.

Tier Skill Cost Tier 1 User Time Dilation

- User experiences 4 seconds for 1 earth second. - Costs 1 mana per earth second.