01:114:08:37:58
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Mal watched Rudy with mild jealousy. Only mild jealousy. Rudy was one of his best friends, after all. Still, no fifteen year old should have muscle definition like that. Rudy didn’t even work out. He just played sports. Every sport, as far as Mal could tell. Today it was an impromptu game of pickup basketball against some highschoolers at a court they happened to be walking past. Rudy hadn't even been invited. The ball bounced into his hand, like magic, from behind the worn, chain-link fence. But that had been enough for Rudy, apparently. He hopped over the fence like it was six inches tall instead of six feet and dunked on one of the highschoolers and that was that.
Mal was of height with Rudy, but that was where the similarities ended. Mal’s body was like his father’s, tall and skinny, with more prominent elbows and knees than muscles. Mal would have even preferred Adrien's short stature. Mal looked at his small friend, his hands gripping the chain-link fence as they watched Rudy play. Adrien had decidedly not hit his growth spurt yet, and stood almost a full foot shorter than either Mal or Rudy, but at least he didn't look like someone took a child’s body and pulled on the arms and legs until they stretched like gum.
“Maybe being an aug athlete isn’t so stupid,” Mal muttered as he watched Rudy gracefully dribble the basketball between a pair of the older teenagers before leaping towards the basket and performing what Mal could only describe as ‘aerial shenanigans’. The ball dropped off the backboard and through the hoop to a cheer from Rudy’s teammates. And several girls.
“I haven’t even seen him touch a basketball before,” Adrien complained, “I didn’t think he knew how to play.”
“Of course he does. He’s Rudy.” Mal watched his friend high-fiving his teammates with a more poignant sense of jealousy. Rudy definitely had whatever amalgamation of traits made up the facet Ichor. Probably a good amount of Power too, given how high he was jumping these days. It had been apparent to Mal for a while now that Rudy was naturally gifted in ways he wasn’t, but desperately wanted to be. It was becoming more and more common among humans since the Merge, as magic permeated the world around them. Mal still didn’t have it, still couldn’t perform the simplest of weaves, even though he practiced every day. Rudy could probably nail some on his first try. If he ever tried.
“Thanks for waiting for me guys!” Rudy jogged back to the group, again hopping the fence like it wasn't even there. A few of the basketball players watched him go. A few more watched Mal. Mal ignored them. He was used to the suspicion.
Rudy wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his face, turning back to wave one more time to the girls. A few waved back. Mal scowled. Even covered in sweat, Rudy was attractive. Rudy noticed Mal’s frown. “Sorry, Mal. I didn’t mean to take so long.”
“Ignore him,” Adrien said as they resumed their journey through Pasadena. It was a gorgeous mid August day and there were plenty of people out and about, enjoying the last vestiges of summer before the return of the school year in a few days. “Mal’s just worried that you aren’t going to be friends with us in high school.”
“Why wouldn’t I be friends with you in high school?” Rudy looked genuinely shocked at the allegation, “I like you guys.”
“I don’t know, maybe because you’re tall, athletic, and handsome while we’re a pair of nerds.” Adrien said, “I still look like a short middle-schooler and Mal looks like someone dyed a spider monkey bright red..”
“Hey!” Rudy stopped in front of the pair, his hands on his hips like a stern parent. “No one talks down to my friends, including my friends. Besides, Adrien, you may be small, but you’re super cute, and Mal, you will be very handsome when he grows into your…” Rudy ran his eyes over Mal’s body, “Everything. My sister said so.”
Mal raised his eyebrows, “Your sister said that? Really?” That was a big compliment, coming from Rudy’s older sister. Emma was an undergraduate at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. More importantly, she was hot.
“She did,” Rudy said, his hands still not moving from his hips, “So don’t go putting yourselves down just because I’m so awesome.” Rudy’s mouth formed a teasing smirk, but his eyes held a genuine smile, “And Mal, we are still going to be friends in high school. That won’t change just because I’m going to be swimming in girls and popularity.”
“You know, when I saw the hands on the hips I thought we were finally going to see stern and serious Rudy,” Adrien said, “But I guess arrogant Rudy is the only one we get.”
“Stern and serious Rudy is only for sports,” Rudy said, “You’d see him if you ever came to one of my games. And don’t change the subject, we were talking about Mal’s stupid worries.”
“That wasn’t what I was thinking about,” Mal said. “Not right now, at least.”
“Really?” Adrien said, doubt clear in his tone, “Because you had that look on your face that you only get when you know someone is lying to you or you think something bad is going to happen.”
“Look? I don’t have a look.” Mal said, “My look was normal.”
“Oh yeah? Remember that time Rudy tried to show off for that vigilante? What did she call herself, Fantastigirl or something? Or that time when Lucy Rice was definitely flirting with you, but you were convinced she was trying to trick you into helping her cheat on a test?” Adrien adopted a high pitched, flirtatious voice, “Oh Mal, you’re so good at history. I need help or I might flunk the test.”
“It was Superb Girl,” Mal said, ignoring the second, much more embarrassing comment. Lucy had been lying about something and the entire situation was confusing for him. “And I didn’t think something was going to go wrong, something was going wrong! Rudy jumped on an extranormal criminal! He was growing moss out of his ears for a week!”
“And I wasn’t trying to show off,” Rudy said, indignant, “I was impressing her. Which I did. And vigilantes? Just call them superheroes dude, everyone else does.”
“They’re vigilantes.” Adrien said stubbornly, “What they do is illegal and the police hate them.”
“The police hate them because they are very publicly successful. They don’t care if what they do is legal or not.” Rudy said, “The police, extranormal or not, are famously incompetent.”
“Okay, son-of-defense-attorneys Wagner,” Adrien said with an eye roll, “Whatever you say.”
“Attorney Wagner sounds like a lawyer who works exclusively with neo-nazis.” Mal said, “Or those anti-Eten guys who are popping up all over the place.”
“My family has never had any problem with you. They love you.” Rudy said, “If anything you were more judgmental with all your talk of skin clarity.”
“Hey, I stopped that when I realized it was probably Eten racism.” Mal said.
“You mean after we told you it was for over a year.” Adrien corrected, “And you finally realized we were telling the truth after you met that other Eten family.”
“Same difference.” Mal said.
“Is that why you looked all grumpy?” Rudy said, “Someone with cloudy skin was offending your sensibilities?”
“That’s not how it works! I told you, cloudy skin isn’t bad. High clarity skin is just better!” Mal insisted. “And no. That’s not why I was making a face. Which I wasn’t actually making.”
“Sure, dude,” Rudy said, “Whatever you say.”
“If it wasn’t being worried about next year, and it wasn’t his new-age, Eten racism, it could only be about magic.” Adrien said, “Were you grumpy about magic again, Malenthiar?”
“No,” Mal glowered, “Yes. So what?”
“What was it this time?” Rudy said, “Did you see another fire breathing pigeon that didn’t exist?”
“No,” Mal said, “This time it definitely existed.”
“Okay so what was it?”
“You, Rudy. It was you.” Mal said. He stared at the ground. Not because he was upset. Concrete was just really interesting right now.
“Me?” Somehow his friend’s genuine disbelief only made him feel worse. “I don’t know any magic.”
“It’s been obvious for a while now,” Adrien said, “Do you really think it’s normal for a fifteen year old to jump a six foot fence like that?”
“Are you two pranking me? I’m athletic, a natural athlete.” Rudy said.
“Rudy, do you know what the three facets of the body are?” Mal said. “Do you know what they represent?”
“Obviously, everyone does.”
“Well yours are all definitely above human average.”
Rudy gave him a doubtful look. “Maybe my Alacrity is going to be alright, but I don’t-”
“Rudy,” Mal interrupted, “If your Power is less than five I will never study magic again and become your slave for a year. You definitely have at least four in Ichor. The way you moved with that basketball was not natural. You were using magic.”
“But I don’t know magic!” Rudy protested, “How am I supposed to do it if I don’t know how?”
“I guess you’re just a natural athlete.” Mal said, “A natural aug athlete.”
“A natural extranormal athlete,” Adrien supplied.
“Exactly!” Mal said. “Rudy, you are definitely going to become an aug athlete. Congrats.”
“I know I’m going to become an aug athlete,” Rudy said, “I’m awesome. But it doesn’t just happen like that, you know. There’s a lot of work that has to go into it.”
“Rudy, you’re not hearing me. When you turn sixteen in-” Mal looked at his bare wrist dramatically, pretending to check his non-existent watch, “-five months and you let the world know your stats, every single D1 school in California is going to be pounding on your door.”
Rudy’s eyes widened and he stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk. “Every single one?” He said, “Stanford? Berkeley? UCLA?”
“Probably the big east coast schools too,” Adrien said, “Duke, Michigan, Columbia.”
“Those aren’t all east coast,” Rudy said automatically.
“East of here,” Adrien said. “You might even get into Canada.”
“Like I told you,” Mal grumbled, “Congratulations.”
----------------------------------------
Tarot’s Tricks was a magic shop turned magic shop a few blocks from Mal’s house. It was located in the only spot within walking distance that was neither suburb, nor park, and shared its parking lot with a local climbing gym and a liquor store.
The exterior of the shop was bland, unimaginative, and nondescript, but the interior - well, if Mal were being honest, it was also bland, unimaginative, and nondescript. But at least it had cool stuff.
The owner of the store, Terry, was a magic enthusiast in a similar vein as Mal. The difference was that while Mal was young, half Eten, and full of curiosity, Terry was aging, stuck in his ways, and decidedly human. He did, however, have a keen interest in what he called “The New Magic” and what Mal called “actual magic”, and kept stock of a steady stream of new, extranormal toys, gizmos, and, most importantly, puzzles.
Mal stepped into the shop with Rudy and Adrien close behind him, a small bell ringing from above the door. Mal beelined straight for the “actual magic” side of the shop, his eyes running over the familiar shelves. Magazines with titles like ‘Extranormal Now’ and ‘Supernatural Surprises’ lined the shelves, loudly proclaiming exclusive knowledge of the new and exciting extranormal world. Below the magazines however, were actual objects, mostly toys, that interacted with or otherwise needed magic to operate. Mal was intimately familiar with these, and was scanning the shelves for anything new.
“What are we here for again?” Rudy asked, somehow already bored with the shop, “Some sort of weird magic Bop-It or something?”
Mal did his best to scowl at him without actually taking his eyes off the shelves. “I don’t know what that is,” he said, “But my guess is the answer is no.”
“There’s some new extranormal puzzle that just came out,” Adrien said, rolling his eyes as Rudy pretended to fall asleep at the idea of a puzzle, “It was apparently designed by the new professor.”
“What new professor? Does Polytechnic have a new teacher?” Rudy said.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“No,” Mal said. It wasn’t on the shelves. “I can’t find it. Terry!” Mal walked over to the abandoned front counter of the store and rang a small bell repeatedly, “Terry! Where is it?”
There was a muffled shout from the back of the store and an elderly, bespectacled man came hobbling out of the back room, hunched over a cane, holding a small cubic box in his hands. “Malenthiar Thomas!” Terry said. His voice was slow and rough, like he had just woken from a nap. “I should have known it was you. No one else is so disrespectful in my shop.”
“I know it came in today, Terry,” Mal said, ignoring the old man’s comment, “You said, you’d have it for me and -” Mal paused mid complaint to stare quizzically at the old man. “Terry, did you get younger?”
“You noticed!” Terry let out a delighted laugh that turned into a hacking cough, “I finally got a point. Put it straight into Ichor.” Terry said when he finally recovered. He smiled, showing off his dentures, “I’m going to live forever.”
“Congratulations,” Mal said, “Now about the Professor Pewter puzzle?”
“His name is Professor Pewter?” Rudy said loudly, “What a nerd.”
“Rudy,” Adrien said, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, “Professor Pewter is one of the most respected mages on the planet, which is saying something, because he’s completely human. He was doing magic before the Merge and is the first and only human who the Etens actually allow to teach them magic. He’s not a nerd, he’s an icon of humanity. More importantly, WE’RE NERDS!”
“Yeah but you guys are my friends,” Rudy said, “So no need to shout. Plus this guy sounds like a total dweeb. I mean, come on, his name is Professor Pewter.”
“Will you two tone it down,” Terry said, “I am trying to conduct business here.” Terry turned back to Mal, “I have your toy, young man, but before I give it to you-”
“First it’s not a toy,” Mal said, “It’s a puzzle box. A revolutionary puzzle box. Second,” Mal fixed the old man with his best flat stare. It wasn’t as good as his mom’s, but he was pretty sure his purple eyes at least made it eerie. Probably. “I already paid for that. So give it here.”
“Now just hold on Mal,” Terry said, holding up a wrinkled hand covered in liver spots, “You hardly come in here anymore. Doesn’t give me much time to ask you questions. See how you boys are doing.”
“Adrien’s still short, Rudy is definitely going to be an aug athlete, and I’m grumpy about it. Oh and Emma gave Adrien and I a compliment.” Mal recited quickly, “Now can you please hand it over?”
“She did? Now that’s a fine young woman.”
“Hey! That’s my sister, old man!”
“Not what I wanted to check up on anyway,” Terry said with a dismissive wave of his ancient hand. “You know what I meant, Mal.”
“Fine,” Mal said, looking down at the old man impatiently. “One question.”
“I had to order this directly from that school, you know,” Terry said, “All the way up in Canada like it is, shipping cost me just as much as the puzzle. Four questions.”
“Shipping which I paid for,” Mal said, “One question.”
“And you woke me up from my nap,” Terry continued, “Three questions.”
“It’s the middle of the day, Terry, if you were napping it’s not my fault. One question.”
“If it’s the middle of the day, you’re playing hooky. Five questions and I won't tell your parents.”
“It’s still summer vacation, Terry. And it’s Saturday.” Mal said, “Two questions if you just hurry up and ask them.”
“That’s a win!” Terry chuckled like he’d just ripped Mal off, “I would have settled for one.”
Mal rolled his eyes. “Just ask.”
Terry reached beneath the countertop and pulled out a folded magazine. He pointed at an article with a wrinkled finger “It says here that-”
“We’re not aliens,” Mal said, having read ahead, “My mom is Eten but my dad is human. Pretty sure aliens would be able to have kids with humans.”
“Isn’t your mom literally named E.T.?” Rudy said.
“No,” Mal frowned, “That’s a mispronunciation she tolerates because your ears don’t work properly.”
“You do have good ears.” Adrien said.
“But those are her initials,” Rudy said, “That’s what I meant.”
“That doesn’t count!” Terry said, “I didn’t ask the question yet.”
“Technically Etens are humans,” Adrien provided, “Kind of. DNA sequencing suggests you’re kind of like a different breed of human.”
“Like a dog?” Rudy said, “You’re saying Etens are the magic dog version of humans?”
“I’m not,” Adrien said, “Science is.”
“Now who’s racist?” Mal grumbled.
“Science.”
Mal rolled his eyes and turned back to Terry. “It does count. And you got to find out that Etens are kind of human actually. Next question.”
“Fine,” Terry said, “But for this one I want a full explanation. What’s with Etens and food?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” Mal said, “It’s cultural. Before the Merge, food was scarce for Etens for a few hundred years, or year equivalents I guess. Anyway, preparation, use, and consumption of all food materials became really important, both to our culture and our survival. Everything we do around food that’s a bit weird for humans is a result of that.”
“Why were you running out of food?” Terry asked.
“Nope! Two questions only.” Mal said, “Now hand it over or I’ll come back there and take it from you.”
“Are all young people this ungrateful or just you?” Terry grumbled, but handed the cube over.
Mal snatched it out of his hands with a laugh. “Perfect, thanks Terry! See you next week!”
“I'll have more questions!” Terry called but Mal was already out of the shop, leaving Rudy and Adrien behind. Terry sighed, “Teenagers.”
“Sorry about Mal,” Adrien said, “You know how he gets.”
“We’ll be sure to yell at him for you, Terry.” Rudy said.
“You two are good boys,” Terry gave them a withered smile, “But you’d better get out of here. It looks like Mal is about to walk into traffic with that thing.”
Rudy glanced over his shoulder, “Oh god, you’re right. Thanks Terry!”
“See you next week, old man.” Adrien said, following Rudy out of the store.
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“I can’t believe Rudy had to pull you out of traffic,” Adrien said as the trio walked back to Mal’s house. Mal was still absorbed in his new puzzle and his movements were guided by Rudy, whose hand was firmly clenched around the collar of Mal’s shirt.
“It’s fine. Sorry.” Mal said, not looking up from the puzzle box. The box was genius, and also not a box. It was a sphere, about the size of a softball and made from a white metal. The metal was covered in dark blue streaks that swirled like paint as if it were being mixed. Mal moved his fingers across the surface of the sphere and the blue streaks followed and flowed with them. The goal of the puzzle was to weave certain spells using spell forms as if one were really using magic. The sphere could ask its user to weave a specific spell, or create their own spell that achieved a specific requirement. Mal had only just started and the puzzles were devilishly complex, requiring his full concentration, which he happily gave them, leading to the traffic incident.
“Forget it, Adrien, he’s lost to us,” Rudy said as he tugged Mal out of the way of oncoming pedestrians. They turned to look at Mal as he walked passed, though out of confusion or curiosity it was hard to say. A lot of people had never seen an Eten in person.
“I’m not lost,” Mal said absently, “I live in Pasadena. I’m sure we haven’t left yet.” Mal flicked his fingers and swore as the sphere flashed red and returned to a neural state.
“No, you’re right here with us,” Adrien said, “We’re having a great conversation.”
“Exactly.” Mal swore again as the sphere flashed red. “No, I know that movement was right. Stupid thing is broken already.”
“So you can put it down and tell us why Etens were running out of food?” Adrien said.
“Fifty million Etens, not a lot of space.” Mal said, not putting down the sphere, or even looking up from it. “Not that hard to figure out.”
“Not a lot of space?” Rudy snorted, “They Merged and took out half of Canada!”
“Not half,” Adrien said, “Just Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and a big chunk of Ontario. But way more than enough for fifty million people.”
Mal didn’t respond, instead shouting in excitement as the sphere flashed green.
“Mal?” Rudy said.
“Hm? What?” Mal looked up from the sphere. Stupid athlete couldn’t tell when he was about to start another puzzle. “What is it, Rudy?”
“Uh, we were saying…” Rudy trailed off as Mal turned back to the puzzle in his hands, “Never mind.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Adrien said, “We’ll get him home and into the kitchen with his mom. He won’t be able to be distracted then.”
“Good idea. She’d rather die than let anyone disrespect her kitchen.”
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“This is not going as planned,” Adrien said, half an hour later. He was standing in the Thomas’s immaculate kitchen. Rudy was sitting at the table, munching on a plate of snacks that Eeleei produced from nowhere the moment he sat down. They looked like little cookie sandwiches, but instead of a sweet jam or chocolate filling surrounded by delicious cookies, magic had been used to make something bright blue surrounded by something even brighter blue. They were still delicious though, and likely a lot healthier.
Mal, his mother, and his sister, Ophi, were standing in a tight circle, playing with the new puzzle box.
“Oh, that is clever,” Eeleei said when the orb flashed purple, “You said you got this at that human mage’s shop.” Eeleei made a violent chopping motion with her palm and a small, red wave of solid light was left in its wake.
“He ordered it special for me,” Mal said. “It was made by that new professor.”
“I don’t get it,” Ophi said, taking the sphere from her brother, “How did Malenthiar do that?”
“He skipped several spell forms from the original weave,” Eeleei smiled down at her daughter. While Mal took after his father, Ophi took after her mother, which meant she was properly proportioned and extremely cute. She did share some traits with Mal, namely her skin, eyes, and hair. Ophi’s skin was the same shade as Mal’s although not as bright, as though someone had dimmed a light that shone from beneath her skin whereas Mal’s light was turned to full power. Her eyes and hair were the opposite, both purple, but in a lighter shade than Mal’s own, which were so dark they were almost black. “I think that might be too advanced for you right now.”
“That’s not fair,” Ophi said, “I’m almost fourteen. Mal was doing that since he was twelve.”
“Yeah, well you can actually weave spells,” Mal complained.
“Yeah it’s pretty great,” Ophi’s smile literally sparkled as magic danced across her teeth.
Mal’s father laughed from where he stood beside Adrien, “You’ll be hard pressed to distract them from magic,” Oscar said, “I think it’s the only thing Eeleei takes more seriously than her kitchen.”
“I’m beginning to see that,” Adrien said. He sat down at the table in Mal’s spot, denoted by a faded piece of paper that was fused with the wood beneath it. “Hey Mal, why don’t you tell us what’s so special about that sphere?”
“It’s-one sec, I just want to finish-” Mal, Eeleei, and Ophi all groaned as the sphere flashed red. “Damn. Did you see what I did wrong there, Mom?”
“Maybe,” Eeleei frowned, “Are there solutions?”
“I haven’t checked.” Mal looked up from the orb. “Hey, did you guys grab the box this thing came in?”
“No.”
“Yes.” Rudy said with a disapproving look at Mal. “You left it in the parking lot outside of Terry’s.”
“Oops. Thanks for grabbing it. Can you check to see if there is anything else in there?”
“Sure,” Rudy shrugged, “Not like I’m doing anything else.”
“Sorry,” Mal winced, “And thanks.”
“Looks like there’s something here. It’s a booklet,” Rudy flipped it over, revealing a picture of a man on the cover. “Hey, who the heck is this?”
Adrien glanced at the cover briefly, “That’s Professor Pewter.”
“That’s Professor Pewter?” Rudy stared at the photo, “Are you sure?”
Eeleei glanced over at Rudy, “Professor Pewter? Why would he be on the cover?”
“I told you, Mom, he’s the one who made this thing.” Mal said.
“Professor Pewter made this? The Professor Pewter?” Eeleei was just as shocked as Rudy.
“Yeah. I told you that. Just now.”
“You said the new professor made it. You meant at the Institute?”
“Who’s Professor Pewter?” Ophi asked, “He’s from the Institute? The one in Canada?”
“That’s him, according to this,” Rudy said, tossing the booklet to Ophi. She caught it. On the cover was an outrageously attractive man of about thirty-five. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt that showed off his well muscled arms that were completely covered with a plethora of intricate, winding tattoos.
“Oh wow,” Ophi said, “He’s hot. And human”
Rudy scowled. He hated being second in anything, and Ophi never showed him the slightest interest.
“It says he’s in his sixties,” Mal read over his sister’s shoulder, “or older. How can you be in your sixties or older?”
“That must be an old photo.” Ophi said.
“Don’t be so sure,” Eeleei said, “Magic slows aging and there are plenty of cosmetic weaves. Why do you think your father looks younger now than he did a year ago?”
“I figured he earned a point and put it in Ichor,” Mal said, “Are you giving him magic facelifts?”
“Among other things,” Eeleei confirmed.
“I don’t get it, what’s so special about this guy teaching at the Institute?” Rudy said. He tried to sound casual but he wasn’t quite pulling it off. “He’s got nothing on the best aug athletes, right? I mean, his name is Professor Pewter.”
Mal, Eeleei, and Ophi shot him synchronized, matching looks of derision.
“Do you practice that?” Adrien said, “It’s impressive.”
“Professor Daniel Pewter, was known to us before the Merge ever happened,” Eeleei said, “He was one of the few mages capable enough to actually make the journey across dimensions and visit our people. He always brought food.”
“There’s a reason he is allowed to teach at the Institute,” Mal said, “Apparently he was a very important factor for both Canada and Etens during the negotiation period.”
“He’s a human that teaches Etens magic,” Ophi said, as if that trumped everything else, “Plus, he’s so hot.”
“Exactly,” Eeleei said with a definitive nod.
“I’m not sure I like where this conversation is headed,” Oscar laughed. “I’ll have to call him up and have a stern word with him.”
“Dad, you know him?” Mal said.
“Know is a strong word. I met him when I was stationed at the American embassy in Macei. Interesting fellow, a bit awkward though.” Oscar said.
“Oh.” Mal glanced over his sister’s shoulder again. “Ophi, whatcha looking at?”
“A stat sheet,” she said, “It says it’s Professor Pewter’s, but it can’t be right.”
“Let’s see!” Adrien jumped up from the kitchen table, followed closely by Rudy. Everyone crowded around the small booklet in Ophi’s hands. “People almost never publish their stats,” Adrien said. He tried to peer over Ophi’s shoulder, but was too short. “What’s it say?”
“Power 3. Alacrity 14. Ichor 4. Focus 27. Perseverance 27. Resolution 27.” Ophi said. “Like I said, it can’t be right-”
Mal snatched the booklet out of his sister’s hands. The highest published stat from anyone in the world was a Focus of 12 from a Spanish painter. If this was real, it would mean that record was shattered, and that was before the spell gave humans an advantage. But that wasn’t what Mal’s eyes were focused on.
“Mom.” Mal’s voice was quiet.
“I heard, Malenthiar.” Eeleei’s own voice was touched with a hint of awe. “I didn’t think it was possible. I’m sorry.”
Power 3. Ichor 4. There was hope for him yet.