SLAP SLAP SLAP
“Mordo, ej, mordo...”(Man, ayo, man…) Luke felt someone slapping his face gently. This way of waking up is starting to become a tradition he is not keen on. Groggily he opened his eyes, slowly waving his hands in front of him to stop his attacker.
Reddened eyes pierced by light shied away from being open. The migraine that welcomed him was terrible, like a jackhammer being used to do some restructuring inside his skull. He swayed to the side, hitting his face on the bed frame. Voice coming from behind the curtain of a hangover was getting lauder.
“Luke, Lukas! Where were you bro, what happened to you?” Someone asked with concern.
Neurons firing up with painful pops, his brain started remembering where he was. With a tortured gaze he recognized his morning torturer. It was his closes friend whom he rented the flat with, Lettuce. A year older then Luke, they met during the first year of University. Luke dragged him into his gym sessions promising to help him gain some mass and confidence. Matt, or Lettuce as most knew him was 1.85 m tall, around the height of Luke, when they met he weighed only 68 kg which considering his weed addiction and eating habits was a bigger paradox than even Luke’s powers.
The cheerful paranoid man sustaining himself mostly on fried chicken, sodas and chips quickly became his closest friend. If asked, neither he nor Luke could tell you when they became close, it simply happened. Since that time, Lettuce dropped out of Uni, earning money working in a mindless 8-6 job by day, and manically programming by night. He was chaotic, reckless and forgetful but also, he was the best friend Luke could ever ask for. In his darkest moment of need, he dropped everything to help and console Luke when he needed it the most. Even left the country with him to work abroad in hellish physical work that almost cracked him in half.
The two idiots looked at each other. Our protagonist smiling softly at the familiar face.
SLAP
“Ow, wtf man, I’m awake, I’m awake” He answered, pushing his way from the sad corner.
Looking around he saw the cause of concern his friend was stressing over, cracked furniture, broken shards of glass laying around and he himself looking like a dogs vomit.(a polish saying Jakby go pies wyrzygał)
He stood up, facing his pale friend and without a word he hugged him, cracking his ribs in a bear hug.
“OW OW OW ! Lukas ! WTF ?!” He said panicking, after he was released he asked:
“Now I’m really worried. Where were you? Why is your autistic ass hugging me? Are you dying?”
A booming laughter escaped Luke’s mouth, bending over while chuckling he answered:
“Nah, not for now at least.”
Looking at him skeptically, his friend took a step back. While Luke shambled by him to go to the toilet he followed him.
“Where were you, we were worried. Bubble came here asking for you, even Cupid called me, we thought you…you tried to do it again. What happened? Was it something to do with her?”
A moment past, when Luke splashed some water against his face, flushing away all the existential dread from the evening before, looking at his friend standing in the hall, he answered.
“Her? No, nooo… Honestly for the first time in a long time I forgot about all of that. Some shit went down, some serious shit to be honest with you. My phone broke and … I needed some time alone, I …went back to my home town. Yeah, back to my father. I needed some time to think things over. Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell you all about it once I settle down. Promise.”
Doubtful, but knowing how these kind of situations tend to go, he scrunched his face, looking like he wanted to start an argument. After a moment, the tension left his body and he simply shook his head.
“Fine, I trust you. Don’t do that again you fucking idiot. Even for you, going missing for over a weak is peak drama queen behavior.” He said, ending his statement with a cheeky smile.
“HAH! Learning from the best! Now be useful and tell me what day it is.”
“Thursday.”
“Ah fuck. I got to fix some shit at work and catch up on Uni.”
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“Are you sure you’re fine? You know we can talk ….”
“I do brother, I do, and we will, you have my promise, once I settle some things in my mind. Promise.” He answered forcing a smile.
Both looked at each other. Like a western standoff, they waited for a sign to shoot. Finally, Luke broke.
“Want to order some pizza? Maybe play some games?"
Relieved, Lettuce answered.
“Sure, but no hot sauce, you are crazy and my ass is sensitive. I’m not working today so we are free.”
With a quiet tension still floating in the air, they started laughing and talking meaningless shit between them.
A moment of break, a breath of fresh air. When the weight of reality(or realities) got put on a shelf for just a while, to let the mind rest.
After few hours, Luke left his friend to froth in pure rage at other players stealing his kills. His mind somewhat stable and mental walls holding against the invasion of panic and future ending in oblivion he called his close one.
After getting his fair share of curses and criticism, he laid down on his bed, letting his mind wander.
*Jesus, I needed that.* Luke appreciated the voice of reason his close ones bashed him with. It let him stay grounded in reality he previously lived in. Allowed him to anchor himself to safety when his mind sailed into unknown waters of magic.
Using his inner force he grabbed the Tome on top of his baggage, laying in his backpack. Flying shakily through the air, it landed in his hand. Monsoon showed him the basics of Telekinesis. As it turned out, manifesting phenomena like fire, water or any other elements was a lot more taxing then simply hooking onto something physical and dragging it closer towards you. It still required him to experience the weight displacement of the item on his body, but a leather bound book was negligible.
He opened the first page, enjoying the coarse leather filling the inside of his palms.
“Introduction to basic forces: how your will shall become reality.” He read out loud.
Focusing on absorbing as much theory as he could, he allowed his mind to consume the knowledge presented. His energy subconsciously reacting to new possibilities his mind discovered. Adapting. Adjusting.
Two hours passed with a blink of an eye. All the knowledge nestled in his head like never before, his focus unbroken he summoned another tome. Introduction to Earths most common sigils and commonly used spells.
That took a bit longer, by the next morning his shaping skills reached beginner levels. Allowing him the simplest of forms to influence reality.
The crab man told no lies. While he could feel the interference of the Void while shaping energies surrounding him, as long as they remained contained and closed off in their circuits it was possible, with some struggle, to cast basic sigils and spells.
The rune forcing unprotected locks to open and close was laughably simple. It was almost amazing how easily he could break into anywhere he wished right now.
Next came the mind fog or distraction brand. A sigil meant to disorient any mortal and make, what he witness, easily forgettable, their minds already wanted to correct what they’ve seen to fit into what they understood as reality. This sigil simply gave them an extra push.
After that came the Persuasion spell, which almost made Luke cry a tear, wishing he knew about it before. Simply conviction enhancement that could …persuade the recipient into agreeing with the caster. Raise? Credit? Getting into new job? Done with a flick of a wrist and a cast of a thought.
Every new thing he learned filled him with joy and fear. It was crazy how easy it is to twist peoples minds and influence their will. Forcing love or hate upon mortals was easier than ordering things online. He wasn’t surprised their lives meant nothing to those Awakened. Manipulation of what he considered reality was as easy as a snap of a finger.
Closing the Tome with a loud thud he exhaled deeply.
*NO, I will not be like that. Easy as it may be, they are still people, it is still a reality for them, even if not full. Taking advantage of that will make me worse that even that Nazi piece of shit that got me into all this trouble.*
Reminding himself of his oppressor a silence filled the room. After a second he said into the air:
“What should I do about that fucker?”