Mike

(Colosseum, Academy Grounds)

"Students, welcome to your first official day of Gift Training. I am Professor Clarissa Evile, and next to me are my fellow instructors for this class. To my right, professors Dranor and Leanor Feught, Fire and Water specialists respectively, as well as Felicity Cheney, our Physical Enhancement expert. To my left, Emily Wrexom and Bernum Fraxis, our air and ground specialists respectively. I am the esoteric magic instructor, specializing in the lesser utilized magics like psychic manipulation and telekineses, as well as teaching their practical applications. You will be grouped according to your Gift, which you will announce to your instructor once your name is called. Please group up as you believe best, and we will sort you further once we know your gifts." she spoke with unmistakable authority.

The students split up and Mike headed to Mr. Feught along with the other fire-users. The Professor was well built and rather short, with fiery ginger hair and a stern square face, his gauntlet-strapped arms crossed, waiting for his students. Mike was surprised to see how few fire-related Chosen there were of the 300 students at House Zayin, it seemed that around only 30 had fire properties. The larger groups seemed destined for Professor Cheney for Physical enhancement and Professor Evile for Esoterics. Mike was a little nervous, especially since he knew for a fact that his Gift was unique. Would the professors even know what to do with it? That's when a thick Irish accent cut through his thoughts

"Alright, welcome everyone. As you know, my name is Dranor. Feel free to use my name or 'sir' in my classes, and Professor Feught outside of class, most legacy Chosen are quite particular about this. If you're truly a fire Chosen, I'll be your practical instructor for your foreseeable future at this academy. When I point you out, please give me your name and that of your Gift. I know practically every fire Gift you could possess, so I'll know whether you need to move elsewhere. Once I'm done with you, move over to the target area. Do not use your Gift until I'm done with roll-call unless asked. There will be consequences if you do. Alright, first up, you." he pointed to a muscly guy who Mike had yet to meet.

The sorting went by really quickly, especially since a few of them had the same Gift. It allowed Mike to put everyone's name and Gift above their heads through the Link. A useful little cheat sheet he knew would come in handy. He was pretty bad with names after all.

Didn't even know that was possible! I really need some alone time with the Link to figure it out, it's so useful but I know next to nothing about it!

"You." Dranor pointed at him. Mike was among the last four students to get picked. They were standing a few meters away from each other, though Mike felt comfortable answering from where he stood. It seemed the professor wasn't a big conversationalist, so Mike decided to keep it brief.

"I'm Mike Baker, and my Gift is called Will o' Wisp."

Dranor blinked, pausing for just a second. "Show me." he commanded.

Mike activated his Gift and the glowing blue Wisp winked into existence, immediately floating around Mike's head playfully. The professor cocked his head at the little flame and frowned, before commenting, "It's similar to Flare in dimension, though with weak heat, and the blue color is strange... let me see."

The professor reached one muscly arm toward the Wisp from where he stood, clenching his fingers as though he were squashing an invisible apple in his hand. That's when the strangest feeling jolted in Mike's stomach. It felt as though someone was trying to pull him inside out, like an invisible hand was reaching inside him and tugging at his essence. The Wisp immediately stopped its usual dance and became impossibly still, like a perfect flame in a windless room. Dranor eyes furrowed, oblivious to Mike's discomfort. His attention was fixed on the unmoving fire. That's when the pulling sensation increased and became incredibly uncomfortable. Mike wobbled on his feet, eyes glazing over, failing to notice how the Wisp looked as though it were being sucked towards the professor, who was now using both hands to 'pull' the Wisp towards him.

The Wisp's form stuttered and shook, as though a wind were now blowing through the once still room, though the flame was 'pulling' away from the vacuum that threatened to claim it. "Mike, was it? I don't know how you're doing it but stop resisting. I just want to look at your fire." Dranor intoned patiently.

Mike came back to himself quickly, now noticing the sight of the Wisp, the uncomfortable feeling unabated as the professor continued to play a tug of war with the Wisp. "Sir, I promise, I'm not doing anything, but this doesn't feel so great, so please..."

"Nonsense. It's not as though a simple inspection would harm you in any way. Now give the flame over so I can examine it, and we can get started with class." he spoke with a rising tone of irritation. Mike didn't know what to do, but he did know he was feeling horrible and completely unsettled. There was something else too. The Wisp, it was as though...

"I'll try sir. but please just stop pulling, it's..." Mike pleaded.

"I don't have time for this."

Dranor's stance changed. In the span of a few seconds, he moved into an active stance and crashed his gauntlets together. A shower of sparks cascaded from them, which in turn erupted into intense yellow flames, wrapping around his arms like cords. Out of his now outstretched hands, a small funnel of fire began rapidly rotating until it began to sound like the whipping of a particularly large fan. That was when the tug of war turned into what felt like a disembowelment. Mike cried out in pain, falling to his knees and clutching his stomach. Time seemed to slow for Mike just then, and the pain of the Wisp being pulled away was replaced by a rising warmth. It was the most comforting feeling, almost as if someone was hugging him from the inside. That's when he 'heard' it.

"I'll protect you, Mike, promise!"

A mind within a mind, a thought inside a thought. Mike reeled at the sensation, and yet he knew immediately what it was.

Time resumed once more, and the most incredible sight was burned into every student's mind. The Wisp, instead of resisting the pull, allowed itself to shoot toward the professor, who practically recoiled at the sudden movement. That was when the Wisp dipped low and exploded with an impressive boom in front of him into an enormous ball of blue flame, scorching hot, even from where Mike was standing. That would have been rather impressive a spectacle all by itself, however, the Wisp reformed into a gigantic version of itself and opened up like a mouth, aimed right at the professor. The entire Colosseum came to a standstill as every person clamped their ears shut when a roar like the sound of a mountain colliding with a cliff face ripped through the dome.

Every eye was now on the enormous ball of blue flame, which promptly winked out of existence, returning to its normal size and floating once more around Mike's head. Mike went slack-jawed, along with every fire user and the neighboring water users as well. It was then that they noticed a human-shaped yellow blaze partially sunk into the ground, its arms braced in an 'X' and a wall of flame in front of it. The figure slowly relaxed its pose, and the fires surrounding it dimmed and almost winked out entirely, revealing the professor, who stepped out of the red-hot depression in the ground, and strode towards Mike with fierce determination. Mike struggled to his feet, noting that not a thread of the professor's clothing was even partially singed.

Dranor came to a stop a conversational distance from Mike and folded his arms.

He looks pissed. What the hell just happened!? Did Wisp just talk to me? Am I gonna die?

All were valid thoughts if the look on the professor's face was anything to go by.

"Boy, I don't know whether to be mad, irritated, or impressed by what just happened. But seeing as you were clearly hurting, and I was ignorant of that, I'll let the reaction slide just this once. But let me be clear, you pull a stunt like that again, and I'll have your ass kicked out of here so fast you'll wish you never said yes to the Agreement in the first place. Am. I. Clear?" Dranor's voice was dangerously low. Mike couldn't help but nod at the intimidating request.

"Good!" he swung his arms behind his back and broke into a grin. "Now that we have an understanding, how did you do that?"

Mike was stumped. He had no idea what had just happened, never mind how.

"Uhhh, would it be okay if I said I don't...know?." Mike answered sheepishly, cringing at the irritable look that flashed over the professor's face. Dranor sighed in resignation at that, and instead said, "Alright, kid. You don't have to answer now, but you and I are gonna figure out what happened one way or another alright? So start figuring it out for yourself. Show me your Gift page." he commanded.

Mike breathed a sigh of relief. and projected his Gift's information.

I get to live another day!

An opaque screen winked into existence in front of them both, displaying the requested information.

• Gift - Will o' Wisp •

• Type - Unknown •

• Effect - Unknown •

• Sub-effects - Unknown •

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

• Level - 1 •

• Proficiency - None •

• Advancement potential - Error? •

Confusion crossed Dranor's face, becoming rapidly concerned, before turning furious.

"It seems that today you have chosen to test me, Mike." he said, folding his arms. "You better give me a damn good reason why I'm looking at a joke instead of your Gift page, or this Academy will see its first expulsion of the year in the next 10 seconds." he said in the calmest yet dangerous voice Mike had ever heard.

I am so dead.

* * * * *

Joe

(The Aurora)

"Amazing!!! Could you do that again? I forgot to turn on the infrared sensor." Joe said excitedly, hurrying over to the sensor. E'rel nodded, raising his arms to ready another air blast. Joe spoke into his phone, recording his voice.

"Test No.24, Earl Air Blast, now with Infrared activated." Joe then nodded to E'rel who promptly fired off a blast of air, the dull 'whump' clearly showcasing its passage.

"Earl, you're amazing!"

"Thank you for your kind words, however, my name is not 'Earl, it's E'rel."

"Potato potado, look, I'm seriously impressed! Isn't it amazing to have these sorts of powers? Man! What I'd give to be one of you! I actually have a buddy who's busy studying right now at 'The Academy'! He's like, the first wave or something like that!" Joe exclaimed excitedly.

"How fortunate that you know a Chosen already. If I may ask, how do you intend to measure the effect of my blasts when all your instruments are pointed at me? Do you not require observation of the effects of magical phenomena on other objects?" E'rel asked dispassionately, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh shoot!" Joe exclaimed. "You're right! I just got so caught up in the magic I totally forgot about that! Let me quickly get a few objects and sensors together, wait right there!" he called over his shoulder, already heading to the storage units once more. Earlier, he had hauled out some ancient equipment Va'al had led him to, and requested for it to be configured in what the other scientists had called 'primitive' ways. He'd retorted by stating that every race had to start somewhere, which promptly shut down all commentary on his methods. E'rel glanced over the incredibly outdated equipment Joe was using. Physical sensors were clustered around E'rel in a crescent shape and hooked up to so many cables E'rel was certain it was some sort of hazard. Though the equipment was old, it was still centuries more sophisticated than Earth's current technology. Joe had said, 'Where else would you get a mobile MRI that isn't a giant noisy coffin?'. Humans were rather peculiar.

Joe had returned holding literal scrap metal and junk in his hands. "Hey Earl, do you guys have some old pressure sensors lying around anywhere? Also, I must ask, what optical sensors do you have on the receiving end of the blast chamber? It has to have some cameras, right? I couldn't find any in storage that I can use." he spoke quickly, still holding his pile of junk. Before E'rel could respond, Ta'rel appeared, eyeing the monstrosity of equipment scattered around before landing on Joe and smirking. "Well, don't you look like a rather eager 'mad scientist'.

Joe grinned dumbly. "Thanks! Yeah, really mad, really scientist! I mean, really eager. For the experiment, of course."

"Not to 'dampen your spirits', as humans like to say, but Va'al insisted I tell you that it's the equivalent of 8 in the morning, and seeing as you've been awake for more than 24 hours at this point, he insists you try to rest. We won't touch your...experiment while you rest, you have our word." she said reassuringly. "That, and allow me to bring you a few pressure sensors. The physical kind only, yes? There are optical recorders in the chamber as well, I'm sure we could configure them the same way you configured these sensors and let you study them. You can't very well carry all of these into the blast chamber, can you?" she said as she navigated the wires and made her way to the store room.

"Wow, how do you get any work done when she's around?" Joe glanced back wistfully after her.

"It can be challenging to work efficiently with her incessant chattering, though she is still young and enthusiastic as my mentor said. He has told me to have patience with her. It is a challenge I have found to be most intriguing." he said seriously.

Joe looked at him somewhat mortified. "Earl, how can you... you know what, never mind. The less competition the better." he mumbled as he stepped into the chamber, placing the little bits of junk on a platform inside.

"I enjoy competitions. I usually succeed in winning. Are you saying you wish the have a competition to see which of us is more patient with Ta'rel?" E'rel spoke dispassionately.

Joe set down his last bit of scrap gently before turning around to look at E'rel quizzically. "You're on, man. Because I can assure you, there is no way I would lose. Not in a million years." he said folding his arms in challenge.

"Fascinating. However, I am not a 'man', I am Livari. A million years is a rather lengthy gambit. I am not certain that the time frame is acceptable for me. Perhaps, until the end of your stay here would be suitable?" E'rel stated matter-of-factly.

"Now That, I can get behind!" Joe said with a grin as he walked up to E'rel and shook his hand.

"Why are we shaking hands? Did you not already greet me today? Also, what will you be approaching the rear of exactly?"

"It's...just a way of confirming our competition." Joe said in exasperation. Just then Ta'rel returned with tiny metal cubes in hand.

"Here are a few of the sensors you requested. They won't interface with your devices physically, though I'm certain we can connect them via different means. I must reiterate to you Joe, this is the last experiment you do before you go and rest. Va'al insists." she said with a slight smile, handing over the cubes.

"That's fine, I'm pretty beat if I'm honest. Could you interface with these to connect via Bluetooth to my Tablet? It uses UHF radio waves. I don't need live feed, just the data during the actual test."

"Sure, that won't be problematic. Though, as inspiring as this is to see, do you have a program to interpret the data with?" she asked quizzically.

Joe's face fell. "No, I don't. I've honestly just been requesting the raw data packages in whatever formats they come so that I could run the experiments as fast as possible. I don't have a lot of time, so I wanted to work quickly..." Joe trailed off.

For the first time, Ta'rel interrupted. "Oh! Well, in that case, would it be a bother if I created a program for you? It would automatically be able to interpret any data package you input, and you can then analyze the findings!" she practically chirped, before looking horrified, and then incredibly crestfallen. "My sincerest apologies, I allowed my excitement to cloud the scientific process."

"No way, you're amazing!" Joe beamed at her, clearly catching her off guard. "The time on this ship has been the most exciting time of my life, I'm really glad someone else is also excited by science!" he said hurriedly. Ta'rel looked stupefied by Joe's words and was about to respond when E'rel interrupted.

"Joe, shall we get this experiment underway?"

"Uh, yes! Let's do that. Don't wanna keep you out of your work any further. So, I just attach these cubes to the objects and they'll...just pick up the force readings? Should I be worried they'll break?" he asked Ta'rel.

She came out of her dazed state and immediately answered. "Fear not, these sensors are made to withstand far more than simple magical blasts. They will record the force, direction, and shape of each blast. Once you finish your rest, I'll have the information laid out for you on your 'tablet', once I've written the program of course." she spoke professionally.

"You are an Angel, I swear." Joe muttered under his breath before saying, "Thank you very much Ta'rel! I really appreciate this!" he said trotting off to place the tiny cubes.

Ta'rel looked at E'rel who shot her a confused look. "You are a supernatural being that does the bidding of God? I think Joe is mistaken. You are clearly Livari." he stated before Joe came back.

"Alright, last experiment for the night. Or day. Whatever. Test No. 25, Earl Air Blast, now with pressure sensors and targets. Fire Away!"

Unbeknownst to Joe, the slightest hue of bright green colored the cheeks of one young and impressionable scientist who would never forget the words spoken that day.