Mike

(Colosseum, Academy Grounds)

Mike was seeing stars.

His eyes had been closed, and colors had swirled in his 'magic vision'. It was when the Wisp began pushing him back and he had to brace against the ground that he finally opened his eyes. That's when he stopped breathing as well. In many boy's imaginations, at some point, they've wished they had powers. Maybe webs slinging out their wrists, or maybe telekinetic powers while swinging laser swords. Mike's eyes had opened when he felt the force of the Wisp pushing him back. He'd been so focused on pouring his magic into the Wisp, he hadn't noticed what was happening to it.

He couldn't believe his eyes. He was partly terrified and partly thrilled that a literal jet of flame was pouring out of his hand... and growing too! He felt hot, like his hands were on fire from the inside, and his whole body felt like he was in an oven. Then his vision went slightly spotty and he lost his focus, his legs giving out as he crumpled to the floor, the acrid smell of burning grass in his nose as he heaved a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Whoa! That...was me!? I did that? I've gotta remember to breathe though, I wanna do that again!

"Mike! Are you okay?" Dranor flipped Mike over, concern creasing his brow. When Mike saw him he laughed, or thought he did, it came out as more of a wheeze. He really needed to breathe.

"Sorry sir, but I...think I...forgot to breathe!" Mike said, this time managing to get the laughter he was feeling out properly.

Damn, is magic supposed to be this difficult?... I feel sleepy...

Mike went white as a sheet and promptly passed out, much to Dranor's amusement.

"Alright, I didn't think we'd be talking about this so soon, but did you all see that?" Dranor asked the rest of the fire group, which had begun gathering around bit by bit after the massive jet had gone out. They nodded dumbly. "Can any of you tell me why Mike over here passed out?"

Mutterings of "He got too hot?", "He probably didn't eat enough.", and "Low blood pressure?" went around the group before Aden piped up.

"The guy probably ran out of magic. Maybe that's why he passed out," he said, folding his arms and scowling at Mike's still form.

Dranor put his fingers to his mouth and issued a shrill whistle before turning his attention to the group once more. "Aden is the closest to being right, though, in Mike's case, it's a little different. He did, however, expend a massive amount of magic in a colossal and very inefficient way, and since he doesn't know how to control his magic flow, he also stopped breathing, overloading his nervous system and passing out." he gestured to Mike, who was still blissfully unaware that he was the center of a circle of fire users who were discussing his current state.

A blonde uniformed lady came jogging from the cafeteria area, arriving rather swiftly in response to Dranor's whistle. She took one look at Mike and hoisted him up in an expert bridal carry. "Infirmary?" she asked Dranor.

"Yeah, let him sleep it off, he has Magic Theory in 2 hours, so kick him awake if he isn't up by then. Thanks Janine."

She nodded seriously, before turning away and jogging back towards the cafeteria.

"Alright, don't worry about Mike, he'll be fine, you'll all probably experience something similar as we go along with your training. It happens to everyone in differing ways, though you'll see that there's a limit to just how hard you can push a body, even if it's magically enhanced like all of you. Alright, to the track, let's move!" he bellowed.

* * * * *

Joe

(The Aurora)

Joe woke with a start as his Space Wars alarm went off. He fumbled in the covers a little before mashing the button off and staggering to the bathroom to do his morning ablutions. A bleary-eyed Joe sat back down on the bed and gazed off into space, groaning as his eyes fought to remain shut with what felt like the force of Jupiter's gravity. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he willed himself to grab the tablet and try to wake his mind up somewhat.

I'm gonna ask them to give me one of these mattresses to take home, I swear, that was the best four-hour sleep of my life.

E'rel's blood vessels were still highlighted, showing the unique fourth type of blood cell, lighting up when E'rel cast his wind blast. It was an enigma to Joe, to say the least.

Damn, what does this mean? 'Find the origin of magic', sure, easy right? Maybe...well, E'rel did say he couldn't elaborate on the cell, so at least I'm on the right path...

Joe's eyes went wide at that thought, reducing the fog in his brain somewhat.

Gosh, I only just realized that! This is a piece of the puzzle, but...which one? He thought groggily. I really need a coffee...

Joe turned to a small cubicle, which he was assured had clothes his size he could wear for his stay. That was when the voice of his mother shrieked in his mind, reminding him of that one night a year ago when he and Mike had an all-nighter gaming into the morning after a day of PE. She'd opened the closed door and exclaimed, "Joe! No, you're a teenager now, that means you reek if you don't wash yourself! Go take a shower or you get no bacon this morning! Mike, that goes for you too! Gosh you two, the smell!" It hadn't helped that his sister poked her head in at that moment too and wrinkled her nose at them both, commenting, "Boys are gross!" before racing off to follow her mother.

Joe grinned at the memory, but instead of trolling the Livari ship the way he did his family that day, he traipsed back into the bathroom and decided he would clean himself.

Thank goodness they showed me how to use these things, I would have had no idea otherwise! Joe stood in what looked like a marble square room, large enough to fit ten people inside A glowing panel on the wall needed to be pressed, and then a selection of wash types could be selected. He couldn't recall what all the options did, apart from Sonic and UV, but they had highlighted water and its sub-settings for him, so that's what he had focused on remembering. He selected the water, and an inverse fountain of water appeared from the floor in the center. There was no soap since apparently the water 'had it' already, all he needed to do was 'wash like you normally would.' He then pressed the 'foam', 'droplet', and 'wind' sub-settings as he had been shown, and he moved towards the center. That was where his instructions ended, and the rest, he'd been told, would be 'normal enough'.

What he hadn't been expecting was that the moment he stepped towards the fountain it moved towards him. He almost yelped when he realized what was happening until it was gently bubbling around his legs. Joe experimented by moving closer to the center. The water moved along with him, seemingly organically following him wherever he went. Not wanting to waste too much time, yet marveling at the experience, Joe decided to just get on with it. He began working his way up from his feet. The water seemed to move as high as his hands did, and the water was incredibly soapy indeed! He closed his eyes as he reached his face and hair, and the water somehow managed to practically cover him, yet still allow him to breathe. He dropped his hands from his head, realizing that now that his whole body was soapy, he couldn't open his eyes, and didn't know what to do next. The water seemed to somehow know this, however, and proceeded to change in composition.

Clear water, devoid of soap, yet still the correct temperature rinsed him from the top down as he worked the soap out of every crevice. The water lowered bit by bit, until no soap remained, and the water disappeared entirely. Joe didn't stand around dripping for long though, as a gentle rush of warm air buffeted him from every side, gradually increasing in strength as he realized the room was now drying him too! He raised his arms and after a few short minutes, he was dry and able to walk out the alien shower fountain.

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Best. Shower. Ever!!! He thought, stars practically beaming in his eyes at the experience. He took the pile of clothes they'd offered him and found them to be the most comfortable, yet light and airy bits of clothing he'd ever worn. They looked like a beige set of cotton tee's and shorts, with a pair of sandals/slippers to finish it off. The ensemble was nothing like he'd ever worn before. More soft and light to the touch than any luxury fabric he'd ever felt, wearing them made him feel more energized. The slandals (he dubbed them) looked like closed-toe slippers that had been given sandal straps. They were also very soft, yet they made him feel lighter, as though nothing were too difficult to undertake.

Wait, I feel Really good in these. Definitely gotta ask about them. Maybe I could take them home?...

A chime sounded which let him know that someone was at the door. He approached the door and when it opened, he found himself greeting Va'al, who had a tray of food floating beside him.

"Hello, sir! Good morning!" Joe sputtered when he realized who it was.

"My, such energy for so little sleep, were we wrong in establishing that humans require at least 8 hours for healthy function?" he said with a slightly chiding tone and a lopsided smile.

Joe grimaced inwardly but decided to humor him. "No sir, you weren't wrong. This will probably come to bite me in the butt once I'm done here, but for now, it's alright. It's worth it for this!" he gestured to the ship all around him.

Va'al smiled fully and presented Joe with his tray. "Well, as long as you understand what you're doing. Come, let's go to your workstation. We can talk over breakfast." he said, before taking off to the lab that was just a few meters away. Joe hurriedly followed, the tray somehow managing to be both held by him and simultaneously not spill a drop of...purple goo juice? He'd basically slammed the tray into the wall while entering the lab, which should have sent his yellow cherry-looking breakfast flying, yet it simply did a small shudder while Joe looked on, stupified. Shaking his head, he carried the tray and his tablet to his desk where Va'al had already taken a seat, looking at him expectantly.

"Okay sir, so," he said, placing everything down and showing Va'al the tablet. "So far, I've been able to deduce a few things about magic, going from no frame of reference, nor any real hints about what I'm actually looking for. I forgot some things in the process of setting up the sensors, but according to the most basic scans," he paused his monologue, selecting a tab in Ta'rel's app to show heat signatures. "Once magic is cast, it heats the skin by a few degrees for a moment, before cooling off almost instantly. I then took a look at the MRI and MRA scans," once more he shifted tabs. "As you can see, once E'rel casts, it's not just his skin, but his very blood lit up, the flow increasing drastically as he casts. That was when I also noticed this." Va'al's face was impassive but inwardly, he was intrigued at the young man's findings.

Joe zoomed into the blood vessels like before, highlighting the little x-shaped cells that glowed while a spell was being performed. "At first I thought E'rel had some disease, but then he assured me this cell was normal. Humans only have 3 types of blood cells, so seeing a fourth, and in such plenty, was alarming. I fell asleep after that, but as of right now, I have a few theories as to what this might mean. Either, these cells are the source of magic itself, and occur naturally in magical beings, or...well, like I said, I slept, so I haven't had a chance to think more. Or look over the other sensors. Sorry." he cringed at the admission.

Va'al had pursed his lips during the last bit of the explanation, before allowing a short silence and the slightest of smiles after Joe finished. "I knew you had a singular mind, Joe. Your scientific process is astute, and your approach is logical, congratulations. As a reward for finding the first of the three magical tenants on day one, I will give you a hint to help you going forward." Va'al smirked.

Wait, this is a lot of info he's already let slide...First of three magical tenants? Okay, so I Was on the right path then! Joe grinned eagerly.

"The blood cells you saw are not the source of magic," Va'al said simply, before standing up and leaving the lab. Joe watched him leave, befuddled by the strange hint. "Good work Joe, keep it up!" he said over his shoulder just before the lab doors shut. Joe looked back at his tablet and quickly typed out the notes of what Va'al had just said so he could remember them.

It's not like I'll forget something so important though! Joe thought to himself in indignation. He grabbed one of the large yellow fruits and bit into it, folding his arms as he sat chewing the slightly banana-flavored cherry. A smile crept onto his face. This place, this fruit, this journey...it's all so, well, magical! Why have I been given this chance? I know what they say, but I'm just a kid. Our species is like the Indians watching Columbus come ashore. We are so far removed from what they have, from what they're capable of. I feel like I was told to figure out how to make a working gun, and I just figured out that you need a barrel to make it work. Haven't even gotten to the gunpowder or bullets yet...

Joe bit a massive chunk out of his breakfast and quickly pushed the tray aside. "A gun!" he tried to shout. He actually said something more along the lines of "Agwuan" while trying to chew and exclaim at the same time. thoughts raced furiously in his head. He made sure his laptop was still running and typed away furiously into his notes.

I've been struggling to figure out the what of the issue, but how can I do that if I don't know the how!? It's just an analogy, but if I think about magic like a gun, we might be able to find out the other two 'tenents' of magic! So, if the blood is not the source, it must fit in some other way. Like a barrel? If magic is a gun, a gun needs a few things.

1. The gun itself, which is a platform. It includes the handle/stock, the trigger, barrel, springs, and whatever other bits it might need, like a sight or tripod right?

2. The bullet, which can be different depending on your need, but basically it's a self-encased propellant, shell, and finally the little bullet itself.

3. A gun is practically a glorified walking stick without a bullet, and a bullet is nothing but dangerous or useless without a gun.

Alright then, if we take E'rel and his casting, what would all the little bits be? E'rel could be the gun, and a magic spell could be the bullet, yeah?

Joe frowned at this reasoning. It's not that it was flawed (which it probably was) but it didn't take into account any obvious third tenant. The gun analogy offered two parts, but what could he use as his third?

Uhhhh.... you know what, let's just go with this for now. We'll look at the bigger picture later. Right now, my brain is working.

Joe typed, 'E'rel is the gun, and the parts of the gun are inside of him. Magic spells are the bullet, which means that the magic spell has all the parts of the bullet. The third bit, well, we'll find that later. Right now, we play jigsaw and decide what goes where. I like the idea that the magic-cells are like the barrel, it makes perfect sense, if they're not the cause, then they are at the very least a 'carrier', like how the barrel carries and focuses the bullet's trajectory for a very short time. The blood lights up for a short time too, so maybe?' he finished typing before he saw E'rel walk up to him from somewhere deeper in the enormous laboratory.

"Good morning to you Joe," he said stiffly, not even attempting a smile. Joe got the sense that E'rel was trying desperately to be 'sociable', or something. It was like watching a teen attempt to forcefully join a conversation, but only serve to make the situation totally awkward since they have no social skills. Joe grinned at the attempt and welcomed it. "Good morning to you, Earl! Did you rest well?" he asked, trying he create a natural flow to the conversation. E'rel had no such interest.

"Livari remain awake for far longer than humans, so I did not sleep or rest. I worked, and have not left the lab since your rather amusing exit last night," he said with not even a hint of a smile. Completely serious. Joe regarded this and remembered something, as a student of his best bro Mike in the ways of socializing. Mike had made up a conversation kinda similar to this one in fact, where he commented, "This was a textbook example of someone trying desperately to interact, but only ending up isolating themselves since they didn't understand why brutal honesty was annoying and offensive, bordering on making the person look full of themselves, see how that works?"

Joe himself wasn't personally offended by this, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for E'rel. He must have a tough time making new friends like that.

"I see, well, the four hours I did sleep were amazing. The shower thing is insane too! You guys have got that down to a fine art!" Joe commented. E'rel simply nodded, not adding anything to the conversation.

Yikes, dude's gonna let me do all the work, huh? Joe thought with pity. "By the way, are these clothes magical? Cause I feel really amazing while I'm wearing these. I don't think any clothes I've ever worn were this great!"

"Indeed. Most Livari clothing is imbued with lasting assistance magic, usually granting the wearer lower fatigue and increased mental acuity. The shoes you're wearing also provide a minor physical boost." La'ar said matter-of-factly, "I see you've sampled the c'vosh fruit. Do you find its flesh appealing?" he said, with nary a breath in between his last thought and this one. The whiplash from the sudden change in conversation made Joe smile. "Yeah man, the 'flesh' is awesome! Kinda tastes like a fruit from back home, thanks." Joe finished. E'rel nodded.

"I believe that concludes my mentor's assigned quota of social interaction for the next few hours. Thank you for your assistance." E'rel turned abruptly and walked away towards his machines.

Weird man, it's like this guy has a serious one-track mind. Maybe he has OCD? can an alien race like the Livari even have mental disorders? Oh well. Joe mulled as he took another bite of the c'vosh. Alright. No way I'm letting Va'al down. Let's see how I can turn E'rel, into a gun.