By the time they had returned to the manor their possessions had arrived, and while Tidus had originally wanted to check out the art stores in the market he would instead focus on his magic.
After his room was thoroughly organized he sat on his bed, releasing the light from his hands and directing it into his eyes. Looking around the room there was no difference from his normal vision of it. Instead, he walked out to the balcony which had a fair view of the street below. While a few had a magic affinity, like his sister in the yard, every last one of them appeared to have the lines of white, including the birds that flew about.
Tidus scratched his head and sighed as he watched the passersby’s, while he had learned more of his ability it so far had proved to be little more than an alarm and while he had told the council that he was sure there was more to it he wasn't entirely sure of it himself.
“Don’t you think that you should be studying, big sis?” He called down to Sarah.
“G-guh... I studied the whole ride here while you were sleeping! I can play for a while if I wanna play for a while!” She yelled in return as she sent static between her fingers. “Not to mention that this is kinda sorta studying! I don’t have to learn all that boring stuff if I become a powerful mage!”
She had a point but Tidus didn’t agree with it. “You can have all the power you want if you don’t have a good head to go along you’ll just be used by another.” His words quickly shut her mouth.
He sighed and spoke, “However, naturally I wouldn’t let that happen. I’ll be the brains and you’ll be the brawn. Speaking of the brawn, isn't brother supposed to come visit today? I expected him to be here by now.” He glanced to the gate as he spoke.
“I dunno, maybe he is busy with classes. You shoulda searched for him at the school!” He had already been there for three years, from what he had heard of him he seemed to get in quite a few fights with both commoners and nobles alike.
“I’m not about to go interrupting their activities, even if they would allow it. Flaunting my special rights pointlessly like that would be pointless.” Tidus glanced to his side, where a dead beetle lay on the balcony floor, tiny white lines spreading through it.
Sarah pouted. “You need to have more fun you know! Cmon and let me zap you!” She flicked sparks off of her finger threateningly.
“I do have fun! I sculpted that cat for you and many others!” He complained. Though he considered that perhaps something may have been wrong with him. While he still had a few toys about his room they have grown less fun than they used to be.
“You should have more fun than that!”
Tidus grinned. “Don’t worry I will have much more fun looking at the test rankings, I can’t wait to see the faces of those outscored by someone 2/3rd their age!” He snickered lightly as he pushed his energy towards the dead beetle, Suddenly he was startled by an odd connection between the white lines in the beetle and his energy. Quickly, he crouched down to watch what was happening closer, the iridescent lights slowly wrapped around the white lines and taking them into them. He distinctly felt his light increasing by a minuscule amount as the last of the lines were ‘drained’. The insect, however, slowly crumbled to ash.
Swiftly, he stood to his feet, considering what else he could use it on.. Glancing to his right, he saw a bird on a branch nearby. Pausing for a moment, he violently shook his head. “No, no, no. No cute animal genocide. I need bugs.” Returning the slightly increased energy to his body, he quickly headed through his room and downstairs to the outdoors. As he frantically through the dirt he quickly found a few worms, though when he attempted to absorb them while they squirmed about he felt a resistance. So he squished them underfoot. After the wormicide was done he took their ‘life energy’? Into his ‘mana?’ Honestly, this was all too confusing as from what he learned of other magics, their capacity was not raised like this. Instead, they were increased through use and the cost of ‘casting’ was decreased by their knowledge of that type.
“Heyy little bro, girly looking as usual I see.” A voice came from behind him with a heavy slap to his back that almost sent him into the ground.
“Guh… Heyyy big brother, still being immature I see.” Tidus turned to his brother with a twitching smile, he was twice his age and almost twice his size. Willis was twelve years old and fairly tall for his age with black hair and blue eyes. His parents had originally offered him the lightning gem but he had demanded the fire gem, oddly enough he had absorbed a wind gem earlier this year.
“Still with the swirly eyes I see.” Will mocked back as he put his brother in a chokehold. “Cmon now! It’s almost like you’ve grown even more boring since I last saw you! Seems like we will need to give you some special training.” His brother joked with an evil glint in his eye as once upon a blue moon a shiver ran down Tidus’ spine as he attempted to escape the chokehold, his efforts provided little effect as the only physical activity he actively participated in as of late was sculpting.
“Youch!” His brother yelped as Sarah prodded her with her lightning charged finger.
“Don’t bully Tidus!” She pouted and prepared more shock treatment.
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“No! I’m not bullying him! I'm ‘fixing’ him.” He explained simply.
“Fixing…?” Sarah stopped her charging and tilted her head in wonder.
“Yes, you see Tidus here has been infected with serpentoliosis, it makes them use big words and lose their interest in fun. The only real way to cure it is to force them to have more fun!” Will explained ‘wisely’
“That's preposterous, Serpentoliosis isn’t even a real thing!” Tidus explained with a huff.
Sarah gasped in horror, “It’s true! He’s really using big words! Two of them even!”
“Yes..” Will wiped away an imaginary tear. “The worst part is that he doesn’t even know it. My poor little brother is blind to his own disease. We must help him, we must!” He yelled melodramatically.
“Let me help! I don’t want little brother to be sick!” She exclaimed, Tidus wasn’t sure if she was really serious or simply playing along. Either way, he had a bad feeling about this.
“Good! Quick, grab his legs for me!” Before Tidus had a chance to begin his escape will had already grabbed onto his arms as Sarah dove for his legs.
“Not happening!” Tidus quickly created an Iridescent mana snake into his brother's face, as he was yet to be informed of his little brothers magic he reflexively raised his arms defensively. Allowing Tidus to move his legs away from Sarah’s outstretched arm and make a sprint for the house.
As he ran a gust of wind flew towards the back of his knees, buckling his legs under him and knocking him to the ground.
His brother ran over after sending the blast of air and hopped onto his back, not allowing him to stand. “Hey, little bro what was that rainbow snake! Make another or I’m not letting you back up.” He grinned.
Tidus struggled to push him off to no avail, he was about to concede when his mother called from the manor. “Willis! Get off your brother and give me a hug!” She walked over with a smile.
Will quickly hopped up and greeted his mother with a hug as Tidus stood and dusted himself off.
“He used magic on me!” Tidus complained.
“You did it first!”
“No, I used magic ‘near’ you.” He huffed.
“Alright you three come inside, dinner is ready and your father is apparently starving to death.” Danielle rolled her eyes as he led them in.
The family sat around the table as Tidus explained his newfound abilities and the special privileges the school will give him.
“Whaaat! Seriously, they’re gonna not only let you in early but put you in the special class!” Willis complained.
“They’re not ‘letting’ me in, I’m testing in just like everyone else.: Tidus explained as he stared at the chicken, stuck between taking the dead animal's energy as his own and eating it. In the end, his stomach won out.
“Speaking of studying I do hope that Sarah will do well, perhaps we should have some cram lessons before the big day.” Danielle grinned menacingly.
“No, no, no! Anything but that! Please! I’ll do good! I’ve already studied a lot! It’s not like doing poorly will stop me from being able to attend.
“Perhaps not, but if you do score badly you will have to take more ‘boring’ classes while the higher grades will be allowed to choose more classes. I hear that there are even a few prizes for upper rankings, It’s a shame I can only take the first place prize and not the rest.” Tidus spoke as he began to dig into his food.
As he continued to eat he explained to his father how he had drained the insects which slightly increased his Iridescent energy.
“Hmm, and you say that every previous living thing has this white energy? What about this chicken?” He questioned as Tidus activated his eyes, while they white energy was still there it seemed rather grayed out.
“I can, but It seems kind of... Weak. Don’t get me wrong, it's much more than the insects but its a weaker light I suppose?”
“Hmm, The servants have set up traps for the rats that were here when it was unoccupied, I’m sure they have caught a few by now. You can check after dinner.” He spoke as they continued to eat. Tidus, in particular, ate faster than usual to head off to test on the mice.
He went down into the cellar where he glanced around the small cage traps, after checking a few he finally found one scurrying about inside of it.
As he focused his vision he clearly noted that the energy was much brighter and larger than the insects but in no way comparable to the councilors or his family.
He released the energy towards the rat, he sensed a barrier that the dead insects did not have. However, he believed that it could be overcome with more pressure. With enough force, the energy entered the rat, which responded by screeching and flailing about as its white light was altered to become Tidus’.
In a panic and terror at the sight of the squirming and pained rat he quickly removed the Iridescent mana from it, as soon as the energy was removed the rats left foreleg drifted away to dust as blood violently spurted from the wound, the mouse still flailing in agony.
At the site, Tidus could not control himself as he threw up his dinner and stared at the rat in a mix of terror, disgust, and a hint of curiosity.
The rat quickly bled to death and stopped moving.
Tidus was glad that it’s suffering was over but that did not stop him from continuing to ‘devour’ the rest of the corpses white aura, or vitality, or even spirit. He had no real clue as to what it was, only knowing that the previous aura had increased by several inches, he decided to put it in ‘numbers’ from now on as it would be simpler to keep track of. While originally he had 1, the insects and the rat had increased it to 1.2.
He continued with his absorption, except on the second rat he made sure a servant made sure it was dead first, Even if it would have less energy.
However as he was taking its energy he was overcome with a migraine as he became unable to take any more and had only absorbed half of it, increasing to 1.3 but at the same time leaving a nasty scene inside the rat cage. He quickly looked away as he attempted to try again, only to have a migraine assault him worse than the first one.
“Guh.. Alright, I get it, I get it... I don’t want to be brain dead for the exam tomorrow.” He groaned in pain as he went upstairs to his room and flopped onto his bed, exhaustedly falling asleep.