Ray

Ray looked around in the darkness, his heart thumping against his chest as he tried to figure out what had happened. The last thing he remembered was a buzzing sound as he tried to kill the ants. After that, just flashes of ants crawling up his legs, biting his face as his wand burst apart.

And fear, the fear consumed his thoughts, making him want to run away.

'The last part of your Trial begins. What is your element, Ray? I don't want the word, I want the answer. ' the Fae spirit said as a wisp emerged out of the darkness and flung itself at him.

'Oh, did I forget to mention that you'll have some nice targets to practice with!" The Fae spirit said as more wisps lashed towards him. What type of targets tried to kill you? Why did the Trial suddenly become so deadly?

Ray scrambled, reaching for his wand before realizing that it was missing. Oh fudge, the wand had really gotten destroyed, hadn't it?

A wisp struck him in the face, sending a jolt throughout his body.

"I would start answering the question if I were you. And remember, Fae magic is emotional, not logical. Don't give me a logical answer." The Fae spirit said.

What did he mean by not giving a logical answer? How did you give illogical answers? Just joking?

"Hmm, does it trigger your magic, though?" the Fae spirit asked.

"What?" Ray asked back, now even more confused.

"The answer has to trigger your magic, this is the last part of the Trial you know." the Fae spirit said as the wisps multiplied. Ray reacted, sending out black glitter to shield himself. A process that was made harder by the lack of wand. Ray had gotten too used to the want, now he couldn't cast easily without it.

"Just use emotions." The Fae spirit instructed. Ray still couldn't understand what he meant. What did he mean by using emotions? Did he have to attach an emotion while casting?

"Oh, this is frustrating." the Fae spirit said as the wisps multiplied again. Ray conjured more black glitter, shooting it out towards the oncoming wisps. " A Human uses things like casting, a Fae doesn't. In other words, you're thinking too much. Just stop thinking and start doing."

And Ray had once more heard some very unhelpful advice.

"Ray, when I say stop thinking, I mean stop thinking. Do it now, don't try to act smart." The Fae spirit said, his irritation clear.

Ray still didn't understand, did he want them to stop thinking and just stand there? But he would die if he did that. Not to mention magic required-

"Ray, I know what magic requires and doesn't require, far better than you. And as for you dying, I can endure that it doesn't happen. Now, just stop thinking about what you should do next and just let your body move." The Fae spirit said, losing its patience as the wisps multiplied again. Ray's intermittent bursts of black glitter were no longer able to keep the wisps at bay.

But the words triggered a memory in Ray. Norman had advised something similar during the battle with the Xnarthan. Should he try telling things to the environment-

"No, that is a different technique. Just do as I say and do what your instinct tells you. As it is, you're suppressing your Fae magic and forcing yourself into a false Human one because of it. Just let the mana flow instead of holding back and planning. For once in your life, let go and don't be such a prude."

Ray paused. The Fae spirit had just…insulted him? Was he supposed to do that?

"I can do whatever I want to, now would you bother to participate? I need a little cooperation here."

Ray gulped as he looked at the wave of wisps heading towards him at a glacial rate. The Fae spirit's meaning was clear: he controlled them, but they weren't going away anytime soon. Shaking his head, he assumed a combat position as he prepared for battle, and then took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

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Ray could still sense the wisps, but they were muted, but still approaching. The wisps increased speed abruptly, making Ray attack in response, but it seemed to have little effect. The wisps kept coming, and Ray kept attacking.

The wisps even began changing directions, attacking him from other sides as they gathered around him. Ray couldn't keep up, there were just too many of them from too many places at once. So he did what the Fae spirit had been asking him to do all this while. Let go.

Ray let his mana flow out, letting the black glitter counter on his own, acting more on instinct than thought. Not seeing the wisps helped, it made him far too slow at detecting them to truly counter them.

So he focused more on his actions than the wisps, concentrating on the glitter instead. Why was he still suing black glitter anyway? Did it even make any difference? Ray hadn't even noticed the wisps emanate any specific type of mana. But he continued, he didn't have much of a choice anyway.

The shift in focus was more helpful than he thought. Perhaps it was because he'd been so obsessed with what the glitter did, he hadn't noticed the glitter itself. A light breeze moved through the room for some reason, moving the glitter along with it.

The glitter danced with the wind before recoiling into shape to protect him. But in that second, Ray felt the glitter's power increase, and perhaps it was just his imagination, but it seemed…happier for a moment. Could elements even be happy? Ray had no idea. But if ice could help him, glitter could do too.

Ray let the glitter move around by itself, not controlling it. At first the glitter just stood in place, but then a breeze moved it, and the glitter ran a circle around Ray, surprising him with its speed. The glitter was like an animal that was suddenly happy.

Hmm, could he imitate that? Ray let the glitter circle around him, concentrating on an emotion rather than thought. The emotion of choice was: fun, happiness. The glitter responded, jumping in the air as it ran around him like a little kid.

The black glitter became shadow and spiraled out as the black glitter began dancing in the air. The dance was barely visible, really just pellets oscillating to an imaginary rhythm, but Ray could feel it. Not quite an emotion, but an excitement in the mana, a potent vibration that made the element more powerful.

What did Norman say back then? To not force the ice to do as he wanted? Well, maybe the same came to this element.

Ray changed tactics, thinking of what he could see happening and what the wisps were doing and communicating with glitter. The glitter responded, shielding Ray like a loyal guard. But every once in a while a few pellets would jump at an oncoming wisp, striking it.

At first, Ray thought the glitter knew something he didn't, but it soon became clear that the glitter didn't have any real sapience. The intelligence was more like a loyal puppy than a human kid. Why didn't he notice it before, though? The glitter would have reacted before, right?

"No, it would not have. Though you were using Fae magic, you were using it like a Human. The wand was blocking you, it might have been a great help to you, but it was hurting your chances.

Not to mention your tendency to control things, to direct mana. And finally, this place is special, mana is far more alive here than outside. Glitter will be far less active once you step out of this area, though that will change in time." the Fae spirit said, the darkness clearing and the wisps disappeared.

"Do you feel it?" The Fae spirit said, his voice emerging from a silhouette that emerged from a wall. Ray's eyebrows curved as he tried to figure out what the Fae spirit was talking about. What did the have to feel no- and then he felt it.

A rising rush of mana. An incoming transformation. An excitement in the mana. The image of red gas and yellow powder combining in a spiral appeared before Ray, but this time he knew what it represented. The transformation into Fae. At the end of this he would be Fae.

The process was slow, but Ray could feel his power grow with every breath he took. The Faeness of his magic grows. Ray had a feeling he would have a very hard time lying now, and soon he wouldn't be able to do that.

"I can speed it up if you want. But I don't think you want that." the Fae spirit said, a thin man appearing before him. Green eyes and shoulder-length brown hair marked his face, the lack of attention towards his features was apparent.

"The wings would complicate things in this Empire of Humanity, yes?" the Fae spirit said as a pair of green wings appeared behind him.

"What happens if I just let it be?" Ray asked.

"The process will complete in at most six weeks, but remember, the more you use your magic, the faster it will happen." The Fae spirit said, as his wings began flapping.

"Now, tell me are there Humans outside this place?" the Fae spirit asked.

"Yes, why?" Ray asked, confused why the Fae spirit wanted to know.

"Why? Well, that's easy. I want to kill them" the Fae spirit said as Ray saw yellow mana appear around him.

"Wait, you can leave? Why didn't you leave before then?" Ray asked, confused. Why would he stay here for thousands of years if he could leave?

"Why? Well, because I wanted to!" the Fae spirit said as the yellow mana began spinning around him. "I have been around for thousands of years, child, I no longer have duties. I do things because I want to, and I do them when I want to."

A fire seemed to burn in the Fae's eyes as he said, "I am Invigilator Hir, Fae of war and Tier 27 General of the Fae Empire. And today, I want to kill some xenophobes."