County Wycliffe
Magic Chamber
In the Kingdom of Rivenna, there were five gifts of magic common to the mages of the realm:
Elemental, Healing, Mental, Physical, and Transmutation.
Each Gift had an unlimited number of ways in which they could be used, limited only by their wielder’s creativity. The strength and skill of a mages’s abilities lay in a combination of their natural affinity with that type of magic, their connection and understanding with that part of their gift, and maybe the largest determiner of power, the amount of effort they put into learning, practice, and training.
“Magic is instinctual. Each type is unique in the way you feel it, how you control it, and every mage will interact with their Gift in a way unique to them.” Ed explained, walking in a circle around Q, where he struggled to lift a box full of dirt. The container was a three-sided cube, one foot across, and was the rough equivalent of half his bodyweight.
Ed demonstrated at the start of their lesson that a mage with Physical gifts could increase their strength, speed, endurance, and durability. In addition to more targeted augmentations, they could make within each of those categories. From improving their reaction time and reflexes to augmenting their vision and hearing. The smaller the change, the more energy efficient it was.
With the awakening of his gift, and Q’s entrance into the world of magic. He was at one disadvantage by agreeing to his grandparent’s decision to keep his abilities quiet, the inability to use a testing stone.
Created by the Mage Council, testing stones were used to do just that, test a mages Gifts. By channeling their magic into the stone it would indicate which Gifts they had access to, and the amount of stellum they had within them. When he’d asked about it, his grandfather had told him he’d learn all about it when he went to the Academy. Without access to a stone, they were left to discover Q’s potential on their own the old fashion way, through trial and error.
Gifts typically awakened during puberty between someone’s 12 th and 16 th name day. With the vast majority of mages coming from noble families, they were usually expected and were quickly registered with the Mage Council and taken to be tested. On the rare occasions that a lucky commoner awakened their gift, it was usually celebrated by their family, and likewise registered before being given access to a testing stone.
“Regardless of which Gifts you receive, the limiting factor of what a mage can do is a matter of discovery. How I wield my magic may differ from how you will use your own, but it can give you ideas and suggestions for new methods to test your abilities. You will find a way of doing something and it will work OK, but by adding hand motions, maybe it flows a little easier or has a larger effect. Maybe physically touching an object while transmuting is required, maybe it’s not. The point is that through experimentation, you will find what feels right for you personally and through trial and error, you will discover how to bring out the full potential of your Gift. This is normally something you would learn at the Mage Academy… but your grandmother and I have chosen to introduce the concept to you early.”
There had been a reason for that decision. Just not one they had chosen to share with Q.
After presenting him with the magic chamber, his first week of lessons on magic came with some… uncomfortable revelations. Q had shown the ability to tap into four different disciplines of the Gift: Elemental, Mental, Physical, and Transmutation. The appearance of so many gifts meant he was well above average when it came to power, likely in the top 1% of mages remaining in the kingdom. To Ed’s knowledge, there were less than 50 across the realm that could boast of having more than three. The number of Gifts a mage had access to was tied directly to the amount of energy, or stellum, a mage had available to them to fuel their magic. This was often called their Gift Well.
In Q’s case, he had far more energy than either Ed or Nadine had ever seen. That level of power would be more of a liability than a benefit until Q could protect himself from those that would want to use him.
Edmund and Nadine made the decision to start Q’s instruction with his Physical gift. With Ed having access to Physical, Elemental, and Healing, and Nadine’s own Elemental and Transmutation magic, they agreed that having Q focus on Physical magic, which was done internally, would make it easier for him to get the basics based on their experience.
The lessons had been going… OK, in Q’s opinion. He understood what his grandfather described in theory. Putting it into practice was proving to be a challenge. He’d had partial success. Feeling a tingle run through his body. He lifted the dirt-filled container an inch off the ground before the feeling would cut off, and he was immediately forced to drop the heavy load.
“Don’t be discouraged, Q. This is all a part of the process. You can’t expect to lift a mountain your first week with magic, boy!”
Q groaned and rubbed the muscles in his lower back, pressing his lips into a tight line as he stared at the container.
“Lift with your legs, son. Use your back and you’re going to need a Healer.” Grandfather admonished.
Snorting, Q said, “Good thing I have you then, huh, Grandfather?” Sighing, Q asked, “I’ve already used my Gift before, and I didn’t have this much trouble, why can’t I do it now?”
Ed nodded. “Yes, you did, but that was done in the heat of battle and on pure instinct. The extent to which you did so is an indicator of your potential, but you cannot rely on instinct alone or it will fail you when you need it most. You need control, and through it, you may find that same state you experienced fighting the Drakovians.”
Letting out one last heavy sigh, Q stepped back up to the container and bent down, this time making sure to use his legs.
*****
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Q spent the next several months in controlled experimentation. He added several hours of magical study to his physical and military training. Subjects that he’d argued to continue studying. His grandfather eventually agreed, but only after negotiating a deal with Q, in which he would continue to learn to conduct business under Ed in exchange.
The weeks flew by and Q lost himself in the day to day. He spent them exploring his Gifts, learning how to connect with them, and what felt right for each when he called on them. His grandfather kept his guidance mostly to suggestions on new ways of accomplishing a goal, or by prompting a different way of thinking about a problem Q would run into. They briefly touched on the topic of Healing magic. With his grandfather’s ability to use it, Q had more leeway in his training than was likely normal for a novice. Knowing he had a Healer in residence allowed him to test things he might not have otherwise attempted.
Healing magic in the kingdom was rare, and widely considered the most valuable Gift one could receive. Even more valuable to the noble class than being able to healing the sick and injured was their ability to keep someone looking young. The process of rejuvenation wouldn’t extend their life, but it would keep them looking and feeling younger than they could ever hope for naturally. Ed advised Q to be exceptionally nice to any he met, just in case his life was ever in their hands, figuratively or politically, as those with the highest skill moved in some very powerful circles.
As time passed, Q discovered where his affinities lay and more importantly, where they did not. There may have only been five disciplines of magic, but they had countless combinations and uses. Commonly seen pairings were elemental manipulation using Elemental magic and Transmutation. Earth turned to stone, ice to crystal, or wood to metal. Another well-known but rare ability among mages was the art of 'shifting,' which involved combining Physical and Transmutation magic. By using these two gifts in tandem, a mage could alter their appearance and physical traits to suit specific needs. Mostly used for battle, it was often told of in great stories of war and wonder, likely leading to its great renown.
Q discovered he had a high aptitude for both Physical and Transmutation, just not when using them together on himself. He didn’t have the knack for shifting, and had realized that fairly quickly after a few painful failures.
Realizing his shortcomings in one aspect of magic did nothing to dampen his spirits. Q dove into the lessons provided by his grandparents. He rapidly progressed through the basics. They warned him that he would soon reach the limit of what they could teach him. At that point, his progression would depend on his own experimentation until he left to attend the Mage Academy.
Taking their warning to heart, Q spent hours each day working on his own. Losing himself in the magic, feeling it as it coursed through his body while channeling his gift. He loved to experience the flow of energy as it left his body. Captivated by its interaction with the world around him as he spun fire, wind, water, and earth to his will. The only gift he could not fully practice was Mental. Since neither grandparent could use it themselves, he was forced to try to discover its secrets on his own. Ed had ordered books on the subject, and Q would pour through them. Hoping to find a hint or tip that would help him improve. As it stood, he had managed some minor success in telekinesis, but even to his untrained eye, his ability to lift a cup of dirt was less than impressive.
It was in this final discipline that he often push himself too far until he’d drawn his gift well nearly dry. The practice had put him out of commission several times already, and became a severe enough problem that his grandparents were forced to order it to stop.
Q didn’t mean for it to happen… But there would be moments—moments that he’d feel just on the edge of a breakthrough, so he’d try again, and again, until eventually it either clicked, or he woke up several hours later, passed out on the stone floor of the chamber, completely out of energy.
Mock duels were one aspect of training that Q fell in love with the moment they were introduced.
He and Nadine circled each other in the center of the chamber. Maintaining eye contact, they watched the other for the smallest hint of their opponent’s next move.
With a flick of her wrist, Q’s grandmother sent a tendril of water from the newly created fountain. Built to assist Q with his water manipulation until he learned enough control that he could draw water from his surroundings. The tendril lashed out at Q, forcing him to dive out of the way or risk her turning it to ice and freezing him in place.
He rolled into a crouch and braced himself with one hand on the stone floor. He raised the other and called forth a blast of wind before sending it at Nadine. She made a chopping motion with her other hand, and a crescent of wind split his attack in two.
“Good!” She called, “You’re getting faster.”
She redirected the water she’d summoned, and it shot across the chamber, homing in on Q as he remained in place. He looked all too ready to jump as the water tendril approached. It was a surprise to Nadine when he instead chose not to, and let the water soak him.
Nadine raised an eyebrow, but continued with her attack, turning the water to ice. It was in that moment of distraction that Q sprang his trap. The stone immediately beneath her feet crumbled. She fell three feet and into the hole he’d created beneath her. She reached down to catch herself on instinct, and Q let loose with the final step of his plan. The hole filled in, sealing his grandmother’s arms and hands at her sides.
It was with a shit-eating grin that Q approached the woman, half her body trapped in a hole. She narrowed her eyes and stared him down before breaking into laughter.
“Congratulations, Q! That was fantastic. I’m so proud of you.”
Q’s grin turned into a gleeful laugh of his own before settling into a smile that reached from ear to ear. “Thanks, I’ve been planning that one for a—”
His words cut off when the stone he’d just stepped on gave out. He fell forward, falling into a coffin size hole roughly a foot deep. He could hear his grandmother cackle as he sat up, the hole closing in and locking him in place.
“Did you think I wouldn’t feel you opening up a hole beneath me? You forgot that the farther away the magic you try to work, the weaker your gift becomes. I could have wrestled control away and stopped you from the start.” Nadine reminded him.
Well, normally that’s how it works. With as much power as he has—I’m not even sure that would be the case with him, she thought.
Q’s lips drew down in a frown as he mumbled, “I didn’t forget… I just hoped you wouldn’t notice after the air blast.”
Grinning, Nadine shook her head. “Remind me to try to teach you Earth Sense. It takes a lot of practice to get the feeling down, but it’ll stop anyone manipulating earth or stone near you without you being aware.”
That was how Ed found them, with Q and his grandmother discussing tactics, each of them half trapped in the stone floor.
Ed willed open the chamber door with earth manipulation and a bit of strength as he pushed. Entering the room, Q could immediately tell something was wrong. His pallor was off, and the lines around his mouth were drawn tight with how firmly they were pressed together. Cutting off mid-sentence, he caught his grandmother’s attention, and she turned her head to see her husband standing there.
With a frown, she asked, “Edmund? What is it?” Moving her fingers from beneath the floor, she used earth manipulation to free Q and herself.
Ed swallowed thickly before attempting to clear his throat. “Henry is back from Gremelda. He has asked for us to join him to discuss what he learned about Julian and Katherine while in the Capital.” Peering at Q, he recognized the question before the young man could even voice it. “Yes, Q… He wants you there too. He said that what he found is something we all need to hear.”