The mid-afternoon sun glared through the windshield as I slowly blinked awake. I squinted momentarily confused by my surroundings, taking in the red-tinged mountains passing me by. That seemed to be enough to trigger my memory of all of this morning’s events to come cascading back. Alexis hummed along with the radio in the driver’s seat beside me as we sped down the interstate, we’d clearly left the Phoenix suburbs a while ago, and only scrub-like plants accompanied us now.
“Morning sleepyhead,” Alexis said, glancing my way. “How’d you sleep?”
I groaned, rubbing my eyes, “Like I got hit by a damn train. So, this is really happening, huh?”
Alexis nodded; her eyes fixed on the road as she rapidly dropped a gear to overtake a slow-moving truck that seemed to be struggling to climb the grade we were on. “You’ve definitely got a lot to learn before we get to Seattle. But don’t worry, we’ll take it slow.
Slow was not a word that I would use to describe our current breakneck speed as we barreled along down the highway. My hand grabbed for the non-existent ‘oh-shit’ handle before just settling on my lap.
Alexis laughed at my reaction, “Relax, I’m obfuscating the car enough that any radars should simply slide off and most people would like just overlook it.”
Her face took on a somewhat serious look and she glanced over at me, “So, let’s get whatever questions are burning away in that mind of yours over with first.”
After a few moments of thought, I responded, “I mean, there’s so many unknowns that I don’t even know if I know enough to ask useful questions.”
“I guess one of the big ones would be, what exactly does being a Progenitor even mean?”
A smirk spread across Alexis’ face, “Getting right into it, huh?”
“Well, to put it simply, we don’t know the full extent of what it means.” She paused, considering her next words for a moment.
“From what your great-grandmother told me of her powers shortly before her passing, she didn’t think she had even truly begun to discover all of the potential within it.”
“And yet, she was still one of the most powerful Ascended around.”
I blinked as I heard the new term, but from the sound of it, it was likely just a generic descriptor for magic users, or at least human magic users.
“The key difference in your power is in the way your spiritual vessel, or core, overlaps with your physical body. Traditionally, one’s core would merely form a bridge at a specific point, generally along the chakra points from Eastern medicine. That partial connection severely limits the way they can interact with mana and what they can do with it.”
Alexis glanced over at me to check if I was following along. Seeing my nod at her questioning glance, she continued speaking as we flew up the side of a mountain, “Your core, and the reason we refer to your kind as ‘Progenitors’, has no such restriction. Your core is tightly bound to you, which is why the finalization of the bonding process made you feel like shit.”
Holding up a hand to forestall my next question, she continued, “And before you ask, I used that sample of your blood last night in combination with a handy little spell to visualize your core. Although, the mana that’d been rolling off of you was a pretty damn strong indicator.” She finished wryly.
“And you know how to train me?” I asked, my mind grasping onto every piece of fiction I’d read over the last decade as I tried to find any throughline that I could anchor this knowledge to, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the training much… I’m going to have to learn to meditate, aren’t I?
“That’s right, your great-grandmother left me a scroll, in the off chance another Progenitor rose during my lifetime, if not, I was to pass it on to another I trusted to carry the knowledge forward in my stead.”
“And yes, you’re going to have to meditate.” She cackled at the look on my face, nearly steering the car into the guard rail before regaining control.
“Alright, what the fuck? Are you reading my mind or something?” I blurted out, only drawing more cackles from her before she had the gall to turn and wink at me.
----------------------------------------
We drove for a few more hours before the sun had started to set beyond the distant horizon. Vegas came and went in a blur as Alexis weaved in and out of traffic. It seemed all bets were off now that I knew the truth of the supernatural world, even if I suspected that I couldn’t even begin to fathom the true depth of the world at large yet.
Alexis insisted that we camp out under the stars, stating that if I lost control of my magic while trying to train, we’d be promptly kicked out of whatever motel we stayed at instead. After receiving my agreement, she whooped and whipped the car off the first trailhead we came across.
We soon found ourselves a short distance off the trailhead after hiking a ways in, it’s not like Alexis’ car was the ideal offroad vehicle after all. While I was in the process of distributing some kindling to get a campfire going, my mind formed a perfect image of the shock that would go through her at the idea of abusing her baby like that causing me to laugh.
Alexis’ head whipped around from where she was struggling to put the small two-person tent together, her cheeks visibly flushing. She’d said it was new and would be the first time it’d been taken out, but still, I’d managed to not get the fire started, but also prep our food and she hadn’t even gotten the corners staked.
“Look, this thing is being finicky, and this ground is hard as hell,” she stated defensively.
Knowing I would be in trouble if I wasn’t careful, I waved my hands in front of me, “Wait, no I’m not laughing at you.”
I scratched my cheek and looked away, “Well, not at the tent at least. I was picturing how pissed you would be if I had suggested bringing your car off road, so we didn’t have to hike in here.”
“Hmph, smart. I’ve probably forgotten more things about camping than you’ve ever known.” She said with a faux air of haughtiness, before laughing at her own joke. “Since you’re done with the fire, can you come give me a hand? I wasn’t joking about this being a pain.”
Nodding, and internally sighing in relief that I’d live to fight another day, I wandered over to the area where she’d thrown down a tarp.
“Can you just help hold these corners while I get this started? I’m not used to using tents in the first place, I like the stars too much to be enclosed.”
“Y’know, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually camped with anyone else, let alone in this world.” Alexis broke the silence while we made quick work of finishing up the tent.
Her tone took on a somberness that I had yet to hear from her when she finally started to speak again. “I think the last time was over 100 years ago, back before your great-grandparents passed. I’ve always been too caught up in work, or when I took time off from that, school, to get out much.”
“And then I met you, Jacey, and I remembered what it’s like to be with someone that you trust… Someone you want to spend time with.” Her voice got quieter and quieter as she finished talking but given how close she opted to sit while I finished seasoning some steaks that the sneaky woman had brought along for just this occasion, I was still able to hear every word.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I had a sneaking suspicion that there was pretty much nothing that would have stopped this impromptu trip from happening, but so far, I wasn’t complaining.
“Lexi…” I started slowly, still trying to put my words together as she’d definitely been opening up rapidly since my magic had truly awakened. “You know me, you met me when I started college, you’re pretty much my only real friend outside of people I game with. And, you know I’m gonna need all the help I can get with magic, so your kind of stuck with me, I hope…” I trailed off, running a hand through my hair and letting out a self-deprecating chuckle, “That came out all kinds of wrong, I think what I meant was, ‘I like you too, and we should definitely do this more often’.”
Her cheeks had colored over again as I spoke, a small smile growing on her face, breaking into a full grin by the time I finished.
Coughing, I was struggling to keep my mind from making any assumptions about all of the openness and implications Alexis had suddenly started throwing out. So, I did what I do best, changed the conversation, “You know, you never did tell me what you actually do for work, I know my parents work as some kind of interdimensional TSA or something like that, but…”
Getting only a hum of acknowledgment that she’d heard the question, I moved on and gently set each steak down on a small rack, enjoying the sizzling sounds while she pondered how best to answer. As the smell of cooking meat reached my nostrils, she finally figured out what to say.
“Well, I can’t tell you all of the details just yet, but the easiest explanation would be that I’m something of an interdimensional detective? Bounty hunter? A mix of both, actually. And hopefully, I’ll be able to tell you all about it very soon,” she finished with a mysterious hint in her voice.
“Oh, and why do you hope you’ll be able to tell me more?” I asked in an attempt to draw out more info.
“Hmm,” Alexis pretended to think it over for a moment before shrugging, “You’ll find out.” She answered with a wink.
After that, the conversation lapsed into a pleasant quiet as I finished preparing our meal. I had to admit, I was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, just the two of us under the stars.
[Break]
After finishing up dinner, Alexis stood and brushed herself off before turning to look at me, her expression serious.
"Alright Jacey, time for your first lesson. Even though I’m pretty sure you already know what it is. But I’ll be guiding your first attempt at proper meditation."
I groaned. Of course, that’s where it would start. I called that as soon as the talk about cores started. Alexis just laughed and motioned for me to stand across from her near the fire.
"I know, I know. But clearing and focusing your mind is crucial before you can start consciously channeling your mana. Now, match my stance and breathing, we’ll be going through a series of stretches to help you make your initial connection with your core."
Alexis surprised me though, rather than collapsing into the lotus form I had expected, she shifted into the classic horse stance, before slowly working her way through something that reminded me far more of a kata than meditation. Each shift of her body was intentional, her breathing remaining perfectly steady the entire time. It was almost like watching a delicate dance given the intention I could feel in every form. She repeated the kata one more time, prodding me into actually copying her movements this time.
I could feel all of my limbs burning from the effort by the time I finished the first kata, but beneath that, I could feel something else. Though it was so faint that I thought I may have been imagining it. Which, considering the pain, was entirely possible.
“Again,” Alexis said as she stepped close to me. This time as I worked my way through what I could remember of the kata, she stepped in, correcting my unbalanced limbs and reminding me to breathe deeply into my diaphragm. I tried to clear my mind, but my thoughts kept wandering.
After nearly an hour of sloppy attempts, I was getting frustrated. Sensing this, Alexis called for a break.
"It's okay, this takes time and practice. But I can already feel your mana swirling strongly, even if you can't grasp it yet. Let's try something different for the moment."
Alexis once again explained that as a Progenitor, my core suffused my entire body. Finally, she had me drop into the lotus position and instructed me to focus on each part of myself, imagining mana flowing freely from my ethereal body into my physical.
Starting with my hands, I pictured tendrils of energy bleeding into me, winding around my fingers. I thought I felt a faint twitch as the mental image continued to shift, but maybe I imagined it. Limb by limb, major muscle by major muscle, Aleix gently guided me through the process, speaking softly as she described the sensations of mana.
Finally, as the moon drew high overhead and we finished with the last muscle group, "Excellent! I definitely sensed some flickers of conscious channeling. Ready to try the kata again?" Alexis asked.
I took a deep breath and settled into the first pose she had taught me. And while I still didn’t move with anywhere near the grace that she had, my movements were close enough for her to opt to not intervene.
Approaching the mid-point of the kata on my second pass, I finally felt something shift. The world drifted away from me, and my focus was drawn inward.
I felt a warmth suffusing my body, radiating from somewhere, almost as if it were actually deeper within myself rather than how I pictured it immediately. Rather than lunge for it and try to control something I could scarcely comprehend like so many of the protagonists in the stories I loved to read, I simply basked in its warmth. The energy felt raw, wild even. But it brought with it a certain warmth.
Then, just as quickly as it came my focus drifted away again. As I opened my eyes, finding myself once more in the horse stance, Alexis smiled brightly at me, the warmth in her eyes made my heart skip a beat and I didn’t even try to push that feeling away this time.
"That was incredible for your first connection, I’m glad to see you didn’t try to rush anything either! You're a natural, and once you can reach that state through normal meditation it’ll become even easier," she praised. I smiled back at her exuberance, then blinked as a wave of disorientation washed over. Shifting back to a natural position seemed to help though.
Seeing my body sag slightly, Alexis suggested we call it a night.
As I lay in the tent a short while later, listening to the crackling fire and trying to ignore the soft presence lying next to me, my mind wandered once more over the events of the last 24 hours. Magic was real, my best friend was going to teach me, even if she was 200 years older than me. And best of all, we were on our way to some kind of magic academy!
[break]
For most of the following day, I sat in the passenger seat of Alexis’ Corvette with my eyes closed and continued to work on reaching my core through meditation. While I managed to hold back from trying to grab it last night, I was still unbelievably excited, and I very much wanted to be able to grow closer to my core.
Throughout the day, as I took the occasional break from meditation, Alexis filled me in on some of the finer details of what my future steps would look like. The first thing I had to do was familiarize myself with my core, making accessing the mana within easier. Then, I would be focusing on condensing the metaphysical weight of my core, which in turn would compress the energy within. Alexis wasn’t sure what the following step would be though, the notes she had from my ancestors seemed incomplete.
As I shifted back into meditation, a small smile formed on my face. Each time I sank into meditation, it became easier and easier to sink deep enough to feel the warmth of my core. However, actually feeling my core was a very recent development, something I’d only managed within my last few attempts. But each effort made finding the correct state of mind easier.
Sometime later, Alexis lightly woke me from my meditation, her cautious whispers reaching my mind as if from a great distance. When I opened my eyes, it was to see Mount Rainier looming ahead. At some point, we’d left the highway and were now winding our way up a heavily compacted road that weaved between the trees. The late afternoon sun was casting everything in shades of gold and creating deep umbral shadows beneath the trees further away.
"We're almost there," she said with a smile.
After a few more miles, the dirt road ended abruptly at an imposing wrought iron gate, flanked by high stone walls covered in vines. Through the massive gate, I could just make out a sprawling old chateau-style mansion. A strange sensation tingled across my skin, growing stronger as we approached.
Oddly, there was a small parking lot set just before the gate that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Is this the school?" I asked in confusion. The secluded chateau seemed at odds with my expectations.
"Oh, don’t worry it only looks that way to mortal eyes. You'll see the truth soon." Alexis pulled the car into one of the open spaces before stepping out and approaching the gate. I rushed to follow along, foregoing grabbing my bag in an attempt to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
Alexis raised her hand, palm facing toward the gate, and just like that, it swung open before her, untouched. As we walked through, the energy crawling across me intensified and then abruptly vanished. With the disappearance of the energy, it was like a veil lifted before me. The mansion shimmered, replaced by a gleaming multi-tiered tower of white stone and glittering glass rising several stories above the ground. Scattered crowds of people stood around chatting, and the occasional robed figure dashed across the yard with urgency in their step.
I gaped in awe as my mind tried to process all of the details before me. Sure, the building was impressive, but there were fucking elves, orcs and beastkin freely roaming the grounds. Alexis just grinned at my reaction.
"Welcome to Iris Academy, Jace."