Chapter 12 #3
Jackson continues his lessons with Hakeem with newfound confidence.
At the rate he was going it wouldn’t take long before he was moving on to advanced spells and feeling more in control of his powers.
The next spell was to create water to fill the newly repaired beaker.
Eddie watches him with Hakeem, eyes wide with anticipation.
Jackson traces the shape of a tear drop over the empty glass.
“Mai”
Water pours from the tip of one of his tendrils, filling the beaker half way.
Eddie shyly asks if he could try a spell next. He didn’t have an affinity for druidic magic like some shifters, or have a lot of mana, but something about seeing Jackson and Hakeem so excited stirred something deep within him. Jackson didn’t seem to mind and Hakeem is glad to share more knowledge.
“Okay, Eddie, fae magic has heavy ties with elemental spells.
Even without an affinity these simple runes should still work for you.
I mean, even I can use them, and I thought I could only ever use djinn wish magic.
In the end, all an affinity does is make some spells easier to use.
Some affinities even grant the ability to innately cast. An example would be pyromancers being able to conjure small fires or electromancers sparking when their emotions run high.
“Try using the wand as a conduit and follow my lead.”
The wand’s tip glows a soft blue in Eddie’s hands, he used a conduit before but it never produced much results. What Hakeem said earlier rings through his head.
“Your magic can do great things, you just have to let it.”
Eddie mustn’t let a negative attitude get in his way, he wouldn’t during this moment. He traces three intersecting lines over the water of the beaker, resembling a snowflake. Slowly, he let his mana flow through the wand.
“Jaleed”
The water freezes in a flash, not slowly chilled like the other spell Hakeem had demonstrated.
Eddie breathes heavily as the glow fades from the wand.
He did it, but it didn’t stop the fact that he couldn’t use magic like Hakeem and Jackson.
Maybe it was more than a matter of affinity and mana supply, maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.
Eddie feels a hand on his back, then one on his shoulder.
Jackson and Hakeem were both by his side, smiles kind.
“Eddie, you froze it perfectly, your execution was flawless. And Jackson, your control is already showing signs of improvement. This is why I love this field, to be able to share knowledge fills my heart with that warm fuzzy feeling.”
Hakeem pulls Eddie and Jackson in for a hug by their shoulders.
He can’t help but laugh, a joyous sound from jobs well done.
Jackson and Eddie are confused by his reaction at first, but break out into laughter of their own.
It felt good to try and succeed at something they had both failed in the past. Maybe it was how Hakeem taught, maybe it was the company.
Hakeem sobers as the realization of his bold gesture catches up to him. He promptly releases the two men and rushes back to his spot behind the island.
Hakeem has a couple more spells to demonstrate, this time needing the wooden doll.
“This is one of the oldest known examples of offensive magic, designed to cut like a sword. Now, neither of you need to try this one if you aren’t comfortable with the heightened risk factor but I’m a firm believer in learning from our past.”
He points the wand towards the doll, focusing the flow of his mana.
Jackson offers some of his mana since Hakeem had already shown signs of exhaustion from earlier spells.
“I’m fine, really. These spells are simple and don’t consume a lot of mana, affinities aside.
I’m just a little out of practice, too many hours in the lab and not enough practical training. ”
Keep it together, Hakeem. It’s the least you can do.
Hakeem flicks the wand in a fast line across the wooden doll.
“Seif”
A cut appears on the wood, shallow but prominent. “Jackson, would you like to try?”
Jackson stares at the wooden doll, the small notch created by Hakeem’s spell.
The image of all that could go wrong if too much mana went into it, who could get hurt because of him, races through his head.
“Uh… is there something less….offense based we can wrap this up with? I don’t want to keep you too much longer, don’t you have a shift in a bit? ”
Hakeem did, he also notices Jackson’s discomfort with a spell made to deal damage.
Eddie looks through the book and points to a spell with a rune that resembles an incomplete infinity loop. “Hey, Hakeem, what’s this one do?”
Hakeem leans over and takes a closer look at the spell Eddie points to. “Hm? Oh, that is a binding spell. I believe in the old tongue it roughly translates to chains. That sound okay, Jackson?”
Jackson nods his head, he can’t imagine a simple binding spell backfiring too badly.
“Now we just need a moving target.” Hakeem levels his wand toward the doll, he used a fair deal of his own mana but was feeling well enough.
He didn’t want to rely on Jackson while trying to teach, hiding the shake in his hand from the boys.
“Dance, unbound by strings. Tahrik”
The doll springs to life, moving awkwardly but would serve as a viable target. Jackson points towards the doll and traces the shape of an open ended infinity loop. It felt like drawing a winding serpent in the air.
“Salasil’’
Tendrils of shadow spring forward, then veer of course. They don’t head to the doll. Jackson watches in shock as the bindings head towards Eddie.
Eddie becomes wrapped in chains of shadow, arms and legs bound as he falls off the stool onto his ass. He lands with a thump, the air pushed out of him. “Ow. I’m okay.”
Jackson jumps to his feet and rushes to Eddie’s side on the floor. “Eddie, dude, I am so sorry. I don’t know what … Hakeem, I was doing so well, what happened?”
Hakeem has his hand over his mouth, stifling a gasp.
His eyes wide and it seems the wooden doll was attempting to copy his expression.
Hakeem dispels the animation spell with a wave of this wand, the doll flopping onto the counter.
“I-I-I don’t know. I still haven’t had a chance to figure out what triggers these reactions. Eddie, are you okay?”
Eddie accepts Jackson’s help into a sitting position. “Yup, more shocked than hurt. My ass broke my fall.” He chuckles warmly at his roommates.
Jackson tries to pry the chains off to no avail. “Hakeem, I can’t get it to dispel, what do we do?”
Jackson is panicking. Hakeem is thinking. Eddie sits on the floor, arms and legs bound together, waiting patiently to be released.
The chains of shadow wrap around Eddie’s chest and arms in a way that makes his muscle bulge out.
The way they wrap around his thighs showed off their thickness.
It doesn’t help that Eddie is still in his running outfit, a tight black top and running shorts.
If Jackson wasn’t panicking he would be red in the face looking at the scene before him.
Hakeem walks over, wand placed to the side. “I have an idea, if your magic doesn’t want to listen then let’s try coaxing it the same way I did when we first met.”
Hakeem offers Jackson a reassuring smile and asks for some space. Jackson backs off and Hakeem turns his attention to the bound Eddie. “Just stay still, Eddie, this shouldn’t hurt but might tingle.”
Eddie looks at Hakeem head on and smiles wide, it reaches his deep ocean blue eyes, crinkly slightly. “I trust you, do what you need to.”
Hakeem grabs one of the chains, he lets his own energy flow into them.
The chains go from black shadows, to forest green, then they melt into a soft silvery glow in his hands.
The mana in the spell responds to Hakeem’s touch, falling apart in his hands.
Eddie stands up and stretches his unbound limbs, muscles flexing in his workout clothes.
“See? Not a scratch. Did tingle though.”
Hakeem is relieved and needs a moment to rest, settling on the couch. Jackson shyly walks over to Eddie, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Edmund, I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re okay but I just do-”
A strong pat on the back interrupts Jackson. Eddie beams at him, white teeth on full display. “I told you no worries, bud. No use in worrying when no one got hurt. We’re all still learning.”
He levels his gaze of ocean blue to Jackson’s forest green. “Seriously I’m okay. And I know you’ll get the hang of it some day. Also, didn’t I say to call me Eddie?”
Jackson chuckles dryly, happy everyone’s alright, grateful for their patience.
“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Eddie.”
“Anytime, Jackson.”