The Wonder

Prince Horatio passed me the first book. “What do you make of this one?” I looked at the cover as I grasped it. Hands trembling. The book was thick, heavy, and imperious. The binding had gilding in an elaborate pattern around the entire cover; ornate and mysterious. The title, too, a mystery. It had an almost Arabic or Hindi style text. The letters extended into the gilded design on the cover, making the script hard to fathom. If it was in the Elvin script, would I be able to read it?

All these thoughts rushed through my mind, but the one foremost thought was what it would reveal. What would I learn? Excitement coursing through me, I could almost feel the power in my hands. What secrets would I unravel within? What would I unlock in my mind? It turned out that the answer to these questions was not much, not much at all.

I opened the book to the first page and then flipped through more pages. The aroma of old books filling the booth. It was completely blank.

For all its elegance it held no words I could see. Before I could look up accusingly at Horatio he said,

“Feel the words, Petros, in your current state you cannot perceive them directly with sight.”

I thought about what he said and then closing my eyes I set my mind into the calm receptive state I had been taught earlier. Then opening them, I looked at the pages again. This time I saw a flickering. It started as a smudge, then, like I was cleaning a dirty window, the page revealed itself to me. The words were not anything I recognized, and the prose contained sigils and what I can only describe as hieroglyphics. It was a step forward. I tried again to make sense of the words. This time as I focused on the book, it glowed brighter, enveloping my hands as they held it open. The glow spread up my arms and before I could think to release the book; I felt a blinding flash and suddenly a surge of images, gestures, and knowledge flowed into me. It was as if I had been blind and someone had laid hands upon me to restore my sight.

Reeling from the information dump, I dropped the book back onto the table and sat back. My eyes were open, but playing before them was not the room beyond, but instead, a wild array of all those sigils and hieroglyphics. They morphed into words and the words blended into reams of sentences, then blended again, and again, converting chapters into paragraphs and paragraphs into sentences. Sentences eventually condensed into single words, then from many single words they combined to form only one short expression. “Light the way”

Gasping for air, I said the words out loud. “Light the Way”.

Immediately, I felt the draw of power from my core and the whole booth lit up in a bright luminous glow. I could feel the drain on my reserves. I was pumping power into the light at a phenomenal rate. The entire booth must have been like a sun within the library. I tried to dim the light, throttle the flow of mana draining out of me and slowly the dark spots of my blinking eyes receded and I could see more clearly.

Horatio was looking at me with a bright smile on his face. If being proud could shine, he might have shone as brightly as the light I was projecting. I was definitely getting the hang of this. And wow, what a rush.

Okay, it was just a light spell, but it came from my mind!

The convergence of will, internal power, and the correct incantation had made something unbelievable happen. I closed the gates of my way-channel and the light blinked out.

“Now that was a head rush!” I exclaimed eagerly. “Almost everything that has happened to me has caused me excruciating pain, but that has to be one of the best feelings ever. The way the knowledge just flowed into me, it was like… well, I don’t actually have words for it. What’s next?” Horatio was already holding out the next book which I grabbed with eager hands but he held onto it and I quickly looked up at him.

“This is an offensive spell. Please do not cast it when you have absorbed the knowledge.” He gave me a stern look, and I grinned sheepishly. I was a middle-aged man, and I felt like a teenager again.

“Fair enough, I will contain my exuberance” I responded solemnly, but inside I was as giddy as a school-girl. Whatever this book would teach me, and whatever else I learned I was so looking forward to exerting my full force of will on something. Many something's. What followed was a steady stream of books.

When the first pile finished, the scholar collected them and another pile was brought. All-in-all I learned just about twenty spells before Horatio called it a day. I had them all broiling inside me waiting to be unleashed and I was more than eager to get out from studies and move on to the magic range or whatever they called it.

Instead, I was shown, via a great deal of stairs to a room that had a pallet for sleeping and a meager but delicious meal of freshly baked bread, a type of butter, a piece of tasty cheese and several leafy vegetable greens that made me ache for home and a delicious hamburger. Sadly, there was no meat. Complementing the flavor was more of the tea we had been drinking earlier and my body eagerly accepted the nutrition.

Studying magic was hard, hungry work! I relaxed back on the pallet after “changing” my clothes to something more pajama-like. As cool as the denim and robe had been, it just pulled in all the wrong places when I lay down. I was eager to go through my character sheet.

Col. Petros Arkansas (Callsign: Armpit)

Class: PRODIGY Species: HUMAN

Hit Points (HP): 1700 Mana Points (MP):1900

Attributes: Strength: 17

Agility: 17

Intelligence: 19

Wisdom: 19

Stamina: 17

Luck: 15

Constitution: 17

I willed the magical page to show up: Below the pentagram with the inner spinning Yin-yang symbol a list of known spells had formed. I looked at them admiringly. While many of them were beyond my skill level at the moment, it would just be a matter of time before I could access those powers.

Spell Listing

Light Magic

Light Level 1 - (Level 5 prerequisite) - Incantation: “Light the way” A 5m radius lighting that glows with the intensity of the amount of mana channeled into it

Light Level 2 - (Level 5 prerequisite) - Incantation: “Light the path” An arc of lighting that glows with the intensity of the amount of mana channeled into it. Angle of the arc can be adjusted. A wider angle and the effect will diminish less than 5 meters. A narrower angle and the effect will increase beyond 5 meters.

Force Barrier Level 1- (Level 5 prerequisite) - Incantation: “Shield on” A barrier of magical energy constructed to deflect kinetic energy (Defined and shaped by the amount of energy the caster projects into the barrier).

Force Barrier Level 2- (Level 10 prerequisite) - Incantation: “Barrier shield” A barrier of magical energy constructed to deflect radiation, kinetic and magical energy (Defined by the amount of mana the caster projects within the barrier).

Healing balm (Does not work on caster) A healing buff that superficially stops bleeding and heals lacerations, cures bruising and abrasions. Can only be cast while touching the intended target. (Does not work on caster)

Heal and Seal (Level 15 prerequisite) A healing buff that heals deeply, mending damaged tissue from within. The amount of healing depends on the amount of mana invested. Bone ailments, breaks, fractures, and dismemberment are beyond the scope of this healing spell. Can only be cast while touching the intended target.

Absolute healing (Level 40 prerequisite) Holistic healing remedy, repairing and dispelling damaged tissue, destroying disease, curing poison and mending bone. Dismemberment is beyond the scope of this healing spell. Can only be cast while touching the intended target.

Cure poison (Level 5 prerequisite) Curative healing spell that cleanses the body from all foreign ailments. Destroys foreign bodies such as bacteria, virus and fungal infections. Additionally, purges all poisons. Can only be cast while touching the intended target. Warning: Does not heal the body from the effect of toxins and ailments.

Druid Magic

Tame beast (Prerequisite Level 5) A calming vibe that endears the animal to your will. If the animal is especially disagreeable or willful, it may not work.

Calm Beast (Prerequisite Level 5) An euphoric sensation that will confuse and in some instances endear an animal to your will. This spell should be used on an aggressive animal in order to distract it while you make your getaway.

Vicious vines (Limited to plants less than 10 earth years of age) Allows the caster to manipulate plants branches to stab and rend at foes. Duration depends on willpower and mana investment.

Animate plant (Limited to plants less than 10 earth years of age) Allows the caster to manipulate a plant entirely. It will uproot and move to attack foes relentlessly. Duration depends on willpower and mana investment.

Plant Grow (Limited to plants less than two earth years of age) A growth spurt on plants allowing them to grow at a prodigious pace. Allows plants to grow beyond their usual size. The growth continues based on the mana invested.

Fire Magic

Fire flare (Effective range within 50 meters) A sparkling flare that can either be used for illumination or offensive strikes. The burning flare effect continues for 10 seconds after being cast.

Fireball (Prerequisite Level 5 - Affective range within 100 meters) The magical fireball is a 30-centimeter diameter ball of molten fire that upon impact bursts to a radius of 3 meters. Everything within the radius of the damage zone will receive equal amounts of raw magical and burning damage for a duration of 5 to 10 seconds. Damage depends on the amount of mana invested.

Air Magic

Lesser Lightning Level 1 (Prerequisite Level 5 - Effective range within 30 meters) A single arc of lightning directed by willpower. Easily grounded and requires an agile mind to control effectively.

Lesser Lightning Level 2 (Prerequisite Level 10 - Effective range within 50 meters) Multiple arcs of lightning directed by willpower. Damage enhanced by the amount of mana used to generate the combined effect.

Deadly Lightning (Prerequisite Level 40 - Effective range within 200 meters) Single deadly and unerringly accurate bolt of lightning cast upon a single target within a 200m range. Magically changing the targets static ionic state and creating a potential difference with the sky above create the effect. This potential difference causes the bolt to materialize and smite the object of your desire. High willpower improves the casting time to a shorter duration. Can only be cast in open skies.

Wind - (Prerequisite Level 5) Powerful breeze used to stir the leaves of trees or flutter sails that have gone limp. A draining spell of immense power that has a 20-meter front. Duration depends on mana expenditure

Gale force - (Prerequisite Level 40) Turbulent gust of wind that can unbalance foes, knock over trees and disrupt forward advances. It has also been used to fuel fires to new heights. Varies based on terrain, mana expenditure and the experience of the caster.

Aqua Magic

Sterilize water - Cleanse A pulse of magical force that destroys all life within a body of water making it sterile and thus safe to drink. Limited in scope to 10 liters maximum. Effective twice per day.

Condense a jug (Prerequisite Level 5) A jug of water condensed from the air. Cool and refreshing. Effective once per day.

Ripple pulse (Prerequisite Level 15) A pulse of water force used to subdue turbulent waves, disrupt floating objects, or propel a floating object. Limited in area of effect and scope.

I looked at all the various types of magic I had learned, and the corresponding corner of the magical pentagon glowed. So as I looked at the Druid magic list, the green Earth magic corner glowed and similarly the blue corner for Aqua magic. What I noticed was that I had something called Life magic, which seemed to affect the inner Yin-Yang symbol. The white part of the interlocking tear shapes seemed to glow. This led me to the conclusion that there were seven magical schools: Life and Dark were perhaps a combination of the outer five magic’s. I had yet to learn any magic from the dark side, and any from the metal side. I would have to ask Horatio about those in the morning. It was with these thoughts swirling through my mind that I at last, closed my eyes to enjoy a peaceful and restful sleep.