Chapter 9: The Magic of Inspiration

Later that evening, Michael returned to his quarters, his hands shaking from the events transpiring that day. His illusion of safety within the castle walls was shattered, and although they managed to stop the demon, he was not so confident anymore that he could strut the halls of the castle and stay unperturbed. He needed to learn magic, ASAP, so he could content with the other heroes and all the enemies that lay in his wake, and now that he was beginning to learn magic, he would pour out everything he had into it.

The other heroes had seen nothing, as far as he knew, but they certainly heard the explosions. He, on the other hand, saw the bloody carnage that ensued, and knew of the terrors of the demons. This was not something they could fight against at their current state, so he needed to be better. He took this event as a learning opportunity, and not some disturbing one-sided massacre.

What happened to the demon? He wondered to himself, not remembering anything beyond the fight itself. The demon wasn’t dead, that was for sure, but if they killed it later, or imprisoned it, he did not know. It doesn’t matter anyways, he thought, clenching his fist as he sat in his bed. He needed magic, and he was already behind all the others.

He had talked to Ken earlier, and gotten a rough explanation of how to cast magic. He began by entering what he could only describe as a state of meditation. He looked within himself, and after several tries finally saw the little strands of energy raging throughout his body. Individually, they were small, like strands of hair, but collectively, they came together in a mass of waves, like a river winding through a canyon, following the flow of the other strands.

What caught his eyes however, was the two rivers running in his body. The larger one being a crimson red, the color of blood, while the other was smaller, but looked like a river of lava. Curious, he reached for the energy, but was stopped by a prick in his brain. “Aah!” he grunted, clutching his head. It felt as if someone had hit him with a rock, and, like a rock, the pain quickly passed.

Shrugging and diving back in, Michael once again reached for his inner self, this time not lingering at the “sight” of the two rivers. Instead, he quickly tugged on the blood river, feeling a sense of something draining from his body as he did. Opening his eyes, he gave it one final tug, releasing the energy into the world.

Instead of a bright, orange fire, however, he saw a crimson flame quietly pushing itself from his hand. Instantly he felt a feeling of dread, recognizing the color of the flame from Mortis, his elemental tree. That’s when it dawned on him: I’m using Hellfire! He thought frantically, quickly shutting off the stream of flames. He steadied his breathing, not even realizing that he had not been breathing.

Mortis said I could use both normal and hellfire, so that must mean that the smaller river is the one with normal fire magic! He thought, and once again reached inside of himself, a little more cautiously this time. For this attempt, he once again quickly reached for the river, pulling it out of himself. This time, to his satisfaction, a blazing orange fire released itself from his hand. The flames scattered across the room, like hands reaching for something to grab onto, and soon enough, the carpet caught fire.

He stopped pouring out mana and stamped out the small fire, not causing too much damage. Perhaps it’s best to practice my fire magic elsewhere he thought, chuckling to himself as he shook in excitement. He had casted magic! It was basic, but it was definitely a step forward! He mentally danced as he strode out of the room, eagerly looking for Ken, finding him in the library with Sarah. He had not been too familiar with Sarah, as they hadn’t talked much except in past projects and assignments, but she was a lightning user apparently, so it only made sense that the higher tiered cores became closer.

“Yo! Ken!” Michael said loudly, excited to see him again. Over the course of two and a half weeks, he had only seen him once, and that was two weeks ago, where he learned that Ken could cast magic now. He was desperate for the company of his best friend.

Ken spun around, surprised at the sound of his voice. “Michael!” He exclaimed, giving him a pat on the back. A large grin plastered itself on his face as they greeted each other. “I’ve heard that you’ve been training with a sword the entire time you’ve been here, barely any sleep, a few breaks, that sort of thing!” He said with a playful smirk, and Michael smiled in return.

“It’s definitely been rough, especially with the whole thing going on today, but I’ve gotten through it. I’m going to learn magic now!” He said, pumping his fist in victory. He back up towards Ken and shook his head. “I have to admit though, this whole magic casting thing is a lot easier that you described. I got it right on my, what was it? Second try?” He giggled as he saw Ken’s face widen in surprise.

Ken placed his hand on his face and pinched his nose in annoyance. “You managed to cast a spell… on your second try?” He asked with a sigh. Michael only nodded, and Ken’s face lightened once more. “Look at you, one upping me already!” He laughed and clapped Michael on the back again.

Sarah stepped up, a curious look on her face. “Michael, right?” She asked, reaching out her hand, which Michael shook. She looked him up and down as she spoke, this being one of the few times she had seen him in the past few years.

“Yup! The one and only!” He said, looking over at Ken, who was casting small spells of light in his hand. It looked as if he was playing with a fidget toy, rather than casting a spell, and Michael began to understand how much someone can improve in just two weeks.

Interrupting his train of thoughts, Sarah continued to speak, inquiring about his training and his instructor, as well as some basic questions, like his core and class. He revealed that he had a fire core, and a spy class, but nothing else. Even though Ken was his friend, he wouldn’t reveal his secret to him, much less Sarah.

They talked for the next two hours, inquiring about each others’ lives after tutoring began and their progress with magic and spell craft. Michael learned that Sarah was at about the same pace as Ken in their magic training, following close behind Ken’s progress. Eventually, they finally reached the present day, and Sarah began explaining the events of the demon attack earlier in the day.

Michael interjected her statement, explaining his involvement and his observation of the fight. The two were horrified to hear the strength of the demon, and the mass loss of life that ensued. It seems that the description of the events gave both of them their own form of inspiration as well.

“Did you hear what happened with the demon?” Seeing both Michael and Ken shaking their heads in denial, Sarah excitedly continued. “The King is keeping it locked in the dungeon, essentially the basement of the castle. They’re going to have a hero keep watch over the demon every day, as a training exercise. There’s no threat of the traitor, since we can’t speak their language, so the King approved it.”

This caught Michael’s attention. He remembered the events of the day clearly, and he definitely heard the demon say the word “Infiltrator.” Does this mean that he could speak demon? He turned his head to Sarah: “Who decides who watches the demon?”

“Uh, I think they’re going to draw slots or straws or something like that. They weren’t too specific, but it will be random for everyone. Of course, if a person’s already watched it, they won’t let them go again, so everyone can have a turn, but that’s about it.”

Michael’s head was spinning. This means I can get a chance to talk to the demon in private. He had many questions that needed to be answered, and he definitely needed to explore some of the benefits to his role as the “traitor” He smiled dismissingly, as if it wasn’t such a big deal.

“It seems our lives are going to be a lot busier from now on”