Will everyone please come to the town center. No, this is not one of your idiotic gods, nor are you going insane. I am a warlock and I am talking to you from inside your own mind. Now, if you fail to come to the town center, I dare say it is likely that this day will be your last.

“Aah-What the hell was that?” Eli spun around to look for the voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Finding no one around him, his panic fell slightly and he began to process the words he heard. No, not the words he heard… the words he thought.

Could that have been End? He wondered, it sounded like his voice was coming through my head. I guess I’m going to head to the town center.

With that thought, he set off at a quick jog. As tired as he was, he couldn’t help but smile slightly at the ease at which he sped across the ground. I wonder if this is magi- I mean… arcanery. I don’t remember ever moving this quickly, but I also don’t remember the stories mentioning people who’s only power is to move quickly. That doesn’t seem heroic at all, seems more like a skill to run away from your enemies.

“How are you doing that.” Casiel asked from behind him.

Eli jumped up at least a foot into the air. Aah! Why do you people insist on surprising me?” He turned to see Casiel running quickly and catching up to him. He noticed now she had quite a bit of power in each step. Her eyes were red and Eli realized she must have been crying after she went home.

“I asked how you were doing that.” She insisted.

Now Eli was truly lost. He was just running. Sure, it was fast, but it was running all the same. “Doing what?”

“Ugh. It is obvious you are magically enhancing your running. Have you somehow been hiding your magic? Wait… you have, haven’t you? You were the one that the tall man was looking for.” She said, her eyes beginning to once again tear up.

“No! I mean… I don’t know.” He said quickly, trying not to make her cry.

“I’ve never been able to do anything magic. Just earlier today I started running really quickly when I tried to escape Jona and it sort of feels like that now.”

“Yeah, right. I don’t even think it’s possible to not know you are doing magic. Plus, you are almost able to keep up with me at this jog. Sure, water isn’t the best at translating power into physical ability, but I have been practicing this for a while. So… what are you? Wind? Fire? Some weirdly physical-based Nature or Water wizard?”

“I DON’T KNOW, okay? I don’t know. I didn’t even know what magic looked like beyond your little water thingy and Jona’s stupid wind tricks.” He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He was a wizard? It just didn’t seem possible. And more than anything else, he was angry. He had wished for this power for years and years. And finally, it is granted to him, far too late to save Casiel’s parents. Too late even to save him from years of bullying. And now, the power he wished to have so strongly finally arrives in the midst of his world being turned upside down.

Things were supposed to make more sense once he got his power. He was supposed to finally be normal. After all, it was incredibly rare not to have any magic whatsoever; most people just had minimal control and power. Only a very rare few had nothing to speak of, and Eli had never even met one. But, finally, he has magic, yet he is even more lost than before.

Eli started to speed up. He began to run faster and faster. He could feel heat being transferred from somewhere deep in his body to his limbs from some hole in his chest. What does that even mean? He wondered.

He was still speeding up, his entire being focused on one goal. Run. Run away from his problems, his only friend’s parents’ death, his newfound power. He wanted to reach the town center and get some answers. He ran faster.

Looking to his left, he saw Casiel picking up her pace to keep up with him. She looked like she wanted to keep asking him questions but saw the look on his face and focused on running. Not that End thought there was any chance of being able to speak while running at this speed.

As he was running, he began to wonder at the heat that was filling up his body. What was it? Could that heat be magic? Putting some effort into feeling his body, he noticed a couple things. First, his mind seemed even clearer than before. Almost like a mist had slowly been clearing up that he had never known was there. Secondly, he felt like he was pulling the warmth from some source deep inside him.

He couldn’t tell, but it seemed like it was coming up and being filtered through something which somehow managed to make the energy more powerful. He could only get a vague sense of it. Then he noticed something that he knew was important somewhere in his brain. The source of the magical heat, or arcane power as End had called it, seemed to be shrinking.

He sped up more, wondering if the heat would increase. As more power entered his legs he noticed the ‘source’ of his energy shrinking even faster. Is there a limit to how much I can use this power?

He started to stretch a little, putting even more power into his limbs. He seemed to be almost flying and he saw Casiel’s eyes widen slightly. Every bit of his being was put into this run.

Then, suddenly, he thought something out of nowhere.

I wouldn’t do that if I were you. In shock, he went flying through the air. Due to his speed, his roll only slowed to a stop after over six yards.

Ow! That hurt like a… wait, no it didn’t. That should have felt far worse; a fall at that speed could have broken my wrist. As it was he only saw some scrapes. He knew, however, that the bruises would come later and would kill. He was lucky to be conscious, though. What was that voice?

He looked over to where he fell and instead of seeing a rock or stick like he had been imagining himself tripping over, he saw a man standing over him with his hand out.

Casiel, who had slowed her run many yards away to avoid the same fate as her friend started asking “Eli, are you okay? What happened, you started going so fast and then-“

She was cut off as Eli let out a high-pitched squeal, his third one of the day.