The Forest Of Riodhir (BWWM)

Chapter 8: Illuminae

I let Cederic lead me back down the steep hill. By now, the sun had begun to set, leaving streaks of orange upon the sky. Vibrant rays shone through the leaves, illuminating whatever it chose to.

We approached another open area that had candles arranged on the ground and floating around the perimeter. He lead me into the middle of the area, his hand never leaving mine as he turned to face me.

"Being able to convert your energy to a tangible form is what sets us sorcerers apart from the race of Men. But what you must understand is that being able to bend this entity comes with large amounts of restrictions as to what we are allowed to do. Within our ranks, there is a council that oversees every move we make. We must be in control with this ability. What I would like to first focus on is creating Magik. I want you to close your eyes." Cederic requested.

I gave him a nod, and my eyes hesitantly drifted shut.

"This area in the forest is where we bring our young pupils. It's what you would call initiation. What I'm placing in your hand right now is a candle. We are working with direct touch. Soon you'll be able to use magic without touching the object. All I want you to do is try and image this light energy flowing through you. Try to feel it course through your veins, make it a part of you. Make it real." Cederic instructed, as his body drew closer to mine.

I cleared my mind, focusing on the energy inside me (whatever that meant), and tried to redirect it through me. After a moment, I cracked one eye open to witness absolutely nothing happening. A sigh left my lips as I annoyingly glanced back up at Cederic. I wasn't used to failing.

"Close your eyes again." Cederic instructed, wrapping both his hands around my own. "I want you to think of your body as a channel, a tunnel for the energy to pass through. You unconsciously created Magik when you were close to death, when your body exceeded its maximum tolerance for pain. I need you to remember that peace you had then, however morbid it may be, you need to put yourself in the state of acceptance. Accept this. Remember what I told you, this energy is a reflection of the person you are. Our Magik is like a unique footprint, one so identifiable, it becomes our identity. Our strengths, then in return, are its strengths. That also means our weakness becomes its weakness."

I closed my eyes again, taking to heart Cederic's words as my mind drifted back to the emptiness I felt that night. The pain I felt then began to recreate itself in a different way. It was hard to explain in words. It felt almost like warm water being washed over your body. The agony I once felt had, had materialized itself inside of me. I felt like I was fully recharged with an overflowing amount of strength.

"Now say Illuminae." Cederic directed.

"Illuminae." I whispered, feeling my Magik (which almost felt like an extension of myself) surround the candle... My eyes slid open to see the illuminated candle that was held between us. My eyes caught sight of the light that surrounded, and realized that all the candles around us had a flame.

"Holy shit." I whispered between the two of us. When I glanced up at Cederic, he smiled weakly at me before his body stumbled back. The candles flames went out, including the one I was holding in my hand, when Cederic's hands broke the connection.

"Cederic!" I called out. His body leaned back against the tree as he tried to steady his breathing. "What happened?" I asked, panicked when he pushed himself away from the tree base weakly.

"I think it's time we head back now." Cederic said, not waiting for my reply as he started walking back. He hadn't said a word to me as we made our way into town. I fell into step behind him and embraced the silence.

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