Chapter 172 - Star - Magic Training 2
Chapter 172 - Star - Magic Training 2
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Star
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"Now, there are some things about you that I don't know the true effects of when it comes to your magic. But, the simple fact that you have magic, and a hand of power at that, means that you should be largely unaffected by anything. I believe wholeheartedly that you should be able to do all of the magic that I am capable of, if not more."
I saw excitement and joy in my dad's eyes as I watched and listened to him explain everything that he had to say. I felt like, in a way, we were bonding and getting closer. I felt like we would have no problems with each other when we all went back home, and he came with us.
"What sort of effects are you thinking there might be?" I asked him out of curiosity.
"I don't know how being half wolf will affect you. It's hard to know what will be different for you with magic and other things like that. It should be minimal though, you are hardly the first hybrid. Of course, everyone will be different so we cannot base your experience with magic off of someone else's."
"OK, well I think the best bet then will be to start with the basics and work our way up." I grinned as I thought about learning small bits of magic, and then learning how to use my hand of power at will. "Oh, that reminds me. I wanted to ask if you have two hands of power? I know we both have the one power that is the same, but do you have another one?"
"I do, yes. I am considered a high Fae, only those that are ranked grand are stronger than high Fae."
"I didn't know that." I smiled awkwardly, my family was so much more important than I thought. "So is everyone in our family a high Fae?"
"No, not everyone. Some are upper Fae, some are high Fae, and some are grand Fae. I think there might be some distant relatives that are middle Fae, but I am not completely certain of their connection to us. Considering my familial closeness to the queen, it is understandable that I would be as high ranked as I am. My great grandfather was Aunt Glory's brother."
"Doesn't that ever feel awkward to say? That your aunt who looks so young is the sister of your great grandfather. Just so you know, it is a bit strange to hear when you haven't been raised around immortal beings your whole life."
"I can see how that would seem strange to you, but to me it's just normal. I never met my great grandfather though, he died in one of the old Fae wars. His name was Sorrel; he, Valerian and Gloriana were the original three Sidhe. They were born from the gods themselves. Most of the other Fae are magic creatures that evolved over time as humans put their faith and belief into them and their magic. There was a time when the Fae helped humans a lot, but that hasn't been the case for centuries. Now, we need to hide away and protect ourselves from them as much as we can."
I could see the sadness in my dad's eyes now. He was remembering the histories he had learned and most likely things that he had seen first hand. This world wasn't perfect, it wasn't at peace, and that was something that I truly wished could be changed.
Dad shook his head then, like he was ridding himself of the bad thoughts. When he was done, he smiled and looked at me.
"I keep getting off topic here."
"That's fine. Everything you've told me so far has been quite interesting."
"I'm really glad you think so. Perhaps I can teach you more another time. But for right now, let's focus on magic. Are you ready to start actually trying to use it?" He looked excited now, like he was eagerly anticipating my answer.
"Yeah, let's do this." I clenched my fist and pumped it in the air once.
"OK, good. Now, let's get down to how to use magic. That was another reason I wanted to be here when we did this. This is the most magical garden in the entire castle."
I watched as he moved off of the blanket then. For some reason, my dad took his shoes off and crouched on the grass next to the pond. He was crouched so low that his toes and fingers were both able to dig into the soft earth.
"Come here and do what I am doing. You should be able to feel the magic if you concentrate on it."
I did as he asked and took the sandals I was wearing off. I was wearing a dress that was just a little longer than knee length but I didn't think that it would cause an issue here. I held the dress in place with my hands as I stooped and crouched down to the ground. When I was as low as I could go, basically sitting on the heels of my feet with my toes digging into the dirt, I put my hands on the grass and pressed my palms flat.
"That's good." Dad smiled at me. "Now, do you feel the ground humming? That small little vibration that is coursing through it. That is the magic of this place. All things with magic will hum, even if just a little. The stronger the hum, the stronger the magic."
I closed my eyes and concentrated on my hands and feet, doing my best to feel that humming my dad was talking about. At first I didn't notice anything at all, but right as I was about to tell him that, right when I opened my mouth, I felt something vibrate through my hands and feet.
"Huh!" I gasped at the feel of it. "I..I do. I feel it!" I heard the awe and excitement that was in my own voice.
"Good, that means that you can tap into magic. We have it inside of us, but we can also borrow it from the earth. The earth itself has magic, some parts of it will have more than others though. There is an underground network of magical lines called ley lines. These lines provide magic to the whole world. They help to offer a source of power to all of us that can feel their presence."
"So, they're like, Fae powerlines?" I tilted my head to the side as I asked that, knowing it would make him laugh. I was right, he did laugh.
"In a way, only it can provide power to witches, warlocks, djinn, genies, gypsies, summoners, healers, and any other kind of magic user there is."
"That's a lot of people tapping into the power sources then, won't they ever run out?" The fear of the world losing power suddenly filled me.
"If one set of lines loses power then another will form to take its place. There is always a balance."
"That is a relief." I smile, feeling a weight lessen.
"No need to worry, sweetheart, the magical world balances itself out." He smiled soothingly. "Now, let's work on tapping into that power. I think you will be a natural at it."
My dad sat down all the way now, crossing his legs like a kid and facing me. I couldn't mirror that pose because of the dress but I sat on the grass and tucked both of my legs to the side of me. I wasn't really sitting on them, more next to them.
"Alright Star, when you get better at this you will draw on the power inside of you, but to start I want you to borrow the power of the land. Feel the magic, pull it toward you, bring it inside your body."
"How do I do that?" I was completely lost now. Yeah, I could feel the magic, but how do I pull it into me and use it? I didn't know what it was he wanted me to do here.
"Welcome it into your body, let it know that it's not intruding. Feel the vibrations not with just your hands, but your whole body."
I tried doing as he said. I closed my eyes and concentrated. After a little while nothing was happening. I felt like I just couldn't do it. But then there was this little voice inside of me, a voice I felt like I had heard before. I think it was my mother's voice from that dream.
"You can do it, Starry girl. I know you can. I believe in you."
After those words, I felt like the thrumming wasn't just under me anymore. It was all through me. My whole body was vibrating gently. When I popped my eyes open, I saw my dad looking at me excitedly as I floated about six inches off the ground, a bright green light coming from my entire body.