Forgotten Part 36: Basic magic.

Forgotten Part 36: Basic magic.

The desert sun scorched the sand, and a few people found refuge in an oasis. The group was consistent of a camel that carried sacks of bones, a man in thick robes, and a bird in a very simple, white dress with hood. The two sat at the water, where the man held a long staff.

“You wish to learn magic? Then you must fully understand the first rule: magic is everywhere.” The bird thought for a second, before posing a question.

“Even…”

“EVERYWHERE! I do need to grab a dictionary?” The bird looked back at the water, a bit scared of the man’s shouting. “Trees, air, water, clothes. Mages do nothing but create a void, gather the energy and then make it their kind. Once controlled, magic is pure energy. Floating droplets of blank matter. With the mind, one can give them strength and form.” His hand appeared from the thousands of cloths and formed a small ball of light. He closed his eyes and formed a small, sparkling diamond. “Amazing, not?”

“Why?”

“Diamonds are valuable; I figured you’d know that.” The man threw the gem into the water, which started to ripple in reply. “Unlike normal people, deities already mastered the skill of magic from birth, so you shouldn’t have any trouble with it. Just try to feel the world around you, and try to place it in your hand.” He placed his hand on the water, feeling the cold pool touch him. The ripples made moist spots on his hand, though it didn’t stay long before evaporating. He took a deep breath and emptied his minds of the many emotions that ravaged it. Then he recalled his recent loss. The man didn’t look at him, not because he didn’t care, but because he wanted to see the results of such variables. The bird remembered the kindness of a once stranger. His depression and fear froze the water, until the air started cooling down. The dry air became moist and snow started falling. “Such interesting effects!” Despite the blazing sun, the water stayed frozen. “Although I don’t want my bones to crack…” The man slapped the bird against his head, forcing him from his concentration and breaking the magic strings.

“Why did you do that?”

“Because cold is bad for Darling, not to forget my collection of skeletons.” The bird rubbed the back of his head, somewhat confused by the extremeness of his measures. “You’re putting up the tent.” He sighed and walked over to the camel. He grabbed a large coil of cloth and started to pitch the tent. In the end, he found there was only place for one. Seeing the sun settled, he crawled inside. “Stupid bird! The elderly go first!” Rough handed, he removed the bird and threw him on a dune. With some rough movement, he settled and slept. He climbed in some palms and picked enough leaves to cover himself, before sleeping next to the camel.

Morning brought warmth and dryness. The man yawned as he slipped from his tent. A few leaves covered his camel, thus he removed them. Grabbing some food, he turned to the water, seeing the bird in a very different garb. “You never told me you had other clothes.” The bird turned around from the level water and revealed himself. Large, shiny, white gloves, boots and a dress adorned the creature. The man got closer and quickly made a witty conclusion. “Every deity has his own special matter. Clark has steel, Purity has gemstones, and yours is this weird… latex-like stuff. Matches your deity duties.”

“What does it mean?”

“Nothing. It’s just a material you will like more than others are. And you can make it at will.” The bird looked back to the flat pool.

“Okay then. But why?”

“Maybe you got cold or something. How should know how deity elements work?”