“Hmmm… that’s nice, I suppose.” Maiya didn’t seem to care much about the ranks. Vir had to agree; they all sounded like gibberish to him.
“So, what elements do I have?” she asked. Vir could tell she was barely containing her excitement. If Riyan wasn’t present, he was sure she’d have done a victory dance around the room by now.
Riyan shook his head. “Unfortunately, these devices can only determine whether you possess an affinity. They cannot identify which element the affinity belongs to.”
“Then how—”
“You lack manners, girl,” Riyan said with his predator’s stare. “You would do well to learn some.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Maiya said, blushing.
Riyan handed Maiya a white-tinted orb. “Try to power this orb the same way you power D Grade utility orbs. This is the C Grade Stitch Skin spell of the Life element,” he said. “I suspect you will fail.”
Maiya held the palm-sized orb and concentrated as hard as she could—to the point where she started to sweat.
“I don’t think it’s working.”
Riyan’s laughter boomed through the abode. “I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone try that hard to power an orb before. Here, give it back.”
“What does this mean?” Maiya asked, reluctantly handing the orb over.
“It means one of two things: Either you lack an affinity for Life magic, or you simply do not understand how to charge orbs. The latter is a fact, but I suspect the former is true as well. Life is a rare element, after all.”
“Can you teach me?” she asked.
“No. I never underwent formal training in the art of magic. I simply happened upon it. Thus, magic has never been my area of expertise. I’m afraid my instruction would confuse you more than it would help.”
Maiya looked crestfallen.
The warrior noticed her reaction. “What I can tell you is that the first step to learning magic begins with detecting prana. This process is difficult and can sometimes take years. I never mastered it myself.”
Vir’s breath caught. “Sorry, but what do you mean? Isn’t seeing prana a simple thing to do?”
Riyan shook his head. “Not in the least. And nobody sees prana, boy. Not even the Prime Mejai himself can see it, though I’ve heard more talented mejai are more sensitive to prana than their lower ranked peers.”
That means… After seeing Maiya, he was sure now. He saw two colors flow from Maiya’s body into the crystal. The orb then drew from the air the same two colors that coursed within her body! Transparent and green.
I can see affinities. Elemental affinities. I can see prana itself! How could he possibly be prana scorned if he could see affinities? And there again, he saw them more clearly than even the most powerful mejai in the entire realm? As Riyan had just said, prana was supposed to be invisible. Ephemeral.
He was onto something here. Vir felt it in his very bones. He had to explore this newfound ability of his. Had to master it to the fullest extent. For it may very well hold the secrets to unlocking magic.
For the first time in his entire life, he had evidence. Actual evidence that his aspirations for magic weren’t pinned on mere hopes and dreams.
“Girl, this merely means that we need to find you a suitable instructor. That is my duty. For now, you will practice combat alongside the boy. That is your duty,” he said, turning to Vir. “Your turn, boy.”
Vir’s vision swirled, and he lost his balance, falling to his knees. The moment Vir dreaded had finally arrived, but he was also struggling to contain his excitement.
“Vir!” Maiya shouted, darting over to help him up.
He waved her away, rising to his feet on his own. “I’m fine. Just got lightheaded for a moment.”
Vir braced himself and walked up to the crystal. Riyan watched like a hawk.
Maybe this time will be different, he deluded. Maybe Apramor’s device was broken.
It wasn’t. He placed his hands upon the crystal, and nothing happened. Nothing flew out of his body. Nothing was sucked out of the air.
Riyan was not pleased. “No affinities? Disappointing. Most disappointing.”
“What will you do with me now?”
Riyan massaged the bridge of his nose. “This is a setback. We will have to make up for it with your physical combat training.”
Maiya breathed a sigh of relief. Vir kept his hands on the crystal.
He’d survived. But was this alright? If he kept the fact that he was prana scorned from Riyan—as Maiya had helped him do until now—what would happen when Riyan inevitably uncovered the truth?
Vir knew what it meant to lie. Rudvik hated liars. And Vir would die before he betrayed his father’s memory. If he wanted to train with Riyan, he’d have to be honest. Both to himself, and to his instructor.
“It’s not just that, Riyan,” Vir said, looking Riyan in the eye. “Forget affinities. I can’t even use basic utility orbs like everyone else.”
Maiya’s eyes bulged. “What do you think you’re—”
“What do you mean?” Riyan asked, cutting her off. “I have never come across a person who can’t use utility magic.”
“From the day I was born, I’ve been… I’m prana scorned.”
Maybe he wasn’t. For the first time ever, he hoped he wasn’t.
I gotta tell Maiya!
But what about Riyan? The fact remained, as of this moment, he simply couldn’t use magic. At all.
Vir contemplated telling Riyan that he could see prana, but he doubted the man would believe him. He himself wasn’t even sure if he was right. The last thing he needed was Riyan accusing him of lying, breaking whatever little trust he had. And even if Vir could see prana, he couldn’t use orbs. It wasn’t like Riyan would shower him with praises for that.
Riyan held Vir’s gaze for a long moment. “I see.”
“What will you do with me now?” Vir asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
“Divulging this information was not in your best interest,” the Ghost of Godshollow said. “You feared that if I knew, I would throw you out, correct?”
Vir nodded.
“But you felt that keeping the secret would be worse,” Riyan continued. “And you were right to think so. Be at ease. In recognition of your honesty, I will not banish you yet. Prove to me that the physical prowess you displayed in the forest was no fluke. If you impress me sufficiently, I shall allow you to stay.”
Vir felt the weight of a mountain come off his shoulders. He wasn’t out of the woods yet—he’d have to prove himself—but he could manage that. He was sure of it.
“Still, I have never met someone incapable of using basic utility magic,” Riyan said, stroking his long beard. He sure liked to do that.
Maiya timidly raised her hand. “Could we install utilities around the home that don’t require magic? Like locks and taps and such? Things have been awfully inconvenient for Vir. He’s essentially trapped unless someone opens the doors for him…”
Vir knew that the one who was most inconvenienced by his lack of prana was Maiya herself. But his friend would never admit that. He silently thanked her for bringing up the topic.
“That will require some doing. If the boy can prove his combat potential to me once he recovers, then I may consider it. If not…”
He left his sentence unfinished, the implication obvious.
“Now tell me,” Riyan said. “How much do you two know about the workings of prana?”
Maiya grinned, and Vir found himself doing the same. Finally. Finally, they were going to get a glimpse into the secrets of the mejai!
14THE ENERGY OF LIFE