13: Prana Scorned (Patreon)

Vir and Maiya fell silent on the ride home after Riyan’s combat demonstration. Maiya brooded over magic, while Vir couldn’t keep his mind off of the Talents Riyan had shown him. Was this his path to power? Or would he find he lacked aptitude for Talents as well? He wasn’t overly optimistic, given his prior luck.

“We will begin by testing your potential,” Riyan said as he maneuvered the Ash’va into its hidden stable, tucked into a cave carved into the hill beside the abode. “In magic, as well as the physical arts. Ashborn are supposed to be superior in both. Today, we see whether the rumors are true.”

Vir could never get used to that piercing stare. It was as if the man could see every dark secret he kept.

“You can’t possibly ask Vir to fight in the state he’s in!” Maiya said.

“Indeed, with the sorry state he is in, a test of physical ability would be ill advised. Instead, we shall test both of your magical aptitudes today. Combat can come later. Follow me.”

The two friends exchanged a glance. Vir knew how this would go. He knew he’d fail the magic test. What would Riyan do once he found out? Would he abandon Vir for being defective?

Vir followed the big man into the house with heavy steps, his mind spinning through scenarios.. His burn wounds were still tightly bandaged. The pain had lessened significantly, but he was in no position to survive alone, let alone out on a desert. If Riyan decided he was worthless and kicked him out, Maiya would undoubtedly leave too. But Riyan could simply threaten her with Vir’s life to force her to stay.

This is bad. Extremely bad.

He swore under his breath. He should have taken more precautions. Maybe he could’ve stolen Riyan’s Ash’va with Maiya… What was he thinking, believing he could convince Riyan that he’d be useful even without magic?

But now it was too late. There was nothing he could do. His steps turned heavy as their instructor led them to his magic testing apparatus.

His friend squeezed his arm. “Relax,” she whispered. “We talked about this, remember? Whatever it is, I’m sure he has a plan, even if you can’t do magic.”

Neel came running up to them the moment they entered the house, tail wagging excitedly.

Maiya looked happy as she bent down and ruffled the bandy’s fur. Happier than usual. Of course she was. Why wouldn’t she be giddy with excitement? Her father had an affinity, as did her grandfather. She had reasons to hope for an affinity, even if it was a bit late to manifest. Looking at her made Vir feel better. Maybe something good would come out of this.

Apramor had never once allowed his daughter to test her magic after she’d reached a certain age. The priest had once told Vir that the kingdom scooped up all high affinity children, that no one ever saw them again. He feared that.

No doubt Apramor would be thrilled if Maiya never manifested an affinity. And with the priest’s family history of magic proficiency, he had good reason to be scared.

After what felt like an eternity to them both, they finally arrived at the door of a dusty storeroom.

“I can hardly remember the last time I used this. I only hope it still works,” Riyan muttered as he rummaged around the room.

After retrieving the orb, Riyan led them to the dining room, where he set the device on the table.

Like Apramor’s testing apparatus, this one also resembled a transparent crystal the size of Vir’s head.

The man insisted that Neel remain outside. With the looks the bandy was giving the orb, it was probably the right call. Vir couldn’t imagine what would happen if Neel pounced on the priceless thing and broke it. Vir led his four-legged friend outside and locked him in the bedroom before hurrying back, cursing how heavily his heart pounded in his chest, even from this slight exertion.

Riyan dusted off the orb and grasped it with both hands. Within seconds, it emitted a moderately bright light, the color of the sun. It was very much not the same color that was inside Riyan.

“I possess a Greater affinity for Life magic. Useless for combat, of course. Many consider Life to be less desirable than the other five, but I have lost count of the number of times this magic has saved my life. What use is combat power if you’re dead? Somehow, the Kin’jals do not understand this.”

Vir gazed at the device with intense concentration. He could see… something! Something flowed out of Riyan’s body, into the device. And the same-colored something was sucked out of the air into the device as well. The prana was white.

“C-can I go first?” Maiya asked.

Riyan gestured to the crystal. “As you wish.”

Maiya’s expression resembled Vir’s when he’d first tested years ago; her eyes danced with all-consuming wonder. Her anticipation was palpable, and that made Vir feel bad for her. What if she didn’t manifest an affinity after all?

He was always amazed that Maiya had never disobeyed her father and sneaked in to test herself. She’d firmly refused his repeated invitations to go behind Apramor’s back, despite her curiosity. Vir wished he had that kind of self discipline.

Maiya touched the crystal. There was no pause or delay; the instant her fingers came into contact with the crystal, it glowed brightly. In fact, it glowed even more brilliantly than when Riyan had touched it.

Maiya shrieked and pumped her fist in joy. “Is that—does this mean I have an Apex affinity?” She asked Riyan, who stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“A surprising result. Truthfully, I thought you would merely be the boy’s accessory, supporting him as he trains. But with your talent, it would be a shame to leave your skills undeveloped. You will learn the ways of magic.”

Vir had never seen a more beautiful smile on Maiya’s face. She looked downright saintly at that moment. It was almost enough to erase his jealousy. Almost.

“To answer your question, no. I do not believe that you possess an Apex affinity. I have seen those that do. The testing device glows so brightly that one can hardly stand to gaze at it. Yours… I wonder if you have two affinities. You certainly possess a Greater affinity for one of the six, but it is likely that you also possess a second lesser affinity. Greater affinities are rare, girl. You will definitely be a Mejai Sorcar, but with adequate training, you may very well become a Mejai of Ash someday.”

“A mejai what?” Maiya said.

Riyan did his best not to scowl. “It is a rank bestowed by the Order of the Mejai Sorcar. The rank of Mejai Sorcar carries the name of the Order itself and represents the second rank on their scale. They start at Pranik—at the beginning of magical proficiency—to Mejai Sorcar, Mejai of Ash, Mejai of Realms, and finally, Prime Mejai, but only the leader of the Order carries that rank. To be Mejai Sorcar is to be respected and feared. Incidentally, I am a mere Pranik myself… despite my affinity, I’ve only scratched the mysteries of prana. I’ve always focused more on my combat skills.”

“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 that 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.”

Maiya shut her mouth.

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.

“It’s not 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.”

Maiya reluctantly handed the orb over. “What does this mean?”

“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 that 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, he realized. Elemental affinities. I can see prana itself!?

Vir’s vision swirled, and he lost his balance, falling to his knees. 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.”

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, Maiya. 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.

Vir looked Riyan in the eye. “Forget affinities. I can’t even use basic utility orbs like everyone else.”

Maiya’s eyes bulged. “Vir? 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. But the fact remained. As of this moment, he simply couldn’t use magic. At all.

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!