Training with Grunkle Ford was not easy.
He repeats, "training with Grunkle Ford was not easy."
Saying it was hard was also an understatement...
The past few days had been one of the best and worst days of his life. Maybe that was a bit overdramatic, but the fact that his body has been continuously sore proves his point. Grunkle Ford apparently decided that it was best if Dipper woke up at 4 in the morning for 3 consecutive days, followed by a long hike to the middle of the forest. He said, and Dipper quoted, "you can't cast strong magick with flailing arms and puny legs like that." Dipper already knows the importance of balancing his physical strength and magical core, but exercising is painful. Don't judge him. Athleticism was never his strong suit, and Mabel got the athletic genes instead.
Let's not talk more about Dipper's laziness and lack of fitness. Moving on...
Grunkle Ford brought him to a beautiful lake for his training, surrounded by mythical flora and fauna alike. Most of the creatures never showed themselves, but he's seen a glimpse once or twice. Numerous lotus flowers scattered across the shore, decorating the view with its grace. An unnamed, iridescent flower also filled the forest floor with its charm, shimmering and changing colours under the sunlight. Dipper was in awe of the flower and wondered how it would look at night. However, he wasn't allowed to stay in the forest at night. Thus, he wasn't able to see the view.
"Clivia triste," said Grunkle Ford when he caught Dipper observing the flower. Dipper turned to his great uncle, before looking at the flower again.
"Why is it called that?" he asked. Grunkle Ford stood silently and only shrugged his shoulder, gesturing that he didn't know either. It was either he didn't bother to find the origins of the flower, or that he knew but kept the meaning to himself. It was probably the latter, Dipper thought since Ford always had a curious mind. Dipper replied with a hum, took one more glance towards the flower, and continued with his training.
That was on the first day of training. Even after coming there so often, he admired them more with each passing day. Admittedly, he didn't notice them the first time he walked to the premises, despite the blaring shimmer the flower radiated. He was too distracted by the glittering waterfall and Grunkle Ford spouting orders and questions. He was asked to stand near the shore and do a little bit of show-and-tell by his great uncle, yet the nervousness made him a bit twitchy. Grunkle Ford calmed him down and said that he didn't have anything to worry about.
"Now, tell me what your powers are, Dipper," said Grunkle Ford after they both took a position near the dock. Dipper had no answer since he never tried to analyze it much. It all just came naturally to him and mostly depended on his feelings. Which was exactly what he told his great uncle.
Grunkle Ford raised an eyebrow and rubbed his chin. He crossed his arms and looked up and down Dipper's body, trying to sense his magical signature. Dipper only got more fidgety because of that and moved parts of his body in nervousness. After a while, Grunkle Ford exclaimed, "try summoning your spark, kiddo!"
It was easy for Dipper since he's done it a thousand times before. He reached for his magical core and let it coarse through his body. He felt tingling on his palms and blue orbs of light levitated on it. The orbs illuminated his facial features and emanated gentle energy ripples. Grunkle Ford's eyes flinched from the brightness but widened after. After he was done, Dipper eyed his great uncle and questioned his reaction. A strong yet gentle burst of energy emitted from Dipper when he conjured up his spark, explained Grunkle Ford.
He was asked yet again to try different elements of magic. First, he had to shape the water into a spiral, which intertwined with each other. He willed the water to form two pillars and bend them into a DNA-like structure - a double helix. Second, Grunkle Ford told him to take a huge chunk of rock from the ground and levitate it. Third, he was to conjure a fireball on his palm and amplify it with the wind. Last but not least, he was asked to extract the energy of a Clivia triste flower, which shone a bright pink colour.
YOU ARE READING
The Love Before You (Billdip)
Fiksi PenggemarDipper had always been able to use magic since the day he was born, despite never meeting some sort of guardian of his own. There were others like him, of course, but what makes him special was the fact that he has developed multiple abilities. In a...
