Elementals Book one Light and Shadow

Testing Magic

Hey everyone, I got the microphone back from Aeolus. When I woke up the next morning, Aeolus was already outside, looking at a notepad. His face was screwed up in concentration.

"You can't write with your mind." I teased, but he didn't say anything, or move, for that matter. "Aeolus?" Nothing. I walked over to him and touched his shoulder. He leapt up, spinning around, his body tense, ready to fight. The wind whipping around us. He looked around, and when his gaze landed on me, the wind died down and he relaxed. "Woah dude, chill out. Are you okay?"

"Yeah- Yeah I'm fine." He picked up the notepad, which had fallen to the ground and handed it to me. I looked at it.

"What is this? Time manipulation? Stasis? Mind control? Mind reading? Portals- Wait- is this-?"

"Yeah." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Something I had learned he did when he was nervous.

"How-"

"I figured out how to look at memories from my past life."

"Did you look for anything about your powers?" I tried to keep my face impassive, but really and truly, I was excited, the list was amazing, though I didn't know what he meant by stasis.

"No, I was just focused on yours for now."

"Thank you! This is amazing! What is stasis?"

"I- It's-" He sighed "It's hard to explain. It's best to show you."

"How?"

"Close your eyes." I did as he instructed. I felt a hand grab mine, and I tensed. "It's okay, it's just me." I relaxed and he said "now, expand your senses, search with your mind, for me."

"You?"

"Yes, search for me, with your mind." I tried, and found that I could feel his mind, it was nervous, I dropped in, and his hand shook as he shivered. Without opening my eyes or losing my concentration, I asked,

"Can you feel it?" he didn't have to say it out loud, the answer was in his mind. Yes. His mind started to search for something, a memory. And it filled his mind. I, or rather, another version of me, was fighting demons. One glowed blue and orange, and collapsed. The past me went over to the fallen demon and spoke to it. The demon rose, and I panicked, was this when the past me died? But instead, the demon turned and started fighting the other demons. The memory ended, and I tried to get out of his mind. But something held me back, keeping me there. Let me out! I issued the command to his mind before I even realized what was happening. Whatever held my mind in his let go, and I reeled back. Aeolus gasped and fell back too, I could still feel his mind, on the edges of my consciousness. I wondered if I would have permanent access to it. Which I do by the way. (Oh, sorry I thought I told you.) "WHAT WAS THAT?!" I shouted angrily. He still lay there, stunned, he didn't respond. "WELL?" he still didn't say anything, his face was full of shock, he stared up at the sky and blinked, but still didn't speak. "ANSWER ME!" I had yelled it before I thought. If I had access to his mind all the time- his face went blank, he sat up and looked at me, the glow his eyes fainter, and that worried me, then, he spoke

"I do not know, I tried to force you out of my mind, but it didn't work." He stopped speaking, but his face remained blank. Suddenly, I felt bad, I hadn't meant to do that, and now he looked as if he was still under my control, I didn't want that. Before I said something dumb, in case he wasn't under my control and he got mad, I walked over and touched his shoulder, he flinched, and looked at me, his eyes had their normal glow back. I sighed inwardly with relief. He looked startled at first, and then confused. "What-?"

"I got stuck inside your mind, and then I accidentally used mind control twice. Sorry." I said quickly.

"No, I know that, I mean what was that?"

"I'm not sure." I admitted

"So weird, the feeling of you in my mind, the feeling of the mind control-"

"Yeah, I know. So- that memory-"

"It wasn't the only one you used the power in. but the other one is, a little more- I don't even know what to call it. Alarming?" I must have had a look on my face because he shook his head. "It's what she said that was alarming. Probably a memory you don't want to see yet... after what just happened-"

"Give me a minor description."

"They were out on the plains, she was smiling at him, golden fur, movie rewind, lion in stasis. And then she went to the lion and forced him, and his pride into her service. Erasing the moment from his memory" I sat there for a moment, stunned and not speaking. "I know, I know," he laid his hand on my shoulder. "But I kind of understand why she did it, the lion attacked him. I guess it was her way of making the lion atone for what he did."

"Still, his family too?"
"That I don't understand. But she gave them two days to live their lives before they came to serve them."

"Still seems pretty cruel." he shrugged,

"There isn't much we can do about it now." I nodded, but I still felt bad for the lion and his pride and the fact that I could erase memories gave me an idea. I stood up and turned to Aeolus

"Why go back?"

"What do you mean?" he studied my face for a moment, and then worry filled his eyes "I know that look, that's the I'm going to do something stupid look."

"Why go back to our parents? Hiding what we are, neither of us are very close to our parents anyways."

"Serena, no! Sure we aren't close because of the magic, but they are still our parents."

"They don't have to know that! We could live out here. It's not like we couldn't survive, we have money, and magic. Do you really want to continue to torture our parents? They always know there is something off about us, but they never know what. Why continue to torture them like that?" I could see it in his eyes that he knew I was right, but he put out one more effort to fight it

"How do you know you can do it right?"

"I'm a fast learner." he cocked his head to the side in confusion

"What do you mean?"

"What is one thing from your life that you would like to forget?"

"This moment." he mumbled. Quickly, I dropped into his mind and he shivered. As he realized what was happening, he started to protest, but it was too late. I found the last few minutes and erased it. His expression was vacant for just a moment, and then it was replaced by one of confusion. "Sorry, I zoned out there for a minute, what happened?"

"YES! It worked!"

"What?"

"Here, Let me try this." I dropped back into his mind and put the memory back. Again, the vacant expression, quickly replaced by one of annoyance.

"Please don't do that again, I hate feeling clueless." I knew I had a huge, stupid grin on my face, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hide it