Draconia Offline vol. 1

18.2. Figuring Out Magic - Part 2

We meet Hana in the hall and she insists we go properly to the dining room. Everyone's already there and eating when we arrive. The atmosphere is both strangely elevated and grim.

"My people reached Emi an hour ago," Liana says without any greeting. "She's famished, dirty and has a few bruises but physically otherwise okay."

"But mentally?" I'm worried.

"She scratched my people when they tried to touch her so they had to use sedatives," Liana sighs. "They told me that she knew that she's being rescued but her instincts must have kicked in."

"So it's highly possible she developed a trauma," Julia guesses. "Damn, we could really use a psychologist."

"I'll try asking in our guild," Liana suggests. "We have over five hundred members; one of them might be what we need."

"Worth a try," Fefnir approves and goes for ham.

We sit down and dig in as well. As always, the breakfast is a little feast. And it's already mirroring our new dietary needs.

"Start with eggs, okay?" Erik insists because he notices I'm eyeing pancakes.

"Roger," I say and put scrambled eggs and a piece of wholemeal bread on my plate.

"Researchers are running early blood tests," Julia informs us and she's nibbling a toast while glued to her laptop. "It seems new races might process glucose differently."

"So sweets may not be harmful to us?" Liana is curious.

"That still remains to be seen," Julia shrugs. "Maybe in case of Celestials... possibly. But you still need to eat balanced meals, sugar is just quick empty energy."

"Eating, eating," I roll my eyes because Erik is giving me stares. I'm allowed one pancake after a proper meal.

"Emi should arrive in the evening," Liana says when we finish eating. "Meanwhile, we should train our new abilities. Reports of spells that went badly or injuries caused by uncontrolled strength are increasing."

"They are?" I'm worried.

"So far only minor stuff," Ingri says. "Still, people are scared what might happen if, for instance, a fire spell goes out of hand in a block of flats."

"You have to take it outside," Hana claps her hands and even Liana has to listen to her.

*****

"Uff, this is harder than I thought," I'm out of breath after just six attempts to make a fire ball in a safe distance in front of me.

"The spell does work, though," Erik is supportive. "You're just cautious more than usual because of your burnt hand."

"Damn," Liana screams because she's just set on fire a small bush. Her employees immediately put it out, ready with extinguishers.

"Ha!" Fefnir shouts victoriously as he manages to destroy another wall. It's part of an older garden arrangement that Liana wanted to re-design anyway so she allowed him to use it for his power training.

Suddenly, I feel a pleasant gust of wind. Fire spells seem too volatile to master but air is somehow natural—a Celestial racial element. I feel like I can make it listen to me quite easily so I spread my wings and try releasing mana.

I get goosebumps under my feathers when I distinctively feel mana being channelled through them. My wings are still too small to properly carry my body weight but the wind gets much stronger, I feel like I'm in a trance and... my feet leave the ground.

At first, everyone is excited to watch me hover but then my mana leaks too much, I lose control and I'm suddenly half a metre above the ground. But I'm too enthralled to feel any concern for my safety. I'm floating!