Mothfire

Prologue - Warm Winds

The wind was warm.

The hills, skies, and waters were cold, but by god, the wind was warm. It was like a formless blanket that wrapped around Levi, with no way to measure from where it started or where it stopped.

Levi held his head low, attempting to keep his hair from getting into his eyes. Besides the screeching of the wind, he could hear the wings of large birds in the distance. It was a nice change from the normal noise of the modern world - this is where the presence of the Earth was strongest. He finally stood up, letting the warm wind swallow his entire being.

He raised his hand up, using it as a focal point. He closed his eyes, feeling the grass beneath his feet, the air around him, the sun shining down on him, and slowly let his senses extend. The earth extending into the mountains beneath him, the trees going for miles, the birds high up in the sky - he could feel all of it, and that energy gathered in front of him. He hesitantly opened his eyes.

Levi grinned, and let out a breathy laugh at the being starting to form in front of him. "I did it! I actually did it! Oh my god, I-" Merlin's Mirror's "Love Spell" snapped his concentration, and the energy dispersed, sending him flying several feet.

He groaned, rubbing the back of his head. He just stared at the blue of the sky for a few moments, not exactly feeling up to replying to the text. But when the second one came in, he finally lifted himself up from the grass, and walked over to his bag. Inside was his smart phone - the screen was cracked. He sighed. "Seriously, Erma..."

Erma :): Hey, levi!!

Erma :): Wanna go see a movie this afternoon?

Levi: Well, I was gonna be studying, but whatever. Sure

Erma :): Aww. I'll help you with that later, k? ; 3

Erma :): I'll be at the Westtown mall theater at 3. Be there!!

Levi groaned, but smiled anyway. He put his partially broken phone back into the handbag, and laid back down, taking a moment to breathe. He decided that he would try to do the spell again later. For now, he would gather his stuff and head back to the city.

"What are we planning on seeing, anyways?" Levi asked, and Erma hummed, picking at her fish. "I was thinking...Ice Journal," she replied. Levi snorted. "Disney? Really? You brought me back down here for Disney?" He laughed, and Erma gasped. "Oh right! How did your adventure in the hills go?" She asked excitedly.

Levi rolled his eyes. "I almost did it, but...how am I supposed to meet my familiar if you keep interrupting me in one way or another? Also, I still think that Merlin's Mirror's music is annoying," he explained.

"Oh come on, they're enchanting and you know it! Anyways, I'll schedule a 'no bugging Levi' day, so you can figure all that out. I'm going to a young mages' workshop next Wednesday anyways. Deal?" Erma extended a hand to him, and he paused for a moment before shaking it. She immediately stood up. "Alright! It's about time we go and get the tickets for that movie. This one is on me!"

She ran towards where the theater was - the other side of the mall, and he tried to call to her, to get her to slow down, but the sight of Erma was nonetheless swallowed up by a crowd of people. Where did all these people come from, anyway? Levi tried his hardest not to run into anyone, but inevitably, he felt his shoulder bump someone else's. "O-oh, I'm so sorry," he automatically apologized, looking at the other.

He found himself staring at them - a boy, maybe about his age, with tanned skin lined with freckles, eyes like tigereye, and short, golden hair. "It's alright," the boy said, smiling a toothy grin, before walking away. Suddenly, it seemed like that wave of people had dispersed. "Well, he was sorta cute, huh, Levi?" Erma asked in a sing-song voice, suddenly beside Levi, startling him. She laughed.

"I-I guess so, but wasn't there something sorta...off about him?" he whispered, and she hummed, twirling some of her teal hair around her finger. "I guess, maybe. But maybe that's just because he was like, so your type! Well, now that that's dealt with, let's get going. Ice Journal plays at five!" Levi was about to protest, but she grabbed his hand, and led him away.