CALAMITY CORE : FREE THE WORLD

CH.11 'THE EMBERS OF RA'

Hirano stood at the center of his patio; arms crossed beneath his heavy robes. The prior day, he had stood to ponder Ban's words, his story... the things he had never known, even if one could consider them 'friends.' Now he took the time of day to watch over Andrei, though it had already proved to be more trouble than he initially thought worth. Grumbling, he slaved away at the Chimera bone-steel sword he had forged for Andrei.

The boy had tried to advance onward and begin harnessing his latent magic through the blade, but the sheer output of his power had proved to be far too much for the conductor Hirano had fitted on the weapon. When it shattered, Andrei's face had gone dark, and he resorted to trying hopelessly to draw out his magic with his bare hands. There had been a sheet of metal leaned against the wall splitting the settlement from the outside world which the boy now punched, shouting as he dented it and cut his knuckles. "Kid... Do you know the first damn thing about Magic?" He pondered, looking up from his work.

Andrei gulped and winced as pain shot through his hands, and he turned around to shake the blood from his knuckles. "I just know..." He spoke through panting breaths. "That whatever I did to explode, back before Ban found me... I was about to be in deep shit."

The vampire shook his head, then waved his hand and muttered something under his breath. Spinning his hand, he conjured a ring of water and threw it Andrei's way, dousing him and sighing. Outraged, Andrei whipped around in full and yelled at Hirano, his eyes shrouded by his sopping wet mop of hair now. "What the hell was that for? I'm trying my best here!"

With another shake of his head, Hirano stopped focusing on his work to lock eyes with Andrei through his hair. "To cool you off before you go and get too hot-headed." Once again, he muttered under his breath and conjured forth a ring of glistening blue water. "You need some kinda' phrase when you start out with Magic... and you also need to know how to trigger the right muscles." As he finished his sentence, he approached Andrei and grabbed his right arm, feeling it for a tendon. When he found it, he nodded to himself.

"The muscle that connects to this tendon, you feel it, yes? Try to recall, you must've had some sort of casting phrase. Flex it when you strike, and try to yell the first thing that comes to mind." He closed his eyes and dipped his head. "Most Magic comes by instinct to start... though some is learned, once you know the basics, obviously."

Andrei looked at his arm after Hirano released it, and he opened and closed his hand a few times, watching the tendon flex for a while before turning back to the sheet of metal. Blinking, he looked around, then back to Hirano. "Instinct, huh? If that's how it works..." He lifted up the metal and offered it to the vampire. "Throw this at me, or something like that. I don't like getting hurt, believe it or not."

Honestly dumbfounded, the vampire shook his head and took the sheet of dented metal before looking at Andrei. "You think I have time for this? I-" As he cut himself off, he leapt back and pulled back his arm. Andrei tensed up, and Hirano threw the square sheet forward, allowing it to cut through the air. "I have shit to do! Find someone else to take part in your stupid game-?!" He was cut off, not on purpose this time though. His eyes widened, and he gasped before stumbling as he landed on his feet.

A flash of crimson light replaced the sunlight for a moment, and the vampire's exposed skin flushed red with light burns. He hissed, and looked to see Andrei relatively unscathed, outside of a burn on his outstretched palm. The boy looked at himself after the bang that caused a ringing in his ears faded away, and he couldn't help but give a smile... just like Hirano had said. Jogging over with a renewed vigor in his step, Andrei held his hand up, eliciting a flinch from Hirano before the older man realized that the boy just wanted a high-five. Awkwardly, he reciprocated it, seething as he burned the palm of his hand on Andrei's still steaming skin. "Hell yeah! Just like you said to do it... Thanks, Hirano!"