Book 4 | Agent 34 and the Last Gem

Chapter 52 | The Power of Black Magic

Calvin raised his arms before him, brow thickening as he tried to muster the Black Magic. A small black ball of energy appeared in his palms, quickly disappearing as his strength gave out.

"Come on," Braunick said. "We trained you in swordfighting beforehand so it could increase your physical strength. You should be able to hold something as small as that. Go again,"

Calvin sighed as his muscles tensed. His arms tightened as he tried to summon another ball of black energy in his hands. It grew from a small spark, twitching as it did. Calvin didn't have a good grip on the power and it fizzled away.

"You're supposed to be strong in Black Magic, boy," the tyrannical ruler told him. "Again. This time, don't mess up,"

Calvin puffed his chest out, repositioning himself slightly. He threw his arms out in front of him, flexing his muscles as he went. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he conjured up the black energy a third time, a small spark turning into a flame in his palms. It shook as it grew, beginning to cover both of his hands. It felt tingly as it stretched over his fingers and stopped after it was slightly bigger than both of his hands.

"Perfect," Braunick told him. "You can move your hands around now with ease,"

Calvin raised one hand in the air, half of the black energy in both hands following that one and the other staying on the other. The black energy seemed to be glued to his hands, but he was able to use them like normal.

"With these, you are able to increase the strength of your punches and nearly every attack you use. If you manage to land a solid hit on someone, the balls can spread some energy from you to them and corrupt them a bit. Use these wisely," Braunick told him. "To get rid of them, break the spell. Simple as that,"

Calvin cut the connections to the energy in his mind, the darkness on his palms vaporizing into the air.

"With black magic, you can also propel objects," the king snapped his fingers, a rusty can of beans appearing on the ground. "Lift it into the air,"

"What's the spell," Calvin asked with as little emotion as he could.

"Figure it out," Braunick took flight, flying back over to his throne to sit down.

The human's sweat dripped to the ground as he began to mutter random phrases. He couldn't get it but wasn't really trying to in the first place.

"Remember, Black Magic is different in a ways than normal spellweaving. You talk directly to the object you are trying to manipulate. You do not say 'have the can take flight'. You say 'take flight'. Just like with the black energy, you say 'conjure in my fists'. Try it,"

Calvin uneasily glanced at Braunick and back at the can. He extended his gray palm towards the can, muttering the spell his master gave him. A black outline grew around the metal, the can lifting into the air. The human directed his hand to the left, the can following it.

"Throw your hand outwards," Braunick commanded.

Calvin hesitated at first, then extended his hand even farther. The can flew backwards, hitting the wall and splitting open, beans splattering against the stone.

"Very nice," Braunick told him. "If you couldn't already tell, you can lift more than just objects. You can lift people, including yourself. Try it on yourself,"

Calvin looked down at his body, saying the spell again. His body had the same black outline the can did and he lifted into the air. It was a little bit hard to control at first, his body going in whatever direction it pleased. After a bit, he got more control with it, steadying himself out and practicing his flight a bit.

"Has this all been pretty easy so far, Calvin?" Braunick asked.

"Fairly," he told him, landing himself and breaking the spell. The black outline disappeared from his gray body.

"This is only the beginning. Black Magic stretches far deeper than you can ever imagine, and I will teach you all of it tonight. Get ready," The king explained.

"First up. I want you to try to conjure more energy fists, you had trouble the first time,"

"But I was able to do it," Calvin groaned.

"But you will need to be able to do it consistently whenever you get into a battle. You can't tell your enemies to hold the battle until you get your Black Magic under control. Conjure the balls,"

Calvin sighed as he extended his fists in front of him, muttering the spell once again. It was going to be a long night.