Elemental Eclipse

🌻Chapter Eight; Part Two: Night Magick🌻

A couple of days later, her Spellwork 1B class was meeting in the woods for what the professor called a "practical lesson". Rachael headed over to Beckett upon spotting him.

"Hey, B. Have you found anything else out in the library recently?" Rachael asks.

"Rachael, we've scoured every book. Some of them thrice. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the library might not be any help to us." Beckett sighs, seeming upset that he couldn't be of more help to her.

Rachael opened her mouth to respond, but Professor Englund draws the classes attention to himself. "Welcome, class! I'm sure you're all wondering what we're doing out in the woods. Today's lesson involves using Wood magick to create resin. Can anyone tell me some qualities of resin in magick?"

"Resin not only has healing and protective qualities, but can be manipulated by almost every element, so it's extremely versatile." Beckett answers, proudly.

"Correct. And because Wood magick is fairly tricky, today's lesson is also a companion magick lesson." Englund adds. "You'll practice melding your magick with another's. One of you will channel the Wood component of this spell, while the other channels Water. To cast the spell you must sense the sap in the tree, then channel your magick into it. Use water to thicken the sap under the bark, and Wood to channel it to the surface. And then say Rethina. Medicinal to decorative, defensive to offensive. Resin is an extremely valuable substance to have magickal mastery over. Now, select your partners and get to work."

"I'm claiming you as my partner, by the way." Rachael says, looking over at Beckett.

"Oh, okay..." Beckett sighs.

"Do you not want to work with me?" Rachael asks, crossing her arms slightly offended.

"It isn't that. It's just...I have fair difficulty with Wood, as it is Metal's counterpart. Please don't laugh..." Beckett whispers, looking away from her embarrassed.

"Why would I laugh at you? So what Wood magick is hard for you, almost every magick is hard for me. I'm not gonna laugh at you if we mess up either, we can always try again. It's Wood magick not the end of the world." Rachael says, smiling at him slightly.

Beckett frantically waved his hands at her, looking around nervously. "Rachael, please! Keep it down! I have a reputation to uphold!"

"Really? You know you're cute when you're flustered." Rachael smiles up at him.

"C-cute?" Beckett stutters, a dark red blush flushing through his cheeks.

"Yeah...Your cheeks get all red and you do this cute pouty thing with your mouth. Kinda gives me butterflies." Rachael smirks.

"Please quit it with the teasing, Rachael. I can only hand so much of your foolishness first thing in the morning." Beckett says, trying to ignoring her relentless flirting.

"There! You're doing it again." Rachael smiles.

"You're absolutely ridiculous." Beckett says fighting a smile.

"Less chatting in that corner, please, Rachael and Beckett! Focus on finding each other's magickal energy." Englund calls over to them.

"Since when does the forest have corners?" Rachael says, making Beckett chuckle. "So I'll do my best with Wood, and you take Water. Sound good?"

"Very well. Let us attempt this, at least." Beckett nods.

They extended their awarenesses towards each other. It took her a moment before she found his magickal aura, the sensation felt steely, but pliable. Beckett's face was crinkled up in concentration, she felt him connect to her and his eyes widened meeting hers.

"I can feel it! You're energy is so warm..." Beckett gasps, wondering if that had something to do with the strange warmth she always filled him with.

"And yours has a very distinct metal edge. Now, let's get some resin out of this tree." Rachael smiles at him.

They both focused on the tree and they filtered their magick into it, both of them smiling at the feeling that rushed through them when their magick melded together. She began to sense the sap feeling it spread throughout the tree trunk.

"It's like I can feel the tree's life force, as though the sap is blood flowing through its veins." Beckett smiles warmly.

"We're definitely doing this right. Next is just making the actual resin." Rachael says, glancing over at him, smiling a bit when she noticed his face was scrunched up in concentration.

"Very well. I'm using my Water to thicken the sap. It's up to you to complete the spell with Wood magick." Beckett says.

She felt the sap become more viscous as Professor Englund walked past them.  "Very good, you two. Now you just have to bring it to the tree's surface."

Rachael was able to bring the thick sap through the bark a dark red bubble appearing in between the cracks of wood.

"Rethina." Beckett finishes the spell, sap trickles down from the crack in the trunk, crystallizing on the way down.

"Fantastic work, you two. You're the first to have succeeded." Englund smiles, impressed.

"I can't believe how easy that was. Out magick is totally compatible." Rachael teases, raising her hand to high five Beckett.

Beckett hesitantly touched his palm to hers. "Companion magick sure is something. That must be the quickest I've ever learned a spell."

Rachael's head started to spin with no warning, her vision blurring. She wobbled for a moment as her equilibrium was thrown off balance, before her knees gave in and she fell to the side. Beckett caught her by the waist, frantically.

"Rachael! What just happened?" Beckett asks, concern thick in his voice, as he supported almost all of her weight.

She was completely still in his arms for a moment until the pain and the blurriness subsided. "I...I don't know...I feel fine now."

"It must have been rebound from casting such an advanced spell. I used to get dizzy spells when I was still a novice." Beckett says, helping her to stand on her own again. "Don't worry. The more you practice, the less you'll be affected by performing high-level magick."

"I sure hope so..." Rachael sighs, finally strong enough to stand on her own again without complications.

"You're sure, you're alright?" Beckett asks, cautiously.

"Much better now." Rachael smiles at him. "Thanks by the way...I think I'd be worse if I had hit the forest floor."

"I-Well...I was just going to let you fall..." Beckett blushes, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well thanks to your quick reflexes it wasn't an issue." Rachael teases.

"Maybe you should sit down, just incase." Beckett says, ignoring her as he practically forced her to sit on a nearby rock.

"Yes, sir." Rachael quips, rolling her eyes at his efforts playfully.