The Sanctum of Hunters (Done)

Chapter Six

"I've got to work today, Reese."

I looked up from the dish I was washing, half distracted. "Huh?"

"I'll be working until around seven thirty. You think you'll be okay until then?"

"Sure."

"If you feel lonely," she said, "the bar is right next door."

"I'll be fine, Mi-Kyung. I always am."

"I just don't want you bothering Mr Huckfin again."

"I won't, Mi-Kyung. Stop worrying so much."

"Alright, alright." She ran her hand over my hand. "I like this hair growing on you. You should keep it."

"I wasn't planning on changing it. Anyway, don't you have work to get to? What are you still doing here?"

"You sound like you're planning something. Should I take off of work?"

"No, no, no. Not at all. You go do your job."

She laughed. "I'll see you in a couple of hours, Reese." After a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, she was gone.

I quickly shut the door and locked it before spinning around and racing to the bathroom.

What are you doing, Reese? Charles asked.

"Before we get down with this magic stuff, a guy's gotta take care of his needs."

I'll leave you alone to take care of your business.

"What do we do first, Charles?"

Head out to the fire escape.

"Why?"

Just go. And bring something to eat. You might be out there for a while.

I obeyed and brought a bowl of puppy chow (it's not what it sounds like) out onto the fire escape. "What's my next step, Charles?"

You've been sensing the mana energy around you already. It comes and goes but you are capable of sensing it—much better than most if I do say so myself.

"So...me being able to see is all because I'm 'sensing' the mana energy?"

Yes.

"How does that work?"

Do you know what mechanoreceptors are?

"No."

Well, they're receptors that are in your skin—and some other organs, I believe—that detect touch. There are different kinds and a lot of things that make them different or whatever, but this isn't a science lesson, so I'm not going to go over them.

"That's good to know, I guess."

It is. Anyway, just as mechanoreceptors react to touch sensations, manareceptors pick up the mana energy that comes into contact with you.

"But Mr Huckfin's magic hadn't been touching me."

Everything thing that moves sends out energy, Reese. It's like with sound. When the sound waves reach your ears, your ears do all that science stuff and convert it to sound or something. In mana waves, energy is transferred through vibrations in the air, ground, or water. Once it reaches you, you can see.

"This is so weird. It doesn't make any sense."

It's magic, Reese. Yeah, there's some science for it but otherwise, it's just stuff the author makes up.

"What?"

Hmm?

"I thought said something about author—"

We're not talking about writing, Reese. Stay on topic.

"Whatever."

Moving on! Your manareceptors are a bit out of whack for some reason. Let's take a moment to put them back in order.

"How do I do that?"

You sit and wait.

"What? That's boring!"

You wanted to learn magic, Charles said, so stop complaining.

"Fine."

I put the puppy chow bowl in my lap and waited. At first, nothing really happened.

"Charles, nothing is happening."

That's because everything is still at the moment.

"We should do something else."

Shut up and wait, Reese.

I sighed and popped a poppy chow piece into my mouth. After waiting for about five minutes, I got bored and started bugging Charles again.

"Are you sure this is right?"

He sighed, Yes.

"Are you really sure? Because nothing is happening."

Just wait, Reese.

I waited so long I finished my puppy chow. "Charles! I haven't felt anything!"

So...I guess my idea didn't work.

"You weren't even sure it was going to work?"

Truthfully, no. I had a hunch that it might but...I guess I was wrong.

"Seriously?"

Most people don't have to be taught how to use their manareceptors, Reese. Your magic just seems to come and go, like how you were protected from your fall on the roof but afterwards, your hand hurt when you punched a wall.

"What does this mean, Charles? Can I not learn how to do magic?"

To be perfectly honest with you, Reese, he said sadly, I have no idea.

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