Basil and the Slumbering Emerald

Magic Rejection

The first two weeks after Basil's move to Petril's were the worst. He barely managed to get out of bed, he stopped eating, his grades started slipping, and no one could get through to him. He stopped wanting to have anyone sleepover and it was taking its toll on everyone else too. Mattias was constantly worried. Gram was barely able to focus at hockey practice. Kelkian was heartbroken and desperately working to find them the perfect apartment to move into together. Petril was the worst, it was straining his relationship with Joe.

It wasn't until week three that Kelkian came to check on Basil while Petril and Joe were on a date that Basil attempted suicide. His body was sprawled out on the floor of the bathroom, wrists slashed and blood pooling around him on the floor. Kelkian rushes to his side trying to wake him before despite Basil's wishes, using magic to force the wound closed. Immediately Kelkian calls Petril, Gram, and Mattias as he puts Basil back in bed. Everyone arrives to the house before long, Petril slamming the door open and rushing to Basil's side cradling him tightly to his chest crying. Gram rages, insisting he needs to be in the hospital but everyone else disagrees.

Basil is in the forest again, deep in the darkest parts until the blinding white doe prances through the trees guiding him back to the ruins. Basil crumbles against the pedestal crying. "I don't want this. I just want to be normal. Stop it. Leave me ALONE!" Basil screams. The doe lays at his feet.

"You will never be normal my child. You must accept the destiny you have been given Basil. Only through acceptance can you find peace and salvation child. One of these days you must take the emerald. You must burn out the darkness and save us all. If not for yourself for the ones you love." The doe looks at him deep in his eyes. Basil shakes his head.

"This is my choice. I want a normal life and I will have one. You picked the wrong guy." Basil gets up sprinting out into the woods getting lost in the darkness again. Just finding a tree to curl up by until the dream fades to reality. His headaches and everything feels off... dark, Wrong. Looking around Basil is surrounded by his lovers cradling him. He lays back, biting his lip and closing his eyes as more tears pour from his eyes. Mattias rouses at his sniffles and kisses him warmly, Basil feels so cold. He snuggles up to Mattias and basks in his warmth.

"Don't scare us like that handsome. We thought we lost you. You have been sleeping for over twenty-four hours." Mattias strokes his hair, tucking some behind his ear and wiping away his tears. "If you want to just be normal Basil again we won't stop you. Just don't hurt yourself like this again. It isn't the answer." Mattias kisses his nose and Basil nods not trusting his voice. He gets up and heads to the bathroom alone taking a shower. He eats breakfast early and catches up on homework with ease. Basil makes everyone else breakfast, Joe is the first person up is surprised to find a plate for himself. He takes the breakfast and kisses the top of Basil's head in a fatherly way before heading to eat. Something warms in Basil's chest despite how cold he feels. By the time the others are waking up Basil is in a long sleeve shirt, one of Kelkian's jumpers, his thicker jeans, and fuzzy socks yet still seems cold.

It is touch and go for the next week but Petril and Kelkian hide their magic from Basil, no longer using teleportation for his sake. Slowly the Basil from months ago starts to come back. He gets his grades back up, he starts eating again and starts smiling again. He starts going on dates with his lovers again but Basil still seems distant. He refuses any kind of intimacy and none of them are sure why. Basil's cold becomes strong enough it has them all worried until Petril puts his foot down and sends Basil to the doctor. After running several tests they come into the room with Petril. "He is dying... all of his levels are deficient and I've never seen anything like this before. It is like Mr. Vipera doesn't have long. I give it a couple of months before he is bedridden and maybe a couple of weeks after that he won't be much more than a vegetable. I'm sorry." The doctor leaves and Petril is floored. He grips the chair looking like his world is falling apart. Basil takes Petril's hand smiling sadly.

"Its okay Petril." Basil sighs. "I had a feeling this was what was happening. I'm okay with it."

"Okay with it!? Basil, you are DYING! You are eighteen. This isn't okay. You don't... I can't..." Petril puts his head in his hands before Basil pulls him into a hug, strangely calm about the whole thing. Petril takes them home after he collects himself and Basil locks himself in his room while his uncle delivers the news to Mattias, Kelkian, and Gram. All three take the news horribly. Gram rages out of the house going to the rink and practicing alone, angrily slapping shots into the net through icy tears. Kelkian immediately breaks down completely shattered, just falling apart at the seams. Mattias cries silently alone in his tattoo shop going through images on his phone of Basil and Mattias together.

A week later Joe bursts into the house with a book in hand, handing it to Petril. It's an old book on unbound only ailments. Joe points out a section titled Magical Rejections. Skimming the section is fits what is going on with Basil to the smallest detail. PEtril rests his head in his hands.

"He is literally killing himself..." Petril confirms and Joe nods. Petril gets up and knocks on Basil's door. Basil doesn't answer so ignoring the risks teleports into the room. Basil is standing in front of the mirror looking at his shivering cold weak looking body with disgust. "Basil... I need you to do something for me... you have to promise you will do this for me every day. I won't make you do anything else or change anything else but do this one thing for me." Petril grabs one of Basil's candles handing it to him. "light this candle without using matches, a lighter or anything like that. You know what I mean Basil. It is all I ask. Just do it for me. For us." Petril begs and with a deep sigh, Basil accepts the candle and closes his eyes focusing on the magic within him. As soon as he tries to channel the magic he hisses in pain. "It is going to hurt at first but you have to do it, Basil. I won't sit by and watch you die. You can have your magic-free life but you need to accept the magic within you or you are going to die. How the fuck do you think we feel? None of us want to lose you. Do it for us. Please." Basil looks at Petril's face before taking a deep breath and blowing on the wick. It smokes and by the end of the breath ignites with a tall blue flame that mellows into a normal one quickly. Basil sets the candle down and collapses onto the bed dizzy.

"It feels like the room is spinning and... I feel so light-headed." Basil looks up at Petril. "I really can't live without magic, can I?" Basil despairs, and Petril nods.

"You don't have to be some chosen one Basil, but you do need to accept who you are." Basil nods and blows out the candle before lighting it again until his skin is warm to the touch again. He still looks horrible, but he seems to be doing a lot better after a couple of hours. By the day before thanksgiving Basil is cleared by his doctor as healthy again.