“It seems you just needed something to unleash your magical potential once you were aware of its existence,” said Luna. “But make no mistake, I will still have to treat you like a novice. The brain is like a muscle, and if you overtax it, it can snap- something you do not want happening.”
Gerard nodded obediently. They had spent several weeks tracking down all the books of magical lore that they could, with help from Liam of course (who by now was ready to explode with anticipation for Gerard’s next book). They ignored the traditional rituals that they found, they weren’t looking for good luck, or to summon demons. One book dealt with a discipline called Elemental magic. This was more Gerard’s speed. Luna had agreed that it would make more sense to learn the disciplines unique to his reality first, as his body and energy would be more suited to them.
It was for this reason that the pair stood in the middle of a lonely field, surrounded on three sides by trees, and on the other by the large house they shared.
“Ok, now remember what the book said,” continued Luna in an authoritative tone. She stood behind Gerard, not wanting to be in the line of fire.
”Just focus on the atoms above your palm. Will them to vibrate faster and faster, then pour your energy into them, this should cause them to ignite.”
Gerard focused as he was told, but nothing seemed to happen. He stood still for several minutes, hands outstretched, palms facing upwards. Then, just as he was about to give up, his hands began to heat up. It was an almost imperceptible thing, but Gerard noticed it.
“I think something’s-“
“Be quiet!” ordered Luna, “Concentrate, keep it under control.”
Luna could sense the magic in the area building. She could feel the heat radiating from Gerard’s hands now, several paces away. Without warning, two small balls of flame flared into life in his hands. Gerard’s eyes widened in awe.
“I’m doing it!” he laughed, “I’m actually doing it!”
Luna smiled. “Ok, now be careful, we do not want you to go burning the forest down.”
Gerard grunted in response. “I think I can make them bigger.”
“It would be unwise to-“
Luna was cut short when the balls of flame in Gerard’s hands began to expand from the size of golf balls to tennis balls.
Gerard was no longer laughing however. The muscles in his arms and neck were straining, and a thick sheen of sweat covered his face. The flames were about the size of basketballs now, and still expanding.
“Gerard, stop this immediately!” shouted the princess. She could feel the strain his mind was under, and the amount of energy he was using to expand and sustain the flames.
“I don’t think… I can!” he whispered fearfully. The flames had stopped growing now, but they were huge, and Gerard felt extremely weak. He felt his legs give way underneath him and he fell to the ground, the flames vanishing.
“Gerard!” shouted Luna, rushing to his side. She checked for a pulse. Weak, but definitely there. She breathed a sigh of relief before picking him up and teleporting him home.
***
Gerard woke to the smell of lavender. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in his own dimly lit bedroom. The room was filled with a heavily scented smoke, which came from several sticks of incense burning throughout the room. He became aware of something around his head, and reached up to find it was a circlet of some kind. He reached up to remove it when a voice cut through the silence.
“Do not take it off. The sapphire in that circlet quite possibly saved your mind from snapping. I do not think it is safe to take it off just yet. Nor would I remove the necklace you are wearing, the ruby is strengthening the beat of your heart.”
Gerard sat up slowly. He noticed the curtains were drawn, and a large array of symbols and gemstones surrounded his bed. Luna sat in the corner, watching him intently. There were bags under her eyes and her hair was a dishevelled mess.
Gerard tried to open his mouth to speak, but his dry, cracked lips wouldn’t open. Luna levitated him a jug of water and a glass. Gerard drunk greedily from the jug, ignoring the glass completely. He drained the jug and Luna set it back down.
“How long have you been awake?” was the first question Gerard asked. Luna sighed before answering.
“Since you almost killed yourself three days ago,” was the reply. “How could you be so irresponsible? I have been tending to you for three days, using not only my own magic, but also all of the healing rituals described in those books.”
Gerard shrunk back slightly under the verbal assault. Luna took no notice as she continued, stalking over to Gerard in her rage.
“You could have died! Or worse, your mind could have snapped and you would live out the rest of your days experiencing violent hallucinations!” Gerard almost spoke up at this, but decided against it. Now was not the time.
“I warned you not to push yourself too far, and you completely disregarded my advice!”
She was looming over Gerard now. “Do you have any idea what you have made me suffer through these past few days?” the princess’s body sagged and her head bowed.
“I was so worried…” she whispered.
“Worried?” questioned Gerard.
“I thought I was going to lose my only friend…” she replied.
Gerard slowly rose out of bed and approached the princess. He pulled her into a gentle hug.
“It’s ok, I’m here now, and I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere,” he mumbled, unsure of what else to say. They stood like that for a few moments, until Gerard moved away and began coughing. Luna chuckled slightly and threw open the curtains, and then the windows. Fresh air flooded the room and Gerard’s lungs cleared. The pair stood there for a few moments until Gerard’s growling stomach broke the awkward silence. Luna laughed at this.
“It seems someone is hungry,” she commented.
***
“Are you sure about this?” asked Luna in a worried tone.
“Yes,” answered Gerard. “I know what I’m doing this time.”
Almost as soon as he said this twin balls of flame flared to life in his hands. This time, instead of expanding uncontrollably, they stayed a manageable size. Gerard held them up, watching them flicker in the breeze. Then he thrust them upwards, watching the fireballs arc up into the sky before eventually fizzling out. Gerard looked proud of what he had achieved, but he felt drained. He looked to Luna.
“You wanna bring us home? I’m feeling spent after that.”
Luna laughed softly as she took hold of Gerard’s hand, teleporting them home.