Spellbooks, Dating and Why Humans don't like the Arcane

by Emerald Oracle

Arcana 101

All right, first things first. If you want to learn magic you have to get some words of power.

Kenneth Washington Lee, bored, 17 year old son of a wealthy father and current holder of the only magical text to survive the famous witch hunt that blazed through Europe in the 1600's was about to learn his first spell. The book in question, The Arcana, had a mind of its own. This meant the book did not, in fact, contain pages filled with symbols, runic circles and lessons on how to turn your enemies into toads. It actually communicated through text that changed every time you turned the page.

Now words of power can be anything, latin, french, gibberish, anything. It's use is to help focus your mind on the purpose of the spell. However, I warn against using common words, you don't want to set someone on fire talking about your last, late night beach party. Be creative, but memorable. Let us start with a basic levitation spell. Think, float!

Kenny looked around his lush room as he tried to think of something to use. His room was easily as large as any master bedroom and was dominated by the king-sized bed he was sitting on. Beyond the bed was a full wardrobe, mahogany writing desk and every other fine wood furnishing money can buy. He had moved here from the library to avoid his mother. She was very traditional and probably wouldn't like her son attempting witchcraft from a sentient manuscript.

"Hmmm..." Kenny pondered, "How about Levetatum?" Kenny turned the page.

Good enough. Now comes the hard part, using magic. Magic is cast using your natural mana stores. Everyone has mana, but only those who put in the work can use the vast stores of power you all share.

"Sounds like what everyone says about school." Kenny idly stated and continued reading.

The first part of magic is connecting to the power you harbor within you. To do this usually takes days of meditation and soul searching to access. Luckily I know a way to bring it out of you without all that nonsense. Whatever happens don't let go.

"Wait, whaAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!!" Kenny felt like he was being electrocuted. Blue arcs of arcane power leapt from the book and struck his skin. He felt the burning tendrils wrap around his core and pull. Kenny himself was frozen in place, paralyzed by the magical static coursing through his nervous system. His face was locked in the expression of agony, his voice long since giving out. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped and Kenny was left with a brand new sensation. It was almost unbelievable, the new-found sense of power flooding his senses. Kenny dropped the book and examined his hands, black sparks leaping from finger to finger.

"Cool..." Forgetting the book at his side, Kenny eyed the 3ds on his writing desk and decided to test his new power.

"Levetatum!"

The 3ds wistfully floated into the air, a sparkly black aura surrounding the device.

"Cool..." Kenny then reached out with his mind in an attempt to will the game to him. The 3ds shot into his outstretched and waiting hand, landing solidly in his palm with ease. Kenny cried out in laughter at the trick he performed, marveling at the ease he performed it. He then remembered the book at his side and opened it up once again.

If your quite done I would like to continue our lesson. Seeing as you have already mastered this simple spell, I would like to move on to charms. Charms, or enchantments depending on their magnitude, are what made me possible! Charms often require a more complex level of thought in their creation. Sometimes they even require the use of unique-

"Kenneth! Are you okay!" Kenny's mom, Eliza, came bursting into the room. She had heard his earlier screams from down in the kitchen and had come to find out what was wrong.

Kenny scrambled to come up with an excuse for his earlier outburst whilst hiding the book behind his back. "I, uh, saw a... umm... a spider! Yeah! I saw a spider! It was huge! I threw my shoe at and it scurried off so no problem!" Kenny lied.

"A spider, really dear? Do try to not be so dramatic next time, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Eliza closed the door and returned to the kitchen. Kenny waited until her footsteps were completely gone before opening the book.

Ah good, the rude wench is gone Kenny frowned. As I was saying, charms will sometimes require the use of runes, or even entire circles. A good practice charm is the quick summon charm. First you need to come up with a word of power for summon.

"Apparate." Kenny shamelessly ripped from the Harry Potter series.

Kenny turned the page, Now test it out. Stick with something small.

Kenny looked around the room until his eyes fell on his phone.

"Apparate!" Kenny commanded.

Nothing happened.

Confused Kenny flipped the page in search of answers, Sorry, forgot to mention you have to say the name of the item as well. Give it another try. Kenny rolled his eyes and refocused on his Iphone.

Apparate Phone! The phone vanished in a puff of black smoke and reappeared in front of him with a pop. Kenny chuckled at yet another fun spell that has succeeded. He then looked back to the book for the next step.

Okay, here's the fun part. Take your phone, and before you ask how I know what a phone is remember I can read minds, then focus on the spell you just cast. Kenny did this and turned the page. Now use your finger to trace out these two runes on the device. Below the words were two strange symbols Kenny didn't recognize from any language on Earth. He turned the phone over and, summoning spell in mind, traced the two runes on the back with his thumb. The digit left behind a trail of stark black and pulsating magic. He noticed the pulsations slow down as he went, eventually stopping all together. When he was done, both runes had been crudely copied on to the back in opaque, matte black. Kenny took note that he felt slightly drained, as if he had went for a short run. Kenny looked back to the book.

By now you can probably feel the drain casting a charm has on your mana. Charms and enchantments cost much more mana to cast than a spell. This is because you start something called a magic replenishing cycle. This is the natural cycle that restores your mana over time. Using these runes, you have just replicated the process in your phone. The first rune binds a certain level of magic to your phone. The other rune absorbs the natural mana that floats around us all, invisible to the naked eye.Combined with the spell you cast it creates a magic feeding loop, you activate the charm, the charm uses the phone's mana stores, the rune reabsorbs the lost mana from the surrounding area. To use the charm just think about it and call it to you.

Kenny walked to his deck and placed the phone down. When he got to his bed again he shut his eyes and whispered, "Iphone, come."

A pop and the phone was lying in front of him.

"Huh," Kenny responded, impressed, "You mentioned something about circles. What are those?"

The page afterwards said, Circles are a set of runes organised in a circular pattern. This allows for the effects of a charm to be more varied while focusing them into the confines of the circle. A perfect example would be a portal. Portals are almost impossible to cast without a circle. Time, dimensional plane, location, size of portal, portal duration and filters must all be accounted for when making a portal. A single mistake can be catastrophe. Circles make making one infinitely easier and simpler, allowing the caster to regulate all these things individually and without fear of error.

"Can I take a crack at it?" Kenny asked. He had already proven to be a quick learner, Kenny was sure he could do it.

I don't know... Arcana read, A summoning charm is one thing, portals are another. I'm not sure you're ready for such a level of magic.

"Ohh, come on! It doesn't have to be something like a portal to 54th dimension, just to my buddy's house about seven miles south." Kenny pleaded.

Fine, but you have to do exactly what I say. Got it?

"Got it."

First, clear some space on the floor. Then you need to copy the following circleexactly. The image depicted a circle with a total of three runes arranged in a triangular fashion, each with their own circle, inside. Arcana went on to explain that each of the runes would determine location, time period and also filter out anything that might try to get in (or out) of the portal. Kenny set up the portal at the foot of his bed, on the floor. When it had all been set up he turned the page to next set of instructions.

Now, place your hands on each rune at a time and put in the spells.

Kenny had gotten the filter rune done when his phone beeped. One word later it was in his hand, and Kenny checked his notifications.

"Shit! My Little Pony is on in five minutes!" Kenny yelled. Forgetting the portal he ran out of his room and straight to the family mini cinema (or mini-cini).

---

Thirty minutes later, Kenny was back in his room after watching the season three finale. He still had the song's bouncing around his skull like a couple of sugar-high Pinkie Pies.

When he returned to the circle he promptly activated it. It took a full thirty seconds for it to charge and left Kenny feeling like he had just run a whole mile. A couple sparks lit up the epicenter of the circle, growing in frequency till a hole opened up dead center. It expanded to the edges of the circle, a swirling, shimmering black hole on the ground.

Kenny stared in awe at the portal. After he was done admiring his work he grabbed Arcana, his phone and his wallet and hopped in.

Without setting a location or date.

Which meant the portal would send him to whatever place he was thinking about.

Comments

[JaDan]

Finally a fiction where the HUMAN is the dumbass playing with advanced magic!!