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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 16:50:32 GMT -6
David brushed the books and equipment away from the table as he mentally prepared himself for Erika's lesson, it had been a surprise to the dark mage when Erika remarked that she wanted to be his apprentice. He had never thought that he would able to gain an apprentice at this current stage; he pictured some dark person being his mage, with a seething hatred for life, but not this girl. The girl who simply wants to control her powers and her visions. Of course his words had been sweet and flattering, causing her to be afraid of the light wizards and for her to depend on no one else but him for the time being. He knew the fundamentals of magic and from there he would build up Erika's skill until such time she was strong enough and then...then he would have to see how he could corrupt her soul.
He had not hidden any books that are considered dark by normal standards, the girl had made it clear that she had no desire to distinguish between dark and light that all magic was equal. He had agreed on that statement firmly and genuinely which is probably why he was able to obtain the power of Wolzard in the first place. He had encouraged Erika to ask questions and to read the books that are here, of course the small library was nothing compared to the library at his real home in Europe, but for now this hideout in America will have to suffice.
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Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 17:51:46 GMT -6
Erika was really excited about her first magic lesson. She had been dreaming about this day for some time, the day where she'd finally find a mage willing to instruct her in the art of magic. She had been bumbling around on her own her whole life. Even when her aunt had given her the Magiphone, she had no idea how her sister had made it work. Erika needed to figure everything out on her own.
Although she was really looking forward to her first official lesson, she was a bit nervous too. She didn't know how well versed in magic she was compared to most beginners. She didn't know what Mr. McKinnon expected from her. She didn't want to disappoint his expectations. And finally...She was a bit anxious as to what he wanted from her. If there was anything she had learned so far it was that nothing in life was free. He was investing time and energy in teaching her. Therefore, he expected some sort of return. At the moment she wasn't sure what that was. She hoped to find out. She wondered if directly asking him was the best approach.
Erika knocked on the door and when she was invited inside, her eyes doubled in size, when she laid eyes on the books she had been promised she was allowed to read. There were so many! She had to restrain herself from rushing over and picking up the nearest book and leafing through it right there. How wonderful!
Once she had pulled herself together she thanked her teacher. "Thank you so much for agreeing to teach me! I really appreciate the help!" She paused. She hated to do this. It might come off as suspicious and ungrateful but she needed to protect herself.
"Um...I wanted to lay down some ground rules." She tried to sound firm but her words came off uncertain. "As you know, I'm a beginner and know practically nothing of magic. Therefore I feel certain precautions are needed so that I'm not taken advantage of without my knowledge or consent. Mr. Waynguard spoke of spells that ensnared the mind and corrupted the will. You are not to cast any spell on me without my permission. If you want to cast said spell I want you to show me the description and incantation of it in a book so I know exactly what you're up to."
"Now, you yourself said that experienced mages can non-verbally cast spells. I would advise against using these non-verbal spells on me. My MagiPhone can detect them," she lied confidently. She had no idea if that was true or not but she suspected this mage didn't quite know how her phone worked. It was better to show confidence than doubt.
"And thirdly, please do not offer me any food or drink as I do not trust you enough to eat/drink them at the moment. I've heard of potions being slipped into such things. I don't much care for anyone tampering with my mind."
It took all her will power to refrain from apologizing after she made her demands. She needed to be cautious. She had to protect herself.
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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 18:02:24 GMT -6
The moment that Erika came in he had opened his mouth to welcome her when she suddenly said that she wanted to lay down some ground rules. He closed his mouth and listened to her as his mind ticked away at her rules, they were quite fair and they were also quite good in terms of precaution. Even with those rules he would still be able to corrupt her one way or another, it would just take longer, and he never did believe anyways in ensaring the mind through spells or potions. A person must willingly hand his soul to the darkness in order to obtain true power and if unwilling the darkness would just tear them apart. He nodded and then slowly clapped his hands, "Well done Miss Danielles, you are learning to be careful, that is indeed the precautions you need to take in order to protect yourself from those that wish to harm you; namely of course those fools that call themselves 'light wizards'," David said, "I have no problems with the rules you have set me though I assume you can cook yourself if I am not to offer you any food or drink."
He then went and finished putting the last of the books into the bookshelf before turning towards Erika, "If there is nothing further you wish to tell me than let us begin with your first lesson. The first thing that a mage must know is first of all what is magic? Miss Danielles, tell me what you think magic is," Daniel said looking at her.
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Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 18:10:35 GMT -6
She was really relieved he hadn't taken personal offense at her ground rules. She beamed as he clapped his hands and praised her efforts.
Erika nodded. "I'm rather fond of cooking. I can make food for you as well if you're not worried that I'll poison or enchant it. Although I assume at your level you'd have ways of detecting that. And frankly I'm not skill enough to do anything like that yet," she responded.
"I do have one quick question first. Mr. Waynguard was able to detect my MagiPhone before I told him I had one. So I'm inclined to believe he can track my presence and location from it. When I'm better trained, will you be able to teach me a way to shield its presence? The idea of him always potentially knowing where I am is troubling."
Ooh! So they were going to begin with the theory behind magic?! She pondered for a moment. What did she consider magic?
"Hmm...I think...I think it might be the power to influence the course of events or state of affairs through supernatural forces. It's a way of playing with the balance of nature and structures that is seemingly impossible. It seems like...It almost seems like a rejection of science. We can use magic to do things science tells us are impossible."
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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 18:20:51 GMT -6
David said nothing about the cooking, he could cook as well but perhaps not as good as an average person, but then again he had never been too fussy about what he ate. "The reason why that man was able to detect your MagiPhone is obviously because he possesses a higher-quality phone that is able to detect similar phones...most likely so that he can obtain other magicians like yourself, it was a good thing I was in the area or else you might have very well gone off with him and be imparted with his narrow-minded teaching. I just fear for those that I could not save from him," David remarked as he then nodded, "there are a myriad of spells that would allow one to remain undetected through magic, but of course they are high level magical spells and you need better concentration and willpower before being able to do such a feat. But have no fear, in time you will be able to do any spell that you desire, for now I have hidden this area from his sight through a complex series of spells. You are safe as long as you stay with me. I will protect you."
Erika gave her answer on what she thought magic was as he pondered on that question. "Your words are correct, magic has long been in this world before humans were even created, it is a primeval force that changes how the world is created or what the world does. Very, very long ago only the most ancient species such as Elves, like the ones you have no doubt been reading and watching in the modern world, were the only ones that were able to use magic. But in time humans were able to harness that same magic and use it though of course without the ancient knowledge and bloodline of the elves what we are capable of is only a fraction of what they are capable of. But as you will learn that in itself is a good thing for we are able to diverse and experiment on magic while the Elves simply let it be. Science is simply a farce of magic, an imitator for the non-magical people, they attempt to explain things that are beyond the scope of their minds. And therefore magic is a rejection of science, no it is the god of science because it dominates it. Without magic this whole world would fall apart and therefore we, as wielders of that magic, have the responsibility of maintaing the balance of the world and that is a great responsibility."
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Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 18:30:50 GMT -6
So Mr. Waynguard had a higher quality phone? Perhaps in time she would be able to make her own phone and not need to rely on his. Then he probably wouldn't detect her presence. Although it would probably be easier to use spells to remain undetected. That was known magic. She wouldn't have to create anything new.
"I'm very glad I met you," she said gratefully. "Otherwise I'd have to rely on him as a teacher and perhaps eventually his narrow minded views would influence me. At the very least it would hamper my education as he would be unwilling to teach me spells christened as 'dark magic'."
She smiled when he said he would protect her. She scolded herself for trusting him so easily. She still needed to be suspicious. She didn't yet know what he wanted from her.
"Wait so...Are you saying I'm allowed to stay here? I don't have to just come visit for lessons?" she asked excitedly. She would love to stay here and read those mounds of text. There was so much knowledge to be had here!
She listened eagerly to his explanation. "So Elves actually did exist!" she breathed. "What do you mean science is a farce?" she asked. "Gravity works and most scientific equations make sense. Even if magic trumps science, being able to break its rules, isn't science still valid in some way?" she questioned, confused.
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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 18:55:25 GMT -6
Stay here? Well...if this was an ordinary student he would have said no, but considering that Erika wanted to learn anything than he supposed he could air out the guest room that he had been using as a storage room, "Of course, it would be dangerous for you to be wandering around especially if the light wizards are looking for you, there is much knowledge stored here that I am sure you will find useful and beneficial to your education," David said with a small smile. The Elves thing always did surprise people, they had been secluded to nothing more than fairy tales now and it was a shame that they were not here...they would have agreed that humans had become to complacent with technology and that it breached magic. "Things like gravity was discovered after painstaking work and it is nothing more than non magical people understanding the fundamentals of the world, we mages are able to manipulate gravity to our own wills such as pulling things towards us. Science in some way is valid, but it pales in comparison to true magic, not even the greatest minds in the scientific community would be able to comprehend what they do not understand, they would be narrow-minded saying that such things are impossible without even trying to validate or confirm it."
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Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 19:12:48 GMT -6
He would really let her stay here?! She could read through the books and ask him questions as soon as they occurred to her?! She'd have all that knowledge at her fingertips?! Oh she was sure she could spend endless hours reading through them.
There was just the issue of her father. She had been staying at home to help take care of Jun-kun and her Dad, having attended Pitt University, which was very close to her home. (At the end of the year she'd graduate.) But Jun-kun was 18 now. He'd be attending college next year. And her father...He'd have to deal with losing the kids at some point. It's not like he'd been acting as parent since their Mom died. Erika took care of everything, including waking him up in the morning and forcing him out of the house so he could show up for his part time jobs. (He'd quit being a surgeon after Mom's death.) She was over 18 now. If she told her father she was leaving there was nothing he could do. But what about Jun-kun? Would he be okay? Would he be able to handle cooking for himself and cleaning?
Most things were done online now so Erika could balance the bills herself. But the cooking and cleaning...It wouldn't be that hard. And he would only need to cope for less than a year. And she could still talk to him to comfort him when he needed it. She'd have to clear her move with Jun-kun first but he was a tough kid. He felt bad for how much Erika had to play parent. He'd probably be okay with her leaving a little bit before him.
Why had her father completely lost it and given up? Erika had enough trouble just dealing with the visions. And then everything else was dumped on her. She had stepped up to the plate. No one else could. And she needed to protect their family. Still, even if the world was cruel, her situation had struck her as incredibly unfair when she allowed herself to dwell on it. And when her dad wasn't drunk and sometimes slightly more coherent he would blame her. Blame Erika for not foreseeing her mom's murder. As if she had any control over her visions! As if her parents had ever wanted her to talk about them! They wanted to pretend they hadn't existed! They just wanted a normal little girl!
She calmed herself. Now wasn't the times for such thoughts. Staying here would be a good thing. Perhaps moving out would give Dad the kick he needed to pull himself together. And she had the lesson to focus on.
"But I'm just a beginner! Even if my ideas are a bit radical...You don't really think the light wizards would be looking for me already?!" she asked, concerned.
Erika's eyes eagerly drifted back to the books. "Yes! There certainly seems to be a lot of magical information here!" she said happily.
"Yes, we can manipulate gravity and other forces but isn't our magic going against the natural flow and order? Isn't that why we feel drained after casting particularly large spells or a number of smaller ones? We're fighting against the current, so to speak?"
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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 20:02:40 GMT -6
It would be a strange thing to have someone living in his home, he had been used to living by himself ever since he had left home, he didn't have any friends to speak of and he much rather be in seclusion. However to have an apprentice like Erika...it would be a strange experience for him. And he relished challenges. "Of course you can stay, the light wizards may know that you are weak but it would only make them want you more because it means that they can teach you their teachings and watch you like a hawk. If you prove to them that you are a danger to their ideal world then they will not hesitate to eliminate you, that is the truth of the matter, and they are always looking for potential people to fill their ranks."
Erika then questioned about why they would feel tired after casting a spell and if they were going against the currents of the world, "The reason that mages get tired is that they lack concentration. The ancient Elves were able to cast intricate spells with nary any tiredness in them afterwards, but they are the ones originally chosen to use magic and therefore their body would adapt to the usage of magic. We, you, simply need to get used to casting magic and to increase your concentration and willpower. That is the basis of all magic! Concentration and willpower. A mage with high concentration and willpower would be able to cast the most powerful magic known to mankind."
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Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 20:10:15 GMT -6
"Thank you so much for letting me stay," she said brightly, giving no outward hint as to her previous dark thoughts. She had gotten very good at masking her emotions. She wanted to comfort others and put them at ease. She typically hid her true concerns and frustrations. She was under no delusion. She understood that she was suffering. But she didn't want her pain to adversely affect others.
"Mr. Waynguard did very clearly tell me to stay away from you. He said you were bad news. He said that you had killed several people." She dropped her comment and watched Mr. McKinnon's expression very closely. Maybe she could get some clue as to if that were true. Mr. Waynguard was incredibly biased and short sighted. She wouldn't take what he said on faith but his words were troubling and she hoped for some sort of explanation.
Erika nodded. "I did think it was a matter of concentration and will power. Mr. Waynguard seemed to think that will power had little to do with it when it came to dark magic." She shrugged. "Just his bias talking."
"How good is your concentration and will power?" she asked eagerly.
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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 20:17:50 GMT -6
David showed no emotion when Erika said that the man had told her that he had killed people, he had become almost detached to such things, however he knew that he would have to exercise great caution from now on. That he would need to make sure that he did nothing that would make Erika suspicious, "If you wish to leave from my tutelage for fear of your life and go to him than I will not stop you," he simply said in a calm tone.
"Everything has to do with willpower and magic, even the simplest of magic requires willpower, with willpower you would be able to understand and maintain that current of magic. You can harness it and be able to bend it to your will, people like that man will say that magic is an inherent talent; that if you are talented you would be able to use magic and those that are not talented are doomed to be a failure. Of course no doubt he comes from a place where magic runs rampant and everyone is considered a 'talented' person, but in this world that matters naught. Even you will be able to control magic when you have gained enough willpower and concentration. As for myself," he gave a small smile, "I have learned magic since I was a young age, but I am not so arrogant as to say that I am at the pinnacle of things...no one is...you can always improve yourself even if you are at the height of your power."
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Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 20:24:58 GMT -6
"I apologize if I offended you," Erika said hurriedly. "I was by no means implying that what he said was correct. His words troubled me and I was interested in hearing your side. I wouldn't believe Mr. Waynguard's claims without proof. I thought it was terrible that he accused you of stealing your phone. He's just...Too emotional and too convinced that he knows what's good for everyone!"
"Does that mean my visions?" she pressed. "Will I be able to control those too? And if will power is really required...Why have I always been plagued...I mean..." She trailed off. Now she'd done it. She wasn't supposed to be showing her insecurity to Mr. McKinnon. She still hadn't ascertained what he wanted from her.
"I mean...Why have I always seen visions? It wasn't something I strove for. They just...consumed me." Great. And then she'd used the word consumed. Her distaste for her visions couldn't be any more obvious.
She tried to change the subject. "Yes! There's always room for improvement! The day you stop learning is the day you die! It's sad to think that some people actually want to stop learning. And they think they have a life?!"
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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 20:31:20 GMT -6
"The man is deluded in believing that I am an evil mage simply because I read from a dark book, he does not see the bigger picture nor can he understand that magic is something to be expanded on even if it means pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable," David said accepting her apology, "he is biased because he comes from a place where magic is dominant and they consider us earth mages as nothing more than pale imitators and a place of darkness. But I am sure one day we would prove them wrong."
"The reason that you possess the powers of a seer is hereditary, it is likely that perhaps one of your parents; most likely your mother was a seer. Seers are historically female so it is most likely that someone on your mother's side is a seer and therefore it simply passed on to you. I know that it is a difficult thing, to see the future and see the worst of it would strain the mind, if you want I can show you how to brew a potion that would allow you to sleep better," David said softly, comforting the girl with words of compassion and kindness.
"When people think that they know all they know about magic they do not wish to pursue it any further because they fear of what they would learn, they fear that what they would learn is not what they thought it was. However it is by learning that you learn new things, that you learn better concepts and see how it can be applied to what you have already learned. You must continue to learn until your body stops. That is what it means to be a true magician."
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Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 20:41:30 GMT -6
Erika nodded. "I thought he might be lying just so I wouldn't try to find you and ask the questions he wouldn't answer," she said truthfully. But then he might have actually misconstrued what he saw. Or it was possible he had seen correctly and this man was a dark mage. As much as she didn't want to accept that, since he shared her feelings that knowledge was pure, it was still a possibility.
"I think my mother might have been a seer," she agreed. "My aunt said she didn't talk about it but she thought she saw things, terrible things. She supposedly found someone who could take her magic powers before fleeing Japan." She looked to Mr. MicKinnon, wondering if such a thing were truly possible.
She shook her head when Mr. McKinnon offered to brew her a potion. "Paranoia for what might be in that potion aside, I don't want to be so weak." She took a deep breath. "It's true...I hate my visions. I wish I didn't have to see what I did. But this power was for whatever reason instilled in me. As such I have a responsibility to try and master it and use it to save people."
She extracted her crystal ball. "I've used this to try and clarify some of my visions. A miserable experience, spending hours delving into something painful enough to watch once. And on occasion I've even been able to use this to provoke visions. So no. This seer's power...It's mine and I don't want to be like my mother. I don't want to deny what I am. I want to use it to protect others," she said fervently. She wanted to give others the peace that would always elude her.
Her eyes met Mr. McKinnon's. "I want to be a true magician. I want to keep learning until I'm a rotting corpse."
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Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 20:48:17 GMT -6
So that was what happened to her mother, it would be plausible that the woman saw something that terrified her to the poin that she simply ran away even though she had a daughter and a family to take care of. When Erika said that her mother saw someone that would be able to take her magic away her scoffed, "Such things are within the realms of impossibility, there are records that say magic could be taken from a person it usually results in the person's death, and besides such things are difficult spells where the person casting it could easily explode, literally, because he has too much magic within him. Therefore no one would attempt such a thing, not even I would try it, though again people would say that there are those that would try it out and therefore they would brand such things as dark."
He saw her take out the crystal and say that she wanted to keep her seer's power, to see if she could control it, David didn't know how exactly to make that happen. But he always enjoyed a research topic and he would find out how he could help Erika; after all if he managed to control her powers that would make her only attached to him even more. "I did not say that I would be brewing the potion, I said that I would teach you how to brew the potion, but since you do not want it and you wish to attempt to control your powers I will research on how to control your visions and see what you want to see," as he nodded approvingly at her statement to want to learn about magic and be a true magician, "you have potential and you have enthusiasm. That in itself is a mark that you will become a wonderful magician."
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