Chapter 3: Do Magic!

"This isn't exactly what I meant by training!" Mason exclaimed into the stands. He was standing in the floor of the coliseum-shaped arena that the guild boasted.

"Do you want to get stronger?" Synnova asked; only half paying attention. She sat there in the stands filing her nails, green thigh highs and black combat boots up on the railing. She seemed completely oblivious to the random wizards around her. Out of all the people in the crowd, Mason only knew a handful, and those were ones he was introduced to yesterday.

"Yes, but not like this!" Mason shivered, half from fear, half from the cold. Synnova talked him into changing into a tight red shirt and shorts, claiming he would need to move around easily. If he would have thought about it, he would have realized she chose it for its tight fit on his body, not for his sake.

Only about twenty minutes ago, Synnova had overheard his plea of strength and taken him up on it. Now he stood in a coliseum, facing a door that emitted loud, scary noises.

"Dante! Are you placing bets?" Synnova picked him out of the stands. surrounded by a small mob of female mages. He used a light pen and had written enough bets in the air for an entire novel.

"What? No! I'm hurt that you would think-"He began, placing a hand over his heart and acting hurt.

"Dante! 10,000 on broken arm!" Someone interrupted, breaking the ruse.

"I'll take that!"

"The new kid doesn't stand a chance!"

"20,000 on hospitalization!"

"Would you guys shut up?" He hissed at them, making them quite down.

The door banged once again, its hinges rattled with scary weakness.

"Ignore them May-May. It's what I do." Synnova sat there, still inspecting her nails. Dante and the rest of the mages erupted in a fit of laughter at her new chosen nickname for him.

The climatic "BOOM" came soon after, easily tearing the wooden door off its hinges and sending it across the Arena. Two large horns protruded from the darkness, followed by a full-grown, muscular, and not to mention angry, bull.

"Why do you people keep a bull around!?" Mason demanded, shaking now completely out of fear. Sweat glistened all over his body, making even standing up difficult; for he wore no shoes on the hard-packed ground. His fingers shook uncontrollable, as if he was tapping a tune in the air. His mind raced with a million possibilities, trying to find a feasible way to control the bull.

"Remind me how this is magic training?" Mason asked suddenly, realizing it would be his last chance to ask anything. Before the bull could spot him, he did a mighty leap and grabbed the lowest rail from the stands. He hung from it, just out of the bulls reach. Synnova sighed and put down her file, looking at him for the first time.

"May-May...Magic isn't a set of rules, not a handful of commandments set in place by a bunch of old crones. Magic is a direct embodiment of your spirit. Your magic is unique, it's specific to you. You won't learn anything from a textbook; you need to learn from yourself." She finished and sat back down while the bull finally saw Mason. Without warning, he charged.

"That's a great speech, but that doesn't explain why I'm here with a BULL!" With the last word, he hauled himself up about a foot, just about the bull's horns.

"Mere incentive. Now," She made a "shoo" motion with both her hands. "Do magic."

He looked down at the bull. He was aware of his surroundings to the perfect detail. He saw the small clouds of dust at the bull's feet; he heard the sickening scrape of him attempting to bull his horns out of the wall, the slow grinding of Synnova's nails, and especially the rude calls from the rowdy group of mages.

Every comment had easily rolled off of his back except one.

"The new kid doesn't stand a chance!"

He didn't care how intimidating or amazing they made the bull sounded, but when they started doubting his abilities then they had a problem. He had it imprinted into his brain perfectly. The confident sneer, that approving snorts that had followed, they didn't believe in him. He didn't believe in himself...

No, he couldn't let them get to him.

He made it this far, he wasn't going to let some cocky mages and a fat cow stop him now.

"My magic..." he muttered, slowly loosening his hold on the railing.

"My magic." He repeated with emphasis, as well as a hint of realization. He felt his feet land solidly on each of the bull's horns. He kicked off the bull's horns and landed solidly, walking over to the middle of the Arena.

"It's time to find my magic!" He exclaimed as the bull finally freed his horns from the wall.

Exhilaration ran through Mason's veins, readying the muscles it found. A strange lightness overcame him; he seemed to be filled with energy. His core thrummed with excitement, sending blood to all his extremities. His fingers curled and flexed, readying themselves. His lungs felt no strain as his breathing quickened, adding to his animation.

He was so elated, he charged the bull.

"Here we go!" Was his simple battle cry as those quite pointy horns got closer, and closer, and closer...

Mason jumped in the air directly above the black beast and brought his knees up to his shoulders. He placed both hands on the bull's skull and pushed off, leap-frogging him.

"Yippee!" he declared as he came off the bull. The moment his bare feet hit the ground; he shuffled them around and squatted, facing the clumsy animal. Synnova lowered her file and leaned forward on the railing, slightly interested. There was something different about Mason now. Maybe it was the glowing tattoo in front of his face, maybe it was something she didn't notice, but something was different for sure.

Mason's elevation continued, dictating his mindset and spurring haste in his actions. Even in his haze, he still picked out the strange phenomenon that was his weight. It seemed at least half of what it had been before, his feet moved easily and with seemingly practiced grace.

The bull finally regained its footing and prepared for another charge on the moving red human.

"Moooooo." Mason taunted, tucking four fingers towards him in a "come at me" motion, "Moooooo."

The bull charged with surprising new vigor, making his way there in half the time Mason expected. Mason made a small jump backwards, still in the way of the bull but farther back. He turned in the air so that he was about to land on his head. He stuck out his index and middle finger on his right hand out, as if showing "two" and lightly landed on them, slowly cushioning his weight on those two fingers.

When he had fully cushioned his fall, he pushed off in recoil to the left. He landed on his feet and successfully side-jumped the charge; but the bull learned easily and turned sharply, lashing out with his horns.

The bull looked around furiously. The human was just here! Where was he!?

Knock, knock. The bull looked down to see a hand grab his large nose ring and tap it twice, as if using a door knocker.

"Down here bull!" The hand retreated and Mason sat there underneath the bull, waving. He placed one hand on each of the bull's front legs and, with surprisingly strength, shot himself out from underneath the bull and across the Arena. He was going so fast, he did a simple reverse-soccer dive and was back on his feet.

"Tauro! Tauro!"

Mason exclaimed, jumping up and down and waving his arms. The bull snorted and found his direction again, getting annoyed.

This was getting too easy for Mason. The bull could practically only go in one direction and it was nearly child play to dodge him.

The bull came upon Mason again, picking out the red color of his clothes.

"Tauro!" Mason shouted again, jumping in the air again. This time, he turned his body horizontally and two-foot kicked the bull between the eyes. When his body was flung back, he performed a back flip just for the fun of it.

He then finished the back flip and landed in a crouch, grinning at the bulls temporarily crippled state. The larger mammal looked back and forth, trying to clear the stars that circled his head.

"How fast can I run?" Mason asked himself with a grin, watching the bull regain his senses. He shot off running, the charging bull directly behind him.

Usually he ran with the gracefulness of a cow. (No offense to the trailing bovine) his feet would slap down ungracefully and he would never be able to hit high speeds.

Now, his tiptoes barely felt any weight as they brushed the ground, soon to push off. He burst out laughing as he held back purposefully for the bull to catch up.

Unbeknownst to Mason, the Arena wall loomed ahead of him.

He found himself between a bull and a wall place. He was going too fast to turn; he was going to spin out and crash if he tried anything.

In his unnaturally high spirits, he burst out laughing as he ran headlong into the wall. At the very last step on the ground, he leaned his body waaaaay backwards and put one foot on the wall. He pushed straight up with that, followed by another foot. He ran up the wall five steps and tried for one more, but his momentum was nearly all gone.

In a desperate attempt to save himself, Mason bent both of his knees and pushed off as hard as he could. He held his breath and anticipated it, but it still rattled him when his back slammed against the rock-hard ground.

He got the wind knocked out of him and gasped for air, struggling to rise to one knee. He looked up to see the bull charging headlong at him. It was about ten feet away, he didn't stand a chance. He clenched his eyes and waited for the impact. Funny, he had expected another stamped a short time ago, only with girls. He had been saved by... wait, where was the bull?

He opened his eyes and stared into Dante's white overcoat, again. He couldn't hold back a smile as he struggled to his feet.

"Card Magic!" Dante threw his deck of cards into the air and the cards all filed out magically. They flew around seemingly randomly before they all stopped. Fifty–four cards floated around him in a dome, each one of them surrounded by a deep blue flame.

"Spade Shield!" He called out, reaching out with his right hand. Four cards suddenly flew out of the cacophony and hit the ground in front of Dante. The familiar indigo circle materialized and it called forth an impressive barrier straight from the ground.

Moments after its creation, the bull crashed into the barrier. Two pricks that were the tips of its horns poked through the shield, much to Dante's dismay. He jumped forward and placed both hands on the edge of his side of the circle. The barrier flared with new intensity, spitting out the bull horns and instantly repairing the damage.

"Maryanna!" Dante screamed, walking straight through his shield. The bull caught him in his eye and charged. Without looking, Dante snatched a diamond card out of the air and flicked it in the bull's direction. It vaporized and turned into something Mason didn't see. After emitting a blinding flash of light, it disappeared, leaving the bull lying on its side and moaning.

Mason got up to his feet, sad to find his vigor and exhilaration gone. Dante stood staring at Maryanna, infuriated.

"You were supposed to hold back the bull! The shield was our back-up!" He screamed. Mason walked around him to see Maryanna wiggling around in a large white cocoon.

"I'm sorry, okay!" She craned her head and spotted Mason. "See! He's fine!"

"Hold still." Mason instructed, bending down. He wrapped his arms around her, although they barely touched, and helped the walking toilet paper roll to her feet.

"Now try your best to stay up!" Dante pushed past Mason and grabbed the end piece of the ribbon, pulling it back in a huge jerk.

Maryanna blabbered out something nonsensical as she spun around and around and around... Mason had to stop looking at her or he would be sick. The ribbon finally ran out and Maryanna stumbled around side to side, barely standing up. Mason quickly ran to her rescue and picked her up, bridal style. That may have been a bit out of place, but at least she wouldn't fall.

"You okay?" Mason asked, looking at her eyes. They both went around their sockets on their own accord. They slowly focused and stared at Mason.

"I-"she started, but then made a gross noise. She bent over and was sick all over Mason's shirt and pants. If Mason carrying her in his arms was the slightest bit romantic, it lost it all right then.

"Oh..." He stated slowly. He set her down and looked at his clothes; they were literally soaked with puke, every inch of the fabric. Without thinking he ripped off his shirt, throwing it on the ground. After a moment of gross hesitation, he threw his pants on the ground and sat there in black underwear.

Dante burst out laughing, making him blush heavily. The crowd hadn't completely dispersed yet.

"Gimme that!" He ran up to Dante and ripped off his overcoat, wrapping it around his waist.

"Dude!" Dante looked in disgust at his garment wrapped around the sweaty teen's body.

Slow, deliberate claps broke through the following silence. Synnova walked towards them, her ever-present smirk plastered on her face.

"Not bad. Not bad. I'll admit I didn't expect you to do quite that." She stated, Maryanna stumbled to proper posture and began paying attention.

"May-May, you discovered your magic easily, it came to you naturally." She smiled and studied him. "I bet you didn't even notice."

"I think I know what happened." Mason looked down and wiggled his toes. "Of course, I wouldn't know what to call it."

"If you two didn't notice," She nodded at Dante and Maryanna. "It is quite obvious May-May is a Gravity Mage."

Gravity Mage. Mason liked the sound of that even better. He began to feel immense pride swelling in his chest. He finally had a magic to call his own. He wasn't a new little squirt anymore; he was a fully-fledged mage. He had his own magic; and he had used it in front of everyone. Okay, maybe not everyone, but his mind wasn't going to register that any time soon.

"As far as the three of you..." Synnova put her head in her hands. "I beg you; please don't become a team like you planned. Your teamwork is absolutely horrid, you would do more damage than good."

"I think you judged us a tad quickly." Dante frowned slightly and took a place in front of his two friends.

"No. I didn't." She stated flatly, not caring how blunt she was speaking. "You show absolutely no potential as a team whatsoever. You're a danger to everything and everyone around you."

"Well then warn them we're coming!" Maryanna had completely recovered from her sickness and slipped her arms around Mason and Dante's necks. She made sure to let her body touch Mason's. If she was lucky, she could rub it and the brooch would "accidentally" come loose. Not letting her judge them anymore, the three mages kept themselves hooked and walked outside the elevator.

"Why does she act like she's your superior?" Mason inquired some way out of the arena.

"She is; Synnova is an S-class mage. That's one higher rank than any of us. In order to become an S-class, a mage must undergo a difficult trial." Maryanna answered.

"Man, Gravity Magic is so cool!" Dante exclaimed, punching Mason in the shoulder. "Wanna trade?".

"Even I know that's not how it works." Mason snorted and they all laughed. Truly, if Mason could choose, he would have chosen Gravity Magic. He loved that uplifting sensation it sent through his body, how it made him literally light-footed. That's how he could easily perform those crazy moves in the arena.

"Guys!" Maryanna stopped suddenly and pulled out (Giggity) from both the boys. They stared at her eyebrows raised.

"We need a name!" She exclaimed. "The team's name is a major part of its social status! It defines the team's goals, values, strengths, rank-"

"How about, 'Unicorns are Mystical'?" Dante offered seriously.

"It has a nice ring to it." Mason nodded in agreement. He tried to put his hands in his pockets, but then remembered he didn't have any. He set off for the change rooms and the team followed, continuing their walk and their talk.

"You guys can't be serious!" Maryanna exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"All in favor of Unicorns?" Mason suggested; he and Dante both raised their hands. "Any oppose?" Maryanna smartly raised both her hands. Dante smirked with satisfaction.

"Motion passed. From now on, we will be known as Unicorns are Mystical!" Mason stated officially.

"Guys! Seriously, what are we calling ourselves?" Maryanna caught up so she was between the two boys, catching the smirks they shot each other.

"Guys?" She said slowly, scared. "I can't be stuck in the one group where the guys like unicorns! Guys, wait up!"