CHAPTER 11: AL' TORAN

Tomasso had questions about everything that had happened the past few days. The police almost arrested them. The catacomb tunnels almost sucked his magic dry. The monastery. His best friend, Hasim. Everything was happening too fast for him to keep up.

"I'm sure of one thing at least" He looked at the walls around him and sighed.

"I'm very lost".

He looked behind to see a different hallway from the one he just passed through. It looked the same except for a weird distorted picture of a bald monk standing by the corner. As he walked back trying to retrace his steps, he noticed a gargoyle statue outside the window supported by a chain. The chain seemed old and worn down. Frankly, he was surprised it was still holding the massive statue. He stared at it for a while before continuing to walk down. The door to the mess hall was in view and immediately he ran to it.

Instead of the mess hall, there was another empty room. The room had a mat placed at the center surrounded by stacks of books. Around those books lay even more books. And more books in bookshelves.

"Seems someone found me" a sassy feminine voice echoed through his ears.

He spun around in a circle, trying to figure out where she was speaking from

"Upwards, child," she said and he looked up. There she stood reading a book while sitting on the ceiling. She had white long hair that hung down as gravity pulled them.

"You're reading on the ceiling," Tomasso asked slightly puzzled.

"That's the least confusing thing happening here," she said, sneezing loudly. "Sorry, cobwebs trigger my allergies".

"Then get down from there" he suggested.

"I assimilate better when I'm upside down" she replied "I'm gonna start ignoring you now".

Tomasso let out a sigh before asking "Where are we"

"I'm ignoring you, remember; now leave my room".

"If you want me gone, wouldn't it be best to give me directions" he asked

The room fell silent for a while before she replied

"Compelling argument. I can't tell you exactly where you are because I don't know exactly WHERE this is"

"You just said it's your room"

"Well I had to make it sound comfortable"

"With the gargoyle and the paintings in the hallway?"

"What hallway," she asked puzzled.

Tomasso gestured to the wall.

"I can swear there was a door behind me".

"You're stuck here too then. Best get settled" she said continuing her book.

Tomasso walked carefully to the center of the room, kicking and knocking over some stacks as he went past. He picked up one of the books that lay adjacent to him as he sat down.

"Projection for dopes, volume 1" he muttered aloud

"I was relearning the fundamentals" the female stranger replied to him.

"Fundamentals of what" he asked.

"You know. Don't make me repeat common knowledge" she said, turning back to her book.

Tomasso flipped through the book before tossing it aside.

"If I knew I would be stuck in a library, I would have just stayed with the monks."

"Wait a minute," the stranger said as she fell to the floor tumbling more stacks.

"Repeat that"

"If I knew…I would have stayed with the monks…"

"These children…never left," she said, folding her arms as she started floating slowly "Don't they understand I just want to be left alone?"

"Children," Tomasso asked very confused "Some of those men have gray hair."

"Regardless. I knew the first one who came here. Encroached on my den they did" she said nodding her head in agreement with herself.

"If this is your place, why are you locked away here" Tomasso asked

"Locked away? I'm isolating myself. Don't get the wrong idea"

"Why would you do that?"

"Because the world doesn't appreciate my genius and my mercy. Can't believe I did it to save them. Ungrateful they were. But you, why are you here" she asked floating back down

"The monks said me coming here was a mistake. They only want my friend"

"Al'Toran. That word explains it"

"Explains what?"

"Well, in more modern terms, your friend is chosen and you're not. Don't feel bad about it. You can't really fight it".

"Yay. I understand better now".

"You really don't know anything. What about magic?"

"I know about crystals and drawings. A friend of mine could also transform into a tiger…of sorts"

She paused and looked Tomasso straight in the eye

"You're telling the truth" she let out a hearty laugh "Well, the universe seems to still have a use for me. I accept your challenge. Tell me your name boy"

"Toma. And by the way, you look younger than me"

"Don't you know you should never ask a woman her age?" she replied, hitting his head with a book. "I'll teach you a few things, Toma".

"I don't have the motivation to learn. I just told you about the monks".

"That doesn't change anything. I will teach you about magic."

"How?"

"Well, from the fundamentals of course"

*

"Open your eyes," she urged Toma.

He opened his eyes, and the room was empty. No walls. No ceiling. No books or bookshelves. It was just blank. A vacuum. The darkness seemed to pierce his skin and send chills down his spine.

"Where are we" he asked her shivering slightly

"It's a simple projection of my mind" she replied proudly

"Why is it so dark, and so cold?"

"Because that's exactly what I want it to be. My mind. My projection. Think of it as a room structured around what I think"

"How does this teach me anything" he asked

"Simple really. Magic has three requirements to work. Your mind. Your amber. Your feelings. If one of these three things are missing, you're never going to reach full capacity. And that's a shame".

"Could you at least make it warmer?"

"People learn better in uncomfortable scenarios," she said, nodding in agreement.

"Where did you hear that" he asked in disbelief.

"I made it up," she said laughing "but seriously child, you tend to miss the basic questions. It's going to be a problem going forward"

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you asked yourself why you can see me in a vacuum with no light, or how you can breathe, how you're standing on nothing. You aren't very observant".

"So what's going on?"

"I'm projecting this onto the space we were in previously. This vacuum doesn't exist. But the room did, and I've assigned the properties of the room to this vacuum space."

"Let's stick to the basics, please. I didn't understand any of that".

She paused for a while.

"Your mind. You need to be able to visualize how the spell would work. The size of the output. The strength of the spell."

She stretched out her hand and flames spurt from her palm.

"The fire requires oxygen and fuel to burn. I have to think about the size of these factors and imagine them generating flames. My amber capacity affects how much I can pump into the spell. The literal fuel if you may-"

"So you mean I have to think about how I want the spell to work before it works"

"In simpler terms yes but-"

"So if I wanted to make this place warmer, all I have to do is think about it being warm?"

"Well, not exactly-"

"I want to be warm" Toma starts whispering to himself while rubbing his hands together.

"If that's going to help you understand, then I'll use it," she said sighing loudly.

"Think about it carefully, what's going to warm you? Are you increasing the temperature around you? Or are you generating flames to warm you".

"I think I get it now."

" You have to think about it before you can visualize it," they say in unison.

"That still doesn't explain it completely you know" she continues.

"What next then"

"You also have to feel the flow. Feel the amber course through you. Through your magic circuits"

"Circuits"

"Think of them as magic veins. Your heart makes the amber and pumps it through your whole body"

"In a literal sense?"

"Literal and figurative. Again, asking the unimportant questions"

"How do I do this then?"

"I don't really know. You'll get the knack of it when you meditate on it. At least that's what I did"

Toma sat down and crossed his legs and arms.

"You can't do that now," she said, dragging him back up "I'm only giving theoretical classes. Practical lessons come later."

"Okay. What else is required for magic?"

"Your feelings. State of mind."

"That sounds self-explanatory. If I'm calm, I'm more focused."

"You can be bright when you want to," she said floating by his side "Some feelings tend to increase your magic output, like rage and the intent to kill. But they drain your circuits faster and this scenario only works-"

"If I'm still focused, right?"

"Bingo!" she said and launched fireworks upwards.

"In my terms, visualization, capacity and feelings"

"Is that all you got from my explanation you fool?" she said, hitting his head with a book.

*

"Make sure to breathe while you try it" she nagged into Toma's ear

"I heard you the last three times" he yelled back into the accompanying darkness. "How does your disappearing help me feel these circuits again?"

"I want you to meditate ever so slightly" she replied "Feel the amber flowing through you. The tiny sparks. Feel them".

"How is someone supposed to feel sparks-" Toma started but got interrupted by a sharp pain in his head.

"How am I supposed to meditate if you keep hitting me with books?" he snarked back.

"How are you supposed to meditate if you keep talking?" she replied smacking his head with another book.

"Fine. Fine" he replied, taking a deep breath.

The pain he felt was replaced by sudden calm. The cold seemed to vanish. Alongside it, her voice. The only thing he could hear was the air entering and leaving his nostrils. He felt it against his upper lip. He could feel his blood flow through his vessels. Along with them, a faint tingling sensation.

"Did you feel it" her voice interrupted his meditation

"Would you just let me do this?"

Another book to the head. Then another. And a third hit.

"That's no way to talk to your teacher" she replied, slightly annoyed.

"Well you did interrupt me" Toma replied rubbing his head. "I could feel…a tingle"

"Those were the sparks I was referring to," she said smiling proudly "The sparks are the endpoints of your magic circuits"

"Endpoints?"

"Basically where your amber can gather for a spell" she replied appearing beside him

"So everyone has these circuits, and they're all the same?"

"Yes and No. Circuits differ due to race" she replied handing him a book.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked puzzled.

"Go back and read it," she says pointing to the door.

"When did that get there" he asked in disbelief.

"You have someone looking for you, Tomasso" she replied, floating back to the ceiling with a different book in hand. "I don't want to be found so I think you should leave".

"But you didn't finish my lesson-"

"When you finish the third chapter, you'll find me again," she said smiling. "Goodbye for now. And thank you. For giving me something to look forward to" she said as her voice faded.

Tomasso was standing in the hallway once more. The gargoyle and the painting were nowhere to be found. Beside him stood the door to the dormitories. Just as he looked around to ascertain where he was, Ada screamed his name from behind him.

He turned around, remembering why he came to this confusing monument of a building in the first place. And why he was still here even though they all wanted him gone. To protect her in case they meant her any harm. And now, he was going to have the means to do so.

"Where have you been all this while," Ada said sounding very ticked.

"I've only been gone for an hour" he replied snickering "Did you miss me that much?"

"It's been four days Tomasso. Four whole days" she replied looking very sad and confused at the same time.

That statement interrupted Tomasso's staring.

"You're joking"

"Do I look like I am?"

"I have an explanation for this. But you might need to sit down for it" he said to her as he looked down at the book he held. "It's a bit confusing".