40: A Mejai's First Lesson

Double release on RR today, so 2 chaps on patreon too! The fic is on Rising Stars right now, so if you haven't rated it or followed on RR already, please do so! That really helps me out.

“And what do you think you’re doing here?” Tanya asked with arms crossed, shooting Vir a gaze that made him want to shrivel up and cry in some dark corner. The fully black leather pants and matching vest she wore served to amplify her terrifying presence.

“I… uh,” he stammered. All the confidence he’d mustered burned away, just like that.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to push through. The fix was simple—all he had to do was look away from Tanya’s face. “Just want to learn by watching you train Maiya. I promise I won’t get in the way.”

“Absolutely not. I’ll not suffer prana scorned filth leeching  off of my student. Begone, vermin.”

“But—” Tanya cut him by threatening him with a transparent orb, glowing with power.

Vir ground his teeth, shooting a look of pure hatred at Tanya. He’d refrained from revealing Prana Vision for so long, but if it meant he could learn magic, it was worth the cost.

“I can see prana. I can see all the different affinities,” he said.

“Of all the… Boy, that is the most ridiculous excuse I’ve ever heard. Nobody can see prana.”

“I can prove it!” Vir said. “If you just—”

“That’s enough! Can you power an orb? What’s your affinity, then, hmm?”

“Uh, black? I haven’t seen any black orbs, though,” Vir said, averting his eyes.

“That is because they do not exist, young man. Now begone with you. Even if you can see prana, which I don’t believe for a moment, you cannot do magic.”

“That’s not fair!” he heard Maiya say. “If you won’t let him attend, I’m not gonna learn magic.”

Nice going, Maiya!

“Young woman, you are in no position to make demands. I was promised someone with aptitude. Instead, I get this,” Tanya spat, eyeing Maiya up and down. “Be glad I am willing to teach you at all. You will do as I say, and you will not talk back. Understood?”

Maiya stared her instructor down—an impressive feat. “No! If you won’t teach him, I refuse to—”

Vir cut her off. “It’s alright, Maiya.”

The last thing he wanted was for his friend to suffer on his account.

“But, Vir, this isn’t right!”

Vir cracked a smile. “You think this is gonna stop me?”

Comprehension dawned upon Maiya, and she mouthed an ‘O’ that only he could see.

He threw Tanya one last glance packed with every ounce of hatred he could muster, then turned and strode out of the living room.

If she was going to be a grakking chal, he’d be happy to return the favor. He doubted she possessed anything like Prana Vision, or any other way of detecting him if he was stealthy. And he had an idea about how to remain hidden—he’d picked up a few tricks on the Saran trip.

Vir walked far enough down the hall to put himself out of eyesight, but not so far that he couldn’t hear what they were saying. He took up a spot just inside the empty kitchen.

“Let us move to my room,” Tanya said. “It wouldn’t do for unwanted ears to eavesdrop upon us, now, would it?”

Grak. So much for that plan…

“Would it really kill you if Vir listened in?” Maiya asked as they walked past his hiding spot.

The doors that sealed off the bedrooms were solid wood and thick. Vir had learned long ago that sounds did not pass easily through them.

But the kitchen wasn’t the only place he could snoop from. Vir waited for the two to enter Tanya’s bedroom, then ran to his own room and donned a white sun hoodie before stepping outside into the midmorning sun. He doubled back up the sand dune, counting the windows until he found Tanya’s room.

None of the bedrooms had large windows. Instead, they all had small slits near the ceiling for ventilation. And since they were built mainly for ventilation, they were just small metal grates, only a handspan tall and a few handspans wide. The grate above Tanya’s room was almost completely invisible against the desert sand, but Vir found it soon enough.

He went prone, lying on his stomach, and stuck his ear right up to the metal grate.

“—Introduce myself,” he overheard Tanya saying. Vir cracked a grin. Her voice came through loud and clear, almost as if he was in the room itself.

There was no chance of detection—even if she looked straight up at the window, it was far too small to see anything through it. So long as he remained quiet, he could listen all he wanted.

Of course, he did have to deal with the searing desert heat, but that was a small price to pay for mejai knowledge.

Should’ve brought some water, he belatedly realized. Something to remember for next time.

Vir settled in and prepared himself to absorb every word the evil woman said.

“I do not know how much Riyan has told you about me. Knowing him, likely little.”

“He hasn’t said much,” Maiya said.

“He is a man of few words. But when he speaks, people listen. Few are as wise in the art of combat as that man, but I digress,” she coughed.“Suffice it to say that I have worked with the gen—with Riyan several times over the years. The only information you need about me is that I carry the rank of Lesser Mejai of Ash. My Balar Rank is 90. Greater Ice and Lesser Water affinities. Oh, and I have trained with the Altani.”

Vir’s eyes lit up. The Altani knew more about the inner workings of prana than anyone else, if the rumors were to be believed. If anyone knew about the affinities only he could see, it’d be them.

“Riyan tells me you have aptitude. Prove it.”

Vir heard Maiya yelp. Then came some shuffling sounds.

“Oho?” Tanya said. “So he wasn’t merely boasting. But that does not mean you will be able to realize your potential. This is done only through diligent training and proper instruction. I can provide the latter, but you must apply your body and soul to your training. Or else, you’ll remain a lowly Pranik all your life.”

Vir could only guess at what had happened. Tanya must have given Maiya a magic testing orb, as Riyan had done months ago.

“I wanna be a fire mejai! When can we check my affinity?”

“There is no test for it. Once you have learned to conduct prana, we will have to try orbs of various affinities to determine your affinity. I must warn you, however. Fire spells are difficult to wield. They may have the greatest range of all the offensive magic types, but fire affinity spells are slow and thus easily avoided. What’s more, they can burn the mejai and her allies if wielded improperly.

“I don’t care! I’m sure I’ll be good at it.”

His friend was dead set on being a fire mejai as ever. He couldn’t say it suited her, though.

“That remains to be seen,” Tanya said. “Beginning today, you will train in the mornings with me in the arts of magic. Riyan will continue training you in history and etiquette in the afternoons. Is this understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Maiya sounded meek, but Vir knew she must’ve been bursting with excitement inside.

“Now, for your first lesson,” Tanya said.

Vir edged closer to the metal grade, desperate not to miss a word.

“Magic hurts.”

“Magic… hurts?” Maiya said.

Vir had the exact same reaction. What’s she even talking about?

“Yes. Especially at the start of a mejai’s journey. Understand that prana is the energy of life itself. Orbs channel this energy into useful effects. As mejai, we manipulate prana to fill our orbs with sufficient energy, and supply a tiny bit more to trip the activation inscription. This process is an unnatural one, and thus, can be painful. Not every Pranik has the… grit to persevere. I expect you will also fail, coddled as you were in your childhood. Be grateful that I am spending my precious time instructing you regardless.”

This was news to Vir.  He’d never thought that the official path to magic would be a painful one. Maybe his experiment yesterday hadn’t been as crazy as he’d initially thought?

“First,” Tanya continued, “mejai must learn to detect the prana that is all around us. Here in the Hiranya Kingdom, prana is a scarce commodity, which makes this task somewhat more difficult. Then again, it is this very lack of prana that will hone your sensitivity further than a Pranik in a prana-rich region.”

Vir looked around. Even with Prana Vision in its dormant state, he could still see faint browns and whites around him. Sensing prana had never once posed a problem for him after the Godshollow. And though he called it Prana Vision, it wasn’t like he needed his eyes open to see all that. He could simply sense the various affinities, which was what enabled him to look into his own body’s pathways. He couldn’t imagine Maiya would have a tough time with it, given her magical aptitude.

“So how exactly do you sense prana?” Maiya asked.

“Sit down. Cross your legs. Close your eyes.”

Tanya waited for Maiya to comply, then continued. “Now, breathe deeply, and empty your mind of any thoughts.”

Vir joined in. He sat up and closed his eyes, attempting to follow Tanya’s instructions.

“Now,” Tanya said, “once in this state, you must feel the prana circulating around you, in the air. It is not a feeling that can be described. But you will know it when it works.”

Interesting, Vir reflected. It sounded like mejai could sense prana, just perhaps not with the clarity that he could.

“That’s… kinda vague,” Maiya complained. “Got anything more I can work with?”

“Do not fool yourself, child. Even the most talented Praniks take months to develop this awareness. For most, it takes the better part of a year. Each morning and evening, you will sit and meditate, forcing yourself to attune to your surroundings.”

“A year!?” Maiya shouted. “That’s way too long!”

“Then strive to excel,” Tanya said. “Fear not, I shall aid you. I will precharge an ice affinity orb and set it in front you. Try to sense the prana coming from the orb.”

She placed the orb down, and even with his dormant Prana Vision, Vir could sense it. The ball of transparent prana glowed like a sun to his senses. Just how powerful was the spell within it?

“Once you are able to sense prana, the next step is to take hold of it.”

Vir’s heart sped up, and it wasn’t on account of the hot sun. This was the missing piece he needed. He already knew how to sense prana, he just needed guidance on how to control it.

“This is done via sheer willpower. With enough strength of will, a mejai can bend the prana in the air, wrestling it under their control.”

“Uh… any specifics?” Maiya asked. Vir echoed her sentiment. Everything Tanya had said thus far was incredibly vague. Was she doing it on purpose as part of the lesson? Or did she just not know? Vir sincerely hoped it was the former.

“Each mejai must discover prana for themselves. I can only guide you. You must be the one to find it. For now, focus on sensing prana.”

“Wait,” Maiya said. “If you have to use your will to control prana, how do magic testing orbs work? I can activate those just fine, can’t I?”

“Aptitude orbs provide their own ‘will’ to test your innate capacity. They are specifically designed to test those who’ve yet to master prana control, after all. Regular orbs do not function this way.”

“Hmm. You said magic hurts, though,” Maiya said. “How exactly does it hurt? What should I expect?”

“In order to wield orbs, one must offer their limbs to the gods. If the gods deem you worthy, it will hurt. There is always a cost to power. But pain is a small price to pay for access to the spells that mejai wield.”

Riyan had said a similar thing—that magic was a blessing of the gods. But he’d also made it clear that despite his lack of faith, he managed to wield magic just fine. Vir wondered what it all meant. Nothing he’d encountered thus far seemed even remotely tied to the gods or religion.

“What does it feel like?” Maiya asked, anxiously. “The pain, I mean…”

Maiya never did well with pain. This revelation must have shocked her more than it did Vir.

Tanya thought for a moment. “First, the veins in your arm and hand become more visible. Your arm will turn slowly purple. There is a tingling sensation at first, then aching pain that grows stronger & stronger. Eventually, your limb becomes numb. But no one maintains magic long enough to experience those effects. You would saturate well before then.”

“Saturate?”

“Prana oversaturation,” Tanya explained. “It happens when too much prana builds up within your body, preventing you from casting magic for some hours. It is a message from the gods, warning us not to abuse our privilege.”

This saturation concept was new to Vir, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed by all of this. He was hoping for a set of steps he could reproduce, or concepts he could unravel. Instead, Tanya spouted only vague descriptions and meaningless superstition. He could only imagine how frustrating it must be for Maiya, who couldn’t even see prana.

Tanya continued. “It will be years before you get to this stage, so I will just summarize the rest. Once a Pranik can sense and control prana, they undertake a series of mental strengthening exercises. A strong mind can muster more willpower, which in turn allows them to channel prana more effectively.”

“Sounds rough,” Maiya said.

“Indeed. Some believe that children with traumatic pasts tend to become excellent mejai for this reason. The final step is to actually channel prana into an orb. This is a skill in and of itself, and requires an understanding of the orb’s inscriptions and an accurate awareness of the rate at which prana needs to be channeled. What’s more, orbs crafted by different Thaumaturges all have their own unique prana flow idiosyncrasies that must be learned to wield them effectively.”

C’mon Maiya, ask her what’s unique about them!

“What kinds of idiosyncrasies ?” Maiya said, prompting Vir to pump his fist. Nice going, Maiya!

“Some orbs require a trickle of prana to start, expanding into a river. Others require a more forceful approach, or the prana will simply dissipate. And of course, your compatibility with a particular affinity makes a world of difference as well.”

“What exactly is an affinity, though? And when will I know what affinities I have?” Maiya asked.

“So many questions with you! Affinities determine the rate and ease with which you can charge orbs of that particular element. There are six affinities in this world: Wind, Water, Lightning, Ice, Fire, and Life. Every magical orb in existence belongs to one of these six elements.”

Vir felt like he’d just been hit by an armored Ash’va. Six affinities!? He knew that wasn’t true. Every shred of his being wanted to shout down from above and ask her why she was lying to Maiya.

“There is no test that determines which affinity you possess. Only after you are able to sense and conduct prana will we know which affinities you have, by trial and error.”

“What about—” Maiya began, but Tanya cut her off.

“Enough questions! Now, sit and meditate quietly.”

Maiya grumbled, but reluctantly accepted.

Vir was only half-listening. The entire conversation had lost its sheen, and there would be nothing further to gain by snooping. Vir slowly got up and made his way back inside.

As he walked, his mind replayed Tanya’s words. Six affinities… Was she lying? Or did she simply not know? But she’d been trained by the Altani! If they weren’t aware of Shadow, Earth, and ‘Black’, then did that mean all of humanity was wrong?

Or… was he simply wrong about his theories? He began to concede that it might be his mistake after all.

The entire world couldn’t possibly be wrong… could they?