Chapter 25: The Witch Known as Claudia

"Now Claudia tell me, what are the ways to use magic?"

        "Chanting or by Magic Circle."

        "What about Ritual, is it not included?"

         "Ritual is just the use of the two ways and simplify the use of conjuring complex magic"

         "Very good you're learning well Claudia."

         "Master..... there's something I'm curious about"

          "Hmmm, what is it?"

          "Why are you teaching me on a tree?"

          It wasn't much of a complain. I was only curious why he would teach me either on trees, inside a cave, on a river, or forcefully teach me on the sky. It's not like I hate most of them, even right now as I sit on the tree reliving the fresh forest air and hearing the birds singing under the warm summer sky. The bugs are annoying though. Master took my words the wrong way and lightly poke me on the forehead. "Think about the answer yourself!" or so he says in the end.

           "Next on the subject, tell me what are the elements use with Elemental Magic"

            "Old magic tells that the elements are consisted of fire, water, earth, and wind. Now, some magicians are debating whether to include wood and metal as well according to the eastern teachings."

           "Which one do you think is right?"

           "I think there are no limits to the number of elements just like Master had said."

            "Good, I would've expelled you if your mind is wrap around by what people or books tells you. That's why I'll teach you new elements today."

             When my master turned to look at me, he made a wry smile on his face, probably because my green eyes were sparkling and my cheeks puffed from excitement.

            "First look down, what do you see."

            I was hesitant to look down from  a tall tree, but I braced myself and look down, "All, I see is soil and more trees."

           "Is that all?"

           "Hmmm, I could see shadows and..... oh, AIR!" my master nods brightly at my answer as if satisfied, however, he still look at me questioningly and asked, "Is that all?" I wracked my head even harder, what else is there here? "I'll give you a hint, what would you need to see in the dark?"

           "Light?"

          "Correct, all the things unknowingly passed by us yet has supported us since the Dawn of Age, are all the elements that make up the earth, don't you think having only four or six is much too small to be making up this wide world."

          I nodded in agreement, and tried to see my surrounding as if they were a great big picture full of things I see but escaping my notice, yet I feel it's waiting to be discover. Then, my curious self unknowingly blab what I had been curious for some time, "Master, what about Black Magic, are they part of the elements too?"

          Master expression changed and yelped from his menacing eyes, there was a dark shadow looming on his face, "Where did you learn that?" I instantly felt guilty hearing his heavy tone pointing at me. "I.... I read it before when I was cleaning up your room, I was curious so I...." my eyes began to wet from tears, but I didn't want to look like a cry baby so I immediately wipe it off. Master made a huge sigh before his expression turned back to normal.

         "It's about time I teach you I guess, Claudia, how do you define Elemental Magic?"

          "Uh.... the use of our mana to borrow the element's spiritual energy to create a phenomenon, or something like that."

          "You could say that's the gist, in other words, it is needed for there to be a source of extracting spiritual energy with our own mana. Fire Magic needs fire, Wind Magic needs air, Water magic needs water, that much I'm sure you understand. In a different sense, the other branch of magic also use the same principal as this. Because of that, chants and magic circle is needed, to us magicians, no...to all people words contains power. We, magician could make use of those words to connect with the spiritual energy and make use of them. Here's the question, from what you read what kind of magic does the Black Magic governs."

          "Actually I haven't read it that far"

          "Curse Magic, Disaster Magic, Plaque Magic, Mindless Magic, etc"

          Master answered his own question with an indifferent expression, "Then here's the next question, what is the source of Black Magic?" when he asked, I tried to think carefully but couldn't come up with an answer. Master clenched his fist while sticking out his thumb and aimed it at his heart. "The answer is our soul."

                                                                               

#

This is bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!

            This is the worst situation! In what situation you might be wondering, You can say I'm in a situation running in speed a child couldn't have reach while avoiding a laser beam coming up from behind me.

             Because of the fog, it would often distort but still.... seeing it melted three pillars in a row is scary! While running off aimlessly, I had to do my best chanting anything that came up spontaneously in my head (I got my tongue bite many times while running).

             [Svell Völundarhúsins]

Ice walls started to rise randomly, the thin ice reflected my distorted self and I hid behind one of the walls. Slowly, the walls started to form together as a maze and the red death light from behind was reflected without a problem into three branch. Though the ice would melt from the heat, I had already made sure that any heat would be lost upon touch on these walls, so touching bare handed would result losing a hand.

             However, the plan might have worked too well.

            The red beam reflected into another wall, which branch off into another three, which then reflected into another wall, causing a chain reaction. In the end, the red beam come running back toward me.

            Then, just before I could dodge it, the red lights suddenly disappear.

            Unknown to me, the laser beam she had reflected had caught up to where Jacob was, leading him unable to use it well without getting himself hit.

            I waited for few seconds, but there was no reaction from the other party. I had grasped where he was but he was not making any move. Exactly what was he planning, that thought was weighing my mind. Just when I thought about setting up a counter attack, a loud booming sound shook the lot. It sounded like something explode and there was a bright red light coming from the other side of the maze. The light turned from red to blue and exploding sound was heard once more.

            I felt blood was drained from me when I suddenly feel the maze was about to be broken down. The maze automatically reinforce itself, but I can’t help but getting a bad feeling. Then again, the blue light turned into white and the explosion became bigger as it had me staggered from where I’m standing and the painful reality of what I’m seeing.

            Not just the ice walls, but also the ice field I had painstakingly made were all instantly melted from every step he make even though the maze should have not absorbed any heat. His form was covered with white light that had me cover my eyes, and the heat was overwhelming the surrounding ice.  I had tried to conserve my mana but thinking this is getting dangerous, I conjured Ice and Wind Arrows at him, but to no avail, the heat blown away the spells as if it was nothing.

            This….isn’t it getting out of control?

            The guy who sneakily try to subdue me from the shadows is now, without a doubt, trying to kill me upfront. His eyes showed no mercy or interest like before. The light around him subsided, and I saw his figure covered by white fire, one thing I couldn’t understand was why he had something what a Fire Ability User could have. I could understand three but no such record said anyone possessed four abilities at the same time.
           However, that thought didn't came up to me. When I saw the fire began to melt the ice and surrounded the  two of us. My mind was in a stale, my body froze, my lips trembled without being able to utter a sound and my breathing became heavier.
            Damn it! Out of all things why fire? Without letting my my mind take control, my body was on the verge of having a seizure. I desperately thought to move and screamed in my head many times, but it was no use.
             The man put his arm out at my direction and I feel a force coiling around my neck. It was getting harder for me to breathe and I was slowly being dragged to his side.

            No way….this is…telekinesis?

            It’s not as powerful as my sister’s but no doubt this is telekinesis. What in the world is going on? Just when I couldn’t understand the situation, at the corner of my eyes, I saw two needles rolling by. A certain thought (a crazy one) came to me but there was no explanation that I could think off right now. Even so, explaining the situation and getting out of it is a two different matter.

             I tried to chant some spell but my voice couldn't let out a simple word,  this guy probably figures I needed to speak to use my powers.

             When he finally took a hold of my neck with his own hand, I felt the intense heat he had subsided, penetrating my neck. I screamed at the pain, and he laughed at my miserable sight. He gave more force to my neck with his own hand, and I could only bare the pain while being helpless. 
            "I thought about giving you to my client, but you were more dangerous than I thought so discarding you would be the safest choice." he said that with cold eyes. 
             Is this really the end for me? Getting swallowed by my own anger, I foolishly charge in with half of my mana because of Hod, and foolishly challenged him without knowing the enemy's card. Aaaah~ then and now, I'm still foolish to the end. 
             When they say there's no cure for idiocy, they were certainly right. 
              "Die, Witch!" 
             After he said that, another explosion echoed the floor followed by a scream of terror. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again, sorry for the delay. Just got back to the city so now I have graduated from a NEET and officially became a college student, (Wooohooo!). I talked a lot with my new friends and seniors, which they told me many fun and scary stories of college life (the scariest part which involve stacking  assignment, and dreadful test) causing many freshman getting a pale face.

Enough about me, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the cliffhanger.

Actually, I'm don't feel sorry, not really....... *evil grin*

<<<PREVIOUS CHAPTER                                                                             NEXT CHAPTER>>>