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Last of the Fae Chapter 18: The Rules
🕑 Added 2024-08-09 18:25:07 +0000 UTC“Why didn’t I say anything…o-or do something! I just stood there, like an idiot!” Thane shouted as he paced back and forth in front of Thalion who sat back on his throne watching Thane.
“While it might not have been the best outcome, it was far from the worst. And your behavior in class was magnificent, a true young master in the making.” Thalion complimented making Thane stop his endless pacing.
Letting out a sigh Thane’s head slumped, “I was terrified the entire time, It's a miracle I didn’t choke on my tongue in potions class.”
Thalion grinned, “That’s good, it means our lessons are paying off. Learning to perform under pressure is the first step, now you need to learn how to go on the offensive. Tell me what was going through your mind when that group confronted you.”
“I don’t know,” Thane said helplessly as he threw up his hands, “I choked, I didn’t know what to do? Take the high road and just ignore them, or attack them with magic.”
Thalion nodded, “I thought so, but you were right not to attack them. Whenever you are confronted, think of it as an official duel. There are rules in place and agreement struck between both parties. Those five challenged you verbally, meaning if you attacked them without probable cause you would have broken the agreement and rules meaning they would come out as the winners even if you sent them flying across the room.”
“Then how do I win the duel?” Thane asked, playing along with Thalion’s analogy.
“In this scenario there were two ways you could have taken home a victory,” Thalion explained as he held up two fingers, “The first would have been to respond to their verbal challenge with clever word play and insults. But I don’t think that will ever be your strong suit.”
Thane didn’t refute Thalion in the slightest so the Fae King continued on, “The second would have been to respond to their physical challenge. They ganged up on you and blocked your way forward. If you managed to get past them it would have come off as they’re beneath you or you can’t be bothered with the likes of them.”
Thane nodded along as Thalion’s wisdom took root in his mind, “Okay, but then wouldn’t forcing my way past them count as brute force and ‘break the rules’?”
Thalion shook his head, “No social interaction is in black and white, it's all one shade of gray. Your actions can’t be too aggressive nor too passive. If you had tried to punch and kick your way out it would have been an overreaction on your part. Even if you managed somehow to defeat all five of them you would be seen as an unreasonable beast.”
“Then what would you have done if you were in my shoes?” Thane asked frustrated as he tried to understand all the subtle nuances Thalion was trying to impress on him.
“Simple, I would have used the levitation charm making all of them float into the air. Not only do I clear my path, I show off my magical strength all while never laying a hand on them,” Thalion replied with a cunning smile.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Thane muttered, making Thalion chuckle, “Because you're a fifteen year old boy and I used to rule the most powerful kingdom on the face of the earth.”
Thane stared blankly at Thalion who raised his hands in mock surrender, “Fine, do you want to learn how to control your emotions without fail?”
“Yes please,” Thane said eagerly with a glowing smile.
“Very well then, let’s review what you know about aura.” Thalion said as he stood from his throne.
“Oh you mean the magical field around people and enchanted items?” Thane asked and Thalion nodded.
“A crude explanation, but yes. Magical Aura, or just Aura is the field of energy radiated from a source of concentrated mana. While not usually visible it can be felt by those who are sensitive to magical forces. In the case of wizards and other magical beings Aura is often used as a social cue as magic is partially fueled by emotions, state of mind, and countless other factors.”
Thane nodded along with Thalion’s explanation, “So like when I saw Padma and Parvati for the first time. I could tell they had vastly different personalities just by their aura alone.”
“Correct, which is why many wizards and witches learn to control their aura, to prevent others from reading them like an open book. It’s also helpful if you ever want to conceal yourself from other magical beings.” Thalion continued to explain as he stopped a few feet in front of Thane, “But there is one more use of aura, one that you proved to be quite efficient in just as all Fae are…please observe.”
Thalion’s eyes began to glow with a piercing silver light and Thane took an involuntary step back as a forceful wave crashed over him and the air around Thalion began to ripple like water.
In an instant Thane knew he was experiencing the Fae’s aura, and his first impression of it was how ancient the magic radiating off Thalion felt. It was old, older than anything else Thane had experienced.
After a brief second but what felt like an eternity, Thalion’s eyes returned to normal and his aura was retracted back inside his body, “As you just witnessed Aura can also be flaunted rather than concealed. Though It is considered rather rude to do so without reason as it can be harmful to those who have a weaker magic.”
“You can teach me how to do that?” Thane asked with glittering eyes.
“Well while your magical reserves are impressive for your age, your aura won’t be as impressive. Though it will certainly make people more hesitant to challenge you. Those sensitive to magic have a natural instinct to submit to anything with a particularly potent aura.” Thalion explained which only caused the light in Thane’s eyes to shine even brighter.
