Invidia: The Goddex of Magic

Chapter 3: Learning of Magic

 Hecate, with extreme reluctance, handed Prometheus the daisy held clenched in her left hand. The copper-haired god reached for it. When he held the small daisy in his calloused hands, it immediately wilted.

"It is alive?" he asked shocked.

"When I picked it, it came back to life." Hecate frowned. Prometheus stared at the white daisy then roared with laughter.

"You claim you are not powerful," he marveled, "yet you managed to restore life to this flower."

"I thought it was impossible to raise the dead." Hecate accused.

"If one toils enough, nothing is impossible, even returning from death." Prometheus said ominously and almost wistfully, "and in the case of plants, they need sunlight, air, food, water, love, and a suitable environment. It seems your magic gave it that, where the mistletoe could not."

"I have yet to be trained in magic though." Hecate argued.

"Everyone has magic, even before they come of age. It is just learning to control and properly use that magic." Prometheus responded patiently. He held up the daisy.

"Flowers, much like every other plant, require sunlight to live, something I will never understand why as Terria hates Ra... Anyway, the Sun is the root of all fire magic. I would like you to close your eyes." Prometheus requested. Hecate did so, and felt extremely vulnerable.

"Please spin a few times for me." Prometheus asked. Hecate complied, and lost track of all direction.

Her uncle's voice came from behind her now, "Now try to find where the sun is rising."

Hecate thought for a moment. Prometheus stood in front of her when she started to spin, and the sun was due to rise right behind him in the east. Something told her that was not the case though, and that Prometheus had moved while Hecate spun. Hecate decided to trust this feeling, and began to turn slightly to the right, and felt something not only a feeling inside, but on her face. Heat.

"Well done," came Prometheus' voice, "you may open your eyes, but do be careful." Hecate did so, and saw that she faced the forest and the sun was coming up slowly over the iced pine trees.

"Tell me, how did you locate the Sun when you had lost all sense of direction?" The fire god asked of his neiph as she turned to face him.

"When you spoke, I first thought to follow your voice, but something inside me told me to not. I felt- No. Searched- for something that would help me find the Sun." Hecate explained.

"Very good." Prometheus declared. He walked to nem, "you are beginning to understand the spirit element."

"I am?" Hecate was confused, "all I did was follow my feelings."

"Exactly," her uncle replied, "I may only know how to perform fire magic, but I know some about the others. The spirit element requires the user to listen to their emotions and subconscious."

"Is it true Arcanists can read minds?" blurted out Hecate and the fire god laughed.

"Only with lots of practice." he replied and the blue-haired goddex nodded. The two stood in silence for a moment. Then Prometheus held up the daisy again.

"Now, I want you to do the same thing as before. Please close your eyes." he requested. Hecate did so. She heard movement around her, and then, as before, Prometheus' voice came from somewhere else; this time to her left.

"I have placed the daisy down. Please spin five times, then try to find it." Hecate did so, spinning quickly, and losing her sense of direction. She nearly toppled over, but regained her balance.

"Listen to your heart," Prometheus' voice came from in front of nem, "feel the daisy as if it was in your hand."

Hecate stood for a moment listening to her thoughts. She imagined roots growing from the bottoms of her feet. She used the roots to locate the daisy. She received no feedback from the earth. As if the flower was not placed. Hecate honed her senses again, and searched for heat this time. There was a large amount coming from behind nem, but she felt this as the Sun's heat. The young goddex was feeling for something more like body heat. Prometheus's body heat. Then, she felt it. A heat signature to her right. She reimagined her roots, and imagined them climbing the heat signature. The daisy was on it, on the side closest to Hecate. She edged forward and reached out. her hand brushed the long stem, and she held tight. The goddex opened her eyes to see her uncle smiling at nem, wrapped in small roots.

"That is one way to do it," he smiled, "impressive use of Earth magic. You have also learned to trust instincts rather than always what you are told."

"I just imagined the roots. I did not think they would take shape." Hecate explained.

"Magic is only as real as you believe it to be, my dear." Prometheus stated, "The clearer you imagine it, the stronger it, and you, will become."

He began to strut back to the palace, and Hecate followed, a question on her lips.

"Where are you going, uncle?"

Prometheus laughed again, a happy laugh, "Why my dear, it is time for breakfast is it not?"