"Do you.... believe in magic?"
Imagine yourself in the magical world of Ri Eul, a magician who may or may not be a little off his rocker. He claims to be a real magician, but at times his tricks seem to be just that--tricks. You've known him since b...
"I missed you," he says suddenly, and you swear your heart skips a beat. "I'm glad you came."
You have to tell yourself to think straight. He obviously doesn't mean much by that. He meant that he missed having someone to talk to... Right?
You let out a slightly shaky laugh and drop your gaze, hoping he doesn't notice how flustered he just made you.
"I know," you reply, trying to recover from your surprise, "I really meant to come sooner. I know it must get pretty lonely up here by yourself."
"Mmm.." came the affirmative noise from him. "I made a few friends recently, though. There are a couple students who want to learn magic from me."
"Oh really?" you ask, slightly interested.
"I said I would teach them," he says. Then, leaning forward ever so slightly, he adds, "REAL magic."
It's times like this where he confuses you. When he says things like this, it makes you wonder if he truly thinks he is a REAL magician that can do REAL magic... or if he's just trying to tease you. You look into his eyes again, searching for some sign from him that he's joking. His intense brown eyes just stare right back, and then a mysterious, almost amused smile spreads across his face. You get the strange feeling that he can tell exactly what you're thinking.
Keeping his eyes locked on yours, he says in a voice practically dripping with excitement, "Y/N,... do you...."
You already know what he's about to ask. It's a question he asks everyone before he performs any magic trick.
"...believe in magic?" he finishes, the twinkle in his eyes returning.
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"You know my answer already," you say with a laugh. You've told him many times that there's nothing more to magic than some sleight of hand and misdirection. It stops being magic when you know the tricks, and you've seen him perform almost every trick in the book.
He nods once in response, acknowledging your unwavering opinion, but your answer doesn't dissuade him in the slightest from the tricks he's about to perform. Reaching behind him, he grabs a small piece of white paper from his desk behind him. His expression is one you would expect to see on a child who's about to open a present, and you can't help but smile. It's good to see him this happy.
"Well, watch closely. You might change your mind." He says, showing you the piece of paper. It looks ordinary.
You watch as he places the paper in his palm. With a flourish, he lifts his other hand and gives a single quick wave over the paper. As his hand breezes over the paper, you see that the paper in his palm has been replaced with an ornate little origami flower instead. You give him an expectant grin, knowing there's more to the trick.
Returning your grin, he takes the origami flower, pinching it between his finger and thumb for you to see. His other hand comes close as well and he snaps suddenly. With a quick movement of his hands, the origami flower disappears and is replaced instead with a real white rose. This he twirls around in his fingers for a moment so you can see. You let out a small chuckle. You may not believe in magic, but you do admit that he's got a knack for these sleight of hand tricks. That's always impressed you.
He holds up a finger, letting you know he's got one more trick up his sleeve. You lean forward a little, resting your arms on his desk, ready to see what he'll do next. You watch intently as he brings the rose to hover over the candle on the table beside him. The rose quickly catches fire. With a quick flick of his wrist, the flaming flower is extinguished in a puff of smoke. Instead of the white rose before, his fingers delicately clasp a beautiful red rose.
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You clap enthusiastically, and nod at him, impressed with that last trick. "That's a new one! That was pretty good."
He inclines his head toward you slightly in a quiet 'thanks,' and says, "Of course, those are just stage tricks--party tricks, if you will. They're what I show to the people who have a hard time believing in real magic."
He emphasizes the last sentence, poking fun at you a little. You roll your eyes at him, and give him a good-natured flick on his hand, which is still hovering nearby with the red rose. He laughs.
"Do you know how the real magic happens?" he continues with a mysterious smile on his face. All joking is set aside now as he looks at you.
"Real magic," he answers when you don't reply, "happens when you say the magic words... Annara.... sumanara."
You study him for a moment. You've heard him say those words before. They always sounded exciting and mysterious. The words of a magician. For the smallest moment as your gaze locks with his, you find yourself wishing you could believe in magic like he does. You realize that you really do want to believe like him... you just don't know how.
As you think this, it seems for a moment that your friend's gaze intensifies. The room you're in seems to melt away as you're drawn deeper into his warm brown eyes. And almost without realizing it, your lips start to form his magic words.
"Annara.... sumanara," you whisper, and your fingers start to tingle.
------ Author's Note: This first chapter may have been a little slow, but trust me, it'll get so much better. ;D
Please vote if you liked it! And any constructive feedback is always appreciated!
