The Demoner Series: The Trails

Chapter Nine - The Demonic Tests

"This will be your first time seeing your inner demon," she says finally.

  "Inner demon? Does this means I'm evil?" I ask almost instantly, eyes wide with fear.

  "No, Joel, remember when I said every Demoners are born with a demon with them?" Zack speaks up, "We call them the inner demon, not the evil demon the humans talk about. I'm talking about the demon in you since birth."

  His words calm me down by a thousand fold. My panic lessen and my heart beat slowing down to normal.

  "Ok, so what do I have to do?" This time, I direct the question to Ms Krane.

She walks down to the shelves of books. Using her finger to focus on each book as she scan through, she made a continuous sound of tapping.

"Ah, found it," she says, taking a large book from the shelf. She starts to flip the pages vigorously,"Hm, the manart, blah blah blah, the demonic indicator, blah blah blah, ah! The summoning cloth!"

"Summoning cloth?" I look at Zack who is standing on my right, "you didn't use any cloth the yesternight, did you?"

"I did, it was on my gloves. Now pay attention to Ms Krane," says Zack.

    I turn to Ms Krane, who offers to put a glove around my hand.

  I glance at Zack, who smiles and gives me a wink.

  "Close your eyes and feel the mana flowing in your mind," Ms Krane says calmly.

  Mana. That must be the fluid in my mind!

  Closing my eyes, I search for the inner fluid in my mind. The mana is filled in my mind. As I find it, I can feel that it is ready and activated, prepared to be used any moment.

  "Next, try pushing it to your palm and out. Remember, to the palm." Ms Krane continues.

  Trying to do as so, I tried tightening my head to push it out but to no avail, instead, feeling the pain in my mind.

  "Ouch!" I grunted, it feels like a sledgehammer has landed on my head.

  "Relax, Mr Lim, mana is a mental effect not physical, only when used, it becomes physical," says Ms Krane, concern evident in her voice.

  "Try again, calm yourself down. Gently push it out like an imagination in your mind. Don't force too much. You will be practising speed later in your education as a Demoner."

  I imagine in my mind, willing the mana to my palm.

  Let the mana flow through my mind and into the palm. After that, release it slowly and gently.

  With every thought, I can feel the mana flowing through my body. Upon reaching my palm, the mana exit my palm into the world.

  Suddenly, I feel something within me, something moving around, a different mind of its own overlaps over mine.

Could it be my inner demon? I think to myself, unsure to be excited or anxious, I might not even have the power to control it!

  "At this moment, you should be experiencing an external thought blending into your own. That is your inner demon. Now, in your mind, ask it out, not force it. The demon have a different mind of its own and your mind is connected to it but your mind can only communicate but not to fully control," Ms Krane explains.

Demon, please come out, I think to myself, feeling awkward, unsure if I asked in a polite enough way. Back in the orphanage, nothing is polite enough to make someone do something for you.

  Of course, a voice finally speaks in my mind.

  I can feel something coming out from my palm and my mana draining away.

  "Wow! Open your eyes now Joel! Meet your inner demon!" Ms Krane exclaims, the noticeable formality gone.

  "I can't believe it. That is Joel's inner demon?" Zack stammered, bubbling with excitement.

  My eyes open and my jaws drop in surprise. It has a pair of scaly wings, displaying a red muscular shape, its head pointed and four horns poked out from the back of its head.  Its tail swayed from side to side. It has a size of a small salamander, the red scales shown brightly under the light in Ms Krane's office. It stood on all four, the claws visible at its paws. The wings have claws at their ends, so sharp that it can scratch irons. The overlapping scales of the body forms a thick and hard armour around it.

  It is a baby DRAGON!

  "Mr Lim?" Ms Krane says.

  "Yes?" I reply, disbelief overwhelming in me.

  "Me and Zack have decided," she begins," that we will be your guides of your new life as a Demoner."

As a Demoner, I think to myself, a smile forming on my face.

"Welcome to your new life in Demoner academy, Joel Lim," Ms Krane announces.