My Journey with the Demon King

16 - Practicing Magic

I swallowed, trying to calm down a little. "Right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." I took in several deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Is there anything I can do to help? I...I have magic, apparently, even if it is...very wild."

His lips pulled up into a brief grin before he grew serious once more, his brow furrowing into a frown. "Thank you for the offer, but unfortunately, this is way beyond your skill level. I'd say another one to three hundred years of training for you until you're ready, depending on how quickly you pick up on controlling your magic."

I blinked, staring up at him. "Hundreds of years? Zane, I'm human..."

He shook his head impatiently. "No, you aren't. Not quite, anyway. Mostly, yes; but being linked to me means that you are connected, partly, to the magic that I have inside me. The magic of the whole world. Since our souls are connected, that means that a measure of the magic inside me is housed in your soul. Then there is the fact that you are an Arcane mage of your own right, so-"

I interrupted. "That's the part that makes no sense. I haven't had any magic my entire life. Not since we were captured in Hesleth. So how can it be that suddenly, I'm supposed to be capable of as much magic as you?"

He sighed, glaring at me. "I was just about to explain that."

I swallowed, dipping my head in apology. "I'm sorry. Please, continue."

He nodded shortly. "I was going to." He coughed, clearing his throat. "So, as I was about to say. You had magic; hidden, dormant. It was just waiting for you to realize and call to it. I know most people seem to think that magic is something without any...consciousness. But sometimes, if only faintly, I almost feel as if it does have some form of mind, deep in the depths of itself. As such, I like to think that each being, born with the potential for magic, has to make a choice. They have to call out to the magic inside themselves and choose to use it. Whether consciously or unconsciously, this choice must always be made. Or, that's what I believe, anyway."

"That theory does make some sense," I agreed. My mind picked up on several things he had said. "So, what you're telling me is that..." I closed my eyes, feeling a mixture of nervousness, worry, and amazement. "Since I have both my own magic, which seems to be quite powerful, if not controllable yet...And since I am also connected, through you, to the magic of the world...I am...immune to the effects of time?"

He grinned. "Yes! That's correct." His good humor quickly dimmed as he took in a deep breath. "But you aren't one hundred percent immortal. That's why we are heading to Hawaii. But, for now, you will no longer age, no longer have to worry about dying because of time. Everything else that can kill a human though can kill you. This means you have to be just as cautious as before."

I nodded. "Yes."

His eyes abruptly shifted, startling me. I blinked and he was directly in front of me. They were the most intense I had ever seen. The black, orange, and purple felt as if they would burn through my skull and into my own mind, filling it with nothing else but those three simple colors. "Remember this, Ashna Sangini, Keeper of my heart, Home of my soul...If you are no more, the world will end. I care not for anyone or anything else in this world. I have waited much too long for my reward, my one light in this never-ending life. Now that I have found you, I will hold the whole universe hostage, if it means I can keep you. If you care at all for me...At all for this world and all the lives in it...Just remember, never let yourself die."

I gulped, trying to breathe. I couldn't find the breath to speak, so instead I nodded. Slowly, his gaze burning my own, he pulled back. Once he was an arms' distance away, his eyes and mood shifted, just as suddenly as before. "So, I think we're going to go on a vacation."