COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 3: How to get Kidnapped by a Russian Exchange Student (Part 2/2)

          Ray tried to distract Káel with random tidbits of information on whatever they passed, but Káel was more interested in the fact Ray had shrugged off diving from a large cliff, and mentally debilitated by the shock still spiking through his brain. The panic hadn't kicked in, allowing mind to focus on the new cache of questions racing through his mind, including Ray's successful jaunt at destroying the laws of physics, and reasons for kidnapping him of all people.

          The two had been walking along the edge of the forest for what felt like hours, taking into account the two stars' abilities to elongate the passage of time with the scorching energy they produced. Ray had been humming 'It's a Small World After All' to himself for the past hour, and the constant repetition of it was wearing Káel's patience dangerously thin. He couldn't believe how long the forest was and why they couldn't just walk through it, rather than looping around the thing, but Ray was content on avoiding doing so for reasons Káel didn't feel like questioning. 

          The walk was doing an excellent job in draining Káel's energy, so he nearly walked right into Ray when he stopped short a few inches from a large white stone. Káel snapped out of his day dreamy state and looked over at the smooth, glossy white rock.

          "Ahah!" Ray knelt down and picked up a random stick. He brushed off the specks of dirt clinging to it and presented it to Káel. "Make it disappear."

          "Make it what?" Káel grabbed the scraggly piece of wood, it had a tinge of purple to it's bark and the few leaves that clung to its tiny arms were transparent silver teardrops. It's uniqueness was captivating, but the source of the beautiful branch was nowhere to be seen.

          "Turn it invisible." He touched the tip of the stick and muttered. The stick instantly melded with the scenery around it, turning into a transparent distortion, like a crystal clear icicle was now sitting in Káel's grasp. Ray withdrew his hand and the stick regained its color. "Just think about turning it invisible and say spindrell, it should work after a bit."

          Káel beheld the stick, it couldn't hurt to try, he thought, picturing the invisible stick in his mind. He focused on the stick like it was a bullseye. "Spindrell." He stared at it for a bit, but nothing happened.

          Hesitant as to if he'd pronounced it right, Káel repeated himself, the stick wavered slightly, but to his disappointment it didn't take on a transparent form. He commanded it yet again, and a chunk of fatigue weighed down his senses, draining the stick of its rich brown and leaving a hazy white translucent cloud.

          When Ray viewed the outcome of Káel's attempts he laughed. "Wow, you suck at focusing."

          "I'm surprised something happened," Káel said, inspecting the blurred images through the stick. Jeremiah looked at the stick impassively then rubbed his head against Káel's pant leg, sending a burst of energy that crawled through him, instantly turning the stick invisible. He eyed his cat questionably, and Jeremiah chirped. "So how exactly is this possible?"

          "Lumience. It's a substance that takes energy in exchange for doing your bidding to the best of its abilities." He picked up a rock and levitated it in the air. "Except different people can specialize in different functions it holds, like you suck at illusionary skills, but you might be good at gravitational."

          "So it's basically magic."

          Ray made an iffy motion with his hand. "Not quite. Lumience is like the air around us... comes out of the ground sometimes. It's psychologically prgrammable if you're indigenous. Magic comes out of certain people and creatures like blood, and it's a lot more potent. They're only similar because they can both use a language, kind of like programming, for better control. Earthlings think they're the same because it's earth. Boring." He let out a heavy sigh from the long explanation, then looked at his floating pebble and dropped it. "Some creatures can use magic, but it's best to avoid those ones." He poked Káel's hazy branch so it faded back to its original state. "Don't use it for too long or it'll sap you dry, and make a hangover seem like a vacation."