King of Locusts | ✔

Chapter 13

Azrah bristled.

"You shouldn't use magic for such silly reasons. It's dangerous and should be guided by higher powers."

Lunan shrunk back as Elena fully turned her body towards Azrah. Her eyes flashed in warning.

"I respect Christian witches and their beliefs concerning magic's uses. I hope you can respect that I feel differently. My magic is my own and I use it as I please," she said.

"I think it amounts to differences in magic," Lunan interjected, drawing both women's attention. "Azrah's is mostly death-oriented, and yours centers on growth and life. One has more room for danger and darker paths than the other."

Azrah smiled at him and Elena rolled her eyes, but dropped the subject.

You never specified your specialty, by the way, Azrah texted him later that day.

Elena thinks it's baneful magic, but I also don't need stones or incantations. They help me focus, though. As for specialties, I can communicate with the dead, he replied.

Is that all? Nothing else?

Lunan considered telling her about his outbursts. He talked to Elena about it in the past, but because his power was more volatile than hers, she was unable to help. He figured Azrah wouldn't be able to help him, either, but decided to tell her anyway.

I can help you. The power you have is immense, but not uncontrollable.

They agreed to meet at the public park again. Lunan invited Azrah to his house, but she declined. It was colder now, the fall having finally set in, and Lunan was able to wear his conservative clothing without scrutiny. As Halloween drew near, he worried about his spiritual retinue, but ever since he met Azrah, they seemed to be muted and only interacted with him when he slept.

Lunan led her to a more sequestered part of the park so that they could conduct their magic in private.

"So how do you plan to help me? You were pretty vague over text," he said.

Azrah laughed. "I'm going to help you by having us wreck this place."

Lunan shared her grin. "That sounds really unlike you!"

She nodded in acknowledgment.

"You have to use your power in order to refine it. The way I do things ties into my beliefs. Will that bother you?"

Lunan shook his head. If all it took was a slight shift in his mindset to gain a modicum of control over himself, so be it.

"Using our skills is easy," Azrah said as she sat down on the cold earth. Lunan sat next to her and watched as she killed a patch of grass with her glowing gaze. "Controlling them is another matter. Think of your willpower as your hand, and your ability as a rope that you're holding. You lose your grip when you give into the temptation that stems from anger and darkness. Control is to trust the strength of God and using that trust to steady your hand."

She directed her gaze further ahead and withered another patch.

"Control is focused. It is directing your power with precision instead of rage. Trust in God and he will guide your actions," she added, then turned her gray gaze to Lunan. "Your powers are destructive, so you must learn control. I want you to break the earth that I withered, but stay within its bounds."

Lunan's hands reached for the clasp on his necklace, but Azrah stopped him short.

"Those are unnecessary. You said so yourself."

He frowned. "They help me focus."

"If they were sufficient in that task, you would not have asked me for help," she countered, looking at the stones with clear disdain. "Do as I suggested."

Lunan sighed and dropped his hands. He focused on one of the withered portions and felt his power strike. A fissure opened, but it spanned beyond the wilted area. Azrah shook her head.

"Not quite. Let go, Lunan."

Lunan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't want to think of faith, of God. That would always be a sore spot, but he wanted to know what feeling in control of himself felt like for once.

Just this once, he reasoned with himself.

He focused on what he imagined God to be, a formless, nebulous expanse. Lunan imagined passing his raw, destructive energy through it, and reforming it as a precise instrument. He held that image, opened his eyes, and directed it to the second patch of scorched earth.

"Excellent," Azrah commended. "Again."

They practiced refining Lunan's power through the afternoon. He was exhausted, but satisfied by the end of their activity.

"You did well," Azrah said as they left the park. "Now you can see that your power is manageable with God's guidance."

Lunan nodded. "I'm starting to see where you're coming from. I really am sorry about my earlier hostility."

"It's alright. You and I are special, Lunan. I truly see you as kin, like a brother. It is only right that I guide you in the proper use of your powers. Your magic is awesome, but incredibly dangerous. Aligning yourself with a higher power will help you control your urges and manage the destruction," she said. She turned to him, her silver gaze boring into him.

"I understood," he said. Growing up, he never felt the desire for another sibling. But after his parents' deaths, Lunan desperately wanted a family. Azrah fit the description, being both older and seemingly wiser than him. Although Lunan resisted her ideology for obvious reasons, he started to think that maybe it was about time to let go.

Lunan started spending more time with Azrah from then on. They not only refined Lunan's magic, but also spent personal time together. They went out for coffee dates where Azrah would tell Lunan more about herself and educate him on her religious strain. Lunan gradually absorbed her teachings, and she rewarded him with kind touches and sweet smiles.

Elena noticed the changes in Lunan's character. When they did spend time together, he was less willing to cast spells with her, and she felt like he observed her with a critical gaze. But when she questioned him about it, he declined doing any such thing. She discussed her anxieties with Bellara, who initially tipped her off about Azrah.

"It's as if he is bewitched," Bellara said, her golden wings darkening with her words. The two were at Elena's house, with the latter laying on her bed while staring at the ceiling. An untouched plate of apples was at her side.

"But she didn't cast a spell on him," Elena said.

"No," the fairy confirmed, flying into Elena's field of vision. Concern shone through her brilliant eyes. "I worry about his sudden change in personality. What draws him to that creature?"

"Come now," Elena chided. "I don't like her, but we don't call people that. She is human, as is Lunan. They're just different. Maybe she's able to give him something that I can't."

She sighed.

"I'm worried, too, Bellara. But it's not my place to interfere."

***

Author's note: Thanks for reading! Feel free to vote/comment if you're enjoying the story so far. See you in the next chapter.