I huffed in annoyance. Ever since I blasted that Umbra away, I haven't gotten my wand to work. Luckily none of the teachers have been making us do practical magic, just endless tests which I'm surprisingly grateful for.
Last night, I snuck into town. It was a little rebellious of me to do so but I needed to enter the shop that specializes in fixing wands. As if the Gods have answered my prayers I found a twenty-four hour shop.
I spoke to the creepy old man behind the counter. He inspected it for no more than five seconds before telling me that it was never broken in the first place, and he thought that I might've simply outgrown my wand. Similar to how a hermit-crab can't live in a certain shell forever.
I didn't believe that creepy old man from the store though. He reeked of booze and slurred almost every syllable in his sentences, his eyes looked bloodshot-red to the point they appeared to look like his actual eye colour for only a short moment.
Let's just say that I'll never go over to that side of town again. Even if they do have twenty-four hour service...
Your wand is supposed to choose you specifically. Sure, I could always purchase a new one, but it will never be the same. It's challenging to cast a spell with a wand that never chose you. And with the short amount of time I have left, I don't have time to adjust to another wand.
Then, I started to think that maybe it was simply just me. With all the stress and pressure I was undergoing of becoming a Guardian in the near future, I couldn't perform one simple spell no matter how hard I tried.
Elias commented, "You seem distressed."
"How many days have I been here? Nine? I've used the same wand and now all of a sudden it stops working!" I vented, slapping my wand against the palm of my hand hoping my wand would magically start working again.
"Are you sure you're not concentrating enough?"
"Yes, I'm pretty sure!" I snapped. My eyes widened at my own reaction. "I'm sorry. But, gah! It's so frustrating. I'm never going to pass the trial at this rate..."
"Let me try." I handed him my wand reluctantly and he performs a tornado spell, flawlessly. Elias handed me my wand back with an apologetic shrug. "Maybe you're just not concentrating enough."
"Oh, come on!" In frustration, I slammed my hand palm-down on the desk. The desk I touched looked as if an invisible force had dragged it across the room, clashing with other desks. Papers flew up and fluttered down like abnormally large snowflakes. Students clamoured in shock.
"Or maybe, it's because you don't need a wand anymore." Elias stated the obvious with a raised eyebrow.
"I can do hand magic? I thought only spellsingers could perform magic without a wand..."
As if professor Merkulova was listening onto the conversation the entire time, he had a seed and pot containing soil inside, and a familiar jug of water. He placed all three things on my desk with a warming smile. "We've done this spell before. It should be simple review for you."
Naturally, I formed my hands into the shape of a dome around the seed that was already placed in the dirt. I covered the plant until there was no light covering it. Somehow I knew what I was doing.
I focused my concentration on the spell. A warm yellow light peeped through the tight spaces of my hands and fingers. I could feel the seed turn into a sprout. Then to the next growing phase until the plant had no more room to grow in my small hands. Elias, including the rest of the class roared with applauses except for one person; professor Merkulova himself. He observed me in silence.
"Hm. Isn't that interesting..."
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Professor Merkulova had requested that I met up with him in the teacher's lounge for lunch to talk about my "magical progress." I still can't figure out why he needs to talk to me particularly. I'm excelling in his class, I never start trouble even when Luca provokes me, hopefully it's nothing important. I can't handle any more crazy today...
I knocked on the door to the unlocked room. "Hello? I'm here, professor Merkulova?"
I let myself in shamelessly and a calming smell of Chamomile wafted gently around the room. My eyes landed on the easygoing professor who carried two cups of tea, one in each hand.
"Good evening, miss Espinosa. Tea?" I couldn't really take down the offer. I mean, he already had one made. Chamomile does happen to be my favourite after all.
I took a glance around the unfamiliar room. The floor was tiled with marble white. Shelves, cupboards, and counters were all made of mahogany. Compared to the classroom, it wasn't all too different except for the flooring and island table in the centre of the room.
With the warm cup in my hand, I took the seat at the island table across from the professor. Our eyes locked together as I took one slow sip from the scalding hot cup, then downed the last of its contents.
For a bitter taste like Chamomile, it tastes strangely sweet. Like he poured an entire cup full of sugar into the bowl...
"How much do you know about hand magic, miss Espinosa?"
"Literally nothing."
He smiled at my truthful answer. "Would you like to know?"
I nodded with avidness and he gulped nervously. He could probably know everything, or maybe, he's just an average professor. If that was the case, he shows a poker face; like the answer was on the tip of his tongue.
"At the beginning of time, wizards used hand magic," When I nodded, he continued. "Over time, they adapted to wands. Legend has it, that only the ones from powerful bloodlines could still be able to wield hand magic. The Espinosa family could have come through a line of powerful wizards-"
"If that were the case, we wouldn't be middle class and my parents would still be alive."
"Or maybe, they still are..."
"What kind of game are you playing? I think I would know if my parents were alive. I watched them get buried, for god's sake!" I could feel the anger deep inside of me. As I raised my voice, the cup in my hand shattered into pieces. The large shards landed on the table with a clinking sound.
"So you really are the Guardian..."
"I'm not the Guardian!" I half-lied.
"And the truth serum didn't work, either."
My eyes were as wide as saucers. Like Rohypnol, you can tell if someone slipped it in because it has a salty taste to it. A love potion has a tarty taste, and a truth serum on the other hand has a sweet taste to it. "It's illegal to slip a truth serum in one's drink without their knowledge or consent, you do know that."
"I would've used the persona mirror, but it appears to be borrowed by a close friend of the headmaster. I had special permission from headmaster Randolph to do this. I'm not the bad guy here, miss Espinosa. I want you to train. A power like this shouldn't be wasted."
"And what will happen if I say no?"
"Chances are that you will become unfocused to the point where your grades will suffer. We wouldn't want that to happen, now would it?" I couldn't bear the thought of Elias hating me again. Things were going so good, and I can't stand the idea of me ruining things... "Your power should be used to its full potential. I can help you get there, just, keep this quiet until further notice."
I stormed out of the room with a scoff. He dared to test me in a risky approach and I was furious because of it. He claims he wants to help me, but what does he really want out of it?
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A/N: Quick question: am I your favourite author? It's okay if I'm not! I'm just curious.