A Nobody's Flame by Damian Stroud

Author:Damian Stroud [Stroud, Damian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-09-17T22:00:00+00:00

"Draw them back."

I stare at the seven nodes of hovering light behind my hand.

"Uh...what?"

"Like a bowstring. Fasten the top and bottom to your index and pinkie. Fasten and secure them to it...then pull back with the other hand."

How the hell do I do any of that?

Fasten two nodes to two fingers? How would I even...maybe...

I move the top and bottom nodes and also bring my right hand inward to poke both nodes.

And as they poke, I try to get the nodes to let out their prana and swirl around the two fingers. They wrap the invisible air-like blood around my index finger and it starts to glow a little...then I slowly make the other node wrap my pinky. And slowly it starts to him with a yellow light too.

"Very good. Now wrap the other five to your other hand and pull back."

But as soon as my left hand touched the nodes...all seven dimmed and vanished.

"You lost focus. Again."

I call out seven new nodes and start pulling the prana like moving a toe. Like a part of my body I never actively choose to move.

Pulling and spinning it around my index finger and pinky.

"Stop."

And they're gone again. Takes almost nothing for me to lose this it seems.

"You're trying to accelerate your mana channels. Whatever you were just doing, do not."

"Is that...bad? Or like...why is that bad?"

"It is quite good actually, but not yet. Once you've reach the limit of your natural mana flow, then learn to accelerate your channels."

"Can I...ask for more detail why?"

Her finger spins in a circle in the air.

"What are you accelerating, my apprentice? Or perhaps I should say multiplying. To learn channel acceleration this early would make your body rely on it, keeping your potential out of your reach."

"Multiply explains it perfectly then. Damn..."

"Yes, quite frustrating. But likewise, I doubt your acceleration method was as effective as what I will teach you in time."

I literally know too little to argue, which in this case probably means she's right.

"For now, fret not for how weak the spell is. I am teaching you how to structure baseline prana formations."

A bow is what you're teaching me to make. Which honestly...not that interesting. Not gonna complain, of course, but it's just a less convenient gun. And the ammo is...me.

"Random question. How did Shara shoot that Janet person? Like her bubble thing blocked a huge chunk of road and even your lightning for a second."

"Smith's barrier is a reaction from her. It is not a true guard spell. Shara frankly could have shot her heart or head and we'd be done with it."

That's why you hid under the overpass. If she was off-guard, your spell would kill her before she got her bubble up.

"So why didn't she?"

"I don't know. I even told her outright to kill her on sight when I asked for her help in finding her."

"Guess Shara doesn't want her magic?"

"No one has ever seen it, my dear. In truth, it is merely speculation that Shara steals magic from her victims.

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