Chapter 4:
Flare
THE VERY NEXT DAY, I COMMENCED THE SERIOUS experiments. I recognized that they ran real risks. Dad was reluctant at first, but I ultimately convinced him. He even agreed to join in. He said he couldn’t permit me to experiment with only Rose and Marie around. I was grateful for his presence. With Dad around, I could go all out.
“So, you’re really doing this, Shion?” he asked. He crouched next to me with taut lips.
“Of course, Dad. And you’ll stay with me to the end?” I had taken my shirt off as a precaution.
“When you get all riled up like this, I can’t turn you down,” Dad scoffed. “Very well. I’ll stick with you to the bitter end! Let’s do this!”
Marie was across the garden practicing her swordplay. She wanted to focus on her own stuff today. She’d become more devoted to her training.
She wouldn’t ever admit it, but it was probably due to the goblin attack. I was a little worried about her, but I kept it to myself. Marie didn’t intrude on my stuff when I struggled with my magic. If a time were to come when I could help her, I certainly intended to do so. I swore I would as I watched her determined profile as she practiced.
I stood in front of the fire and concentrated mana into my right hand. The plan today was to test the reaction between it and the element. I would change the variables as I went along. I would experiment with mana amounts, fire strengths, and whether the mana would react to indirect heat. By experimenting with these variables, I hoped to conclude how the interaction between mana and fire functioned. It was simple but essential work.
“Let’s do this, Dad!”
“Ready when you are!”
I touched my mana to the flame. Immediately, it caught fire.
“Hot, hot, hot!”
“Take that!” Dad doused my hand with the water from his bucket. It extinguished the flame.
“Yeesh, that was hot!” I gasped. “Just like before! The smoke was a dark gray; the flame was blue. Let’s try with a hotter fire now.”
“Sounds good,” Dad said. He added more firewood until the blaze grew stronger. “All ready, son!”
I concentrated the mana in my hand, and transferred the fire.
“Hot, hot, hot!”
“All right!” With a splash, Dad once again quenched the flame.
“Hang on. That was just as hot as last time, and there was also no change in the colors. Let’s try with a smaller amount of mana, next.”
“Let’s do it!”
I reduced the amount in my right hand and touched it to the flame. The mana caught fire again—yowch!—but the flame wasn’t as strong as before.
“Hot!”
“Hii-yaah!” Dad was getting used to this. He splashed me with another bucketful of well water. Thanks to him, the fire only lasted for a split second. It was never enough to actually burn me. Even so, this was a reckless experiment. I was surprised Dad allowed it.
“The heat was still there, but the flame was smaller. Maybe less mana does mean less firepower! Okay, let’s do the next one.”
We experimented for a few hours until I ran out of mana. Exhausted, I dropped to the ground.
“Shion, I think it’s time to rest,” Dad said. “I’ll bring you some water and a towel.”
“Oh, thanks, Dad.”
While I was taking a breather, Rose arrived as composed and proper as always. I waved, and she returned it. Without a word, she came and sat down next to me a little ways away. My feelings were almost hurt until I realized the ground around me was sopping wet.
“It’s soaked,” Rose observed. “Were you doing magic experiments?”
I explained my methods to Rose. She listened with interest, then gasped. This was a rare expression for her.
“You’re turning mana into fire?! Is that possible?”
“It is,” I said. “I can show you later when Dad is back. I’m not allowed to practice it without him.”
“So, you told Lord Gawain about it,” Rose said. “And he approved?”
“After a fuss,” I said. “But now, he’s actually helping me.”
“Is that so? Lord Gawain is a very understanding father,” Rose said with a strange squint.
I couldn’t read her mind, but she seemed relieved. Had she been worrying about me? It reminded me how helpful Rose had been during the goblin attack.
“Rose,” I said. “Thanks for the other day.”
“The other day? What do you mean?”
“You know, after the goblin died. You made sure I was okay. I really appreciated that.”
“Shion, there’s no need to be grateful. I should be grateful to you. You saved us all.”
I sensed the tenderness on her face. It brought me a strong sense of comfort and relief. Dad had warned me about what the villagers might think about supernatural powers. The thought of their fear and disgust in me that he had described actually kept me up at night.
Not that any of that would stop me from pursuing my research. My own feelings didn’t depend on other people’s approval. Still, what Rose said now was a subtle sign of acceptance. My heart instantly felt as light as a feather. It wasn’t that I didn’t have support. Dad’s acceptance was a huge help, as well the fact that I could always lean on Marie. She had supported me from the beginning.
But Rose was different. She was a good girl. She was special.
“So, was that magic back there?” she asked.
“I dunno,” I said. “It’s hard to say. For some reason, only other things that have mana react to it. So, you need to be careful around other people with mana. Be careful, Rose.”
“Understood, Shion. I will. It’s kind of terrifying isn’t it—magic? It could have possibilities far beyond anything we can imagine.”
“I agree, but that just makes it more exciting.”
Rose returned my smile. Weirdly, I didn’t feel like there was any sort of awkwardness between us. I hadn’t spent as much time with her as I had with Marie, but it felt like we had become good friends.
Rose watched Marie practice her swordplay.
“Now, that’s interesting, Marie,” she said. “You spend all day with Shion, and yet you can’t stop talking about him to me for one second?”
“Wh-what? We don’t spend all day together!”
“Is that so? That’s not what it looks like to me.”
I thought to chime in on Marie’s behalf, but Rose wasn’t wrong. We did pretty much spend all our time together. I couldn’t think of many days when we were apart. That didn’t mean all day, every day, of course, but we were together for most of them. I could see how Rose thought we were joined at the hip.
“Perhaps it also has to do with the goblins,” Rose mused.
“Could be,” I said.
“Your sister is quite the stubborn girl,” Rose said. “Once she sets her mind on something, no one can sway her. That often means I have to bend to her will most of the time.”
“Er, sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” Rose chuckled. “I also like that about her. Sure, she can cause you trouble, but she’s always ready to help you too. She has a kind heart.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
“Always watch out for her, Shion. She’ll do the same for you.”
Rose intended it as an off-hand comment, but I nodded wholeheartedly. Marie really had been my ally since day one. Of course I would do the same for her, especially if she were ever in trouble. She was my one and only sister, after all.