Hello again everyone! Thanks for taking the time to check out my story, and I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get to you, but it lays a lot of groundwork for the background of the story and where the story will go in the future.
This story is a work of fiction, and will at some point contain depictions of sex between two males.
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Natural Awakening by Chuck S
Chapter 4 -- A History of Magic
My father took a deep breath and let out a sigh as he looked off into the distance. He seemed to be struggling to figure out the best place to start. I watched as he furrowed his brow and sighed once again. I was able to appreciate streaks of grey in his blonde hair, and a few small wrinkles on his face.
"I suppose I should start with some basics regarding magic." He said at last. "Magic has existed for millennia all over the world. The stories from ancient civilizations about sorcerers, witches, and wizards are almost all true. They may have been exaggerated over time of course, but their basis is real. From time to time, depending on the current political climate, magic users must go into hiding. Needless to say, we have been in hiding for a long time."
"Most magic users are only able to control one type of magic, occasionally a gifted user is born who can control a second or third type. To my knowledge, there has never been anyone who could use more than three types of magic. There are too many forms of magic to really cover them all in this visit, but I'll do my best Parker."
"Some magic users can control the various elements; earth, wind, fire, electricity, etcetera, but usually only one element. There is also nature magic, magic users who can manipulate the plants and trees. Your younger sister is a nature magic user."
"I have a younger sister?" I asked him.
"Yes, as well as a younger brother. Her name is Crystal, and your brother's name is Liam. Liam isn't old enough to know exactly what his powers are yet. We can discuss them more later." He answered, seeming to be in a hurry to tell me everything he could about magic.
"There are also magic users who can use magic to enhance their body. This includes, magically enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes. Again, these are all separate powers. There are mind powers as well, such as telekinesis and telepathy. Unfortunately, dark powers, which are taboo even among magic users also exist. Necromancy, Demonology, Vampirism, Voodoo. There are more, but they are very rare."
"Now, let us move on to using your powers. Using your powers is all about focus and willpower. You have to focus your mind, and picture exactly what you want to happen, and you have to have a strong enough will to make it happen. Often, our wills are strongest at times of need. This can make your powers seem to flare up instinctually. You can also feel the core of your power deep within yourself, and it can often be visualized in its truest form. For instance, your sister, as a nature magic user, always talks about feeling the flower within herself blooming. I am able to control water, and I can see a peaceful stream swell and become a raging river when I use my powers. What do you see?"
"Well it started as a flicker, like a flame slowly coming to life, but it has grown. Now it seems like a condensed ball with so much potential energy, just waiting to be harnessed." I answered.
"So you have been able to control fire then?" He asked.
"Actually no, I haven't tried to control fire."
"But you have been using magic?"
"I have. I've been able to increase my strength, and speed. I don't know if it was improved reflexes, but it felt like time slowed down at football practice the other day. The first day I really discovered my powers I was able to make a glass of water float in the air, and even lifted myself off the ground. There was also a weird incident with a water fountain. I was thirsty, and the water pressure was really low, I smacked the side of the fountain, and the pressure increased to a geyser."
"That... That... That can't be." My father said. "Water is the elemental opposite of fire. It is impossible for a magic user with fire at their core to control water. Not just that, but that is quite an array of powers. Look again, really focus on that energy within you, and see what it is."
I closed my eyes and really focused. There it was. The large ball of bright energy just waiting to be released. It resembled a flame, but there was no red, yellow, or even any orange. The flame was a blinding, pure white. As I focused on the power, I could feel it swell, much like the very first time I truly found it. The flame engorged and burned with the power of a blast furnace. For the first time, I felt like I could do absolutely anything I wanted.
Opening my eyes, my astral body was no longer a translucent blue, but had a brilliant white glow, almost as if there was a gentle immolation upon my skin. I looked myself over, turning my head to see as much of me as I could. I was awestruck with just how much I could feel my powers growing.
"Oh my! There is much we must do, and much I need to tell you Parker. Things have just gotten more complicated." My father said as he took in the new white glow. Taking in a deep breath he let out another sigh. He seemed to be doing that quite a bit.
"As I mentioned before, there are dark magic users in the world, or the Dark for short. These magic users relish in the pain and suffering of normal humans. Some of their magic needs blood, or even human sacrifices to be performed. From time to time, the Dark will band together and cause chaos, or small uprisings. These are usually small scale, and we try to keep it out of the public eye. However, on occasion, we aren't able to keep it as much of a secret as we'd like."
"The last time we had a conflict with the Dark became known as the Salem Witch Trials. In 1688 a small skirmish broke out between us and the Dark. The war did end up being exposed to the public, and culminated with our victory in 1693 when we were able to find and eliminate the last of the ring leaders, but not before an entire village became swept up in the panic that dark magic brings."
"Fourteen years ago, we fell into conflict once again. Unlike previous conflicts, we aren't fighting a small band of rebels. They are organized, and have numbers the likes of which we haven't seen before. This isn't a small battle but an actual war. A war which they are winning. Magic users are on the run, fleeing their homes, and fearing for their lives. We are scattered, and the tide is against us at the moment."
"Our family has been deeply involved in fighting the Dark, and protecting man kind for generations. While most modern countries have elected officials, magic users are still a bit more medieval. We are led by a royal family, who's magic powers are second to none. There are also noble families that are very strong magic users who help the royal family protect the normal human society. Parker, I feel the easiest way to tell you this is to just put it bluntly. You are the crown prince."
"Fourteen years ago, an army of the Dark unleashed a surprise attack on our home. We suffered many losses on the battlefield because we weren't prepared. We were lucky to escape with our lives, but lost you. We searched and searched for you, and had nearly given up hope that you were still alive. However, as the dark magic users gained more power, we have been forced into hiding, unable to venture out for fear of being discovered."
To say this was a shock to my system would be an understatement. I was still trying to grasp the idea of possessing magic powers, now I'm some prince of the magical world. To be honest, I almost wish I could just go back to being a normal teenager. I didn't ask for any of this. He had said I was in danger before, now I knew why. We were at war, and I was a prime target. Ugh.
"Parker, I know this is a lot to take in, but there is more I need to tell you. I can't stress this enough, but you must be careful how you use your powers. You have to keep it subtle unless it is an absolute emergency. We have no idea how you came to be where you are now. There could be dark magic users close to you, keeping an eye on you, waiting for the first sign that you have powers. That said, it is still important for you to practice honing your powers. Football is a great opportunity to use your physical powers, but learning anything else could prove difficult. Keep an eye out for someplace private where you can work."
"There is one other thing that concerns me, and that is the white flame you described. Centuries ago, a prophecy was made that one day, a magic user would appear bearing the purest white magic. It is said that this person would be able to control all aspects of light magic. Control any element, interact with nature, alter themselves to be faster and stronger than any other. The prophesy also said that when this magician was born, we would enter our darkest times, and that this magician would bring peace to the magic world."
"The prophesy warns that there will also be a dark magic user whose magic core would be as black as the darkest night. You are destined to meet, and somehow bring the two sides into harmony."
Not far away from where Parker lives, a man in his early forties stood watching as his son began using his powers. The man was tall and slender, standing well over six feet high. He had dark hair that was short and well kempt. There was a scar on the left side of his face that started just under his eye and went all the way down to his chin. He wore black robes that draped all the way to the floor. His son was Parker's age, and his build was similar to his father's, tall and slender, but he had dark brown hair.
The man and his son were in a small dark place, and the only light in the room came from a few candles around the edges of the room. The light of the candles created large flickering shadows that danced ominously on the stone floor.
In the center of the room, a circle was drawn on the floor with magical runes inscribed around its edges. In the center of the circle laid a pile of bones that looked to be human. Along with the bones was the body of a raven, pierced through the heart by a dagger, its blood drained into a ceremonial goblet.
The boy stood at the edge of the circle and started to focus on the power within him. He could feel the black flames surge as he focused on the pile of bones in front of him. Slowly the bones started moving, and rearranging themselves into a complete skeleton. After a few moments, all of the bones were in place, and with a creak, the skeleton slowly rose to its feet.
The boy could feel the skeleton as if it were an extension of himself. If he closed his eyes, he could see what it saw, and could control it as if it were his own body. He moved its arms and wiggled its skeletal fingers before turning toward his father.
"Good. Good. Now, let's see how strong it really is." The man said.
The man waved his hand, channeling his powers toward the skeleton. At first nothing happened, but just a moment later, the skeleton fell apart as the bones clattered back to the ground.
"Not good enough!" the man said harshly, "You realize we are at war here? You may be marginally proficient with the use of some of your other powers, but your necromancy is laughable. You are going to be the key to our victory son, but the less than spectacular effort you are putting forth truly underwhelms me."
The fact was that the son had only recently started growing into his powers, and was making spectacular progress. His father knew this, but was trying to groom him in to being a soldier, and eventually his heir.
"My apologies Father. I really am trying. I know we are at war, and that you have led the Dark further than anyone ever dreamt possible. I'm sorry to disappoint you, I will keep working harder."
The truth was that the boy liked having powers, but he didn't like the idea of hurting people. His father had started this war out of his lust for power. Dark magic users had been in hiding for a long time before his father set out to unite them all. Many dark magic users lived a nomadic lifestyle, always on the move. Now that they were together, they were a force to be reckoned with, and the surprise attack that started the war had scattered magic users into hiding. Beating the other magic users was only the beginning. From there his father planned to exert his power on the human population. He would be a brutal dictator, and his reign would be one of terror.
The boy didn't want that. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He just wanted to have a normal peaceful life. There had to be a way to coexist in peace with the other magic users. It wouldn't be easy, but there had to be a way. Until then, he would play along with his father's war, while doing his best to limit casualties. Being honest with himself, he had only put a fraction of power into the skeleton. He knew that he could have made that skeleton stronger than any tank if he had wanted to, and he could control an entire army of them. He was afraid that if his father learned of his true power, he would be forced into becoming some sort of super weapon.
He needed help, and he needed it fast. He had met someone recently who could be the key to fixing everything.