A Solution in Sparks

Chapter: 11

It had taken Abeni nearly two days to get the first step of barrier magic down. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't entertaining watching her struggle, her frustration boiling over every time her barrier failed to form properly. I tried to hold back my laughter, but it was hard not to crack a smile when she finally caved and came to me for a clue.

Flashback

"Ugh, why is this so hard?!" Abeni shouted, throwing her hands in the air. The small, unstable barrier she had formed fizzled out like a dying flame.

"Told you barrier magic wasn't easy," I said, twirling a stone lance effortlessly in my hand. "It took me a month just to get decent at it."

"Come on, there's gotta be a trick to this, right?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Come on, Kael, tell me!" She grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me in frustration.

I grinned. "I will... but first, you have to say it."

Abeni narrowed her eyes, immediately knowing what I meant. "I would rather die."

I shrugged casually. "Then struggle."

She glared at me for a solid minute, her expression darkening as if she was truly weighing the option of punching me in the face. But finally, with a groan of defeat, she muttered through gritted teeth, "Yo—you were right."

"Thank you. Now was that so hard?" I teased, earning an eye-roll. "Alright, here's the trick: when forming a barrier, start with the outline first. Don't try to create the entire thing at once. Build the structure, then fill it in slowly."

I raised my hand, channeling Mana to form a transparent outline of a cube in the air. The thin lines of Mana shimmered, tracing the edges of the cube. Once the outline was stable, I filled it in, forming the complete barrier.

"See? Simple when you know the trick."

Abeni's eyes narrowed, and she huffed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Flashback End

After my demonstration, Abeni finally started getting the hang of it. She managed to form a stable barrier after a few more attempts, and from there, it was just a matter of practice. Over the past two days, she had steadily improved. The process was slow, but progress was progress.

Meanwhile, I had been preoccupied with a blunder I had realized after killing that idiot guard. I'd been so caught up in destroying the body and covering my tracks that I completely forgot to take the gunpowder from him before vaporizing him. Now, I had a musket, but no gunpowder to fire it. I'd have to figure out a way to make the weapon functional using magic.

I sat on a high branch in the tree we used to stash things, the musket resting in one hand and the small pouch of iron balls in the other. The cool breeze ruffled my hair as I stared down at the gun, trying to work through a solution.

"Hmm, how would I do this?" I muttered, turning the musket over in my hands. The iron balls in the pouch clinked together softly.

Could I use my magic to replicate the force of gunpowder?

It was a risky idea, but I didn't see another option. I placed the musket on my lap and picked up one of the iron balls, holding it between my fingers as I contemplated. I glanced between the ball and the musket, my mind racing through possible methods. 

"Could I...?" I muttered, considering the process.

I dropped the iron ball into the barrel of the musket and took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I focused on channeling my Mana throughout the weapon. I let the energy flow through the wooden stock, down the length of the barrel, until I reached the iron ball lodged inside. Once I had the connection established, I infused both the barrel and the ball with lightning Mana.

The idea was simple enough in theory. Lightning magic had explosive force if used correctly. If I could create a controlled burst of lightning within the barrel, it might generate enough pressure to launch the iron ball—similar to how gunpowder would function.

The musket in my lap hummed with energy as I increased the Mana flow, the metal barrel vibrating slightly under the strain. A thin crackle of electricity ran along the surface, lighting up the edges in a faint blue glow. The iron ball inside sparked as the energy wrapped around it.

"Alright… let's see if this works."

I stood up on the branch, balancing easily, and took aim at a tree in the distance. Steadying the musket, I concentrated, compressing the lightning Mana into the barrel, waiting for the right moment. Then, with a sharp exhale, I released the energy in a controlled burst.

CRACK! BOOM!

The iron ball shot out of the musket with a deafening bang, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. It struck the tree with a loud thud, embedding itself deep into the bark and splintering the wood around it.

A satisfied grin spread across my face as I lowered the musket.

"That'll do."

"The hell was that?!" Abeni's voice called out from below, breaking the silence.

I smirked, placing the musket and the bag of ammo back into their hiding spot among the tree limbs. "Just testing something," I replied, jumping down from the branch.

I landed softly and walked over to Abeni, who was still busy practicing her barrier magic. Alex wasn't around tonight—he and his brother were preparing to leave for the magic academy tomorrow, so they had spent the day packing. Tonight, it was just Abeni and me.

Abeni was still forming a cube-shaped barrier, her brows furrowed in concentration. She was getting better, but she had a tendency to rush things, which often led to cracks in the barrier's structure.

"Abeni."

"Hmm?"

"Alex is leaving tomorrow. Do you know what that means?"

She stopped, her eyes meeting mine. "We can finally train without having to hold back?"

"Exactly," I said with a grin. "So what do you say to a full-on spar tomorrow night? No restrictions."

Abeni's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "You read my mind."

Chapter 11: End