5 Introduction to Magic

"I want to know how they found us," Dani states, collapsing into a large purple sofa in front of a hardwood coffee-table.

"Did you tell anyone we were leaving the castle, My Lady," Moko questions.

"Just you." With that, Moko bows and leaves the large room so that Tyler is alone with Dani. "Well this sucks, I didn't even get to show you half of what I wanted to. Moko won't let us leave the palace again for awhile either."

"So he is your body guard or something?" Tyler inquires, hoping to get a chance to learn more about the strange world he is in.

"Yeah, something like that, but we have more important things to discuss!"

"We do?"

"Yes, come here!"

Dani reaches for Tyler's hand, but he pulls it out of her reach. "Can you just tell me where you want to go?"

"Fine, sit down." She pats the couch next to her and leans over the table as Tyler takes his appointed seat several feet away from the red-headed princess. Only after sitting does he realize how tired their run in with the hooded men made him.

"What now?" Tyler's eyes dart back and forth between Dani and the table. She appears to be unrolling a scroll.

Glaring at her self-proclaimed fiancé, Dani waves a hand. Tyler feels a tug as the space between the two literally disappears. "Now, we talk about you magic."

"Wait, was that your magic? What happened?"

"We are talking about your magic, hun." Dani leans into Tyler until her golden eyes are inches from his and smiles. "Not mine."

"No!" Tyler snaps, standing up from the couch. "You can't just bring me here and not tell me anything; I don't even know why I got in your stupid taxi in the first place! Why me? When can I go home? How many people are going to try to kill me?"

"Calm down!" Dani orders. There is a flash of pink light, and Tyler sinks back into his spot next to her.

"Fine. Hold on, what was that light?"

"It was charm magic."

"Charm magic... you... you didn't..."

"Didn't what?

"You charmed me to bring me here?"

"Would you have come otherwise?"

"No! I would be in my bed, safe and warm."

"That sounds boring, you should be thanking me."

"Thanking you? We almost just died!"

"But you didn't. Now, you are going to learn how to use magic."

"No." Tyler scoots away from the insane woman brushing against his side, but he ends up landing on the other side of her with an arm over her shoulder.

"That is better." Dani nuzzles against him; her body radiates a earth he has never felt before. "Why don't you want to learn magic?"

"I want to go home now; Magic has nothing to do with it."

Dani sighs and thinks for a moment. "Okay, okay. We can go back to your world on one condition."

"What's the condition?" Tyler rolls his eyes and sighs heavily.

A sly smile spreads across Dani's face. "You just have to use your magic to build something for me."

"Magic? I don't know how to do that..." His shoulders slump in defeat.

"I said I would teach you," Dani coos, running a finger down Tyler's arm and taking hold of his hand.

He looks down at her pleading eyes. A lock of crimson hair falls in front of them, but they don't blink or waver. Another sigh escapes his lips when it dawns on him: she is making him feel important for the first time in over a year.

"Deal," Tyler groans.

In response, squeals escape Dani's throat, and she shakes with excitement. These signs of joy are transferred to Tyler through their physical connection. Uncomfortable with the feeling, he removes his arm and shifts away from Dani to see the scroll more clearly.

Plans for a small device are carefully drafted on the scroll. Although they look hand-drawn, the schematics are neat and detailed. The first thing Tyler notes is that whatever Dani wants him to make is small. A to-scale drawing in the center shows a marble with three chambers inside.

"Magic is the physical manifestation of your psychic energy. Using it is a lot like moving your body," Dani explains. "Your mind controls every aspect of it. Once you are good at it, magic becomes as natural as walking."

"So, what if I'm not good at it?"

"Then you need to have a clear mental image in your mind. Vision is an important part of magic. See what you want your magic to do in your minds eye, and as long as your magic is able to accomplish it, whatever you picture will manifest."

"Right... My minds eye. So, if what you are saying is true, then anytime I imagine anything it will be created? Because that doesn't happen."

"No. You need to visualize it to the point that you believe it is there or desire it so badly that it forms. In addition to that, you need all of the raw materials to assemble."

"I still don't think it works that way..."

"Okay, then take that wall from earlier."

"What about it?"

"Did you want a wall to protect you?" Dani pauses and locks eyes with Tyler. "You had to realize that the only material available to protect you was the concrete, and a wall was the best form for it to take."

Tyler's palms start to sweat; he wonders if Dani could also read minds. "Anyone would want a wall to protect them if some psycho was attacking them with a knife."

"Yes, but how many of them would have a wall appear in front of them?"

Tyler responds with silence. He never believed that he built the wall that saved his life before, but if magic works like Dani is describing, then it makes sense.

"Good, you are getting it," Dani continues. "There is a limit to magic though. Similar to how your muscles get tired when you run out of physical energy, running out of psychic energy is a possibility. Making things that are large or complex will tired you out faster."

"What will happen if I run out of psychic energy?"

Dani shrugs. "If you run out of physical energy what happens? You will find it harder, or impossible, to do magic. Pushing further might cause you to pass out. Trying something crazy could be... worse."

"Worse?"

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about it though."

"Tell me."

"Fine, fine. Let's say you tried to build a planet. This would demand so much psychic energy past your limit that you would completely destroy your psyche. The result would be the complete loss of alteration of who you are. It has only happened twice. Igor the ignorant tried to use charm magic to make every woman in the world fall in love with him. His pea-sized brain turned to mush." Dani sighs and turns to the blueprint.

"And the second?" Tyler asks, not satisfied with information being left out.

"So, this is what I want you to make." Dani changes the subject, pointing to the scroll. "I have the materials, one second." She waves a hand to make a smaller table with thin plates of metal, glass pellets, and two beakers of chemicals appear next to the couch. "You should be able to use the blueprint to just make them form."

"This blueprint is for a tiny bomb though," Tyler complains. "These glass panels on the inside will break before the outer shell, causing the chemicals to mix inside. What you have here will expand and burst the metal exterior... what are you doing with these?"

"Correct, and due to the size it would be difficult to make these through regular production. If you must know, I am going to mix my magic in the third chamber to make a sort of charm bomb."

"Why would you need that?"

"Charm magic is hard to use in combat. People can resist it with focus or willpower, making someone do something that puts them in direct danger takes a lot of psychic energy, and the excitement of battle can also snap them out of the magic. These will allow me to concentrate a lot of magic before the battle starts, so that I don't have to waste energy in a fight."

Accepting her explanation, Tyler focus on the blueprint. Nothing happens. He closes his eyes and tries to visualize the marbles. Still, there is no effect. All of the effort makes him incredibly tired.

"Thank you so much!" Dani squeaks, hugging Tyler around the neck again.

Opening his eyes, Tyler sees all of the metal sheets formed into perfect spheres. The other materials are also missing, even though Tyler doesn't feel like he did anything. "That's it?" he thinks out loud.

"See, it's not that hard!"

"I guess not... Does that mean I can go home?"

"Of course, I'll have Moko take you back while I get ready."

Tyler doesn't quite understand what she means, but he feels too drained to ask or care. Slumping back into the couch, he zones out and waits to be taken back to his familiar bed.