4 At The Snap of a Finger

Ajax, seeing the title of the next page, quickly began reading.

'Maybe this is finally how I can use magic to get into the academy'

The page read so:

"Gimmicks are by definition, unique to the user, and users are well known to be insufficient at using normal methods. This is because gimmicks are believed to be a result of a mutation of the users magical core. So if gimmicks are unique to the user and cannot be performed or learned by others, then how do you know if you have one or what it is. This is actually very simple, as there are 2 concrete ways to learn your gimmick after you learn that you have one. A gimmick will be present in any young mage with the magical power to use magic, but the inability to use chants or arrays."

With this sentence, Ajax jumps up for joy and almost starts cheering in happiness. He has almost always been known to have extremely above average magical power despite his lack of ability to use it, meaning he was now almost certain that he was what the book called a "Gimmick Mage". Unfortunately, with that yell and his sudden action, a series of unfortunate event was about to begin. For one, his adrenaline was long gone from his chase, and his sudden movement had reintroduced him to a debilitating amount of pain from his leg and ribs. But this wasn't the main problem. As he yelled, it echoed throughout the cave, which unknowing to Ajax, was already once again occupied by the one who originally lived there. As he sat down and read the next few lines of the book, he heard a familiar growl from the other side of the cave, and with that, he quickly realized why this cave was both completely clean and full of adventurer loot. The cave wasn't his sanctuary, it was the den of none other than the magical beast that had just spent 2 hours tracking him through the woods, and had given up to go home!

Ajax lifting his head up slowly, filled with horror as he saw the beast staring at him from the other side of its now intruded home. However, the beast knew that this time Ajax was cornered. The entrance was behind the bear, and there was no other exit, so as long as it boxed him in he had no chance of escape. Ajax, realizing this as well, began to brainstorm as fast as possible on how he could get out of this situation. He knew that he couldn't avoid the beast, as his leg was sprained and his ribs in disarray.

'Can I fight it? No it will tear me in half with one claw. Maybe there is something in that loot pile that can save me! No, if there was, then its original owner wouldn't have died to this thing. Not to mention I doubt the beast will just watch while I limp to the pile and grab a weapon. Think Ajax Think!'

The whole time Ajax is pondering how to save his own life, the Magical Beast slowly approaches. Knowing that it finally had its prey that had alluded it all night cornered, it seemed to be enjoying itself before going for the kill. It approached him, but only slowly, not bothering to waste any energy on an already dead prey. Ajax, however had found his last hope. The last few lines of his text that he had read gave him his only shot at getting out of the cave alive. Fed up with its game, the beast finally decides to pounce on Ajax.

'This is it. If this doesn't work, I'm actually going to die'

Ajax, just a late 7 year old kid, begins to have horrifying thoughts as tears come to his eyes. However, as the beast approaches he stands up and looks it in they eyes with fury. His eyes turned to their more fiendish slit pupils which when combined with their ruby color and his tanned skin and black hair truly made him look like a demon. And as the bear soared through the air at him, now basically on top of him, he closed his eyes, raised his hand, and now, his fingers only a foot away from the beast, snapped his fingers.

At that moment, almost instantly, the air within a mile radius changed. Everyone at the church, the town of Licht, and even several other beasts in the forest, felt an incredible surge in magical energy. In front of Ajax's fingers, the bear along with the cave itself had been engulfed in a swirling inferno. The flames had used the round walls of the cave like the rifling of a barrel and cause an explosion of fire to erupt from the exit of the cavern. Energy was swelling in Ajax's body as he used magic manually for the first time. The beast was quickly engulfed into the flame as the origin of the flame was only a few inches from its body. After almost a minute of flames pouring out of the cave, they finally began to dissipate. As Ajax looked upon his action, he saw nothing remaining of the bear that had once threatened his life but ashes and its very own magical core. Perhaps having one of the most conflicting moments of his life, he collapsed back down the wall he was propping himself up on, passing out instantly. His book, which he had not let go of for several hours, fell and opened up to the last line of the gimmicks chapter, which read :

"The only real way to discover your gimmick is to be forced to use it in a time of need. At the time that you most need to use your magical power, your gimmick will come to you naturally!"