Page 40 of Illusory

With my spirits still bolstered and my mind on the endgame, I’d trained doubly hard from breakfast until late afternoon, alternating between sparring with Mother Dearest and then working on my magic with Caleb. With the news of the Roderick sisters heading back to town, Jaqueline had been particularly adamant that I finally sit down and figure out what my elemental affinities were, once and for all.

Most Anakim were born with an affinity for a particular element—fire, water, earth, air, metal, ether, lunar, spirit, and energy—though some were born with more than one. BecauseI was Nephilim, Jaqueline had this wild theory that I might be born with all of them, so she’d asked Caleb to bring over some of the Owens’ Caster Grimoires so that I could try my hand at a few different spells from his family’s repertoire and see if anything stuck.

While Jaqueline was more than eager to test her theory out, I was mostly just uneasy about the whole thing. Having an affinity to that many elements at once seemed like a recipe for chaos. Especially when I was involved. But of course, I’d agreed to do it anyway. Mostly just to get out of training with her.

Luckily for me, my selfish endeavor turned out to be an enlightening one.

Through Caleb’s vast magical knowledge, I’d learned all sorts of interesting things about the nine elements, and even a few things about my own abilities. For instance, I’d learned that my ability to freeze time actually stemmed from my command of theetherelement—something that was innate in all Reapers. The fact that I’d been able to wield that element without any effort or training meant that it was innate in me, too. A fact that might serve me well when it came time to learn how to teleport.

Then there was my affinity forenergy, which finally explained my prior ‘issues’ with light bulbs—mainly the way they’d constantly flicker or explode whenever I got overly upset. Apparently, that element was innate in all Slayers, though it usually only manifested through the energy flow within your body. Basically, the thing that put the unhuman force behind a Slayer’s hit. But it was more than that. According to Caleb, mastering the element of energy would eventually extend to commanding the energyaroundme—including an opponent’s own inner force—essentially allowing me to turn their own body against them.

As fascinating as it all was to delve into, those elements hadn’t exactly come as a surprise to either of us since I’d already manifested both of them in the past. The real question on everyone’s mind was, would I be able to manifest any of theotherelements? And if so, at what cost?

“This is actually really basic stuff,” said Caleb as he set a white pillar candle down on the floor between us. “But if you have anyfiremagic in you, you should be able to call it up and spark the wick.”

“Spark the wick?” My forehead lined with confusion as I examined the haughty smirk on his face. “Like with my mind?” Obviously, he didn’t meanthat.

“Well, yes and no. It’s kind of hard to describe.”

I gave him a frustrated look. “Pretty sure it’s one or the other, Caleb.”

“Not when it comes to magic.” He ran his hand through his copper hair as he sat crossed legged in front of me like we were about to perform a séance together. “It’s like flexing a muscle inside your mind. You need to be focused on your intent, but it’s deeper than just thought. It’s connecting to the source, to a feeling in and around you, and then manifesting it—just like you did when you connected with ether and energy.”

“Except that I didn’t reallydoanything with either of those elements,” I argued, feeling skeptical and unsure of what I was supposed to be doing. “They sort of just happened.”

“Well, if you have an affinity to fire, this will come just as naturally.”

I let that sit with me for a second.

Not having anything to lose by trying, I shrugged my shoulders and then stared down at the candle wick, squinting hard as I tried to focus my mind. Only I wasn’t really surewhatI was supposed to be focusing on to begin with. Was I supposed to be thinking about fire in general, or just the actual candle in front of me? Or maybe I was supposed to be, I don’t know…thinkinghotly? Like, feel the heat and be one with the wick?

The harder I thought about it, the more agitated I felt.

“I don’t think it’s working.” I decided, frowning down at the unlit candle and then back up at Caleb. “Maybe we should move on to the next element.”

Laughter rumbled out of him as he shook his head. “Maybe you should give it more than five seconds.”

Pretty sure I did, I thought dryly as I tried to keep the petulant look from my face when I stared back down at the candle. “Am I supposed to be focusing on the actual candle or just fire as a whole?”

“Neither,” he said as he pulled over his grimoire and cracked it open.

I waited for him to elaborate and then snapped when he didn’t. “Are you purposely trying to be vague?”

“Your problem is you’re thinking too much and not feeling enough,” he answered distractedly as he flipped through the pages, searching for something specific. “Magic can’t be forced, Blackburn. It has to be invited in. Its purpose—your intent—needs to be clear in your mind.” He paused on a page and scanned the text. “Here. Try this incantation,” he suggested and then turned the book around so that the short passage of text was facing me.

I looked down at where his finger was pointing and read the two words scribbled there. “Ignire flamma?”

Hardly the miracle fix I was expecting.

“Reciting incantations can help focus your mind on the source you’re trying to connect to.” He shut the grimoire and pulled the book back beside himself. “Close your eyes,” heinstructed suddenly and already I didn’t like the sound of this.

I arched my brow at him.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, leaning forward.

“I mean—”

“Just close your eyes, Blackburn.”

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