Arden’s stomach felt like a tightly wound spring ready to explode. He eyed Erebus and nodded, setting his stuff down on the small stool in the corner. “Where do we begin?” He asked eagerly.
“First you need to know what the magic feels like within your own body so that you can recognize it when it is stimulated. You have likely felt it before but dismissed it as something non-consequential or strange.” Erebus’ posture was relaxed, his shoulder slightly slouched and his feet crossed.
“Okay, how do I stimulate it?” Arden examined his own hands, waiting for instruction.
“I will feed a small amount of my magic into you so that you can feel it.” Arden visibly tensed at the statement.
“If I could produce enough magic to harm you or escape, I would have done so already.” Erebus stated, witnessing Arden’s shift in posture.
“Right. What do I need to do?” He was still tense, but less guarded.
Erebus observed Arden’s change and hummed with satisfaction. “Take my hand.”
Heat filled Arden’s face and he cursed to himself. He had just shaken the demon’s hand, this is no different. Arden stepped forward and presented his hand first this time, attempting to push down his uneasiness.
“Wow Arden, it's just a simple hold, no need to get all bashful,” Erebus teased.
Arden’s blush deepend significantly from the attention. “I- I am not bashful.”
Erebus laughed and took his hand, pulling him closer to the cell.Their bodies were closer now then they had ever been and Arden’s heart beat out of his chest. “Whatever you say.” His voice was low and deliberately seductive. Arden thought about yanking his hand free, but resigned to stick it out and not provoke further teasing.
Erebus stroked the back of Ardens hand with his thumb, “Close your eyes and focus on where our skin meets.”
Hesitantly, Arden did as he was told. He could feel the same electricity as before, a sort of energy that heightened the senses of his nerves. He felt Erebus’s skin, soft and warm against his palm. His fingers were long and slender as they wrapped around his own, smaller, hand.
“Good, now I will feed you the smallest amount of magic at first and slowly increase the power, tell me when you feel it.” Erebus tightened his grip slightly and Arden braced himself for the worst.
Nothing happened at first, he suspected that humans are not as sensitive to gentle magics as demons but he stayed tense, his nerves on high alert for any changes.
Then he felt it. The smallest change in him. A warmth. A very familiar warmth that Arden can only compare to that of the warmth the sun leaves after shining through a window; The kind that a cat loves to bask in. It was that warmth combined with a pull. A mental pull similar to the feeling of falling asleep, yet he did not feel tired. There was one more feeling he could not place. It is more an abstract feeling that is difficult to describe. A tingle, but dark. It is a feeling that manifests as a visual in his mind. Like when you press on your lidded eyes and a galaxy of tiny stars fills your field of view despite your eyes being closed.
“I feel it.” Arden said slowly, absorbing all of the feelings and committing them to memory.
“Already? I am impressed. I will stay like this for a moment for you to finish analyzing if you wish.”
“Please.” Although his eyes were closed, you felt a change in Erebus. The hand he held gripped tighter slightly and he felt the pull get a tad stronger. He opened his eyes only to see Erebus’ already staring at him. Neither of them let go, neither spoke. Arden stepped forward, he was now as close as he could be to the bars without touching them. Erebus didn’t flinch, he simply followed his movements closely with his eyes.
“Now what?” Arden asked, still holding Erebu’s hand in his own, feeling the magic trickling into him.
Erebus didn’t answer immediately. He seemed distracted by something, perhaps focused on funneling such small amounts of magic. “Now you try to create it on your own.” He slowly took his hand away, dragging his fingers over Arden’s palm as he pulled back, his thumb grazing his knuckles with a swipe.
Arden grieved the loss of warmth and magic for a moment before stepping back from the cell again, staring at his hand, and checking it for signs of change. He saw nothing but his usual freckles, dirty nails and calluses. Satisfied, he moved his bag from the stool and brought the stool in front of the bars. He settled down on it and closed his eyes once more focusing on his hand, trying to recreate the feeling.
“Do not focus on your hand,” Erebus said as if reading his mind. “It is more difficult to manifest magic in a specific spot of the body when you are inexperienced. Just focus on the feeling and let it bloom where it pleases.”
Bloom. What an interesting word to use. Arden pictured a flower tightly wound, concealing its pollen from the world. He observed this mental fabrication intently, watching as the petals unfurled and basked in the sun’s rays. Each petal moving independently yet together. It was beautiful. As Arden pictured the flower opening he began to feel it. The smallest glimmer of magic at the base of his skull.
His eyes opened at the sound of Erebus shifting. “Perhaps I will not regret teaching you after all.” He looked pleased.
“How did you know?”
“I could feel it; you were mimicking my magic after all, it felt similar yet like an amateur reproduction. It called to me in a way.”
“What do you mean I was mimicking your magic? I thought I was doing it on my own.” Arden scratched his neck at the spot where his magic first manifested.
“You were, but your magic will feel somewhat different from my own. In order for you to use it, you must get to know it yourself. I showed you what signs to look for, now you must go from there on your own.” Arden was confused, but eager to explore his new found ability.
“Thank you, I will keep at it.” Arden smiled at Erebus and was rewarded with a genuine smile in return. Or at least, it appeared genuine to him.
“I look forward to seeing your progress.”
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