Clenching her fists, Kira tried again, and again, and again, and each time, she failed to lift the bottle or even make it shake, and that failure was beginning to get frustrating.
“Can we just do something else today?” She asked Lythari, feeling the frustration slowly bubbling under her skin. “I need some kind of stress reliever right now, like combat. This. This is stressing me out a lot.”
“I don’t see how that is any of my problem,” Lythari stated, her voice in no mood for a debate. “Again.”
“Lythari,” Kira called out. “I need some time before this.”
“Again,” Lythari ordered, ignoring whatever Kira was saying. “All you have to do is lift the bottle. You say you are strong. You said you would lift it, and yet you cannot. Was it just an illusion?”
“It is not about that,” Kira defended, her fists clenching as she tried to keep it together. “I just don’t feel it, okay? I don’t feel any power in me whatsoever.”
“Weak,” Lythari scoffed as she stared at Kira so intently. “You. Are. Weak.”
“What?” Kira uttered, stunned by her words. “I am not weak just because I didn’t lift a bottle.”
“Yes, you are,” Lythari said, her tone flat and certain. “I thought you would be at least strong enough, but… you really are just a weakling.”
“If it is a joke, stop it,” Kira warned, not feeling pleased about being taunted.
“Am I laughing?” Lythari asked her, her brows slightly raised. “Do you see a smile on my face? This is simply me stating the facts and truth, Kira. You. Are. Just. A. Wea-“But before she could complete her words, the bottle flew across the room and shattered against the wall where she stood.
It was just a small gap, and if Lythari hadn’t sidestepped and dodged, it would have hit her in the face.
“Well. That was… interesting,” Lythari muttered as she looked at Kira, her eyes filled with amusement.
“I… I didn’t mean to do that,” Kira whispered, a bit taken aback at what she had just done. “I don’t know… how?” She tried to explain while staring at her hands.
However, Lythari only smiled satisfyingly and asked. “Are you scared of your own powers?”
“I don’t know,” Kira answered, still staring at her hands. “It is not that I am scared; I just… I am hesitating, and I do not know why.”
“If you fear yourself, you will never be able to channel your magic properly,” Lythari advised her as she stepped forward. “You are not here just to learn magic, Kira-you are here to control it. We have talked about this before, and you need to accept this part of you, and until you do, we won’t make any progress.”
“I know,” Kira muttered, rubbing her face. “And I do understand.”
“Then give it your best,” Lythari encouraged. “There has to be something that would motivate you to try your hardest.”
“Also, this room has plenty of tools for your practice, and if you need more, more will be delivered,” Lythari continued. “Spell books will be provided to you, and everything else that you need will be too. You have a lot of training to do; you have to be prepared.”
“I will leave you to it now,” she said and stepped back toward the door, getting ready to leave. Then, before Kira could respond, she added, “And remember-do not fear what makes you, you. You have no idea how powerful you are or can be. I am rooting for you, and as for now, keep practicing.”
“I appreciate that,” Kira finally said, ruffling up her hair. “I will give it my best.”
“Good,” Lythari smirked. “You are magic itself, Kira. In case you haven’t realized it.” And having said that, she left, leaving Kira to practice all by herself.
Left alone, Kira stared at the broken glass on the floor for a minute before she went to get another bottle.
Setting the bottle in front of her, she decided to try again.
This time, she closed her eyes, took a very deep breath, before opening them.
“Here we go,” she whispered and lifted her hands, forcing herself to focus.
“Concentrate. Concentrate,” she repeated in her head many times.
“Focus. Focus, Kira,” she said to herself in her head, her eyes glued on the bottle. “Reach out,” and then the bottle moved a little, but it didn’t rise.
“F*ck,” she stopped and rubbed her face. “Why can’t I just concentrate?! I need to relax.”
And so, she sat down on the floor and just closed her eyes again, trying to relax her mind and body.
Lythari had talked to her about this before, to give her some insight and understanding. She had said that she was born with magic inside her, and that despite knowing how to use her powers, she still needed training to control them. Which was why she was now alone in a huge room, trying to lift a bottle.
Being a hybrid, however, could make things a bit complicated, and Kira would require discipline to refine her abilities. She would also have to study spell books.
She might be able to move objects instinctively, which is what Lythari is trying to test, or she might be able to channel raw energy, but to perform precise magic like shielding, healing, or any other powerful spell, she would need guidance.
Kira lacked control, and without training, she would risk harming herself or others, but harming the bad guys was welcomed, and after her little meditation session, she stood up again, determined to lift the bottle.
She recalled that this was one of the things Lythari had said she would guide her through, “Basic control.”
This had to do with what she was doing right now with the bottle, moving objects, the ability to manipulate energy, and the ability to control her emotions to prevent accidental magical bursts if needed.
“I think I would rather start with spell books,” Kira muttered, as lifting the damn bottle was becoming excruciatingly frustrating. “Even natural-born witches need spells, rituals, and mental focus to master complex magic, right? That was exactly what she said. Maybe if she gives me a spell book, this won’t be so… hard. Goddess.”
She was currently having a stare battle with the bottle, which just sat still on the floor, unmoving, and just seeing it there, added to her frustration.
“I really need a spell book,” she said to herself. “This,” she gestured to the bottle, waving her hands around. “All this is just not working. I. Need. A spell book.”
To Kira, the spell book would provide her with spells to direct her magic in a controlled way. It would provide structure, and she knew that without proper incantations or rituals, magic can backfire.
She knew they held ancient knowledge and some forms of magic, like the protection spell or others, which would most likely require specific words, symbols, or ingredients to be effective.
They help with focus. “And as a beginner, I need focus,” Kira said to herself. “I have cleared my mind, I have tried to concentrate, but I just can’t seem to focus. If I was able to kill off those men that way, then why can’t I just lift this freaking bottle?”
“Why can’t I do this?!” She screamed in her mind, wanting to relieve some of that frustration, but instead, the moment she screamed, the entire room began to shake.
The other equipment in the room shook, the table by the side shook, the light bulb, everything shook, and for a brief second, Kira thought she might make the whole place collapse.
She had not even screamed out loud, and this was happening.
She had not meant to cause this, and immediately closed her eyes, trying to regain control before she brings down the whole building to dust.
“I am magic itself,” she whispered the words as the room shook even stronger. “This is my magic. It is mine to control.”
Lifting her hands, her fingers trembled slightly with energy, and then, she flung it to the side and ordered, “Enough!”
Instantly, everything became still, and the room was now quiet.
Even she, herself, could not believe she had been able to stop it. She had barely touched her magic, yet it had responded to her that way.
“Wow,” she swallowed and licked her lips, a life of training day and night, flashing before her. “Guess this is my life now.”