Casting

No sooner had Jason left the Amphitheater then Joy grabbed him by the collar. “Where have you been?!?!” She exclaimed. “What happened? Are you okay? Talk!” The shocked look on Jason’s face stopped her tirade. “Sorry,” she said. “You just had me worried is all.”

“Good to see you too” Jason said with a boyish grin on his face. He had to admit he had missed Joy’s little scoldings. “It’s quite the story. Do you want the long version or the short version?” Joy realized they weren’t going to have much time, she had to get to her next class and there was no way she was going to be late to classes pm the first day.

“Give me the short version. For now.” She replied.

“Well Teine took me to see the Bastion and they had me do another test. I don’t know how much I should say but it was all serious. At the end of it the Earth Clan is where I was initiated to and here we are.”

Joy stared at him with a blank gaze. Clearly there was so much being left out of this story but for now she was just happy to see he was okay. “I guess it makes sense you would be an Earth Former, you always had a hard head.” Joy said.

The two shared a quick laugh before Joy realized there was no time to sit around chatting. “I have to get to my next class, but we should talk more. Aaron managed to get Initiated into the Fire Clan somehow so the three of us are all in the Academy. Let’s try to meet up tonight so we can talk more.”

Jason nodded. “Sounds like a plan Joy. Its good seeing you.” At that Joy turned and made her way to the stairs rushing off to her next class. Jason finally felt at home, maybe this won’t be so bad after all. Jason realized he had a class to get to as well and headed off to find his next lesson.

~

“Welcome Earth Formers, my name is Uir. I will be your Forming instructor for your first year at the Academy. While most of the classes here are interclan your initial Magi training will be element specific. Each of you will learn the basics of forming in this class. You will learn how to wield and manipulate Earth magic in order fulfill your role within the Tower and for the greater good of Eledor. At the end of the first year you will no longer be Initiates within the Tower and depending on your skill you will be assigned a role within the Clan. Are there any questions before we begin.”

Jason was no longer stressing about his time at the Academy. His meeting with Joy had helped him to relax and calm down and he finally realized he was right in the place he had always wanted to be. So many ideas were rushing through his head he was having a hard time focusing.

“Very well, let’s begin.” Uir interrupted Jason’s daydreaming. “Each Element is unique in its casting. Who here has already witnessed casting being performed.” Most of the hands in the room shot up. Jason thought back to his meetings with Eòlas and his time with the Bastion. He witnessed casting but only now realized that there were subtle differences to how they were performed. “Each Element will have a different style. The Windspeakers are graceful, Firespinners swift. We Formers draw our power directly from the ground of Eledor.” Uir stomped down to the ground and was immediately lifted from the ground onto a pedestal of rock. “We pull our powers from the plants and minerals. We can control the world around us.” His fists clenched forcefully, and vines shot from the pedestal weaving around one another as though living serpents of wood. As he shifted his fists the vines would contort and shift until at last Uir had crafted an ornate chair behind himself. He sat, seemingly enjoying the gazes of amazement in front of him. “The first step that you will take in your forming is to connect with your source. Each of you head to the table on your right.”

As Jason approached the table he saw what looked like simple gloves. Each pupil grabbed a glove and placed it on their hand. Surprisingly the glove was cool and grainy to the touch. The class resumed their places in the courtyard.

“For experienced Formers these tools are unnecessary however until you are familiar with connecting to your source these gloves will help you in your casting. Now do exactly as I do.”

Uir took a rigid stance, his hand outstretched and palm facing downward. The class mimicked his pose to the best of their ability. “Close your eyes Initiates. All Formers draw from the Earth, you must learn to make a connection to it. Meditate on the Earth beneath you, feel the soil beneath your feet. Smell the scents of nature around you. Realize you are not separate from nature but a part of it. Concentrate.”

Jason took the pose and started to try and sense the Earth. He had often paused when tending the forge with his father and done something similar. Feeling the heat of the fire, smelling the scent of heated metals, listening to the loud clang of the hammer striking metal. Now though this was different, the place was brilliant even with his eyes closed. The sun shone brilliantly, and a cool refreshing breeze was blowing through the trees. Jason could hear the rustling of the breeze. As much as the scene was breathtaking something was off, Jason couldn’t feel any connection.

“Each Former will connect in his own way. This initial form is simply the most common way for Initiates to begin. As you become more adept at tapping into the source you will be able to move and cast without form or assistance.” Uir again began to cast but this time his rigid movements appeared more as a free-flowing dance of sorts. The Earth began to rise around him and shift into an orb which seemed to pulse and breath as though alive.

Jason could see the look on his instructor’s face and knew there was something he was missing. Uir seemed to be a part of what was happening in the display in front of him. He wasn’t as much controlling it as participating in it. Jason concentrated again. He tried to feel the Earth beneath his feet and realized he couldn’t. The Earth Formers uniform came complete with a pair of thick boots best suited for battle or working in a machine shop. They were so rigid all Jason could feel was the thick sole of the massive shoes. Uir seem so focused on his casting that some of the students had begun to quit. Some were still holding strong in the rigid pose but none of them had accomplished anything.

Enough, this wasn’t working. Jason was not going to feel anything this way. He started to take of his armor. His boots and coat fell to the ground, a shiver ran down his spine as the breeze ran up his back. Jason dug his feet into the Earth and felt the soil between his toes. He reached down and grabbed a handful of dirt and sifted the grain in his hands. Again, he took the rigid pose Uir had shown them, closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. He remembered the feeling of reaching his hand out and touching the Scry in his meeting in the Bastion. His hand felt heavy as though it were holding a weight. He closed his hand as though grasping a hammer in the forge at home. All off sudden he heard the rustling of footsteps around him. He tried not to lose focus. He continued to focus on the thought of the hammer from home and pictured it, shape and size. As the picture became clearer the sound of footsteps finally stopped. Uir broke the silence “Excellent.” Jason opened his eyes and in his hand, he held a hammer formed of Earth and vines akin to the one he used to wield at home, he had done it.

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