Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Just as Bernard was about to say yes, Zeph passed out and fell to the floor. Scanning the boy with his magic sense, Bernard realized that Zeph had used up all his magic power in that last attack. He picked up his grandson with a spell and laid him down on a soft patch of grass. Then Bernard looked for the remains of the frost ape. Parts of it were scattered in different places. Zeph's magic arrow injected his mana into the frost ape. With Zeph's foreign magic power clashing with its own, the ape's body couldn't handle the stress and exploded. Bernard was more surprised by the ingenuity of the attack than its destructive power. The boy used his earlier loss of magic control as inspiration and decided to cause a similar phenomenon in his enemy. Luckily, the frost ape was a low tier magic beast. It didn't have enough magic control to prevent Zeph's spell from invading its body. As a result, the spell had the combined power of Zeph and the frost ape fueling the explosion.     

Bernard was examining the video he recorded, paying particular attention to when Zeph formed the improvised spell. After going over the video enough times to figure out a way to improve the spell, he heard his grandson waking up. The boy had been sleeping for several hours.     

"Okay, I think I went overboard," Zeph said as he stood up. Looking at the aftermath of his improvised spell, Zeph smiled. "Looks like it worked though."     

"I'm surprised you're awake so soon, you were suffering from magic exhaustion." Bernard walked up to the boy and made sure he was okay.     

Zeph checked himself, "Yeah, I barely have the power to make a campfire right now. Aside from that, what did you think of the fight?"     

"Well, first of all, I would like to congratulate you on your use of spells to knockdown and distract the beast. Your decision to end the battle swiftly was also good, but I'll have to deduct points for your last spell."     

"Why's that?"     

"First, you put everything you had into that one spell. What would happen if the ape managed to dodge it? Second, you took time improvising a new spell. Instead, you could have used a spell you already know that would fit the situation. The fireball and lighting spells would have damaged the beast enough to slow it down. Then you could knock it down again and finish it off. Third, injecting your magic power into another being is risky. It can cause an explosion like earlier, however, creatures with more magic control could have prevented your power from interfering with their body. Some would even be able to absorb your power and use it themselves."     

Listening to Bernard's criticism, Zeph understood what he could improve on and what he should change. Once again, he was reminded how careless he was. Even when he was trying to be careful, he would end up making rash decisions. He listened to Bernard explain other ways he could have fought, and could only sigh at his inexperience. Holding out his tablet for Zeph to look at, Bernard played Zeph the recording of his fight. Sometimes, he would stop the video to discuss different tactics the boy could have used.     

Zeph finished watching the fight. It was frustrating, watching himself lose control of his magic, and being reckless. Even though he beat the frost ape, there was still a slight feeling of helplessness. Handing the tablet back to Bernard, he asked for a copy of the video. His grandpa sent it to him right away. Watching the video one more time, Zeph tried to remember the things Bernard pointed out.     

"It's getting late, so we should head back. I'd say bring the body, but there's not much left." Bernard interrupted Zeph's thoughts.     

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. I got sidetracked for a moment." Zeph put the tablet back into his bag. "On the way back, do you mind if I look for wind weasels?"     

"We will tomorrow, you're too weak now," Bernard turned and smiled. "You really want that cat to fly, don't you?" They started the trip back to camp.     

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After eating dinner, Bernard asked to speak to Alex in private. The two went to Bernard's yurt, leaving Zeph and the rest to watch CV and relax. Before sitting down, Bernard poured a glass of brandy for Alex and himself and began to speak. "What did you think of the boy's performance?"     

"It was impressive but worrying." Alex sipped at his drink. "He has talent, but he's also a bit reckless."     

"Yes, the rash decisions he made are concerning. He is aware of this shortcoming and even told me he has been trying to overcome it. At the end of the fight, he finally started to use strategy, but he still ended it recklessly. Did you know he passed out from magic exhaustion afterword?" Bernard sighed and leaned back in his chair.     

"It's understandable that you're worried. You should take it easy tomorrow. Hunt some smaller prey. I notice he said something about wind weasels at dinner."     

"Yeah, he wanted to hunt some more on the way back tonight. I decided against it, since he needed to recover his magic. You'd think the first thing he'd want to do is sleep. I get the sense there's something is bothering him, but I don't know what."     

Alex scratched his beard a little, "Hmmm, I have an idea about what's bothering young Zeph."     

"What might that be?" Bernard was eager to hear the dwarf's opinion.     

"I think he wants to feel powerful, to feel like he's in control." Alex took a drink.     

"Why?"     

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Zeph was at the gazebo, watching the video of his fight on the CV projector. Bianca went to bed early, and Eli was at his garden. The kitten was on his lap. He was feeling frustrated, so he petted the furball to relieve stress. It worked a little, the soft fur and purring were soothing. The video ended. Just as Zeph was about to play it again, he was interrupted.     

"That was a pretty cool move little dude." Eli was behind the couch with a bag of chips.     

Zeph almost fell off the couch. "Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that."     

"Didn't sneak, you were just way too into it," Eli gestured to the video. "Wanna talk about it?"     

"Talk about what?" Zeph looked confused.     

"About why you're so upset. You looked like someone was making you eat bugs, instead of watching a cool fight where you made a monster blow itself up." There was a loud crunch as Eli started to eat his chips.     

"It's nothing, just frustrated at myself for being reckless like that." The boy sat back down on the couch.     

The elf sat down near him. "Well one of the benefits of having these big pointy ears," he pointed at them, "Is that I'm a good listener. You might feel better after venting a bit."     

"I don't know. Are you okay just listening to me complaining?"     

"No prob little dude, I listen to everyone else complain. Tell you what. I'll even share some of my chips with you." Eli tilted the bag towards Zeph. The boy laughed. It wasn't like the chips were rare goods, but the gesture was appreciated.     

Zeph began to talk about his day. When he got to the part about the wind weasel, Eli laughed remembering the video. The boy was annoyed for a bit, so the elf used more chips to calm his anger. After finishing his story, Zeph waited for Eli's opinion.     

"Well, you shouldn't beat yourself up over it man. Sure you were careless, reckless, and lost your cool there at the end, but you're just twelve. You're not some experienced old wizard like Mr. Malston. It's understandable that your emotions get the better of you. After all, you've already been through so much." Eli set down the bag of chips and looked at Zeph seriously. "Alex said that we shouldn't talk about it, but he's a dwarf. They're not known for their emotional openness. Little dude, you lost your parents, moved to a different city, and started living with strangers. Losing someone you love takes a toll on you. I know it's painful and it feels like you lost your whole world, but you gotta let yourself deal with it. That pain isn't something you hide or run away from."     

Zeph didn't know how to respond. "Eli…I….uh," he was stopped by Eli.     

The elf put his hand on Zeph's shoulder. "It's okay to cry, little dude. I'll give you some time alone." He started walking away. "Oh yeah, you can have the rest," he pointed at the chips.     

Zeph grabbed the chips, his tablet, and his cat. While heading back to his tent, he was thinking about what Eli said to him. 'Eli only said that because he thinks my parents died, but they didn't...I did. I'm not really running away from my emotions, am I?' he placed his tablet and the bag of chips on the nightstand. Guess I haven't really thought about it since I got here. I was too busy being amazed by this world and its magic.' Zeph started to remember his past life. 'Eli was right. I did lose my whole world'. He went to bed, laying the cat down nearby. Memories of family, friends, and everything he left behind began to flood his mind. For the first time since he woke up in this world, the boy allowed himself to cry.     

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