No, seriously, everything is on fire.
I didnāt realize that silly spell I muttered as a teenager to create a fireball would magically materialize in the worst possible moment ā in the middle of the most important academic speech Iāve ever given on the effects and benefits of magic users in our society.
People around me were screaming, running around and trying to stop the stage from crashing and burning. Some poor ladyās ponytail had caught fire in the explosion, and others were crouched on the floor, preparing for the incoming smoke that would inevitably crowd the room.
I was stood there on stage, completely still, face ashen, a cold sweat running down the back of my neck, eyes wide as I witnessed the ensuing chaos around me as the stupid fucking spell I created 20 years ago was unknowingly unleashed upon a room full of my esteemed colleagues.
Iād been working so hardā¦ trying so hard, for the sake of magic users everywhere, to fix the laws and change how regular people saw us, and I mightāve just messed it all up because, well, Iām an idiot.
The world has been on edge for such a long time, and since I was young, Iāve been striving to find a way for magic users and regular humans to coexist without being at each otherās necks. My father was a powerful magic user, and my mother even more so. They taught me to be wary of regular humans who couldnāt conjure magical powers, who werenāt blessed with the abilities. But I thought differently. It wasnāt anyoneās fault that some of us got magic and others didnāt. But it was up to us as magic users to make sure things went smoothly.
I went to college for this shit, continued on to get a masters degree and a magic-adjacent legal degree to further my research into the past, present, and project the future of magic users worldwide.
Here, magic is like the constant flow of water in the oceans, or the rays of sun in the sky. It is infinite ā it doesnāt end or cease to exist just because a magic user dies. Itās reabsorbed into the magical spectrum all around us (the āoasis,ā as I dubbed it), and redistributed as the higher powers above see fit. Magic is a good thing, and has been used in a ton of positive ways for a very long time. It can be controlled, it can be adjusted.
On the other hand, some people hate magic, and itās understandable. Some magic users see themselves as better than non-magic users, and decided to own all the resources as a way to make other bend to their will. Obviously itās not fair and those folks donāt speak for all of us. But those folks do tend to be the loudest, the most angry, the most pompous, and the world sees it every time. It pisses me off to no end, and makes shit like this even worse.
As the stage around me begins to crumble, I squeeze my eyes shut, my head pounding at the possibilities of everything going south from here. Although magic is useful and can be controlledā¦ it is also extremely volatile in the hands of a young user, or by an emotional user. One flare of anger or sadness or guilt could unleash a slew of magic that could destroy a small town. Itās happened before. And now people would use this incident to show it would happen again.
And, silly me, I chanted that stupid fireball incantation as an angry eleven year-old because I just wanted to see something burn, I wanted something to be as burnt out and on fire as me. I had completely forgotten what I said, and suddenly I was saying it again on stage.
In the middle of my speech about my academic paper, Iād unknowingly said the words of my incantation and ā fire shot out of me like a water hose, up above all the heads in the auditorium. The fire swirled and swirled mesmerizingly into a tight ball, then boom. Explosion all over the god damned place.
I gritted my teeth. I have to fix this.
I was no ordinary magic user, and my parents made sure of that. I wasnāt from some long line of magic users specializing in fire magic ā I was just a girl who got lucky. I could control and manipulate any kind of flame, and in turn control and manipulate some kinds of magic users. I had some power, and not everyone knew it.
But after today, everyone would know.
I took a deep breath, my eyes flashing open as I held my hands out to the room, palms wide as my eyes pinpointed every bit of burning fire in the room. I couldnāt tell if there were casualties but for now, I couldnāt think about it. I just have to stop this fucking fire.
The familiar tingling sensation in my fingers started, alerting me to my powers being on display. My hands glowed a faint yellow as I tapped into my oasis, willing the fire around the room to come to me.
It was as if a vacuum effect was created, and the fire on the walls, floors, pillars, chairs, attendees, and stage started being sucked into my hands. Slowly, at first, and then very quickly. The suction of my power created a hard vacuum, and it was like wind was blowing as the fire came at me, being absorbed into my hands and body. My clothes were unaffected thankfully, as I only allowed the fire to enter into the exposed bits of skin I had on display ā my face and neck, upper chest, my hands and wrists, and below my knees.
Before I knew it, the fire in the room was gone, and it was uncomfortably silent. No screaming, no shouting, a bit of faint whimpering here and there. I gasped as the last bits of flame was sucked into me, and I fell over on the podium I was standing behind to catch my breath. I did it. Itās gone!
I smiled a little to myself, proud to have diffused the situation. But as I looked up, I saw the faces of my colleagues.
Some looked horrified. Some were in awe. Some were confused, but not in an angry way. Others were confused in an angry way.
āIā ā I started to say, but I accidentally nudged the microphone and loud feedback sounded. I covered my ears as it wrung around me, willing myself to look in the faces of everyone Iād put in danger.
āUmā¦ Iām sorry,ā I squeaked out into the microphone.
The room erupted in shouts. Fuck, everyone is pissed.
This is going to be a long fucking day.
omg yas sheās still got it!! :3
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