Rava’s eyes widened “W..wh what? Magic?” He managed to stammer out, something he had yearned for ever since he saw Lowan use it to dispatch a troll, some sort of spell to increase his speed and strength to superhuman levels, the same kind of spell he had used against him just earlier today.
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Caught in deep contemplation Rava wondered what type of spells he could cast, how did it work? Lowan had never really gone into detail other than how to look for and feel a spell being cast by your adversary, or a monster using its inherent magic to conjure spells and abilities.
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“Follow me” Lowan’s deep and stern voice had called out as he made his way back towards the forest. Rava hurriedly restrapping his leather armor to his legs and half-jogged to catch up to Lowan.
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“Magic is inherent in all sentients born, as well as in all monsters, why is that?” He asked as Rava caught up. “Memone blessed all sentients with the power of magic to fight the monsters ripped from the flesh of the dark god Gul, or so the humans say. The elves say all magic comes from the core of the world through ley lines and wellsprings that geyser mana into the atmosphere, the dwarves say it comes from Haruum the Tomekeeper that wrote the first grimoire. The Enlightened say they blessed the rest of us with magic, I don’t know which is true”
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Lowan scowled “None of them are, magic simply is, all around us, you just have to learn how to manipulate and harness it to your will” he said. “Then why did you teach me what is untrue Sir?” Rava said with an arched brow, he had managed to slip in a record number of questions today, something that usually just got answered with something along the lines of: “Because I said so” or: “Don’t ask questions”
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“To them, it is the truth and they will argue it with you, as for the Enlightened, they’re just pompous pricks and believe their own shit a deposit of the purest gold” He answered and spat on the ground, mumbling a curse under his breath.
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Rava wondered if he should ask Lowan how one goes about awakening their magic but figured the man would tell him whenever they reached their destination. So the trek went by in silence.
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After a few hours of silent walking they arrived in a clearing, surrounded by the same old gnarled trees that constituted most of the forest, however these ones were different somehow, they were closer together, thicker and clad in much more lichen then the other trees, they looked wise somehow Rava thought.
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Inside the clearing there were four cairns neatly stacked in the cardinal directions and in the center a dais with intricate runes that gave the same feeling Lowan did when he was casting a spell, this place was thrumming with magic.
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“Meditate on the platform, remember the breathing I taught you boy” Lowan instructed with a point to the dais, Rava eagerly followed his instructions, taking off his bow and leaning it up against a tree. After reaching the center of the Dais he seated himself with crossed legs and closed his eyes, breathing slowly in through the mouth and out through the mouth.
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“Now feel the energy around you, draw it in with your breath and expel it with force through your muscles, you must will it into a force of magic”. Lowan said and inspected the boy. “If you don’t manage to expel the energy you take in it will poison first your body and then your mind, you will become a monster” Lowan said as Rava’s eyebrows rose slightly.
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“What you’re sitting on is pure Inverite, a highly mana conductive material, and the runes will continuously absorb the ambient mana, speeding up both your poisoning and your awakening” Lowan said with a pause. “You either come out of this a wielder of the arcane or you die by my blade a monster”.
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Lowan sat himself down by the northern cairn which was directly behind Rava, willing the mana into his eyes he kept a close watch on how the mana interacted with Rava.
His eyes widened slightly as he saw the mana shape itself over the boy's back, taking a distinct shape, a Raven.
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“So it is true, the last of the Ravensong” he said to himself and shook his head in disbelief. “May you find rest in the Eternal Rookery… Rivana” he said as his shoulders slumped as much as he would allow. Rava however didn’t face him so he didn’t catch the display of emotion.
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Sweat beaded itself on Rava’s brow as he concentrated, breathing in and thrusting his palm forward to try and expel a blast of wind, fire, mana, anything really. When nothing worked and he could basically feel Lowan’s disapproval he centered himself and took a new breath. “Will it” he thought, imagining a sharp blade of wind and thrusting his hand forward. Nothing.
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After another couple of minutes of trying his breathing became ragged, like he wasn’t getting enough air. “You’re close to turning boy, WILL IT” Lowan growled. Rava opened his eyes, on the cairn right in front of him a Raven turned its head inquisitively to the side and cawed, almost mockingly.
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Rava gritted his teeth and tried again, this time something surged within him and the mana shaped itself into a blade of wind as it left his thrusting palm. Toppling the cairn and sending rocks flying in all directions but towards them. The raven strangely gone without a trace.
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“Again!” Lowan belted out and Rava complied. Sending a blade forward into the toppled pile of rocks.
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“Again!” Came the order, over and over until Rava’s eyes glazed over and he fainted, all the energy expelled from his body.
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