Chapter 3: I'm getting pretty good at this game

"Okay, so where do we go from here?"

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have answered, 'To Bed for a year or two.' The Chinese have a wonderful curse that so applies to my situation, "May you live in interesting times."

First we agreed that I would continue to refer to them as Mom and Dad because that is basically what they have been to me for about the last fourteen years and the fact that even though I knew that they were not my biological parents, I still love them as if they were. Next on the agenda was our trip the police station to swear out a complaint on my six new "friends", not that I minded, but I could already figure on the trouble it would cause at school with their friends. Lucky for me school would let out for summer in a little less than a month.

I wondered if they were going to go outside like they were or if they would cast some spell or something to look they did before they dropped what ever they did to let me see them as the really are. I heard a strange sound coming from the floor and looked down to see Seraph rolling on the floor sounding like she was having an asthma attack, but it was just her laughing. Great. If all else fails, I can go on tour and be a cat comedian.

[Watch it buddy, no cat jokes, remember] I heard from her as she calmed down. [They didn't drop any spell. They cast one on you. Now you can see through disguises and even invisible things. You see with true sight].

So we all got in dad's car, a sweet new 2016 Lexus. I guess being the top doctor in town helps when you're getting paid -- not to mention that with his abilities all of his patients get better. Why you would think it was almost magic.

After a short ride to the station, we parked and started to walk inside as one of the "boys" was leaving with his parents -- at least that's who I guessed it was. He took one look at me and turned to the man with him.

"That's him, Dad." he said in a pitiful, whining voice. "He's the one that jumped us."

The man took a look at us. You could see that he was already angry, but his face changed to snarling grimace as he stomped towards us. I could hear Seraph in my head [just watch and learn].

Dad stepped in front of Mom and me, moving his hands in a subtle weaving motion at his sides while speaking three words that I still could not understand. I again felt that strange rushing feeling and saw what looked like a reddish pink mist spread from Dad over the three in front of him. Suddenly as the mist hit them, everything changed; the dad went from being furious to looking like he just awoke from a long and peaceful sleep. His wife and son appeared to be just relaxed and calm. Dad walked forward and spoke softly to the man and then motioned to us to follow him as the other family just walked out to the parking lot. Dad held the door open as we walked into the building.

Once inside we talked to the desk sergeant and were assigned to an officer who pulled up my statement from the other officers and asked a few other questions, but it seemed that Andy had already been in and given her testimony and the video from her phone. The officer said this was just to make sure I wanted to press charges and as I did he filled out the necessary papers. Then we were done until the trial, but he figured that they would plead out long before then.

Going home I still had a million questions, but I was told that they would all be answered as time went on and I learned all that I would need to become the Sentinel of this world. Right now, it was more important that I try to relax and try to eat something. They told me I could have anything I wanted so it was off to Lytle Land and Cattle Company 'cause I had a hankering for chicken fried steak. After a great meal we went home and to bed. Just before I drifted off, I remember Seraph saying [see ya in your dreams].

I woke up the next morning more than a little disconcerted. My dreams all night were about magic and its different types. There are Mages who cast using vocal, somatic components to force 'manna' in the shape of the spell they want. And Sages that also use vocal and somatic components but do so in a sort of prayer to their god/goddess or in the case of Druids to the "Gaia" in order to gain access to the manna. And Runeweavers who "weave" the manna into a physical object from which the spell is cast. And Runesingers that by the timbre of their voice and the intent of the lyrics to entice the manna to do as they wished. And Matrixweavers, but very little was known about them other than they were very powerful, very reclusive, and very VERY insane and not nice people to be around, unless you wanted to be some kind of animal vegetable or mineral. Then there was the Espers (me... tada).

Espers were born that way (along with Matrixweavers), on Elderon. All peoples were born with the potential to use magic, but few were ever awakened to the ability and then trained to the best of their ability. Elderon was a magic rich environment, it seemed that magic and technology walked hand in hand for a while, then magic kinda said "screw this waiting crap" and sprinted forward leaving technology still walking along at the same slow pace. Magic had evolved to the point that almost everything that was done on Earth with technology, was done on Elderon with magic. This was both good and bad.

The good, no air pollution, no reliance on fossil fuels, a better health care system (if you could afford it, same as here), less world hunger issues, less unpunished crime (gotta love truth spells). The bad, well if you mess up a spell then there can be consequences, for example the spell could have the opposite effect, the spell could have a randomly different effect, it could fry the caster's brain in any of several different levels, or in the worse case scenario it could blow up and that entails anything from just killing the caster to (in case of much more powerful spells) turning a city into a glass lined crater (it's been done).

It seems that magic has varying orders in the magnitude of its spells and its casters must progress from what is called the "outer" circle to the "inner" circle before being allowed to be taught the next order of spells. As a caster gains more familiarity with his/her spells they gain a closer connection to the "Cosmic Manna Pool" and can thereby have more energy to cast a few of the higher order spells or a lot of the lower order ones.

Spells are learned by studying under a "Master" as an apprentice or by finding "scrolls", which is a paper/papyrus/velum that has been imbued with the spell and its power so that anyone who can read can cast the spell. A caster finds the scroll and if it is of a type that he/she can use then they absorb the new spell and it becomes theirs.

After soaking up all this knowledge and just before I woke up, I found myself learning how to cast five new spells. One was a defensive psi shield to help guard against physical and mental damage, just not a lot. Another was an offensive psi missile, which sent a "mental" lance into whoever I targeted for a small amount of damage. Another was healing cellular adjustment; it basically increased the body's natural regenerative abilities so that moderate cuts, bruises, and even small broken bones would heal in a matter of moments. And two general purpos3 spells: telekinesis (I could move small objects up to a certain weight (which would increase as I became stronger) quicktime, which I had inadvertently used during the fight. It allowed me to move faster than those around me. Higher orders of this spell would allow me to move exceptionally faster, but would drain me quicker.

Awake and ready for school, I walked into the kitchen to see Mom and Dad sitting at the breakfast table eating something that smelled wonderful. Closing my eyes, I drank in the odor from this delightful substance that smelled like the promise of spring and earthy scent of a new puppy and wildflowers and a thousand different things all rolled into one. Each scent was distinct and separate from everything else.

I opened my eyes to see them both looking at me with smiles on their faces and Dad said, "I take it you would like to try it?"

All I could do is nod as I came forward and sat at the table.

He cut into what I could only call a loaf of bread and placed it on a plate in front of me. I started to get up to get a fork, but he put his hand on my shoulder and said "No, you eat it with your hands. Break off a piece and pop it into your mouth and let it sit for a moment on your tongue before you start to chew."

Taking his word for it I did as he said. When I touched the "bread" I could feel a texture unlike any I have ever felt. It was rough, but smooth; warm, but chilly. A piece broke off with the barest of pressure, but it stayed firm in my hands. I put the piece in my mouth on my tongue and felt my taste buds go ape shit. It was salty, sweet, sour, umami and bitter all at once. However, it was each individual taste as well, and hundreds of combinations as well and if you thought about it for just a moment it tasted like any kind of food you could think of. It was ice cream (butter pecan). It was steak (medium well). It was root beer (ibc, frosty cold). It was hot chocolate, a ham and cheese omelet and anything else that I could think of. Once I started to chew, though it burst into the textures as well.

I finally swallowed and excitedly looked to my dad. "What is this stuff?" I finally managed to get out.

He smiled and said, "Well, since we don't have to hide who and what we are from you anymore, I figured I would let you try a few things from home. That is called "Fasting Bread". About a thousand years ago the monks of my order got tired of the bland diet of just plain bread during our month of fasting (no longer required by the church I might add). So being pretty fair spell casters, they came up with some spells to enhance the flavor of this bread and for the next thousand years they would refine the recipe by adding this or that and casting some specialized spells during the baking process. I just wanted you to see that magic can be used for many other things in life than battle or defense."

I could only nod as I listened to him while continuing to devour this slice of heaven.

Mom laughed as she got up and put her plate in the sink then returned to kiss me of the forehead and kiss her husband on the lips (even after a couple of hundred years they still have it for each other). "See you guys tonight," she said. "If I get this case solved early I hope to be home by four. If not, don't look for me till seven or eight. I've got another cheating husband to get the goods on."

It's easy to be a private investigator when you can just scry for the answers that you're looking for, but you still had to catch them on camera for the attorneys, but she is the best in Texas and she is well paid for it.

I looked at the time and stood up to grab my coat. "Don't be late for rounds, Dad. Remember," I added grinning at him, "those HMOs are counting on you to get those patients out as fast as possible."

With a sour grin on his face, he said, "Don't remind me. If I get one more complaint from them, I'm gonna go back to doing this the mundane way. Then let's see them gripe."