Private Tales Light At the End of the Tunnel

[Maric]

Maric smiled, shaking his head. "It takes time, Ciana."

There were many people on this journey, many who had walked this same path.

"You can't expect yourself to conquer an Empire in a day." The analogy was an old one, ancient really, but it worked now just as well as it had then. "This will take time. There might be days where you make no progress at all. Others where you move in leaps and bounds."

His head shook. "Magic is...finnicky, It needs time."

Especially an ability such as hers.

"Close your eyes." Maric instructed. "Imagine a stream. A small one, just large enough to carry a paper boat. Now imagine putting your hand in that stream, slowly, gently redirecting the flow of the water. Pushing it in the direction you want it to go."

 

[Ciana]

It wasn't difficult to stay calm and relaxed around him. He had proven his patience, and his voice alone eased her tension. She took his reassurances and breathed deeply as he instructed her, her head nodding slowly.

She thought of the little stream, and the paper boat. Her hand reached out and she imagined the water shifting. She imagined it running back toward her, over her skin, that the warmth she felt was the water she had to redirect. She smiled as she felt it flow through her chest and encircle her arm to pool in her hand before falling through her fingers.

It was light, though, that pooled in her gloved hand. It glowed brighter the harder she focused on it, and when it was finally bright enough she let her eyes open and her cheeks dimpled with the grin she wore.

"It worked!" The burst of excitement she felt seemed to cause the light to flare, enough so that she squinted. She had no idea what to do with it, but she could feel it's flow, just like the stream he'd told her to imagine.

 

[Maric]

"Good!" Maric praised almost instantly.

Positive reinforcement went a long way, and no more was that proven than in this moment when Ciana was practically beaming ear to ear. He could see more than the glow in her hand, but her very soul light up as she felt a spark of achievement.

He smiled wide. "Good job."

The Professor said with a smile.

"Now try to stop it." Maric continued. "Let it glow, let it flow, and then try to cut that flow. Imagine putting a hand in the stream, just for a second. As though you were building a dam."

He continued to instruct her, watching with a careful eye.

 

[Ciana]

A nervous laugh tumbled from her lips as she watched the light dance in her palm and listened to the professor speak, a little puff of pride given at his praise.

"Alright.." she answered uncertainly, biting down on her tongue in concentration. Her eyes closed again and she felt the stream coursing through her. For a moment, the light flared brighter and her hand shook as she struggled to keep control of it, the stream in her mind overflowing as she tried to dam its flow.

She could feel her skin grow hotter and a fine sheen of dewy sweat beading on her face as she focused on pushing back the surge, the more powerful it grew the weaker she became..

"I don't think I can.." her head shook, her eyes closing tighter and her breaths growing heavier in panic.

 

[Maric]

Maric interrupted before the line of thought could carry on too far, before Ciana ended up hurting herself. "That's okay."

His voice was calm, stalwart.

The Professor tried to be the rock that she could hang onto in the middle of the rapids. He tried to be something solid, someone who wouldn't yell or scream. That calming influence that she needed in that moment more than anything else.

"Take a breath." He told her softly. "You'll be okay."

Maric continued on. "This is just a step, nothing more. Not a leap, not a jump."

The words came easy, quickly. Trying to wrap Ciana in a blanket of comfort which would see her calm down from the panic rupturing through her core.

"It will all be okay." He told her calmly.

 

[Ciana]

She tried to focus on the sound of his voice over the sound of her pounding heart, and the panic slowly started to subside as she chose to trust him. She'd be okay.

Just a step..

Ciana pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She started to cool down as she thought of the water receding, and as she closed her hand into a fist, the light snuffed out.

And then, she passed out.

 

[Maric]

Before Ciana could fall to the ground completely Maric suddenly snapped forward. His arms reached out and wrapped around her, catching her just as she was about to tumble onto the hard stones. "Ah."

The Professor said somewhat awkwardly.

"A slight too much." A shake of his head followed the quiet words as he scooped Ciana up into his arms fully. He sighed, looking around the clearing for a brief moment as he wondered if it was safe to create some sort of camp.

After a moment he looked to the driver. "Lets find us a cavern."

He called.

"Somewhere...away from the light." He did not want Ciana to spend these next three months in a carriage. A few hours in a cave was better than a whole existence in a small box.

The carriage driver nodded, and by the time Ciana awoke she would find herself on a small padded bedroll. A blanket draped over her, and the dark of a cave surrounding her.

 

[Ciana]

Ciana groaned at the pounding headache she had as she finally regained consciousness. She sat up with a huff and pressed her fingers to her temples.

"Mh.. I really wish I could stop doing that.." she murmured and sighed as she blinked the glaze from her eyes to take in her surroundings. Her brows rose and she looked up at the roof of the little cavern.

"This is new."

 

[Maric]

There was a small fire that flickered just a few feet in front of Ciana, a pleasant aroma filling the air around it.

Maric sat directly opposite Ciana, with the carriage driver having decided that he would remain outside with his horses and their coach. "Yes."

The Professor told her softly. "I thought perhaps it a good idea you have more...space for once."

Perhaps with a stroke of luck they had managed to find a cave that was more of a cavern. Though it was not massive, what they had found was nearly three or four times the size of Ciana's room. At the mouth of the cave sunlight cast down, illuminating a direct line on the ground that cut just short of them.

"A small glimpse into nature, I suppose." Maric said with a chuckle.

 

[Ciana]

She turned her attention to the light outside, her lips instantly curling. The sound of the birds chirping at one another just outside the cavern echoed around its rocky ribs and Ciana closed her eyes with a soft smile as she listened.

"Hm, yes." she agreed, her eyes opening as she looked to him. "Thank you. I must have been out for quite some time, I'm sorry."

"What you said, about imagining the magic as something else, something that I understand better. It seemed to work perfectly, it was very clever of you." she smiled. "I will continue to practise.." she chuckled. She had a long way to go, but what she'd achieved earlier was huge for her. She could feel the power as though it ran in her very blood, as though it lived in her skin and deep in her very bones. It was real, and as much as it had seemed like it before, it wasn't trying to kill her.

"Do you suppose, that the more I let the light out, the less... weak, I will become? The more able I will be to step outside in the sun?"

 

[Maric]

"There is nothing to apologize for." Maric assured Ciana with a smile. This entire thing would be a trial in the making, he had known that since the very beginning. The fact that she had already made so much progress was utterly remarkable.

He could hardly ask for more. "Magic is...complicated."

The Professor said with a frown.

"It often helps to make it something that is...less so." Instead of contemplating and processing something that made no sense, it was easier to weave it in such a way that it did. A technique that had been taught for centuries, but was more easily said that done. "If you have found something in your mind that works, stick with it Ciana. Don't try to change it."

Better to form a pattern, thus overtime she would be able to perfect it and make it even easier.

Her final question put a slight frown on his face. He considered for a brief moment, and then nodded. "I suppose so...I think right now your body is simply...overloaded, as though you've been carrying a great weight for a long time."

He paused for a moment.

"And yet..." His words were cautious, slow. "I fear if you expel too much energy, it may have the same result. You must take care to keep a balance."

 

[Ciana]

Ciana hung on every word as usual. She had always been a good student, then again everything she'd learned up until now had been normal things that were easy for her to understand. She was supposed to study medicine (whether it was frowned upon or not), but now found herself studying something far more complicated.

She nodded, her lips thin as she considered his words. "I understand.. I'll, try not to harm myself.. or others." she laughed under her breath, though she knew that was a real possibility. "I can feel it, now that I know its there. I felt it respond to me, it's like a warmth, but it grows unbearable right before I black out. I'll practise." she nodded and returned a longing gaze to the sunshine outside the cavern.

"Do you have many other students, professor?" she asked curiously.

 

[Maric]

Maric nodded his head. "Practice is key."

He told her softly.

"I want you to understand Ciana. This is not something I, or you, should expect to master within days or even weeks." Too many made that mistake. Too many thought that they should press themselves beyond their ability. "This will take time, and that's okay."

There was no need to rush, no need to push. They had all the time in the world to perfect her abilities. Years at the very least. "Magic is finicky, pushing yourself too hard will not work."

Not in any capacity that would help.

"I have a few classes I teach." Maric explained. "But I have not taken a...more direct student for quite some time."

Not since his accident. "It was...well, something in my lab that drew me to your home."

He admitted.

 

[Ciana]

Ciana drew a deep breath and let it tumble slowly back out, processing his assurances and warnings. She had been trying too hard. Even as a child, she had never been one to rest until she had perfected something, but she had already suffered the effects of this power for too long, and she had to accept that she was still fragile and that this would take a long time to hone and master.

"I'll take my time.." she agreed, her lips thin with a tight smile.

Her head tilted at him. It was somewhat reassuring that she was his only 'direct' student. She needed all the help she could get.. but her brow furrowed with curiosity at the latter revelation.

"Something in your lab?..What do you mean?.."

 

[Maric]

A slow breath filled this lungs. "It's that gem."

He said with a gesture to the gauntlet she now wore.

"It came into my possession..." For a moment he thought, as though trying to track something in his mind. "Years...ago. Maybe twelve or eleven."

There was so much in his laboratory that it was hard to remember. He had picked up the gem in a small village in the spine, traded for a few bits of bold and the designs of a wagon which would move grain just a bit faster. "It was dormant, entirely quiet until..."

Maric trailed off.

"Until it wasn't." Curiosities like that had always drawn his attention, pulled him like the tug of fate itself.

 

[Ciana]

Ciana's brows rose and she looked down at the stone in the glove, turning her hand over and back and watching the light bounce around inside of it.

"Oh.." she answered curiously. "Why do you suppose it would be linked to me?" she asked in confusion, though her expression paused for a moment as though she had realised something. She didn't voice it however, it was likely some strange coincidence.

 

[Maric]

Maric considered for a moment. "There could be a few reasons."

Magic was a...fickle thing. There wasn't always a straight answer to be had.

"The most likely, I think." The Professor said slowly, hesitantly. "Is it is tied to your bloodline."

A hand gently rubbed over his chin and cheek as he delved into that line of thought. "Likely one of your ancestors once possessed this gem, and thus they...and you of course, are somehow tied to it."

That was his best guess anyway.

 

[Ciana]

Ciana's brows shot up at Maric's answer. "My bloodline?" Putting it that way made it sound so important, like some sort of royalty, and she couldn't help but smirk.

"So you think, whatever magic this is that I have, that my mother had, most likely goes back further, then?" she asked and returned to studying the gem. "It's quite fascinating really." she smiled.

"Perhaps I woke it up that day.. Somehow." she shrugged.

 

[Maric]

"Yes, I am all but sure your mother had the same gift." Maric said with a nod of his head, then gestured to the gym. "And much further."

The artifact alone was proof of that.

Sorcerers did not always come from long blood lines, sometimes they simply...happened, but there were too many clues to think it was anything else with Ciana. Her mother had the same magics, and it was likely that some of her ancestors did as well.

He was sure that given enough time and resources they would likely even be able to trace it. "It is likely."

Maric said with a nod.

"It has always been with you, there are just certain...triggers that bring it to the surface." And what she had gone through...the emotion of it, it made perfect sense. "Now you just have to work on honing it."

The Professor said with a wide smile.

 

[Ciana]

"Hm.." Ciana nodded thoughtfully. "I don't know anything about my mother's family, or where she came from. I don't think she remembered much either, though rumours spread that she was abandoned as a child. She was never really able to fit in there.. A little like me, I suppose." she laughed under her breath and shook her head.

She glanced up at him as he mentioned triggers, her smile faltering for a moment, though she nodded in understanding. "So.. I can use my emotions to bring it to the surface, but.. I should be able to use it without those emotions once I have control?" she asked, his smile easing her.

 

[Maric]

Maric nodded his head, deciding it was more important to address her second point. "Yes."

There was a slight hesitation to his voice.

"Using your emotions will..." The Professor frowned, trying to think about how to best word things. "It will be less...controlled. Dangerous."

It was a warning, though a quiet one. "My hope, Ciana. Is that you won't need to do such a thing at all."

Maric only hoped that he was a good enough teacher to actually magic that happen. A part of him had his doubts that he could still do it, especially before they got to Althhaven, but he was hoping Ciana was a quick learner.

So far she had proven to be.

"As for your mother..." He mused. "I think there may be a way to track her, and your, lineage. Though it will take some time."

A long sigh escaped him. "But I think enough for today, no? How about a quick meal, and some lighter conversation."

Not everything needed to be study all the time.

 

[Ciana]

The girl clung to every word as though his words were some elixir she'd waited her entire life to drink, but as he commented on lighter conversation her cheeks flushed and she dropped her gaze to the little fire with an awkward sound.

"Oh.. Yes, right.." she let out a sigh and nodded. "Sorry." she offered quietly. "It's all just.. A lot." And she felt so far behind. She turned to look outside again, longing in her eyes as she stared at the sunlight. She was still incredibly weak, and she wanted to feel strong, she wanted to be able to go outside.. To stay awake during the day, and the sooner she learned, the sooner she could do that. Learning took her mind off of.. everything.

She remained quiet, idly chewing on her lip as she listened to the birdsong, trying not to allow the fear and pain to seep back in. Clearly, lighter conversation didn't come very easily to her.

 

[Maric]

"There is nothing to apologize for." Maric said with a smile.

He could well understand how she was feeling.

"Something in your life has been revealed to you, something you had no idea about at all." The Professor glanced down at his hands. "It's a glorious sort of feeling. A door opening in front of you, presenting a thousand different paths. It's hard not to want to embark on them all."

Maric's smile grew a bit more distant, as if he were remembering something, then he looked back up at Ciana. "Tell me something."

He mused.

"About your old life, before your gift came forward." Maric asked. "Something that you look forward to doing again."

 

[Ciana]

Once more the way he spoke set her at ease, and her lips curled into a small smile in appreciation of his understanding. She'd try to be a little less eager, but as with everything, Ciana wanted to run before she could walk.

"My favourite thing to do was to paint in the gardens. To paint, I need light." she shrugged. "And, when my mother was alive they used to take me out to a cabin in the country, they taught me to ride horses out there, and I loved to swim in the creek. But I've been held back from doing those things since long before I became sick. Elspeth put a stop to anything she deemed unladylike." Ciana smirked.

"I'd like to do something like that again.." she smiled warmly. "What about you? What else do you enjoy, besides teaching people like me?.."

 

[Maric]

"You will." Maric said, not even a moment of hesitation passing between her words and his.

There was no doubt in his mind that Ciana would eventually master her powers. The way she dove into them made him think it would only be a matter of time. How much was up to her of course, but eventually she would paint, swim, and do whatever else she liked.

That much he was confident of. "Me?"

He mused.

"I like..." In truth Maric had not considered such a thing for a long time. He'd never mused on it, never even really...thought about it. "I like...knowing. Discovering, building."

A small smile touched the Professors face. "There are so many mysteries in this world, I like looking beyond them. Understanding. There is a great satisfaction in it."