Ethen’s Trial

There was a micro-surge of power in his gut as the magic responded to his Will. The thready and vaporous energy was yearning to become. To act. With carefully organized thoughts flowing in a pattern of energy shaped and twisted. It was only a breach spell meant to open locks. Ethen calmly moved his hands in gentle motions feeling the lock tumblers move in the door like he was connected to it.

Then suddenly there was nothing.

“The fuck just happened?” Ethen attempted to find the power again for this spell. Nothing. Nothing at all!

“Hey, what did you do?” Ethen turned to his mentor who had been watching him for hours with a crooked smile on his face.

“Showing you something, to make sure you never forget that there are powers you can’t even imagine.” He sounded annoyingly confident as usual.

“What do you mean? Please get to a point. I nearly had it this time.”

“Remember what you said earlier. About me being a cheap hack? Let’s review that claim now, shall we?”

Ethen stared at Xen dubious and annoyed. “Really now? Fuck, Jesus—”

“Shutup! How about you make that spell work then?”

Ethen felt his cheeks go red with consternated anger, “I can’t!”

“That’s because you never will cast it as long as I suspend it” Xen leaned forward with a shark like expression.

“What the fuck are you…” Ethen reached out one more time for the power he’d just used moments before. Still nothing. Anger turned to concern.

“I told you that I know things that would make you shake down to your bones.” Xen’s smile fell away to a serious and dangerous look of a monster, “I’ve traced the power you’re using. Zeroed in on the exact moment of your success and with a subtle push of my Will suspended the event from even occurring.”

“Wait… you… You stopped the event from happening? Like, what, you stopped time or something?”

“No, I used Time to see the thread of moments in your life, found that insignificant node of your success that would have happened a minute ago, and stepped on it. It will never happen as long as I hold my foot on that tiny point of time in your life. What you have to ask yourself is, how long can I keep my foot on your neck? What if I can destroy that moment, will I ever be able to use that spell? Ever again?”

Dread seeped into every fiber of Ethen’s body. He frantically reached for the magic he’d felt all day and emptiness was the only thing he found. Deeper yet was a sense that something was missing. Looking into his own memories Ethen tried to put together the spell symbols, hand gestures, and motions to perform the spell. They were fuzzy, unrefined, and nearly faded out entirely. Panic welled inside his chest.

It was easy for Xen. Looking at the man with his punk leather spiked jacket, green hair, piercings, and groomed beard, any doubt of his prowess was obliterated. If Xen wanted to Ethen could be erased entirely.

The sudden realization seemed to inspire a flood of knowledge and power. The spell rematerialized in his mind. Xen had lifted his foot of Ethen’s neck.

“Now open the fucking door, dumbass.”