#magic element

 “Very insightful.” Pidge pulls their eyes away from their inspection to give you a flat look.

 “No, like, hear me out. I can see other’s Quintessence. The color, the feeling, where they’ve been recently. I can see that.” You start to explain.

 “Really, that detailed?” Hunk tilts his head. 

 “Yeah. And that’s why Thace, Ulaz, and Antok are so weird. The three of them didn’t  have  Quintessence.” 

 “But… That’s not possible. All living things have Quintessence. Even the  fae  have it.” Pidge furrows their brows. 

 “I know. But when I poke at them, scan them, look for them, they don’t exist. I don’t have an explanation for Thace or Antok, but I  know  Ulaz’s knife had something to do with his.” You say.

 “Why his knife?” Hunk asks, taking a seat in the lounge chair. Pidge plops down onto the ground beside him. 

 “When he dipped his knife into that bowl it was like, released almost. Just flooded into the room and he healed me with it. When he put the knife back into the water bowl, it was sucked all back into him like a void.” You frown. “And, no, I don’t know how that’s possible.” You say before Pidge can ask. Their jaw clicks shut as they pout, a bit put out by you cutting off their question. 

 “Okay, so say the knife is what did it. Does that mean that Antok and Thace would also have a special knife?” Hunk asks.

 “I don’t know? I don’t exactly run the spooky cult.” You sigh. “But that’s why I was asking Thace about it.”

 “Yeah, in the most straight-forward way. Like, if you were trying to be sneaky and casual about it, that was  definitely not the way to do it.” Pidge pushes their glasses up their nose.

 “I don’t see you going to ask him questions.” You give them a pointed look.

 “Ulaz is a little creepy, sure. And Antok gets a pass to be somewhat unsettling because he’s Captain of the Guard, you know? But Thace doesn’t give off that vibe, man. He just doesn’t.” Hunk shrugs.

 “Explain how he knew the same weird riddle the other two know.” You cross your arms.

 “Easy. Thace has heard them say it before and repeated it back. The way he does with those ‘quotes of the day’ things.” 

 “Ooh, good point.” Pidge nods in agreement.

 “Well, after he said it, I got really sick!” 

 “To be fair, you were sick in the morning. The stress from interrogating Thace could have just exacerbated it.” They shrug.

 “So bad that I was out of commission for two whole days?” You get that they don’t want to believe that their beloved professor is in on something that’s potentially evil, but you wish you could have their level of naivete.

 “You had a nasty fever, man,” Hunk says. You throw your arms up in defeat. This is going nowhere fast. Or well, it’s going somewhere, but not where you want it to go.

 “Okay, okay.” Pidge holds their hands up. “Let’s run with this theory then. Thace, Ulaz, and Antok are all in this creepy knife cult thing.”

 “What’s their purpose?” Hunk asks.

 “And how do they plan on following through on it?” Pidge nods.

 “I… don’t know.” You sigh. “It’s just a  feeling  I have.”

 “Then you don’t know if they’re for sure trying to hurt you.” Hunk points out. 

 “Yeah, they could be targeting someone else and you keep getting in their crossfires.” Pidge agrees.

 “... Keith.” You snap your fingers.

 “What about him?” Pidge raises their eyebrow. 

 “Keith knows about this knife cult. Remember? When Ulaz had left after treating me he said, and I quote, ‘fucking blades’. Which to  me  implies he knows something about those knives.” You point out.

 “Okay, I vaguely recall that.” Pidge hums.

 “Yeah. And I think he was going to tell us about them before that maid had shown up.” Hunk taps his chin thoughtfully. “So I guess that means that we, or well  you  technically, need to ask Keith about this ‘blade’ stuff.” 

 “If nothing else, we could go to Kolivan about it.” Pidge offers.

 “The blacksmith?” You look over at them. 

 “No one knows a blade like he does. And if there’s a cult running around with knives he either knows something about it or knows where to go.” They lean forward on their legs a bit as they look up at you.

 “We have a lead then.” You murmur softly.

 “And a theory!” Pidge gives you a crazed smile. “This is like hunting cryptids.”

 “But with  way  more governmental espionage and  maybe  death.” Hunk whines. “Why does this  always  happen?” 

 “Always?” You give them both a curious look.  What the heck have those two stumbled into before?

 “It makes it more fun!” Pidge looks over at Hunk.

 “It doesn’t.” He whines again.

 “Does too.”

 “Does not.”

 “Does too!”

 “Does not!”

 “Does --”

 “Guys, please!” You cut in. “Time out for a second here.” 

 “Once Hunk admits it’s more fun.” Pidge sticks their tongue out at him.

 “Alternatively, you could tell me what you found? You said you were going to tell me after class, remember?” 

 “Oh, right. From when we were snooping.” 

 “We weren’t  snooping .” Hunk hides his face.

 “Totally snooping.” 

 “Not.”

 “Focus.” You snap your fingers. 

 “Right. Sorry.” Hunk apologizes.

 “Anyway, we were --” Pidge gets cut off by a knock at your door. You sigh heavily through your nose and stand up.

 “Come in.” You call out, making your way to the door. You were expecting maybe Romelle or Allura to be on the other side. Heck, even a maid to let you know something. Instead, it’s Shiro who opens the door and steps inside.

 “Oh, Shiro! Did court end already?” You ask. Pidge and Hunk jump up to their feet and try to greet him properly. 

 “Surprisingly it went rather fast today. Less in-fighting before they could ask for judgment.” He chuckles, waving to Hunk and Pidge.

 “Is everything okay then?” You tilt your head. He looks up at the crystals on your ceiling.

 “While your lesson doesn’t start for another hour, Honerva is here.” 

 “Oh.” You feel a chill settle around the room. 

 “I was hoping to speak with you before you went in.” Shiro pulls his eyes away to look back at you.

 “Sure.” You take a half step back and gesture to the sitting area with Hunk and Pidge. You watch his eyes dart from them and back to you.

 “In private, preferably.” He clarifies.

 “Oh! Uh… Will you two be staying here then or will you be going home now?” You turn to your friends.

 “We’ll probably just study here for a bit.” Pidge shrugs.

 “Yeah, since you’re gonna be busy in the study. And I don’t know if it’d be okay for us to sit in on the lesson.” Hunk rubs the back of his neck.

 “No problem. Maybe I’ll be able to see you two after the lesson.” You give them a small salute before walking towards your door.

 “Oh totally, we want to hear all about it. But be safe.” Pidge says, settling back down on your floor.

 “I will.” You promise, following Shiro out to the hallways.

        He guides you silently, pausing for a moment by a blank wall. He looks down the halls on both sides, ensuring no one is watching. While it wasn’t intentional, it has you on edge. He presses a finger to his lips and taps one of the bricks. Something clicks, and you look around for the source.

        Shiro huffs a soft laugh, and you snap your gaze back to him. He pushes on the wall and you watch as it swings open.  Oh.  You can feel your face heat up a bit before following him into the space he’s opened. Shiro pushes the wall back into place, something clicking once again. 

 “Dark and spooky.” You squint trying to see anything. Your vision shifts, you’re made well aware of where Shiro’s Quintessence is, bottled tight within him but anxiously swirling around. Which only makes you more nervous.

 “You know, if you wanted to make out with me in some hidden part of the castle, you could have just asked.” Well, okay, that wasn’t what you wanted to say. Allura’s going to kill you. Shiro laughs heartily though. You press yourself back up against a wall to give him space.

 “Not quite what I had in mind. I just wanted to talk without eyes and ears on us.” He says. You hear him move next to you and can feel when his arm brushes close to your head as he reaches for something on the wall behind you. You hear him murmur a soft word and then there’s a hiss.

        Overhead lights come to life, small flames flickering in their cages. You take in the hallway you find yourself in. It’s big enough that you and Shiro could comfortably walk side by side, and tall enough that neither of you needs to stoop down. Though you bet Shiro could lay his palm flat on the ceiling if he wanted to. The lights trail off in two different directions, one set to your left, the other to your right. 

 “Where does this place go?” You ask him, looking down both of the hallways. 

 “Not far. They don’t connect to the other wing of the castle, nor do these ones head outside.” Shiro tells you, heading down the right path. You follow behind him quickly, not wanting to get lost. 

 “I’m starting to sense a pattern here.” You tell him, already confused as to where you are in relation to the castle on the other side of the walls.

 “Oh?”

 “You like to talk in mazes.” 

 “I suppose I do.” He stops and turns to face you under one of the overhead lamps. “What can I say, it’s hard to be followed in them.” The secret hall continues behind him, but he makes no move to keep going.

 “Alright Montresor, where’s the Amontillado?” You laugh nervously. He shakes his head with a soft amused huff.

 “There is none, as I said, I just wanted to talk without eyes and ears on us.” 

 “About Honerva?” You ask.

 “Among other things. Are you one hundred percent sure you want to go through with this?” He asks.

 “She’s up to something and we’re the only ones who seem to know. We  can’t let her hurt anyone else.” 

 “But to put yourself in the line of fire…”

 “I need to learn how to control my Quintessence before I go home anyway. It’s a win-win situation.” You shrug.

 “She won’t go easy on you.” He warns.

 “Figured as much.”

 “She  will try to break you.”

 “And I’m made of some strong stuff.” You say. Shiro flexes his jaw, eyes heavy with worry. 

 “Be honest with me, please.” He whispers. “This is dangerous and I need you to not hide behind anything when we talk about this.” You chew on your cheek.

 “Okay, I’m nervous and a bit scared. But if I let myself think about it, what good will it do me when facing her?”

 “Prove you’re still human, you’re still in control of yourself,” Shiro says.

 “...You said you felt like you lost yourself when she taught you, what did you mean by that exactly?” 

 “Just that. Like I was put in the backseat of my own body. I’d see myself do things but I had no control over it, unable to stop or change what I was doing.” He frowns. “And when I  was in control of myself, she’d make me question everything about me. It was becoming hard to tell what was me and what wasn’t.”

 “Son of Mary.” You whisper. 

 “Lance, if… if you start heading down that path, even if Honerva makes you question it, I want you to tell me.”

 “And if I do?”

 “I’ll remove her from the castle, your lessons with her will end, and I will take you somewhere with  real  Priests and Priestesses to make sure you’re not irreparably damaged.”

 “Then what happens if I am ‘irreparably damaged’?” 

 “Cleansing. Therapy for what abilities you have left and what can be saved.” He says.

 “Is that what happened to you?” You can’t help but ask. 

 “Yes. Though, there’s practically nothing left I can do other than keep my Quintessence locked in me. It’s safest for everyone.” He murmurs. 

 “Okay. Okay.” You run your hand through your hair. “Okay. And what will you do if I can’t tell you Honerva’s fucking with me hardcore like that?”

 “...Then I need to ask you for permission now.”

 “Permission to do what exactly?”

 “To restrain you by any means necessary.”

 “I really don’t like how that sounds.” A nervous laugh bubbles up and out of your mouth.

 “It will only last until I can get you moved to a safe place and what was done to you reversed.”

 “But you won’t remove Honerva?” You raise an eyebrow.

 “By that point, I’m not sure how well you’d be able to function without her by your side. Like an addict, we might have to wean you off of her before you can be moved without harm.”

 “Wean me off.” You repeat, the concept so strange.

 “When I had her removed, doctors had their hands full trying to figure out what she could have been giving me to make me have withdrawals so bad. I won’t pretend I know what caused it either.” He frowns. “But that’s why I need permission now, while you’re sane, sober, and fully aware of yourself and consequences.”

 “Can I just request you don’t kill me?” 

 “Request accepted.” Shiro nods.

 “...Permission granted then.” 

 “Hopefully, it won’t come down to that though.” Shiro gives you a small smile and gestures for you to follow him down the hall once more.

 “What else did you need to talk about?” You ask him, walking by his side.

 “You went into the chapel, but I still don’t understand why.”

 “I told you, it was about --”

 “A scavenger hunt, I know. But even so, I don’t understand why you went  in .” He looks over at you.

 “We thought the next clue would be somewhere inside it. I mean, it ended up being a red herring but still. Pidge and I didn’t know how bad the place would be either.”

 “ Pidge  went with you?” Shiro stops suddenly.

 “Y-yes. But they didn’t see or feel anything. Not like I did.” You hold your hands up. “They’re not awakened like I am.”

 “...And what did you see?”

 “ Felt .”

 “Then what did you feel?”

 “Like I was being carved up like a turkey dinner.” You say. Shiro falls silent, looking away.

 “I was told by my grandma that something dark and evil happened there. I was to never enter the place, but also was never to tear the thing apart.”

 “Tearing it apart wouldn’t help what happened. The echoes of the memories would still be there. The blood and misery tied to the earth.” You agree.

 “Even still, there are some in the castle who linger far too close to that place. Honerva is one of them. Do not let her teach you in there. Who knows what would happen to you if she did.” 

 “... Did your grandma tell you what happened there?” You ask.

 “She mentioned the sacrifices, yes. Sacrifices in the names of magicks that should not be done. But no reason as to why it happened.” He frowns. “For my sanity and your health, please don’t go back in there.”

 “I won’t.” You tell him. He nods and looks at the lights. The one above you is burnt out though you aren’t surprised. Shiro reaches up and taps the light, and if you weren’t watching you wouldn’t have felt the smallest of sparks charge in the air near you. The light flicks back to life, a soft purple before blooming into red as Shiro pulls his hand away. He rolls his wrist a few times before shaking his hand out.

 “One last thing I suppose.” He looks back at you.

 “Hmm?”

 “Are you  seeing  something?”

 “What do you mean?” You ask.

 “After everything that has happened, my sight isn’t the best anymore. Sadly, no one on my staff is talented enough to have a sense of Quintessence. Which is why I’m asking you. Are you seeing something that no one else is?” He clarifies. You look away from him. 

        Do you tell him about Keith? You don’t think you can. You also don’t think you could tell him about the Evil Mirror thing, not without some proof that the thing in question is after someone. And you most certainly can  not  tell him about the potential cult that’s forming under his nose.

 “Nothing to report sir.” You say with a light tone. Shiro rolls his eyes with an amused grin. 

 “If that changes, let me know.” He moves closer to the wall.

 “Want me to meet up with you once a week to go over things?” You joke. “Maybe next time it can be in a catacomb or something.”

 “Not a bad idea.” He says.

 “What?”

 “Maybe once a week is too long of a time period between meet-ups.”

 “Asking me to go steady with you?” You tease. 

 “Well, you’re the only Prince for me.” He winks at you. It leaves you a bit disarmed as he pushes a brick that clicks something inside the wall. He peeks out from the crack to look for people coming and going. 

 “I’ll let you know when we can meet up again, make sure nothing is amiss and such?” He looks back over at you.

 “Yeah. Okay. And let me guess, I’m not supposed to mention these secret meetings to anyone right?” 

 “Good boy.” He nods before pressing his finger to his lips. He pushes at the wall and it swings open into a small room you haven’t seen before. You step out of the hallway and into the room, Shiro pushing the wall shut behind you with another click and hiss.

        It’s small and dusty, some desks littered with scrap paper scattered about. It reminds you a bit of the way Keith’s room was before you cleaned it up. Shiro navigates through the clutter with practiced ease that you definitely don’t have. You nearly topple three different piles of junk before the two of you make it to the door.

        He leads you back into the brightly lit halls and walks a bit further down. The next door you two pass, he stops by. He gestures to it with his hand.

 “The study.” He says.

 “I’m going to need to learn where that tunnel is.” You murmur. Shiro snorts softly. 

 “Something tells me you’ll figure it out.” He says.

 “Thank you.”

 “Of course.”

 “No seriously, I mean it. Thank you for… supporting this and everything.” You look up at him. 

 “I still don’t know about this choice, but I wouldn’t leave you to face her alone. Ever.” He rests his hand on your shoulder. “Good luck in there.”

 “What was that about not leaving me to face her alone?” You tease.

 “I’ll be with you in spirit.” He laughs. You give him a half-hearted shove and shake your head.

 “Go on, Your Majesty. I got this.” You roll your shoulders back and settle yourself into your calm, princely persona.

 “Of course, Your Highness.” He gives you a two-fingered salute as he walks away. You shake your arms out and wrap your hand around the doorknob. You take a deep breath and release it quickly, pushing the door open with it.

        High Priestess Honerva is standing in the front of the room. She’s inspecting the chalkboard with a mild curiosity, reaching up and swiping her fingers through the lingering dust on the board. She frowns, displeased, and rubs her fingers together to get rid of what clings to her fingertips.

        Her grey hair is down instead of up this time, she’s wearing a crimson dress with Galran purple accents, but she looks remarkably more approachable than she had at the party. You think it’s due in part to her lack of markings, they had really unsettled you after all. High Priestess Honerva crosses her arms behind her back and hums softly.

 “Good afternoon, Prince Lance.” She finally turns to face you.

 “Afternoon, High Priestess.” You nod politely. She gestures for you to sit at one of the tables in the study. You take the one you tend to sit in for Thace’s lessons. She approaches your desk, standing in front of it as she glances around the room. 

        You feel the shift of her Quintessence, automatically bracing yourself for it. It crawls across the room, over your form, tugging at your Quintessence, before continuing to crawl back to her after its lap. The amount of strength it takes to not shudder at the feeling of her Quintessence is unfathomable. You think pieces still cling to you, a thought that does have you on edge.

 “What do you know about magick and Quintessence?” She asks you.

 “Can’t say I know much. I know Quintessence is in all living things, and it’s like the basis of magick, right?” 

 “I’ve worked with those who knew less. I suppose it’s to be expected.” 

 “What do you mean?” You tilt your head.

 “Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, My Prince, but Kyo͞obəns aren’t known for the most forward-thinking when it comes to magicks.”

 “I… no. We’re not.” You look down at your lap and the hands you have resting in it. Your fingers start to twist themselves together.

 “So what is it you wish to learn from me, exactly? How to hide it or get rid of it? I will tell you, that is not something one can do.” 

 “I don’t expect to get rid of it. I’m tired of pretending it doesn’t have an effect on me when it does. I need to know how to control it.” You look up at her. “If I can control it, I can show the people back home that it’s not something to be afraid of.” You tell her. High Priestess Honerva nods in understanding.

 “I am glad you are aware of the very fortunate position you’re in. You could very well lead your kingdom into a new era with magick at the forefront.” She then turns and heads back for the desk Thace uses. Her fingers pick up a few of the small items she’s rested on its surface, bringing them back to you.

 “In order for you to do these things there are some steps we must take first.” She says, gesturing for you to hold your hands out. You lick your lips and hold them above the table. She sighs softly, spinning one of her own around to get you to flip them palm up for her.

 “Are you right-handed or left-handed?” High Priestess Honerva asks you. 

 “Uh… Both?” You look down at your own hands and then back up to her.

 “Do you favor one over the other?”

 “Not really no.” You shrug. “I even shoot with both hands. I tend to do long distance with my left and mid-ranges with my right though.” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 

 “I’m guessing you’ve never cast anything before either, have you?”

 “Well…” You trail off. “I  have  done one spell before.” You recall the mirror you and Keith charmed together. You should redo the charm on it now that a week has passed.

 “Okay, good. What hand did you cast with?” She asks.

 “My right, I guess? I was to hold something in my ‘non-dominant’ hand which I used my left for in the moment.”

 “Intuition is one of our greatest things. For the time being, I will refer to your left hand as your receiving hand and your right as your projecting hand. If there comes a time you feel you cast better with your left, we will amend the names.” She tells you and then sets a clear stone into your right hand. 

 “Yes, ma’am.” You nod and bring the crystal closer to give it a better look. You watch as it starts turning cloudy, a shimmering blue sparking inside of it. You look up to her and see her nod after a few moments.

 “We already knew this, but it just confirms it.” High Priestess Honerva takes the crystal from your palm and sets it aside, color slowly draining back out of it.

 “Why did it turn blue?” You ask her.

 “It reacted to the color of your Quintessence. As I said, we both already knew the color, but it’s nice to make sure it’s not fluctuating or shifting in ways it shouldn’t.”

 “Is there a way it should shift?”

 “If you’re a Mid-Color it will shift between the parent colors usually.” She hums, placing a grey stone in your projecting hand. 

 “What will this one do?” You ask her, looking at the sigils carved into it. Nothing seems to be happening. 

 “What do you know about Awakenings, My Prince?”

 “Oh! You have to have an Awakening to get full access to your abilities and it keeps you from getting hurt from them.” 

 “Excellent. And do you know how Awakenings are determined?” 

 “It’s by your zodiac. And I’m a Leo... which is a fire sign.” You say and then glance nervously back at the rock in your hand. 

 “For not knowing much, you certainly do have a good grasp on some important details.” She squints at you.

 “My… sister told me a lot.” You huff a nervous laugh, partly telling the truth. “Um, it’s not going to burn me is it?” You wave the stone around.

 “If it does, we can just put you out.” High Priestess Honerva shrugs, rubbing a third stone between her palms. 

        You swallow thickly. You are rather anxious holding what is essentially a ticking time bomb in your hand. High Priestess Honerva watches it with rapt attention as well, waiting for something to happen. The sigils flicker once with a soft honey glow and then fade back out. Nothing else happens.

 “Is it… supposed to do that?” You ask her.

 “Have you been Awakened?” She counters.

 “I think I might have? But it was an accident.” You say. She nods and takes the grey stone from you. 

 “If you had not been Awakened, it would have reacted in line to your strength.”

 “What do you mean, ‘to my strength’?”

 “The strength of one’s Quintessence can vary from person to person. Sometimes it’s weak, barely able to cast a simple spell. Other times it’s so strong, it can rival the Gods themselves.” She then sets the dark, almost black, crystal she’d been rubbing into your receiving hand, her fingers still wrapped around its tip. It pulses with a purple glow that makes your stomach uneasy. 

 “Granted even those who start weak can, in time, strengthen their Quintessence. But well, it’s always best to see where you sit in terms of power out the gate. That way  I  will know what is and isn’t possible for you at this time.” She then twists the stone to the left and you can feel something start to swell in it. “Feel free to drop it when it becomes too much.” She tells you.

 “Drop it?” You look up at her. Instead of replying, she simply removes her hand from the crystal.

        Immediately, a sense of numbing cold rushes down your arm. Quickly following it, a searing heat, then a crackling sting of lightning. It runs up and across your shoulders, pouring into your very core. And then, it hits your throat. Your vision turns white as you’re overwhelmed by pain.

        Every nerve ignites all at once, and they all scream of pain. Your hands clench tight, the crystal digging into your left. It makes it worse. You think someone is shouting, but you can’t tell who.  It hurts.  You’re hardly breathing.  It hurts.  If you try to push it away, it comes back twice as intense.  It hurts.  You try to move.  It hurts.  It takes a lot of effort, too much really.  It hurts.

       You manage to lift your arm and hurl the crystal away from you. All at once the pain stops. You collapse over the desk, hands twitching uncontrollably, and stomach threatening to turn itself inside out. Distantly, you’re aware you threw the crystal at the nearest wall, you’re aware it made a hard cracking noise upon impact, but you care more about trying to breathe and how raw your throat feels.  Were you screaming?

 “I do not recall telling you to throw it like a spear into a bull.” High Priestess Honerva says, stooping down and picking the crystal of unending pain up. 

 “It… hurt.” You choke out and yeah,  you had been the one screaming. She clicks her tongue, inspecting the damned thing for any damage. You push yourself upright on trembling arms and glare up at her.

 “Don’t be upset. It’s the only method of gauging your strength.” She rolls her eyes. “Everyone goes through it.” 

 “...There... should have been... a better way.” You say between heavy breaths. 

 “You were rather impressive, I will admit. Very few hold onto it for that long. King Shiro came not that far behind you the last I taught him, but at least he  dropped it as I had instructed.” High Priestess Honerva sets the death crystal aside. You bite your tongue to keep yourself from saying very unkind things to her about what she did.

 “Though, not everyone also holds onto it like a lifeline.” She comments as if you’re the one to blame for it. And, okay, maybe you are on some level. But still!

 “Do I have a clean bill of health, doctor?” You ask, unable to reel in your snark now that you’ve caught your breath.

 “For now. Do know that you will become great friends with this one.” She taps the bitch crystal with a finger.

 “I don’t think so.” You glare at it.

 “It will be the only way to keep track of your strength and it’s progress.” 

 “And how strong am I? On like a scale of one to ten?” You ask.

 “A scale of one to ten is far too small for any source of power.”

 “Then?”

 “Let’s say that one-hundred is near god-like abilities.  I  am at fifty. The last time King Shiro was in my classroom he was about twenty. And you, My Prince, are currently a twenty-one.” She crosses her arms behind her back.

 “Only one more than Shiro?” 

 “One more is a lot. But another element to consider is how efficient you are with what you have. Here,” She grabs something off Thace’s desk. You don’t have much time to look at it when she’s throwing it at you. Instinctively, you move your hands to catch it before it hits you.

        It’s a piece of scrap wood from what you can see. It’s no bigger than your palm and all its edges are rounded out and smoothed. You look up at her questioningly. She clicks her tongue and gestures for you to toss it back to her. You stand up and give it a solid under-arm toss, aiming for it to land neatly in her hands.

        But, she doesn’t move to catch it. Instead, it halts in its movement a foot away from her. You watch as it twists and very slowly moves to her opened hand. She taps the wood block and then gives you another look.

 “Your physical reaction time is impressive. As is your aim, though that is to be expected with someone skilled in shooting.” She comments. “However, I want you to be able to catch and throw with your Quintessence.”

 “I figured I could throw eventually, but not catch.” 

 “Do you know how to draw your Quintessence from yourself?” She asks, inspecting the block.

 “I kinda do.”

 “I felt you playing with it at the party.” 

 “I don’t think I was doing it properly though.” You shrug, recalling what Keith had told you. 

 “Blue is to be drawn up from the throat.” High Priestess Honerva tells you. You nod, aware of this now thanks to Keith. 

 “I think I had been drawing from my solar plexus by mistake then.” 

 “That’s quite dangerous, to draw it from the wrong source.”

 “So I’ve been told.” You chuckle. High Priestess Honerva squints at you, lips pressing into a thin line. 

 “I see. So then are you able to draw your Quintessence from your throat?” 

 “Sorta?” You say. She hums and nods.

 “Using your Quintessence and your Quintessence only, catch.” She then tosses the brick at you once again. You fail spectacularly to catch the wood brick. You rub the spot on your cheek where it collided. 

 “Let me guess, toss it with just my Quintessence?” You grumble. She shakes her head.

 “Walk before you run.” She tells you. You restrain yourself from rolling your eyes and toss the brick back to her.

 “I would’ve been able to catch it if I was more prepared.” You cross your arms. 

 “Prepare yourself then.” She shrugs. You frown and close your eyes, tugging at your Quintessence that seems to be caught in your throat. You finally get it to spill into your mouth when the brick smacks you against your cheek again. 

 “What the heck, I wasn’t ready!” You rub the spot and glare a bit at her.

 “Then you need to be ready faster.” She tells you. With a huff, you toss the brick hard and fast towards her throat. She still halts its movement a foot away from her. 

 “Why, My Prince, almost seemed like you were aiming to hurt me that time.” She raises an eyebrow.

 “Well, you keep aiming for my face, figure it’s only fair.” You shrug. You don’t get much more out because the brick is sailing towards you already. You duck to avoid it, but only by a hair’s breadth. 

 “I’m not ready!” You shout, tossing the block back to her.

 “You need to be ready. You’re a Prince, do you think someone will really wait for you to be ready before throwing a knife at you?” She hisses. Your stomach falls to the floor, a cold sense of dread filling your veins. She’s right and you know it. 

 “Well?” 

 “There hasn’t been any risk to life since my dad.” You say.

 “That doesn’t mean your enemies, their allies, or even your own  people are complacent.”

 “...What do I need to do?” You want to ignore her implication that your own people would turn on you.

 “You keep starting from the ground level each time, you need to have some of your Quintessence ready to strike already.” She says. You chew on your cheek as you consider this information. 

 “So pull it and just always have it floating around me?” You ask.

 “It doesn’t need to be all of it unless you want to step outside of your mortal body and leave it behind.”

 “I  knew  I had to be grounded.” You murmur to yourself. Wait till you tell Keith how wrong he was.

 “Being grounded is different than being in your body. It’s very easy for you to step outside your body, even if it’s grounded if you pour  all  of your Quintessence out of yourself.” 

 “I think I got it.” You nod. You pull your Quintessence up and -- thwack!

 “Faster.” She says. You glare at her as you toss it back. You still haven’t been able to make your Quintessence surround you when she’s throwing the brick at you again. Your Quintessence spills messily down your chin as you quickly try to do anything with it. Bright blue splattering over the desk and floor, and the brick pelting you in your chest.

 “Disappointing.” High Priestess Honerva sighs. 

 “Shut up. I’m trying my best here.” You wipe your very dry chin off. 

 “You’re the one who keeps arming me. Maybe if you used that brain of yours, you’d be in less of a predicament.” She crosses her arms behind her once again, cold eyes back on you. You grind your teeth together, jaw flexing as you meet her stare. You pull your Quintessence from your throat and let it spill into the air around you before tossing the brick back to her.

        This time when she throws the brick at you, you encourage your Quintessence to coagulate and wrap around it. From a gentle mist surrounding you to a solid chunk of ice around it. While the brick doesn’t stop, it certainly slows down enough for you to be able to pluck it out of the air before it gets too close to you.

 “That’s more like it.” High Priestess Honerva smiles. You let your Quintessence relax, tossing the brick back to her. 

 “Faster though right?” You ask. 

 “You need to be able to bring your instincts with Quintessence to the same level,” She tosses the brick. “As you other reflexes.” You slow it down again, but not halt it. Your hands still automatically moved to intercept the brick as well. 

 “It will come with time.” She assures you as you toss the brick back to her.

 “Just keep tossing it Hi--”  Toss. You move your Quintessence to catch it, faster. You think of making an ice sheet in front of you, a barrier, and the brick sinks into it. It freezes in place. 

        You release a slow breath, nearly losing your concentration when you realize you can see it. When you realize that, you also notice the brick is forming lines of frost over it. You pull your Quintessence away from it in a panic. It falls to the floor with a soft clunk on the rug.

 “Why did you release it?” High Priestess Honerva asks. 

 “That… I didn’t mean to do that.” You look down at your hands, flexing your fingers. High Priestess Honerva picks the brick up and sets it in your palm. 

 “It doesn’t matter if you meant to do it or not, the fact is that you did.” 

 “But…” You look at the brick, the wood is splintered where the ice had sunk in moments ago. Jagged lines breaking the once smooth surface. 

 “This is why we practice with objects first.” She tells you. “If that had been a person…” She trails off. Your stomach twists and you set the brick down. 

 “All Quintessence is sensitive to its wielder's emotions. Blues and Reds just happen to be the most temperature damaging. Blue freezing and Red burning.” 

 “And the others?” You ask as you drag your eyes away from the brick.

 “Yellows can cause storms, Greens earthquakes, and Purples well… they tend to have strong breakdowns.  All  Quintessence is dangerous if not controlled properly.” 

 “And Black?” You ask, aware of the dark, sticky, pitch of her Quintessence that surrounds her.

 “There is no such thing as Black Quintessence, just as there is no such thing as White Quintessence.” She says, holding her palm out. You look down at the broken brick and then up to her. You cradle it gently in your hands running your thumb over one of the larger cracks.

 “Throw it back to me, using only your Quintessence.” 

 “I…” You hesitate.

 “You won’t know control unless you try first.” She sighs. 

 “I barely understand how to catch something.” 

 “ Barely  is not the word I would use.” High Priestess Honerva murmurs dryly. You puff out a cheek and just toss the brick back. She lets it float into her palms.

 “If for catching, you’re building a wall of your Quintessence between you and the object, think of a toss as putting all your Quintessence on one end,” She holds her hand flat. “And  pushing .” The brick flies out of her hand before you can blink. It smacks painfully hard into your forehead.

 “ Chingada ma- !” You hiss. 

 “Care to repeat that?” She raises an eyebrow.

 “It means you’re a very lovely person.” You lie, picking the brick up. 

 “It wouldn’t have hit you if you were ready.” She shrugs and waits for you to throw it back. You tug a bit more at your Quintessence. You can feel it dribble just a small bit down your chin, less than before but still occurring. 

        You don’t mind it though. You let it drip onto the brick, seeping into the wood and running down the cracks. It nearly glows from what you’ve poured into it. Strangely enough, you can feel your Quintessence fill the brick, almost aware of every grain in the wood itself. When you shift it towards one side of the brick it tilts in that direction much to your awe. 

        You pull it all to the side closest to you, holding your palm up and looking down your fingers like a sight. It pulses in time with your heartbeat, leaking very slightly from the cracks. High Priestess Honerva watches with a cold-calculation. You imagine pulling a trigger, and you watch as the brick shoots out of your hand as fast as a crossbolt or an arrow. It nearly strikes her in the throat, stopping mere seconds from impact. 

        The two of you both look at each other in shock. Your Quintessence melts out of the brick, dropping to the floor with a wet slap and spattering blue everywhere. It fades out quickly as you draw it back towards you. She twists the brick around and drops it into her hand.

 “Faster than I was expecting for the first time.”

 “Thanks. I think?” You tilt your head. She nods, bringing it back up. You shake your hands out, Quintessence twitching just under your fingertips. This time your catch doesn’t make ice in the brick and doesn't damage it further. On the return, you fire it just as fast, though you do aim for her chest this time, instead.

        You go back and forth with the brick for a bit before she looks it over. Nodding to herself, she sets the brick down on Thace’s desk. 

 “How are your arms?” High Priestess Honerva asks you. You glance down at them, flexing your fingers.

 “Arms are fine. My fingers are a bit cold and stiff though.” You bring them up and cup them around your mouth. You breathe onto them, rubbing them together to get them warm once more.

 “As to be expected. You are putting a lot of your Quintessence into your hands right now.” She picks something else up off the desk. “But you can’t quite let it stop you.” Whatever was in her hands goes flying toward you.

        Piece of cake, you think as you pull your Quintessence up to wrap and submerge it. But, it doesn’t respond the same way as the brick. It slices through and you have to duck. It nicks one of your hands as you bring them up to shield your head before it lodges itself into the desk behind you. Your heart is hammering at your ribs as you slowly turn to look at what she threw.

        Embedded into the wooden desk is a dagger. You swallow thickly, wrapping your hand around its handle and pulling it out. You stand up and turn to her, words dying on your tongue. She just threw a  knife at you. 

 “Well? Are you going to just stand there?” She asks. 

 “Why didn’t it stop?” You choke out.

 “Toss it back and I’ll tell you.”

 “I don’t think so.” You shake your head. High Priestess Honerva frowns and holds her hand out for it. 

 “Try throwing it back, you might be able to see for yourself.” She tells you. You grip it in your hand and try to pour your Quintessence into it. It soaks into the leather wrapping that’s curled around the handle, but the blade itself is resistant. 

        Your Quintessence just slides and slips across its smooth surface. You look up at High Priestess Honerva for an explanation as you try pushing hard into the knife.

 “You see, things that have once been a part of nature, things that once had Quintessence running through it, responds positively and well to it’s manipulation.” She crosses her arms behind her back. “Man-made materials, things without a natural Quintessence, has nothing to channel it through, really. It makes it much more difficult to manipulate it with Quintessence alone.” 

 “I can imbibe the handle.” You say.

 “Leather.” She nods.

 “But since I can only put it in the handle…” You trail off. 

 “Then you must use other means to manipulate the blade.” She holds her hand out for it once more. You grab the handle tightly with your Quintessence, raising your arm. When you throw it you push the handle and watch it spin towards her. 

        Or well, at least in her general direction. You weren’t great at throwing knives. It lands sadly on the ground in between you both. She raises an eyebrow at it and then you.

 “Knives are weird, okay!” You cross your arms. High Priestess Honerva stoops down and picks it up, returning to her spot by Thace’s desk.

 “Of course, my Prince.” You get three seconds notice before the knife is out of her hand and rushing to you. You try wrapping your Quintessence around its handle but you don’t quite make it. You wince as it cuts against your arm and sinking once again into the desk behind you.

 “This sucks.” You look at the two cuts, both aren’t bleeding heavily, which is a good sign. You pull the knife out and turn to her again. 

 “It will take a bit to adjust.” She agrees with you. You hold the blade lightly in your fingers. 

 “Hey, High Priestess?”

 “Yes?”

 “Have you ever heard of a knife being able to seal someone’s Quintessence away?” You ask, thinking back to Ulaz and his wicked-looking blade.

 “I have. But that is on a dark and twisted path. Manipulating something that should not be and locking your Quintessence in it?” High Priestess Honerva shakes her head.

 “Oh… So it’s bad then?”

 “Dangerous, more like. And oft not, dangerous things are bad things. Especially for little royals as yourself.” She then squints at you. “Why are you asking?”

 “Oh, no reason really.” You say like a liar and laugh, unsure why you felt the need to protect Ulaz. Perhaps it would be best if you kept these kinds of questions to yourself.

 “Well, if you do encounter someone like that, I do recommend you stay  far away from them Prince Lance.”

 “Of course.” You nod. High Priestess Honerva looks you over for a few more moments before gesturing for you to throw the knife back to her. 

        Your aim with the knife doesn’t improve, but it doesn’t get any worse. Which you’ll count as a good thing in your book. However, you’re not improving on the catching of the knife either. Gods above your body aches already and this is not helping it. By the time your vision is swimming, your arms feeling like they’ve been dunked in cold water for hours, and your stomach is trying to eat itself; you are littered in cuts from the knife and bruises from the brick she’d toss to keep you on your toes. 

        But your aches, your hunger, your exhaustion, are nothing compared to the raw energy that rushes through your veins. Your arms and throat feel like ice but your core, your blood itself, is burning hot. You feel powerful, strong, and unstoppable. Then the knife sails across the room and buries itself into your shoulder.

        It nearly knocks you back with the force of it, your uninjured arm pinwheeling for balance. By sheer luck, you manage to stay upright. You look down at the knife and wince at how deep the blade is into your skin. Blood oozes around the knife and nearly feels like molten lava dripping down your cold arm. 

        High Priestess Honerva clicks her tongue sharply, disappointed. She stalks over to you the way a predator slowly approaches its prey. It has you drawing your Quintessence around you tightly, instinctively trying to make a wall between you and her. You watch her hand come up and slice through it like butter.

 “Admirable effort.” She hums as she shakes the weak tendrils of your Quintessence from between her fingers. It pulls away from her as she pushes her way through. You can see her breath once she stands in front of you.

 “But you aren’t strong enough to stop another person just yet.” High Priestess Honerva wraps her hand around the knife and yanks it forcefully out of your body. You yelp, pressing your hand to the wound. Hot, very hot, blood seeps passed your fingers and into your shirt. 

 “Move.” She doesn’t give you much of an option or choice though, peeling your hand away and replacing it with her own. 

 “What are you…?” You trail off. 

 “What do you think?” She murmurs, eyes falling shut as her Quintessence swells into the space between you. Your stomach twists violently, your own Quintessence shuddering and pulling away from hers. 

        You can feel her pour herself into the injured tissues, pulling them together like needle and thread until the fibers can hold on their own. It’s painful and everything feels horribly sticky and oily. When she finally pulls her hand away there's just the stain of her Quintessence on your skin. No scar, no irritation, completely healed. 

 “Thank you, High Priestess.” You take a step back from her and she nods, examining the blade. 

 “I think this will suffice for today,” She looks up to you. “How are you feeling?” 

 “A bit tired, mostly hungry.” You shrug and wince slightly at the dull ache and pull of your skin where the knife had been.

 “You will get used to it eventually.”

 “I hope so. But man, I’d kill for a snack break next time.” You huff a soft laugh. High Priestess Honerva looks unimpressed.

 “We fast during our lessons.” She tells you.

 “Oh, well. I guess I’ll just have a big lunch next time then.” You rub the back of your neck. She nods in agreement and walks back over to Thace’s desk. It’s only after she’s packed her things back up you realize she didn’t wipe your blood off of her knife. 

 “See to it you practice some more with what we’ve done today. And My Prince?” She pauses by the door to the study. 

 “Yes, High Priestess?”

 “Do not lie to me again about your knowledge and abilities. It will only hinder your lessons.” She leaves, not letting you get another word in, the door falling shut behind her. 

 “Okay... Weirdo.” You murmur, rubbing your sore shoulder.