Familiar's Calling - The Bond

While faint whispering could be heard just before the Dozhan closed the door, an eerie silence fell over the room as they all shifted uncomfortably.

Chase mumbled to Krista as Jinx was taking a seat, “I was hoping to remain anonymous over this whole destiny thing.” She agreed with a nod of her head.

The Dozhan laughed, and as Sylas arched his eyebrow at him in confusion he explained, “Destiny is funny that way. It often has its own motives and ideas for how it is to unfold. Anonymity is often not something those caught up in its schemes are generally allowed, sadly,” he explained, a mournful tone to his voice.

“Would not anonymity be preferable in such an important destiny as this, where the fate of all magickal beings rests in the balance though?” Sylas questioned his old friend curiously.

The old man shrugged. “Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. Sometimes you need the people to know who and what you are so as to have the right people aid you. The right events, no matter how small, unfold at the precise time they are required. Anonymity can often be a shroud that changes such events,” he explained with a sagely, thoughtful tone. “Destiny likes to surprise us, old friend, you know this,” he added, as an afterthought.

Sylas scowled. “I despise surprises - you cannot plan for them, and they often foul up a carefully laid plan.”

The Dozhan chuckled once again, which made Jinx look at him in surprise, unaccustomed to this side of the highly revered man.

“I know, old friend, I know. Alas, sometimes we must deal with things we despise or detest,” he replied somberly.

Sylas sighed and sank into a chair, massaging his temples with his long fingers. “I just hope the other secret stays that way,” he replied after a moment. Jinx was sure he saw him glance at Chase and Krista as he made this comment.

“Oh? Other secret? What’s that?” the elderly man asked curiously, although Jinx suspected it was a faked curiosity the way his face twitched as if hiding a smile.

Chase cleared his throat. “I believe Sy is referring to Krista and I's newly discovered shared lineage,” he supplied helpfully, as Sylas nodded in agreement.

Krista had her lower lip extended over her top one when she glanced at Jinx, he reassured her mentally with a simple, It’s okay.

“Newly discovered shared lineage?” the Dozhan began slowly before exclaiming happily, “So you know now, do you?”

Krista simply nodded as Chase replied, “That Krista is my sister? Yes, we know. We found out late last night actually.”

The Dozhan nodded and turned to Krista. “And how do you feel about this revelation, Krista? You’ve been rather quiet thus far,” he pointed out kindly.

Krista’s eyes widened at being addressed directly by this man, but she nodded nonetheless, “I’m fine with it. I felt close to Chase the moment I met him anyways,” she replied in a whisper low enough that even Jinx, who was sitting next to her, had to turn his head slightly to hear. As a result he was able to see that Chase was smiling reassuringly at her.

“Excellent, excellent. As to whether that secret will come out, I do not know. However let us get down to business, shall we? We have much to discuss that will aid you on your very long journey,” he replied, suddenly switching to a very serious, business-like tone.

“Discuss? What do we have to discuss?” Chase enquired. “I mean destiny is going to run its own course no matter what we do, so…” he trailed off, a look of exasperation on his face, while Krista and Jinx simply looked confused.

“Yes, yes. You are correct. Destiny has its own path that it will forge, no matter what. It has an end game. However, there are always events and triggers that can alter a destiny, and not always for the best reasons. Therefore we must take action.”

He moved to sit at his desk and gestured at the chairs in front of the desk inviting those of them not already sitting to sit. Jinx watched as Chase sat with a thump in the chair to Krista’s right - leaning on the arm of the chair. Sylas had opted to remain standing, leaning heavily against the back of Chase’s chair.

“Now to start with something important. You need to know about the Malaonus Nor you all bear, Krista and Chase in particular,” he began. “When the four of you combine your powers you must be extra vigilant. This is because when you combine your powers, your individual marks will glow. Not as brightly as they just did out in the hall, mind you, but if not covered by something, the light could attract unwanted attention.” He clasped his hands together, index fingers extended to touch.

“Yeah, we noticed yesterday when we were training out in the forest.” Chase swallowed before continuing, a little embarrassed. “We were kind of messing around, Krista and I were spinning a bottle in the air. Then Jinx made a small ember, and it was sucked into the bottle,” he explained.

Sylas nodded and added, “And I reached out and touched all of their minds so that they could feel when to slow the bottle down to allow the flame to enter it.”

Chase nodded in response. “Anyways, when we did that, the Malaonus Nor began to glow slightly. Then -”

Krista spoke up, cutting across him even as Jinx was remembering the experience vividly. “Then, we lost control of the bottle, and it went flying forwards and the glow faded,” she said, finishing the story for her brother. “It was all very… exhausting, really.”

“Nearly took off my and Sylas’ heads when it did too,” Jinx recalled.

“Well, not intentionally I can assure you,” Chase assured. “We weren’t exactly expecting to lose control of it like that.”

Jinx smirked, “I know. I’m only teasing.”

The Dozhan smiled at the exchange before remarking, “This example is exactly why you need to continue your training; both individually as well as in a group. By training often and combining your powers in a controlled setting, you will be able to avoid such random explosions of energy and magick. By training and combining your powers in a controlled manner, you will be able to slowly release the magick you use when in an uncontrolled, specific circumstance. Rather than having it explode out of you like the bottle suddenly flying forwards at high speed.”

“Yes,” Sylas agreed. “Yes, you are quite right, as usual. Of course, you always had a knack for stating such truths even before your appointment as Dozhan.”

Jinx and Krista shared a glance.

Chase rolled his eyes. “They are old friends from way back, before even I was born,” he murmured to his sister and her familiar. “Sy won’t even tell me how they know one another.” He pouted a bit and Jinx guessed this was a sore point.

The Dozhan overheard this and chuckled. “Now, now, Chase we are all entitled to our secrets after all.”

Sylas rolled his eyes at his companion. Chase made a face but remained silent.

The old man chuckled before continuing with his lecture. “Where was I? Oh, yes. Training together - it is of the utmost importance. You will learn to feel each other’s powers, to feel the intentions of your companions. also of grave importance, and more to do with your own safety, is learning how to hide or disguise the Malaonus Nor.” He looked at Krista and Chase. “ This is of particular importance to the two of you since your particular marks are much larger in surface area than Jinx or Sylas’. That is to say, they naturally will be more visible and give off more light than those of your familiars. The advantage being, of course, that yours can be hidden by clothing, whereas theirs must be hidden by hair alone.” As he said this, Jinx nervously flattened his hair around his ears. The Dozhan smiled at this before continuing, “regardless, it will glow when you use your powers together. That is unavoidable. What you can do to limit the intensity so that your clothing can adequately cover it is crucial, and you can do this in a simple way.” He looked around at the four of them for a moment so closely seated together. “Use distance to your advantage. Surround the target or targets of your spellwork at a distance from each other. This will not only make it far easier to influence the target in whatever manner required, but also make the Malaonus Nor glow less intensely.”

Krista’s eyes narrowed in concentration, as if she was trying to absorb every word, but was still confused to a degree. “Why does the Malaonus Nor glow brighter when we are close to one another?” she asked him, her head tilting to one side.

The Dozhan smiled at her. “Excellent question, my dear. The answer is because when you four use your powers, which are all of the purest magick ever known, the magick seeks out and senses the similarities in your companions’ power, wishing to bond with it - to exponentially increase in strength. Magick always seeks out other magick, and the more similar to itself, the greater the connection. It is much like a witch and familiar who are each other’s true match naturally wanting to find each other to feel and be more complete.”

He took a breath before continuing, leaning backward ever so slightly. “The magick within you, and the magick within Jinx, is a part of the same whole. All magick that emanates from a single celestial bodies influence is part of one whole. It is simply split among those who have the ability to control it. In the case of the four of you, the pure lunar magick seeks out the souls of those it has touched and bonded with - that is to say, each of the four of you - and wants to rejoin through you to reach its full, nearly limitless potential. By deliberately separating yourself through distance as you work, you severely restrict how far the magick will stretch from you as its core before it risks detaching from you and floating off into the ether.”

Jinx spoke up this time. “Detaching? What do you mean, detaching? Why would the magick be at risk of detaching from us if it simply exists?” he asked, a puzzled expression on his pale face.

The Dozhan smiled again. “Yes. Magick does simply exist and is channeled by witches and familiars. However if all magick existed and floated around through the ether willy-nilly, then any magickal being would be able to access any magick, from any celestial body. As you well know, magick can only be channeled from the celestial body you are born too, or in minute amounts, that which exists within a specific family. Thus the magic attenuated and bonded with a specific soul cannot stretch indefinitely away from that soul without the risk of quite literally tearing from the soul it is attached to. Such a tear would physically, emotionally and even mentally - harm the magickal being in question, as well as cause their magick to float off into the ether forever. Of course like any energy, magick can neither be created nor destroyed. But for it to be floating in the ether in such a way makes it effectively useless; it cannot be channeled into any powers. Magick requires an attachment to the soul of a magickal being to channel itself for good or for evil intentions.” He looked around at the faces before him, all listening with rapt attention.

“Magick is a neutral force. It is neither good nor evil, light nor dark,” he continued. “The intention behind its channeling is what makes it good or evil. It is a choice we make each time we use it. All magick wants, all it exists to do, its purpose or reason for being, is to be utilized in some manner. It does not care, nor feel, it simply exists as pure, raw energy with the purity changing depending on, of course, generational considerations. It seeks the easiest route to completion - like water running down a hill. Do you understand now why distance aides you in limiting the glow of the Malaonus Nor?” he finished, questioning each of them with a glance.

Chase and Krista nodded as one, though Chase appeared bored by these proceedings. Jinx tilted his head for a moment, thinking, before also nodding his understanding. The Dozhan picked up on this hesitation however. “You seem like you have something on your mind, Jinx. What is it?”

Jinx shook his head. “Nothing related to the distance idea. I was just thinking about the changing purities of magick, but we can discuss that at a later date,” he replied dismissively, with a wave of his hand.

The Dozhan nodded. “Well, with all that being said, it is imperative that you do mind your distance and keep your Malaonus Nor’s hidden. Keep a shirt or jacket covering them at all times,” he concluded.

Krista’s hand suddenly shot up in the air as if she was in school. She quickly lowered it, blushing furiously, however, as the Dozhan chuckled.

“Yes, Krista? I surmise you have a question?”

Both Jinx and Chase were laughing quietly at Krista. Sylas cleared his throat, moved behind Krista, reached around behind each of them, and cuffed them both upside the head.

“Ow!”

“Sylas!”

He raised an eyebrow and nodded for Krista to continue, as the boys rubbed the backs of their heads, looking mutinous.

Krista smirked. “Thank you, Sylas. Actually, yes, I was wondering... You keep saying how special this mark - the Malaonus Nor, that is - is, and how special we are, but I don’t understand why we have such a physical mark to show this? I mean, if we have to go to all this trouble to keep it hidden and keep our distance from one another when working together magickally - why have such a physical and noticeable mark?” she asked in all seriousness.

The older man smiled at her. “That, Tecyu, is a wonderful question. The simple answer is because you were born under the moon’s influence, under its power.”

Krista’s eyebrows furrowed; her face the epitome of confusion. “But no one else has a physical mark being born under another celestial body. Why do we have one?”

The Dozhan nodded. “You are indeed correct, and if I may add, quite an intelligent young lady.” He smiled kindly at her. She blushed and shrank back in her chair slightly at his compliment. “Don’t be embarrassed, my dear girl, not at all!” He stretched in his seat. “However to answer your very insightful question, I hope you understand by now the purity of the magick that comes from the moon?” She nodded her understanding. “Good, good. Well then, you should understand that to be connected as you all are to magick so pure, so powerful, leaves a mark on your very soul, and by proxy upon your body. No one knows precisely why, but the theory is that to have access to magick so pure requires a kind of outlet to ensure that usage of the magick will not kill you. Like a release valve, of a sort, relieving the pressure of the magick that builds up between usages of your powers. I am sure you know about how magick continually recharges within your body and soul in between usage of your powers? That at any one time, your body can only hold so much power safely?”

All four of them nodded; Jinx was still subconsciously rubbing the back of his head where Sylas had cuffed him.

“Well, then you will understand that when the four of you utilize your powers as one, your combined concentration begins to continually and rapidly recharge your reserves as you channel magick into your various powers. The harder you all concentrate, and the longer, the higher your power reserve of magick stays, potentially overflowing if not for the Malaonus Nor accommodating for this and providing the release valve for the magick that does not make it into your powers as you channel into a particular task or direction. The light or glow is this release.”

Krista nodded, ponytail bouncing. “I see… and if I understand correctly, the reason why our parents do not have magick is because of the power behind lunar magick? It requires a complete purification of our bodies and souls in order to even process the magick?”

The Dozhan nodded. ”Yes, precisely,” he said, and gave her a proud, almost fatherly smile. “Further than that, though, in order for the Malaonus Nor to be able to meld with your skin, to become a part of you, there must be no other traces of magick in you, on you or your family line by proxy. It is… finicky that way. Lunar magick, in general really, is finicky. It is so pure that the tainted magick of the other celestial beings reacts badly with lunar magick - violently, even.”

It was Chase’s turn to express his mild confusion. “Violently? Like…” he began.

“As in, more than once, when a child with magickal parents has been born under the gaze of the moon, the lunar magick combined with the traces of the other celestial being within the bloodline has reacted badly and killed the child. Of course, more often than not the child is killed in the womb and is stillborn,” he explained to their wide, grief stricken eyes.

“That’s terrible!” Krista exclaimed, tears in the corner of her eyes as she fiddled with the crescent moon necklace around her neck. Jinx leaned over and hugged Krista to comfort her, and she buried his face into his neck as tears crawled slowly down her face.

Chase suddenly stood up, his chair scraping on the floor, and walked around to the other side of Krista’s chair, squatting down next to her and rubbing her back in a comforting way as she shook slightly from the tears. A smile of thanks twitched slightly on Jinx’s face even as Krista suddenly sat up straight, turned around in her chair and threw her arms around her older brother’s neck, much to his surprise. He patted her back comfortingly, murmuring: “There, there.”

The Dozhan cleared his throat. “Perhaps this is the perfect moment to leave this discussion for today.” His eyes flickered to the clock on the wall, briefly. “Go home and recover a little.”

He smiled at Krista as she raised her head from Chase’s shoulder, tear tracks running down her face at the thought of all those children who hadn’t made it. Nodding, she sat up, pulling back from Chase, rubbing her face dry.

Once Krista had composed herself and dried her tears, the four of them stood up and - after bowing to the Dozhan and thanking him for his lecture - exited the room.