Tales From Aurialis

Taming the Flame - Chapter6

"Yeah that will make me feel better" Malik thought to himself, having some time to himself before the next class. Lately sadness clung to him like water to a cotton. To make extra money he had been selling his medicine to other Magi. His clan used a type of magic based on emotion. The more inexperienced members were given special drinks to keep them in a neutral state. To him it seemed to do little more than make him feel numb.

Business started when a girl asked if she could have some of it to help her calm her nerves. Malik although the sole prince of the family was not trusted with anything more than his dosage, but the girl offered a great price and he could do a lot with the money. At first, he felt emotions more deeply. His clan were not always sedated in fact while training at home they were not allowed to drink the odd blue liquid.

His first emotions were joy at making the money. It felt great to take off the yolk of his clan, Having the freedom to explore emotion without their nagging. The changes were subtle but the more he revelled in the joy at freedom the more he resented his family for chaining him. Being the only prince was not a mark of pride to him or the clan. They looked down on men for being unable to channel their emotions. While the women could travel between the deepest of extremes between moments, men struggled to mix and transform emotions moment to moment. All his siblings had been off the drug since they were ten years old yet here he was still being forced to drink it. He was glad to be rid of it. It was a symbol of his chains. His mood turned quite grim but still refused to drink it. He would pocket it into a bottle and bring it to the school for sale. The most competitive students began bidding for it. He could only produce one bottle per day but that just made the profit all the higher. The joy of making profit pushed back the hate he was nursing for his family. It was not like he could do anything about it. They were the royals, even if he could over throw them, who would follow him? So, the cycle would go until today something unforeseen happened.

"Sorry. I do not need it anymore since midterms are over, but I would be happy to buy it again when end of term comes around" Without the pressure of exams, most students did not want to buy the drug. He eventually made his way sulking to the top of the library 's spire. The glass glittered as the bottle fell into the forest below. The idea that he thought to throw himself from the top of the tower did not surprise him. In the past days his thoughts had grown increasingly dark. He almost asked one of his sisters for help before becoming angered that they did not notice his suffering, No one noticed, or no one cared enough to notice. It was at this moment an idea brightened his day.

Magi usually went down to the servs side to revel in their superiority but even when on his meds, their cheers made him smile widely. He would go down there before his next class and give them a rousing show. That will lighten his mood. The boy was beaming, and his face seemed to shine as he made his way to the wall lock for the Servs side.

Alice Macey was enjoying her cake as she always did in the servs 's garden. It was a small but relaxing place. There was a moderately large water fountain and the roof open to the air. Usually the bench was filled with students taking in the shade of the tree and chatting, but they often made way for her out of respect for how she treated them.

"Oh, the day just keeps getting better" Alice spoke through a mouth full of cake. She had finished returning marks for her midterms. Some students were sad but a pat on the back was enough to encourage them. Hujinn even seemed to be in a better mood lately. Now the gods blessed her with a magic show. It was bad form for a magi to be entertained by the parlor tricks, but they still brought a smile to her face.

"ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for art,"

Malik threw up his arms as he leapt onto the edge of the fountain.