A/N: I cannot be the only one who has thought of this, right?
Disclaimer: Pretty obvious that I'm neither Jim Butcher and Diane Duane.
Title: leave the lights on
Words: 562
Summary: Sanya promises that he'll put aside fear for courage.
There is a book. There is a boy. There is a choice.
The pages appear normal, the block letters tiny and neat, but the boy is hesitant.
"There is no such thing as magic," he says, but still he turns the pages with an idle hand. Flashes of words catch his eye – temporal frequencies, spell matrices major and minor, power balancing rituals, and there is Timeheart.
He pauses. He reads.
What is loved lives, he sees, hands shaking at the thought of his forgotten father. Could a memory be preserved? A fantasy of what a father should be instead of the man that made the choice to walk away?
The Universe listens.
The choice is yours to find out, the sun shinning through the window says, mingling with the rustling of curtains. The small bedroom is teaming with life, and the boy does not notice yet. He cannot yet hear the wishes of a faraway star, nor the aging problems of the tree that is outside his window has to say. The world is silent and he feels alone.
The Universe waits.
It is willing to wait.
Evil also waits.
It hisses false promises in a coin, talking greatly of power and a chance to be free. It whispers these things to the boy's mind when he least expects it. He finds himself slowly sinking closer to the darkness, reaching for the subtle powers that gain more control over him.
The Lone Power is happy.
When the boy becomes older, he meets another wizard.
"You have a choice," says the wizard. He sheathes his bright blade that is full of sunlight and steel. "It has always been there."
The boy struggles against the whispers and hisses that keep him back. He begs. He fights.
Stay with me, it says. I will give you power and show you wonders. People will fear you as they should.
"You only need to say the words," the wizard tells him. "I know you can do it."
The Lone Power rages. It roars over the boy's senses, causing the lights in the street to go out, windows to shatter, and fear to enter. Shadows surge closer, surrounding them in a veil of nightmares as the city fades away. This is darkness and death and the end. This is entropy when full of anger and madness.
But there is a spark of light. It burns to life in the boy's mind, singing songs of bravery and heart. You have courage, it says. You have a voice. Use it.
The boy opens his mouth. He is no longer afraid.
The Universe listens.
It has always been listening.
It is a new day.
The boy finds a waterlogged book nearby. The pages are torn, the cover dirty from being in the gutter, but the words are clear. He reads the Oath several times, feeling the heartbeat of the world echoing inside of him. He hears the laughter of people, he hears the sun that is reflecting light from the water, he hears everything and anything.
He is no longer alone.
"I'm a wizard," he tells the other one.
The older one smiles kindly. "You have always been a wizard."
"What do I do now, then?"
Shiro gestures to the opening of the street. "Let us find out!"
Sanya moves toward his future, into life and freedom.