Chapter Twenty-Eight: Magic Lesson/Hanging with Blade
Kokiri walked over to the piano and began playing a light tune. "So, who's going exploring first?" he asked.
The hands of Six Shooter and Tunneler went up in the air.
"Sound enough. But can your drill work now, Tunneler?" Kokiri asked.
Tunneler started his drill to show that it could and then he and Six hopped off the couch and left the room.
"Sound enough. Maybe you should go with them Pinhead. Get to know the extra grounds with them. And keep and eye on Six." Kokiri said and Pinhead left the couch to catch up with his brothers.
Blade looked at the door from which the three left, also wanting to refamiliarize himself with the hotel. But his bad leg wouldn't even allow him to stand and the kid had said he wasn't suppose to put weight on it just yet so he was left alone in the room with the brother.
"As for you, Mr. Blade, I like to sort through your memories for a spell." Kokiri said, stopping his playing and beckoned Blade over.
Blade found himself lifted off the couch and floated over to the piano.
"Chug said you shouldn't put weight on your new leg until tomorrow and I don't want to get up. So . . . " Kokiri smiled his smirking smile. "Now, I'll only sort through your memories if you'll let me. I just want to know what happened to you and Jester on that cliff bank." Kokiri said.
"What's there to know? We were attacked. Plain and simple." Blade said.
"Yes, that much is obvious. But this is for Jester's sake. He wasn't so afraid of scorpions and spiders before that and he wasn't so dependant on you for protection. He faired well before you were even an epiphany for creation." Kokiri said.
"So? It's my job as leader to look after them." Blade said.
"Aye, but then there's something else that happened on that day. Something you won't tell Jester about. Something had happened to you as well." Kokiri said.
Blade stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing happened."
"Oh yes it did. And you've been having nightmares about it." Kokiri said, removing his glasses and looking Blade straight in the eyes, his pupils in sharp slits. "So, what happened?"
Blade found it impossible to look away from such piercing eyes and unbiddingly brought the memory forth.
Kokiri caught snippets of Blade running after Jester, comforting him, protecting him, Jester screaming and then . . . .
Blade tore his eyes away from Kokiri and squashed the memory back down into the darkest part of his mind.
Kokiri allowed the space and resumed his playing. "I can wait until you're ready to talk." he said. "But I would like a closer look at the spiders and scorpions." he added after a few seconds of quiet.
Blade looked back and noticed that the green eyes seem to have a faint glow to them.
"Before my eyes absorb any more light from the fire." Kokiri smiled.
"Your eyes absorb light?" Blade asked.
"Yeah, helps big time in the dark when me and Chugs are trapped in the dark. That and sonar pulses." Kokiri answered.
"Sonar pulses? You're a fox, you don't do sonar." Blade said.
"Magic-wise, of course. Would you like to see how it works?" Kokiri asked, stopping his playing.
"You can give magic?" Blade asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm the Guardian of Magic. I can give and take." Kokiri answered.
"Prove it." Blade demanded and held his arms wide open.
"Alrighty, but first we're gonna need a crowded place." Kokiri said and picked him up and left the room via window and flew to the sky.
"Just what kind of magic do you have?" Blade asked.
"Elemental Powers, flight, shape-shifting, and the usual common kind." Kokiri answered, stopping his flight and looked at the ground.
"What's the usual common kind?" Blade asked.
"Creating and giving life, of course." Kokiri answered and flew towards a green pasture, keeping a hold on Blade's hat.
"Creating life is common magic?" Blade asked, once they landed.
"Yeah, just about anyone can do it. It's a primal technique." Kokiri said and put his glasses back on.
"Primal technique? (Looks up) Why do you wear sunglasses at night?" Blade asked.
"Because my eyes will give me away. Fire light can make them glow pretty bright." Kokiri answered and then shooshed him and crouched down to the ground. "Now, before I give you a sample, can you meditate?" he asked.
"What kind of question is that? Anyone can meditate." Blade answered loudly, feeling a bit smug about not being able to actually talk.
"It's different with magic. You need a focused and disciplined mind."
"Do I have to go 'o-o-ohm'?" Blade chuckled.
"No, it's not necessary." Kokiri chuckled. "People just do that to annoy their customers. Now, here's what you could do instead of proper meditation. Picture yourself in a black void. You may not have blinking eyes, but I assume you can close off your sight." Kokiri said.
"Yeah, I can do that." Blade said and pictured the black void with ease.
"Okay, now imagine a pale blue ball of fire, like a star. That's going to be your core for now." he heard the brother say and pictured the image.
"Can you see it?" Kokiri asked.
"Yes, it's very bright." Blade said.
"Good, now give it a small tap and imagine it rippling outward like a ripple on water." Kokiri said.
Blade did just that and right away the ripple hit many little objects all around him and gasped.
"Do it again." Kokiri said.
Blade tapped the ball and it rippled all around him again, hitting the many little objects. Then one of the little objects caused its own ripple and it soared across the black field as a little blue light.
"Now, place your hands on the ball and imagine a constant ripple."
Blade imagined himself having hands and did as asked. Now he could see what the little blue lights in his vision were. They were crickets.
"Tell me what you see." Kokiri said.
"We're in a field of crickets." Blade said.
"Can you feel them?"
"No."
"The blue ball is inside you, let it fill your sense of touch and let that sense spread throughout your whole being."
Blade tried, but he hadn't been able to physically touch anything for so long he had forgotten.
"Feel the breeze on your face." Kokiri whispered.
Blade did and spread that feeling to the blue ripple and nearly lost focus from the sensation. He could feel the ground beneath his feet, Kokiri's hands around his waist holding him up, the grass gently swaying in the breeze, the crickets on each blade of grass, the formula coursing through his body. He could feel his new leg mending itself, fusing together, the seams of the carved leg was fusing to make the leg whole.
"Do you feel it?"
"Yes."
"Now, add your hearing."
"I'm afraid to."
"Don't be. It's quite relaxing."
"I can feel my leg mending itself. The wood is fusing together. How is that possible?" Blade asked opening his eyes and looking up at Kokiri.
"Oh, you can blame that on me. Look." Kokiri let Blade float in the air, brought his arms up, rolled up his sleeves and made a deep gash in his left arm with a clawed finger. The cut spread open and blood began to rush down but it didn't drip.
Blade watched as the blood ran back up the arm, sealing the wound along the way. "How the hell did you do that?" he asked.
"Blood runs through the veins in a liquid state, like water in a river." Kokiri answered.
"And you've mastered the elements. You can control water." Blade said.
"Yeah," Kokiri sighed and lied down on his back, placing a leg over a knee and let Blade sit on it, allowing his foot for Blade to lean back on.
"What else can you do?" Blade asked.
"An easier question would be what I can't do." Kokiri said.
"Alright, what can't you do?" Blade asked.
"Harm innocent souls and my brother." Kokiri answered.
"That's it?" Blade asked. "So, you can . . .you know?" he asked.
"What?"
"Have intimacy with another person?" Blade asked.
"Yes, but I choose not to." Kokiri said.
"Why? No right person who can win you over?" Blade smirked.
"My brother is my prime concern. My mate is gonna have to make him theirs as well to get my vote of confidence." Kokiri said.
"I suppose I can see that." Blade mumbled and sighed, and then remembered an earlier question. "That common magic you were talking about. Does it have anything to do with sex?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's why it's primal magic." Kokiri answered.
"Having sex is considered magic?" Blade snorted.
"Yeah, basic magic. Giving life is a step above that." Kokiri said and couldn't help but smile when Blade started laughing.
Blade calmed down after five minutes and they both just enjoyed the night air in silence for a moment, listening to the crickets.
"So, can you freeze to death?" Blade asked.
"Nope."
"Can you burn to death?"
"Nope."
"Can you be poisoned to death?"
"Nope."
"Hit by a car?"
"Nope."
"Stampede?"
"Nope."
"Bullets?"
"Nope."
". . . . Starvation?"
"Nope."
"Dehydration?"
"Nope."
"Can you at least be wounded?" Blade asked in exasperation. Kokiri was starting to sounded unbelievable.
"Yeah, but it depends on which level."
"Levels?"
"The Three Levels."
"Oh, ok, uh, the physical level."
"Physical wounds only last a few seconds."
"Mental wounds?"
"God, those are horrible. A few minutes to an hour."
"Emotional level?"
"Oh, those are the worst and highest crime. I'm still reeling from them."
"Oh? What happened?"
"They all stem from a broken heart. Do you really want to hear about that?"
"Of course it does. I think all emotional pain stems from a broken heart. That's why it would be the highest crime to commit, don't you think?"
"Yeah, but no one really wants to talk about it and reliving it, now, do they?"
"Ah, but how else are you going to mend?"
"Fair point. But if you want details, you'll have to talk to my brother."
"Pfft, cheap. Ok, what kind of mentality do you find painful?"
"Good god, where to start?" Kokiri groaned and rubbed his face. "Idiocy! Do you have any idea of how many stupid people are out there?"
"Uh, no."
"Stupidity is the next highest crime ever. There was one person who asked if we could land on the sun during winter when temperatures were 30 degrees lower than summer."
Blade went silent and stayed silent for a good ten minutes. He rubbed his head, contemplated, and tried to say something but could say nothing. ". . . What?!"
"Yeah, a friend of Chugs had a customer asking if there was any gluten in their water and there's a lady somewhere claiming to sell chemical free fruits and vegetables, another one asked if dogs have brains, saying it was a "serious" question. One person claimed that dinosaurs weren't real, just a figment of our imagination."
"Wha-a-at?! There are fossils! And fruits and vegetables are NOT chemical free!"
"I know! But they won't change their minds. One other person believes that nothing natural can harm you, like the sun."
"Sunburn, dehydration, hyperthermia, HELLO!"
"Water."
"Drowning!"
"Fire."
"Oh my god."
"Yeah, mentality hurts."
Blade was at a loss for words. He was once a doctor and he had some knowledge about chemicals in produce, but everything else was common knowledge. These things were taught in schools for crying out loud. The sun was a giant burning ball of fire, there was no way to land on it! "Can we just go home? I need to sleep away this newfound knowledge and forget about it in the morning." he groaned.
"You think that's bad, try to remain professional when a customer asks you how to work a toaster." Kokiri mumbled and flew back to Bodega Bay with Blade in his hands.
"And there goes my sanity."
