"I just can't do it! Ugh! Why can't I get my wand to do anything!"
Sebastian looked up silently, his emerald eye's caught site of Mark Sampson one of their newest students. The young blonde haired boy was swishing his wand back and forth in fast motions trying to get it to work. Sebastian shook his head with a small smile as he looked back at the student in front of him a black haired girl name Rosey Chang. Placing his hand on top of hers he spoke:
"Miss Chang remember magical energy is not within the wand but is within your body itself. A Wizard or Witches wand is but an extension of that power deep down inside. To properly use your wand you must first learn to channel your energy inside and push it through your body, up your arm, and in your wand. Mr. Sampson if you would come here please I will demonstrate."
Mark looked up a little wide eyed having been called on specifically, he stop swishing his wand as he slowly made his way over the class looking on with interest.
"Mr. Sampson I notice your swishing your wand about, as I was telling young Miss Chang here a wand is but an extension of your magical energy. It is what we call a conduit which draws your magical energy in so that you may preform spells. If you please Mr. Sampson lend me your wand."
Mark handed his wand to Sebastian as he raised it in the air, with a gentle swish nothing happened at all.
"Simply swishing a wand will never cast a spell, one of the reasons Witches and Wizards a like use wands is because magical energy is very hard to control without some form of conduit to concentrate it into one significant point. If you would, please imagine that the insides of our bodies are made up of millions upon millions of tiny circuits, these circuits all have the capability to take magical energy and channel it on their own. However because there are so many of these circuits within our bodies, when we try to concentrate our power it is often distributed through many of these circuits at once. It is almost next to impossible for most any Witch or Wizard to use these circuits in such a capacity to cast effective spells. So what we end doing is we channel that energy through these circuits and we use a neutral conduit to contain the energy and concentrate it, thus our wands. Do you understand?"
Sebastian looked around at the class of young kids, they were all looking confused at that moment, with a smile he decided to try another tact at explaining:
"Ok imagine this wand in my hand as a candle, now what do we need to light a candle? Fire right? So we take fire and we light it. Now imagine that the magical energy in your bodies is fire, but lighting this one candle we have concentrated our powers into one place, thus we can use it more effectively. Now imagine that every orifice of your body is made up of millions and millions of tiny candles all with the capability to be set on fire. The stronger the flame the brighter the candle will be. But if we try to light one candle among millions of them, those candles will will light other candles and the fire will begin to spread out, so instead of having one strong flame on one candle the fire was distributed to all the candles around it weakening the flame. So to solve this problem we introduce a neutral candle that is not part of the millions, a stand alone candle that we can concentrate all our fire into thus giving us a strong bright flame. Do you understand?"
The class of kids all nodded their heads at least most of them did getting what Sebastian was going for so he continued.
"The very first step in casting a spell is to first learn to channel our energy inside. This is done mentally, you must will your energy through your body to the point where you desire it to be. Close your eye's all of you. Now I want to think of the words magical energy, I want you to concentrate on those words, and only those words. Once you do this you will begin to feel a warmth within your chest, it will feel weird at first, like your chest is vibrating, that is your magical energy telling you its ready at your command. Once you have found it, think of that magical energy flowing through your bodies away from your chest and up your arms and into your wands. As the energy moves you will feel its warmth go through your body. Once it reaches your wand it will begin to tingle with your energy in your hand."
Sebastian watched his students silently as they concentrated, moving forward he slowly slipped Mark's wand back into his hand while his eye's were closed. As he watched many of the students began to grin, feel magical energy for the first time was always a weird tickle kind of feeling, so he knew they were beginning to grasp the concept.
"Good, good, I think you are starting to understand, once your wands are tingling with your magical energy I want you to think of a very bright light and swish your wands. If you have done this correctly, then your wand will light up."
Sebastian folded his arms, slowly but surely wands started to glow at the tips as the students slowly opened their eye's. Soon enough every wand was lite up and the students were chattering excitedly about it all except for Mark who was literally sweating trying to make his wand work. Sebastian approached Mark and slowly placed his hand on his chest.
"Keep your eye's closed and concentrate Mr. Sampson, I know this first lesson can be tough especially those few students who come here from Earth. I am going to help you, in another second I am going to activate your magical energy inside so you can find it easier. Once I do I want you to memorize that location, and the feeling inside. Once you do I want you to concentrate on that warmth inside and move it to you away from your chest and up your arm into your wand. Three... Two... One..."
Sebastian's hand glowed dimly as Mark's face suddenly lite up with that trademark grin, Sebastian kept his hand on Mark's chest as he felt the energy inside slowly start to move. In another moment the energy went up Marks arm and into his wand.
"Good very good, now think of the brightest light you can imagine and swish your wand."
Mark nodded slowly as he swished his wand, the tip lite up brightly as he slowly opened his eye's and looked at his wand. His eye's got a little wide looking at the bright light on the tip of wand.
"I actually did it!"
Mark yelled it out as Sebastian removed his hand and smiled, the rest of the class cheered happily for Mark as a very loud ding echoed across the training yard indicating it was time for lunch.
"Okay everyone's its lunch time! Report back to the training yard in an hour enjoy your break!"
The students all happily waved at Sebastian and headed for the break area, raising his hand in the air he waved back as he happened to notice the bandage that went from his elbow to his finger tips. The white wrapping was slightly red indicating blood. Leaving the training grounds Sebastian returned to his office inside of the Fire tower across from the indoor classroom. Enter the circled room, he made his away across the old stone that made the floor. The room itself was large and was covered in all matters of memorabilia ranging from many old large books, to pieces of ancient looking armor, scrolls, rugs and even weapons. Removing the pitch black dress shirt he was wearing Sebastian walked in front of an ancient looking full body mirror. As he saw his reflection looking back at him, he couldn't see that young boy he used to be anymore. Even though he was twenty seven his once long brown hair was now short and dyed a darker chestnut brown. His face was covered in a constant five o clock shadow, and his body was now covered in several different markings which looked like common day tattoos. Bringing his arm up he slowed removed the bandage on his arm, letting it drop to the ground his arm was completely black, as if burned by the fires of Dragonspyre itself. Near his wrist Sebastian saw a rather nasty crack in his skin which was bleeding, even though he could not feel any part of this arm, he felt a phantom pain looking at the wound.
"Has it cracked again Sebastian?"
Sebastian looked up at the mirror as his eye's were meant with the reflection of the cheery old man who was the Headmaster. He stood there is his usual stance in a set of large flowing multicolored robes that only he could pull off. Sebastian turned as Ambrose raised his hand and pulls his finger gently through his long white beard. His purple eye's scanned the crack of Sebastian's arm before they meant Sebastian's emerald orbs.
"Would you like Malinda to mend your arm again?"
"No.. I got it."
Sebastian put his opposite hand over the crack in his blackened skin, with a strong green glow the skin crackled. Removing his hand moments later his arm was mended, at least for the time being anyways.
"Nasty thing shadow magic can be, especially shadow fire, it is a curse as much as it is deadly to whomever is unlucky enough to be touched by it. Although those numerous markings you allowed Bancroft to put upon your body look like they might have hurt more. Although it is always a good thing to have protective markings for when times are most dire."
Sebastian nodded as he took one last glance at the mirror, even with the markings covering his body he still could see many of the battle scars covering his muscular physique. With a swish of his hand the bandage on the floor flew to Sebastian's hand, starting at the fingers he wrapped his arm back up with the white cloth making his arm look mummified once more before putting his shirt back on.
"Did you need something Headmaster or are you looking for a lunch buddy?"
Sebastian posed the question jokingly as he buttoned up the black dress shirt and adjusted the hem around his neck.
"Actually I have come to ask of you a favor. I am in need of someone to travel to a distant realm and collect a new student. I would go myself but I fear age might be catching up with me and those long trips have become rather trying on me."
Sebastian nodded his head slightly towards the large chair in front of the fire place, sitting down in the other the Headmaster sat down across from him. Sebastian raised his hand as he snapped his fingers and two can's of pop appeared on the table between them. Taking on of them Sebastian opened it with a hiss and took a long drink from the beverage.
"I see that your still having old Pete deliver those... what do you call them Soda's?"
The Headmaster leaned forward and took the other can it was cold in his hand, with a hiss he opened his own and took a drink coughing a little bit from the fizzle in his throat.
"Sure am Headmaster soda was one of the only things I really ever liked when I was back on Earth. You were talking about picking up a new student correct? Where would this student be? Probably another transfer from Wysteria right?"
"Actually the student is from your home planet, as a matter a fact.. this student lives in the same town that you were raised in for the first part of your life."
Sebastian choked a little on his pop as he turned his gaze to the Headmaster, setting the can down his face gave off a rather perplexed look.
"This student is from Earth, my home town none the less? You know I wouldn't mind picking up a student Headmaster but you do know of my distaste that realm, especially that town... is there no one else that you could assign to escort this student?"
The Headmaster slowly put the can down as he let out a rather long sigh, Sebastian's face crunched up a little at that sigh. In his history with Ambrose that sigh meant he was about to give him news that he was not going to like, sort of like a warning to the storm that was about to come.
"I don't wish to lie to you Sebastian, but I can also not be very specific either... I chose you because it is something I have foreseen. The student I want you to collect is a woman, just a couple years younger then you are."
Sebastian looked away from Ambrose as he shook his head in disbelief, whenever Ambrose had premonitions it meant that it involved something a lot bigger. An when it involved something bigger it almost always meant danger. Sebastian wouldn't lie he did like where this was going, not one damn bit, the last time Ambrose approached him like this it was to send him on a dangerous assignment.
"A woman a couple years older then me? That doesn't make any sense Headmaster, you know as well as I do that students coming to Ravenwood are always young, especially when they come from Earth, you know as well as I do humans do not believe in magic and won't come willingly. Headmaster tell me what this is about, what is going on?"
"I can not tell you much Sebastian, for even I do not know the full facts. All that I know is that this woman is in danger, from whom or what I can not be sure but forces beyond our control are going to try and take her very soon, and it is vital that we find her first and bring her to Ravenwood for her protection. What I saw was that you are the one to find her and bring her back."
Sebastian put his hand over his mouth as his eye's hardened, he didn't want to hear something like this at this point in his life. For the first time in ten years he was just beginning to find peace in his life from all the hell he had gone through, and he did not want to be thrown back into the flames.
"With all due respect Headmaster I stopped caring about this destiny shit when Morganthe nearly blasted me in half on that tower. My story ended when that tower crumbled. My destiny was to stop her from covering the Spiral in Shadow and I did. As far as I am concerned destiny no longer plays any role in the life I live, I live the way I choose now, and I choose not to put myself in danger again."
"Sebastian dark times are coming again and I know you can feel it too. You always had a special gift very much like me. You can feel it in the very air, I know the way you feel right now, but even you know that you can not forsake what has been written or there will be dire consequences."
"Then let there be consequences! What do I have to do to live a peaceful life and not have to fight some battle to protect others anymore?!"
Sebastian charged up from the chair as he yelled angrily at the Headmaster, he had not meant to yell at the man but he couldn't stop himself, he felt so much anger inside at that moment. The Headmaster went silent as he gave that knowing look to Sebastian, sighing he slowly sat back in the chair as placed his hand on his head and let himself calm down before talking again.
"I apologize I should not have lashed out like that Headmaster, its just..."
Sebastian suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up as the Headmaster was now standing over him.
"Sebastian you are like a son to me, from the moment we meant in that alley I knew you were going to be special to me. Not because you were the child of prophecy but because even then I could see something in you that no one else would ever have. When I saw them bring you back from the final battle with Morganthe, and saw you barely clutching to life, I felt so much regret so much... sadness knowing the pain that I caused you over so many years. I couldn't... even imagine you dyeing none the less see it happen. I know in your heart you can't forgive me for my actions involving Rinny, and it won't change how you feel but I can not forgive myself either. She was your light in the dark and I let her be taken away from you because it was her destiny to fall. I don't want you to face danger anymore, you don't deserve to face more peril for others."
Sebastian sighed heavily as he raised his bandaged arm and placed his hand on the Headmasters, all this was happening so quickly and he hated it so much. The Headmaster was right about feeling a darkness in the air, and he was also right about not being able to forgive him. Even after all these years passed he still couldn't let it go, his mind was able to but deep inside his heart could not. But regardless of how he felt Sebastian knew better then anyone what happened when one ignored destiny, it was a fate worse then death.
"I know things have been distanced between us sense I returned from that tower Headmaster, what happened on that tower truly scared me, the darkness that had awakened in me. I have tried to distance myself in fear that the hatred I felt that day might again surface, but I know that no matter how far I run that one day I must face that as well as face the unforgiving in my heart for Rinny's death. I don't want to go to Earth, and I don't want to know what darkness is coming, but I will do it if nothing else then for Rin, because I know what she would do. She was so much stronger then me in so many ways. Tell me what I must do?"
"Meet me in my study in one hour, Falmea will take over your class while your away. An Sebastian, I truly do hope one day that you can forgive me."
As the last words were spoken the Headmaster was instantly gone from the room. Sebastian sighed heavily again. Rin's woulds played through his head again as he sat in front of the roaring fire.
"There will always darkness, but there will also always be light. Even the darkest of nights must give away to the dawn.