As the shivers secede Lea's body tightened up, convulsed, and he fell face forward onto the ground. Before making contact with though his brain went blank and he passed out, preventing him from experiencing the ripple of pain that coursed across his body.
Light slowly started to pierce the darkness of oblivion and the teen cautiously opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. Coming back to his senses Lea remembered the weird series of events that had led up to the moment of darkness.
Peering around the room he quickly identified the landmark of Merlin's cauldron and confirmed that he was in fact back in the magician's home.
"Ah! You're awake!" the old man croaked and shuffled over to his apprentices' side. "That was a nasty occasion and uncommonly rare. Most people don't touch their maximum expression until years of training and control have passed. What happened boy? What was the idea that drove your energy?"
Lea's worries had been confirmed. Something was different about the dark scenes that he had witnessed, though didn't remember. Was it possible he had extracted energy from both White and Dark? He made a mental note to look up this possibility but for now he would hide it. Not only would Merlin worry about the corner of his mind but he would also have to expose that darkness lurked within him. Now was not the time.
"I chose a memory of my mother tending to a stove. The thing that energized me was the warmth of the flames, that's all." Lea felt a twinge in his chest as he breathed the lie but quickly overcame it when the sorcerer's features relaxed.
"Well then. Looks like we have an exceptionally powerful Fire Mage in our midst!" The twinkle in Merlin's eye and the beaming smile he produced only did more to push the truth deeper down. A slight smile came from the boy's face and then it fell back to it stagnant expression.
Quickly examining Lea one last time before approving him to be good to move, Merlin released him from their studies and urged, "Please go home and get some rest. We are finished for today but this is the start. You will have to learn to control that blast within you and it will take time. But for now, sleep."
Groggily pacing down the alleys he stopped as a group of men in lab coats cut him off. Looking hushed and intent in conversation, they didn't even notice the Lea was there. He continued on his stumbley path, pondering who the men were, and finally reached his house. Pressing with his full weight he opened the door and stumbled in. Flashing a smile at his mother, who was working away at a new batch of wool, and made his way up the stairs. Dumping himself onto the bed he fell into the dream world in only a few breaths and losing all thought of the men in white.
Lea awoke the next morning completely rejuvenated and suspected it was the work of Cure on his body. He had known that Merlin was totally within his powers to conjure up the mystical spell but he didn't realize the distance that his work could travel.
Slipping out of is covers, he went through his morning routine. The door squeaked on its hinges as he slid in the room and took his place next to the man in blue.
Merlin through a few last bushels of a strange weed into the soup, twirled his hand over the top, and then capped the bowl. "Well that is settled for now. On to the day's work."
Stepping away from the tables and cauldron he created the misty white portal. Knowing what awaited him Lea did not hesitate to follow but found himself in a different destination then the previous day.
Gravel, sand, and boulders spread in every direction and extended for as far as his eyes could see. Minor dust storms strung up every so often but died out relatively quickly.
"Given the events of yesterday, I would rather not be responsible for burning down the small remnants of forest that surround our town. This location however, should suffice for the inferno that we will try to contain and control." Though Merlin's words came off a little harsh, Lea could see the traces of awe that the old man had had during the demonstration.
"Now, to begin. Go to your memories and lightly tap into the thought that produced the flames."
The boy absently closed his eyes and flicked through the scenes in his head. Handing at the vision of his mother he placed his palm on the scene but did not allow for it to envelope his surroundings, simply stay as the window that he could peer through.
Non-the-less, Lea was able to feel the warmth emanating from the hearth and circled his wrist to activate the spell. Snapping back to reality, he watched as a column of fire rose to the heavens and then vanished into nothingness.
"Not quite as contained as we want, but a great deal more than the hurricane that ensued before." An encouraging smile urged him to try yet again to contain his power.
Lea entered back into the vault of his memories and once again moved through them to find his mother. As he passed through the collect he felt the presence of those select dark memories in the corner of his vision. He pushed his focus forward and made sure to block out his peripherals.
Finally he reached the familiar scene and instead of placing the full meat of his hand on the window he just lightly touched his fingertips to the scene. Warmth energized him and he completed the ritual to summon Fire.
Opening his eyes, Lea was greeted by an orange orb that glowed slightly above his palm. Lea imagined the small sun levitating away from his hand and up to eye level and the element followed the thoughts.
Testing the control he had over the magic, the teen pictured the globe pulsing in size and then erupting into tiny sparks that would dance as they fell. Almost instantaneously the flames mimicked his imagination, only making the act much more beautiful in reality.
Delight pulled on the corners of his mouth and he turned to his teacher. "How was that? Is that the control you were looking for?"
Merlin nodded with delight, his ecstatic emotions not hidden at all within the wrinkles.
"I think that is enough for today. To home and other things to do." Lea looked perplexed and stared into the sky. The sun had started to set behind the dunes of sand. The journeys into my mind must have taken much longer than they seemed. The boy wondered how he would make the act faster. In his mind only a few seconds had passed.
As the two men entered into the mist between locations, the younger saw a white tail flap from behind one of the massive rocks. Playing it off as a trick of the mind due to the labor he had put it through he entered into the other end of the portal. Not yet wanting to return to his home, Lea stayed in the magician's layer and helped with a few potions before heading to his dwelling.