Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.
Fecto Elfilis spent the next month recording the knowledge they held onto into more books for the tower's library. In between those times in the library, Elfilis spoke with Francisca about the issues they were still dealing with.
Whenever Vesa wasn't in the library reading a book from the shelves, she would supervise Kirby and Elfilin whenever the pink star warrior came to visit. Other times, she would watch the Mage Sisters spar in the backyard training grounds.
One day, Vesa was strolling through the tower's courtyard garden. She took note of the different plants in the flowerbeds which she didn't recognize from her own world. The plants which caught her attention the most were the Pop Flowers. She remembered what she read from the book on strange biology earlier this week in regards to such flowers. After gathering magical energy in the air, these pop flowers would pollinate by enticing living creatures to touch them by producing food, star coins and other things when they were wiggled around and opened.
Wanting to test this theory, Vesa walked up to a closed pop flower. She reached out her hand and brushed it along the stem. It wiggled for a moment before a dollar bill popped out while it emitted pollen. Holding the dollar bill in her hand, Vesa gave the pop flower a puzzled look. She didn't expect the flower to talk even if it now opened up in a light purple color. She walked up to another pop flower and tapped on the stem. When the pop flower blossomed with another puff of pollen coming out, a trademarked candy bar she recognized plopped onto her hand. She examined the chocolate bar, recollecting the confectionery shop across the public library her family would sometimes visit.
She snapped out of her thoughts and went back into the tower. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Elfilin as he floated down the stairs. The small chinchilla perked up his ears when he locked eyes onto the human.
"Oh!" Elfilin chirped, "afternoon, Miss Vesa!"
Vesa smiled as the small chinchilla floated over to her in the middle of the foyer.
"Afternoon, Elfilin," Vesa replied, "I must say this tower's garden is quite beautiful."
"Sure is!" Elfilin agreed, "I've been trying to use the powers that Elfilis showed off, but I still haven't quite gotten it unless they help me. It's really hard to control it and my body just kind of turns to goo when I try it on my own."
Vesa blinked.
"Oh," Vesa said, "I see."
Elfilin caught a glimpse of the chocolate bar in Vesa's hands.
"Hey, what'cha got there?" he asked.
"It's," Vesa stammered, "it's a chocolate bar I got from a Pop Flower. I didn't think they'd somehow know a lot about me."
"Well," Elfilin placed his paw behind his head, "it's not really super complicated magic, I think. I'm sure it just connects to what you want in any given moment, or general wants, and depending on how much power they have stored up it changes what they can make. That's what I read in the notebook Elfilis wrote about the plants in the garden anyway. They gave it to me so I'd stay away from the dangerous ones."
Vesa smiled and closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"That's really thoughtful of them," she commented.
Elfilin placed the leather-bound notebook on a counter next to the door before he followed Vesa up the stairs. They both reached the top of the stairs before glancing out the window. From a distance, the small chinchilla noticed a giant beanstalk which seemed to reach the sky.
"Huh, I didn't notice that before," Elfilin proclaimed, "I think I heard someone mention something about it once, but I can't quite remember what…"
Vesa perched her arms on the windowsill as she examined the giant beanstalk. Flowers in full bloom decorated the gigantic vine.
"What'cha thinking about?" Elfilin asked.
The small chinchilla perched on the edge of the window, relishing in the light breeze.
"I don't think Ioskaria had such unique plants like that one," Vesa pondered.
"I certainly haven't seen anything like it," Elfilin shrugged.
Vesa blinked twice as she took a step from the window. She beckoned Elfilin to follow her before she descended the flight of stairs. With the small chinchilla perching on her head, she entered the library. She spotted Elfilis at the table while working on another book. In their hand, they were holding a glass of chocolate milk. Vesa sighed softly as she sat down across from the ultimate life-form, setting the chocolate bar onto the table.
"So how have you been doing today?" Elfilis locked eyes onto Vesa.
"I checked out some pop flowers in the garden," Vesa explained, "when two of them blossomed, they gave me things that were prevalent in my world."
Her eyes wandered to the chocolate bar.
"Including this one," Vesa added.
Elfilis examined the chocolate bar.
"It seems," Elfilis commented, "part of you still desires to return home. I'm familiar with that feeling myself."
Elfilin plopped onto the table and examined the small pile of newly written books. The small chinchilla shared glances with Vesa in a moment of silence. Soon, an idea popped into her head and opened the wrapping of the chocolate bar.
"Would you two like a piece of chocolate?" Vesa asked, "I'll share it with you."
"I really shouldn't," Elfilis slumped their head, "my body hasn't entirely recovered since spending my time…back there. Everything I taste is in heavy extremes right now, and I'm still trying to solve it."
Elfilin sighed before he turned to face Vesa.
"Sure! I'd love a piece," Elfilin chirped.
Smiling, Vesa split a third of the chocolate bar and handed it to the small chinchilla.
"Here you go."
"Thank you!" Elfilin smiled.
Elfilin happily munched on his piece of chocolate. Making a glance at Elfilis, Vesa split the remaining chocolate into two pieces. She held one piece out from across the table while she nibbled on her own.
"I'm saving this piece for you," Vesa offered, "unless you're not interested?"
Elfilis gave Vesa a blank stare in a moment of silence.
"Sorry," Elfilis sighed, "I might want to turn off my taste buds for a bit."
"I understand," Vesa smiled softly.
"Thank you."
Vesa handed Elfilis the piece of chocolate as soon as they shut off their taste buds. Elfilis didn't get much apart from relishing in the experience of sharing food with friends. Vesa and Elfilin savored the sweetness of the chocolate. With the three of them munching on their pieces of chocolate, the human focused her gaze on one particular book. Her face lit up the instant she examined the book's title "Dynamics in Telepathy".
"Oh, that's right!" Vesa blurted, "I haven't been keeping up with my telepathy."
Elfilin perked his ears up just as he finished eating his piece of chocolate.
"Telepathy?" Elfilin paused.
"Well," Elfilis replied, "we haven't done it in a while. Hundreds of years, by my count yet probably less time for you. I'm not sure you would be able to develop the power on your own, though. We'll probably need to start teaching you magic first."
Vesa took the last bite of her piece of chocolate and thought over the offer. She vaguely remembered trying to develop her telepathy during her time in Lab Discovera. She remembered when Elfilis developed a psychic bond back then. Come to think of it, she can't seem to feel the connection anymore. Did she lose it during her time in stasis?
"I might want to borrow that book on the basics of magic, then," Vesa sighed.
Elfilis levitated a book off a shelf and into their hand before they handed it to Vesa. When she opened the book, Elfilin perched on her head as she read through it. The introduction simply explained as to how one would feel for their magic, seeming to involve meditation and trying to reach into their metaphorical core. Blinking twice, she lowered her gaze and ran a finger along her chest.
"So, how do I…?"
"You'll probably need a few hours before you find your magic for the first time," Elfilis told her, "preferably in a quiet room where you can relax."
Vesa continued to read the text as Elfilis finished their piece of chocolate. Their expression hinted they liked the texture, at least.
"Elfilin," Vesa asked, "you explored this place more than I did, right?"
"Yeah," Elfilin nodded, "I've looked around a lot. There are lots of hidden rooms to choose from!"
Closing the book and holding it to her chest, Vesa slowly stood up.
"Do you know of a room that you would consider relaxing?" she continued.
"Well, can't you do it in your own room?" Elfilin suggested, "there are a couple empty rooms in the building I know of, but the heating enchantments haven't been put in yet, so they're still pretty chilly."
Vesa walked around the table as Elfilin jumped off her head. She leaned closer to Elfilis and nuzzled their cheek. The ultimate life-form let out a cute squeak as their chest rumbled with purrs.
"I'll check back with you later," she said.
"Take care, Vesa," Elfilis softly closed their eyes for a brief moment.
"See you later!" Elfilin waved his paw.
Vesa followed Elfilin out of the library and back into the foyer. When they ascended the middle flight of stairs, they checked the hallways ahead of them. She took notice of a lot more doors than she initially remembered. She couldn't help but wonder if the tower had some kind of magical sentience. When Vesa and Elfilin entered a hallway, a nearby door opened and Hyness emerged from that room.
"Oh, hello there!" Hyness blurted, "how are you both doing today?"
Vesa carefully examined the book in her hands while Elfilin peeked through the door. The small chinchilla noticed a telescope inside.
"I remember sharing a telepathic bond with Elfilis back in the lab," Vesa explained, "but I haven't been able to use telepathy since."
"We're looking for some peaceful room," Elfilin added, "she's decided to try learning magic."
"Oh," Hyness offered, "well, there are probably some empty rooms we can use. I'll teach you how to do it just like I taught Elfilis, if you'd like?"
In a moment of silence, Vesa and Elfilin exchanged glances. The human's face brightened with a soft smile.
"I'd like that," Vesa nodded, "thank you!"
"No worries," Hyness gave her a wink, "you're practically part of the family at this point."
Vesa and Elfilin followed Hyness down the hallway. They entered an empty room with a floor which seemed to be made of solid wood rather than individual planks.
"This should work," Hyness smiled.
The wizard pulled out some chalk and drew a large circle on the floor, followed up by some lines and connected it into a large six-pointed star with a shape in the middle that resembled two triangles touching each other. Elfilin touched down on the floor and examined the circle. She didn't recognize the symbol, even if it happened to be some kind of rune.
"Alright," Hyness instructed, "so we'll do this one at a time. You'll just need to sit in the center and try to meditate. I'll try and guide you through the process if needed."
"Ok," Vesa nodded.
Vesa set down the book and sat in the middle of the circle, crossing her legs and perching her hands on her lap.
"So this runic circle is keyed to a Dagaz rune; which means Awakening, Enlightenment, Invisibility, Incommunicable Paradox, and Nonduality," Hyness explained, "the specific things we have the rune keyed to are Awakening and Enlightenment. This is to assist you in awakening your magical powers."
Vesa took a moment to process this information and nodded slightly. She straightened her back and closed her eyes. She inhaled slowly through her nose. After a few seconds, she exhaled through her mouth. Her thoughts drifted to her happiest moments in her life in Ioskaria. She reminisced on the days her mother would prepare some tavë kosi whenever she came home from her trip to the emergency room, a symbol of triumph for surviving her sepsis episodes. As minutes continued on, her mind drifted to the time her family went on a trip to see the Ethereal Reef one month before she was even admitted to Lab Discovera. She remembered it was a celebration of her older brother's engagement to his future husband. She remembered admiring the marine critters in the tidal pool. She recalled the different kinds of fish she saw in the underwater glass tunnel. Her mind then drifted to the days she would work on a jigsaw puzzle in her home.
When an hour passed, Vesa's mind finally drifted off to the day of the annual Elfin Blessings, where she had been selected to be the Garden Maiden from a raffle her people held. She remembered dressing in the elaborate dress and headscarf before she carried the incense up the hill. She recalled the moment she placed the incense on the circular pedestal and ignited the contents inside before clasping her hands together.
"May the Dew Blossoms flourish in your light," Vesa whispered to herself.
She felt a kind of gentle warmth in her chest slowly filling her body, her thoughts feeling more clear. Vesa didn't hesitate as she concentrated. She felt that she could move it around in her body a little, though it was like trying to cup water in her hands. Keeping her eyes shut, she steadied her hands on her lap. It didn't seem to help much. Within a few seconds, the warmth faded. Her eyes fluttered open and focused on Hyness.
"Well," Hyness praised, "congratulations on unlocking your magic. It wouldn't have been possible on your own planet since there wasn't any magic at all."
Elfilin levitated off the floor and perked up his ears. Vesa smiled at both of them.
"Thank you," she said, "I guess it's a matter of continuing from there?"
"For the most part," Hyness agreed, "it'll require a lot of practice to be able to cast anything of note, although you might wind up learning you have a specialty of some kind that you find easier to use than other kinds of magic. Plenty of people learn they have some kind of niche that works best for them. My own specialty is enchanting for instance, Elfilis's specialty is spatial magic, and the siblings each have an element they can use best."
Vesa stood up and stepped off the circle. She picked up the book and shifted her focus to Elfilin.
"Elfilis should still be at the library, right?" Vesa asked Elfilin.
The small chinchilla nodded. Vesa and Elfilin stepped out of the room, the human glancing over her shoulder.
"I'll see you later," she said.
"Take care," Hyness waved his hand, "I'll just get this chalk cleaned up."
Vesa and Elfilin made their way back to the foyer and made a beeline for the library. Elfilis was still in the middle of writing out more books. Vesa climbed the stairs with the small chinchilla following close behind.
"Welcome back," Elfilis lifted their head, "I can see you unlocked your magic."
Vesa blushed.
"Ah, you noticed?" she stammered.
"It's a matter of my keen sense for magical energy," Elfilis nodded.
Vesa placed the book in her hands on the table and wrapped her arms around Elfilis.
"Thanks, Elfilis," she smiled.
"You're most welcome," Elfilis chuckled nervously.
Elfilis ran their hand down her back. When Vesa released them from her embrace, she picked up another book on magical theory for beginners.
"Is it ok if I borrow these?" Vesa requested.
"Why else would I set them out for you?" Elfilis perked up their feelers.
Smiling, Vesa gathered the books provided, waved her hand at Elfilis and left the library, determined to study further.
Feel free to make some fanart related to this fanfic!
And leave a review so Kirby can use them to buy snacks for him and Elfilin.