The Bookstore Mage

Sweat trickled down Lucien's brow as he attempted to manipulate the mana inside his body. He had severely underestimated the complexity of the spell. A quick glance at his phone showed that it was already 3 pm, and he did not have lunch yet.

The telekinesis spell Imer was harder than he first anticipated. Compared to the minor healing one, Tadawsa, the flow of the mana was more difficult to control and extremely hard to follow. This raised a few questions in his mind. Was it related to the absence of hand gestures? What role did they play in the casting process?

Lucien had yet to find an answer to his questions, so for now he decided to just stick to the instructions and repeat the technique for as long as it took. After about 30 minutes of him sitting cross-legged trying to direct the flow inside his body, Lucien got bored.

He stood up and stretched his legs and arms before grabbing his phone to check for places to eat. The promise he had made to himself of not eating until he had successfully cast the spell at least once was completely forgotten. After another 15 minutes of aimlessly scrolling through the internet, he finally settled for a pizza store.

After ordering the food, Lucien turned his gaze toward the book with mixed expressions on his face. After his initial excitement had died down, he quickly realized just how much work it would take for him before he could cast any cool magic spells. Letting out a sigh, Lucien inwardly grumbled under his breath.

"Tsk, why can't things just be easy. Just read the spell once, and boom, a new spell is acquired. How am I supposed to decipher this?" Shaking his head, Lucien forced himself to sit back down and follow the movements of the mana inside his body before he attempted to control the flow.

After another 15 minutes, a sudden knock interrupted his meditation. Lucien hastily jumped and made his way to the door, a teenager with dirty blonde hair was standing there with his pizza. After paying for it, he cautiously scanned his surroundings for any suspicious people and any strange signs of the colorful light particles.

Spotting none, Lucien closed the door and made his way to the counter where he proceeded to eat his lunch all the while forcing himself to read through the book, trying to memorize the flow of mana.

*****

8 pm.

A bloodshot Lucien was staring at an empty cup situated on top of the desk. Veins appeared on his neck and forehead as he tried to move the cup. After what seemed like an eternity, the cup finally moved and was raised a few centimeters above the desk.

Lucien was ecstatic and lost focus causing the cup to fall and roll off the desk to the ground. He stood there with a blank expression staring at the broken glass on the floor before a curse escaped his mouth:

"F*ck"

Grumbling, Lucien grabbed a broom and cleaned the mess before he took the book upstairs. He slipped out of his formal clothes and wore comfortable pajamas before ordering pasta for dinner. Meanwhile, he decided to continue his training, preferably this time on something that wouldn't break.

He started with a coin. Lucien committed the shape of the coin into memory, he formed a strong mental image and slowly guided the mana inside his body. Aiming at the coin with his hand was not necessary, but he felt like it helped so he kept it.

Soon, the strange force seeped out of his body. He saw the almost transparent particles gather around the coin as it began to gently levitate. Excitement filled Lucien's heart, yet he forced himself to remain focused. He willed the coin to fly into his opened hand, and it, slowly but surely.

After that, Lucien made it fly around the room, slowly picking up speed. It was then that the loud knocking on the door downstairs interrupted his concentration, sending the coin tumbling under the bed. Lucien didn't mind, if anything he was quite satisfied with the results of his training.

Lucien then enjoyed his dinner while reading the book. He revised the hand gestures and mana flow for the healing spell before he cast Imer on his pasta, making it fly from his plate and into his mouth. This brought a wide smile to his face as he finally began to feel like a real magician.

By the time the clock hit 11 pm, Lucien was already somewhat proficient in his new telekinesis spell. He could barely make the heavy magic book float slowly. Still, progress was progress, and Lucien was happy about it. After his success, he made his way to the toilet, opening the doors with the use of magic, the smile never quite leaving his face before he called it a night.

****

The next morning, Lucien was awakened by a phone call. Glancing at the screen, he found himself not recognizing the number. Rubbing his eyes, he contemplated whether or not he should answer, before ultimately forcing himself to.

"Hello?" His morning voice came off deep.

"Yes, hello, am I speaking to Mr.Lucien Wood please?" A sweet girl's voice replied.

"Yes, you are. And who am I speaking to?" He asked, still a bit dizzy from waking up.

"My name is Layla, I'm calling you on the behalf of the Hermits group. We would like to extend our invitation to you, for a chance to join us as a fellow Rogue."

"Uh-Huh..." A frown made its way to Lucien's face as he closed his eyes, the sleepiness threatening to overtake him. 'A scam call?' He wondered.

"I just want to confirm if you would be interested in coming over for a visit? We understand that it's difficult to make such a decision, but we assure you that you would not be disappointed! I'll be sending you the details of the meeting place over text, I hope that's okay with you?"

"Uh-huh, sure." He replied, not caring much, part of him wanted to just hang up, but he was too lazy to move. He placed the phone on his face and let the lady keep talking. Her voice was strangely soothing, causing him to let out a yawn.

"Great! Then on the behalf of the Hermits group, I sincerely hope we will see you soon Mr. Lucien. Thank you for your time!"

"You too, bye." He answered, before throwing the phone next to him. The ding sound indicated a new message had arrived, but Lucien was too sleepy to care.

*****

A couple of hours later, Lucien lazily stretched to the side and picked up his phone. It was 9 am, he saw the notification of a new text message and suddenly remembered the strange phone call he had earlier this morning.

Shrugging his shoulders, Lucien opened the text and read for a few seconds before his expression fell. He hastily shot out of bed in shock and cried out.

"What the heck?!"