16 Vhalar, 719
The clock struck twelve and a spider began to delve from the table Abra sat at. He was in his home with his head buried in a pamphlet that a crier boy had left at the foot of his door. It was an advertisement for a new business that was opening up across town. He felt intrigue well up inside him when he noticed that it was targeting the poorer demographic. He knew this because the pamphlet listed out things that only the poor would buy. He crumpled up the paper and tossed it into a wastebasket next to him. He locked his fingers and leaned into his desk with a heavy sigh.Things weren’t going so well for Abra’s business lately. Just a few cycles ago his business had been his life. Now he was so caught up with dreamwalking and lending his talents to the Skadiri that he hardly had enough time to dedicate a statue to Chamadarst. That left no time to manage his loans and people were starting to fall behind. He was lacking dedication and his profits were sinking. He wished he could telepathically talk to his favored immortal so that he could get some guidance. Unfortunately books about immortals were hard to come by in Melrath.
He pulled out some paper and started to jot down some notes. “I need to establish work hours,” he thought, “then no matter what I must work on the business unless there’s nothing to do or an emergency comes up.” He also scribbled, “consider using empathy?”
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The knocking startled Abra and his pen slid across the paper and left an unsightly mark. He sighed and crumpled the paper up and added it to the small mountain of discarded notes. “Come in,” he shouted. The door swung open and a familiar face walked in. “What can I do for you,” he said. It was a woman and it took him mere moments to realize who this was. It was the same woman who had come by some time ago to ask for a job. He had told her he would let her work for him if she let him practice empathy on her, but he had made things awkward and she left. He hadn’t expected her to come back at all.
“I heard you’re getting closer to expanding your business. Any good news? I hope you’re still planning on hiring me.” She was as innocent as could be and took a seat across from Abra.
“I said I would hire you if you let me use empathy on you to practice. I’ll be true to my word so you have no need to worry about the job. Expanding is a slow process and there is a lot of paperwork and math to be done. If you’re really hurting for a job you should probably look somewhere else…” The mage trailed off and looked out his window. His eyes gleamed with the ruturer’s witchmark when his gaze extended far into the distance. He cleared his throat and turned back to her. “So is that it?”
“I already have a job,” she said with a downtrodden look, “I want a better future and I’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means having a magician play with my mind. Do your worst.” That was the most consent Abra had ever received. He shrugged and stared into her eyes.
The woman looked at Abra for guidance, there was still fear, but the need far outweighed the terror within her heart. However, that wouldn’t last, sadly enough, but he didn’t warn her. “What should… I do?”
“Just sit there, don’t speak unless spoken to, okay?” The smile on his face was far from charming. The way the corners curled up was sinister and had no shred of remorse seen. However, he didn’t care to be sweet to her. There was no need since she would be under his spell soon enough. Abra stood up and looked at the woman who looked up at him as she waited for instruction. Instead, he took minor steps to get hold over his powers.
He was gifted with emotional manipuation, but he never had the control he needed. Because of that, he was often misguided in his pursuits. However, today, that would change. So, he reached out and pressed the palms of his hands on the side of her face. The woman stiffened under Abra’s touch, but he didn’t care, there were other pressing matters. Feeling the swirl of magic within the core of his body, he drew it out slowly till it reached his fingertips and eased it out of himself till it wrapped around her.
“Ehhh..” She whispered under her breath in confusion. Abra watched her with a piercing gaze and tried to bring her feelings of calm. The woman’s face twitched, but the terror remained, so he sent another wave, and under his touch, she finally began to relax. There was uncertainty in her gaze, but otherwise, she was no longer trembling under his touch. “How is that?” He asked smugly, a small sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead. “
I feel calm, sir.” She spoke to him with ease; there was no stuttering or fear weaved in her speech. Abra nodded, pleased with his work before he detached his touch from her this time, taking a step back. The spell broken, and she succumbed to her emotions. The fear settled in, and her face went as white as a sheet, the woman stared at him with horror. But as she opened her mouth, he pressed a finger to his lips to remind her of the rules. He was letting his spark go unchecked with the amount of ether it had. It didn’t get this opportunity every day and overstepping was almost guaranteed.
She nodded and kept silent, but tears were forming at the edge of her eyes. The woman was beginning to realize that this man was no mere magician. “Let’s try something different this time.” He mused and raised his hand, fixated in her direction but otherwise not touching her. The negativity swarmed all around her, but he needed to instill more fear into her. “Woman, you need the money to survive, don’t you? If you don’t comply with my rules, then I’ll make sure you live, but everyone else dies.” There was a surge of emotions around her, and his grin became fuller, with his gift, he could see the dark tones forming within her tangle.
The projection signified the heavyweight of her negativity. He couldn’t help but be giddy, and it remained seen in his wide-set smile. His teeth shown, some sharper than others which made his appearance far more terrifying. With his brooding appearance of dark brown hair that hung to his shoulders and brown eyes that in the darkness appeared black, he was terrifying. The woman could only gawk at him, tears now streaming down her face. She was probably a mother or an older sister based on what he saw within her emotions. She feared for some other woman. He pressed harder and used even more ether to figure out the source of why she needed the money.
Maternal instincts wafted around her, so she was protecting someone. Abra was all too happy to manipulate her emotions from fear to calm, the pendulum swinging back and forth as he was trying to garner control. She was mouthing a word to him over and over as he was trying to send the right amount. Not to numb her emotions but to control them as his own. Please. Useless words that meant nothing to him at the end. “I’ll make all your fear disappear.” He whispered to her sweetly, sickeningly so as he sent a stronger wave of his magic to her. Making sure his power weaved with her emotions and suppressed the negative emotions and replaced them with lighter feelings.
He finally got a grasp of his powers, realizing how to match his abilities with the emotions of others. Abra felt triumph as he completely warped her feelings to how saw fit. Her face was now free of terror, a glaze in her eyes as if she was in a state of euphoria. The woman’s head canted to the side, and there was a serene smile on her face, but the tears didn’t stop streaming from her face. “How do you feel?” He asked smugly, his arms now crossed over his chest and he no longer pointed his hand to her. Abra wondered if the effects would still last, but it did.
“Happy, so happy.” The woman muttered in a whimsical manner. She was his test subject, his puppet. There was still much to learn and be made, but a breakthrough was seen. Abra didn’t want to let her go yet. But he managed to think of the potential rammifications of going too far. He calmed his excited spark and he ended the etherical connection.
“That will be all for today then,” he said happily.
