Home
Willow was reeling over just how cool life had gotten. Two weeks ago she had gotten back from Atlantis, and now she was going to be taught magic. Magic! It was almost too much to believe that someone like her could get to learn magic; this was the kind of thing that happened to other people.
Maybe she was another person now. Gone was shy high school geek, now she was Willow, martial arts using, magic learning, superhero of the entire world!
Maybe she should make a spandex superhero costume?
No, no, that was going too far. If she made a spandex superhero costume it would only diminish the coolness that was her life.
Maybe if it was a leather costume instead?
Hmm… That may work.
"Hey, you still with us Will?" asked Xander, bringing Willow back down to earth.
"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry I was just thinking," said Willow.
"Ah the wonders of the Willow Super brain, always thinking smart things that will change the world for the better. To think that one could exist in such close proximity to the Jessie Pervert brain," said Xander in a theatrical tone.
"Hey!" protested Jessie. "I'll have you know that if half of what happened in my brain came true the world would be a much better place."
"Jessie, if your thoughts came true most of the girls in Sunnydale wouldn't wear clothes," said Jon.
"And the world would be a better place, just like I said," said Jessie as his eyes began to glaze over and his imagination began to take control.
Smack!
"Ow!"
"Bro, some day I'm going to have to tell you about Anyanka. If what she's done doesn't keep you from saying stuff like that nothing will," said Xander as he thought of some of the stories his prom date had told him. "Well Willow, this is where we part ways for a while."
"Aren't you going to come in with me?" asked Willow as the group stopped outside the computer lab.
"Nah, I only came down here to offer some moral support, and to annoy Vice Principal Snyder," said Xander. "Seriously though, the first lesson between a student and a teacher is one of the most important, you don't want others around to mess it up."
"Wait a second, we don't get to sit in on the lesson?" asked Jessie.
"No," said Xander.
"Aw man," said Jessie, looking truly disappointed.
"Do you mean you want to learn magic too?" asked Willow, surprised that her friend wanted to learn anything in a school setting.
"I'm guessing that it has less to do with wanting to learn it, and more to do with some of the more interesting rituals he has probably seen described in Wesley's books," said Xander with a smirk.
"What kind of rituals?" asked Willow as she stared at the now blushing Jessie.
"Think about it Wills, when does Jessie usually look this disappointed?" asked Xander as Jessie started to glare at him.
Smack!
"OW!"
"Oh don't be such a baby, I didn't hit you that hard," said Willow.
"It was still tender from last time," said Jessie as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Just be grateful that Jenny isn't here bro, she'd probably be a lot more creative than a simple smack on the head," said Xander.
"I don't know, I think I could enjoy her getting creative," said Jessie with a smirk.
"Can't you think about something else for five minutes?" growled Willow.
"I can, but I choose not to," said Jessie.
Growling in rage Willow opened the door, and practically stormed into the classroom. Why did her friends have to be such, such, boys?!
"You know that really isn't the right mind set for spell casting, unless you plan on doing something truly nasty to someone," said Jenny from her desk.
"What about a spell that would smack someone on the head every time they said something perverted?" asked Willow.
"Sure, if you want to give your friend skull fractures just because he annoyed you," said Jenny. "If you want to hurt, possibly kill, your friends I won't help you, but I'm sure that you can find the appropriate books in the library."
"What? Kill? I… I don't want to do that!" said Willow as images of her hurting or killing her friends with magic rushed through her mind. How could Ms Calendar think she wanted to kill her friends?!
"I know," said Jenny in a much warmer tone. "I just wanted to get the point across that even innocent spells could hurt, even kill, your friends, even if you didn't mean for it to happen."
"Then why even learn magic?" asked Willow.
"Because when used right, magic can be one of the greatest tools in existence, and even if you don't learn magic you can't avoid it. Magic exists in all places, from old worlds that were forgotten before humanity even existed, to the virtual world that humans have created," said Jenny.
"So magic exists on the net?" asked Willow in confusion, and a bit of excitement.
"Yes," said Jenny. "In fact an essential belief of Technopaganism is the belief of the spiritual side of technology. We believe that items, such as computers, can become inhabited by a pseudo-spirit or thought-form if they have enough human contact. If you invest enough of your energy into a device, it will take on a personality of its own and react accordingly."
"So you're a Technopagan?" asked Willow.
"Yes, but I don't want to get into that for a while yet, today we're just going to be discussing the basics of Wicca," said Jenny.
"You mean we aren't going to do any magic?" asked Willow in a disappointed voice.
"A moment ago you didn't sound like you wanted to do any spells," said Jenny. "Don't worry though, we'll do some practical work today, but we need to discuss Wicca first. You see the basics of Wicca apply to most magical lines of thought, and as you learn more about magic you will eventually pick a school of though that best suits you and follow it."
"Does that mean that I'll only be able to do one kind of magic?" asked Willow, not really liking the idea. She could probably learn more than one type of magic, so why constrain herself?
"No it doesn't mean that you'll only be able to do one type of magic, it simply means that there is one type you will be more comfortable doing, and because you're more comfortable in it the magic will come more easily if you use that type instead of another," said Jenny. "You could follow anything from pure Wicca to Blood Magic, but you need to learn the basics."
"Okay," said Willow.
"Okay then, the first rule of Wicca is that if it doesn't harm anyone don't worry about it," said Jenny with a smile.
"Is that why me thinking of a spell that would hit Jessie on the head was bad, because it would do harm?" asked Willow.
"Yes, but that's only part of the reason that it would have eventually killed him. One of the other big factors would be your intent, when that's clouded or fueled by nothing but rage, spells tend to misfire. Though that doesn't take in the biggest factor of all," said Jenny.
"What's that?" asked Willow.
"From the looks he gives me in class he's even more perverted than a normal seventeen year old boy, spell or no spell, he's going to be a pervert until he grows up a bit," said Jenny with a smile.
"So as long as I don't give my best friend a concussion I can use magic for other things, like house work?" asked Willow.
"You may want to stay away from that too," said Jenny. "Sometimes the harm isn't obvious, but using spells like that in excess can be just as harmful as spells that kill people. If you use spells like that too often you begin to become lazy in both mind and body, and when you become lazy in mind your focus gets shot and spells begin to do things they aren't supposed to do. And that's if you're lucky."
"What if you're unlucky?" asked Willow.
"Then nothing obvious will happen to alert you that you're going down a dark path. Soon you wouldn't consider it that bad to cast that spell on Jessie, even if it would really hurt him, and then you'd start to seek power that you were never meant to have, power that would corrupt you," said Jenny in a very serious tone.
Willow wasn't sure how much she believed Jenny. From what she had seen magic was just another form of energy, how could a type of energy make a person bad?
Jenny must have read some of Willows thoughts on her face because she slammed her hand on a desk and said, "Listen to me, this is important! I had a cousin that was once the kindest person you could meet back when I was five, and he was just starting his lessons. As time went by he became more distant, but my family said that it was normal for us to grow apart because he was older then I was. He was also the smartest child in the family, and everyone expected great things from him, so they dismissed his shortened temper as him simply blowing off steam. Two weeks after my fifteenth birthday my uncle found out that he had killed eighteen people so he could be granted power from a major demon lord. It took every magic user in my family, including myself, to bring him down before he could complete another ceremony for another demon lord."
"You helped kill your own cousin?" asked Willow in shock.
"So he wouldn't kill more innocent people, yes," said Jenny, and Willow could see the old pain in her eyes.
"Are there any more rules I should know about?" asked Willow after he had digested what Jenny had told her.
"There's the three fold rule that says that anything out put out, good or bad, will come back to you three times as hard," said Jenny.
"So if I cast that spell on Jessie, every time I said something I'd get hit three times as hard," stated Willow, using the example that had been used in all the other what if scenarios so far.
"Maybe, or maybe Jessie would simply die, and his death would cause you three times the emotional pain that he experienced physically, magic can be strange like that," said Jenny.
"Um, are there any happy Wicca holidays we can talk about?" asked Willow as she tried to find a line of conversation that didn't involve her accidentally killing her friends.
"Sure, you got the full moons, the solstices, the equinoxes, and of course Halloween," said Jenny allowing the change in conversation, for now.
"Halloween?! Why would real witches celebrate a day where people dress up like ugly, warty, old women and call themselves witches?" asked Willow in indignation.
"Because Halloween is the one day that the demons stay home, the one day of the year that everyone in the world is safe from supernatural threats. If that isn't a reason to celebrate, I don't know what is," said Jenny.
"Oh, then why celebrate full moons?" asked Willow.
"Full moons are the time when the primal magic is at its peak, and the reason why most non natural born weres transform when the moon is full. Now I think it's time for the physical part of the lesson," said Jenny with a grin.
"You're going to teach me a spell?" asked Willow.
"No, not for a couple more months, today we're just going to try to find your core," said Jenny.
"Try?" asked Willow.
"It usually takes a couple months of trying before practitioners can find their core, but who knows maybe we'll get lucky," said Jenny as she placed two mats down on the floor. "Now to start off with I'll just teach you a few meditation techniques, and then we can start looking for your core."
"I already know how to meditate," said Willow as she sat down on the mat.
"Good, then this will be easier than it would normally be," said Jenny as she sat down on her own mat. "One of the best ways to find your magical core for the first time is to establish a connection to something larger than yourself, so I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on taking slow and even breaths."
Willow almost smiled as she began to do what Jenny told her to do. Her time with Mr. Lee had taught her to control her breathing, so she wouldn't get winded during training.
"Very good Willow," said Jenny when she noticed how quickly Willow had completed the first step. "Now I want you to concentrate on the air in your lungs. The air in your lungs connects every living thing on this planet, every animal and plant use the exact same air that is passing through your lungs. Water is just the combination of Hydrogen and Oxygen, air. Air shapes stone, feeds fire, and transports water. Air is everywhere, and affects everything."
"Wow," whispered Willow. It felt like the entire world was inside her lungs, and at the same time she was inside the lungs of everything else.
"Now for something a bit more difficult. Magic also connects everything in this world so I want you to hold onto the feeling of being connected with everything, but I want you to change the connection from fact and biology to imagination and possibility," said Jenny.
"It… It's too big," said Willow. She could feel the connection, something with its own set of rules, but not bound by science. It was part of this world, but larger than the world could ever hope to be, it was too much to imagine, too much to hold onto.
"That's okay, go back to your connection with the air, but imagine that you're only connected with the air in the United States. Imagine that there is no air other than that in the United States, no other connections," said Jenny.
It was harder to confine her connections that it was to establish them, Willow decided. The United States was large, but the world was much larger, and after feeling everything in the world, it was hard to convince herself that there was nothing beyond some artificial borders.
"I think I got it now," said Willow after a while.
"Good, now try switching the connection to magic again," said Jenny.
Willow tried, and there were times when she could almost feel the connection establish itself, but then she would loose it. It was still just too big.
"That's okay, try to limit your connection to California and try again," said Jenny.
It was a little simpler to narrow the connection this time, but it still made her sweat. California didn't have all the different biospheres that existed in other parts of the United States, and for a while it felt like she had lost an arm when she lost her connection with all that different kind of air. Centering herself for a while until she felt whole again Willow once again tried to shift the connection from air to magic, and this time she got it.
"I got it!" Willow shouted in excitement, and almost lost the connection with that emotional outburst.
"Easy there," said Jenny with a smile on her lips. "Now I want you to hold onto that connection but narrow your connection to the county, then Sunnydale, then the school, then the room, and finally only yourself."
"Okay, I got it," said Willow, her face now completely covered in sweat.
"Good, now your body is being affected by magic every moment of every day in different amounts, but your core is there, never changing. Try to find that magic inside yourself that is stable, like a large stone sticking out of a river."
"I see it," said Willow almost instantly.
"Good, now block out all the other magic and tell me what it looks like," said Jenny.
"It's round, like a ball, and electric blue," said Willow as she tried to hold her excitement in check, she had just found her magical core, she didn't want to lose it just because she got too excited.
"You did that very quickly Willow, good job," said Jenny. "If you don't feel too tired I think we still have enough time to try the next lesson."
"Definitely not too tired," said Willow as a huge grin erupted on her face.
"Okay then, I want you to draw power from your core. Have it slowly fill your bones, then your muscles, then your skin, then your hair right down to the tips, and hold it until I say to let go," said Jenny.
Willows grin turned into a frown, as the task turned out to be harder than it sounded. When she tried to bring up energy from her core, it wanted to instantly fill her with energy, or fill the wrong parts. Chances were good that if Mr. Lee hadn't taught her the importance of doing it slowly and correctly the first time, Willow would have simply let the magic fill her, and urged Jenny to teach her the next part of the lesson.
"Good," said Jenny when she felt that Willow had finally gotten it, and had held it for five minutes. "Now clear your mind, and let the magic flow out of you, like when you slowly release a large breath."
Willow did so and suddenly felt very weak, like she had just had a long session with Mr. Lee.
"Very good," said Jenny as she stood up. "What you just did will happen every time you cast a spell."
"I have to do all that to cast a spell?!" asked Willow as she stood on unsteady legs.
"Yes, but in time you'll hardly be aware you're doing it. It's like dancing, when you are first learning the steps to a dance you move very slowly, but in time the movements become second nature. Today we went through the steps very slowly, but they'll become second nature in time, trust me," said Jenny with a smile.
"Okay, same time next week?" asked Willow as she picked up her backpack and started to walk towards the door.
"Sure thing," said Jenny as she started to walk back to her desk.
As soon as the door closed Jenny let out a breath she had been holding for a while. The Englishman hadn't been kidding when he had said the girl was powerful, that magical exhale had almost been a physical force, there were some natural bornes that didn't have that kind of power.
Now she was truly happy that she had decided to break almost every rule of teaching today. For most people establishing even the faintest connection to every living thing in the world during their first lesson would cause them to lose their sense of self, leaving the body just a shell as the spirit was cut loose, wandering from place to place.
However people that have the kind of power that Willow possessed often become too self absorbed, but now there would always be a part of her that knew that she was a part of something much larger than she could ever hope to be. Jenny just hoped that was enough to keep her on the path of light, because the entire world would suffer if this one turned dark.
Home |
||
| |
||