Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2016 20:37:56 -0500
From: Chuck S <ascouter4@gmail.com>
Subject: Natural Awakening Chapter 4

Hello again everyone! Thanks for taking the time to check out my story, and
I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get to you, but
it lays a lot of groundwork for the background of the story and where the
story will go in the future.

This story is a work of fiction, and will at some point contain depictions
of sex between two males.

As always, I enjoy hearing from readers. Feel free to send me an email at
ascouter4@gmail.com. I have also created a email list. If you are
interested in joining, just let me know.

Natural Awakening by Chuck S

Chapter 4 -- A History of Magic

My father took a deep breath and let out a sigh as he looked off into the
distance. He seemed to be struggling to figure out the best place to start.
I watched as he furrowed his brow and sighed once again. I was able to
appreciate streaks of grey in his blonde hair, and a few small wrinkles on
his face.

"I suppose I should start with some basics regarding magic." He said at
last. "Magic has existed for millennia all over the world. The stories from
ancient civilizations about sorcerers, witches, and wizards are almost all
true. They may have been exaggerated over time of course, but their basis
is real. From time to time, depending on the current political climate,
magic users must go into hiding. Needless to say, we have been in hiding
for a long time."

"Most magic users are only able to control one type of magic, occasionally
a gifted user is born who can control a second or third type. To my
knowledge, there has never been anyone who could use more than three types
of magic. There are too many forms of magic to really cover them all in
this visit, but I'll do my best Parker."

"Some magic users can control the various elements; earth, wind, fire,
electricity, etcetera, but usually only one element. There is also nature
magic, magic users who can manipulate the plants and trees. Your younger
sister is a nature magic user."

"I have a younger sister?" I asked him.

"Yes, as well as a younger brother. Her name is Crystal, and your brother's
name is Liam. Liam isn't old enough to know exactly what his powers are
yet. We can discuss them more later." He answered, seeming to be in a hurry
to tell me everything he could about magic.

"There are also magic users who can use magic to enhance their body. This
includes, magically enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes. Again, these
are all separate powers. There are mind powers as well, such as telekinesis
and telepathy. Unfortunately, dark powers, which are taboo even among magic
users also exist. Necromancy, Demonology, Vampirism, Voodoo. There are
more, but they are very rare."

"Now, let us move on to using your powers. Using your powers is all about
focus and willpower. You have to focus your mind, and picture exactly what
you want to happen, and you have to have a strong enough will to make it
happen. Often, our wills are strongest at times of need. This can make your
powers seem to flare up instinctually. You can also feel the core of your
power deep within yourself, and it can often be visualized in its truest
form. For instance, your sister, as a nature magic user, always talks about
feeling the flower within herself blooming. I am able to control water, and
I can see a peaceful stream swell and become a raging river when I use my
powers. What do you see?"

"Well it started as a flicker, like a flame slowly coming to life, but it
has grown. Now it seems like a condensed ball with so much potential
energy, just waiting to be harnessed." I answered.

"So you have been able to control fire then?" He asked.

"Actually no, I haven't tried to control fire."

"But you have been using magic?"

"I have. I've been able to increase my strength, and speed. I don't know if
it was improved reflexes, but it felt like time slowed down at football
practice the other day. The first day I really discovered my powers I was
able to make a glass of water float in the air, and even lifted myself off
the ground. There was also a weird incident with a water fountain. I was
thirsty, and the water pressure was really low, I smacked the side of the
fountain, and the pressure increased to a geyser."

"That... That... That can't be." My father said. "Water is the elemental
opposite of fire. It is impossible for a magic user with fire at their core
to control water. Not just that, but that is quite an array of powers. Look
again, really focus on that energy within you, and see what it is."

I closed my eyes and really focused. There it was. The large ball of bright
energy just waiting to be released. It resembled a flame, but there was no
red, yellow, or even any orange. The flame was a blinding, pure white. As I
focused on the power, I could feel it swell, much like the very first time
I truly found it. The flame engorged and burned with the power of a blast
furnace. For the first time, I felt like I could do absolutely anything I
wanted.

Opening my eyes, my astral body was no longer a translucent blue, but had a
brilliant white glow, almost as if there was a gentle immolation upon my
skin. I looked myself over, turning my head to see as much of me as I
could. I was awestruck with just how much I could feel my powers growing.

"Oh my! There is much we must do, and much I need to tell you Parker.
Things have just gotten more complicated." My father said as he took in the
new white glow. Taking in a deep breath he let out another sigh. He seemed
to be doing that quite a bit.

"As I mentioned before, there are dark magic users in the world, or the
Dark for short. These magic users relish in the pain and suffering of
normal humans. Some of their magic needs blood, or even human sacrifices to
be performed. From time to time, the Dark will band together and cause
chaos, or small uprisings. These are usually small scale, and we try to
keep it out of the public eye. However, on occasion, we aren't able to keep
it as much of a secret as we'd like."

"The last time we had a conflict with the Dark became known as the Salem
Witch Trials. In 1688 a small skirmish broke out between us and the Dark.
The war did end up being exposed to the public, and culminated with our
victory in 1693 when we were able to find and eliminate the last of the
ring leaders, but not before an entire village became swept up in the panic
that dark magic brings."

"Fourteen years ago, we fell into conflict once again. Unlike previous
conflicts, we aren't fighting a small band of rebels. They are organized,
and have numbers the likes of which we haven't seen before. This isn't a
small battle but an actual war. A war which they are winning. Magic users
are on the run, fleeing their homes, and fearing for their lives. We are
scattered, and the tide is against us at the moment."

"Our family has been deeply involved in fighting the Dark, and protecting
man kind for generations. While most modern countries have elected
officials, magic users are still a bit more medieval. We are led by a royal
family, who's magic powers are second to none. There are also noble
families that are very strong magic users who help the royal family protect
the normal human society. Parker, I feel the easiest way to tell you this
is to just put it bluntly. You are the crown prince."

"Fourteen years ago, an army of the Dark unleashed a surprise attack on our
home. We suffered many losses on the battlefield because we weren't
prepared. We were lucky to escape with our lives, but lost you. We searched
and searched for you, and had nearly given up hope that you were still
alive. However, as the dark magic users gained more power, we have been
forced into hiding, unable to venture out for fear of being discovered."

To say this was a shock to my system would be an understatement. I was
still trying to grasp the idea of possessing magic powers, now I'm some
prince of the magical world. To be honest, I almost wish I could just go
back to being a normal teenager. I didn't ask for any of this. He had said
I was in danger before, now I knew why. We were at war, and I was a prime
target. Ugh.

"Parker, I know this is a lot to take in, but there is more I need to tell
you. I can't stress this enough, but you must be careful how you use your
powers. You have to keep it subtle unless it is an absolute emergency. We
have no idea how you came to be where you are now. There could be dark
magic users close to you, keeping an eye on you, waiting for the first sign
that you have powers. That said, it is still important for you to practice
honing your powers. Football is a great opportunity to use your physical
powers, but learning anything else could prove difficult. Keep an eye out
for someplace private where you can work."

"There is one other thing that concerns me, and that is the white flame you
described. Centuries ago, a prophecy was made that one day, a magic user
would appear bearing the purest white magic. It is said that this person
would be able to control all aspects of light magic. Control any element,
interact with nature, alter themselves to be faster and stronger than any
other. The prophesy also said that when this magician was born, we would
enter our darkest times, and that this magician would bring peace to the
magic world."

"The prophesy warns that there will also be a dark magic user whose magic
core would be as black as the darkest night. You are destined to meet, and
somehow bring the two sides into harmony."



--------------------------

Not far away from where Parker lives, a man in his early forties stood
watching as his son began using his powers. The man was tall and slender,
standing well over six feet high. He had dark hair that was short and well
kempt. There was a scar on the left side of his face that started just
under his eye and went all the way down to his chin. He wore black robes
that draped all the way to the floor. His son was Parker's age, and his
build was similar to his father's, tall and slender, but he had dark brown
hair.

The man and his son were in a small dark place, and the only light in the
room came from a few candles around the edges of the room. The light of the
candles created large flickering shadows that danced ominously on the stone
floor.

In the center of the room, a circle was drawn on the floor with magical
runes inscribed around its edges. In the center of the circle laid a pile
of bones that looked to be human. Along with the bones was the body of a
raven, pierced through the heart by a dagger, its blood drained into a
ceremonial goblet.

The boy stood at the edge of the circle and started to focus on the power
within him. He could feel the black flames surge as he focused on the pile
of bones in front of him. Slowly the bones started moving, and rearranging
themselves into a complete skeleton. After a few moments, all of the bones
were in place, and with a creak, the skeleton slowly rose to its feet.

The boy could feel the skeleton as if it were an extension of himself. If
he closed his eyes, he could see what it saw, and could control it as if it
were his own body. He moved its arms and wiggled its skeletal fingers
before turning toward his father.

"Good. Good. Now, let's see how strong it really is." The man said.

The man waved his hand, channeling his powers toward the skeleton. At first
nothing happened, but just a moment later, the skeleton fell apart as the
bones clattered back to the ground.

"Not good enough!" the man said harshly, "You realize we are at war here?
You may be marginally proficient with the use of some of your other powers,
but your necromancy is laughable. You are going to be the key to our
victory son, but the less than spectacular effort you are putting forth
truly underwhelms me."

The fact was that the son had only recently started growing into his
powers, and was making spectacular progress. His father knew this, but was
trying to groom him in to being a soldier, and eventually his heir.

"My apologies Father. I really am trying. I know we are at war, and that
you have led the Dark further than anyone ever dreamt possible. I'm sorry
to disappoint you, I will keep working harder."

The truth was that the boy liked having powers, but he didn't like the idea
of hurting people. His father had started this war out of his lust for
power. Dark magic users had been in hiding for a long time before his
father set out to unite them all. Many dark magic users lived a nomadic
lifestyle, always on the move. Now that they were together, they were a
force to be reckoned with, and the surprise attack that started the war had
scattered magic users into hiding. Beating the other magic users was only
the beginning. From there his father planned to exert his power on the
human population. He would be a brutal dictator, and his reign would be one
of terror.

The boy didn't want that. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He just wanted to
have a normal peaceful life. There had to be a way to coexist in peace with
the other magic users. It wouldn't be easy, but there had to be a way.
Until then, he would play along with his father's war, while doing his best
to limit casualties. Being honest with himself, he had only put a fraction
of power into the skeleton. He knew that he could have made that skeleton
stronger than any tank if he had wanted to, and he could control an entire
army of them. He was afraid that if his father learned of his true power,
he would be forced into becoming some sort of super weapon.


He needed help, and he needed it fast. He had met someone recently who
could be the key to fixing everything.