10 Part to Play (1/2)
From that night, Will found a routine. He would wake up and chop firewood before breakfast. When he was done eating, he and Maya would go to the field to pick herbs as well as hunt for wild turkey or whatever they could find. When they returned Will used the rest of his day until the dead hours of night to train his fire.
Will had lost track of time while in this routine. From constantly waking up and spending time with Maya, to training for hours on end, his days had become so meshed together it was hard to tell if he was sleeping or awake at some points. Though he couldn't find any other way to spend his days, nor would he want to. While losing time, he was gaining power. He was now capable of keeping his fire lit for at least two hours.
What started out as just a candle flame had gained in mass and height. Now instead of just a small flame, Will had in his hand what looked like a light stream of ruby red flame dancing upward almost to the first branch of the tall tree where he slept. Since he had gotten to this point in his self training sessions, he decided his flame control was at a level where he could finally try something new.
Sitting cross legged on his sleeping mat as he had done every day and night since he made this place his home, Will relaxed himself. He felt the ever present aura of heat around him, just as he always had. He allowed his thoughts to manipulate the aura, having it circulate into the palm of his hand.
The ruby red flame sprang to life in his hand, as tall as the lowest branch on his tree. Like a pillar of light, it stood on his palm threatening to set his tree on fire. Though this time, Will lifted his left hand palm up. He held a mental image of a flame within his other hand, and manipulated the aura to transfer half of the energy to bring it to life. Will now sat with two flames of equal size within his hands.
Having the flames in his hands, Will felt a tremendous feeling of pride. He had done this all on his own with no mentor, no one to tell him what he was and wasn't supposed to do with what he had. The only thing that got him to this point were the books he'd read growing up, the lessons in which he never thought would actually come in handy.
Now that he mastered both hands with the flames, Will allowed his mind to form both of them into balls. They were slightly sloppy, having only shape with nothing of actual power, but Will was excited. He had set up a target to try his luck. It was a thick wall of wood from what he was stacking. When he chopped wood for Maya, he put a few logs aside in order to tie them up for the target.
Getting to his feet, Will threw the first fireball towards the target. Unfortunately as soon as it left his hand, it disappeared as if it were never there. Will was taken aback. If he couldn't throw it at the target, how would he utilize it's power for his own defense later on? Sitting down again, he let the other fireball go out while he pondered what might have went wrong.
Having thought about it for an hour, Will felt the fraction of his used aura return and decided to try again. Forming just one fireball, he threw it yet again at the target. The end result was as disappointing as the first attempt. Far from giving up, Will made a second ball, though instead of throwing it, he stared into the ruby red flame with a thought.
Will channeled the aura to the ball, he imagined it floating above his head. The fireball as fast as his thought went straight for the top of his head. 'I don't throw the fireball' he thought to himself, 'I give it a direction, and it'll do the rest.' Giving it a try, he channeled his intentions to the fireball, and it left the top of his head and went straight for the target.
When the flame hit the wood, it was completely engulfed in the flame. Will had to scramble out of his camp to get water to put it out. Before he got to the well a thought occurred to him. 'The flame is controlled by my thoughts,' he thought to himself as he watched the ruby red flames engulf the wood. 'So if I will it to die, then it should right?' Will gave it a try. Putting his hand up above the flame, he slowly brought it down while keeping his concentration on the fire he had started. As the hand went down, so too did the flame. Interested in the aspect, Will didn't completely put it out. Instead he willed his flame to return to his hand. The flame yet again reacted to his intent. ”At least I know now that I won't have to waste any of my energy when the flame is already made,” he said in a thoughtful tone.
Once he willed the fire out of existence, Will sat back down on his mat, excited with his breakthrough in his training. He allowed himself to fall into his sleeping bag while looking up at the stars. ”I'm no Shadeslayer, but give me time.” he said to himself with a smirk on his face.
Seeing as though he wasn't exhausted quite yet, Will summoned his flames and sat in his cross legged meditative position as he focused on changing the flames shapes. First it was his usual candle flame, then he formed them into fireballs. So engrossed with his ruby red flames, he allowed his mind to wander. He thought of his father back home in his world, of what he knew about him. Will had always traveled with Jonathan, since before his mother went missing. It seemed at times he was always around his father. So how did he know so much about this world? How did he know Michael? How did he know that he was in danger?