Get a lesson in crystals

Once she’s calmed down, Blythe starts scanning her eyes over the room. She looks all over, but what keeps catching her eye is the light crystal sitting in a sconce on the wall. Suddenly, she gets up and removes it from its perch. You watch her curiously as she walks back to the bed and sits facing you. Her hand comes up to gesture for you to move closer, so you scoot the chair over to sit with her.

“You said your people do not use magic,” she says. “Would you like me to teach you some?” She rests the crystal in the palm of her hand and wordlessly flickers it on and off. “I believe you could think of crystals as similar tools to that device you showed me today. The one which has a limited power source. They contain a limited supply of highly condensed mana, which can be activated in a number of ways.”

“Like as a focus,” you say.

She nods enthusiastically. “Yes. By etching a rune on a crystal, it is possible to direct the outflow of mana. You would need to speak to someone better versed in magic to learn more, however. I only know this much because I needed to learn in order to find my brother. Luckily, a process like that is unnecessary for making a crystal emit light.” The crystal in her palm goes dark. “You see, on its own, a crystal is pure mana. Using a simple spell, it is possible to excite that mana, causing it to emit light.” Light once again floods out of the crystal. “The spell to calm the mana is just as simple.” Dark again. “I have heard that many humans in their later years of life are able to cast the spells without an incantation.”

“Is it hard to cast spells without the incantation?” you ask.

“It is very difficult, yes,” she says. “Although, making a crystal glow is one of the simplest spells to cast. Perhaps that is why many humans are able to get a feel for it within their lifetime.” You briefly wonder how old Blythe is, exactly, but you don’t try and ask her. As an elf, you’re sure she’s lived at least an entire human lifetime already. You can’t think about that for long, though, because now Blythe is placing the crystal in your own hand. She looks to you with a hopeful expression as she teaches you the magic words. You then recite them back to her:

“Will of the ancient stars, deliver us from the shadows of the night.”

Instantly, the crystal fills with light, and Blythe claps happily. You then speak the words for the canceling incantation, and the light goes out. Blythe sits and watches as you practice turning the crystal on and off several times, and then suddenly drops her jaw when you somehow start to perform the spell just by imagining what state you want the crystal to be in.

“You just…” she says, calling your attention to how crazy what you just started doing on a whim really is. Didn’t she just say it takes humans most of their life before they can do this? You both stare at the crystal in your palm for several seconds. “Amazing…” Blythe says under her breath.

You set the crystal on the table by the window and pull Blythe to her feet. What happened just now has hardened your resolve. “We’re going to look for that book some more,” you say. She nods, the look of determination on her face suggesting she was already thinking of the same thing.