“So Miss Holden. How are you feeling?” Asked the doc.
“I'd be happier without that light blinding me every time I wake up.”
The doc smiled.
“Ah yes but unfortunately we don't have as good eyes as you so you'll have to adapt your eyesight to reduce the glare. I'm sure once your memory comes back you'll remember how.”
Sam shook her head slightly.
“So you think I'll get it back? My memory? Because I don't remember a thing.”
The doc took a breath and exhaled.
“Well your guess is as good as mine, but from what you have come back from? It wouldn't surprise me at all. What I can say is that you are in perfect physical condition.
There's not a thing wrong with you as far as I can judge. So when you feel strong enough you are free to leave.”
The doc tapped her hands on Sam shoulders and shook her head. “After what you went through I thought we'd be scrapping you up with a dust pan and a brush! Porter wasn't wrong, I've never seen anything like it.”
Strangely enough that didn't make Sam feel any better.
As the doc left Sam gazed at the anxious nerdy boy. She sighed.
“OK nerdy boy I'm thinking as your the last one remaining you're the one who can explain why I'm here?”
Nerdy boy nodded and then looked doubtful.
“Ah well, yes and no. Mostly what happened? Yes. As to why? That's more difficult. I'll try to explain and maybe if anything jogs your memory or you can shine more light on something then just jump in.”
Sam nodded and gestured for him to carry on.
“Right firstly you are a Magi. That means you have certain magical abilities and no I'm not shitting you. Ah.. a test if you will.
Think H.U.D. Just think it with some will power as if you were calling someone.
Sam gave nerdy boy the squint eye, but did as he suggested.
“H.U.D.”
In the blink of an eye an H.U.D. Interface sprang up in front of her face, there was a green icon surrounding nerdy boy with “techno Magi Luke Carmichael” emblazoned above him.
“Fuck me.”
She looked around her and icons sprung up describing the equipment that surrounded her. She looked to Luke and asked. “Can I use this thing to reduce the glare in my eyes? it's giving me a headache.”
Luke shrugged. “You've got control over what it does. not me, give it a go, it can't hurt, not you at least.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Sam shrugged and asked out loud.
“H.U.D. my eyes are hurting from the bright light, can you filter the ray's that are causing my discomfort Please.”
THE RANGE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION ALONG WAVELENGTHS 400 – 750 THz ABSORBED BY YOUR EYES WILL BE REDUCED TO 8% WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.
“Woah.”
Sam's vision swam for a second. Then the dazzling light dimmed and she felt the pressure on her eyes reduced.
Sam smiled and blinked at the right corner of her HUD and looked back at Luke and gave him the thumbs up.
Luke studied her for a second. “Is the H.U.D. still there?”
Sam shrugged. “No I dismissed it, why?
“Well the first time you used it you didn't know how to turn it off. That means at the very least you have some residual memory left. But considering what you went through, if you have been able to recall even how to speak, then you'll probably in time remember most if not all of everything you cannot access at this time.”
That made Sam feel much better, having gaps in her memory sucked.
“So.. I'm a Magi. You're A Magi? OK. Carry on.”
“Right at 16 years of age the powers of a Magi are triggered. It's something primal. It can be triggered early through trauma, but normally that is when it happens. You were 16 ten days ago. You have been here at the “Storm Haven Academy of Magic” for just over four days”
Sam nodded. “OK. This sounds insane, but fine go on.”
Luke nodded.
“Almost before you got here, you started to develop a berserker potential. These are dangerous and powerful magics. We barely stepped in, in time to guide you in how to control the simmering rage you now feel inside you.”
Sam stared at Luke agog. “So this.” She pointed at her chest. “Feeling is a magic power?”
Luke nodded.
“Yeah, many Magi have just one potential magic power and they spend their life honing it, making them masters of their single potential. It's what makes them special and a slightly smaller percentage have more potential for other types of magic. 3 or 4 potential types are not unusual. But some. The very, very rare seem to have unlimited potential. Pretty much anything they try works. This can be a tremendous boon, but also a tremendous drain. You've heard of the jack of all trades, but master of none?” Sam nodded utterly transfixed by his tale. “Well they not only suffer from that, but also the need to harness all the magic's they posses, it drains their power. So although the few who are given this rare gift often times have very little power with which to use their gifts with.”
Sam could vaguely see what he was saying and nodded. “So where do I fit in, in this … chart of potential?”
“Ah yes! Straight to the heart of the matter. You Miss Holden are at the very pinnacle of Magi potential. So far in the limited time you've been here, everything you have attempted you have successfully managed to do. Which is phenomenal.”
“But means I'm balancing multiple potentials with limited power. So almost useless.”
“Ah that might be the case, but for your genes. When you were tested at birth for your potential to become a Magi your genes showed you had more magical essence than nearly half of your generations essence put together. Utterly unheard of in the history of the Magi. That sounds beyond incredible, but in truth we have only been able to use this type of test for just over thirty years, but still remarkable.”
“So I have good genes, so what?”
“Right, right. Ah.. to simplify some what, think of laptops. Lots of people have laptops, but not all are equal, some are slow, heavy and cumbersome. Many are OK, do the job required. While some cannot handle the tasks set out for them as the owners are trying to get too much out of a small under powered unit.”
Sam nodded. “OK with you so far”
“Good! Good. So Magi are laptops. You Miss Holden are the Gigabyte Aorus 17G. It's bigger, better and more powerful than anything out there and there is nothing it can't handle. But you are right. It sucks up a lot of juice.”
“So I'm going to be able to cope with the potentials but at a cost.”
“That's right, you need power. And that is where most if not all unlimited potential Magi fall. The required power to use their potential to the fullest usually ends up killing them.
Power. Miss Holden, is everywhere, but accessing it is not so easy And controlling it, harder still. Most unlimited's drain their bodies life force as they attempt more and more powerful spells and think they can get away with it. The rest burn out as they take too much power and lose control of it. That Miss Holden is what very nearly became of you.”
