(Flashback) You Wanna See a Magic Trick?

[Orion Michaels]

Orion, Day of Fall 29, 502 AV Orion had learned all too late that he'd made a poor decision telling his father he didn't wish to practice medicine. It was an even greater folly to tell him he'd rather learn magic. That he'd always wanted to learn magic. Oh to wield flames, control air, and manifest water from his very being! Surely he could help many people with that power that magic gave someone. To add on to it, it was a grand pursuit of knowledge, a dedicated lifetime study, to understanding. The teenager honestly believed his father would be proud of such a commitment, but how wrong he was. It turned out to be one of the few tiems Orion saw his father angry. "Magic!?" he had exclaimed, his normally calm expression now filled with one of rage. Grotesque veins bulged from hsi balding head as his normally pale skin turned a deep red. "I-I...I just thought.." Orion was cut off as a tray of surgical instruments were sent flying across the room, the tools upon it scattering noisly along the floor. "Wrong," his father had yelled. "You just thought wrong. Foolish child, wanting to throw away everything I've given you, everything I've sacrificed for something which is no more than a ridiculous risk?" Speechless, all Orion could do was watch as his father stormed from the room. He didn't understand what the problem was. It was a deep field which would require the attention to detail and the passion he'd try to instill in him. Could something have happened in his father's past, he wondered, but for now wondering was all he could do. He figured that was the last time he would hear of magic. How wrong he was. That evening, Orion was woken roughly from a deep slumber, as a hand was clamped over the wishful magician's mouth. He found himself carried out of his room, the very sheets he was once resting in, now only served him as a cloth prison. There were two men, clothed in all black. Hooded cloaks covered their faces, but they were much much bigger than him, regardless. He was being kidnapped. It was the only logical explanation. The teenager tried to scream but was quickly sileneced as a mailed hand struck him across his face. "Shut up, boy," the figure hissed. Orion was compelled to oblige. Quickly arriving at the door leading to the outside, another man appeared before them. He was smaller, but dressed in the same dark clothing, his face hidden from view. He walked up to Orion and placed a hood over the boy's head. "Say anything and I'll gut you," his new assailant threatened, the sudden cold touch of steel pressed against Orion's throat only serving to emphasize the point. How had it come to this, Orion wondered? Taken from his own home, for an unknown reason by unknown people? Who where they. What did they want? Orion bit his bottom lip before letting out a scream. "NO! It can't end like this!" Orion yelled, and then yelled again, with every ounce of his existence. A knight would hear. They would hear. He screamed as his life depended on it. Kicking, thrashing, yelling, Orion was going to escape long enough for someone to save him. A rush of adrenaline surged through hsi body as he wriggled free from one of the captors. I've done it! he thought momentarily, though his brief triumph was silenced by the first punch. Hard, powerful, the shot came in clean, straight into his unprotected gut. The boys knees buckled as he fell to the ground and he very nearly hurled from the shock and pain. Left gasping for air, he moved his arms up frantically to protect himself. "I told you to shut up, didn't I boy?" The first man stated his simply. It was a fact. Now the boy would pay. Another punch came. Then another. And another. A blow to the head. One to the face. Another to the body. He lost count after that. Orion tried futilely to protect himself from the unseen attacker, trying to cover his head to prevent as much injury as possible. The assault from his kidnappers proved to be too much, however, as a particularly vicious blow connected with the side of Orion's head. His vision instantly blurred, leaving the young man reeling. Everything slowly went black...

[Orion Michaels]

Orion, Day of Fall 29, 502 AV The room was completely empty, save for a table and chair tucked neatly into the corner. The same stone walls that made up most Syliras were in this room, so he could be sure he hadn't been removed from the city, but other than a simple wooden door, there was nothing of note about the room. It was plain, unremarkable, normal, and as Orion came to, he found himself in the center of it. The boy hurt. By the gods did he hurt. It was too painful to move, to breath, to even open his eyes, so he made the decision to just lay there and moan quietly until the dark overtook him again. He didn't want to face his abductors, so it would be better this way. Just give in. A familiar voice, however, stirred him from his self pity. "Get up, Orion." Cold. Calculating. Unforgiving. "Father..." It was all Orion could manage. "I said get up." he repeated, or rather, demanded, a tinge of annoyance hovering over his words. The boy didn't move. There was too much pain. He hurt all over, so it wasn't reasonable to expect him to move. He took a deep breath as he heard his father's footsteps come towards him, and felt himself yanked up by an arm, pain shooting throughout his body. "Tell me, Orion. Should I just accept that I'll have to take care of you? Should I expect that I'll need to do everything for you for the rest of your life?" The agitated man paused for a moment, almost seeming to chew on his next words to make sure they were right. "Did you enjoy my demonstration, son?" Orion opened his eyes enough to see his father standing before him, arms crossed with judgmental eyes cast upon him. "They roughed you up a bit more than intended, but I pray to the gods my message is getting through. People don't like magic. They don't like wizards. They don't trust it, because they don't understand it. So to willing take on such thing in Syliras, it only brings scrutiny that I do not wish our family to have." Dr. Michaels was nodding his head with each point, as though to silently agree with each one. "Angry citizens, knights, who knows who will take you. Arrest you. Kill you. Just because you practice a little magic." He began to pace before his son, a frown spreading across his lips. "I've given you everything, Orion. If I must give you magic that you understand it's burden...so be it." He sighed, motioning to the corner of the room. Orion turned his head to view what his father had meant. Rising from the chair in the corner of the room was a man Orion had never seen. Tall, with tan, weathered skin which may have been rougher than the stone walls of the very room they were in. Dark brown eyes sunken and weary from what was probably a lifetime of experiences looked up the boy, as the man brushed frizzy grey hair from his face. "This is your son, Richard?" the man asked, his voice deep and gravelly. Remaining silent, his father simply nodded. "At least the boy's tryign to learn something, Richard. Maybe you should let him pick his own path," the man stated. Dr. Michaels shook his head, retorting with some amount of venom in his words. "I didn't bring him here to get advice on how to raise my own son. Just do it." The grey haired man sighed, now turning his words to Orion. "Come on, lad, let's get this over with." He sized up the boy before continuing. "Orion, was it? I hear you wish to learn magic. It's a wonderful thing, if you ask me. If used correctly, that is." He chuckled, shaking his head. "But if not, well, there's a reason your rather and I go way back." He raised his left hand to show the boy. It was black. Charred to the bone black. Mangled, twisted, and almost worst of all, his ring and pinky finger were completely gone and his middle was down to the knuckle. "W-what happened?" Orion stammered. The man smiled. "I was a little fool-hearty with my powers at a younger age. I pray your first element isn't fire, boy." He gave a laugh as he reached into his robes, drawing a dagger from its depths. "Hands up, Orion." He looked up at the man, not comprehending. "Turn your hands up, Orion," his father repeated for the man. "Do whatever he says. I'm placing you in his care for this...initiation." The word sent shivers down his spine. Initiation? Were they really going to..? The boy slowly turned his hands over, his palms facing up. The wizardly man began to take slow, deep breaths. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five seconds in. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five seconds in. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Orion could hear the man murmuring to himself, before each breath. The words weren't anything he could make out. He was confident they weren't the Common tongue. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. The man looked up suddenly, locking eyes with Orion, and in one swift movement, like stroke of brush on canvas, the dagger ran across his palms, opening up shallow gashes. His breath was nearly sucked from him as the pain burned in his hands. He looked down at his injury, and pulled his hands back, watching the blood seep from his wound. Slowly at first, but the pace quickened, as drop after drop ran from his hand, falling like crimson rain to the grey stone floor below. Orion opened his mouth to protest but no words would come. Instead only pain. The most horrible excruciating pain he had ever felt in his life. As the wizard forced his res into Orion's body, not a truer lesson in agony could be delivered.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion, Day of Fall, 502 AV Collapsing to the ground in a heap, Orion's normally brilliant blue eyes glossed over, rolling back into his head. A lump, no, a boulder grew in his throat as he tried to cry out, tried to scream, anything to act a release, a valve for the pure misery ripping through his body, but nothing would come. Gasping, the young boy searched frantically, his hands scratching at his neck crying for a breath which didn't exist, air that just wasn't there. He was trapped, doomed to die, to suffocate. This was his punishment for wanting magic. Blood poured from his hands, joined by the streaks of red produced as his fingernails dug into his own flesh, tearing at his own skin, willing to do anything for a breath of air. All the while, Orion's tongue hung from his mouth, leaving him gagging as he tried not to drown on his own spit. Pain coursed through his body, every corner, every inch, every bone, as he struggled for even one tiny bit of oxygen. Then began the convulsions. He could feel it in his legs at first, his muscles tightening and releasing, tightening and releasing, as they began to shake involuntarily, uncontrolled and wild. Slowly the movements spread up the boys body, from his legs, to his hips, his torso and arms, until his entire body was acting of it's own accord. Thrashing violently, Orion's body twisted, his face pushed against the ground, grinding, as his arms flailed about. His clothing now soaked in blood, he found himself a ruby tinted mess, his simple white shirt changed to splotchy red, his face streaked with tears and crimson. What was happening externally had nothing on the torment occurring on the inside. Orion was agonizingly aware of each movement of the Res traveling inside of him. It had trespassed his being through his nose, forced it's way in through his mouth, and entered through the lacerations created upon his hands. Like a snake, the gaseous essence of the wizard slithered its way throughout his body. He could feel it wrapping around every bone, touching every single part of him, leaving its mark on his very soul. It filled his lungs, as though to inform him that it was his new air, his new lifeblood. Like needles, it picked at his brain, sowing its self into his very thoughts. The Djed, his Res, it was always a part of him, and now it would be even more so. It was intertwined with Orion, having invaded every fraction of his being. Everything burned, everything hurt, raging throughout the fledgling physician's body like a wildfire. It was always moving, consuming, moving closer and closer to his heart. If it gets there, will I die? Orion could feel the wizard's Res reach his most vital organ, enveloping it, becoming one with it. The embodiment of the wizard's magical energy passed through his heart, joining the teen's very blood flow, allowing it to truly and completely spread. His entire body now experiencing its cruel embrace, Orion was jolted back into reality as much like an ebbing tide, the gas receded from his person. The shock of it pulling away only caused the convulsions to get worse as Orion writhed on the ground, his back arching and then slamming back into the stone floor. Another desperate gasp for air was met with not only what he so desperately sought, but also the phlegm, spit, and blood which had built up during this ordeal. His body purged, as the rank, disgusting bile poured from his mouth. Coughing and choking, the uncontrollable shaking began to subside, as the wizard knelt down to turn him on his side. "There there, boy. Just let it out." Another deep breath only caused Orion to comply with the grey haired man's suggestion, as the warmth spewed from his throat, leaving the once plain room now a disgusting mess of bodily fluids. Orion turned over onto his stomach, nearly retching again at the smell of the horrible concoction below him, which was only worsened by the feel of it on his hands. He looked up at the wizard, his throat raw and dry, with eyes bloodshot and teary. With a reassuring smile, the wizard spoke. "Well, Orion. Was it everything you thought it to be? Everyone who joins the ranks of the reimancer must experience this. An invasion of his body by someone else's Res, a painful, horrible experience." He crossed his arms, glancing back at the young boy's father. "But it's over with. You've survived, even if you've left half of yourself on my floor. Maybe water is your element, and i can have you clean this up," he teased, giving the traumatized teenager a wink. "M-my element?" The boy inquired. "Yes, m'boy. Your element. Your beginning. What you will learn to shape your very self into. Why don't we find out what it is?" "Are you serious?" Orion's father asked. "After that, you still want to press on with this?" He could see his father's jaw tighten. "I've raised a fool. Despite my best efforts, a fool." Orion's cheeks turned red. He was a wizard now. Right? The initiate forced himself to his feet, trying to concentrate, trying to find his own magical energy. He would show his father. He would show them all. The teen searched himself deep, embarking on a quest of his own emotions, his own soul, to try and find where his power was. What his power was. The wizard had awakened it, he was sure. Orion could feel it there, a prize just out of reach, fluttering away just when he thought he had it. The aspiring wizard raised his hands up to chest level, as he swallowed painfully. His throat was raw, he was drained, but he had to get it. He knew that the Res would always be who he was. There was no separating it from Orion. It was simply an extension of his will, of his whims, of his reach. He let out a sigh of pleasure as the realization helped him connect with the truth of the matter. A thick, translucent gel began to flow from his hands as the teen closed his eyes. There it was. Djed manifested. Power. The Res flowed slowly, the entire amount barely the size of Orion's hand, but it was there. It rippled in place as the boy tried to control and move it. Manipulate this essence. Although it's ascent was jerky and unpredictable, the Res, floating only a few inches from Orion's hand raised up to eye level. "I..could get used to this." The wizard laughed, looking back at Orion's father. "See here, Richard? The boy's got it!" Dr. Michaels rolled his eyes. "Whatever. When you're done playing around, send him back to my residence." With that, his father turned and left through the wooden door. "Well, lad, have you got it?" The wizard looked at smiling. Orion returned the smile. Magic. His father was upset. No, his father was wrong. A perfect day? "Earth," he stated, as the Res slowly transformed into dirt, crumbling to the ground before him. Earth.

[Accolade]

THREAD AWARD! Name of Character: Orion Michaels Skills: • Observation + 1 • Reimancy (earth) + 1 Lores: • The Initiation • I want to study magic • Reimancy first element: I chose earth Extras: Because of the assault, your abdomen will be sore for a day. However since this is a flash back you don't have to rp this out present day. Notes: I did enjoy this thread; nothing wrong with short and to the point. Good job! I look forward to seeing more from Orion and his pursuit of magic, as well as his medical practice..which he doesn't want to do...Or does he? - Also be sure to update your CS and make sure that your skills contain RB,SP, and Xp where needed.