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Merlin, even though he was supposed to be the world's best wizard, was, simultaneously, the world's worst teacher. All Douxie seemed to be good for was running the man’s errands and doing chores for him here and there. Very little time was spent on Douxie’s magic training and whenever he tried to object to another Slorr milking, it ended as such.
“And don’t-“ Merlin would say, knowing Douxie would object.
“But Master-“
“But Master me.”
So, with Archie’s reluctant help, Douxie begins to practice at night after Merlin heads off to bed. He began with the basics, having the common sense to do such, such as floating small objects and larger ones, practicing magic ruins and their abilities, and small spell castings.
This went on for many weeks.
If Merlin noticed the lack of energy that Douxie had his second week in, misjudging how long it would take to clean up certain spells, he said nothing. If he noticed the ease that Douxie began to move objects with, he said nothing. And if he noticed the growing bags under Douxie’s eyes, he said not a word.
However, Archie did.
“This isn’t healthy, Doux.” Archie said after Merlin left the two to clean up his workshop, his tone full of worry for his wizard familiar. “Take tonight off, please. You’re burning the candle at both ends and it’s not going to end well!” Douxie scoffed.
“I’m fine, Arch! A little eye bags have never hurt anyone. Besides, my magic has become much stronger!”
“Is your magic becoming stronger more important than your health?” Archie asks, scolding the boy.
“To a point, yes.” Archie looks at him, jaw-slacked. Douxie rolls his eyes. “Fine, if you’re that concerned, I’ll only try one spell tonight: a lightning spell.” Archie’s hairs stand on end.
“Doux, you can’t be serious. You know how-“
“Yes, yes, how dangerous it is. I’ll be fine, Arch. My magic has gotten better day by day. I think I can handle a simple lightning spell.” Archie stares at the boy, stunned.
Shaking his head, Archie growls out a “This won’t end well…” much to Douxie’s annoyment.
As the day goes by, Douxie having to milk yet another Slorr, the thing that sets Douxie off and allows for things to go downhill from there happens after Merlin comes back from…well, from only Merlin knows.
Douxie was finishing up tidying his Master’s workroom when he knocks a book over and it flips open to a page on lightning magic. Douxie’s eyes light up. “Arch, Arch, come look at this!” Picking up the book as Archie jumps onto Douxie’s shoulders, he begins to read the book. “To cast a lightning spell, you must be emotionally stable and overall calm. If you are not, the lightning will become loose in your body rather than controlled and could injure the user.” Douxie places the book open on the table and Archie jumps down from his shoulders.
“Doux, whatever you think that you are about to do, please don’t.” Archie tries, even though he knows Douxie won’t listen to him.
“I’ll be fine, Arch. I’m just going to try a little bit of lightning.”
Closing his eyes, Douxie presses his hands together, taking a deep breath. Opening his eyes, Douxie begins to read the incantation. “Palmetis tempestas fulmina!” Slowly opening his hands, a single strand of lightning moves between them. Trying his best to remain calm, he smiles and looks over at Archie.
“Arch, I did it!”
“Very good, now put it away,” Archie says as he moves away from the boy.
Fascinated by the bolt, Douxie expands his hands, creating two more. Then two more. Soon he has five bolts of lightning in his palms.
“Hiserdoux!” The door to Merlin’s workshop slams open. “Where is- Hiserdoux! What on Earth are you doing?” Merlin freezes in the door as Douxie looks up, startled. His hands fall apart and the room is suddenly alive. Douxie ducks as a bolt flies over his head, hitting one of the many books behind, beside, and infant of him. When all of the thunder seems to cease, Douxie slowly stands, knowing what was coming for him.
(Had this been a cartoon, a large amount of steam would be coming from Merlin’s ears and the Wizard would be as red as a tomato and if looks could kill, well…)
“Hiserdoux Casperan! You know I forbid you to do magic in my workshop for this very reason! And all of the books you have damaged? I will need a miracle to get them back into their original shape. What have I told you, Hiserdoux! You are not ready for this kind of magic!. Can you not do a single thing right and not make my life so hard? Some days I wonder why I picked you up and off that street.”
In Merlin’s anger, picking up the books with his magic and setting them on his work table, he had very little idea what he had just said to the boy. The boy in question stands there in shock, anger, and, he wouldn’t tell you this, sadness.
Douxie turns and leaves the room, ignoring the angry calls made by Merlin for him to come back and clean up his mess. Archie follows close behind, not saying a word.
As he enters his room, slamming the door behind him, almost every small object in the room begins to float as Douxie finally lets his anger out. With a yell, anything glass shatters, and everything else slams against the closest wall. Archie bolts under Douxie’s bed and tries not to get hit.
“Not ready! Not ready?! I’m not ready because you haven’t taught me anything! I’ve learned everything I have by myself because your off doing something every day and I’m stuck here cleaning up your messes! Doing your chores! Running your errands!” Something shatters against the opposite wall. Archie doesn’t step in quite yet. “Some master wizard you are!” A few more things slam against the walls of Douxie’s room before everything finally drops to the ground. Creating a protective barrier around his hand, Douxie yells, slamming his fist into the closest wall, creating a sizable dent in the concrete. Huffing, Douxie walks over to his bed and falls onto it.
“Doux, listen to me,” Archie says cautiously as he comes from under the bed. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He was just angry and-“
“And what, Arch?” Douxie yells, sitting up. “You don’t hear me yelling at him whenever he does something to piss me off? You don’t hear me saying I wish I had never taken up his offer to come with him, do you?”
“No, but-“
“I’ll show him. I’ll show him that I’m able to control my own magic.” Douxie stands, flexing his hands.
“Doux, please, listen to me-“
“No, Arch. I can do this.” Shaking his head and body to try and rid the anger.
“If you’re going to be reckless, I won’t be here to watch you.” Archie says, shifting into his dragon form and flying out the window.
“Good, I need the quiet anyway.” Douxie scoffs. Taking a deep breath, he folds his palms together and tries to relax, repeating the same incantation as before. “Palmetis tempestas fulmina!” Douxie opens his eyes to the singular bolt of lighting in his palms. He smiles. “Can’t control magic my arse.” Distancing his palms more, the bolt begins to multiply. He practices shrinking and growing the bolt until he has a pretty good feel for it. “Now, let's try something.” Taking another deep breath, Douxie folds his hands together like a ball, squeezing, and then takes one hand off.
The singular bolt of lightning is now in the shape of a ball.
But then, the ball begins to grow. And grow. And grow. Until Douxie can no longer control it.
“Oh, fuzz buckets.” The ball flies from his hand and grows into the multiple bolts of lightning. Douxie tries to create a shield but is not able to create it fast enough and his hand becomes his shield. He yells in pain as a bolt strikes it and feels blood begin to run down his hand. A large boom accompanies the bolts as Douxie grabs his hand, curling around it. As the storm subsides, Doxie uncurls, examining his hand.
The wound was already cauterized, but a bit of blood had bled from the wound before it did. Sighing, he leans himself on his bed, not lifting himself from the floor.
He holds his hand in pain as it throbs. Not sure how much time goes by, but Douxie swears he could hear his name being called, but he’s pretty sure the thunder messed with his hearing. Exhausted, he lets the darkness overtake him and take him away from the pain.
He could have sworn, however, he saw Merlin standing over him as he passed out.
~+~+~+~
When Douxie wakes up, he is in his bed, Archie is at his feet, his hand is wrapped, and there is a cup of water by his bedside. Groaning, he grabs his hand, realizing it is no longer throbbing with pain.
“It should be fine in a couple of days. It cauterized pretty quickly, so I didn’t have to do much.” Douxie looks over at Merlin as the man continues to put the books back into their respective places on his bookshelf. “I told you, Hiserdoux, you are not yet ready for that kind of magic.” Douxie scoffs. Merlin does not look over at the boy. “However, I cannot place all blame on you. I have not been teaching you what I should, and for that, I apologize.” Douxie does a double take.
Merlin, the greatest wizard in the world, Mr. I never apologize because I’m never wrong, had just apologized to Douxie.
“And I apologize for what I said in my workshop.” Merlin slows at the words, making sure Douxie is listening and what he is saying is correct. “I meant not a word.” Douxie sighs.
“And I’m sorry for doing magic in your workshop.”
“Very good. We were both at wrong.” Merlin puts the last book in place. “Please, make sure to never-“
“Use magic as a shortcut. Yes, master, I know.”
“And I will try my best to further your teaching. I have been at fault, I will admit, however, you should not be practicing magic alone. I do not appreciate a tired apprentice and don’t you-“
“But master-“
“But master me.” Douxie smiles.
“Yes, master.”