Late Night Magic

"Just go," a muse’s voice echoed into Ryder’s room in the dead of night. "It's not like you'll be missed around here this late."

Ryder stared at the ceiling from under his covers. He hadn’t heard that voice before, but it was probably right, Reuben was likely sound asleep and it's not like he would even have to know if Ryder left.

The toadstool was restless and couldn’t sleep. It would be good to practice his magic. Get out there and do something with himself rather than waste his time lying in bed doing absolutely nothing but staring up at the ceiling fan that spun slow enough for him to capture one blade and follow it with his eyes.

It wasn’t long before the frei had clothed himself, donned his toadstool cap, and grabbed his spell book and crystal ball before leaving the house, much like he had done a few weeks prior.

The frei made his way towards the same spot he and his companion, Xiu, trained just weeks prior. He had learned a lot from the valsaros and he wanted to prove to himself and to the other raevan that he was going to be one strong frei. Practicing literally every single day did cause his powers to strengthen over time. He only took a couple days off here and there to recuperate; and that would only happen because he was too tired to continue.

Closing his eyes, he enchanted his spell book to float, just as his aunt Calista had taught him. With a practiced thought, he magically flipped through the pages to his notes on Mushroom Manipulation. Spotting a nearby toadstool, he plucked it from the ground using that same magic, his freckles glowing as he brought it closer, he began expanding the cap and elongating the stem, transforming it into a makeshift umbrella. With a flick of his mind, he shrank the mushroom down into a small ball formed entirely from the cap itself. Breaking the ball into pieces, he scattered them around him before raising his hands, causing the fragments to sprout rapidly into individual toadstools. He had mastered this power quickly—only three months had passed since he first discovered it, yet he could already manipulate mushrooms effortlessly, bending them to his will.

Finally, as the small mushroom forest began to grow ever slowly around the frei, he stopped the growth and imagined what he wanted the page to say. The enchanted paper began to glow a moment before it was permanently inked by Ryder's imagination. The title on the top of the page being, "Mushroom Forests" and photos of his mind's eye directly printed in the pages.

The raevan then took out his crystal ball from the wrap and held it up, also enchanting it so it would float. He hovered over the ball as though he was a sorcerer looking into the future; though instead, he looked into the ball to see his imaginary friend, Alice, come to life inside it. An entire scene played out in the ball where Alice was playing croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs. Ryder laughed as he slowly allowed the ball to fall to the ground, hitting it ever so softly.

Satisfied with his practice for the night, Ryder began packing up his things. As he glanced around, he noticed the moon had risen high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over his surroundings. Clouds drifted across the moon, blocking its light from fully reaching the ground. The overwhelming darkness closed in, leaving only the faint glow of Ryder’s rune to illuminate the path ahead. A wave of unease washed over him, and with a quickened pace, he hurried home, trying to shake the creeping sense of panic.

The howling of wolves and the noises of the forest filled Ryder with a growing dread. It felt as though he was being watched, like a monster could be lurking behind any tree. He cursed under his breath, recalling the voice that had urged him to venture out. Clutching his spell book and crystal tightly, he felt the weight of his hunger, loneliness, and fear pressing down on him, wishing more than anything to be home and able to go back in time.

Although he wasn’t far from home, the creatures of the night felt all too real — larger and more terrifying than they might during the day. Ryder’s imagination had a habit of running wild, turning harmless bugs into massive monsters and exaggerating every sound and shadow into something far worse. Every flap of his wings was an ordeal, and the journey home became the scariest thing the frei had ever faced in his young life.

As he reached the front door, he glanced around. He slowly opened the door with a creak to reveal the living room lit up by the moonlight. He was home. He was safe.

The toadstool made his way slowly to his bedroom, however, at the end of the hall was what looked to be a dark figure in the low-light. Ryder closed his eyes tightly and reopened them to view that dark figure creeping closer and closer. Ryder's heart began to beat unimaginably fast. He quickly closed his eyes and turned away, only to feel the body heat of the figure looming behind him.

"Boo!"

In an instant, Ryder’s freckles began to glow, and each one released a puff of colored smoke, matching the hue of the freckle it came from. Just then, the hallway light flicked on, revealing Reuben standing there, cackling as he began to inhale the swirling clouds of colorful smoke.

"What the hell, Reuben!?" Ryder shouted, his face pale with shock as he realized the smoke filling the room had come from him and his rainbow freckles. He watched it flow out of him, from each freckle; and, as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

Reuben’s laughter eventually gave way to a fit of coughing. "I could say the same thing to you. What's happening?!"

Ryder’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he frantically waved his hands to clear the lingering smoke. "I was...out practicing…and—"

Before Ryder could finish explaining, Reuben’s eyes widened, and he suddenly went rigid. Ryder watched, confused, as his guardian’s face turned pale, his eyes darting around frantically. The smoke that had filled the hallway seemed to thicken and twist, turn black and curl like dark tendrils around Reuben. A deep sense of dread washed over Ryder, and he instinctively floated forward toward his guardian.

“Reuben?” Ryder called softly, sensing something was terribly wrong.

Reuben’s breathing quickened, and he pressed himself against the hallway wall, his eyes staring at something Ryder couldn’t see. “No… this isn’t real,” Reuben muttered, his voice trembling. “Why… are they watching?”

Ryder’s heart pounded in his chest. His eyes met Reuben’s and he followed his gaze. And then, all at once, he was no longer just floating in the hallway; he was pulled into Reuben’s hallucination.

The world around them shifted and darkened. The walls seemed to blur and warp, stretching into tall, foreboding shadows. Ryder’s breath caught as he saw what Reuben had been describing — countless eyes glowing from the darkness, watching them from every direction. They blinked slowly, and followed the pair's every movement.

“What the…” Ryder muttered, a chill running down his spine. He knew these weren’t real, but they felt so alive. He tried to focus, reminding himself that it was all an illusion, all a concoction of the nights events rolled up into one moment for the two of them to relive.

“Ryder, what’s happening?” Reuben’s voice was barely a whisper, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow. “I can’t… make them go away.”

Ryder forced himself to stay calm, even as the eyes seemed to grow larger and more menacing. He realized that, somehow, his power had linked them together, allowing him to experience Reuben’s hallucination firsthand. His own fears from earlier that evening were seeping into Reuben’s mind through that smoke, and the shadows were becoming more oppressive with each passing second.

“I’m here with you,” Ryder said, turning his attention to Reuben, though his voice wavered. “It’s not real, Reuben. It’s just…something I accidentally created. I promise, I can stop this,” he whispered, his voice unsure. 

Reuben’s hands trembled, and Ryder felt the same icy terror creeping into his own chest. He knew he had to act quickly before the fear took hold of them both. 

“Listen to me,” Ryder said, his voice steadying. “Listen, just breathe and try and stay calm.”

Reuben nodded weakly, his breathing still uneven, but he clung to Ryder’s words. Drawing in a shaky breath, Ryder grounded himself, his freckles glowed faintly, and he closed his eyes, focusing on the connection between him and his guardian. He concentrated on calming his own fears, imagining the eyes fading into the distance. He focused on his intent to dispel the illusion, feeling the magic swirling within him and flowing through their connection.

Slowly, the darkness began to lift, and the eyes blinked out of existence one by one. The walls of the hallway reappeared, solid and familiar, as the darkened smoke finally dissipated. Reuben let out a shaky breath, leaning heavily against the wall for support. Ryder felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, but relief quickly followed.

Reuben rubbed his eyes, looking around as if to reassure himself that it was really over. “That was… horrifying,” he muttered, his voice still unsteady. “It felt like the darkness was going to swallow me whole. Not to mention the eyes.”

“I’m so sorry,” Ryder said, his voice thick with guilt. “I didn’t know…I could do that.”

Reuben looked at him, his expression a mix of lingering fear and surprise. “You're just full of surprises, huh?" Reuben let out a shaky laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Ryder nodded, swallowing hard. “I think… when you inhaled the smoke, it linked us. I was right there with you, seeing the same things.”

Reuben shook his head slowly, "You were there, too?" he asked, puzzled. He hadn't remembered seeing Ryder, only hearing his voice. A weak grin creeping onto his face despite the tension. “Well, that’s one way to bond I guess,” he said with a strained laugh. “But let’s not do that again anytime soon.”

Ryder couldn’t help but laugh, the sound both relieved and exhausted. He knew he needed to be more careful with his powers, but in that moment, he was just grateful that they had made it through that ordeal together.