Chapter 3.15: The Plane In Between

Mero opens his eyes and gasps. He lies on the floor of the library. Oanoa sits on the ground beside him.
“You are awake, finally”, he says with a smile. “Care to enlighten us on what happened inside your mind?”
Oslando walks up to them - a few scrolls of parchment in his hand - and looks at the puppet.
“Well”, Mero says, “it was a strange experience. There were all these different lights surrounding me and I could hear your voice, uncle. Then two other voices took over, claiming to be my parents and tempting me to come to one of the two remaining lights. I stretched my hands out to both of them and then I woke up.” He turns to Oanoa. “Do you have any idea what this could mean?”
The Beholder helps him up and guides him to a chair.
“It could mean a lot of things, Mero. You were in a place inside your soul, surrounded by all magical properties residing in it. Only you can know what truly happens there.”
The puppet looks disappointed with this answer. He can feel he’s so close to learning something about his past, yet it feels so out of reach. It’s frustrating.
“But I do have a theory”, he adds and he smiles at his nephew. “You are, like almost every being I have ever met, the product of your parents. Therefore, they are linked to your soul. Your magical abilities come from them. I know your father and I know his taste in women. He wouldn’t have chosen any mediocre girl. He would have chosen someone ‘worthy’ of his arcane grandeur. I find it only logical that you heard their voices when channeling into these powers of yours. In some way, they are the source of it. Even though you can’t remember them, your very existence and all your abilities come from them. They are inside you, Mero. They were always there, you just didn’t listen close enough to hear them.”
He sits in the chair, motionless, thinking about what Oanoa just said.
“If I could, I would cry”, he says almost inaudibly. “I don’t even know if I miss them. How can I miss a part of me that I don’t know? Maybe they were awful or maybe I was awful. I-”
“You can stop right there”, their host says calmly. “You just need to rest and let it all sink in. When you feel well enough again, we’ll talk about what to do next, I promise.”
Before Oanoa has finished his sentence, Mero has already closed his eyes and sets off to wherever the place is when puppets dream.

“Are these the spells you wish to learn?”
Oanoa holds up the scrolls the half-elf gave to him. Oslando nods and his teacher browses through the spells he picked. The look on his face shows he approves the choices.
“You picked the right ones. I think they suit your fighting style. You can use the desk over there to sit down and study. It’s crucial to not mess up any of the motions required to cast the spell. They are quite easy, but don’t underestimate it.”
He gives the scrolls back to the half-elf and stares intensely at him. Oanoa sees a spark of magic in his eyes. It intrigues him.
“You know what? I’m going to teach you the extra cantrips right now. They are very easy, but hopefully it will motivate you to perform other forms of magic than just teleporting a dagger. Don’t get me wrong, teleporting an object through the sheer bond with it is an accomplishment on its own. I can’t do that trick, but I can teach you others. Get out one of your weapons.”
Oslando puts down the scrolls on the desk and takes out the sword he claimed after defeating Hadriel. He holds it up and orange flames jump off the blade.
“Yes, this is perfect. Can you feel the energy vibrating in the handle? Can you feel the magic that creates the warmth, but doesn’t burn you?”
The half-elf looks at the sword and he focuses. Oanoa is right. He can feel it shake ever so slightly in his hand. It mostly tickles his palm, but he can feel the same tingling in his entire body.
“I can feel it everywhere. It’s in the blade, it’s in my body.”
“Good, very good. Now, imagine that the same vibrations are passed on to the air as you swing your blade. Just think about leaving a trace of that magical energy when you slash your sword. Give it a try.”
Oslando holds up his weapon next to him and swings it forward, as if he wants to cut the air in front of him. While the blade is in motion, bright green flames appear out of nothing, dancing in place of where the metal just travelled. The fire disappears within a second, but Oslando is still ecstatic.
“I did it! I created fire!”
The Beholder smiles at him.
“Indeed, you did. Let’s see what more you can do with proper training.”