Chapter 103 - No longer human - Part 2

What was that? A dream?

It seemed to be my memories, but it also didn't feel like mine. It was like I was watching a scene unfold before me, but the characters inside were me as a child and my mom. I did have a cat named Toby, but I had no recollections of how he died—almost like this part of my memories were wiped out of my mind. Perhaps because it was from a long time ago? 

If it was not only a dream—but a piece of my memory—it became clear to me that my mom was the witch. That glowing light she had beneath her hands when she touched Toby—or when she miraculously grew all those flowers—it was magic. But what was the color again? I can't seem to remember. 

I opened my eyes with a groan, feeling a lingering sting in my ċhėst. I noticed that I was lying on a bed, which I ȧssumed to be Maggie's, by all the mess there was in the room. I glanced to my side and saw Luke, fast asleep by the chair beside the bed. His hand was loosely holding mine, wrapping my hand with his warmth. 

I must have passed out after all the pain the seal had caused me, and now we're spending the night at Maggie's. Will she count this into the service fee she was talking about before? I just hoped that Luke wouldn't have to pay too much money for this. 

Just as I was thinking about him, Luke woke up from his sleep and immediately turned his gaze to check up on me, a big sigh of relief escaping his mouth when he saw me sitting up on my bed.

"Oh, thank goodness," he pulled me into his embrace, resting his head on my shoulder. "I was prepared to break Maggie's neck should something bad happen to you after what she'd done."

"She's only helping me," I hugged him back with a chuckle.

"Who knows if she was trying to pull a ruse under the guise of helping you. I know for sure that the woman is not very fond of me—as I am of her." He pulled away, holding me by my shoulders with his hands. "How are you feeling?" 

"I feel quite... fine, actually." Now that he'd asked, I started to focus on how I was feeling and seeing the differences between before and after I broke the seal. I noticed how it felt like something was inside of me, running all through my blood. 

It was warm, soothing, and strange all at the same time. Is this what it's like to have magic? 

Then a whiff of a stinging smell, like burnt metal—or something along that hit my nose. The smell was quite heavy and pungent, but I couldn't put my finger on how to describe it. It was the first time I'd encountered a scent like this. 

I inhaled more of the scent—though not very pleasant—trying to figure out what kind of a smell this was. No matter how hard I tried to rack my brain, I couldn't seem to put into words what smell this is. That, until Maggie came into the room. 

It was the smell of magic. 

The smell became stronger as soon as she entered the room, and something I couldn't see before became visible to my eyes now. I could not only smell magic, but I could also see it. Maggie had mentioned the colors of magic before, and now I knew exactly what she meant by it.

Something was hovering around her, something grey—almost black. It was like smoke was following Maggie around, circling all around her body. The smoke was exactly the same as the one that I saw when she touched the crystal ball. It was almost as if I was seeing someone else's aura, but in this case, it was magic. 

"So you can finally see it? My magic," she leaned to the door, smiling. I'm not sure if I'm right, but she always appeared to be happy whenever she saw me—even more so now that I've turned into a complete witch. Perhaps it was because she'd gotten another witch to keep acquaintance? 

"I can smell it too," I said, scrunching my nose a little. "Your magic doesn't smell that pleasant."

The smile on her face quickly evaporated when she heard my remark—though I didn't mean to insult her—she must have taken that as an insult. I was only stating the truth. 

"Just so you know, your magic smells just as bad," came the sour reply from her. "We're both on the opposing sides of magic, so, naturally, everything about us will contradict each other. While black magic may not smell pleasant to you, it will smell pleasant to me. The same goes with white magic for both you and me." 

Despite the fact that we're on opposing sides of magic, I didn't think she'd be a bad person. After all, she was the one who guided me through all of this and explained all the things about magic that I'd zero clue about. Or, perhaps, she was only in it for the money? 

"Well, now that you're awake, don't you think both of you should be on your way? It's almost dawn, and I've yet to have my beauty sleep because of a certain someone sleeping on my bed." She gestured to the way out, opposing the idea of having any guests in her humble house for another minute. 

"Wait," I raised my palm. "Why can't I see my own magic?" 

"Obviously, because you haven't let your magic out yet," she rolled her eyes, clearly fed up with having to explain all the little things about magic, but I reminded her that I'd only become a witch today. "Witches can let their magic in and out all they want, but the more magic you use will cause you to tire easily. That's why many witches prefer to keep their magic inside to conserve their energy, but some witches who have mastered the flow of their magic will have it with them at all times because magic can be utilized as a form of protection."

"But how can I let them in and out?" 

"You have to feel them," she said, then glanced at Luke, shrugging. "But I wasn't paid to teach you that." Obviously, she wasn't kind—she was only in it for the money. 

Luke just stared at her, unfazed by her outrageousness—perhaps because he was used to it—and said, "I'll pay you any amount, so tell her whatever she asked of you." Maggie smiled at the word. 

"Then I'll gladly tell you," she said as she slid into a chair and crossed her legs. "As I said before, you have to feel your magic. Feel them race all throughout your veins, then let them out. Let them flow not only inside your veins but also outside of your body. As simple as that," she smiled, but it wasn't simple at all. I still didn't know how to let them out. "You have to stay calm and composed, as your emotions greatly influence the flow of your magic." 

Though still confused, I tried to remain calm, feeling my magic flowing inside of me. It was quite easy to feel them inside, as they were everywhere throughout my body. I could feel them, but I still couldn't let them out. What should I do to let them out? 

I turned to Maggie for help, and she sighed again. 

"You know, it's like when you need to pee or poop. You have to let them out to relieve yourself," even after she said that, it was hard when I had to put it to practice. I listened to her, again, focusing on the flow of my magic, but still, it didn't work. 

If I hadn't had enough self-control, I would have peed myself. I must have taken her words too literally. 

Maggie decided to lend me some help after seeing that I had no chance of letting my magic out on my own—though she did say that she would charge Luke more for this. I couldn't help but wonder how much money Luke would have to spend on all of this. 

She held out her hand, expecting me to take it with my own, but I hesitated. The pain from before was too terrible for me to take her hand willingly. 

"It won't hurt again this time," she ȧssured me, and I reluctantly took her hand. Instead of pain, I felt a warm, tingling sensation run through me when I touched her—it was my own magic. I could feel them much more clearly now, feeling them flowing all over my body—and then feeling them outside my body. 

All of a sudden, everything around me turned warmer. Though the room lacked the warmth provided by the only fireplace in the house—as it was located outside of the room—I couldn't feel the cold anymore. It was as if I was wearing a coat—a coat of magic. 

"Wow." The word left my mouth unknowingly as I stared at my own magic, seeing how it was circling around me, just like what I saw with Maggie's magic. But instead of black—greyish smoke, mine was pure white. They felt warm and comforting, as though I was being cocooned inside of my own magic. 

I looked to Luke in awe, eager to show him my magic, but I realized he couldn't see magic the way Maggie and I could. Despite this, he wore a surprised expression on his face, for reasons I have yet to know.

"Violet, your eyes—they're purple."