Chapter 2 Part 2: The Mansion

The room sat still and heavy while everyone processed what Henry just said before he continued “And this is why I decided not to share this information with you all – yet. You have all been living in the dark your entire lives and now with the curtains pulled back your eyes still need time to adjust to the light. Sharing this information with you, this soon, adds a lot of pressure and only hinders your ability to process everything that is happening. So I reiterate what I said yesterday, you are all free to leave if you so desire, you are free to challenge destiny itself and your role within it, but if you want to stay and learn what the hell is going on Toyotama has been patiently waiting to start your lessons for the day.

The mood was sour and flat when Henry departed again. Toyotama guided them all to a large room to start the lesson though it didn’t look like anyone was particularly interested in participating. She took her time setting things up though by the looks of it most of the work was already done. With a few etches into the wood and a few words with what might have been a prayer everyone in the room could feel a bit of static electricity charge their bodies before dissipating.

Toyotama slithered in front of them and met Luther, the tallest, at eye level “Earlier, Master Brickenden didn’t say what he was trying to so I’ll say it here. Magic is sad thing because it is an extension of us all and like us if you abuse it it will lash out and there will be a price to pay. And there are so many people who abuse it. But it is also wonderful and powerful because it is an extension of you as an individual.

“There are two types of magic: the kind that exists externally from you and the one that exists from within. External magic is easy to use, anyone can do it, but it’s also the type that will lash out at you. Internal magic stems from your soul. You can use it and abuse it all you want. Unless you want to hurt yourself you won’t until you go beyond what you’re capable of. This is the type that we’re trying to get you to use.

“So long as you try to use magic the enchantment the Master set up will cause something like a charge to build within you until you cause it to spark with your first spell. This spell will also indicate what type of magic you will have an easier time learning and will guide your lessons from there. In the meantime I recommend you all stay as far away as possible from any form of external magic as possible as this will effectively dissipate everything that’s been building including what has been naturally building up your entire life but never released.

“What we are doing today is the first exercise in what is going to be common practice for you. It is a popular sport used to strengthen the mind and all fae are familiar with it. This sport is easy to get good at but challenging to master and I have set the enchantments already. Luther, please step into the center of the field.”

Luther obliged, he walked to the center of the stage chuckling nervously a little as he squared up against Toyotama. “We aren’t going to wrestle are we?” he asked.

“No, we aren’t going to wrestle, but if you look behind you there might be a familiar sight.” She quipped.

Luther turned and what he saw was a wrestling ring and him in high school facing off against someone with his father watching from the side. He turned back to Toyotama “I did that? Can I make anything –“ before he finished the sentence he saw off to the side a realized construction of what he was going to allude to in his question. A woman as tall and muscular as he was stood visible to everyone. Her skin was slick and golden with long blond hair off held to the side by one of her large bare breasts. “I did not mean to do that, I do not belong in horny jail.”

“So you’re a boob guy.” Toyotama quipped, “Yes, you can make anything here – intentionally or not. But only novices tend to make things like that. Remember, we’re competing. What we’re trying to do is make the other person forfeit. There are two general approaches to this contest – the first is to haphazardly attack the other persons mind with no thought to guarding your own. This approach is generally used by those without secrets, shame, or who are otherwise jaded and don’t care what others think about them. Their approach is to attack relentlessly before they themselves get worn out and succumb to the whims of their opposition.

“The second approach requires a balance you need to learn that only comes from experience. You have to be able to attack another persons mind while protecting your own. If you lose that balance you’ve already lost. Constructs like the thing you just made are forged from base instincts and are connected to so many different parts of yourself. It is a vulnerability that everyone quickly learns to control.

“There are fae, and demons, and humans who can and will, if given the opportunity, invade your waking and sleeping mind to bring you malady or ecstasy for their own ends. Every fae learns to defend themself and so will you.”

Toyotama moved to the side as she demonstrated her point. The woman whipped her hair from side to side as her breasts bounced with the movement. She flung her hair back and with it her face was now that of Luther’s father. Luther grimaced as his father asked what was wrong – that he thought he taught him better than this. “I can’t even look at you” he said as he turned away from Luther and bent over to remove his thong. He turned back around and Luther saw he was fully erect “Do you know what, no. I taught you to look me in the eyes when I speak to you and your going to do just that.”

Luther couldn’t take it, he closed his eyes to that abomination. He heard movement around him – slithering. “Once you get your opponent off balance it’s easy to get into their head and from there it’s a short distance to victory.”

Luther opened his eyes and the construct he saw was gone, but in its place was Toyotama circling around him larger than she was before and her size was only increasing. He felt small and overwhelmed “You can start to control their emotions to anything you want.”

Toyotama’s trunk was now as wide as Luther was tall. He was surrounded by her and she towered over him. “You can see the things that make them fear” she said as her face began to shed and a snake head took the place of the human one. The skin fell to the ground in globs and Luther felt tingles around his ankles. “You can make them feel what you want” the snake mutters as spiders escaped her maw and climbed her face. Some made their way to her eyes and hid themselves within them.

The skin that fell from her face moved and Luther saw spiders escaping from it too. The tingling he felt he now realized were spiders crawling within his clothes, his crotch, his hair. He screamed, eyes closed, running from the snake and everything else.

Luther huddled in the corner having what might have been a panic attack. It took him a ten minutes to calm down. After the matches continued as they all took turn challenging Toyotama.

None of them wanted to be embarrassed or give Toyotama the same opening she used against Luther, but trying not to think about nudity had the opposite effect. Olivia constructed herself fondling herself before picturing Henry. She yelped and her construct changed to the centaur with proportions far larger than what is reasonable and visible for everyone to see. She was flush red before the construct returned to her form now on her back writhing on the floor for obvious reasons.

Marcus ended up circling between how he imagined Sarah, Olivia, and Luther to look in the nude constantly switching between the three of them apologizing each time. Eventually he settled on himself and managed to hide most of his unpleasantries behind a pair of white boxers.

Sarah went last, desperate she fought to repress what she thought would be the most embarrassing scene she could imagine – which only made it manifest. She heard it first and realized exactly what was happening. She was on top of Luther moaning while she rode him. She could only stare in horror and try to repress it, but the harder she tried the more intense the scene got. She was calling out to God with her tits flying and she could hear the slap of Luther’s balls with each thrust. All she could think was fuck me to which her construct gleefully repeated. Luther finished and before Toyotama could capitalize on anything Sarah left the ring unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

By this time Luther fully recovered and Sarah heard him say “Ya know, if you really want –“

He was quickly cut off “Out of everyone here I am the only one who can actually use magic. If you finish that sentence I will fucking burn you.”

Toyotama won each round and no one lasted more than three minutes. Sarah, Luther, Olivia, and Marcus spoke hardly a word to each other the rest of the day. It took three lessons before none of them had a slip up and Toyotama said they were no longer complete amateurs.

Two weeks went by before someone had their spark. It was Olivia, she was in the garden playing her violin. When her spark set off everyone on the estate could hear her play regardless of their distance from her. The walls did nothing to dampen the sound and it carried with it a calming feeling when the music was slow and an energetic one when the pace increased.

That night they had a feast in her honor and Henry asked to be given a few days to set everything up as her lessons would now include those she does with the group as well as private instructions as well. A few days after Marcus had his spark as well though it was more subtle as his was athletic in nature. He could see every crevice and move with a nimbleness unmatched. Luther took longer still but when his spark flew it was identical to telekinesis as he could move and maneuver impossibly heavy equipment.

They all felt the same high Sarah did when she felt her spark and they all felt the same disappointment and loss when after a day they found they were unable to replicate the effect. That would take work and was something Sarah herself was still struggling with, but she could use magic on command at least – as weak as it may be.

A few days passed after Luther had his spark when Henry called Sarah to his office. He thanked her for doing all she had done with helping the others feel welcome here. Henry explained that now since everyone was capable of using magic and he didn’t need to divert his attention so much that he would be taking a more hands on approach to recruiting David. “I know you’re relationship to him is unpleasant but it’s important that he is brought in. In the meantime I have a job for you to do tomorrow. It’s very simple – all you need to do is tail someone.”