The Basement - 7
Mr. O'Leary was at Daniel's side in a flash. He had a bottle of mana in his hand, the faintly glowing liquid sloshing back and forth as he worked to uncork it. The silver lines moved and swirled about, ready for action. The white cupboard door swayed back and forth on its hinges, creaking softly with each motion. He slid his hand behind Daniel's head and gently lifted it up, moving the bottle to his lips, and began to pour the liquid into his mouth. It flowed freely, illuminating Daniel's mouth as it passed through. The silver drops elongated and traced patterns through the bottle and across Daniel's tongue as they disappeared toward the back of his throat. Daniel's eyes fluttered and slowly opened, just as the last of the potion entered his mouth.
"Daniel, are you alright?" Mr. O'Leary asked the boy, still cradling his head.
"I've been better," Daniel said after a moment. He propped himself up on his arms and looked around the room at everyone. The class let out a collective sigh of relief, literally and otherwise.
"Mr. O'Leary, what exactly is in that potion?" Daniel asked. He started to get up but Mr. O'Leary motioned him to stay seated. "Not quite yet, rest for a minute," he said. "Mana potion is made of animal essence, mainly. A few other additives to help preserve it, but mostly animal essence."
Scientists and mages had created mana to help alleviate the effects of prolonged magic use. Using animal essence as a catalyst, it could provide an instant, rejuvenating boost of energy to the body. New, synthetic versions were also starting to hit the market, providing near equal results with higher sustainability in the long run. Mana didn't completely reverse the side effects of magic use on a person's body, especially powerful spells, but with it people could use smaller spells almost indefinitely with little to no adverse reactions. It was one of the cornerstones of modern magical safety.
Daniel took a few deep breaths, collected himself, then slowly stood up. His legs were a bit shaky, but other than that he was no worse for wear. A few students took this as their cue to huddle around and ask questions, mainly about the mana itself. His near failure to move the pencil just a scant few minutes prior seemed to completely disappear from their memories.
"Sure you're ok?" Nathan Gerling asked. "Yeah, I'm ok, just a bit rattled," Daniel answered. He made his way back to his desk and sat down.
"Do we get to go home now?" Roger Conway asked loudly. He was the only person that didn't seem concerned with Daniel. He didn't even bother to get out of his seat. Instead, he was leaning back, his feet propped on the chair in front of him.
Calvin and Eva had also joined the group of students that had migrated and was now surrounding Daniel's desk. "What did it taste like?" he asked.
Daniel looked up at Calvin, and a small grin started to form at the thought. "It tasted like honey and kiwi... and a little like grass," He answered. "It was delicious!" He still had the faint essence of flavor in his mouth, and ran his tongue around, trying to capture all of it he could.
Mr. O'Leary was back at his desk. He had closed and clasped the cupboard full of small bottles and was now seated, eyeing the group, and Daniel, most of all. He had seen this happen plenty of times in his class, but it never made it easier. The furrow in his brow gave a hint of how much he cared about his students and their well being.
"Ok, class, let's settle down a bit. Everyone back to your seats, please. I'm sure Daniel needs a bit of space to breathe after that scare." A few mutters rose from the group, but Calvin broke away and found his seat, quickly followed by Eva. The rest followed suit. Mr. O'Leary began to speak again, but kept his attention on Daniel as he did.
"Daniel, I say this for your benefit, but this is a good lesson for everyone. Magic is like anything else that we learn. The more we do it, the better we get, and the more our bodies get use to producing results. But not everyone has the same aptitude for it at first. That doesn't mean that you won't go on to do great things, though, so please don't take this as a failure. I've had students in this class, many of them, that couldn't do what you just did. Not the first time, not the second. Not even the tenth, but many of them went on to become very successful in different magical and scientific fields later on in their lives. You might feel bad about it now, but try to learn from it, find your limit and try and push it a little bit each time. But next time," he said with a smile, "Please stop when I tell you to."
Daniel nodded. "I don't know, Mr. O'Leary. It was almost worth it for a taste of that mana." Laughter rolled through the class followed by the sound of the bell, bringing an end to the day. "We'll continue tomorrow, class!" Mr. O'Leary called, as sounds of students leaving school filled the hallways. His students soon joined the din, disappearing into the wave of bodies exiting the building just beyond the classroom door.
"Daniel, are you alright?" Mr. O'Leary asked the boy, still cradling his head.
"I've been better," Daniel said after a moment. He propped himself up on his arms and looked around the room at everyone. The class let out a collective sigh of relief, literally and otherwise.
"Mr. O'Leary, what exactly is in that potion?" Daniel asked. He started to get up but Mr. O'Leary motioned him to stay seated. "Not quite yet, rest for a minute," he said. "Mana potion is made of animal essence, mainly. A few other additives to help preserve it, but mostly animal essence."
Scientists and mages had created mana to help alleviate the effects of prolonged magic use. Using animal essence as a catalyst, it could provide an instant, rejuvenating boost of energy to the body. New, synthetic versions were also starting to hit the market, providing near equal results with higher sustainability in the long run. Mana didn't completely reverse the side effects of magic use on a person's body, especially powerful spells, but with it people could use smaller spells almost indefinitely with little to no adverse reactions. It was one of the cornerstones of modern magical safety.
Daniel took a few deep breaths, collected himself, then slowly stood up. His legs were a bit shaky, but other than that he was no worse for wear. A few students took this as their cue to huddle around and ask questions, mainly about the mana itself. His near failure to move the pencil just a scant few minutes prior seemed to completely disappear from their memories.
"Sure you're ok?" Nathan Gerling asked. "Yeah, I'm ok, just a bit rattled," Daniel answered. He made his way back to his desk and sat down.
"Do we get to go home now?" Roger Conway asked loudly. He was the only person that didn't seem concerned with Daniel. He didn't even bother to get out of his seat. Instead, he was leaning back, his feet propped on the chair in front of him.
Calvin and Eva had also joined the group of students that had migrated and was now surrounding Daniel's desk. "What did it taste like?" he asked.
Daniel looked up at Calvin, and a small grin started to form at the thought. "It tasted like honey and kiwi... and a little like grass," He answered. "It was delicious!" He still had the faint essence of flavor in his mouth, and ran his tongue around, trying to capture all of it he could.
Mr. O'Leary was back at his desk. He had closed and clasped the cupboard full of small bottles and was now seated, eyeing the group, and Daniel, most of all. He had seen this happen plenty of times in his class, but it never made it easier. The furrow in his brow gave a hint of how much he cared about his students and their well being.
"Ok, class, let's settle down a bit. Everyone back to your seats, please. I'm sure Daniel needs a bit of space to breathe after that scare." A few mutters rose from the group, but Calvin broke away and found his seat, quickly followed by Eva. The rest followed suit. Mr. O'Leary began to speak again, but kept his attention on Daniel as he did.
"Daniel, I say this for your benefit, but this is a good lesson for everyone. Magic is like anything else that we learn. The more we do it, the better we get, and the more our bodies get use to producing results. But not everyone has the same aptitude for it at first. That doesn't mean that you won't go on to do great things, though, so please don't take this as a failure. I've had students in this class, many of them, that couldn't do what you just did. Not the first time, not the second. Not even the tenth, but many of them went on to become very successful in different magical and scientific fields later on in their lives. You might feel bad about it now, but try to learn from it, find your limit and try and push it a little bit each time. But next time," he said with a smile, "Please stop when I tell you to."
Daniel nodded. "I don't know, Mr. O'Leary. It was almost worth it for a taste of that mana." Laughter rolled through the class followed by the sound of the bell, bringing an end to the day. "We'll continue tomorrow, class!" Mr. O'Leary called, as sounds of students leaving school filled the hallways. His students soon joined the din, disappearing into the wave of bodies exiting the building just beyond the classroom door.
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