Fire and Water: Fire

Aeilus had tried using magic before, and it hadn't exactly worked. Usual, his tutor would set an object or element in front of him, and tell him to try to touch it with an imaginary hand. And he'd tried, but they always stopped him right as he began to feel it working. Every time, brown spots would begin to appear on his wings, and the tutor would rush to intervene. Aeilus had resigned himself to living without magic, simply pretending he did to the people of his kingdom. But now, now there was a chance that maybe he really did have some. So here he was, sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, trying to "poke around with his magic", as Kael had put it. He wasn't sure what he was doing, so he just tried to find magic to latch onto somewhere.

There was something almost like a pinprick of light that appeared in his vision. He tried reaching for it with that imaginary hand he'd been told so much about. This was usually the point where someone stopped him. He didn't know if Kael was watching, didn't know if the Greenwing would intervene if his wings started turning brown. He realized he didn't actually care. In this world, the blue wings meant nothing. Them going brown would mean a loss of his magic, but he didn't have any magic to begin with. 

And then color exploded across his vision. It was as if he'd opened his eyes, except that he hadn't. And this world of color was a lot more simplistic than the real world. Everything was coated in a color, some shining brightly, while others were much duller. The wooden desk was a vibrant green, the water in the cup an incredible blue, and the unlit lantern above a dull, residual red. Aeilus realized he could move in this space, sort of. He could still feel the wood floor beneath his legs, but his self in this strange world of color could stand and look around. He could see Kael, a bright white with a blue streak running through his body, and he could see himself, a black silhouette that felt very off against the brighter colors. He reached out to touch Kael, invisible fingers brushing against the blue streak. Strangely, Kael reacted, jumping back from the touch, and glaring at Aeilus. He opened his eyes.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to mess with other people's magic?" Kael asked, rubbing at the spot on his side where Aeilus had touched him.

"What did it feel like?" Aeilus leaned forward excitedly despite himself.

"Take off that necklace and I'll show you."

It sounded like Kael had said it as a joke, but Aeilus eagerly took off his pendant with only a moment's hesitation anyway. 

Kael stared at him in surprise, then he narrowed his eyes. "You've got magic." He said, before closing his eyes.

After a brief second, Aeilus felt a strange sensation in his shoulder. It felt like a bug trapped under his skin, trying to burrow in further. It was uncomfortable, verging on painful, and Aeilus leaned away from the feeling. It vanished as Kael opened his eyes again.

"You've got magic." He repeated, shaking his head and returning to the desk. 

Aeilus blinked. What was that supposed to mean? He closed his eyes, and this time the colors appeared almost instantly. Without his pendant, his silhouette was a washed-out grey, still a stark difference from the other bright colors. But, just like with Kael, there was a streak through it, a red one. He reached into it. It was far less unpleasant when it was him doing it instead of Kael. It felt a bit like you might feel meeting an old friend. Or eating a meal you haven't had since you were a kid. The red streak felt warm on his hand. Not just his imaginary hand, he could feel it on the hand resting atop his leg too. He reached closer, holding it in his hand and-

His eyes flew open as a burst of flame flew upwards from his hand. 

He stared at where it had been for a moment before willing it to be there again. To his great surprise, another flame surged into being. A look of joy appearing on his face, he continued, creating fire after fire. It was magic. Real, actual magic. In his hands. And it wasn't perfect, the fire seemed to have almost a mind of its own, but it was there. Aeilus didn't have to pretend anymore.