Dance of the Gods

When the explanation was over, he took a few steps back and let her try to cast the spell.

Since ascension provided the knowledge, Ascended didn't need to learn how to cast spells; this wasn't the case for Items and Relics.

The spells they give come with no knowledge, and Veronica had to learn how to cast it herself.

First, she closed her eyes and focused her mind. As her concentration increased, she raised her hands towards the sky, encompassing the vast cosmos.

When her mind was empty of thought, she willed the moon into existence. She continued to concentrate, and just as the moon was about to appear, she lost focus.

With a sharp intake of breath, she cursed to herself. Behind her, Michael chuckled.

"You didn't expect to cast it on your first attempt, did you? There is a reason people don't like to use Item cast spells: they are hard to learn and even harder to master. It's also weaker than an Ascended from the same path casting it..." She looked at Michael with an annoyed expression, then rolled her eyes and tried again.

It took her ten attempts to get the moon to appear. Michael was kind enough to shut up after she failed for the third time. He was quite lucky because if he dared to say another 'constructive criticism' he would've ended up in the sea!

Veronica looked up at the tiny blue moon with awe. The moon wasn't even the size of her head; it was a bit bigger than her fist. Michael told her that the size determines its strength, but for now she didn't care about any of that.

Instead, she laughed with overwhelming joy at her successful attempt. Behind her, Michael giggled and came to stand next to her.

She lost her concentration in her glee, and the moon dissipated. But Veronica didn't curse like the other times, instead without taking a break, she closed her eyes and tried again.

It took her fewer attempts to succeed. The moon's size also grew, and its glow brightened.

Michael watched in astonishment as Veronica done this exercise over and over until she could summon the moon on the first try. Its size was about the same as her upper body.

As the moon dissipated for the fifteenth time, Michael turned to her with an enormous grin. She mirrored his grin, quite pleased with herself.

"Now comes the second part of the exercise. Keep the moon going as long as possible."

He was smiling with mischief, which caused Veronica's eyes to narrow. There was something he wasn't telling her.

She closed her eyes again and while she summoned the moon she asked... "How strong is the moon with a size like that?"

For a moment, Michael looked up at the forming glow of the moon with a thoughtful expression.

"I would say that everything in a ten or twelve meter radius would get sucked into it... But don't worry about that, we will do a few tests later, since we have to know exactly how strong it is!" He spoke in a serious tone.

Above them, the same moon appeared. Its glow lit up the water dozens of meters away.

Veronica opened her eyes and watched the moon. She maintained her concentration with ease, at least until Michael interrupted her.

He poked Veronica in the side, which caused her to yelp in surprise. The moon's glow disappeared in the next second.

"What was that for?!" she asked in an annoyed voice, while rubbing the side he poked.

Michael continued to smile as he answered... "This is the second part! You try to stay focused while I distract you!"

Veronica's anger simmered beneath the surface, though she understood the exercise's purpose.

In an actual fight, she would have to keep her concentration going no matter what happened around her.

Without saying another word, she closed her eyes and summoned another moon.

As the blue light illuminated the surroundings, Veronica waited to see what would Michael do. To keep concentration going, her eyes were closed, which made the wait a lot more excruciating.

She waited for a few seconds, then half a minute. After she was standing there for well over a minute, she opened her eyes with annoyance, but Michael was nowhere to be seen.

Veronica turned and looked behind herself, but he wasn't there either.

"Hey, where did you go?" She asked, but there was nothing.

The moon flickered for a moment as she her annoyance turned to anxiety, but her concentration remained unbroken.

A splashing sound came from behind her, like something fell into the water. She jumped back while turning around, but the water seemed normal.

With slow and methodical steps, she approached the edge and looked down at its calm surface. The blue moon reflected, and she saw her reflection, but nothing else.

Veronica stared at herself for a while, then yelped from surprise and jumped away as something touched her shoulder.

"GODAMMIT! You Asshole!" she shouted at Michael, who was dying of laughter.

Her heart beat fast, and her breathing was uneven. The surprise broke her concentration, and darkness consumed the pier once again.

"Sorry... Sorry. It was just too funny not to scare you."

He wanted to laugh a bit more, but seeing Veronica's unamused expression, he thought better of it. She didn't say a word, just turned away and cast the spell again.

As the blue moon brightened the pier, Veronica sat down and began staring at it. Behind her, Michael stayed silent. It was a funny joke in his opinion, but it seemed like Veronica didn't think so.

The problem was, he did not know why. It wasn't like this was the first time he had done something like it, but something seemed different.

Staring at Veronica's form, he couldn't determine what emotions she was feeling. In times like this, he really wished to have Mind's Eye. It would've made understanding someone much easier.

With a sigh, he approached the ledge and sat down next to Veronica. He watched as the lights moved around on the blue moon.

Veronica reached down and took a pebble from the pier, then she hurled it towards the water, but the moon sucked it in before it could hit the water. Watching this, she sighed and turned towards Michael.

"You scared the fuck out of me..."

Michael looked bewildered for a moment... 'Was this why she acted like this? Not because I scared her, but because she didn't know where I disappeared to?... Now I feel much worse...'

With gentle movements, he took her hand and gave a small kiss on her ring finger.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you would feel that way..." Before he could say anything else, Veronica cut in. "Of course I feel this way, you dumbass! Wouldn't you be scared if I disappeared without a trace?"

Her voice sounded a bit hurt, which broke Michael's heart further. With a quick thought, he determined Veronica was a hundred percent right. He wouldn't get mad at a prank like this, but she wasn't the same as he.

Veronica was much more emotional, especially when it was about her family.

Michael put her arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer... "I would be scared out of my mind..."

They stayed silent for a few minutes. Veronica placed her head on his shoulder and together they watched the lights dance on the calm waves.

Seeing the water move, Veronica had a mischievous idea. She lifted her hand and pulled away from Michael, removing his arm from her shoulder.

"You know, I think I deserve reconciliation for what you've done!" She said with a cunning smile.

Michael knew he was about to 'suffer' for what he had done, but he played along anyway.

"What kind of reconciliation are you talking about?" He asked while leaning close to her face. She began leaning as well, but just as their mouths would've touched, she pushed him while whispering... "Something like this!"

He fell into the water like a rock. He could've caught the pier's ledge in the last moment, but he let himself fall without too much care.

The water was freezing, and he gasped as his clothing got filled with it. The suit turned heavier as more water got absorbed, but his Ascended strength kept him afloat with ease.

Above him, he heard Veronica's hysterical laughter. It was both beautiful and annoying.

After a few minutes, she looked over the edge with a big arresting smile. Their eyes met, the sadness and anger was gone from hers, and instead it held only joy.

"Did you have enough fun?" Asked Michael from the water, causing Veronica to giggle.

"Yeah, sorry. You deserved it, though!" She said while leaning over the edge a bit more and reaching down towards Michael.

"I know, but the water is not so bad. Would you like to try it?"

Veronica realized her mistake a bit too late, and as Michael hopped up from the water, he caught her hand with ease. She screamed and laughed while plummeting into the waves below.