Aaron woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache, which, after last night's performance, felt a little too poetic for his liking. He groaned, dragging himself out of bed and toward the mirror in his cramped little room. As he stared at his reflection, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"Look at you," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his slightly messy hair, "Nostoria's new magic sensation… and you've already peaked. Brilliant."
The performance had gone better than he expected—way better, if he was being honest—but that small burst of pride was drowned out by the fact that he had nearly turned the entire stage into a bonfire. The only reason he hadn't ended up roasting the audience alive was because of some last-minute, completely unplanned magical control. And, of course, Tobias and Gretna's help. But did anyone really need to know about that part? No, no they did not.
"I mean, obviously I'm a natural," Aaron said to his reflection, his sarcasm thick. "Sure, I had a little help along the way, but that's what being a 'self-made man' is all about, right? You just take credit for everything and then conveniently forget about the fact that you had help from—oh, I don't know—Tobias, Gretna, random alchemists, and sheer dumb luck."
He grinned to himself, giving his reflection a mockingly heroic pose. "Yep, self-made man. Completely pulled myself up by my bootstraps... while someone else was, you know, holding the straps and pulling with me."
With that final jab at the hollow ideology, Aaron got dressed and headed toward the theater, where Tobias was undoubtedly waiting to heap praise on him for last night's spectacle. And honestly? Aaron wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that. Sure, the audience had been impressed, and he'd managed not to burn the place down (again), but there was something unsettling about it all.
The more he used these powers, the less control he seemed to have over them. And while last night had ended with a standing ovation, there was a part of Aaron that knew it could've just as easily ended in disaster.
As Aaron reached the theater, Tobias was already pacing outside, looking uncharacteristically serious. Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the man of the hour," Aaron said, strolling up to him with a smirk. "What's with the long face? I thought you'd still be high on the success of our magical light show last night."
Tobias looked up, his expression softening into a smile. "You were great, Aaron. Seriously. The crowd loved you."
Aaron shrugged, pretending to brush the compliment off. "Yeah, well, it's not like I did anything. Just juggled some glowing orbs and accidentally blew up half the ceiling. Pretty standard Thursday, really."
Tobias laughed, but it was short-lived. He glanced over his shoulder, back at the theater, before turning to Aaron again. "Listen, we need to talk about something. Something... bigger than the show."
Aaron's sarcastic retort died in his throat as he caught the look in Tobias' eyes. This wasn't the usual carefree theater-manager-who-should've-been-an-event-planner vibe Tobias had. No, this was something else.
"Okay," Aaron said slowly, crossing his arms. "I'm listening. What's up?"
Tobias hesitated for a moment, as if weighing how much to say. "Gretna's been doing some research since we discovered your powers. She thinks that what's happening to you... it's not random. These powers—they weren't just given to you by accident."
Aaron blinked, processing the words. "Wait, are you saying I'm... special?" He smirked, adding a layer of his usual sarcasm. "That's a pretty big claim, Tobias. I mean, I already knew I was destined for greatness, but you're really inflating my ego here."
Tobias sighed, shaking his head. "No, Aaron, I'm serious. These powers—it's like they've been awakened. And from what Gretna's gathered, they might be tied to something older, something... dangerous."
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Dangerous? You mean more dangerous than me juggling sparks and accidentally setting the stage on fire?"
Tobias nodded. "Yeah. Way more dangerous than that."
For a moment, Aaron was silent, the weight of Tobias' words settling over him like a heavy blanket. He'd always known something wasn't right. The power inside him—it felt unstable, wild, like it could explode at any moment. But hearing it laid out like this? That made it real.
He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if he could feel the magic swirling just beneath the surface. "So... what do I do?"
Tobias placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We figure it out. Together. But first, we need to be careful. Gretna thinks there might be people—powerful people—who would want to use your abilities for their own ends."
Aaron chuckled, shaking his head. "Right. Because of course there are. I finally get something cool, and it turns out I'm the target of some mysterious group of power-hungry weirdos. Classic Aaron luck."
But despite the joke, there was an unease creeping into his chest. For once, his sarcasm wasn't enough to brush off the feeling of dread building in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want these powers. He didn't ask for them. But now, it seemed like they were the key to something much bigger than himself—and not in a good way.
"So, what's the plan?" Aaron asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are we laying low? Going into hiding? Because I have to say, the idea of living off the grid in some mystical forest sounds pretty appealing right now."
Tobias smiled faintly. "No, we're not hiding. We're preparing. Gretna's going to help you learn how to control your powers, and we'll figure out who's behind this. In the meantime... we keep up the theater. The show must go on, after all."
Aaron snorted. "Of course it does. Wouldn't want to let a potential magical conspiracy ruin a good performance."
They walked toward the theater together, but Aaron couldn't shake the feeling that things were changing—whether he liked it or not.
Practice, or Whatever This Is
Later that afternoon, Aaron found himself back at the alchemist's shop, sitting across from Gretna as she carefully examined one of the small, glass orbs she'd been using to test his magical energy. The shop was just as cluttered and chaotic as the last time he'd been there, and it still smelled like a mix of burning herbs and what Aaron could only describe as "old potion."
"So, what are we working on today?" Aaron asked, leaning back in his chair with his usual air of disinterest. "More glowing orbs? Maybe this time we can get them to sing while they float around. Give the audience a real 'Disney musical' vibe."
Gretna gave him a withering look. "We're going to work on control, Aaron. You've got power, but it's unstable. If you don't learn to harness it, you're going to cause more damage than you realize."
Aaron sighed dramatically, drumming his fingers on the table. "Ah yes, the classic 'with great power comes great responsibility' speech. I've been waiting for this one."
Gretna narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a joke. Your powers are connected to something ancient. Something dangerous. The more you use them, the more attention you'll attract. And trust me, that's not the kind of attention you want."
Aaron's smirk faded. "Yeah, Tobias mentioned that part. So, what are we talking about here? Evil sorcerers? Rogue wizards? A secret cult that's into dark magic and questionable fashion choices?"
Gretna didn't smile. "Something like that."
Aaron exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. "Fantastic. Just when I thought my life couldn't get more complicated."
"Look," Gretna said, her tone softening slightly. "I know you didn't ask for this. But it's happening. And you need to be ready."
Aaron leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Fine. But can we at least agree that when I finally figure this out, I'll be able to take full credit for it? No 'it takes a village' stuff. I want the whole 'self-made man' narrative when I inevitably save the day. Sound good?"
Gretna rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."