James found out he could manipulate weather while trying to kill a wasp.
This seemed to be a pattern with his affinity manifestations. What would be considered desperate situations for a ten year old, produced new magical potential. He was beginning to suspect his soul was just showing off at this point.
"Hold still," he told the wasp, which had invaded his room through the open window and was now terrorizing his plants.
The wasp, unsurprisingly, did not hold still, how dare that wasp.
James tried striking it down with ice magic, but freezing a flying target was harder than expected. He just created small ice crystals in the air while the wasp zipped around them mockingly.
"This is degrading," James muttered. "James... splitter of souls and look at me."
The wasp landed on his desk, directly on top of his Nature magic notes, rubbing its horrible wasp hands together on it.
James, frustrated beyond reason, thought very hard: May the heavens strike you where you stand.
Then thunder cracked. Not outside, but inside his room. A small, localized storm cloud formed at ceiling height, sparked once, and sent a tiny lightning bolt directly at the wasp, causing it to expode in a small puff of smoke.
"At last... the heavens acknowledge James." James said to the dissipating storm cloud.
The cloud then rained on him. A personal, localized rain shower that soaked his clothes and notes.
"Hmmm..."
—what was that noise is James okay should I check—
His mother's thoughts from downstairs. James frantically waved his hands at the cloud, willing it to disperse but it rained harder, apparently offended.
"Even the weather should know better than to disrespect James!"
Footsteps on the stairs.
James concentrated desperately on making the weather stop and the cloud dissipated finally, leaving him standing in a puddle in his own bedroom, notes ruined, dead wasp on his desk.
Eliza opened the door and stared at her soaking wet son. Looked at the puddle. Looked at the open window and the clear, sunny sky beyond it.
"Did you," she said slowly, "just make it rain indoors?"
"The wasp started it," James said, which was true but not helpful.
—weather manipulation, that's advanced Nature magic, he shouldn't be able to do that yet, he's had the affinity for two weeks—
"You look lovely today mother," James added.
His mother closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "James. Sweetheart. When I said you needed to practice your Nature affinity, I didn't mean summon storms inside the house."
Eliza looked at the dead insect, the puddle, her son's dripping hair, and apparently decided this was a problem for later. "Clean this up. We're having a serious conversation about this later."
After she left, James stared at his hands. Weather manipulation. That was advanced Nature magic. Supposedly requiring years of training and deep connection to natural patterns, and even then, not everyone with the Nature affinity could get this.
He'd done it in two weeks, completely by accident, out of sheer annoyance at a wasp.
"No surprise there," he told the dead wasp. "I'm me after all."
---
Saturday. The mill. Miranda arrived to find James sitting in the center of a circle of plants, all of which were leaning away from him.
"Why do your plants look scared?" she asked.
"You do not want to know."
James explained the wasp incident and his brush with weather magic as Miranda listened with an expression that cycled through disbelief, amusement and concern.
"I made use of weather magic, which means my Nature affinity is more powerful than expected. Which means hiding it during testing becomes more complicated."
Miranda leaned in. "Right. How many aspects of Nature can you use now?"
"Plants, definitely. Weather, apparently. Haven't tested animals yet." James pulled out his notes, the ones that hadn't been destroyed by indoor rain.
"Traditional Nature magic is split into three main areas: flora, fauna, meteorology. I've got two of three confirmed."
"Are you going to test the third?"
"Not interested, but eventually."
They spent the afternoon practicing magic at small scales. James learned he could create minor temperature changes, generate small breezes, even produce tiny patches of fog.
"This is so cool James," Miranda observed, watching James create a small cooling breeze while she worked on her Eldritch Magic.
"I realize now that during the testing, I'll have to present myself as a Nature type."
"Why?" Miranda asked.
"My parents already believe that is my affinity. The initial plan to present myself as an Eldritch mage is no longer an option."
"James?"
"Yes, Miranda?"
"I'm scared."
"Explain."
She took a sit on an old bench. "I heard my mom say they're executing mages now in Blüthaven. I'm a mage."
"My parents have been anxious about this lately but it's probably nothing. That's the whole point of the neutral territory," James consoled her, or tried to at least. But deep down he wondered if there was more to the story, if his parents were right to be worried.
***
A/N: Laughing Maitreya here.
Planning on merking someone. Only way to steer the story to the Academy Arc so sorry in advance and peace!