“You are daring, aren’t you Vanessa?” Olivia laughed.
“One of my many personalities.”
“I wish I could be as brave,” Olivia whispered to herself.
After the four left the biotope of the infinite tree, they kept walking across the hallway and looked at every single plant. Finally, they reached the end of the corridor. On top of the door leading to the next exhibit, was a sign: Reptile Exhibit.
Like the other exhibits, the reptile arrangement looked very opulent. The room was hexagonal with biotopes on every wall. There were also a handful of floors in the room with stairs leading to the upper biotopes. The marble floor changed to viridescent. The ceiling was now made completely out of stained glass which was of many shades of green. The stained glass showed a majestic serpent. The four walked over to the first biotope.
The habitat of the reptile was a verdant rainforest. There were many tropical plants and lush green trees. Suddenly, a giant shamrock-colored snake slithered into view. It was very lengthy, at least thirty feet. But something strange happened as it slithered over the ground. After its tail passed the ground, the ground shook. Slowly, plant stems peeked out of the ground. The stems grew larger and larger. The stems sprouted leaves. In a short time, a few enormous plants had grown in the same spot where the serpent had slithered. The snake then creeped over to a tree and coiled itself around it. The serpent soon fell asleep. Suddenly, moss started to cover the tree where the snake was sleeping. Slowly, the moss covered up the entire tree.
“Woah,” David remarked and looked at the board. “This reptile is called a foresta snake, but magians have nicknamed it the “Forest Creator” because it has the ability to grow plants. Whatever it touches sprouts vegetation. They are also not aggressive or venomous and never even go near humans. They are very peaceful creatures and many forests are created by foresta snakes. However, these serpents are endangered and not many are left.”
“What a shame. Such a magnificent creature, which can do great things for the environment, is endangered. That’s not exactly fair,” Vanessa uttered.
“Life isn’t fair, yet we keep living it. We should appreciate what the serpent does and I think that we as humans should take actions to save it,” Eric said.
“You are right, Eric. Our world is like a fabric. Overall, it’s a strong piece of cloth. However, there are some holes and we are the only ones who can make the first step to stitch them together. Magia may have some flaws, but that doesn’t give us any excuse to not try and improve our world. A.S.H., along with many others, is trying to accomplish this.” Mr. Hale sighed.
“It’s admirable how some humans are willing to pay the price for the mistakes that others have committed,” Olivia said.
The four kept looking at the forest and admired that the creature was able to create all of that. After a while, they left for the next ersatz biotope.
The habitat was a waterlogged marshland. Suddenly, a large, dark green alligator with strong armor swam forward. It was the most massive crocodilian any of the four had seen. The semiaquatic creature slowly crawled out of the water. The four watched the alligator closely. All of a sudden, two broad wings came out of the gator’s scaly hide. The creature flapped its wings and it rose into the sky. Eric loved looking at the gators in the zoo in New York and he was the most impressed by this soaring alligator.
Looking at the information board for the reptile he spoke, “This alligator is called a volatilis alligator. It is known for having two string wings that help them fly in the air. They are vicious predators that live in marshlands.”
“Imagine if you saw that thing flying towards you with its mouth wide open,” Vanessa joked.
Olivia shivered, frightened by this thought.
The four watched as the alligator flew across the sky. Soon they left for the next reptile.
The next biotope the four visited showed a river. Many small turtles were in the water swimming. The turtles looked abnormally ordinary amongst the other creatures the four had seen in the zoo, however, the same couldn’t be said about their actions. While the turtles on Earth were very slow creatures, these turtles were swimming faster than anything the children had seen. The four watched as the reptiles dashed across the water. Turtles were Vanessa’s favorite animal when she was younger. She was delighted looking at the small creatures speeding across the water.
“These are called celer turtles. They are known for being fast creatures, unlike the turtles on Earth. First flowers that grow on clouds and now fast turtles? As I said, Magia loves breaking the rules of nature on Earth.”
After looking at the turtles, the group looked at more reptile biotopes until they left the exhibit. But as they were walking towards the next door, Olivia saw three men wearing black coats. She was too far away to see their faces but she knew that they were looking at them, watching. Everyone else in the room was looking at the reptiles, but these men seemed uninterested in the actual exhibit and more engrossed with the four. Olivia looked away before the men knew she saw them. She wanted to tell Mr. Hale but decided not to as it probably wasn’t that important. Once the group reached the end of the exhibit, they saw the sign on the door: Mammal Exhibit.
Similar to the plant life exhibit, the mammal exhibit was also a long corridor, however, it had a higher ceiling and more stories displaying artificial biotopes. The marble floor was a shade of orange. The ceiling was made of brown stained glass which showed a majestic beast with sharp claws. The rest of the four admired the ceiling, but Olivia looked around. She was petrified when she saw that the three men in the black coats also entered the exhibit after them. Olivia tried not to make eye contact and looked away from them immediately after she saw them. Trying to not attract attention from the three men, she walked towards a biotope. The rest of the group followed her.
The habitat showed a boundless pasture covered with fruit trees. Living in the field were many cat-like creatures. They had four paws and two eyes. However, they were much larger than modern cats. They were about the same size as tigers, but they looked much different than tigers. These animals had dark blue fur and no stripes. Their eyes were yellow and triangular. They had two huge wings that came out of their backs and two long tails. The felines played together in the fields and seemed very hyperactive. The four kept looking at the creatures in awe.
Mr. Hale smiled. “The creatures are called mal cats. They can fly, but that’s not what they’re known for. These creatures have magical powers, mischievous powers. Mal cats are very playful and naughty. They use their powers to cause havoc.”
The four watched as one of the mal cats flapped its wings and flew over to a tree which another cat was sleeping under. The flying cat flapped its wings rapidly and a blue ray came out of them. The ray sped to an apple that grew on the tree. The apple then fell and hit the poor sleeping cat on the head. The cat immediately woke up. It looked at the flying cat and it was vexed. The feline under the tree flapped its wings and flew after the cat that made an apple fall on it. The cat chased the other and both caused mayhem in the sky. The other cats were running around playing tricks on each other as well.
“These cats are very mischievous. I like them.” Vanessa chuckled.
“They look much different than modern house cats, but deep down they are more or less the same,” Eric observed.
“They are very playful, aren’t they?” David agreed.
Everyone else smiled and went to visit the next animal.
The next biotope was a pine-wood forest. There were many trees and on them were small furry animals. The four looked at them and couldn’t help but realize how adorable they were. The creatures were covered with purple fur. They had two blue eyes and floppy ears. They also had four small paws which they used to climb the trees.
Olivia looked at the information board. “These animals are called effingoes. Effingoes are said to be one of the most endearing creatures
by many magians. They are known for being able to multiply whenever they eat.”
After she said this, the four looked closer into the glass. They saw that one effingo had gotten a fruit and was quickly gobbling it up. After it finished, it proliferated into two effingoes. More and more effingoes got created.
“I wonder when the effingo apocalypse will happen,” Vanessa joked.
“Only you can make something so adorable sound malicious.” Eric laughed.
“What can I say? It’s one of my talents,” Vanessa said.
“In that case, you are very talented,” David jested.
After looking at the creatures for some more time, they went over to visit the next mammal.
The biotope was an open prairie. There were barely any trees and the sun was shining brightly. Running across the field were many four-legged animals. They were covered with tan fur and had a small tail along with two brown horns.
Mr. Hale spoke as he looked at the information board, “These animals are called curres. They can run very fast. This saves them from hunters who capture them because their horns are a magical source just like the corvo rose. Luckily, their fast speed keeps them alive.”
“I’m glad that these creatures can survive.” Eric smiled.
“Yeah, take that human greed! The nature is strong.” Vanessa grinned.
“I wish all of the creatures were able to survive.” Olivia sighed.
“Yeah,” David agreed.
The four looked at the running creatures one last time before they left to look at more biotopes.
The four looked at many exhibits after they had left the mammals. All of the children looked at the creatures except for Olivia who kept an eye out for the men in black coats. She was very alarmed when she saw that the men had followed them through every exhibit. Olivia wouldn’t have been so worried if the men had just looked at the animals, but they never did. They only looked at the four. After the group left the zoo, she immediately told Hale about the three men.
“They just kept following us and they didn’t even look at the creatures, only us,” Olivia explained.
“Are you sure they were only looking at us?” Mr. Hale asked worriedly.
Olivia grimly nodded.
“Thanks for telling me, Olivia,” Mr. Hale replied without losing the worried expression.
Even after the group reached the penthouse, Olivia was still troubled; she now knew that Mr. Hale was distressed too.
Chapter Eleven
Simple Tasks
Before long, it was soon time for the next magic session. Mr. Hale led the four to the room where they had their first lesson.
“What are we going to do today?” Vanessa excitedly asked.
“Today we are going to be practicing more magic and just like before, we will only be performing simple tasks for now,” Mr. Hale responded. He then led the four to a table at the front of the room. On the table was a slender wax candle. “Firstly, you are going to use your magical abilities to light this candle.”
He waved his hand in front of the candle and a purple light came out of it. The light spun in a circle very fast until it changed into a small spark. The spark landed on the candle and a tiny flame was lit. He then waved his hand again and the fire disappeared like it was never there. The candle was still intact as if it was never lit.
“Your turn.”
Vanessa walked forward first. It was clear to the rest of the four that she was the most excited to perform magic. She waved her hand very swiftly. Nothing happened. She waved her hand again, even faster this time. Again, nothing happened. She kept waving her hand many times, but nothing happened except for her hand getting sore.
“She is relentless,” Olivia whispered.
“Ughh! This is impossible! Why won’t this blooming candle just light up already?” Vanessa huffed.
“Again, magic isn’t easy. Try again, but this time, apply the knowledge which you have gained from your previous attempts,” Hale advised.
Vanessa did what she was told. Instead of waving her hand rapidly like before, she did it slower, but still nothing happened. She kept trying and soon, a purple light came out, but immediately disappeared.
“She really is persistent,” David murmured.
“Now what? What am I doing wrong?” Vanessa asked, annoyed.
“Clear your mind. Let go of any distractions. Focus,” Mr. Hale instructed.
Vanessa took a deep breath and reattempted. She closed her eyes, slowly waved her hand in front of the candle, and a purple light appeared out of her hands. It spun fast in a circle and turned into a spark. The spark lit the candle. Vanessa opened her eyes. She looked at the candle and then at her hands. A huge smile appeared on her face.
“Finally! I can’t believe I just did that. That was way harder than changing some apples.”
Mr. Hale cheered, “Well done, Vanessa!”
Hale waved his hand and the flame disappeared. He then asked the rest of the four to make an attempt. The other four tried to light the candle. None of them made a successful attempt at first try, or second, or even thirty-eighth, but when they used all of their attention and focus, they succeeded.
“Congratulations!” Mr. Hale grinned and led the four to the middle of the room where there were five broken pencils. “Four of them are for you and one is for me to demonstrate. I want you to fix one pencil with your magic.”
He then waved his hand over a pencil slowly. A purple light came out of his hand and went to the two separated pencil pieces. The light then pulled the pieces together and the pencil repaired itself. It was as good as new.
“You make everything look so easy,” Vanessa mumbled.
Mr. Hale laughed and encouraged, “Now you try.”
This time, Eric went first. He waved his hand over a pencil slower than Vanessa did. Nothing happened. Again he tried. Nothing happened. He kept trying and trying, almost as many times as Vanessa, but still nothing happened. Finally, on one try, he used all of his undivided attention as he waved his hand very slowly. Suddenly, a purple light came out and went to the broken pencil pieces, but before it could repair the pencil, the light disappeared. Eric lost focus.
“I was so close.” Eric sighed.
“Don’t worry, you can do it. Always stay focused,” Mr. Hale motivated.
Eric nodded his head and tried again. He closed his eyes and slowly waved his hand over the pencil. A purple light came out and fixed the pencil. Eric then opened his eyes and smiled.
“I knew you could do it.” Hale beamed.
The rest of the four went forward, and after a while, they all fixed their pencils. Mr. Hale clapped and led the four to the back of the room where there was another table. On the table was a glass of water.
“The last task I have for you in this lesson is to freeze this glass of water.”
This time, Hale twisted his fingers in front of the glass. Small purple lights came out of each of his fingers. The lights then joined together to create a brighter ray. The ray then went to the glass of water. The water slowly started to solidify.
“Now I want you to try,” Mr. Hale said as he unfroze the water by twisting his fingers again.
“Again, you make everything look so easy,” Vanessa said in awe.
David went forward. He twisted his fingers just like Mr. Hale. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened the first time, or the other fifty times he attempted it.
“How are his fingers not tired from all that twisting?” Vanessa wondered.
“They are,” David spoke, exasperated. “Why won’t anything happen?”
However, he did not give up. He tried again, and this time, small purple lights came out of his fingers and joined together just like Mr. Hale, but instead of freezing the water, it boiled it. The water slowly started to evaporate. Before the water could completely disappear, Mr. Hale twisted h
is fingers and a purple light came out. The light surrounded the steam and transformed it into drops of water. The drops fell back into the glass.
“Well, at least something happened,” Olivia said supportively.
“Yeah, that was an adequate try,” Vanessa complimented.
“I’m impressed, boiling water is also pretty great,” Eric praised.
“Thanks, guys, but I was supposed to freeze the water, not make it disappear,” David said, demoralized.
“Make sure that you imagine what you want to do to the object so that something different won’t happen,” Hale spoke. “Try again, and this time, close your eyes and imagine the water freezing.”
David nodded. He closed his eyes and imagined the frozen glass of water. He slowly twisted his fingers and when the light came out, it froze the glass of water. David smiled when he opened his eyes and looked at the glass.
“That was so outstanding! Well done, David,” Mr. Hale congratulated.
“Yeah, it was,” Eric said in agreement.
“It was, wasn’t it?” David said to himself proudly.
After the rest of the four succeeded in freezing the glass of water (which took a while), Mr. Hale spoke, “You four are getting better at magic. In not long, you will be pros!”
The four smiled and looked at their hands. Every single one of them was pleased with what they had just done. They all couldn’t wait for their next magic lesson.
Chapter Twelve
Wintergreen’s Ice Cream
The four had many more magic seminars in the following months and their progress was impressive.
Vanessa kept making jokes, Olivia kept being realistic, David kept being kind to everyone, and Eric kept sharing his wisdom. They all tried their to improve their magic and slowly, they were.
One day when the four were eating breakfast, Mr. Hale declared, “I have a vital meeting to attend to at the agency today, you four wouldn’t mind if I left you alone with Ivy, right?”
“Not that I don’t enjoy the children’s company, but don’t you think the children would have more fun if they explored Crow City? They are old enough and it wouldn’t be long,” Ivy counseled and walked over to the table where the four were eating.
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