Danny's Demons Chapter 27 (Early Preview) (Patreon)

Chapter 27: Magic Initiate

It was another weekend after his thirteenth birthday. Ever since that night, Danny was extremely dedicated in learning magic. Jack had dropped him off at Stolas's home for the afternoon, and Danny was stoked. However, his enthusiasm was cut short when he and Octavia were sitting in one of Stolas' spare rooms as he was giving another lecture.

He had imagined magic training would be more... exciting. Fireballs. Lightning bolts. Something cool. Instead, he was drowning in magical theory as he scribbled notes. Granted, Danny was still excited to learn. He read over his grimoire again. He tried to memorize the arcane symbols, incantations, and diagrams mapping out the mechanics of spellcasting.

Across from him, Stolas continued to speak. "As spells become more complex, so too will the requirements."

Danny sighed.  “Yeah. Magic is like a language. Gotta learn the grammar before you start writing essays.”

Stolas gave an approving nod. “Correct. Now, turn to the section on spell components.”

Danny flipped through the grimoire. Not all spellcasting was as simple as waving a hand and saying magic words. Every spell required some combination of three key components:

Verbal – Spoken words of power, carefully enunciated to shape magic into reality.

Somatic – Hand movements, guiding and controlling the spell’s energy.

Material – Physical components are often small items that enhance or fuel the spell’s effect.

The problem was that memorizing all of it was a nightmare. His brain already felt stuffed with too much information, every page a new tangle of symbols and formulas. He rubbed his temple, exhaling in frustration.

"Alright," Stolas said, sitting up straighter. "Let’s put your knowledge to the test." He tapped a claw against the desk. "The incantation for Mage Hand?"

Danny hesitated, then straightened. “Uh… Manus Evocare?”

Stolas nodded. “Correct. And the somatic component?”

Danny moved his hand in what he hoped was the proper motion.

Stolas sighed. "With precision, Daniel, not like you’re swatting a mosquito."

Octavia smirked over the top of her book from her spot in a nearby chair. “That was painful to watch.”

Danny shot her a look. “You wanna try saying these weird spell words?”

Octavia snapped her book shut and stood. “Actually, I have a better idea.” She plucked Danny’s grimoire off the desk and held it up. “If you suck at rote memorization, let’s see how you do under pressure.”

Danny narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She smirked. “Simple. I randomly call out a spell name, and you tell me the components before I finish flipping to the next page.”

Danny slumped back in his chair. “That sounds awful.”

“Which is exactly why it’ll work,” Octavia countered. “C’mon, Fenton. Let’s see if you can keep up.”

Stolas arched a brow, intrigued. “This should be interesting.”

Octavia didn’t waste time. She flipped to a random page. “Prestidigitation?”

Danny sat up, brain scrambling. “Uh—Verbal, Somatic—no Material component!”

Octavia turned the page. “Mending?”

“Verbal and Somatic!” Danny said quickly. “Needs two pieces of what you’re fixing—ha! Gotcha!”

Octavia huffed, flipping faster. “Shield?”

“Verbal and Somatic! No material, but it’s reaction-based—you thought you’d trip me up!”

Octavia’s brows rose slightly in surprise, and Stolas let out an approving hum. “Not bad, Daniel. It seems you absorb knowledge best through active application.”

Danny grinned, leaning back with a smug look. “I dunno. I think I just like proving Octavia wrong.”

Octavia scoffed, tossing the book back onto the desk. “Hmph. Not bad, Fenton. But don’t let it go to your head.”

Danny smirked. “No promises.”

#

After three hours of bookwork, Stolas saved him from boredom and brought him out to a makeshift training field outside. Conjured torches lined the perimeter. In the center, Stolas waved a hand, summoning several floating targets at varying distances.

Danny shifted his weight and tried to shake off the nerves.

Stolas stood beside him. "Eldritch Blast, much like light, is simple yet full of potential. It is a raw projection of magical energy. Its power will grow as you do."

Danny nodded. Energy crackled to life in his palm, a violet light sparking between his fingers. With a sharp thrust forward, he fired.

The blast fizzled out mid-air, vanishing like smoke.

From where she lounged against a stone pillar, Octavia smirked. “Wow. Terrifying.”

Danny shot her a glare before flexing his fingers and trying again. This time, the blast actually launched—but went wide, soaring past the targets entirely and disappearing into the night.

Stolas sighed, stepping forward. “Your stance, Daniel. Without a strong foundation, your magic will waver.” He adjusted his posture. "Feet apart. Breathe."

Danny gathered the magic again, letting it build at his fingertips before releasing it. This time, the blast struck the nearest target—weakly, but at least it hit.

“Better,” Stolas acknowledged. “Again.”

Danny repeated the exercise until he visibly improved. Every missed shot was discouraging, but Stolas remained patient and offered corrections when needed. After about an hour, Danny was sweating and aching.

Moving targets, however, were another story.

“Alright,” Danny huffed, shaking out his hands. “What’s next?”

Stolas smirked. “A test of control.” He conjured a towering bookshelf packed with tomes. At the top, Stolas levitated a single book onto the highest shelf.

“The objective,” he said smoothly, “is to knock over only the top book. Nothing else.”

Danny squinted up at the shelf. “That’s it? Sounds easy.”

Stolas arched a brow. “Then, by all means, demonstrate.”

Danny raised his hand and fired.

A surge of violet energy shot forward—far too strong. The entire bookshelf toppled over in a loud crash.

Danny winced. “Uh… whoops?”

Stolas pressed his fingers to the bridge of his beak, exhaling. With a flick of his wrist, the books levitated back into place. “Again. With finesse this time, Daniel.”

Danny groaned but refocused. He charged up a smaller blast and fired, but the energy fizzled out just before reaching the shelf.

From her seat across the room, Octavia snorted. “You’re either too strong or too weak. Pick a lane, Fenton.”

Danny shot her a glare. “Third time’s the charm.”

This time, he really focused, picturing the exact force needed. He steadied his breath, aimed carefully, and let the energy fly.

Thwip!

The blast struck cleanly, sending only the top book flipping forward. It landed with a soft thud onto the desk.

Danny grinned. “Boom. Nailed it.”

Stolas gave a slow nod of approval. “Acceptable.”

With that, he began explaining the next spell, True Strike. Extend your hand and point a finger at a target in range. The spell will grant you a brief insight into the target. This will make it easier to direct your next spell or projectile.

“So, is it a guaranteed hit?”

“Nothing is 100%, but it does increase your accuracy dramatically.”

Danny flexed his fingers, already feeling magic thrumming beneath his skin. “So I just focus, and the spell does the rest?”

“Correct,” Stolas said

Danny’s gaze locked onto the swinging disc. He inhaled slowly, casting True Strike, then Fire Bolt.

Thud. The projectile struck dead center.

Danny grinned. “Yes!”

Stolas gave a small nod of approval. “Much better.”

Danny rolled his shoulders, stretching out the tension. “Man, that was way harder than I thought.”

From the sidelines, Octavia smirked. “Not bad, Fenton. Maybe you’re good for more than just mindless blasting after all.”

Danny laughed, shaking out his hands. “Hey, gotta start somewhere.”

#

It was already getting late, and the trio decided to move on to something less demanding. Stolas took them to the dining room and set down several plates of food: a plate of cookies, a steaming cup of tea, a wedge of cheese, and a bowl of soup.

“Prestidigitation is a spell of small wonders, Daniel. Its versatility should not be underestimated.” With a wave, he conjured a faint shimmer of magic over the cup of tea. “Prestidigitation allows you to alter the flavor of food and drink. You may sweeten something bland, make the sour taste rich, or disguise a flavor entirely if you are feeling particularly mischievous.”

Danny perked up. “So, wait—I could make vegetables taste like candy?”

Stolas smirked. “Yes, or, if you wish to play a harmless prank, you could make someone’s favorite meal taste quite... unpleasant.”

Danny's grin widened as he rubbed his hands together. “Oh, I’m definitely using this on Tucker later.”

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Of course you are.”

“Now then, alter each of these and describe the changes.”

Danny cracked his knuckles and focused. A subtle pulse of magic flared in his fingertips as he hovered a hand over the tea. He willed it to change to something strong, bold, and bitter.

He took a sip and nearly gagged.

“Ugh! Okay—way too strong! Tastes like I just drank straight coffee grounds.”

Stolas chuckled. “Try again, Daniel.”

Danny shook off the taste and moved on to the cookies, casting a quick spell. When he bit into one, his face immediately scrunched.

“Whoa! Okay, nope—way too sour.”

Octavia raised a brow. “What did you try to do?”

Danny coughed. “Turn sugar into lemon zest. Didn’t think it’d be that strong.”

Stolas merely smiled. “Again.”

Danny took a breath, carefully weaving his magic over the cheese next. He took a bite—his eyes widened. “Whoa. Okay, now that’s good. I just made it way creamier.”

Stolas nodded approvingly. “Well done.”

Danny grinned.

But before he could get too ahead of himself, Stolas gestured toward the hallway. “Now, let us test another practical use.”

Danny tilted his head. “For what?”

Stolas merely smirked. “Cleaning.”

Danny was moved to another room in the house, and he immediately regretted it.

The place was a disaster. Books were knocked over, papers scattered everywhere, and—because an entire bottle of ink spilled across the desk, staining parchment. Dust coated the shelves, making it look like the room had been abandoned for years.

Danny groaned. “Seriously?”

Stolas stood beside him, arms crossed. “Magic is not only for battle, Daniel. A true spellcaster must use their abilities for efficiency as well.”

Octavia leaned against the doorframe, smirking. “Translation: he doesn’t wanna clean his own study.”

Stolas ignored her. “Your challenge is to clean the entire room using only Prestidigitation. You must finish before the timer runs out.”

Danny raised a brow. “Wait, doesn’t this spell only work on small areas?”

Stolas gave a knowing smile. “It does. Which is why you must learn to multitask.”

A golden hourglass appeared on the desk with a flick of his wrist. The sand inside began to flow.

“Your time begins… now.”

Danny snapped into action, holding out his hands as he cast the spell. He started with the ink spill, waving his fingers over it. The stain faded, leaving the desk spotless.

“Alright! This isn’t so bad.”

Then he looked at the rest of the room.

“…Okay. Maybe it’s bad.”

He hurried to clean the books next, lifting the dust and dirt away with magic—but he was too focused on one thing at a time. The hourglass was already halfway empty when he moved on to the scattered papers.

Danny panicked, rushing his spell—only to mix up his casting. Instead of cleaning, he accidentally altered the colors of the pages, turning half of them neon blue.

Octavia let out a loud laugh.

Danny winced. “Whoops.” He waved his hands frantically to fix it.

The hourglass ran out.

Stolas sighed. “A valiant effort. But too slow.”

Danny groaned, rubbing his temples. “Ugh, okay, okay. One more try.”

Stolas flipped the hourglass over. “Again.”

This time, Danny changed his approach. Instead of working on one thing at a time, he spread his magic evenly across the room. He concentrated on multiple spots at once, lifting papers, dissolving ink stains, and erasing dust all simultaneously.

The last grain of sand fell. The room was spotless.

Danny panted slightly, then grinned. “Yes! Nailed it!”

Stolas surveyed the room, then gave a satisfied nod. “Much better.”

Octavia gave a slow, sarcastic clap. “Took you long enough.”

Danny wiped his forehead dramatically. “I’m trying, here.”

Stolas smirked. “Perhaps. But now you understand that even the simplest spell, when used efficiently, can accomplish great things.”

Danny crossed his arms, looking around the pristine room. “Huh. I was excited about fire magic and energy blasts… but honestly? This might be the most useful thing I’ve learned so far.”

Octavia snorted. “You gonna use it to clean your actual room now?”

Danny scoffed. “Pfft. No. I’m using it to prank Tucker. Obviously.”

Stolas sighed, rubbing his temples.

Octavia just laughed.