Watching my aura flicker like a flame around my blade is quite the experience. Then suddenly pink veins the same shade of my aura appear on the blade. They keep getting brighter and brighter, then without warning, the blade goes poof and turns to dust. The amount of disbelief I have while looking at the pile of metal dust on the table.

Metal isn’t supposed to do it…

Is this the outcome I wanted? 

Is this normal?

Without my eyes leaving the pile of dust I hear Sarah say “That’s very good but I want you to have at least two more practice tries before attempting your artifact.” while handing me a knife and placing the other near me on the table.

I guess that’s supposed to happen then.

Once the second knife is in my hand, I try to replicate what I did the first time. A twisting feeling in my abdomen appears and as it fades from there, it builds in my hands again. The knife becomes my only point of focus and it slowly creeps on to the knife.

This time it takes a while for the veins to appear, but soon after they become a vibrant pink, the knife turns to dust. The third one turns out to be the same as the other two and after Sarah slides my artifact closer.

Before I grab it I ask “Sarah, why do the knives get pulverized like that when I use mana on them?”

Sarah answers, “Oh, iron and cheap metals can’t keep mana contained in it for very long at all. You either need an artifact or a precious material like ruby that can actually contain it.” while sliding the artifact closer to me.

While looking at it and feeling my nervousness get worse so I just spout out “Alright here I go!” then I pick up the card quickly. 

First, it quickly takes the shape of a pocket knife before immediately rocketing to the size of a great sword. Strangely enough, its weight didn’t change at all.

Not even a couple seconds later, the thoughts run through my mind as I try to put my mana into this artifact…

“Feed me…”

Focus.

I need to focus. Those thoughts aren’t mine.

“Rip them open and eat their essence! I need it…”

Trying to force my Mana to go faster works, but it looks to become unstable and become wavy. The panic sets in more as the thoughts get louder and louder.

Dull pink veins creep up the sword as I hear it yell, “Feed me! Just a small nibble, their essence… it would taste so good! Hahaha!”

My legs tremble and my vision gets blurry as their voice gets louder, but I still keep channeling my mana into it. 

The veins suddenly flashed bright pink, then the blade exploded but not into dust like the knives, its fragments float into the air. 

The voice became nearly nonexistent? While the fragments are in the air, they just float in the sword's shape.

Suddenly I hear “Let me turn these two like the others…” and two shards shoot into both Sarah and Ava. Then, before I could do anything, all the pieces in front of me become a cloud of dust that surrounds me.

Trying my best not to breathe whatever this stuff in, I cover my mouth and try to get out of the cloud, but before I even take two steps, it feels like I hit a solid wall. 

I fall back just to find myself kept standing by the feeling of another solid wall? Pushing on both sides of the gray cloud, dropping the thought about breathing this in, it feels like I’m trapped in a box. 

Without warning, the space gets tighter, like the space is perfectly built for my shape. It’s the worst claustrophobicness I’ve ever felt. It keeps getting worse, like it’s crushing me! 

A loud shriek leaves my mouth, and it’s the only thing I’m capable of as it gets worse and worse like it’ll pop me like a grape till suddenly it turns back into a cloud and rushes into my skin.

Like thousands of needles going into my skin, and all I can do is scream till I tear my throat to bits. The pain overwhelms all of my senses till suddenly fuzzy till everything faded to black.

Author's note: Hope you enjoyed!