Shine Prompt: A Display for Destiny

Arianwyn had always thrived off the attention of others. She loved knowing she controlled the attention of strangers, and lived for knowing she was the talk of the town. Expressions of awe, mages she’s never met telling her I’ve heard a lot about you, Arianwyn, praise from her professor and tutors—little was more motivating to the Silverweaver’s training. She rested much of her self-esteem on the opinions of others who had witnessed her successes.

Being average was her greatest fear.

The spotted mare had spent weeks now honing her telekinesis abilities. Arianwyn was well aware that her physical prowess was lacking, the silver in her blood making her easily winded in any physical tasks. So, the place she could stand out –and the best way for her to compensate for her poor strength—was to perfect her telekinetic ability. For the past month, training had been her obsession. Each evening after her training, when others were going out with friends, she stayed alone in her small apartment honing her mental fortitude. She mentally lifted heavy chunks of metallic ore and set them down again, over and over again, slowly increasing their weight and number. Each and every night, she worked until she was exhausted and too mentally scrambled to lift so much as a feathered quill, ignoring the headache that accompanied her heavy training.

She had chosen the day for her show of strength when she knew there would be plenty of witnesses. The weather was particularly cool and clear, making it a perfect summer evening for those who wanted to enjoy the fresh air. An exam season had just passed at the academy, and both professors and students alike were out to celebrate. So, the main squares of Namarast were busy with chatting mages of all walks of life—the perfect audience for Arianwyn’s feat. Hopefully, the large crowds would be enough to impress not only the Mage Order, but perhaps Destiny themselves. If she could gain Destiny’s favor, the patron might choose to intervene in her life and shine favor upon her, aiding in her quest for recognition within the Order.

So, in the middle of a particularly busy stage, Arianwyn chose her stage. She set down her heavy satchel and telekinetically pulled out its contents—a few large chunks of silver ore, the raw material of her magic. For a moment she paused, staring at the ore, studying it, reaching towards it with her magic, until she felt it connect to the silver running her blood with a deep resonance, as though it pulsed along with her very heartbeat. It’s time, she thought to herself, noting that some of the others in the square were beginning to watch her. Time to put on a show.

Determined and with the utmost focus, Arianwyn began her routine, a display of silver around her. With her magic, she shaped the ore, pulling into smaller piece as she went to create many argent objects that spun and morphed into each other—mirrors, then knives, then small orbs the shined even in the dimming sunlight of evening. With her telekinesis, she made the objects dance. Around her they spun, rising and falling and orbiting around herself and each other. Mirrors which spun to catch the rays of the sun as they orbited, then daggers that almost seemed juggled around her, spinning their sharp tips towards her fur but never quite touching her skin. Arianwyn focused as she had never focused before as she charted the trajectory of each thrown object and considered how best the warp the silver into its next shape in her complex display. This was more items than she had ever lifted at once, more silver than she had ever controlled, moving faster than she had ever dared toss a heavy item before.

Around and around the objects spun, and though Arianwyn could hardly dare to breath lest it break her focus, on the periphery of her vision, she saw her plan was working. She was gaining the attention of the other mages, and a crowd had began to gather around her, murmuring about her impressive feat of argent mastery. Among them, she spotted professors, and perhaps even members of advisory courts—important individuals, the kind she was most excited to impress. All there to watch her accomplishment.

Arianwyn continued her silver dance as long as she could maintain, until she found the effort of holding up and morphing such a huge amount of silver near crushing and a migraine began to set upon her. Only then did she drop her power, letting the silver daggers fall back into her leather pack. She was met with cheering, words of encouragement, and awe of the younger students. Few could ever have telekinetically manipulated so many objects at once, and fewer yet could do so while activating their innate magic abilities. In that moment, she had accomplished her goal, and gained the attention and acclaim she had wanted. Looking around and finally allowing herself to smile in her pride, the silver mare only hoped that Destiny would also smile down upon her display.