Veiled Spirits - Page 64

“I didn’t say you weren’t a spirit mage. I said you’re not just a spirit mage. You know healing ghosts isn’t a typical spirit mage power. And I’m betting you have other abilities that aren’t typical for spirit mages too.” With my back against Levi’s front, I can feel his deep voice rumbling through me. It makes me shiver a little.

I really don’t need him knowing the full extent of my magic. I’m already enough of an abomination as it is. In an attempt to redirect the conversation, I ask, “What is your realm?”

“That’s… difficult to explain.”

“Can you tell me what you are, then?” I know he’s not a mage, but he hasn’t told me what he is yet. I’m dying of curiosity.

“I’d need to show you, and we don’t have space for that here.”

I huff at his evasive answer. “What about how old you are?”

“I’m far older than you can comprehend, little raven.”

“So, you’re hundreds of years old?” I guess.

Levi chuckles. “No. Much older.”

My eyes widen. Supernaturals typically live hundreds of years. It’s longer than humans but apparently shorter than Levi’s lifespan. “Thousands? Millions?”

“Mm, getting closer.”

“Billions?” I squeak.

“Somewhere around there.”

My jaw drops, and my poor little mind can’t quite comprehend that one of my mates is billions of years old. “Holy shit. Do you remember the beginning of the universe?”

Levi barks out a laugh. “I’m not quite that old, little raven. I know the same thing you do about the beginning of the universes. Something caused magic to explode into all the universes. Everything in each universe is just a remnant of this explosion.”

“There’s more than one universe?”

“Of course. There are many other universes out there, like mine.”

“You’re super casual about dropping that bomb, screech owl. Most people on Earth don’t know that there are other populated universes.”

“That’s awfully self-centered of you Earth dwellers.”

I snort. “That about sums up most people’s attitudes here. Do you remember the Earth forming?”

Levi tilts his head in thought. “I’m not sure. I’ve seen many planets form in my lifetime. Earth may or may not have been one of them. All of the ones that can support life form basically the same way. Balls of pure magic attract rocks and other debris. The weight of these rocks eventually causes the whole mass to heat up, forming a molten surface that cools over time.

“Then the tectonic plates shift and change the crust until the magic at the core starts seeping to the surface. This magic escaping is what allows all life to begin, like the microbes, plants, animals, and eventually people on this planet.”

“I did pay attention in mage geology class, demon boy.” I may not be as old as him, but I’m not completely clueless. “I even know that, when anything dies, the magic that sustained it returns to the core.”

Levi misses my teasing tone and continues on with his history lesson. It’s cute how excited he is to discuss all of this. “Exactly. Earth, however, is unique in the number of creatures with the bare minimum magic. Humans and their technology have altered magic availability in a way I’ve never seen before.”

Before five or six thousand years ago, all people had magic. They were all mages, shifters, fae, vampires, and others. Once people started messing with technology to master nature and wage war on others, their access to magic declined.

This magical decay created the magicless humans that dominate the planet today. While most of them don’t know about magic or how it powers the world, some do. Those who know, like the Knights of Aeneas, are obsessed with finding a way to have magic again. They also want to drain anyone who does have magic, so we try to avoid those crazies.

I didn’t know that the gradual decrease of magic was an Earth specific thing, though. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“It probably doesn’t bode well for the future of humanity, but it likely won’t affect the planet itself in the long term.” Levi is tracing patterns on my stomach with one of his fingers. I can’t decide if I like it or if it tickles.

It’s crazy that he can talk about the extinction of everyone here so casually. Then again, he’s lived far longer than I can really understand. One planet’s worth of creatures being wiped out probably isn’t a big deal to him. I’m sure he’s seen far worse.

That does beg the question, though. Why is he here?