Early Look: 'Preggo Mage'

This is another one of those ideas that went as fast as it came. I suppose that's mainly why I put it in Early Look? Along with this scene I have a pretty decent story outline, one that can be made in just a few parts. Which I should, before it takes a comfy residence in the hiatus lands (oh no it looks like it already did...).

...I mean it already kinda is but as it is currently, it is a fun one-piece scene. I also wrote up a small story to accompany it. There are probably some errors there, and I might change things around (I usually remind myself by adding a *).

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It was a late Friday night, one full of wonderous adventures in the many bars of the city. The work was over, and it was time to celebrate the freedom of Saturday and Sunday. This was not the case for Iris however, she had much better things to do. Why indulge in life’s fleeting pleasures when there are dozens of scrolls and books to discover and knowledge to consume?

The narrow basement was lit up by a few light sources. The faint moonlight from the tiny windows, the lamp hanging on the wall and last, but not least, the light orb she had summoned to assist her in reading. With a simple wave of her finger, she flipped through the next page of the book, thanks to her adept understanding of telekinesis.

Iris could’ve easily held the ancient book with her hands, but habits formed by her current state made her use her magic in almost any scenario. For anyone with the untrained, unknown to magic eye it would seem that Iris was pregnant. Extremely so, as her belly was heavily distended and jutted out far from her elegant robes. Even the velvet dress she wore under it, showed signs of overstretching the fabric. Faint hints of an overstretched skin were present, only Iris would never know unless she looked at her own reflection.

Despite her immense size, Iris had no trouble standing there while going through the countless books scattered around the basement. No doubt she had utilized magic that eased the load off of her back.

She sighed deeply as she curled her fingers onto the palm. The telekinesis took effect but a moment later, the book closing just as swiftly with a thud.

“Absolutely useless.” She signaled the book to the stack on the table in front of her. Despite her frustrations, she took extra care to not treat them with disrespect. Who knows when she would need them.

With both of her hands free, she took a moment to caress her filled womb. Iris felt the touch of her hand as she rubbed it, confirming that it really is her belly. Despite not actually being pregnant, her body still responded as if she was with all of the side effects. Mood swings, back pains, heart burns and of course, larger breasts to prepare for breastfeeding. Even though she knew it was her own mana stored in there, she couldn’t help but to feel some sort of attachment to it. To ‘them’.

Shaking her head, she directed her attention to the pendant that hung from her neck. With her right hand she carefully held it up and inspected it closer. The light inside of it was a bright blue, which interacted mesmerizingly with the purple glass* that encompassed it.

“It is about time, I’d say.” She said to herself as she tapped her belly with her other hand. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for a particular book that would guide her through the steps. She carefully navigated around the table, with big waddles. Looking at the dozen piles of books, she took another deep sigh. There was no way she was going to find the book she needed to cast the channeling anytime soon.

“I don’t need it.” Iris simply stated to herself. “I know it like the back of my hand at this point. I’ve done it so many times... it’ll be fine.”

She started to clean up the table using telekinesis. There was no way she’d be able to pick up all of the clutter and books with that massive belly in the way. She’d be too exhausted to cast any spell. More books were dropped on the ground, the clutter was placed on the chest behind her, things were all ready to go.

Iris brought in a crystal, using both hands to make sure it doesn’t ‘slip’ out of her telekinesis magic. Gradually lowering it down on the cleaned table. She leaned in as closely as she could, until her belly bumped into the table, closed her eyes and started the process of channeling her mana into the crystal.

Crystals were the ideal vessel to store mana long-term, however it could only be infused and expended once before shattering entirely. For mages who adhered to the many rules, they could only fill it up to the point of a faint light. Iris however, was never someone to play by the rules. Her crystals, due to her pregnancy-based storage, could easily function as a light-source in dark rooms. Tonight was no exception.

What was an exception however, was her fatigue. She had vigorously created mana crystals for the past couple of months, each cycle taking about a week*. After all that time, it had taken a toll on her body. Her mind slipped just for a moment, and the channeling spell backfired.

Leaving her with no memory of the past nor present.