Eric had spent a little under two weeks in Brightwell. He was one of the earliest arrivals in the town, but he figured there would be more. He spent this time to focus on what it all meant. The email he received was very specific and very determined. However it was worded as if it went to multiple people. A working man like never would have imagined such things would happen to him, but the New Year was certainly crazy. Everything for him had changed, originally for the worse, and then all of this began to happen. Eric's mind went all-around when it came to making sense of it all. He tried numerous times to ideally explain the logic behind it all to himself, however he never truly could do such a thing. 

He quickly decided that he might like to focus on the words given to him, rather than the reason why he needs to understand it all. The world would be made worse. That was what he harnessed his mental power for, to understanding that the future was going to become bleaker than it was currently. He knew he needed to prevent that, the gilded woman said so herself. He pressed his mind, heart, and body to this nature. The ideal of stopping that which seeks to set the world wrong. Whatever it might be, he vowed to thwart it where it rose. This was Eric Maynard's Vow.

His Vow now sat heart-steady and he used the remaining days before the meeting to practice, to practice that which he believed fiction. Magic. This power he wielded a few days ago to transform, it was still in him. He could feel it's echo and power within his soul. He tried all manner of things for his magic, most of which were stereotypical of movies and books. Those of course failed, things such as: Meditating, Chanting, Lighting Candles and using a Crystal Ball, whipping around a long piece of wood like a staff or wand, he even bought a novelty Magic Book trying to use it. However none of these worked and they would never work for him. He didn't entirely learn this lesson until he went for a walk into the woods. They were his safe place, the place where he could be at ease, and it was at this point that he realized his magic was his own. It was as easy as swimming, a riding a bike, as pulling the string on a bow. When he passed through the trees, he could feel his magic pulse like a heartbeat inside of him, it was soothing and calming and with the closing of his eyes he let it envelope him. His body quickly shifted into that of a bird, it changed and snapped, growing long feathers and forcing him into a winged creature. Where Eric Maynard once stood, he now flew as a Griffon Vulture. The bird was massive compared to most of the American airs. He flew through the trees and ascended to the sky, and as soon as he crested the canopy of the trees he hovered. He could see for miles on end, a literal bird's eye view of the world around him. He was amazed by the freedom he now possessed. The power, the ability, the way it flowed through him, the way he somehow instinctively knew what to do as a bird. It amazed him beyond all belief, but he quickly landed and practicing changing back, letting it happen naturally once more. 

He practiced his magic in this way for the remainder of his time, up until the day came for the meeting. By this time, he had practiced and nearly mastered four spells to their fullest, but he had no more time to try and garner more. The others were arriving. 

Eric found himself catching up with a few of the new arrivals, he certainly wasn't the last one to arrive, but he did let the others speak and mingle before Gavin came out to address them. He had seen Gavin a time or two, but never really put two and two together due to the lack of a name and the fact that Eric had been staying somewhere other than the Email's directed Hotel. Eric listened to several of them speak to Gavin, as they all pressed into the main room of the Hotel. There Eric reviewed the actions of many of the people. He only spoke once the last fella had finished, the fella who had came in behind the rest of them. 

"Aye. An Email, the name is Eric. What is it exactly, that we're doin' here?" Eric quickly asked before too much of a ramble could go on. "I notice a fair amount of us are all here, and if my idea is right, it is all do the fact we aren't exactly normal anymore, of'course?" Eric added with a momentary smile. "Now, you'll have to excuse me, I am not tryin' to be rude, I am just more blunt than some of these other fella's are it seems."