From the window in the kitchen, Robert watched as Ryo walked alongside the high elf woman towards the forest. He didn’t know what they would do over there but felt the boy would be okay. From the way the elf had acted, she clearly had a great deal of interest in the lad. That would keep him safe for now, but he would need to make a plan for their escape. However, for now, they would need to stay here until they all regained their strength.

That woman was unlike any high elf he had ever met before. Every one of them he had met was cold and reserved and had disdain for even talking to non-elves. But the ones he had met were all either nobles, mages, or knights. He had heard from his buddies that they usually had nasty attitudes, often acting as if they were superior to all others. These rumors also included talk of them relentlessly holding grudges and killing anyone who slighted them.

Before he’d retired as a mercenary he had heard the high elves had become more active, but that was years ago. Many suspected they were preparing for war, while others speculated that something had happened to the imperial family. Whatever the reason, the surrounding countries eyed them with suspicion. The last war the high elves waged was over sixty years ago, during which they took several islands from the dark elves and wood elves. This war only ended when the other realms formed an alliance against the high elves.

The allied nations attempted to reclaim the lost islands, with almost no success. The reason being that the high elves had by far the strongest navy in the region. With the war stalling, several of the allied nations saw little benefit in continuing the war. These nations forced the wood and the dark elves to sue for peace, surrendering all the islands they had lost. This created a lot of animosity toward the different realms that endured to this day.

After signing the peace treaty, the high elves had mostly been focused on trading. Because of their unique position in the Cauldron Sea, and their powerful navy, they’d become the economic center of the entire region, with many nations relying on their trade and support. In his opinion, the high elves were like a wounded beast, licking their wounds and preparing themselves, before they struck out again. If the realms had any brains, they would form an alliance once more, and strike them now.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he finished the last of his bread and headed outside. He needed to arrange some woodpiles and start cutting firewood. Winter wasn’t too far off, and there was barely any wood prepared. If he didn’t want everyone to freeze, he would need to work diligently. Robert picked up an axe he had found leaning against the cabin, then made his way to the forest edge, to pick out some suitable trees to reduce to firewood.

“Why was a woman like her hiding all the way out here?” He mumbled to himself, examining a young pine tree.

From what he had heard over the years, high elf mages were some of the most formidable in all the realms. They often boasted about their superior magical knowledge and techniques, but he wasn’t sure how true those claim were. The rumors said the empress of the high elves kept her subjects on a short leash, not wanting any of their magical knowledge to escape and be learned by outsiders. Could it be that she somehow escaped? Or maybe she was born outside their realm?

If she escaped from the isles it either meant she was powerful, or had the backing of an outsider. If she was born outside of the isles, wouldn’t someone from the isles come looking for her? Not only that, but given her background, any nation would happily recruit her. She could also easily join the more prestigious magic academies with ease. From his understanding of mages, it just made little sense as to why she would stay out here.

“That could only mean…” He said out loud, before raising his axe and swinging at the pine tree he had been examining.

***

Ryo picked up the bag and rushed towards the cabin, putting it in front of the mistress’s room. After that he went to find Robert, like the mistress had ordered. He would have wanted to help, even if she didn’t order him, so he was happy to do so. When he stepped out of the house, he heard thud… thud... thud, coming from the edge of the forest. Guessing it was the old man, he rushed off in that direction, following the sound. It didn’t take long for him to find Robert, hacking off branches from a fallen pine tree. From the looks of things, the old man had felled the tree recently.

Unlike this morning, the old man must have found a change of clothes in the cabin. Because now Robert wore a dark green, loose-fitting shirt with the sleeve rolled up to reveal his singular, burly forearm, the veins of which were protruding from the exertion of his chopping. His pants were a tannish color, made from a patchwork of different animal hides and his boots were hewn from a rough black leather and reached up almost to his knees. Although none of it seemed to match all that well, it still looked much better than the rags he had been wearing.

“Robert! I'm here to help you!” Ryo called out, waving to get the old man’s attention.

Robert stopped mid-swing and looked over in his direction. A smile spread across the old man’s face as he laid down the axe and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of a freshly calloused hand. Ryo felt guilty that Robert had been working hard this entire time, while he had not been. Although he hadn’t exactly had a choice in the matter, he still couldn’t shake the guilty feeling. It must be exhausting to do this kind of work with one arm.

“Thanks lad, let me finish this first and then you can help split it into smaller pieces.” Robert said, waving back.

“Okay!” Ryo nodded happily as Robert picked his axe back up.

“Ryo, be extra careful of that high elf, that one ain’t right in the head.” Robert said, swinging his axe down on a broken branch.

“What do you mean?” Ryo asked, a little confused.

 “When you get as old as I am, you learn how to read folks… and I never heard of a high elf acting like her before.” Robert explained, taking another swing.

“My instincts tell me that woman ain’t all there in the head. I’ve seen her type plenty before, and they can be unpredictable and dangerous.” Robert added, giving him a stern look.

“Oh…” Ryo answered, quickly looking away.

“I also think she’s involved with something dangerous. She’s a high elf mage, hiding in the middle of a forest, that’s suspicious if you ask me.” Robert said, moving on to another branch.

“Strange?” Ryo asked, not following what the old man was saying.

“Aye lad, for several reasons.” Robert replied, stopping his work and resting on the handle of the axe, before coming in close to his ear to whisper.

“First, why would a mage be out here in the middle of nowhere? She could easily live a better life in a bigger city. There just isn’t any reason to rough it out here like this.” The old man said, stopping to pick up the branch he’d been working on and tossing it aside.

“Second, she's not only a mage, but a high elf. Her kind wouldn’t let her live out here, not like this. Which makes me believe she escaped.” Robert added, looking around suspiciously.

“Escaped?” Ryo whispered, incredulously.

“I’ve been thinking about it all morning, and it’s the only thing that makes sense to me. She’s out here hiding from the prying eyes of her kind I bet.” Robert told him.

“Oh…” Ryo replied, not sure what to think about what the old man was saying.

“That means there's someone out there looking for her, someone powerful.” Robert insisted, before going back to his work.

Ryo didn’t know much about high elves, all he knew was what he had heard from the old man and his previous master. What Robert said made sense, it was very suspicious. He would need to be even more cautious around the mistress from now on.

“By the way Ryo, what was on your mind earlier? That was the first time I’ve seen you smiling like that.” Robert asked, clearing away some brush.

“Good news! The mistress said I have the ability to use magic!” Ryo blurted out, unable to contain himself.

“What?! Really?!” Robert asked, almost tripping over a branch.

“That’s great Ryo, I’m sure you will become a powerful mage.” He said, regaining his balance.

“Yeah! Thanks!” Ryo replied, his chest swelling with pride.

“Once I learn magic, we can go on an adventure!” He added, reminding the old man of his promise.

‘Hahaha, of course, of course we can, lad.” Robert chuckled.

“In that case you should learn some swordsmanship and maybe spearmanship , too. A mage without magic is no better than your average person.” Robert stated, putting his axe down.

“Will you really teach me?!” Ryo excitedly asked.

“Yes, but the problem is finding time for it.” Robert mumbled, rubbing his chin.

Sniff...sniff...sniff

“Hey, hey, why are you crying?!” Robert worriedly asked, walking over to him.

“Sorry, I’m… just so happy.” Ryo responded, wiping away his tears.

“Hahaha, well, as long as you're happy.” Robert remarked, still looking a little worried about him.

Ryo had always wanted the old man to teach him about fighting, but had never worked up the courage to ask. Now though, now he had a chance to learn, and be useful to Robert on their travels.  He knew it would not be easy, but he would try his best. Not long ago he’d felt his life was ending, but now he had fresh hope for the future.

The two of them got back to work and split the tree into smaller sections, before turning it into firewood. They then took the smaller pieces and stacked them close to the cabin. Robert was a natural teacher, showing him how to cut and stack the wood properly. The old man was strict and meticulous about how he did things, but that didn’t bother him. Hours passed, and the sun disappeared in the distance. They worked until Robert couldn’t see anymore, before heading wearily back to the cabin.

When they approached the front door, Beth was there waiting for them. In her hand she held a bucket of water, and in the other a cloth. He and Robert wiped themselves down before entering the cabin. When they opened the door, the sweet aroma of stew and freshly baked bread wafted out of the house. The three of them sat down at the table and ate their dinner.
 

The soup was amazing, the beef so tender, and the vegetables so juicy. Every bite filled him up with warmth, soothing his body after such a long day's work. They chatted about a variety of things, from the weather, to the forest, the food, and the garden Beth was tending to. Although she was nervous at first, when she spoke about the garden her eyes lit up in excitement. She wanted to expand the garden to create more variety, but was too scared to talk to the mistress about it. Robert offered to talk to her on Beth’s behalf, an offer which she graciously accepted, relieved she didn’t have to.

The mood at the table, although awkward sometimes, was warm and comforting. This wasn’t something Ryo had ever experienced, even on his home island. Dinner was usually a reflective time, in which one was supposed to think about the events of the day. Even after the food was long gone, the three talked and enjoyed each other’s company late into the evening. It wasn’t until Beth and Robert got tired and could no longer stifle their yawns, that they cleaned up the kitchen and prepared  for bed.

“I guess I got to go now.” Ryo mumbled to himself, looking down the dark hallway to the mistress’  room.

He steeled his mind and prepared himself for whatever awaited him on the other side of that ominous door. Ryo raised his right hand, and then lightly tapped on the door with his knuckles.

Knock… knock… knock

Rustling sounds came from the other side of the door and not long after, the door flung open.

“Mistress, would you like anything to eat? Or perhaps some water?” He offered, hoping to avoid the confines of the room a little longer.

“No, I’ve already eaten.” She said.

Nodding, he stepped inside the door and walked over to the bed. The mistress closed the door firmly behind him, before locking it. She then made her way to the desk under the window and sat down. Picking up a quill, she started writing, ignoring his presence. For some time, Ryo just stood there by the bed, waiting for her to say something. His previous master had taught him to never sleep before him, and to always be ready to attend to him.

“Little boy, although I admire your spirit, you should sleep. When I need your services, I will wake you.” She told him as she continued to write.

“Yes, mistress.” He replied, bowing to her.

Her words caused his body to go cold, and his chest to tighten in fear. Ryo undressed and got into bed, covering himself with a blanket. Even though the mistress said she would call on him, he still decided to stay awake, just in case. He was uncomfortable sleeping around her, given what Robert had said about her. The day's work caught up to him though, because it didn’t take long until he fell asleep.

Waking up the next morning, he found the mistress was nowhere to be seen. Surprisingly, the mistress didn’t call on his service that night, allowing him to sleep in peace. He must have overworked himself the day before, because his body was stiff and sore. It took Ryo considerable effort to even get himself to the edge of the bed. Standing up, his legs shook as if they were about to give out beneath him.

He picked up his clothes and tried to put them on, but found his stiff body wouldn’t respond how he wanted it to. Even after several minutes of trying, he couldn’t even put on his shirt. The door opened, and the mistress strode in, her eyes instantly locking on him. A slow smile formed on her face as she watched him struggle to put on his clothes.

“Not a bad way to begin the morning, however, we have things to attend to.” She grinned as she made her way toward him.

“Hurry up.” She ordered, stopping in front of him.

I-I’m sorry m-mistress… I can’t put my clothes on.” He stuttered, trying  desperately to put his pants on.

“Oh, I see.” She purred, licking her lips.

“The little boy is so helpless.” She said, bringing her hand up to his chin and tilting his chin up.

“Don’t worry, I'll help you.” She told him, her face becoming flushed.

Ryo felt as if he was looking at a wild animal that was about to pounce on him. A chill ran down his spine, as his instincts screamed at him to run away. But he didn’t move and kept himself rooted in place. He had learned long ago it would only make things worse if he tried to resist. She pushed him down onto the bed and got on top of him. The mistress's eyes now burned in their sockets, like they were on fire. His body shivered with fear as he looked at her.

“Ahhh, such a lovely look.” The mistress said, her face drawing closer to his.

An hour later Ryo could finally leave the room, following closely behind the mistress. They walked out of the cabin, and to the same place as they had been the day before. She had brought the same bag as yesterday, but this time it only had scrolls and books in it. Once she had unpacked everything from the bag, she sat down in the shade and gestured for him to sit beside her. The mistress then picked up a book and opened it up, before turning her gaze to him.

“To be more useful to me, I have decided to teach you magic. If you have questions, save them for when I’m finished.” She told him, putting the book down.

“Thank you, mistress. I will do my best.” He replied, offering her a slight bow.

Hearing her say she would teach him was a tremendous relief. Yesterday he had told Robert he could use magic and talked about being a mage, but the problem was the mistress had never explicitly said she would teach him. It wasn’t until later that he realized this and felt foolish for getting so excited. He didn’t want to go back and tell Robert that he had been mistaken.

“Before you can cast spells you must possess solid magical knowledge, and a sound mind.” She explained, picking up another book.

“Using magic requires you to know the rules of spells and mana. If you try to ignore these or bend them too much, they can easily kill you.” She added, opening it up and flipping through its well worn pages.

“But, even before I teach the elementary rules, you need to know the indispensable basics.” She finished saying, before reciting passages from the book.

The mistress explained that most living creatures were born with a mana body and an elemental affinity. Mana bodies were the foundation of magic, without which you couldn’t manipulate mana. Even though everyone was born with one, most people couldn’t use them. Most people’s mana body were burdened with some minor issues that prevented them from ever casting a spell. It was said that, in a city of twenty-thousand, there might only be one person who could cast magic.

A person's elemental affinity was mostly random, but race played a small part in it. For example, dwarves had a higher chance of possessing the earth affinity over all the other elements. The mistress explained this was all still only theoretical, but many people accepted it as fact. A personal elemental affinity usually couldn’t be changed, but there were special circumstances that allowed it. Aside from the normal five elements of prime, earth, water, fire and air, there were  also six unique affinities: light, shadow, draconic, celestial, void, and hellion. Unique affinities were mostly tied to special blood lines, but you could gain them by other means. These affinities were, however, so rare, that not much was written about them.

Mana could be found all over the world, but not all places had equal amounts of it. Dragons usually controlled the locations that had an abundance of mana. While the locations that had little to no mana were considered dead zones and were avoided by most. Of course, mana was also present inside of everyone, but in limited quantities. Mages learned to use both their own mana and the mana from the environment to cast spells.

The mistress taught him for the rest of the day, which he enjoyed. When she talked of magic, the mistress would turn into a different kind of person. He knew the topics she was teaching him were probably more complicated than he could even comprehend, but she easily broke them down so he could understand them. Near the end of the lesson the mistress went into more detail about mana bodies. 

“All races are born with a mana body, and it is vital if you wish to cast any spells. We can describe it as the vessel that allows one to manipulate mana into a desired effect. It is the binding factor of the material body and the soul.” She explained, drawing three circles, overlapping each other.

“This is your mana body, while the others are your material body and soul.” She told him, while pointing to the circle in the middle.

The mistress put her book down and then picked an old parchment. She unrolled it in front of him, showing him its contents. The scrolls had an outline of an elf on it, with seven circles featuring numbers one to seven in the middle of them. The first circle had a one on it, and was located at the head, it then descended down the body and stopped at the groin region. The edges of the scroll held a definition that corresponded to a number in the circles.

 

Basic Mana Body Definitions

Soul - (Mana Regeneration) - The mana body’s soul has the ability to replenish lost mana naturally.

Mind - (Mana Clarity) - Allows for the clarity of the mental image and desired effects of a spell.

Voice - (Mana Pressure) - The voice of the mana body is the outward projection of the magic from the body.

Core - (The Binder) - The core of the mana body binds all other functions together.

Heart - (Mana Circulation) - The heart of the mana body allows the circulation of the mana, both inwardly through the body and outwardly.

Body - (Mana Density) - The body can be described as the capacity of mana your body can hold.

Emotional - (Spell Strength) - This part of the mana body is poorly understood, but is believed to have some impact on the power of one’s spells.

Reading these brief explanations of the mana body allowed him to make sense of some things the mistress had spoken of earlier. She had said he possessed a powerful mana body a few days ago, therefore surely becoming a powerful mage wasn’t so dream-like anymore, it could really happen!  

“That will be all for today. I’m too tired to answer questions now, keep them until next time.” She said, putting the books and scrolls back into the bag.

“Yes, mistress.” He replied, bowing to her.

“Okay, for the next few days I will be busy with experiments.” She said, pulling out the control rod again.

“I command you to study twelve hours a day until I say otherwise.” She ordered, the runes around his collar glowed in acknowledgment of this command.

“On this parchment is a list of books and scrolls for you to read. You must be able to recite all this information by heart, before I teach you anything else. I will give you these before I leave.” She explained.

“Yes, mistress.” He answered obediently. 

“Do not disappoint me, little boy. I can assure you, only pain awaits you if you do.” She said, shooting him an icy glare.

 “Y-yes, mistress.” He stuttered, averting his eyes from hers.

“Good. Now, take this bag and follow me back to the cabin.” She ordered, gesturing impatiently for him to hurry.

He picked up the bag and followed closely behind her. The task she had given him would be difficult, that was for certain. The last time he had studied was over two years ago, when he was still on the home island.  All kitsune were required to go to school until the age of ten. Studying for long periods of time was expected of every kitsune child. How well you did in school would later determine your position in society. Ryo vowed to himself to work hard and learn as much as he could now, that way he would be able to help Robert, when they embarked on their adventure.