In the coming weeks, Teacher Taft would try to instill the basics of mage craft in Edwin and Lan.
But even more ore importantly for them, he would suffer a drastic, dramatic, colossal transformation in the eyes of the children, the type of mutation that left them shocked, stunned to their very cores.
Is the deep rolling over or something? I feel dizzy, is this real?
Both were shivering, Lan still, but her feet shook and her cheeks reddened at the mere sight of the changed man.
In just one day, he went from the lowest kind of Bum adventurer, with unkempt hair and tattered clothes, from the disheveled look of a veteran vagabond just returning from the worst place in the world.
He now wore nice, expensive-looking clothing, brown leather pants, and a white silk shirt covered with a black vest, his hair had been trimmed and washed, he still wore it in a ponytail but it was now half its length, the beard he sported previously now missing in action, completely removed. This was probably the most jarring of the changes but not an unwelcome one since it had the positive effect of making him look a lot younger. The spirit sensor was now hanging from his neck and anyone who didn’t know what It was, would probably mistake it for a mere accessory.
“I need it to teach you guys better” He explained
“Who are you?” Lan asked him, still getting her head around the big change.
Ran could have sworn her eyes were spinning circles despite her best efforts to remain calm.
But despite this event. The first of many theoretical lessons was about the concept of “elemental division” as he told the kids.
Magic can be divided into several distinct natural elements, the bigger, most common types are the elemental types, earth, water, wind, and fire magic. This is what almost all mages use for combat, the so-called Offensive magic.
“Really, all magic can be used as offensive magic if you put your back into it,” he said
Restorative magic is a field that combines the medical profession, biological studies, and Blood magic.
Seeing the expression on Edwin’s face, he decided to delve further into the subject.
“Don’t worry, the meaning behind the name is much less gruesome, it turns out, long ago medics thought that draining blood from the body could heal diseases, by letting the infected blood out of the body and allowing for it to produce more”
“Oh, yuck! Why would they do that?”
“Well, that’s how things went, I’m not really an expert, but I do know that something good came from it”
“What?”
“Well, given time and experimenting, they ended up discovering blood magic and using it to alter the blood inside the body to remove some illnesses, along the way they figured out it was possible to change something more than blood, they could modify the entire body, it was possible to close wounds and even regrow long lost limbs. it took a lot of effort for it to reach the level of today, but we now have Healing magic, see? I heard Miss Sofia’s mother is a healing hand, that means she’s a blood mage too”
“Cool! is it hard to do healing magic?”
“Don’t tell anyone I said this, but, it’s probably the most complicated field there is, it requires a lot of concentration, dedication, and talent to become a healer”
As they learned these things, both could feel newfound respect for Freesia.
She always takes care of me when I get hurt…
Raanan could still remember the first time it happened. he was still a little kid; maybe three or four years old; he couldn’t remember much of anything from back then, but, he remembers it clearly.
Lan had done something to granny Madi and was about to get scolded, as always, he had been her helper.
“Grab this really hard” He remembered those words but the context was gone.
Lan grabbed him by the hand and they ran, on their way out, Ran fell and scraped his knee, a bit of blood spurt forth making him really scared.
And it happened, Freesia reached out to him.
“Raan, stay calm, let's fix you up honey” Her voice was so calming and kind, she put her hand over his wound.
Ran saw it lit up, a strong green shine seeping through her palms, it felt warm at the beginning, the pain was gone, and by the time she took out her hand the scrape was gone.
That was probably the accident that created his interest in magic and adventure stories. after that, he would follow her everywhere for a short while, he would call after her “ear momma”, Ed wondered why he didn’t do it anymore. When was it he stopped?
“What would happen if you fail at casting a healing spell?” Lan asked
“Those are some scary stories, most likely the patient dies if he needed urgent treatment, or loses a limb, I heard one time that someone tried to regrow an arm, it failed and the person had a strange appendage that looked as if someone tried to make bones with wet paper and sand, it moved on its one, the man was in excruciating pain and they had to cut it again, he died from infection given that he was in really bad shape for healing spells”
When Taft saw Edwin’s face, he laughed and apologized,
“I’m a kid, I shouldn’t be hearing this stuff” Ed complained.
“Yes, hahaha! I’m sorry, but I hope that answered your question, Sofia?”
Lan didn’t seem to care for the story so she nodded in approval.
Moving onto other, rarer, types of magic, Taft talked about light magic.
“Before you ask, it’s got no connection with Elven religion” Taft spoke while he played with the spirit sensor.
Lan got weirded out by this, she looked at him as if asking “what are you talking about?” The young teacher noticed this.
“Sorry, I thought you would make that connection” He coughed and continued “as I was saying, light magic isn’t divine, the name comes, very much like blood magic from ancient history, long ago, thousands of years ago, in fact, men thought they could control the wrath of the heavens when light rained down from above and burned their homes, this was, of course, lightning. So yes, more than one person tried to catch lightning in a bottle, both metaphorically and literally, as you two can guess, the later ones almost always died in the attempt, until someone actually succeeded in redirecting a lightning strike without dying, given that it was now possible to control lighting without dying, the very much dangerous light magic was created”
“Cool! I heard the headmaster at your school can do it?” Ed quizzed.
“Yes, lots of experienced magicians are able to capture lightning, but the magic school director is one of the few who can create it”
“WOW, he can do that? That’s so cool”
“Yes, he’s a powerful magician definitely one of the greatest, what’s that weird glint in your eyes? Are you okay?”
“Don’t mind him, he gets like that with stories”
“Yeah, I’m going to be just as powerful!”
“Well, you have to be able of using magic first, how’s that been going? Let’s try again, concentrate”
They tried and fail for several minutes while Lan watched in absolute boredom how the butterflies flew all over the garden.
“I’m sorry I’m not good at explaining, maybe miss Sofia’s mother can teach you?” He sighed defeated.
Well, he did say he’s been able to do this since very young, is he a genius or something? Is that why he can’t explain?
It’s been two weeks and Edwin’s inability to channel magic, this mana they talk about, was starting to make him feel anxious, he has no idea what they mean by “feel” it.
Both Lan and Taft talk like this, and there are not many other people in town that have experience in the arcane arts.
Maybe I should ask her… not yet
Of course, today's newest failed attempt wasn’t helping.
Maybe I can’t? Should I just give up? After all, what’s the reason to learn something, you won’t need in the future. I just feel bad for the teacher, I’m supposed to be his first student ever.
Both siblings were walking back home in the evening, the town was calm and Ed had noticed that at this time, fewer people greeted him.
“You know Ran, maybe you should ask mom, she helped me, so I’m sure she can do the same for you” Raanan stayed silent, pondering his sister’s words, and finally let a defeated sigh leave.
She eyed him again, this time her voice was much kinder “She doesn’t hate you”
Maybe I should, what’s there to lose right?
