What has been scaring Master Brian the most was that he almost killed the two grandchildren of the family head. 'If I reacted a second too slow, I would have been executed,' shot through his head as sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Grandpa told us that we could do whatever we want since we finished our training for the next few months, heheheh," answered Andrea with a big grin.

Her brother, Andrew, silently took out a black crystal that dissipated dark gasses and showed it off to Master Brian.

The latter immediately recognized the treasure and shook his head. "It seems like your father has been spoiling the two. Even going so far as to gift you an item that absorbs the traces of dark magic if you employ it."

"Of course. After all, we are one of the more promising candidates, hehe," chuckled Andrew before adding, "it seems like father didn't lie to us when he told us that even Master Mages wouldn't detect our aura if we used this medallion."

"Anyway, it seems like we have a long journey ahead of us, so follow me," sighed Master Brian, and the two continued their journey back home.

Somewhere else, Luz took a nap under a tree till he felt something gently stinging him. "My, My. What is going on," he yawned, stretching his arms, as a bird chirped loudly.

"What do we have here?" Luz asked in confusion as he saw a small bird standing in front of him that was the size of his palm.

Its back was a bright metallic blue, filled with dense turquoise dots. On the other hand, its breast feathers were a mixture between coppery-brown and white. As for his beak, it was long and black, perfect for hunting smaller fishes.

The bird held a small fish with its beak and pricked Luz again.

"Are you perhaps Griffin?" he asked while moving his finger closer to it in hopes of petting it.

But the bird wasn't a fan of it and immediately dropped the fish onto Luz's palm before flying away.

Confused by the interaction, Luz stared at the fish that was barely the length of three fingers. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with such a small fish!?"

"Ah, I could give that to Jodoc. I have to visit Master Simon anyway," Luz muttered and slowly stood up from his place, making his way to the mage tower where the two of them resided.

Half an hour later, Luz sat quietly on the ground as an eagle that was  80cm tall stood before him.

The bird's plumage was a combination of the colors black and brown. The feathers in its chest/belly area were hazel brown, while its plumage everywhere else was black.

The first thing Jodoc, the bird, did was stretch his wings while staring into Luz's eyes.

"So… Jodoc, where is Master Simon? Deline told me he wanted to discuss something with me," Luz asked hesitantly, breaking the silence.

"Unfortunally, Master Simon is busy. But fear not, instead of him, I will be giving you some space theory lessons," cawed the eagle before starting with its lesson. "Space magic is one of the strongest and weakest magic fields simultaneously. If you had to choose between a space spell and a fire spell in a battle, which one would you pick?"

"To be honest, I would rather choose a fire spell," Luz sighed. "Even though space spells have high raw power, their mana consumption makes them quite unreliable since a failure in casting one might cost me over 50% of my total mana."

Satisfied with the answer, the eagle nodded before continuing, "Correct. But the situation gets even worse. Spatial spell spells are far too risky, especially for low-ranking mages. Space magic, in general, is a magic discipline that very few mages can wield, let alone master."

Jodoc stopped for a second before he resumed.

"Sure, Master Simon can perform space magic, but his level is at the intermediate level at best. Master Brian, on the other hand, probably scratches the surface of master level, and then, there's you...," Jodoc sighed before taking a deep breath.

"Well, what about me?" Luz asked like a young kid while scratching the back of his head.

Jodoc laughed lightly before continuing, "Well, you're the only exception I know of who mastered space spells and even utilized a space spell well above your league. So tell me, kiddo, why do you even know space magic, and how the hell hasn't you lost half of your fingers!? It's one of the more challenging disciplines to learn."

A proud feeling enveloped Luz's chest before he answered. "The elders of my village always gave one a book about one's talent. But when they discovered that I awoke a space talent, there was a small problem. There were no space magic books for mage apprentices. But there was one space magic book for master mages."

Jodoc, who was calmly cleaning his plumage as Luz answered, immediately stopped and stared with a horrifying expression at Luz. "Did you really teach yourself magic from a book for master mages?"

"Yes. But I never had a choice out of pride," Luz answered as he felt a tinge of embarrassment. "I know it might sound stupid, but which older brother would like to be left in the dust by his siblings, who all had mage apprentice books for their talents? That's certainly, one of the fears no older brother wants to face, which is why I forced myself to continue that route instead of focussing on an easier element such as fire."

Jodoc cawed a few times in amusement before grabbing a nut with its talon. "Incredibly, you could even reach such levels while only being left to yourself. You can be proud of yourself, you lucky bastard."

"Why?" Luz asked.

But Jodoc remained silent and cracked a nut with its beak. "Because you are definitely lucky to have all of your limbs still. Most apprentice mages with a spatial talent tend to lose their limbs, fingers, you name it, while experimenting with spatial magic on their own."