Marik was sitting on the ground just outside of the house.  Tomorrow was his sixth birthday and his master said there was a special gift being prepared.  Of course Marik was sort of excited about that.  He probably would have acted more excited if he wasn't so bored and lonely.  His master had been gone for two days, leaving Marik to his own devices in the interim.

Of course, there were things he could still do while he waited for his master to return.  His normal training schedule had become a simple daily routine: wake up and eat breakfast, put a simple blindfold and work on sorcery all morning, try to make and eat lunch, take the blindfold off, study until dinner.  The blindfold wasn't meant as some kind of weird flattery to his master but was intended to help him train his senses.  Wind sorcery ended up being the easiest to learn during this time, while darkness sorcery required a little bit of extra practice in the evenings in order to see if he had even made any progress.

Lightning sorcery turned out to be much more difficult than he imagined but for different reasons than his master had assumed.  He still had the youth style dreams of someday throwing out lightning bolts like some god of lightning and thunder but the current reality was him barely being able to produce a quick spark between his finger and thumb while holding them no more than about an inch apart.  Kind of like now:

"Ow!"

And that was the real downside he was trying to find the answer to right now.  He could produce the shock only to shock himself every time.  All the fancy thoughts he had like covering himself in lightning, or using lightning to make himself super fast were seeming further and further away.  Then again he was still a beginner, barely a novice, when it came to using sorcery.  If he could figure out how to stop hurting himself then he had a feeling it would make everything so much easier.

There was no way he was just going to figure it all out immediately though, so he was also working on his sorcery multitasking.  Since he had the blindfold on while he was practicing then he wouldn't be able to tell if darkness sorcery even worked, so he was using sorcery to focus the wind vibrations near his ears to enhance his hearing while he tried to shock himself.  Every time he produced the tiny electric spark his wind sorcery cut off.  This was one problem he was sure he could eventually solve with enough practice and hard work, just like writing two different things at the same time.

He heard footsteps approaching and stopped using his sorcery while he began counting.  After about 5 seconds he heard the approaching footsteps again.  Another 13 seconds later the footsteps stopped near him.  Well, his natural hearing had improved slightly but his wind sorcery showed barely any improvement.

"Hello, Master.  How was your trip?"

"More exciting than expected, actually.  I went with a colleague to secretly check out one of the cursed villages.  I'm pretty sure it was a different one than you were born in but we actually learned a few things.  I kept a log if you want to see it later."

"No thanks.  If there's something you think I need to know, then I'm sure you'll tell me. This is the first time you were gone more than a day, so I'm not sure which studies I'm supposed to pull out tonight."

"Ah.  About that.  You've been doing well enough on most of your self-studies, so I thought I'd just let you continue with that.  On the nights I teach you, how about we do something new?  I was thinking about teaching you the old fey language which is pretty much just called the elven language these days."

"That sounds fine, Master."

"Have you made any progress in your sorcery while I've been gone?"

Marik thought for a moment.  He wanted to wait to talk about his multitasking goal because it seemed like a fun surprise to spring on his master.  The problem of always hurting himself with lightning sorcery was not even close to being solved, though.  Maybe he should ask for some advice on it.

"Recently I seem to be having a problem with my lightning sorcery.  I feel like it's the biggest problem holding me back right now and if I could solve it then it might help boost progress with all my sorcery."

"I see.  Well, if it's something I can help with then I shall.  I can't think of what problem you might have with one particular sorcery that hinders the rest, though."

"I can produce small amounts of lightning in between my fingertips but when I do I hurt myself."

They had both been walking around in the house doing the normal chores to prepare for lunch with Marik remaining blindfolded as usual.  The sounds of his master moving around stopped after the last statement.  Marik paused in his own preparations, not sure what to expect from his master's sudden silence.

"Hahaha.  I see.  You have been progressing further than I thought.  If this is where you've been stuck these past couple weeks, then it's no small wonder you haven't yet made it further.  Let us eat for now.  Tonight we will begin studying the old fey language but before that, while there is still light outside, I will help you.  It is typically considered the next step in sorcery to learn how to push a bit of the soul to the edge of your body to produce your sorcery effects.  Congratulations, boy.  You've reached the stage in this short time to say you are no longer a mere beginner in sorcery, but a novice."

Marik actually smiled at that.  One of his biggest problems was actually a normal roadblock that usually required being taught in order to proceed.  He had been slightly afraid that he was just missing something obvious that would make him feel like an idiot after he was told.  Now that he knew it wasn't the case he could feel the metaphorical weight lift off of his shoulders.  He removed his blindfold and tucked it into his pants pocket before sitting down across from his master to eat.  As they ate, Marik came up with a question that seemed like it had little to no precedent.

"Out of curiosity, Master, at what point would you think it wise to begin trying to learn some magic?"

His master almost choked on his food.  Apparently the question came to his master's ears in as much of a surprise as it did to Marik's mind.  After finally managing to swallow down his food, his master finally responded.

"Well that question came out of nowhere, boy.  I suppose holding it back as a surprise now would be slightly unfair.  Tomorrow, I plan to bring you with me to visit my colleague.  I've made a deal to have her help you learn mind sorcery and some mental magic.  Which she will teach you first, that is up to her.  I will also be giving you a few items which you must swear to wear at all times until we return.  You have a few secrets that neither of us is ready to reveal to others quite yet."

"I understand, Master.  I do have a request, though.  Please don't give me a ring.  I'm to young to be proposed to and my I'm certain my sexual preferences will be aimed towards women when puberty comes."

His master laughed at that and they both finished the meal in good humor.  After the meal was over and the dishes were taken care of, Marik spent what was left of the daylight trying to learn the next level for his sorcery.  He wasn't successful.  Giving up as the sky darkened, he went back inside and listened as his master began teaching him some simple words in the old fey language.

The next morning, immediately after breakfast, Marik followed his master out the front door, both of them holding several tomes in their arms.  His master silently placed the pile in his arms on top of Marik's pile, blocking the view of whatever his master was doing.  After a few brief moments his master picked back up the pile of tomes that had been added to Marik's pile.  Over the now shorter pile Marik could see what looked like a silver mirror with no reflection and a spinning wheel of red spark around its edge.

"Remember that while there you should never remove the necklace or bracelet.  The moment you do, for whatever reason, I will no longer be able to protect you.  Follow me."

His master stepped into the silver disc and disappeared.  Marik took a breath in and held it as he followed his master.  It felt like nothing more than stepping through a door.  The other side was a hallway in what seemed to be a mansion.  Doors lined the right side and paintings of various beast race people lined the left.  At the end of the hallway there was a corner turning to the right and disappearing from view.  His master began walking forward as if he had been here a hundred times before, which Marik figured that it was very likely he had.  

Two doors away from where the hallway turned the corner his master stopped and started tapping the door with his shoes.  The door soon opened and a young bearkin woman, maybe around 20 years old, opened the door and stood to the side.  Marik followed his master as they entered without a word.  The room appeared to be some kind of office with two nice sofa couches sitting parallel to the side walls and a table in the exact center of the room.  At the far wall sat an old foxkin woman, facing them from behind a work desk laden with stacks of paper and parchment, who wore a similar blindfold to his master.  There were hints of her beauty in her younger days but she now had graying hair and fur with a face that looked almost eternally angry and creased.  Honestly, Marik wouldn't have been surprised if someone said she was the bad guy of someone's story based on her looks.

His master walked the shortest route, between a couch and the table, straight to the desk and plopped his pile of tomes on it without care for whatever work it landed on.  The old foxkin woman said scowled at the action but said nothing.

"Come, boy.  Place those tomes right here next to these."

"Don't pass on your bad habits to others you ancient olefinde.  I know you can see perfectly well that I have my own works here."

"Oh come on.  You knew we were coming today and I told you I was bringing some reviewing materials.  If you haven't cleared a space yet, then you never will."

"This is my house, you know.  You can place those tomes on the center table, boy.  They'd all likely end up there anyways."

Marik decided to follow the old foxkin's words this time and put the heavy load in his arms on top of the center table.  His master turned and gave him a playful frown.

"So you've swapped allegiances on me, boy.  How you've grown in the two days I was away."

"Sorry, Master, but the old lady who owns the place should be listened to out of common courtesy if nothing else."

The old foxkin woman choked and sputtered at being called 'old lady'.  His master began laughing loudly.  Marik tried his utter best to keep a straight face.  He hoped he succeeded.

"Now you know why I keep the boy around.  In the past few years I think I've laughed more than the rest of my life combined.  Now where are these young ones you took in from my example that you were talking about yesterday?  I figure the boy could use some social interaction for the first time in a while."

"Unfortunately for everyone, they aren't exactly fit for any sort of interaction with others at the moment.  I've had them put to sleep in their room for the day."

"Well then.  In that case why don't we see what you can do about the boy before we get to our business.  He's quite diligent when it comes to personal training, so as long as he has something to work on we can mostly leave him to his own devices."

"Mind sorcery, huh?  What exactly can he offer me in return for teaching him?"

"Hmm.  If you think it might be easier you could also just teach him a couple mental magic spells.  As for what he's trading with, he just put it on the table for you.  I might have written them down but they're filled with insights brought about from the boy."

"*Sigh* Fine.  Come here, rude boy.  Tell me what you aim to get out of learning such sorcery or spells so I can focus your efforts in that direction."

"I want to try and dim people's perceptions of me and my actions.  Maybe a way to make it so that nobody would recognize me for what or who I am when I'm walking down a city street or something like that."

" What are...?  How could...?  Look here, boy.  Such a silly thing doesn't exist.  If you want to hide from people learn to use one of the many methods of invisibility instead of some half-baked method like that.  Unless there's something else you've wasted your time coming here."

"Well, how about a way to kind of remove memories in a way where you can get them back whenever you want but others can't.  Or maybe a way to...how do I put it...make certain memories...umm...fuzzy?"

"Those exist, yes.  Who do you plan to use such things on, though?  Messing with minds can have rather drastic repercussions and is not something to be taught lightly."

"The temporary removing would be on myself.  A way to defend my secrets from others.  A way to defend my mind completely would also probably be nice to know.  The fuzzy memory thing would be used on others when I want them to not remember the specifics of something but I don't want to mess with their minds too much."

The foxkin woman nodded sagely with some approval showing on her face.

"Wise thoughts from one so young.  I hope that you will keep to those words and not misuse what I teach you.  If you can promise me that then I will agree to teach you the quick version of the sorcery for defending your mind as well as the bare basics of the two spells you asked for.  Should these tomes prove to provide as great of a content as your master seems to believe then I may even hand you the scrolls for the spells so that you can learn them better in your own time.  Do we have a deal?"

"Umm.  I want to make that deal but I'm sorry.  I can't.  I can't make promises about the future because a promise is should never be broken and I can't predict the future."

"I see.  That's too bad then."

"Wait.  What if we make it a pact instead.  Should I ever use it in a way you see as misuse then I would be hunted down and disposed of."

"What?!  That's an incredible thing to say at your age, boy.  Why do you desire this knowledge so strongly.  I doubt someone as young as you would be engaged with so much danger to warrant this much."

"I almost died at least three or four times at the age of two years old, though.  I can think of at least two, no, three times that people tried to kill me that year."

The old foxkin gawked.  She glanced over at his master, silently asking for confirmation.  His master nodded quietly, choosing to remain silent and watch the deal currently being made instead of participating in it.  Getting confirmation from a more trusted source, the foxkin woman faced back towards Marik and sighed.

"Fine.  Should such future ever come to pass I shall give you but one chance to justify yourself before I take action.  We have a deal."

Marik spent the next two hours being taught how to use mind sorcery to protect his thoughts, with his master standing in as a test subject when possible due to Marik's mind-blocking necklace.  Marik managed to get to where he understood the basics but because of the necklace it was unclear exactly how successful he was.  One more hour was spent with him being taught the basics of the two spells but again he was hindered slightly, this time by the fact that the magic was slightly advanced for his first magic.

"Here, boy.  Take these scrolls and go practice out in the courtyard.  Matilda can guide you there."

Marik did as he was told and followed the young bearkin maid out of the room, around the corner, around another corner, down some stairs, and out a door.  Once outside the maid stopped and waited in the shade next to the wall so Marik mostly ignore her and worked, in a kind of rotating system, on each of the three new techniques he had learned.

Just before the sky grew completely dark his master showed up in the courtyard.

"Come on, boy.  It's time to return.  You can keep those scrolls."

"What about the tomes, Master?"

"They were copies meant to be left here anyways."

His master started moving both of his hands in an intricate manner.  The finale of the gestures was him drawing a large circle in the air with flashy sparks flying from his fingertips.  As he completed the circle, the sparks began spinning and widened into the familiar silver portal.  Marik stepped up behind his master and followed him through to return to their home in the forest.