Al was chained to the bed.

With a gag made of cloth placed firmly in his mouth.

"Ok Al, I am going to remove the gag."

Al nodded at Lady Nana's words.

"And you will listen to what I say. 

Without. 

Any. 

Interruptions. 

Am I clear?"

Again, the boy nodded. 

" Good. "

Nana pulled the gag out of the boy's mouth and then....

...........nothing. 

It seemed the boy had finally learnt his lesson.

She sat back down in her chair.

Al watched her wearily from the bed. 

Nana felt she aged a thousand years just by being near the boy.

A sudden, but welcome thought momentarily ran across her mind.

'All men of this family are the same, ' Nana thought warmly. 

A longing smile etching itself onto her face.

It was at this moment.

Al knew.

To f@ck things up.

"So Lady Nana. Could you please, please, please give me magic.

I promise to be good. 

Honest.

Please. Please. Please!!

Then I can fight bad guys and be like *Haiyaaaa*, and they'd be like, *Oh no*, then I'd be like,*Hahaha die*, and then they'd be like, *Oh no we're dying*.

And then the King would give me money.

And riches. 

And a harem.

And cake.

Mmmh. 

Cake. 

Oh and I'd fight a dragon.

And the dragon would be made of cake. 

And- "

The impromptu gag was firmly placed back into his mouth. 

Lady Nana sighed.

She could feel a headache settling in.

Rubbing her temples she began to speak:

"You are a very, very annoying boy.

You know that."

Al, to his credit, looked offended.

He tried to pout.

He forgot the gag in his mouth. 

And somehow, against all forms of common sense, part of the cloth slipped into his throat, causing him to begin to choke.

Panicking, Nana immediately pulled the cloth out of his mouth. 

Unfortunately, the rapid movement of the cloth irritated his mouth.

Triggering his gag reflex.

Subsequently leading to the vomit that now coated half her room, her bed, her clothes and her face.

Wiping away some of the vomit, she added, " Stupid. You are also very stupid."

Al gave a sheepish grin. 

Nana was not amused.

"Heh Heh," Al said bashfully," Is this a bad time to point out that I got to pee."

Lady Nana fought down the murderous rage coursing through her. 

But surely she could say the boy died of his wounds. They wouldn't be able to prove anything. It would be so easy, too. 

So, so easy.

Al shivered.

And tried desperately to free himself of the chains.

'Voice?! Voice help.' 

_______________________________________________

(You f@cked up.)

'Yeah. Like you were any help. You big meanie.

I'm gonna tell dad.'

(Oh please do, I might just die of boredom.

Or the Old Hag might kill us. 

Either way, I'm gonna die, so...please, tell your father about the magic talking voice in your head.)

'Touche!'

Al thought with narrowed eyes.

In the real world, Lady Nana did not like the way Al's eyes suddenly narrowed. 

She decided to ask her question before he did something stupid again. 

"Al," Nana began to speak, "why do you want to learn Magic so much?

You were always fascinated with swords, why not be a blacksmith.

Or even be a squire to a knight.

Why chose Magic? "

Al stopped. 

It seemed her question had taken him aback.

Good. 

Nana was trying to dissuade the boy.

Magic was not something one simply learnt. 

Of all the races, human beings had the lowest aptitude for the mystic arts. 

Combine that with the general trend that members of the female gender of every race, typically had a higher affinity for magic.

And one would realize. 

Most human men just aren't meant for magic.

Exceptions to this rule could be made.

If you were a noble or a royal whose family history was long and rich in magic.

But for a commoner.

It would be a miracle if he could even awaken his magic.

Al seemed to perk up.

Did he finally understand the futility of this childlike pursuit?

He was young.

This was possibly just a passing interest.

"You wanna know why I want to learn magic. It's simple," stars visibly begin to shine in Al's eyes.

"Magic is super cool. 

The voice says it can make you ride on the wind, spit fire, walk over water and even move the earth.

If I had that, I could totally be a hero. Like in dad's stories.

I could fight monsters. Slay dragons. Save princesses. And help people. 

Why wouldn't I want to learn magic?"

And that's how Al truly felt.

Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to be a hero.

When his dad told him his first hero story when he was 3. He knew. 

Being a hero is the only thing he would ever be happy doing. 

Cause heroes are awesome.

They get glory and praise, and they get to help people. 

What's better then helping people and getting praised for it.

In Al's mind, being a hero was a no-brainer. 

That's why he needed to learn magic.

It would help him on his way to be a hero.

"You could be a hero without learning magic. 

Your dad saved you. Isn't he a hero? 

What about Old Kim, the Baker?

When he gives out an extra loaf or two during the winter, isn't he being heroic? 

Why do you have to learn magic? Why do you have to fight?"

Nana continued to pressure him.

She was scared. Scared she would lose her surrogate grandson to an unhealthy obsession.

Just like she lost her friend, Alfred. Just like she almost lost Albert.

Al did not waver, though.

"I.... I honestly don't know why. 

I just know it has to be this way. 

I can't explain why. 

Just like you can't explain why a rock is a rock. 

A rock is a rock because it's a rock. A hero is a hero because he's a hero.

That's it. "

Old Lady Nana did not like this answer. 

He was a child. He knew nothing about the world. He didn't know. He didn't know.

Him. Be a hero. With his luck!!! 

Nana would not lose Al because of some irrational thought process from a naive child. 

And because of some imaginary voice in his head.

"No!!!! 

Al, I will not accept you as my apprentice. 

You will return to the village after your recovery. 

And you will not speak about this again. 

Do I make myself clear?" Nana commanded vehemently. 

Al shook his head.

No way he was gonna be told what he can or can't do.

He would become Nana's apprentice. He would learn magic. He would be a Hero.

A sharp pain flitted across his body.

Oh, right.

He would be a hero. 

After he peed, of course. 

And so began the next 6 months of Al's persistent annoyance. 

And Nana's personal Hell.