Kenan jumped out of bed. By the dismal light outside and the eerie still of the house. He was the first to wake. A pattern that had been recurring for the past week. The excitement inside of his bones replaced the need for sleep and the unrest in his mind made the days crawl. And each previous day made today even more important if just for the fact of suspended gratification.

Today, was his birthday. And, it was the day he would learn magic.

His feet landed with a shock. The wooden floor echoed as if hollowed. No, that wasn’t quite right. It was vibrating with its pure density. The air around him thinned and webbed. His breath caught and he lost the strength in his knees. His butt landed on the cushion, And then he gasped.

A new sense, an unearthed capability. Mana, motes of power and strings of potency. Hidden to his eyes and numb to everything else. It was new and raw, and for a string of long moments, he wondered if it was real. Yet he knew, they were there. Within and beyond his reach.

All beings were capable of attaining the sense of magicka and using it. It was different for each race and even more varied with beasts, their family, and species. Flora further complicated the matter and mana density turned most everything else into a guessing game. Humans, with their specialty in predictability, had their mana sense untethered at age thirteen. With very little consideration for any other alteration.

His mother practiced with water, and his father earth. Doco weaved together telekinetic lines and Lucy conjured plants. Now, he would be left with a choice.

From the way Kenan understood it, at least from his uncle's teachings. Capability and ability were separate beasts. Magic took time, patience, and wisdom. While some paths to power were easier, none of them were actually easy. A wide-sourced lane for learning was a tome. Magical instruction left either by a sage or a mass-produced book filled with the basics. Less common was an apprenticeship, learning from a master. Close behind in likelihood was experimentation. To feel the mana and have it altered based on instinct and guess.

Furthermore, magic was not excluded from the disparage of nobility. Some families could afford to give their next generation new magics. Like Kenan’s own. While other lesser families taught their children based on generational knowledge that was either just high enough to be considered small cantrips or had lost its potency and understanding over time. On the other side of that coin were the blood-based institutions or great schools that had honed their singular magics to great effect.

Kenan was jarred. When he stood the world spun and his stomach flopped. But he gathered his spirit and focused. He evaded the new senses and slowly put on his clothes. Thoughts swirled in his mind but he pushed them away. Then a whirlwind of movement broke the concentration. Blankets flew and furthered his confusion. With the least amount of wobble he could muster and a shirt half-on, Kenan slid to a combat stance. The beast had awakened.

The movement stopped and the air stilled.

Sheets erupted. Any persuasion to deceive wasn't needed as the actions as a whole overloaded Kenan's mind and he lost track of whatever happened. A black and white blur struck his mid-section and his breath was forcefully ripped out. A monster was on his chest. It's maw just inches away from his neck and the rows of sharp teeth glistened in excited saliva. It closed in, poised for a strike.

Then it licked him.

The energy of his master was in the air, the way he spoke and moved. It was palpable to his senses and he fed eagerly. He was hyper, a dense ball of excitement. And he didn’t even know why.

Kenan had adopted a fox six years ago, much to his parent's dismay. It had been a constant companion, a loyal friend. They were connected in a way Kenan could not understand. But all the same, he was grateful for the furball. Even if he did eat his chickens every now and then. He scratched his best friend right behind the ear. The fox kicked his legs and squealed.

“You make too much noise Dion.” A voice from the door, that had been closed. Both accomplices jumped. The fox dubbed Dion landed on the bed. Ears back, spine low, and tail tucked into the body. Kenan found the nearest wall and put his back to it. “Makes you wonder who raised him.”

Kenan released the tight tension wrapped in his stomach. Dion yapped his annoyance “That's not fair.” The fox jumped from his perch and tried to bite at Doco’s feet.

“What’s not fair?” Doco kicked off Dion after he tackled his foot.

Kenan had continued to get dressed. “Using your magic to float so you don’t make any noise.”

Dion froze in the air. His paws and tail flailed about as if he was still in the middle of a pounce, but he didn’t move. “And why do you think that? What if I just was quiet? You two were making plenty of noise for me to go unnoticed.” Doco said.

“Because…” Kenan stopped, the buckle around his waist going limp. He looked at his uncle. There was something to him, like an invisible fire, the sparks of magic. Then Kenan really looked. In between his vision was the sight of mana. Strait jagged lines connected Doco to the floor. They were faded, faltered over time, and devoid of any power source. Then he tried to find the words, but proper explanation was lost on him. “You. Um. I don’t know, like… you just had It.”

“Had what?”

“Magic. You had it on you.”

“I don’t wear magic.”

“No. The magic! It was on you, and on the ground. Like it was lifting you up.”

“My feet are touching the ground.” Doco tapped his toes.

“No, it was lifting you. Just before you got in here.”

“You have proof of this? Because as far as I'm concerned I walked in here.”

“The magic! You were using magic!”

“Hmmmm. Nope.”

“You were!”

“Don’t think so.”

“But…” And there the illusion broke. Dion yapped so loud that it triggered a fear response while the scent of freshly baked bread and sizzling meat overloaded it with elation. Kenan's frustrated frown flipped to a smile and he jumped out of his bed. And in the air, he stayed.

“But I was messing with you.” Doco smiled. “You saw the after traces of magic and I'm impressed that you managed to reason it out.” With a swoosh of air Kenan was lifted and flipped upside down, hair, shirt, and hands dangled down. He was face to face with his uncle. “Do you really think Lucy and your parents would send you off without a birthday meal?”