[Third Person's PoV]
Arthur ran on the ground, panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face. The seasons changed around him as time passed—from wind to rain, then snow and hail. Despite the shifting weather, Arthur kept running, his pet cat Cosmo keeping pace by his side.
As time went on, Arthur's running form transformed. Initially sluggish, he gradually adopted the posture of an Olympic athlete, running faster and becoming more agile. His training extended beyond running; he performed push-ups with Cosmo lounging on his back, pull-ups with Cosmo draped around his neck, and sit-ups with the cat resting on his feet. Sweat dripped from his body as he worked out.
At first, Arthur struggled to complete even two push-ups before his arms gave out. However, as time progressed, so did the intensity and volume of his exercises. Eventually, Merlin replaced Cosmo, sitting on Arthur's back with her staff resting across her lap.
Arthur set up ropes tied to boulders, which were attached to a tree—a setup courtesy of Merlin. He pulled on them with determination, his breath visible in the cold air as the seasons changed. His shirtless torso revealed his growing muscles and increased height.
...
Arthur wielded a wooden sword, lashing out at a scarecrow figure. He wore black gloves as he focused on his strikes, slashing and stabbing at the scarecrow. As his training progressed, the number of scarecrows increased, along with the weight of his sword, thanks to Merlin's enchantments.
Jumping and dodging, Arthur moved from one scarecrow to the next, slashing at their necks and sending straw flying. He trained relentlessly, whether in rain, snow, or blistering heat, never letting the elements deter him. Even as the scarecrows came to life, wielding weapons (courtesy of Merlin), Arthur continued, now dual-wielding two swords.
Slipping in the mud, Arthur endured bruises and cuts from the animated scarecrows' attacks. Yet, he always rose, muddy and determined, improving with each session.
Merlin often joined as his sparring partner. She tied her hair in a ponytail and wore pants with a tight blouse, wielding a real sword. Arthur, too, now handled a real sword with ease, thanks to his strength training.
Their swords clashed repeatedly, with Merlin pushing Arthur to his limits. Despite his efforts, she often ended with her blade at his throat. "Again!" she would command mercilessly, offering pointers which Arthur eagerly absorbed and corrected.
To Arthur's surprise, Merlin also taught him martial arts. She would sweep his legs from beneath him, leaving him staring up at the sky.
"How do you know martial arts?" Arthur asked, astonished.
Merlin gave him a look of disbelief. "It's a fundamental part of knight training. A knight must know how to fight with his bare hands if disarmed or if his blade breaks."
"Ah," Arthur muttered, blushing as he realized it should have been obvious.
…
Arthur carefully balanced a stack of books on his head as he marched forward, his arms extended to the sides, shoulders squared. Merlin, dressed in a pencil skirt, white blouse, and a purple shawl draped over her shoulders, stood nearby with a ruler in hand, glasses perched loosely on her nose.
"Arms to the side and shoulders square!" Merlin commanded. She gently lifted Arthur's chin with the ruler. "Head held high! The only thing down there are the peasants beneath you! They're unworthy your gaze!!" she reprimanded.
Arthur blushed at the sensation of her lifting his chin, her attire adding to his flustered state. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Merlin, what are you doing?" he asked.
Merlin blushed, pressing the ruler to her lips. "Sorry, I got way too into character."
Arthur's nobility training continued in a similar fashion. He hunched over a desk, a quill in hand, his tongue poking out as he concentrated. Merlin sat on the desk, smacking his hand with the ruler whenever he made a mistake. She crumpled any paper that didn't meet her standards, making him rewrite it. His handwriting had to be neat and elegant, and his vocabulary had to be sophisticated.
Merlin even shrank down to his height to teach him how to dance, how to approach someone, and how to introduce himself, which Arthur found torturous.
...
At night, Arthur lay sprawled on his bed, Cosmo resting on his chest, his head nestled against Merlin's torso. Despite his peaceful appearance, his mind was far from restful as through out the years he had lessons inside his dreamscape, due to the fact that he was technically dreaming it had no negative effects.
In his dream, Arthur found himself in a classroom surrounded by towering stacks of books. He wore a white headband with "Fight On" embroidered on it. His quill moved rapidly across the paper as Merlin, standing at the front like a college professor, shouted, "Pop quiz! Without looking at your notes, name the eight aspects of magic and what they do. Go!"
Arthur jumped to his feet, answering quickly. "The eight aspects of magic are: Abjuration, which includes protective spells that cancel out or interfere with other spells, they are to protect, block, or banish; Transmutation, the act of transforming or changing matter; Conjuration, which involves the manifestation of creatures, energy, or objects; Enchantment, which imbues properties or grants control over another being—"
"Interjection!" Merlin interrupted. "What can you consider an enchantment?"
"A curse and charms," Arthur replied. "Both can fall under enchantments, but a curse is intended to cause harm, while a charm is not. This distinction separates White Magic from Black Magic."
Merlin nodded, pleased. "Proceed."
"The following are Illusions which alter perception or create false images—"
"Interjection!" Merlin interrupted again. "Can a spell be classified under more than one aspect?"
"Yes," Arthur answered confidently. "Some spells fall under multiple aspects. For example, the Disillusionment Charm is both an Illusion and an Enchantment."
Merlin smiled and nodded. "Proceed."
"Next is Evocation, which manipulates energy to produce a desired effect; Divination reveals information; and lastly, Necromancy manipulates, creates, or destroys life or life force."
"Final question: where would you place a healing spell?" Merlin asked.
"Evocation," Arthur answered instantly.
"And not Necromancy? Or both Evocation and Necromancy?"
"Only Evocation," Arthur clarified. "Evocation is about manipulating magical energy to produce a desired effect, like restoring health. Necromancy, on the other hand, typically focuses on the boundaries between life and death, such as raising the dead or draining life energy, which isn't the primary function of healing spells."
Merlin smiled, clearly impressed by his thorough understanding.
Merlin resumed her lessons, pointing and tapping the large blackboard as Arthur sat back down, continuing to write, trying to memorize everything Merlin was cramming into his brain.
…
"POTIONS ARE EASY! THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE ALREADY THERE!" Merlin yelled in a reprimanding tone, slapping the book with a ruler.
"IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS! You think I can tell the difference between 1 millimeter and 2 millimeters?! To my eyes, they look exactly the same length!" Arthur snapped for the first time.
He held up two pieces of potion ingredients, tears in his eyes. "How can you expect me to tell the difference between these two?!"
"Easy. One is one millimeter, the other is two," Merlin replied coldly.
"You monster!" Arthur broke out into a sob.
"Let a single tear drop into that potion, and I'll feed it to Cosmo," Merlin said coldly, slapping her ruler along her palm.
"Didn't you say that with a single mistake this potion could be poisonous?" Arthur squeaked out.
"I'm glad you understand my threat," Merlin scoffed disdainfully.
"You're no monster… You're the devil himself!" Arthur exclaimed pitifully, holding back his tears as he stirred the potion.
…
Arthur was sitting on the ground in a lotus meditative position in the warmth of the house, with Merlin sitting in front of him.
"As you don't have a wand you don't have to worry about your magic being traced. It's time for you to move on to wandless magic, so you shouldn't worry about using magic when you please," Merlin explained in a calm and serene tone.
Arthur nodded in understanding, his expression calm and serene as an essence was lit beside them. Cosmo sat lazily between his legs.
"Pop quiz…" Merlin said suddenly.
"I thought the quizzes were only for when you're passing knowledge in my dreams?" Arthur asked in confusion.
Merlin shook her head. "The pop quizzes are to catch you off guard and hit you when you least expect them. We could be eating, and I would hit you with a pop quiz. What are incantations?"
"Incantations are the identities we give to spells, like how someone would call my name to get my attention. Names give purpose, and incantations serve the same purpose for spells, allowing them to activate properly and have an identity," Arthur explained.
"What are wands for?" Merlin proceeded to ask.
"The magic inside us needs a sense of direction, so we need a tool. Wands are guides; they carve the path for spells to follow and flow out of," Arthur said with a serious expression.
"So how would wandless magic work if, for a spell to function, it needs both an identity and a guide?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Through our intent and willpower," Arthur began. "Magic is power, and for that power to produce the desired effect, we use our intent and willpower to shape it to our will. Our actions and words carry intent, serving as a means to cast spells. The incantations we speak and the flicks of our wands happen because we intend and will them to. We desire an effect, and magic complies.
"Our willpower provides the magic within us the energy to act. This is what accidental magic is—when a child's willpower grows, their magic responds without conscious effort. Their willpower reaches its peak and matures around the age of eleven, which is why they need a wand to channel their intent.
"Willpower is the fuel, and intent is the true guide. Wandless magic is the ability to express your intent without speaking it aloud, to convey your desires with a mere thought. However, such control is not as easy as I'm making it sound," Arthur explained thoroughly.
Merlin smiled softly at Arthur. "Last question: is willpower the only source of power for magic?"
"No," Arthur replied. "There are stronger sources, like emotions, for example. Willpower is the most stable and reliable energy source, while emotions fluctuate constantly. Sometimes, strong emotions can fuel magic in a way that no amount of willpower could match. However, that doesn't mean someone with exceptionally strong willpower couldn't achieve similar results to using strong emotions to power a spell."
"Alright," Merlin nodded, satisfied. "I have deemed your knowledge sufficient. To master the magic around us, we must first master the magic within us. Therefore, your first order of business will be learning Occlumency—magic that strengthens the mind to prevent unwanted intrusions. Given your nighttime lessons, I believe this exercise should come fairly easily to you. Are you ready?"
"Yes," Arthur said, meeting Merlin's gaze directly, her eyes sparkling slightly.
And so, time passed quickly between them, and before Arthur knew it, his training montage had ended he had soon turned ten years old.
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