The sun had set, and I knew it was time. Are you wondering what I was off to do? It was something despicable.
It was something no one ought to ever do. The gravest sin. I was off to murder that boy, Darren.
I'm not the vengeful type. Frankly, I was not all that attached to the boy Andel. It was necessity. If I didn't kill that scourge, I was next.
They might even go further and kill me. So I would get them first.
Darren was their leader, and the strongest. And I happened to know where he hung out at this time. He was a terrible boy, and I heard he caused his parents all sorts of annoyances.
One of them was his late-night activities. After dark, he'd sneak into a bar, steal beer and run off to one spot in the woods to get drunk on his lonesome. What a sorry hobby...
I knew exactly where his spot in the woods was, and in the dark and while he was drunk... it was too perfect a crime. It was no crime at all.
It was just, and no one would be there to see it happen. It's just nature at that point... nature taking its natural course.
"Stupid—hic! Stupid bastards... hic! I'll run away and never come back, that'll show you! Hic!"
The brute rolled around in the grass. I admit, the spot was quite good. A small clearing, surrounded by trees, peaceful, and a perfect place to watch the stars.
And it was close to the stream, too.
I snuck up behind him, holding a rock tightly in my hand. My hands were steady, but it was still the first time I'd be taking a human life. I was nervous.
But the boy in front of me was no different than a pig.
"What're youuuu doing heeeere? Hic!"
Swiftly, I brought down the rock over his face.
"Whatdafu—"
I struck him over and over. My arms were weak and ached, but still I brought the rock down, over and over, until his body stopped jerking.
Blood soaked the grass beneath us, and finally, he seemed to stop breathing. I tossed the rock into some bushes and grabbed him by his feet.
As I dragged him towards the river, I prayed.
God, I'm sorry. I hope you can understand my circumstances. I'm special, aren't I? You'll make an exception for me, right?
Interrupting my prayers, Darren woke up and started to flail. It surprised me, since I thought him dead, and I got knocked off my feet.
He crawled on top of me and grabbed ahold of my neck.
"You little shit! Trying to muuurder me!? Craaazy fucking rat!"
I squirmed and struggled to get out of his grasp, scratching and tearing at his back, biting and gnawing at his flesh, but I couldn't overpower him even with all my strength.
I started to lose consciousness.
Is this it? Is this how I die? Starving and weak? It can't be... it can't
I felt a burning sensation crawl through my arm, and I concentrated on it.
I focused on channeling it through my forearm into my palm and followed my instinct. I opened my eyes to see Darren, limp and with a fresh hole burned through him.
What was that? Was that... magic? How...?
Quickly, I rolled him into the river and watched as he floated away downstream. I smelled the scent of fire, and worried there was someone nearby.
But there was no one. I washed my hands of the red and made my way back to the path.
I walked home, and let out a large sigh, believing myself to be in the clear. I froze as a man came around the corner.
He'll know. When they find the body, he'll know I was out here. The only one out here... what'll I do? I could blame it on him.
That won't work... everyone in the village already knows me as the feral boy... it'll be too easy to get me hanged... what do I do!?
"Isn't it a little late for a boy like you to be out here?"
I couldn't see him clearly in the dark, but one thing was for certain.
"A... a wizard!?"
I leapt back in surprise. The man was dressed in colorful robes, and on his head was a comically large, brimmed hat, with a long, pointy top. Beside him floated a large, oak staff.
The wizard bent down and leaned at me.
"Hmmmm... you live in the village nearby, boy?"
"Yes I do, fair wizard!"
He isn't from the village! But if a wizard finds out I murdered someone, he'll execute me on the spot. I can't let him find out...!
"Err... I have bad news for you..." The wizard scratched his head.
"What is it?"
The wizard placed his hand on my head.
"The village... it's been engulfed in flames. There is no village for you to return to."
"What!? How does that make any sense?! A fire couldn't burn the whole village down!"
"Believe me, there's not a survivor left amongst the ash. Please don't be distraught... I don't deal well with emotional children..."
"It's not that I'm distraught, fair wizard, but I believe you're playing a poor joke. If there was a fire, a powerful wizard such as yourself could have easily taken care of it."
"That's... right. I'll be on my way then. Get home safe, boy."
I wished I could've met the wizard in better circumstances, it was the first wizard I'd met after all, and on the same day that I met a knight too... what an intense day.
I ran up the hill and back towards the village. As I got closer, though, the smell of smoke grew stronger. I reached the top of the hill and stumbled back in awe.
Impossibly large and bright, a swirling pillar of flame engulfed the entire village, burning and towering up into the sky.
The village...!?
It was clear in an instant that there was nothing to salvage. The wizard was telling the truth; a flame had engulfed the village.
Of course he didn't put it out, it was his own flame after all. There's no one but a wizard that could cause something like this.
But why? Why would a wizard of all people do something so heinous?
At the bottom of the hill, I saw a crowd of people. For a moment, I thought the townspeople had escaped. I was wrong.
"Fair knight, what do we do!? No matter how much water we pour, the flames won't go out!"
The platoon had, for some reason, turned back to the village. The soldiers were running to the river and back, dumping water.
Commanding them was the knight lady. I started to run towards them.
"Mrs. Knight! Mrs. Knight! The village!"
She turned, surprise flashing across her face when she saw me. Then, to my shock, she drew her sword.
"What? Mrs. Knight, it's me!"
Out of nowhere, the wizard reappeared in front of me, shoving my head downwards. The knight slashed her sword, and I felt the shockwave ripple above my head.
"Listen! She knows about that kid, the one in the river," the wizard whispered into my ear.
What...? No way...!
"YOU! WIZARD! UNHAND THE BOY!"
"Mrs. Knight! I—"
The wizard waved his staff, sending glimmering waves throughout the air which solidified into a large translucent barrier separating us from the platoon.
"That knight, she's going to kill the both of us. Do you hear me? She knows about that boy you killed earlier."
"...Why not leave me to die?"
"Do you want me to!? Just take my hand and we'll get out of here."
"Are you so scared of her? Why not fight her?"
I looked at the pillar of flame raging at the sky.
"Scared? If she wasn't a servant of the king, she'd be dead where she stands."
"So, you're even stronger than she is?"
"Naturally! I'm a wizard, after all!"
The barrier shuddered.
"That knight... she was going to make me her ward. You...? Can you do that?"
"Ha! My 'ward'? You're asking that in such a dire situation? You know you're on the verge of death, don't you?"
"Is that a no? Why should I come with you then? You've burned my home to the ground and have aligned me against the person who was going to make me strong. You've ruined my life as far as I'm concerned!"
The barrier started to crack.
"Kid, don't you know what it means when a wizard offers you their hand? You're special, don't you know that? No, I'm certain you already do. Take my hand and become my apprentice so we can get out of here already!"
"You'll make me strong?"
"I'll make you the strongest wizard the world has ever known!"
"And who are you to make a promise like that? I'm no wizard, I can't use magic."
"You fool! I'm the great wizard Alwyn, and mark my words, you can definitely cast magic! So just... take... my... hand!"
The barrier shattered into pieces.
I grabbed the wizard's hand and felt my feet leave the earth. It felt as if I was being dragged through deep mud.
When I opened my eyes, I was flat on my back and staring at the stars.
The wizard stood above me, and I followed the direction of his gaze. I squinted and saw a large fire a long way away.
I looked down and saw the towering cliffs. I realized then that somehow, we'd made it to the (new) peak of Old St. Ann.
"Did you mean it?" I asked in between gasps for air.
"Mean what?"
"That you'd make me your apprentice?"
"I wouldn't lie. I'm a wizard."
"What's the point in pretending to be noble any longer? You torched my village..."
"You don't seem too torn up about it..."
"There was no one I cared for there, anyway. It was only a place for me to live. But if I'm your apprentice, I don't need it."
"You don't care for the people who died in the fire?"
"They wouldn't have cared if I died in a fire."
"Kid, are you an orphan?"
"Yes."
"What's your name?"
"They call me the feral boy."
The wizard burst into laughter.
"You don't say? Is that why you killed that boy? Because you're feral?"
"You don't seem to care for the boy I killed. Or the people you burned to ash. How can you call yourself a wizard?"
"You'll understand it someday. That's a lesson for you much later, my apprentice."
"Wizard, why did you make me your apprentice?"
"You're special."
"Aren't all wizards special? I'm a feral boy. I'm sure you could have found a good boy that could cast spells."
"No... I couldn't. Not as well as you. You've already casted a spell before, haven't you?"
"I think so. Is it that impressive?"
"It's very rare, even among wizard families, for children to cast their first spell without instruction. What is impossible though, is for a child to tap into their mana pool without direction... I noticed yours when I first ran into you. It's already unlocked... and it's super huge! It's even comparable to mine! Have you met any other wizards before?"
Hehe... am I so special?
"Never. I'm sure of it too! You're the first."
"Hmmm... but this won't do. I can't call you 'feral boy'... didn't your parents name you?"
"They did, but I forgot it."
"Haaaah... I'm not good at naming things. How about... Lin? Linnie? How's that?"
A name? 'Linnie'?
"...I like it."
Lin... Linnie... Linnie Lin Lin Linnie...
"Alright Lin, starting tonight, you're officially the great Alwyn's first apprentice."
A wizard's apprentice... what a strange day I've had. Everyone I know is gone and I've been taken in by a wizard. Am I truly awake?
I yawned and rubbed my eyes. By then, it must've been well past midnight.
"We should get some sleep..."
"Wait, can't we go down the mountain first? I'm freezing."
The wizard in the long, thick robes hadn't noticed the layer of frost coating my young, frail body.
"Right! Come here and take my hand, apprentice."