"Good morning, Linnie. Alwyn."
We met Aliza outside of her shop, and the three of us headed towards the city gates. Aliza wore on her back a massive bag, double her size at least.
She looked like a travelling trader.
"Isn't that heavy?" I asked.
"It's everything I own. Unlike you two, I can't just stuff everything inside of a hat. Not anymore."
"...You can put it in mine, if you'd like," I offered.
"Really? I wouldn't want to burden you..."
"It's fine! I don't have much inside here besides some food I bought earlier..."
We stuffed the bag inside my hat, somehow.
The three of us continued until the gate, and made our way past with little trouble.
"Are we heading straight to Corvailles, Alwyn?" she asked.
"Of course. I hope you're not too good for camping?" he sarcastically asked.
"Obviously!" she kicked the back of his legs, sending him into the dirt.
Are they going to be like this the entire time...?
The peaceful journey I'd shared with Alwyn before was nice, but I didn't hate the energetic feeling in our group of three.
It did kind of feel like I'd been demoted to a third wheel though, since the two were much closer in age to each other...
"Clearly I can't ride a broom anymore, but why are you two walking? You don't have to walk with me, I don't mind."
"Broom? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Wizards and witches often ride brooms or staves or any sort of thing they please, sort of like how you were floating on my staff on our way here. As for why... I enjoy walking!" Alwyn grinned.
"What!? I don't! How do I do it?"
Aliza started to laugh. "You haven't even taught your apprentice how to ride an object? How long have you been teaching him?"
"Less than a week... and what's so great about flying anyway? It's much more magical to walk. One foot in front of the other, left right, left right."
No, no it isn't!
"I'll teach you, Linnie," Aliza offered.
"You'd do that?"
My first magic lesson!
"Ignore her. She can't even cast magic, how could she teach you?" Alwyn laughed.
"Shut up!"
Oh brother...
Once we set up camp, Aliza called me over to teach me how to fly.
"Grab this," she said, handing me a large tree branch.
I took it and listened closely.
"Repeat after me," she said. "Aur y goedwig, cod fi'n uchel; Cysgod a gwynt, agor y nef."
"Huh? What is that?"
"It's a chant... Alwyn didn't teach you this!? In ancient times, wizards and witches used to say their spells aloud. We don't do that anymore, but for more complicated things, like enchanting, it makes it a whole lot easier. We use the same language they spoke in back then, and they're now called 'chants.'"
"I'll give it a try then... aur y goedwig, cod fi'n, uchel cysgod a gwny, agor y... nef!"
As I said the chant, I felt a chill run down my arms and into the branch. The branch glowed white, and a breeze surrounded us.
"Wow! I'm impressed! It's rare to do your first chant correctly. Though, the more mana you have, the easier it is to just brute force it... Alwyn did say you had an impressive pool. Congratulations, if you stand on the branch, you'll be able to fly it."
I set it down on the ground and stepped onto it. The branch, thankfully, didn't break.
"But how?"
"Do you remember the chill feeling that went through your body as you enchanted the branch? You should be able to feel a similar feeling in your chest. The enchantment I taught you allows you to command the branch's movement by tugging at the mana within your chest. That's what's nice about enchantments, they take what would be extremely complicated in a spell and simplify it for use."
"I feel it... but how do I—"
The branch took off from the ground, and I slipped, barely managing to grab on. It was completely out of control, and I flew through the air at breakneck speeds.
"HEEELLLPPPP!"
"What are you doing? Just stop pushing the mana around you idiot!" she yelled.
The branch started into a nosedive, and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact.
"What're you two doing...?"
I opened my eyes, suspended an inch off the ground. I looked up and saw Alwyn pointing his staff at me, keeping me hovering in the air.
"I was learning how to fly..."
I dropped to the ground.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know he'd have a problem using such an easy enchantment..."
"I told you not to listen to her..." he shook his head. "Enchantments like that are going to be too hard for you to learn right now. With pools as large as ours, it's much harder to manipulate spells with finesse accurately. It's like trying to fill a bath with a waterfall... the thing will overflow too quickly."
"You mean to say his mana pool actually rivals yours? That isn't a small feat..."
"Did you really think I'd take a random boy as my apprentice? What'd I always say?"
"That your apprentice would be someone extremely wealthy?"
"Well, yes, or someone incredibly special."
I'm 'incredibly special'?
"What's the point in having a lot of mana if I can't even do something so simple? It's more like a flaw than a talent at that point, isn't it?" I sighed.
"Anyone can fly, Lin. Listen, they say one of the most important things for a mage is to believe in themselves, because imagination is a wizard's only limit. Their only limit besides mana, that is. People like you and I essentially have no limit in that aspect. What's hard for you now and easy for others will soon become impossible for others and easy for you. I haven't taught you magic yet for a reason. You're just going to hurt yourself."
Alwyn fell back onto a tree and sat down, putting his hat over his face. Soon enough, he was snoring.
"He speaks from experience," Aliza said. "I don't know if he's told you, but he's probably the most famous wizard in the world right now. Since he's been a kid he's been known as a prodigy, and most recently... well, I don't think anyone expected him to take an apprentice. He's definitely told you already, but you're pretty lucky."
"He's really such a big deal?"
If he's so famous, just what was he doing in my village? At the same time as that knight, no less. And that knight... wouldn't she have recognized him? Won't she find us?
"Haaah, there's no point thinking about it. You should get some rest now, I'll make dinner I guess."
"Absolutely not," Alwyn called out.
"I thought you were asleep! If my cooking's so bad, then you get up and make something!"
"We don't need dinner, we ate lunch."
"The hell we don't! Look at Linnie, his growth has clearly been stunted due to lack of nutrition! He needs at least three meals a day! Every day!"
While the two argued, I enjoyed the food I stored in my hat earlier. It was a meat pie with potatoes and vegetables.
After the camp had settled down, and Alwyn and Aliza were both asleep, I stayed up and played. More accurately, I practiced.
It wasn't disciplined learning or anything, I was just trying to recall the feeling from when I used the spell on Darren.
I replicated the warm feeling of the mana gathering in my arms, but I couldn't manage to get it past my fingers and into the air.
What am I missing?
Something from a long time ago, a time I couldn't quite grasp, popped into my mind. I couldn't place where it came from, or how I knew it, but it formed on my tongue.
"T-tân... ewynna?"
Suddenly, flames sputtered from my hands. I stared at the fire in amazement. I couldn't believe fire was really coming from my hands.
But the flames grew, and grew, and grew, and I started to flap my arms to put it out, but the fire wouldn't stop.
A large ball of water dropped from above me, putting out the stream of fire. I looked back at Alwyn, who was laughing at me.
"What the hell are you doing?" he yawned.
"I was casting magic. Isn't that what we do? We're wizards, aren't we?"
"I told you not to cast magic, didn't I? For like, this exact reason?" he put his hand to his forehead.
"I thought I could control it. Didn't you say I should believe in myself?"
"Ha! That's not what I meant! How could you believe in yourself when you know nothing. That's just foolishness. Now go to sleep!"
Alwyn threw me a sleeping sack and returned to bed.
But why does he sleep with his hat on...??
Alwyn yelped. "Why the hell are you on my sleeping sack, you old crone!?"
"Huh? Why are you kicking me in my sleep!? Are you crazy!?" Aliza shrieked.
I walked a good distance away from the two before placing my sack down and going to bed.
I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar place, a damp and dreary place. I was lying down in a field of wet grass, and a fog enshrouded the whole area.
I stood up, but it was as if I barely got up at all.
Oh right. I'm a dog...
I ran around, enjoying the freedom.
"Woof woof!" I barked.
This is so fun. What was I just doing? I can't remember...
I spotted my owner and started to run at him as fast as I could.
"Woof woof woof!"
My owner patted me on the head, but he was worried about something else. I looked in the direction he was faced and saw an unfathomably large creature.
Oh no! That thing's going to eat us!
I looked back at my owner, but he seemed confident, and told me to sit. He grabbed a large wooden rod from the ground and pointed it at the creature.
"Tân y diwedd, gwaedd y sêr, Ffrwydrad o'r gwagle, boed i bopeth losgi!" he shouted at the creature.
From the tip of the wooden rod, sparks formed. Above the creature, a bright, glowing circle formed. Then another, larger one on top of that.
And then another. And then six more. All at once, the circles exploded into one, fantastical explosion of fire and ash.
Heat filled the air, and the grass blades shook beneath my feet. The sound following it was delayed, but nearly sent me flying.
It was a roaring that filled my ears and felt like it'd never end. I whimpered in fear at the spectacle.
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!" I barked.
When the ash and smoke dissipated, there was no creature to be seen.
My owner looked pleased with himself, and let the wooden rod drop back to the ground. He knelt down to me and started to pat me, praising my bravery.
"Woof woof," I barked.
Then I ran off and played in the grass some more.
"What were you dreaming about?" Alwyn asked, standing above me.
"Huh? I don't know, why?"
"...No reason," he held back laughter. "Let's go..."
"What? What did I do? Why are you walking away... just tell me!"