Torrena hadn't lied when she said that his training would begin as soon as they stepped into the road. Rolen had hurried out of the house with an old bag slung over his shoulder to join the Wizardess, who stood at the place where the path to his house and the gravel road met. It had rained during the night, and the grass was sparkling with beads of moisture. It was a pleasant, cool morning for a stroll. As soon as he reached her, Torrena set off down the road, signaling for him to follow.
"Now. Magic is not as mysterious as many think it is, and magical energy flows through the air all around us. Some people, like you or me, have the talent to draw out this magic and harness it. This is one of the easiest types of magic to learn about. Other types are not so simple. You must understand the distinct laws of nature. If you go beyond them, things will go wrong."
She paused for a moment, in case he wished to say anything, but the boy was listening silently. While she saw that this attentiveness was a good sign, she knew that he would need to ask questions. It was an important part of spell casting.
"I will tell you now that the first part of what I will teach you is basic knowledge and theory. If you are not willing to learn from this base, you can turn back and walk home easily."
She saw that he showed no sign of turning back, and was pleased.
"Good. It will take dedication and hard work, but I assure you... it will be worth it. Now. Tell me the six common elements that people inherently harness."
"Earth, Wind, Water, Fire.... Light, and Dark."
"Correct. Do you know what it is that we take in from the air to breathe?"
".... no, ma'am, I don't."
"It is called Oxygen. Microscopic components that, along with several others, combine to make the air we breathe. This same element, Oxygen, helps give us water. If you take two Oxygen and mix them with a component called Hydrogen, make a water particle. And a fire must burn Oxygen to stay alive."
Rolen was silent. This was a lot for him to take in so quickly. He had never been taught anything like this at school, nor seen it in his books. Then his mind made a connection.
"Is that why the flame of a candle will go out if you place it under a glass?"
"That's right. It burns up all the Oxygen inside the glass, and since it has no fuel, it burns out. But this is a bit much to explain while on the road. It will be much easier to show you once we reach Winchester."
Winchester. That was something Rolen had learned in school. Winchester was Kelan's capital city. The king's castle was there, and giant marketplaces, and stores, and even restaurants. He was silent as he thought of the large city. It must be strange with so many people so close together. But he had to drop his thoughts of the capital as Torrena continued speaking.
"I have a house there, which is where a great portion of your studies will take place. As I have said, you will begin by learning some of the important Natural Laws, and the hereby of spellcasting. It may look easy, but Wizardry requires much focus, and knowledge. Ah. I should explain this now. There are other types of magic besides Wizardry. Some have innate magic that comes from a long bloodline, Sorcerers, who control magic in a wild way. Some, called Warlocks, get magic from a pact with a powerful being. Others, such as bards, harness other types of magic to heal or enchant. As a wizard, I can accomplish many things. But never think that your magic makes you better than others, or puts you above them. That is the worst mistake a Wizard can make."
They walked in silence for a time. The day was growing slowly warmer as the sun climbed through the heavens, and the beads of rain had nearly all evaporated from the grass or been drawn into the root systems of plants. They passed farms and fields, and Miltank lowed at them from within solid fences. Occasionally a Fletching would whistle at them from its perch on a post, or a Growlithe would bark at them to warn that they should not intrude in his master's territory.
After a while, they resumed talking. Torrena asked Rolen questions about himself, which he did his best to answer. She tried a few tests to discover which element he was, but none of them were successful. If she had a guess, she kept it to herself. He learned from her that she was a Water element, and that she was an expert in defensive magic. She showed him that she had shields around her at all times. She made him throw a rock at her, which he was very hesitant to do and wouldn't have done at all if she hadn't insisted. The stone had bounced off what at first seemed to be air, but was actually some kind of magical energy that stopped the rock midair. She explained some of how the shield spell worked, but quickly saw that he couldn't keep up with her explanation. She laughed and promised to show him again at a future date, when he knew more about magical theory.
Overall, the day was pleasant but confusing. Rolen enjoyed learning, and he learned a lot in just a day. He couldn't imagine what else he would learn in this apprenticeship. He was excited. Sure, it sounded like it wouldn't all be fun, but he was excited nonetheless. It had been a good day.
"Now. Magic is not as mysterious as many think it is, and magical energy flows through the air all around us. Some people, like you or me, have the talent to draw out this magic and harness it. This is one of the easiest types of magic to learn about. Other types are not so simple. You must understand the distinct laws of nature. If you go beyond them, things will go wrong."
She paused for a moment, in case he wished to say anything, but the boy was listening silently. While she saw that this attentiveness was a good sign, she knew that he would need to ask questions. It was an important part of spell casting.
"I will tell you now that the first part of what I will teach you is basic knowledge and theory. If you are not willing to learn from this base, you can turn back and walk home easily."
She saw that he showed no sign of turning back, and was pleased.
"Good. It will take dedication and hard work, but I assure you... it will be worth it. Now. Tell me the six common elements that people inherently harness."
"Earth, Wind, Water, Fire.... Light, and Dark."
"Correct. Do you know what it is that we take in from the air to breathe?"
".... no, ma'am, I don't."
"It is called Oxygen. Microscopic components that, along with several others, combine to make the air we breathe. This same element, Oxygen, helps give us water. If you take two Oxygen and mix them with a component called Hydrogen, make a water particle. And a fire must burn Oxygen to stay alive."
Rolen was silent. This was a lot for him to take in so quickly. He had never been taught anything like this at school, nor seen it in his books. Then his mind made a connection.
"Is that why the flame of a candle will go out if you place it under a glass?"
"That's right. It burns up all the Oxygen inside the glass, and since it has no fuel, it burns out. But this is a bit much to explain while on the road. It will be much easier to show you once we reach Winchester."
Winchester. That was something Rolen had learned in school. Winchester was Kelan's capital city. The king's castle was there, and giant marketplaces, and stores, and even restaurants. He was silent as he thought of the large city. It must be strange with so many people so close together. But he had to drop his thoughts of the capital as Torrena continued speaking.
"I have a house there, which is where a great portion of your studies will take place. As I have said, you will begin by learning some of the important Natural Laws, and the hereby of spellcasting. It may look easy, but Wizardry requires much focus, and knowledge. Ah. I should explain this now. There are other types of magic besides Wizardry. Some have innate magic that comes from a long bloodline, Sorcerers, who control magic in a wild way. Some, called Warlocks, get magic from a pact with a powerful being. Others, such as bards, harness other types of magic to heal or enchant. As a wizard, I can accomplish many things. But never think that your magic makes you better than others, or puts you above them. That is the worst mistake a Wizard can make."
They walked in silence for a time. The day was growing slowly warmer as the sun climbed through the heavens, and the beads of rain had nearly all evaporated from the grass or been drawn into the root systems of plants. They passed farms and fields, and Miltank lowed at them from within solid fences. Occasionally a Fletching would whistle at them from its perch on a post, or a Growlithe would bark at them to warn that they should not intrude in his master's territory.
After a while, they resumed talking. Torrena asked Rolen questions about himself, which he did his best to answer. She tried a few tests to discover which element he was, but none of them were successful. If she had a guess, she kept it to herself. He learned from her that she was a Water element, and that she was an expert in defensive magic. She showed him that she had shields around her at all times. She made him throw a rock at her, which he was very hesitant to do and wouldn't have done at all if she hadn't insisted. The stone had bounced off what at first seemed to be air, but was actually some kind of magical energy that stopped the rock midair. She explained some of how the shield spell worked, but quickly saw that he couldn't keep up with her explanation. She laughed and promised to show him again at a future date, when he knew more about magical theory.
Overall, the day was pleasant but confusing. Rolen enjoyed learning, and he learned a lot in just a day. He couldn't imagine what else he would learn in this apprenticeship. He was excited. Sure, it sounded like it wouldn't all be fun, but he was excited nonetheless. It had been a good day.
