(POV: Aerin Aster Grimbea)
Pain flooded my head all of the sudden
An astringent voice followed my sorrow as if on cue "Aerin, What did I just told you about magic?!"Mister Bertrand said while he was clenching his fist.
*sob*, a little tear dangled on the corner of my eye, dangling on the edge of my eyelashes.
"M-magic is for illusionists."
"Damn straight. Remember that." The mister in front of me seemed satisfied with himself and snorted "Very well, thaumaturgy."
He opened his trenchcoat as if he were one of those merchants I see when I stroll with daddy, and much like them, his inner coat was filled with baubles and different objects of many forms made out of glass and paper. They were all stuffed in rows using pockets and straps.
He produced a small and round object, transparent in the way that it showed many other figures inside of it and he extended the hand he was holding the sphere with towards me.
"Grab it, Aerin."
I complied with the mister. The ball felt like rubber or jelly and in the centre, it had a smaller sphere and around the crystalline substance the sphere was made of many figures of many different forms floated seamlessly, a few even looked like jelly beans.
"This my dear girl is called a cell, That is what your body is made of: thousands of billions and trillions of these little things all work in harmony to make your body work."
He stopped for a moment, looking at the ball while chewing on his lower lip, he looked kinda hesitating.
"Well, you are too young for a biology class, so I will focus on thaumaturgy." He then pointed to a worm-like figure that seemed to fold over itself. "This is a thaumasome. this little guy produces a protein called mana, which is what allow me to do things like this. . ."
Mister Bertrand extended his index finger and started tracing a figure on the air.
"Wooooow!" Much to my fascination, as he moved his finger, shiny silver lines were left behind, spewed by his fingertip which slowly finished, having drawn a "V" shaped figure.
He lunged his hand forward, touching the "V" shaped figure with the palm of his hand and. . .
.
. . . *Broooosh*. . . .
.
His palm vomited a small stream of fire that travelled a few feet away before turning into smoke and fading into smoke
I kinda got the feeling I forgot to blink for a second. The brightness still imprinted on my mind, I can almost assure I can still see the streaming blaze.
"What do you think, dear?" Bertrand lips pulled back, showing a denture with some missing teeth here and there, but never the less, reminded me of a grandpa. The lines on his face and the corners of his eyes deepened as his smile grew.
My throat was clogged, still shocked by the spectacle that just happened, words just wouldn't leave my mouth.
"If you would, extend your hand towards me, dear" his tone was now felt with joy and kindness. Could it be he like teaching me? I did as I was told, he held my hand very gently, like when I hold a small insect that I like.
"You see this little black dots on the palm of your hand and fingertips?" I nodded slowly.
He traced those black spots with the tip of his hand and continued "These are called manaloch. They are a termination of your mana vessels."
Bertrand seemed lost in thought for a second, absorbed in his own mind.
"Ah, sorry dear. Let's continue. You remember those figures I did a while ago? the "l" and the "V" shaped."
"Yes, I remember grandpa Bertrand" He looked at me as if his eyes turned as round as marbles and his cheeks seemed to droop a tad more, for some reason his eyes started gleaming and he then rubbed them with his arm. Did I do something wrong? He seemed like a grandpa to me.
"Ah yes, yes. of course you remember. Yes. Excellent" He stopped covering his face with his arms, revealing a touch of red on the white of his eyes.
He sniffled a couple of times.
"Ok, well you see. ok. extend your arm, child."
I did as I was told, and Bertrand continued with his lecture "You know how you can focus on a part of your body?" I nodded "Try doing it, focus on your toe. Done? Good, same as you did with the tip of your toe, focus on that dot on the palm of your hand. Try squeezing that point, focus on it"
I closed my eyes, trying to imagine the dot as a member, like my little toe. my forehead started to sweat and I can almost feel my eyebrows touching each other.
That is when I felt it. a sensation like tickling, but from the inside of my hand spreaded from my palm to my whole body, in roads that seemed like arteries.
.
. . .*broosh*. . . .
.
A smaller stream of blaze than the one The mister did, came out of my hand, like small tongues of fire losing themselves a couple of inches from me.
Me and Bertrand suddenly bursted out laughing. If someone were to ask me why, I wouldn't know. I just know we stared at that puny flame and laughed in sweet happiness.