"What are you doing?!"
Max complained as Willa dragged him out of the bed.
"That's my line." Willa said with a cold tone, "What are you doing?"
"I'm sleeping! Well I was, obviously, before you dragged me out of my bed..." Max rubbed his butt cause Willa dropped him on the floor right after she pulled him out of the bed.
"You said you were gonna put effort into this!" Willa burst with anger, "And here you are, sleeping with no prograss!"
"How do you know there is no prograss?! I did try!" Max yelled with his fists shaking in anger.
"I just know." Willa suddely found her cool at his question, "Could you please get up and try--"
"No!" Max picked up the glass on the table but put it down after a second of hesitation. Instead, he picked up the pillow and threw it on Willa's feet, "I won't try now! I'm going to sleep! And you can go to whatever shows you want without a proper identity proof!"
Willa almost smiled at his childish act. She sighed and sat down on the chair.
"I didn't want to tell you, but yes, I can see magic, with my bare eyes." Willa said, playing a fire grass between her fingers except Max now see that she wasn't even touching the red leaves of the grass!
"You are super close to reaching level one, where you get to use your magic actively." Willa continued, "Yes there are certain ways to speed that process up, but those methods have their own price to pay. I think you would enjoy the satisfaction of reaching level one all by yourself."
"You...You really were trying to help?" Max mumbled.
"At least I'm not actively sabotaging you." Willa shook her head, "Please, let's go and get it done, will you?"
This time Willa didn't leave the finding of the fire grass to Max.
"Three steps ahead, and then five steps on your left." Willa said as she followed Max in the dark meadow.
"Wow!" Max exclaimed as he jumped on to the fire grass, "You really can see magic with your bare eyes!"
Willa rolled her eyes but no one can see that in the middle of the dark night.
It took only two hours to find three fire grass when it usually takes four or five for Max by himself.
"See?! I knew you could help me!" Max complained with a grin on his face as he grabbed the fourth fire grass that night, "You just didn't want to help!"
Willa just shrugged: "Concentrate on the feeling of magic flowing through your body. You will need to use magic by directing them to flow exactly like how you are feeling them right now."
"Wow! I'm gonna be a Magician now!" Max didn't mind Willa's warning but at all, "Think about it!"
The excitement in his voice spilled all over the place.
"You are going to be an enchanter." Willa corrected him, "That's a long way from being a real Magician."
"There are only four levels for enchanters!" Max said unpleased, feeling like Willa was ruining his pleasant dream, "I'll be a god and use real magic in no time!"
"Each level of enchanters are very hard." Willa sighed, "Have you even met a real Magician before?"
"Well, NO." Max rolled his eyes, "But there was John Wills. He was half a step away from being a real Magician!"
"But he wasn't, and he spent his whole life pursuing that, no?" Willa nodded, "He died at what? sixty years old?"
"Forty!" Max grumbled, "He's my hero and I won't allow you to diminish him like that!"
"Okay, calm down." Willa waved her hand, "Then you should know the four different stages of Enchanters are hard to reach then."
"I'll make it!" Max mumbled in anger as he began again, holding on to the fire grass.
"Ouch!"
With that sound he fell backwards as the fire grass was pulled out of the ground, and and he heard a huge sound as his butt hitting the ground:
"Bang!"
"What was that?!" Max screamed as he sprinted up from the ground, looking around in panic.
"Calm down." Willa was laughing on the side, "Congratulations! You are now officially a level one enchanter."
"But what was th-- wait, what?!" Max exclaimed, fully out of the situation.
"That was you using your magic energy subconsciously when you feel danger." Willa reached out a hand to pull him up, "But now you can use magic actively, meaning you broke the bound between a mortal and a Magician."
"Oh my God! It's so..." Max mumbled, staring at his own hands with disbelief in his eyes, "I cannot believe this. I really made it? Is it for real?"
"Well, you can try use it and see for yourself." Willa made a "welcome" gesture towards the dark trees behind them, "Concentrate on the feelings of magic flowing inside your body when you hold on to the grass and try re-create that feeling."
Max shut his eyes tight as he tried to remember that feeling. All he remembered was pain from the past almost ten years. God knows how much bitter had he taken in before this day was finally there!
"Hua!"
He pouched his fist into the air as he let out an exclaim and out of his expectation, there was a fire ball shooting out of his fist directly into the forest.
"Wow!" Willa yelled as she rushed over and extinguished the fire with her cloak.
"We need to be careful with that next time." Willa mumbled as Max jumped around her in excitement, not caring about what he just did but at all.
"I'm a Magician now!!!" Max yelled and his voice echoed under the dark sky.
"Shhhh!" Willa patted him on the shoulder, "Quiet! And no! You are just an enchanter right now! Not a magician. Dear lord..."
The last two words were for herself only. She was seriously doubting her decision of helping Max now. Lord knows she only did that seeing the loyalty Yeller showed towards him.
"Right, right!" Max grinned at her with a stone in his hand, "But I will be! You will see!"
Willa didn't say anything. She seriously doubt if someone so lack the spirit of hardworking would eventually make the dream that ALL on this land wants, but rarely gets.
"What should I do next?" Max asked, "Pulling more fire grass?"
"Well, you, should stay at home while I, take your life stone and go attend my show." Willa said, "You cannot get out when I'm using your life stone out there."
"Okay." Max said, "But what should I do now, to reach the second level?"
Willa just held her hand out.
"What?" Max frowned in confusion.
"A drop of blood. You know I cannot use your life stone without it." Willa said impatiently.
She already knew where he was going with the delaying.