'It's been a few months since I first saw my mother use magic and I can walk properly now. Well, as proper as a one-year-old can walk.' Theo thought to himself as he walked towards the stairs. 'Now, since my mom is distracted teaching Sydney I have the unique opportunity to walk up the stairs.' Theo thought as he got to the stairs and climbed the first step.
"Mama, where'd Theo go?" Sydney asked.
'Fuck! Damn it, Sydney, couldn't you have waited just a few more moments?' Theo thought as he began to rush his way up the stairs as Kendra looked around the other room, then stood up and walked over to the hall.
"There you are!" Kendra said as she put her hands on her hips and looked at Theo, who had made it up four steps. "What is your obsession with going up the stairs?" She asked as she walked over to him.
"Adventure!" Theo said with a vibrant expression. 'Hehehe, no mother could deny their son when they give this expression!' Theo thought to himself. She sighed as she picked him up and held him on her hip.
"We'll go later, so wait until your sister's lesson is over, alright?" She asked as she pointed at him with her other finger.
"Adventure!" Theo said with the same expression as before.
"Good, now let's go back for now." She said as she walked back to the entryway where she was teaching Sydney magic, next to the couch. "Sydney, do you remember the chant I taught you?" Kendra asked. Sydney nodded. "Give it a try." She said.
"Bend to my will and form what I wish," Sydney started her chant after closing her eyes and getting into position, facing her palm to the roof. The chant caused a brown light to form from her palm. "I call upon the earth of the gnomes, a sphere that I may control," Sydney continued as dirt and dust began to form a floating ball above her palm.
'Oh! She's already able to do the new spell!' Theo thought to himself.
"Form, and allow my will upon you, earth ball!" Sydney said excitedly as the ball formed fully.
"I did it! I made the ball, mama!" Sydney said happily.
"Yup! Great job!" Kendra said with a warm, excited tone.
'Speaking of magic, she's been learning for a bit, of course, mom started with the basics. From what I learned, your mana pool grows with your body, so once you've become an adult, you're stuck with whatever mana pool you have. Apparently, my mother has a fair amount of mana, because most people can only cast one or two low-level spells before being tired, but my mother can do it many times that.' Theo thought to himself. 'I wonder if that means my mana pool will be large as well...' He wondered.
"Alright, that's all for today!" Kendra said.
"But I'm not even tired!" Sydney said.
"That's true, but you shouldn't try to tire yourself out, that will have a negative impact on your mana pool." Kendra said.
'Hm, I've been practicing secretly, but I haven't noticed any negative effects from exhausting my mana... In fact, it seems to aid in expanding my mana pool... Perhaps that idea came about because some people's bodies couldn't handle the amount of mana in their bodies?' Theo wondered.
"Also, mama, is there a way to do magic without the chant? It's so boring to do the chant!" Sydney complained.
'Of course, there is, after I tried the chant, I immediately tried to do it without the chant.' Theo thought to himself.
"Not as far as I am aware. All mages I've met use chants. Even the good ones. Of course, the best ones are able to shorten the chant." Kendra said.
'Does she actually believe that!?' Theo wondered in shock. 'No, I can't discount that I might be a fluke... But that seems unlikely. Odds are, most people get caught up in doing the chant and get too used to it.' Theo thought to himself.
"That aside, let's go upstairs, your brother wants an adventure!" Kendra said with a warm smile.
"Hm, alright!" Sydney said as she grabbed Kendra's free hand. They walked over to the stairs and went up the first segment.
"First doorway!" Sydney said excitedly as she quickly went over to the door at the landing and opened it.
"It's a guest bedroom." Kendra said. "We have it for any travelers or family that may visit us." She explained.
'No books, too bad.' Theo said as he looked into the room as best he could while being held by his mother. Sydney closed the door, then turned around and faced the other segment of the stairs.
"Onward!" She yelled excitedly as she ran up the stairs. Kendra followed at a slower pace. "First! The door on the right!" She said as she ran over to the door and opened it. "Whoa! So dusty!" She said in awe.
"It's some old adventuring gear. We haven't touched it since we retired." Kendra said. Sydney walked in, followed by Kendra.
"Why?" Theo asked as he tilted his head. Kendra turned her head to look at Theo as Sydney looked at all the items.
"It's from a different part of our lives, a time we put behind us when we decided we wanted Sydney and you." Kendra said.
'Interesting, I wonder if they stayed away from it to stop themselves from being tempted to go back.' Theo thought.
"Whoa! This isn't dusty at all!" Sydney said as she was looking at a sheathed sword.
"It's your father's sword, he keeps it in good condition. Even after retiring, he thinks of it as a part of his body." Kendra said as she walked over to a stool, which is also not dusty. Theo looked around the room and noticed a chest.
"There." Theo said as he pointed at it. Kendra looked over at him, then where he was pointing.
"Ah, you want to see what's in there?" She asked. Theo nodded. "Alright, let's take a look." She said as she stood up and walked over to the chest in the corner of the room.