(Three years have passed since I was born and I can finally talk and move without attracting too much attention. I started forming sentences around the age of 2 and continued to increase their complexity in stages. Thus, I am finally able to converse with those around me and ask them questions that interest me. But I always avoid showing too much knowledge, I still know too little about this world to take the risk of revealing my secret. Who knows if people from this region won't think I'm a demon if I started teaching them thermodynamics and then put myself on a stake while dancing around it! No no no! I don't even want to think about it! I will take advantage of my knowledge as well as the data stored on my neuralink chip.)
(Today is a happy day, mother has assigned me a magic teacher she has known for a long time who is supposed to arrive today but I have certainly been waiting for more than two hours in our outdoor garden… I understand the fact, that in this world where mechanical watches have not yet been invented, there is no way to tell the time except if you listen to the sound of man-made explosions above the City Hall at 6, 12, and 6 p.m. respectively, but still! I'm much too impatient, maybe I misheard the time indicated by mum.)I thought, admiring one of the two moons of this planet.
After a few minutes, a middle-aged woman with wavy black hair and a stylish white hat called out to me, "Sorry kid, I was busy with some experiments…? Hey oh? I thought I was dealing with a young genius, not a child lost on the moons…"
"Ha? Ah! Excuse me, sweet lady, but who are you?"
"You won't do it to me little one, Laore was really right when she said that you had mastered our language at only two years old. No need to look crestfallen! Your facial and body expression is enough for me to see through your scheme so I'm not talking about your mother."
(H…Ho…How?! Mages can also read minds! I'm finished! Goodbye to my serene life!)
"Don't be so surprised, purple-eyed children like you are rare cases that are known to develop very quickly both mentally and magically, but don't let it go to your head!"
"*sigh*. Who are you and what can I do for you, ma'am?"
"It's already better, I'm your new magic teacher for years to come, master Lucy for you"
And so began my fall down the bottomless rabbit hole that is magic.
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"Let's start with the basics. Magic is imperceptible to all senses except the one which goes by the telling name of etherization. This sense consists of the detection of the ether which is the source of all magic, ether is generally considered to be a fluid filling the entire universe. If we can interact with him like this…" She then said, conjuring up a ball of fire larger than a head and then scattering it immediately.
"…It is because every human being is more or less endowed with natural runes, inserted in the vocal cords as well as in the brain, which we can manipulate at our convenience. Obviously the capacity and intensity of this manipulation depend entirely on the work and the dedication of the individual but also on a lot of luck. Indeed men, again, are not born equal, not everyone is born with purple eyes in a rich family of merchants and magicians to help them." Laore explained, giving Mayron a meaningful look, who gulped and was about to ask a question.
"We still don't know why the runes allow you to control the ether, so no need to ask questions at this time. However, we know that there are two ways to manipulate the ether from the runes."
She paused briefly then continued.
"The first and the easiest to use from the amount of documentation about it is the use of etheric language. It consists in creating from the catalyzing rune located in the vocal cords, other invisible runes in the form of air vibrations. The second and the most effective but complicated to practice is the imagination. Yes, you heard right, here we directly use the rune located in the brain to manifest our imagination. The extent of its use depends greatly on one's affinity with it, however, we don't know much more about it. Now, last information before the practical course."
"We use the etheric language or the cerebral rune for different reasons. The etheric language is mainly used for the accumulation of ether and then its emission in the form of generally powerful magic but also in a minority for the immediate use of the surrounding ether for small spells. The cerebral rune is only used for instant employment of ether in the form of a small spell. However, it does not require speaking time and is therefore favored over the etheric tongue for minor magic. It is limited to a few uses each day, varying according to the individual. For example, I can personally produce about thirty fireballs a day, despite my rank within the order of magicians."
"Your rank? there is a rank system among magicians? I didn't hear about it from my mother." Said Mayron incredulously.
"You are only 3 years old I remind you, the world is much bigger than you and I can conceive and I seem to have told you to reference me by master Lucy! I don't have much time right now so I'll be brief. This rank system is broken down into 10 levels based on combat effectiveness and often represents a sign of longevity as well."
"Echelon 0 corresponds to that of an apprentice, a level from which you will still be far if you do not listen to me during the lessons, and thus despite your innate talent. Level 1 corresponds to that of a beginner mage, their lifespan is generally 120 years. Level 2 corresponds to that of an intermediate mage, it is the most common level among mages, their lifespan is generally 150 years. Level 3 corresponds to that of an advanced mage, it is also the level of your mother, their lifespan is generally 180 years. Level 4 corresponds to that of an expert mage, that's me, their lifespan is generally 210 years. Level 5 corresponds to that of a high mage, there are only 4 in this kingdom and their lifespan is generally 250 years. Level 6 corresponds to an archmage, there were always at least ten under the Kalmalean Empire who generally lived 300 years. The rest are just myths not worth talking about. Good! Now let's get down to business."
"Wait! How about myths? Why do there exist corresponding levels then? While I'm at it, how old are you and my mom?!"
Lucy glared at me then said "…Child, your indelicacy takes my breath away, and how many times should I tell you to call me Master Lucy! To answer your unnecessary and inappropriate questions, it is by millennial tradition that we keep ranks above 6. The order of magicians being basically older than the largest estimate of the age of the Kalmalean Empire. Finally, your mother is 42 years old and I am 94, there you go, satisfied? Perfect, let's not waste any more time."
Lucy…I mean Master Lucy, gestured for me to sit in the middle of a parchment she had just taken from her bag. I could decipher a rune of wind similar to the one that my mother used to optimize the use of the company's furnaces.
"We are going to start the practical course with the simplest exercise that any beginner undergoes to feel and interact with the ether. The wind rune you are sitting on has been modified to alter and diminish the surrounding wind by forming a bubble around you. With my advice, you will have to move the mass of air surrounding you. We will try several techniques over the days to observe your reactions with the ether and thus prepare an adapted training. Now close your eyes and focus on your breath. Inhale slowly for 5 seconds then exhale slowly at your own pace. Little by little you will have to clear your mind and simply feel the air entering your body and filling your lungs.
"That's all?" said Mayron doubtfully.
"Of course not! you will also have to go into a trance, a phase in which the etherization is unlocked, to help you, I have brought some herbs whose smoke will have to be inhaled once I have burned them" Lucy explained, taking out the said herbs.
(SORRY!? No no no! I promised my family on earth that I would never touch drugs so that's out of the question. What's more, these herbs seem seriously suspicious and dangerous to me!)
"Never! Uh, I mean isn't there any other way to get into this trance?"
"Of course, but then it will greatly depend on your innate talent. Ha and last tip. If you were to feel a sensation similar to heat, it means that you are on the right path and that you have unlocked etherization. Afterward, you will have to call your mother so that she warns me. Practice this exercise all day, I will come back in 4 days to observe your progress. If you ever fail to go into a trance, we'll try my method."
(Hehe hehe, the trick of the grass always scares them. At least it helps them concentrate and not to procrastinate.) thought Lucy
"Thank you for your guidance, Master Lucy!"
"Yes yes, see you in 4 days." Said The Nearly Centenarian Woman with a hint of satisfaction as she walked away.
(I must succeed for sure! Let's start now.) I thought closing my eyes…