"You're picking this up a lot faster than I expected," Emily affirmed, giving her apprentice another pat on the head. "Anyway, come with me, there's something I want to show you."
As they ascended to a room on the second floor filled with bookshelves upon bookshelves, and a cosy place to sit and relax, Emily unveiled a collection of magical books.
"While my collection of books downstairs at the clinic focuses primarily on the basics of magic and healing magic, they're nothing more than tier 1 spells," Emily explained, her voice maintaining a sweet and gentle tone. "These books here go all the way up to tier 3 and tier 4 spells."
Darian asked, "Will I be learning tier 4 spells?"
"With the little time I have to get you ready and up to par for the academy, I suspect I'll only have time to get you up to speed with tier 3 spells," she said with her index finger on her temple. "But…Hmm…If you work hard…Maybe we could squeeze in a few tier 4 spells with some luck."
'I see…' Darian thought before getting lost in the endless possibilities that lay before him. The power of tier 4 magic was something he couldn't even fathom.
After getting lost in thought for a moment, the boy finally snapped out of it to ask: "Master, what's the difference between the different tiers of magic?"
Emily's voice softened even further, happy that her apprentice was so curious and vocal. She began explaining the discrepancy between the different tiers of magic. In Darian's eyes she was a great teacher, she was both passionate about magic and could explain its complexities in simple terms so he could understand.
"The tiers of magic represent different levels of complexity, power, and mastery in the world of magic," she explained. "As you progress to higher tiers, spells become more intricate, the mana flow becomes more demanding, requiring a deeper level of skill and understanding, and, depending on the spell, they can be more effective or even more destructive."
"Take, for instance, the tier 1 spell 'Ignis,'" she said, snapping her fingers, conjuring a small ball of fire out of thin air that hovered on her hand. "Now you haven't learned this spell yet but pay attention…Since it's a fairly simple spell, I don't need to chant its name or make the proper hand gestures. I have a complete understanding of the spell and the required flow of mana."
Noticing her apprentice's silent demeanour, Emily tried to comfort him. "You don't have to worry about anything, ahaha… You'll be able to cast 'Ignis' in no time once you go through the books I gave you downstairs." She laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but little did she know her apprentice could already go above and beyond just a simple fire spell, nor did she know he had already invented his own spells.
Darian found his master rather sweet and endearing as a person. She looked quite young in his eyes and so, like a buffoon, he asked the forbidden question, one that should never be asked of women. "How old are you, master?"
Darian's innocent curiosity filled the air, and Emily's sweet voice faltered for a moment, caught off guard by the unexpected question. A faint blush dusted her cheeks as she chuckled, her laughter carrying a mix of amusement and slight embarrassment.
"Oh, my dear apprentice, that's not a question you should ask a lady!" Emily replied, her voice teasingly melodramatic. She placed a hand to her chest, feigning pain. "A magician never reveals her age, you know!" She said before gently karate chopping the top of Darian's head.
"Ah…Oh, I-I'm sorry, Master! I didn't mean to—"
And with pleasantries out of the way, Darian went back to studying and reading the contents of the books she had tasked him with downstairs.
***
As Darian's first day of learning was coming to an end, he returned home. However, on the way, a few children of the town had noticed him on his way out of the clinic.
"Isn't that that weirdo Darian, Samuel?" Asked Olfin, a fat, brunette 12 year old boy.
"Yeah, yeah, he's the one who stopped hanging out with everyone and goes out to the woods alone."
"He's a freak and he's pig-looking!" Retorted one of the children in their gang, he looked no older than 11.
Darian paid them no mind, he wasn't used to being the centre of attention and didn't intend on sticking around to become it, especially when it involved something as trivial as children trying to pick on him.
"Me? Pig-looking? Have you seen yourself?" He thought out loud, making eye contact with the bread bun-looking kid.
Darian had done it now… Something annoying was underway.
"What?!" One of them said, stomping their way towards him.
"Stop!" Olfin commanded his henchman. "Yeah that's right, you're the ugly freak who goes creeping into the woods, Darian."
"Yeah, you do weird things in the woods that's why you're always alone, no one likes you."
"Huh? Like what?" Darian asked, confused by their outlandish accusations.
"We don't know, but we always see you coming back dirty, freak." One of the boys added.
"Whatever," Darian said, turning around. "I'm going home." He continued, however before he could ignore them, Olfin grabbed onto his shoulder and shoved Darian as hard as he could, knocking Darian to the ground since he was lighter.
Darian fell to the ground. He felt a mix of surprise and slight pain as he hit the ground, his pride wounded more than anything else. He turned and looked up at Olfin, who stood there with a smug grin on his face as he looked at his buddies for reassurance.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?!" Darian exclaimed, his voice beginning to fill with anger.
Olfin chuckled, seemingly enjoying the little power he had exerted over the younger, smaller boy. "What's the matter, weirdo? Can't handle a little push?"
Darian's temper began flaring but he held himself back. He thought of today's lesson with Lady Emily and how she had strictly told him that with power comes responsibility. He wouldn't use magic against children, especially for something so trivial.
Gathering himself, he wiped the dirt off his clothes. "Can't we all just get along? We used to play together Olfin, come on" Darian asked. "This is unnecessary."
The larger child who had shoved him approached, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Pfft! Get along? With a weirdo like you? No way! Right boys?" Olfin retorted.
Darian sighed, realising that reasoning with them might not be possible after all, and so he attempted to leave once more.
Nevertheless, he was pushed again! These pesky kids! Where was the discipline!? Ugh! I'm the narrator but this is upset– Ughm! Ughm..I meant…
Darian stumbled forward, his temper rising, the bullies erupted into a fit of laughter, sounding like a band of hyenas. Their jeering echoed in his ears, intensifying his embarrassment and anger. He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to lash out at them.
"What's the matter, freak? Can't stay on your feet?" Olfin taunted, snickering along with his troop.
Darian's face flushed with a mixture of humiliation and determination. He knew he couldn't let their mockery break his spirit, he'd just started his lessons with his magic master, deviating from her lessons would be a greater embarrassment.
Taking a deep breath, Darian attempted to calm himself.
With a smirk, Olfin stepped closer to Darian, towering over him. "You think you can be a mage just because you Lady Emily took you in? Look at you! You're nothing but a weak freak!"
Darian's eyes narrowed, a fire was igniting with him, but he refused to let their words define him. Slowly he straightened his posture, his voice firm and resolute.
"I may be smaller than you, but that doesn't mean I'm weaker than you, you fat lard," Darian retorted. "You'll see. I'll become a powerful mage, and you'll regret underestimating me," he declared.
His words hung in the air, challenging the bullies' assumptions. For a brief moment, a flicker of uncertainty passed over their faces, but it quickly faded, replaced by raucous laughter.
"Oh, really? We'd like to see you try! We'll go bother Anna and tell her all about how much of a freak you are," one of them taunted.
'Anna?' Darian thought. He hadn't seen her in a while since she was busy with her own lessons organised by her grandfather, but to think they would stoop to bothering a friend of his.
Darian began to waver, he debated in his mind whether he should teach them a lesson early on, or if he should just run away as quickly as he could. The tips of his fingers began emitting a small magical glow, he was thinking of simply beating them all to a pulp by reinforcing his hands with mana, at least that way his use of magic wouldn't be so blatant.
But before Darian could cross that bridge, a voice rang out, cutting through the tension.
"What is going on here?" A stern voice echoed through the air. It was from an older gentleman dressed eloquently, with golden buttons on his vest.
Olfin, the ringleader of the bullies, shifted uncomfortably and muttered, "Nothing, we were just leaving."
"If that's all then I would suggest you leave now." He ordered, his piercing gaze fixed on them until they left.
Alfred's gaze fixed upon Darian, who stood there, still recovering from the altercation. His voice softened, a mix of concern and authority evident in his tone. "And what about you, young one? Are you alright?"
Darian nodded. "I'm alright, mister. I'll be on my way now, thank you."
As Darian began to walk away, his mind buzzing with a mix of emotions, he noticed a finely adorned carriage parked nearby. A young noble sat inside, eagerly peering out the window, it was Marcus Weinan.
Just as Darian took a step forward, he heard Marcus's voice calling out to Alfred, who had now caught up to the scene.
"Alfred, what took you so long?" Marcus asked, his voice filled with playful impatience. "I've been waiting here in the carriage while you were off buying pastries"
Alfred's face displayed a blend of amusement and exasperation. "My apologies, young master. It seems I had an unexpected situation to handle."
Marcus's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Oh? What happened?"
Alfred's gaze shifted briefly toward Darian, who stood a short distance away. He offered a reassuring smile before answering, "Just a minor incident among children in town. Nothing extraordinary."
"That's all? Well then let's go home already!" Marcus said munching on one of the pastries.