The old man's voice, like an ancient spell, echoed in Ebert's ears, stirring his soul.
"Release your emotions, let nature feel your presence, feel your power!"
Ebert's heart beat violently with the old man's voice. He closed his eyes and felt the surging power in his body. It was an experience he had never had before, strange, but full of temptation.
He wanted to release, wanted to shout, wanted to vent this power to the fullest!
But what kind of emotion should be released?
Joy? Sadness? Anger?
No, none of them.
At this moment, the strongest emotion in Ebert's heart was longing.
He missed his father, his hometown, and that familiar yet strange world...
This longing, like a surging tide, drowned him, made him unable to breathe, and made him want to die!
"Father... Mother..."
Ebert silently recited his parents' names in his heart, and tears had soaked his cheeks unconsciously.
At this moment, he felt a strange power emerging from the bottom of his heart. This power was warm and powerful. It was like a ray of light, dispelling the haze in his heart and letting him see hope again.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the teacup in front of him.
The next moment, something incredible happened!
The originally calm tea surface was actually moving without wind, and ripples appeared. Those ripples, as if being pulled by some kind of force, gradually gathered together to form a vague pattern.
Ebert stared at the pattern intently, and his breathing gradually became rapid.
The pattern became clearer and more specific, and finally, it turned into a familiar face!
It was the face of a middle-aged man, weathered, but still handsome and resolute. His eyes, deep and kind, seemed to penetrate time and space, and met with Ebert's eyes.
"Father!" Ebert exclaimed, and stood up suddenly, "Is it really you? Father!"
However, the pattern in the teacup, like a bubble, shattered in an instant and disappeared without a trace.
---
The pattern disappeared, and the tea returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Father!" Ebert was still staring at the teacup, as if expecting a miracle to happen again. However, everything had returned to calm, only his violent heartbeat and wet eyes reminded him that what had just happened was not an illusion.
"Could it be that my emotions really affected the casting of magic?" Ebert muttered to himself, and he recalled what the old man said: "Magic is to combine your emotions with the breath of nature, so as to borrow the power of nature."
Could it be that he really cast magic unintentionally just now?
"Young man, you did a good job." The old man's voice sounded in his ears, with a hint of praise, "You have touched the threshold of magic."
Ebert suddenly turned around and looked at the old man, "Old sir, are you saying that I really cast magic just now?"
The old man stroked his beard, smiled and nodded, "Although it was just a little insignificant fur, you did succeed in transforming your emotions into the power of magic."
"This is the true meaning of magic."
Ebert was immediately excited. He didn't expect that he actually had a talent for magic!
"Old sir, please accept me as your apprentice!" Ebert rushed to the old man and bowed deeply, "I want to learn magic, I want to find my father!"
"Accept you as your apprentice?" The old man looked at the eager young man in front of him, and a complex look flashed in his turbid eyes.
"Young man, do you know who I am? Just want me to be your teacher?" The old man spoke slowly, with a trace of vicissitudes and helplessness in his voice.
Ebert realized that he didn't know the old man's identity yet, so he eagerly asked: "Please forgive me, old sir, I don't know your name yet..."
The old man smiled slightly, "My name has long been forgotten by time, and the world all call me 'ascetic'."
"Acetic?" Ebert silently recited the name, his heart filled with awe.
In ancient Indian culture, "ascetic" usually refers to those who give up secular life and are dedicated to practice. They often have wisdom and power that ordinary people can hardly imagine.
"I spent my whole life studying magic, but finally realized that magic is not omnipotent." The ascetic sighed, "It can bring destruction, it can also bring hope, but in the end, it is the human heart that determines everything."
"Young man, are you really ready to take on this heavy responsibility?" The ascetic stared at Ebert, his eyes as sharp as a blade, as if he wanted to see through his soul.
Ebert met the ascetic's gaze, and a warm current surged in his heart. He knew that the ascetic was not really going to reject him, but was testing his determination.
"Mr. Ascetic," Ebert bowed deeply, "I understand that magic is powerful, but also dangerous. I dare not guarantee that I can become a great magician, but I can guarantee that I will never use magic to hurt others. I only want to use it to protect the people I want to protect, to find my father and mother, and to solve the mystery of my own life!"
His voice, although not loud, is firm and powerful, and every word comes from the heart.
The ascetic stared at Ebert for a long time, as if he wanted to see through his heart. The teahouse was silent, with only the sound of boiling tea and the heavy breathing of the two people.
Finally, the ascetic sighed softly, "Okay, young man, since you are so determined, I will give you a chance."
"However, I don't have any magic secrets to teach you. Everything depends on you to explore and understand it yourself."