The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over the sprawling gardens of the Vesperis estate. Adrian, now a lively toddler with an insatiable curiosity, darted across the manicured lawns with boundless energy. His laughter rang through the air as he chased after a bright red ball, his small legs pumping furiously against the soft grass.
His mother, Annabeth, watched from a nearby bench, a gentle smile playing on her lips as she observed her son's spirited play. Adrian's world was rapidly expanding; each day brought new discoveries and a deeper understanding of his surroundings. Today, however, was special. It marked a significant milestone in his journey—his growing grasp of the language and his increasing ability to explore the world around him.
"Adrian!" Annabeth called out, her voice filled with affection. "Come here for a moment!"
Adrian skidded to a halt, the ball clutched tightly in his hands. He turned to face his mother, his dark eyes bright with excitement. "Mama?" he called out, his pronunciation still imperfect but increasingly clear. The word felt natural on his tongue now, a sign of his progress.
Annabeth patted the space beside her on the bench, and Adrian trotted over, plopping down eagerly. She handed him a colorful book, its pages filled with vibrant illustrations of fantastical creatures and landscapes. "Look at this," she said, pointing to a picture of a majestic dragon soaring through the sky. "What do you see?"
Adrian peered at the book, his brows furrowing in concentration. "Dragon!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with wonder. He touched the page with a chubby finger, tracing the outline of the mythical beast.
"That's right!" Annabeth praised, her eyes sparkling with pride. "And what else do you see?"
As Adrian began to identify other elements in the book—an enchanted forest, a shimmering river—Annabeth continued to encourage him. Each word he learned, each concept he grasped, was a step closer to understanding his new world. The language that had once seemed like an insurmountable barrier was slowly becoming a bridge to exploration and connection.
Though Adrian found this part of his education fun and meaningful, the things he learned about magic and the way people gained power in this world fascinated him the most for some odd reason. Hearing how to get stronger, better, to climb a ladder, made him get super excited. One of the talks that he got about magic happened on a normal evening.
Adrian sat cross-legged on the sprawling blanket laid out for the evening picnic. His fingers traced patterns in the grass, the day's adventures slowly winding down. Beside him, Annabeth was tidying up the remnants of their meal, her movements graceful and efficient.
Adrian, his eyes still bright with curiosity, watched her with a thoughtful expression. "Mama," he began, his voice filled with a mix of wonder and eagerness, "what is magic?"
Annabeth paused, her hands stilling as she looked at her son with a smile. "Magic is a special power that some people in our world can use. It's a way of making things happen that normal people can't just do with their hands alone."
Adrian's eyes widened, his imagination clearly ignited by the concept. "Can I use magic too? Can I cast spells?"
Annabeth's smile grew warmer, touched with a hint of nostalgia. "Magic is a special gift, Adrian. Not everyone can use it, but many people can learn it if they're dedicated and practice hard."
Adrian's face lit up with excitement, his small fists clenching in determination. "I want to learn magic! Can you teach me, Mama?"
Annabeth chuckled softly, sitting down beside him and ruffling his dark hair. "Oh, sweetie, I'd love to help you learn. But magic is something that takes time and patience. It's not just about waving a wand and making things happen. It's about understanding how the world works and practicing the right way."
Adrian tilted his head, clearly intrigued but also a bit puzzled. "How do you practice? What do you have to do?"
Annabeth looked down to her chest, pickinng up the necklace around her neck. A blue piece of jewelry with strange markings over it. "I use a form of magic called, Expormenting. It's a little complicated, I don't know if you'll understand it, sweetie."
Adrian would look up at his mother, pouting like any normal child his age would do, especially now that he was on the cusp of turning four.
"Aww, that's not fair! I wanna learn, no matter how hard it is!" Adrien
"I guess so.. my necklace is like a big pool of mana that I call on to cast magic. Other than that, its like how Papa does it, with an incantation."
Adrien kept pouting, due to how boring of an answer it was. Though that was magic for you, boring stuff if you couldn't use it.
"When am I going to take my magical aptitude test then?" Adrien asked, putting his finger on his chin and looking up at his mother.
"By your twelfth birthday, which is a long ways away my little Adrien. Best not to worry about it for now, your still a child after all."
Adrien pouted some more, upset that the answer he got was just his mom babying him some more. He wanted to know everything there was to know about this power, but he supposed it would have to wait until he got a little older, or until him learning magic became relevant.