In her many years spent studying glintstone sorcery, Sellen had never taken on a student. Not truly.
During her days walking the bookcase lined walls of Raya Lucaria her talent had garnered many admirers, many of whom proclaimed themselves to be her students. They had blindly imitated her, reading through the same scrolls, practicing the same sorceries, hounding her for even a morsel of advice during brief respites. As far as they had been concerned, if there was something she wasn't capable of then neither were they.
It never failed to surprise how others willfully limited their own potential.
Their foolishness had hardly been worth her time. The only reason she'd entertained their nonsense had been the influence their presence afforded her within those walls. Raya Lucaria might have been a place of learning, but like any large group, there were those within that liked to play politics. Unsurprisingly that bled into various aspects of the facility, those at the top able to forbid and deny others access to information that went against whatever agenda they were pushing.
If there was anything she didn't miss about that place, it was that god damn politics.
Long story short, she never expected to take on a student. Let alone two.
Sellen looked to the newly minted students in question. Seated on furs they'd spread across the stone floors of her private study, they read through a shared book beneath the light of a nearby vein of glintstone. While thicker than most, the book was no more than basic reading that explained the nature of glintstone sorcery, popular theories concerning the origin of glintstone itself, alongside history of its first researchers. An admittedly dull but necessary reading for any seeking to become learned in the subject.
Quite frankly, she'd expected some form of pushback after the first hour. A samurai and a child were not the first people she'd attribute patience or studiousness to.
"Miss Sellen? How come the book doesn't say where glintstone comes from?" Maureen asked, looking up at her, golden eyes aglow with eager curiosity.
"Knowledge can be as dangerous as any blade, apprentice." Sellen repeated the same warning passed down to all learning any sorcery. "To know something is to expose yourself to its influence." The cautionary nonanswer didn't satisfy Maureen, a frown spreading across her face, but she returned to her reading.
Sellen couldn't blame the girl; she'd found the very same warning nonsensical in her younger days. She'd only come to appreciate the wisdom within those words after continued study.
That aside, the girl was curious, tossing many such questions Sellen's way and soaking up long winded explanations with an unexpected degree of enthusiasm. A perfect trait in her ideal apprentice. Too many a sorcerer lacked an inquisitive mind, content to accept written text and the words of their predecessors as law.
And the samurai, Jin his name was, might not have shared in the girl's enthusiasm, but paid rapt attention to both the reading material and Sellen's explanations. More importantly, that initial edge in his eye had faded somewhat.
Ignorant as he was when in came to sorcery, Jin was clearly sensitive to energies that went beyond the physical body. She suspected he was aware of the reality concerning her current form.
And it just so happened that he might be her only escape from the precarious set of circumstances she found herself in. Hopefully sharing her knowledge would be enough to ingratiate herself with him.
…
Sellen had always preferred silence and isolation. That was what led to her putting together this little hideaway oh so long ago.
Back in Raya Lucaria, she'd been one of many to share that particular set of tastes though she'd noticed more than a few of her fellow sorcerers that prided themselves on being on their lonesome as if it were some badge of honor. She genuinely got more work done when she was on her own; they were too incompetent to form basic human relationships.
Suffice to say, they were not the same.
That said, isolation, true isolation, would've been enough for anyone's opinion on the matter to undergo a drastic transformation. She was no exception. Trapped down in this little hole, surrounded by books she couldn't touch, no one to talk to, and little concept of time's passage, she was starved for any sort of interaction.
Ironically enough, it had been the pain -distant but very much present- of her actual body that helped keep her mind sharp and insanity staved off.
So it didn't come as a surprise when she found herself starting a conversation with Jin, the moment Maureen read herself to sleep.
"The daughter of a samurai being taught sorcery. I was not aware your people tolerated such things." Sellen said curiously as Jin placed Maureen in the old bed Sellen had set up down her. As far as she knew, and it wasn't much, his people dedicated themselves to mastery of the sword and little else no matter the clan.
"My people don't care for it." He stated plainly. "But the blade is not her forte and she must learn to protect herself even if it means drawing on foreign powers."
"Hmmm, quite open-minded of you. I suppose times such as these call for such adaptability." Sellen said, nodding in faint approval. Many led themselves and others to unnecessary deaths for things such as tradition. She never understood the sentiment. "Though that is a common misconception among you more…physically inclined. Sorcery may require comprehension of forces beyond the self but that's not where all of a sorcerer's power comes from."
Jin looked her way as he stepped away from the bed, eyebrow raised. "You still expose yourselves to powers you barely understand."
"And samurai pit their blade against opponents they don't always understand." Sellen shot back. "We sorcerers pit our power of our wills against far grander forces. So tell me, who's truly the greater warrior?"
"The one who walks away." Jin retorted seriously though that quickly gave way to a spot of amusement. "But, fair point, witch. Fair point."
He walked towards the room exit and to her surprise, strode right through her, unbothered by how easily he phased through her form. That more or less confirmed that he was aware this wasn't her physical form.
"Quite a rude one, aren't you?" Sellen said as he stepped beyond the study to properly examine the beast he'd cut down in the other room, sharing in his amusement to some degree.
She didn't have as high expectations for his talent in sorcery compared to Maureen but he'd make for entertaining conversation if nothing else.
After spending so much time alone, it was nice to enjoy the simple joys of social interaction.
…
Days -Sellen now able to mark them by Maureen's nights of sleep- had passed quickly,
Now Maureen stood before Sellen in the outer chamber just beyond her study, a staff in hand. It was an old thing, its wooden handle chipped and darkened in various spots and the glintstone crystal embedded within the tip, nearly dull and smaller than most. That old thing had been the first staff Sellen attained when she began her study of glintstone sorcery; it might've been past its prime but she knew of its quality firsthand.
"You have all the knowledge you need. The rest depends on you." Sellen said to the girl. "Go ahead."
Maureen nodded and aimed the staff at the old darkened walls now dimly lit by torches Jin had set up. Sellen could feel the girl gather her energy, the staff acting as a focus and helping to guide it towards the glintstone. Her control was sharp, far sharper than what was expected of a novice, and with a quick wave of the staff, the dull crystal now glowing a faint blue, a projectile shot out from the staff.
It moved quickly, surrounded by faint blue light that leaked off it like dust as it streaked across the room. No bigger than a ball, the basic sorcery wasn't able to do much damage to hard stone but it left a faint mark as it shattered upon one of the walls.
"Again." Sellen ordered the bright eyed girl before she could celebrate. "This time, do not stop."
Maureen was quick to follow the order, swinging the staff one more, another projectile shot out. She swung again before that one hit the wall, her next shot trailing behind the first. She managed quite a few shots. More than Sellen expected. Well over a dozen had been fired off before the glow of the staff dimmed, no more than a flicker of light leaving the staff as Maureen swung a final time.
Despite the fact that sorcery was far from a physical task, sweat dripped down the side of Maureen's face, brow furrowed as if fighting off a headache.
"You are quite disciplined for one so young." Sellen genuinely complimented though she supposed that should've been expected considering what her father was. Speaking of Jin-
"Now you." Sellen said.
Maureen handed the staff over to Jin who wasted no time with his swing, the staff relighting as a ball shot out from it. The starry projectile was noticeably slower than Maureen's but left a unmissable chip in the walls after making contact, power instinctively favored over speed. The ones that followed were much the same.
Curiously he showed no signs of stopping nor did he falter after countless shots. Sellen knew he had plenty of energy. She'd felt as much when gauging him. But, as she tried her best to figure out how far the depths of the energy went, Sellen couldn't distinguish a single change in what seemed like an boundless blaze of energy.
Did his energy, his will, outclass hers to such an extent that neither talent or experience was enough for her to comprehend just what he was capable of? A humbling thought.
"That's enough." Sellen ordered, curiosity far from sated but unlikely to be satisfied through his use of such a basic sorcery. "Congratulations. With this the two of you have accomplished what is widely considered to be the universal first step on your journey to true mastery over sorcery."
Maureen smiled while Jin didn't appear particular moved by the words, simply handing the staff back to the girl. He truly was doing no more than tagging along on Maureen's journey. How many failed want-to-be sorcerers had he put to shame with that single display, uncaring of whether or not he had any real talent for the subject?
"But make no mistake apprentices, you are but tadpoles when it comes to magic. Infantile, Without the legs to walk." Sellen stated, looking between the two. "Such should not be disheartening. The limit to your growth is yours to define, no one else's. You would do well to remember that."
"Yes, miss Sellen. I'll come back as soon as I can." Maureen said while Jin gave a subtle nod. She moved forward, staff held out but Sellen raised a hand.
"Keep it, dear apprentice. You will need one for the journey that lies ahead of you." Sellen smiled slightly beneath her mask. "Be sure that your father joins you in your practice. It would not do for an apprentice of mine to slack off while I'm not around."
Maureen's eyes widen slightly and she quickly nodded. "Y-Yes. I'll take good care of it."
"Be sure that you do. I shall await your return."
Goodbyes said and what was the first of what would hopefully be many practical lessons, the two collected their things and headed out, Maureen saying another goodbye as they ascended the stairs out of ruins.
Left in silence, Sellen couldn't help but sigh.
Hardly a moment alone and she was already looking forward to their return. While she was always open-minded towards her study of sorcery, change was not something she found easy to deal with. Adjusting to being alone would take time after spending days with those two.