I had picked up the books in random order, and the first one I started reading was about magic. As I read its pages, I was amazed by the idea of something so surreal existing: the ability to perform real actions in the physical world just by vocal commands. Perplexed, I ran to my mother to ask some questions.
- "Mom!" I called out as I ran to the kitchen.
- "Yes, son? Did something happen?" she replied, intrigued.
- "No, it's just that I was reading the book about magic and saw that people can perform real actions in the physical world just with words! Is that really possible? Can anyone do that?" I asked, excited.
My mother sighed deeply before answering.
- "Sigh You gave me a scare, boy… About your question, it depends. Almost everyone can use magic, but few have a great affinity for it. Magic is extremely difficult to channel in the body, and without proper development, a person's magical veins can narrow. When that happens, using magic becomes costly — in energy, or sometimes even in vitality."
- "Magical veins? What is that?" I asked again.
- "They are channels in our bodies that conduct magical energy. When we are children, these channels can be expanded and strengthened through training, allowing them to remain open and efficient when the arcane flow passes through. The arcane flow is the first time magical energy completely flows through a person's body. If the magical veins are narrow at that moment, the flow can partially destroy them, preventing them from expanding in the future."
- "And when does the arcane flow happen?"
- "Usually between the ages of 5 and 6, but there are cases of children born with already narrow veins, and therefore, they never manage to expand them. Others take more than a year to go through the flow, or in rare cases, never go through it at all, never developing the ability to use magic."
- "I see… Mom, did you and dad manage to develop your magical veins? Can you use magic?" I asked, eager to see a demonstration.
- "No, son. When your father and I were young, we didn't have the chance to train our magical veins. This prevented us from reaching our full magical potential. Still, I can perform something basic. Want to see?"
- "Yes, please!" I replied, full of expectation.
My mother smiled, stood up, and took me outside. There, she closed her eyes, extended her hand, and murmured:
- "Kara valkh!"
A gust of wind formed in her palm, not very strong, but visible. She seemed to have made an immense effort just to produce that small effect.
- "Wow, mom, was that magic?" I asked, amazed.
- "Huff… huff… Yes, it was magic… huff… But as you can see, it's extremely exhausting for me. My narrow magical veins make everything more difficult."
- "Mom, that was incredible! I promise I will train to expand my magical veins. I will succeed and make you and dad proud!"
She smiled, patted my head, and said:
- "I'm sure of it, my son. You will achieve great things."
And so, determined to expand my magical veins, I followed the book's instructions. I sat on the bed with my legs crossed, closed my eyes, and tried to feel my inner self. Gradually, I became aware of my entire body: the rhythm of my organs, the pulse of my veins, until I finally located my magical veins.
I began trying to expand them, forcing a contraction and expansion movement. However, something seemed wrong. No matter how hard I tried, the veins remained immobile, unresponsive to the stimulus.
The book said that in the first attempts, it would be difficult, but that over time, the process would become natural. Despite this, after a hundred attempts, I hadn't felt any progress.
Time passed, the day began to darken, and I was completely exhausted. My body's energy had been drained, as the book warned: using physical energy to expand the magical veins is a costly and intense process. Even so, I didn't give up.
Something was definitely different about me, but I still didn't know what it was.
The next day, I woke up exhausted, still drained from the previous day's training. I decided it would be best to take a break before trying again. In the meantime, I started reading another book until I regained my energy.
The next book I picked up was on basic mathematics. Although widely distributed, it was notoriously difficult for many people to understand. Straight to the point, without detailed examples, its content required an abstract thinking ability that few possessed. It was different from the books used by nobles, which presented simplified explanations to facilitate learning.
However, for me, mathematics seemed innate. Solving the problems in that book was like untying knots I already knew how to undo. Within hours, I had finished all the content. What was considered challenging and complex for many, including some nobles, seemed extremely rudimentary to me. I found it strange and decided to ask my mother.
- "Mom, do you have a minute?" I asked as I entered the kitchen.
- "Sure, son. What is it?" she replied while preparing some medicinal herbs.
- "This book you bought… Is this all there is?"
My mother had her back turned, looking for something on a shelf. When she turned and saw that I was talking about the math book, with all the answers correctly solved, she froze.
- "Which book, son? Oh, yes, this one—" She interrupted herself, shocked to realize what I had done.
- "Son, did you solve all this by yourself? But I brought this book for you yesterday… H-how did you…?"
- "Well, mom, I just did. It was very easy, it felt like the answers were already in my head," I replied, as if it were something trivial.
My mother, still incredulous, carefully checked the pages. She stopped, looked at me, then at the book, sighed, and closed her eyes, as if accepting that, for me, this should no longer be surprising.
- "Son, all the answers are correct. Did you know that mathematics is one of the hardest things to learn?" she said, with a calm and proud tone.
- "I didn't know, mom, but for me, it was very easy. Is that all there is to math?"
- " Sigh.. Yes, son. Unfortunately, that's all. But don't be sad! I promise I'll buy more books for you, and they will be even more difficult," she replied, excited, trying to cheer me up as well.
- "Yay, thank you so much, mom!" I exclaimed, hugging her tightly.
After that, I went back to my room. I lay on the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling, thinking about everything my mother had said. Soon, I fell asleep.
While I slept, I began to have disturbing dreams. I saw people sitting in strange places, full of chairs and tables. On the tables were books, and all the people wore the same clothes. In front of that place, there was a green space where a man drew white lines on something that looked like a screen. These lines formed words I didn't understand.
However, the calculations, symbols, and patterns he drew… everything made sense to me, as if I already knew them. Visions of books, writings, and images began to bombard my mind incessantly. I understood everything they meant, even without comprehending the language.
The pain was unbearable. It felt like centuries of knowledge were being poured into my head all at once. I wanted to wake up, but I couldn't. The pressure in my mind increased to the point where I felt like I was going to explode. Then, suddenly, I woke up gasping, as if I had been underwater for a long time.
The sky was already starting to darken. I got up, with tears streaming down my face, and ran into my mother's arms.
- "Son? What happened?" she asked, hugging me with concern.
But I couldn't answer. All I did was cling to her while my mind tried to process the images and knowledge that had invaded my thoughts. Something very strange was happening to me, and I needed to understand what it was.