My father has passed away.
He raised me alone, and though life wasn't easy, he was not only a caring parent but also a remarkable magician.
"If anything happens to me, trust this man."
That's what he told me before handing me a sealed envelope. Inside, I found a modest amount of travel money, a letter, and an introduction addressed to someone named Craig Alexis.
Living in an isolated village on the frontier, I'd never heard of the name before. However, the letter included Craig's location, providing just enough detail to guide me.
The letter itself was my father's will. It opened with, "To my son, Matthew. If you are reading this, then I am no longer by your side."
He wrote of his youth spent in the royal capital, where he had an irreplaceable best friend: Craig Alexis. If life ever became too difficult for me, my father wanted me to find him.
The journey to the royal capital, though, would be anything but easy. From our village, I'd need to cross countless towns and travel for what could take an entire season.
Still, there was no room for hesitation. I began preparing for the road ahead.
My first task was to deal with the underground library beneath our house. Filled with dangerous grimoires and magical tomes, it was a disaster waiting to happen if left unattended. If a curious child were to stumble in and open the wrong book, the consequences would be catastrophic.
One by one, I sealed the shelves into a subdimensional space using Storage Magic. It's a high-level spatial technique that allows the user to store items in a pocket dimension. Thankfully, I've always had an affinity for time-space magic. While most magicians struggle to grasp even the basics, I've mastered spells that are far beyond their reach.
Ironically, though, I'm weaker in basic, everyday spells—the kind of magic anyone else can cast with ease.
In no time, I'd cleared the entire library, bookshelves and all, and stored it safely away. Next, I headed to the village to buy supplies for my journey.
Our home was a half-hour walk from the village, a fact that suited my father's preference for solitude. He often claimed that magical training was too dangerous to practice near others, and now I understood why.
However, walking wasn't necessary for me. A short-range Teleportation spell brought me to a secluded patch of forest just outside the village.
At the village's only general store, I purchased a hooded cloak, a sturdy travel pack, a water pouch, dried food, a knife, and a lightweight blanket. The storekeepers, an elderly couple, gave me curious looks when I mentioned that I'd be traveling to the royal capital per my father's final request.
By tomorrow, I was sure, the entire village would know.
This was a small village, after all. News traveled fast, and gossip was a favorite pastime. To avoid further questions, I slipped away unnoticed and teleported back home.
Once home, I packed my newly bought supplies into my travel bag. Other essentials, like kitchenware and perishable food, went straight into my Storage Magic space. Inside that dimension, time stood still, preserving anything stored indefinitely.
I carefully added flour, dried meat, and fresh vegetables, knowing they'd remain as fresh as the day I stored them. This magic was undeniably convenient, though it came with a glaring drawback: I couldn't use it in front of others.
If word got out that I could use time-space magic, it would only invite trouble. Slave traders would pay a fortune for a child with rare magical abilities like mine. To avoid drawing attention, I'd always kept my true skills a secret, letting the villagers believe I was a mere novice magician.
For dinner, I ate some bread I'd baked that morning with leftover sausages. Afterward, I cast Cleanliness, a household magic spell that cleanses the body and clothes. It's a complex combination of water and light attributes, and mastering it had been no easy feat. Yet it was worth the effort—this spell alone elevated my quality of life.
I couldn't help but feel grateful to my father for everything he'd taught me. Every spell, every lesson—it was all to prepare me to survive on my own.
As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow. Leaving the village, traveling to the royal capital, meeting Craig Alexis—it all felt so far away and daunting.
But I would do it. For my father's sake, I would honor his final wish.
Tomorrow, my journey begins.