After the disaster with strength magic, Kai wandered through the village, his mind on his training.
He stopped by the washhouse and approached a group of housewives bustling about their daily chores, their hands glowing with faint magical energy as they manipulated water, ice, and even fire to aid their work. One of them, a tall woman with soft eyes, looked at him curiously.
The women chatted amongst themselves, spreading gossip at every opportunity.
"Did you hear that the chickens at the Aldridge farm have been going missing?" A woman said while scrubbing clothes against a washboard.
"Poor Mr. Aldridge. But the Drummer farm found some of their sheep and a cow dead last week." Another woman added, hanging dripping pieces of clothing.
"What do you think is doing it?"
"It might be arcane creatures. It could be a person, too. People can be scarier than beasts."
Maribel, the self-designated leader of the local women, hushed the gossipers and welcomed Kai with a warm smile.
Kai thought about how he could prey on the kindness of the housewives of the village and opened his mouth.
"Can I learn magic with you? I want to help my family around the house!"
He flexed his tiny muscles in an attempt to show his enthusiasm. Involuntary "aw"s reacted to his actions from several of the women at the washhouse.
"You want to help us with chores by learning elemental magic? You haven't had your assessment yet, right?"
"That's right."
A few of the women exchanged glances.
"I don't know how I feel about this. Are your parents okay with it?" An older lady frowned.
Kai widened his eyes, giving them the best pleading look he could manage. "Yes, they are. So... please?"
"Alright, dear. We'll start with something simple. You'll heating water for tea."
Maribel gestured to a small wooden tub filled with water. Kai approached and touched the water. Drawn straight from the nearby river, its icy temperature made him pull his fingers back out of reflex.
"Feel for the warmth in the air, in your own blood, and guide that into the water."
Kai nodded and closed his eyes. Like before, he reached inward, searching for the magic. Like before, he closed his eyes and reached for the magic that matched theirs.
This time, a new image surfaced in his mind. A dainty warrior woman, her hands emitting three different types of elemental magic at once. Her control was elegant, almost effortless.
Lightning, fire, and ice whipped around a battlefield as she slaughtered her enemies with precision.
Kai held onto that vision, grasping at the warm, soothing magic that swirled in the air around him. A soft chill brushed against his fingertips.
'A chill?'
The moment his magic flowed into the water, something felt wrong. Instead of warmth, a biting cold spread from his fingertips.
Frost laced the edges of the tub, shooting through the water like veins of ice. The water darkened, then froze solid with an audible lightning-like crack.
As he looked around, all the other water sources froze solid at the same time.
Maribel's eyebrows shot up. The other housewives gasped.
Kai winced. His fingertips grew numb from the flash of cold.
'Not again.'
"That… was not what I expected," Maribel said slowly, poking the frozen surface. "You were aiming for heat, correct?"
Kai scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I swear I was trying to make it warmer."
He watched as Maribel scrambled for words to comfort him, but a younger woman behind Kai laughed.
"Well, congratulations! If this was a bucket of tea, you would've made the perfect summer treat instead!"
'Right. People probably don't bother with popsicles here, since they can't store them. Maybe I could make money like that in the future. But still, I failed again.'
Maribel chuckled while shaking her head.
"I think we need to work on your elemental alignment, kid. Your instincts lean toward ice, but with training, you'll learn how to balance both. Just don't freeze the entire water supply next time. We'd have trouble washing the clothes if you froze the river."
"I'll try." Kai groaned.
'That's so damn embarrassing...'
Kai spent much of the rest of the day practicing cooling magic with the women from the washhouse while they completed their chores.
He breathed deeply, focusing on the wooden tub before him, and put his hand inside.
He thought back to the warrior woman and pictured the ice magic she used. The moisture in the air formed particles of ice, which built up into something resembling spear-heads which hovered above her in an arch.
Kai envisioned the water surrounding his hand slowly freezing. As the water solidified, he pulled his hand out, and a cube of ice rested in his palm. Perfectly square.
"Good start, kid, an excellent start," Maribel said with an approving nod. "You've still got a long way to go, so don't get ahead of yourself."
Kai grinned.
'It'll be fine. I have time.'
---
His final stop for the day was the village outskirts,
By the time Kai reached the village outskirts, he was exhausted. But when he saw Master Rael Drakethorne, the warrior waiting for him, nervous anticipation replaced his fatigue.
Rael was nothing like the other villagers. Most villagers looked at you like the scenery around them, but he watched Kai with sharp, inspecting, calculating eyes.
The old warrior always tied his black hair back in a short ponytail. A sword always rested against his hip, and he wore a crude mix of leather and steel attire.
Rael approached. The man moved like a predator, every step deliberate. Unlike Garrik's booming energy or Maribel's warmth, Rael exuded a quiet deadliness.
"You look tired," Rael observed.
Kai straightened his posture. "I've had a big day. You wanted to see me?"
The man studied him for a long moment before nodding.
"I heard you've been training in magic with just about everyone who will teach you. That's good. But magic alone isn't enough."
Kai frowned. "It's not?"
"Not if you don't know how to fight." The man took the sword from his hip and held it out. "You have potential, kid. If you're serious about getting stronger, you'll need a lot more than magic to keep you safe, let alone defeat your enemies. You'll need skill. Skill that comes through combat experience."
'Seriously... What's with the people in this world? I'm just a kid and you're already talking about making and defeating enemies?'
"I'm serious. I can still train."
Rael smirked. "We'll see about that. Take a stance."
Kai gripped the small wooden sword Rael handed him and mimicked a basic stance he had seen warriors use. Not warriors in this world, but in anime, tv shows, and video games.
He pushed his legs apart, one in front of the other, and bent his knees slightly. He stabilised his core and balanced his weight evenly between both of his legs.
'I doubt I'm doing it right, but it feels balanced enough. I can probably take on an adult if I use my strengthening magic.'
Rael gave a curious stare, and then a nod of approval with pursed lips.
"Attack me," Rael instructed.
Kai hesitated.
'I thought he was going to attack me. I don't know how to attack anyone!'
He charged forward and lunged towards Rael, swinging the wooden sword with all the strength he could muster.
Rael never drew his sword, and Kai didn't even see Rael move, but he disappeared.
Before Kai could even blink, he was facing the sky, his back aching from the impact on the ground. His wooden sword clattered beside him.
"That was sloppy," Rael said, unimpressed.
Kai groaned, rubbing his ribs as he sat up.
'What just happened?'
"Again," Rael ordered.
Kai picked up his sword, adjusted his stance, and tried again. Another instant, another humiliating defeat. Then another. And another.
By the time the sun set, Rael defeated Kai countless times without ever drawing his sword. His arms ached, his legs felt like mush, and the dirt beside him had absorbed what little pride he had left.
But, by that point, Kai started seeing Rael's movements and beyond that, the mana circulating in the warrior's arms, core, and legs.
Before moving, Rael focused strengthening magic in his legs for increased speed, while maintaining strengthening magic in his core to prevent injury. The moment he stopped moving, he focused all of his strengthening magic into his arms before striking.
But the strike was only to disarm Kai. A half-second after the disarm, Rael swept Kai's legs out from under him in one smooth motion.
The entire movement felt fluid and calculated, as if performed hundreds of times.
'Rael might be old, but I doubt anyone could best him in a one-on-one fight.'
Rael finally called a halt, watching Kai struggle to stand. "You have potential, but right now? You're just a kid swinging a stick around."
Kai clenched his fists. "Then teach me how to do it right."
Rael raised an eyebrow. For the first time that evening, he looked somewhat pleased. "Good answer. Come back tomorrow. And be prepared to really fight."
Kai nodded weakly, barely staying upright. Today had been a disaster. But he would not let failure stop him.
[Name: Kai Tensen | Age: 3 Years | Languages Translated: Imerian | Skills: Mana Manipulation, Mana Tempering, Shadow Manipulation, Minor Strengthening Magic, Novice Combat Arts | Spellcasting: Novice | Spells: Rejuvenate, Thrall Control, Shadow Conjuring, Bull's Strength, Frozen Touch (Contact), Frozen Zone (Area) | Specialisation: ??? - To be revealed upon Magical Assessment]
'I will master magic. I will learn how to fight. Next time, I won't go down so easily.'