"Help them," said the man in white. He was very tall, and a bright light covered his face, preventing me from seeing his features.
"Help them with what?" I didn't know who he was, but something about this situation felt strangely familiar.
"You must stop it, or they will die."
"Who?!" That last statement unsettled me.
"Everyone. Gale, Gale..." The man's voice turned strangely feminine. "Wake up, Gale. Come on, sweetheart. It's time for breakfast."
I opened my eyes and saw my mother shaking my shoulder to wake me up. I pulled the covers over my face, trying to go back to sleep. I wanted to return to that place and ask the man many questions. I knew what he had told me was important, and I needed to learn more about it.
"As you wish. I won't call you again, young man. You'd better be downstairs in five minutes," she said, clearly annoyed, before leaving my room and heading downstairs.
"Gale"… The name sounded strange, yet so natural, as if I shared it with someone else. I got up without wasting any more time. I was still sleepy, yes, but only a fool would want to make her angry.
***
I walked into the kitchen and saw my father sitting at the table, spreading butter on his bread while my mother cracked a couple of eggs into the pan.
"You finally made it. Take a seat. Today, you'll help your father with the hunt."
"No! You said you'd teach me magic."
"Did you finish the magic tome I lent you?"
"No, but it's the second volume. I need to learn the basics to understand it," I said, feeling discouraged.
"How do you know it's the second volume?!"
"Because I read it on the cover."
"But you only asked me to teach you how to read a week ago," she said, surprised.
"I don't know, maybe I'm a genius," I replied, shrugging.
"Sure, genius. Eat your eggs before they get cold," she said, tilting the iron pan so they slid onto my clay plate.
"Come on, Clarice. He doesn't need to go hunting with me. He can stay and learn magic with you today," my father interceded for me. I smiled, silently thanking him.
"I know you're busy, but after you teach him, he can help you clean to make up for the lost time," he added.
My smile—and my gratitude—vanished.
"Not a bad idea. You're staying to learn," my mother declared.
***
We stepped outside to see my father off as he ventured into the forest, waving goodbye.
"Alright, follow me," Mom said.
I walked behind her as we headed to the place where she usually trained.
There were several trees with cuts on their trunks. One had even lost a large portion of its bark, revealing a few growth rings.
"To be honest, I wasn't planning to teach you magic yet. I gave you that book to keep you occupied, but I'm surprised you learned to read so quickly at just ten years old."
Maybe that was considered an early age here, though in my mind, I had memories of another place where children started studying even younger. These memories weren't clear, and I had only started becoming aware of them a week ago.
"I'll teach you the basic fundamentals, so pay close attention."
"Alright."
"Good. First, you need to understand what mana is. Mana comes from our vitality; it's the energy we use to cast spells. That's why, as you use up your mana, you'll start feeling more tired, and if you deplete it completely, you'll lose consciousness. It recovers naturally over time, but the fastest ways to restore it are sleeping or eating something. I've even heard that monks can do it through meditation."
Mom paused briefly to see if I was paying attention. Noticing my focused gaze, she nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"Normally, we'd use a divination orb as a receptor to determine your elemental affinity, but we don't have one. Since I'm your mother, you've probably inherited one of my affinities."
"What are your affinities, Mom?" My curiosity got the better of me, and I interrupted.
"I was just getting to that. I have a high affinity for wind and a low affinity for water. Your father has a low affinity for fire and earth."
"So I have affinity with four elements?!"
A certain bald-headed character with a blue arrow on his head came to mind.
"No, you're mistaken. It's difficult to inherit a low affinity from your parents, so most likely, your only affinity is wind."
I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"Don't worry. Most people only have one or two elemental affinities. I'll teach you a low-grade wind spell. It's called Air Step. Pay attention. Step up!"
With that, Mom jumped, and as if she were stepping on an invisible platform, she performed a second jump in midair.
"Amazing…" I said, eager to try it myself.
I took a big leap and shouted, "Step up!"
I tried to push off the air… and ended up crashing into the ground.
Mom hurried over, concerned.
"Gale, are you alright?"
"Yeah, Mom… But I don't understand. What happened?"
"You didn't think you'd get it right on your first try, did you, little genius? Next time, wait until I finish explaining before you try."
"Alright…"
"Good. Now, I'll tell you what you did wrong. It's true that you need mana to cast a spell, but that's not all—visualization is also important."
"What's that?" I asked, still not fully understanding.
"When you jumped, did you imagine there was something you could step on?"
"Yes…"
"Really? What was it like? How big? What was it made of? Was it solid or did it move?"
"I think I get it now…"
"A mage's greatest obstacle is their own mind. With magic, almost anything is possible—though, of course, what you can achieve with a low-grade spell is limited."
I liked the way Mom explained things. She made complex ideas easy to understand. I guess that made sense, considering she had once been a court mage for the Kingdom of Termina… though it might also have to do with the fact that I wasn't an ordinary boy.
"It seems like you understand. Now, try again," she said.
"Alright."
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I visualized a smooth stone step where I would place my foot as I jumped. I opened my eyes again, took a step forward, and leaped.
"Step up!"
This time, I felt the solid stone beneath my foot.
"Step up! Step up! Step up!"
I took several consecutive steps in the air until I reached a tree branch, where I held on and balanced myself.
"Wow… You didn't get it on the first try, but I didn't expect you to succeed this quickly either. It's well known that children have vivid imaginations, but few people have the mental strength to manifest what they imagine. I'm truly impressed… Maybe you really are a genius after all."
I couldn't help but smile.
"Well, I think that's enough for today. Now get down from there—you have to help me clean the house."
"Mom…"
"Yes?"
"Uh… I can't get down."
"What?!" she exclaimed, surprised, as she saw me clinging tightly to the tree branch, hugging it for dear life.