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04 – Essentials of Magic

Oscar took me into his arms and kissed me, screaming, “That’s my son”. “Give me back to lovely arms of my mother, you brutish bastard”, I wanted to scream but did not as another sinister plan came to my mind. Oscar raised his arms up to sky holding me and blabbering about my feat to others when firstly few drops, later on stream of piss came out of my pee-pee directly to his face. I smiled and moved my arms in Leila’s direction, everyone was laughing at my father and he blushed which showed his embarrassment. Oscar gave me back to Leila.

Everybody scattered to make way for a person who jumped off a beautiful black horse. “My lord”, people referred and bowed in respect. A man around 180cm tall wearing dark brown leather boots, black pants, white shirts and black leather robe walked past to burning house. He raised his right arm and murmured something in low voice. Clouds began to swirl around on top of burning house and their clouds began to change from white to dark. It did not take even a minute when hard rain began to pour onto burning house. Fire was extinguished momentarily. “Dad is greatest mage!” shouted male kid of 4 or 5 years old who was hiding behind person unknown to me until fire went out.

[-]: Anthony what happened?

A bold man in his late sixties spoke out to answer.

[Anthony]: My wife had forgotten meal on fire in kitchen, my lord.

[-]: Any casualties?

[Anthony]: No my lord, unfortunately we cannot accommodate workers in here anymore.

[-]: It’s all right; I was planning to move you all close to mansion anyway.

[Anthony]: Thank you for your generosity, my lord.

[-]: Daddy… Daddy… Why that kid’s eyes are glowing in red?

Everyone’s attention turned towards me, all of them focusing on my eyes. Man focused on me. He made few steps to close distance…

[-]: Leila is that your newborn?

[Leila]: Yes, my lord.

[-]: Do you or Oscar come from some mage’s lineage?

[Leila]: No my lord.

[Oscar]: No, my lord. We have been peasants of your family as everyone else in this village has been for all of history known to us. Lord Cohen is there something wrong with my son?

[Lord Cohen]: I feel mana affiliated with fire in him. It is reacting to water magic that I used earlier. Why it reflects to his eyes, I do not know.

[Oscar]: My lord, is my son gifted with magic?

[Lord Cohen]: You should feel proud Oscar. If he can cast magic and excel in swordplay in future, I will knight him and he can serve our house not as a peasant but as a respectable man.

I did not like tone of this Lord Cohen’s. Although existence of magic in this world excited me. I may have not a bright past, but I have excelled in my studies with A and B+’s in university, graduating with a diploma in bachelors of economics. In my free time, I had read works of Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, RR Martin, Sanderson and so on.

“I have to get my hands on some books regarding magic, as soon as possible” was first thing that occurred to me. I am a realist and practical man, so I put those ideas to side for future and opened my mouth to say “Ma”, “Ma-Ma” which earned me warm hug from Leila.

It was my first time outside. There were 16 people who served Cohen family including my parents. I still did not know who they were or who has given them noble status but they were ruling their territories from mansion that was build on top of a hill. Our old house was located almost quarter a kilometer away from mansion. After fire, all of us were moved to new house that was located at backside of mansion facing lake named Sapphire Depths. Lake was filled with forests all around it.

Anthony was acting as manager over servants of house. Oscar was professional mason who looked after building and renovating of old or new rooms in and around mansion, while my mother was responsible for cows and chicken. It took me 10 months to learn about all this as I began to walk around that time and my speech began to be understandable to everyone. I was roaming around to gather information regarding our whereabouts and who we were.

I never went away from mansion, because I was afraid to be lost or stolen away as this world was not similar to old one. Nobody was given wages for their work but fed and clothed only. Lord Cohen and his family acted as if they owned not just lands but people who were living on them too. Never I heard any of servants questioning their rights even when some of them were sent away. Anthony was proud of being responsible for everything. Only one servant lasted for long to administer everyone, others were sent back to village since their work was not efficient as old age took strength from their bodies.

Few thousand houses could be seen up from hill on Bareton village, built on lands owned Cohen family. I knew that they were rulers of some region, but nobody was educated enough to tell me who has given them right to rule or how far their rule reached. “Great-great-great-great-grandfather of Lord Cohen was bestowed with title and lands to rule over by king long ago” was what Anthony had answered to me when he was drunk to know his right from left. That is why I was more inclined to find truth by myself rather than believing to what others say.

I was two years old. Winter was harsh and snow was falling from sky not stopping for last month and half when I was ordered to bring wood to inside Cohen’s mansion. I was not strong enough to carry lots but most of workforce was used to clean snow from front yard of mansion, which was from entrance door down to hillside. I was carrying two pieces of wood each time to a different room. Throwing them into fire in each room, I exited to hall to reach to back door. It took me hours and hours of walking to put enough stock of firewood in each and every room on first floor until I got into library.

Library did not store many books. One of walls was fully covered in a map that showed some lands and sea. I could not read top part of it, so I passed by it to check out books. “Phantoms and Guardians”, “Escaping the Eternals”, “Ruins of New Order”, “Essentials of Magic”, “Faith of East” were few titles I read before going out to get more wood.

Second time I entered library I put down wood near stockpile place and moved hastily towards location of book - “Essentials of Magic”. I grabbed it and pulled out from bookshelf. Opened cover of book and read title out loudly from first page “Essentials of…

[-]: ..Magic”

Next: 05 - Promise