"Severin, come here," Galen said. His thoughts from last week weighed heavily on his mind. Teaching a human magic went against everything he stood for, but Severin was different. Something inside Galen urged him to teach the younger man.
"I'll be right there!" Severin called from the storage room. Galen heard pots being moved around. Then, Severin walked out of the room with dirt-covered hands. He asked, "What did you need me for?"
"Sit," Galen gestured to the chair in front of the counter, "I have something to tell you."
"Now I'm worried." Severin sat down, "We should keep this chair by the counter. It gets more use over here."
"You like magic." Galen winced at his opening. He hoped Severin would not take it the wrong way.
"Um," Severin looked at Galen suspiciously, "Yes."
"That's nice."
"Is this what you called me over for?"
Galen ran a hand over his face. "Let me start over. I've noticed how interested you are whenever I do magic."
"Magic is amazing. I don't know how to explain it, but watching you cast spells and make potions is fascinating to me. Magic has unlimited possibilities, and I've barely scratched the surface on knowing what it can do." Severin let out a frustrated sigh, "I just want to know more."
Galen had an inkling this was how Severin felt. All the magicians Galen had met and interacted with said that their urge to learn magic started with an intense fascination in the art. When humans began learning magic, the subject was considered taboo. Those who learned it were treated with the same mistrust that asteris were given. Galen speculated that's why the hunting of the asteris began. Magicians needed to show that they were superior to the asteris. To show the rest of humankind exactly whose side they were on. Galen was certain Severin would not have the same fears. Severin was not only fascinated with magic; he was fascinated with Galen's magic. Besides, magic was not as taboo as it was 200 years ago.
"I want to teach you magic," Galen said.
Severin stiffened in his seat. He took in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled it. "What?"
"I want to teach you magic," Galen repeated.
"You want to teach me magic."
"Yes, I said it twice. I'm not going to repeat it again."
Severin shot up from his chair. He rounded the counter and hugged Galen. Galen let out a tiny sound of surprise. Severin let go and stood behind Galen with a wide smile, trembling with excitement. He looked at Galen like he hung the stars in the sky. "Thank you! I'll be the best student you could hope for."
"You've already shown your commitment as a student. I only ask that you continue to be excellent."
"I won't let you down. When do we start?"
"Hm, we'll need to get astera parts. You won't be able to do magic without them."
Severin lost some of his excitement, "That's going to be hard."
"Yes, the lack of astera does pose a problem. We'll have to see if there’s a place that sells parts. For the time being, I'll provide my hair."
Severin was taken aback. "We're going to use your hair? Is that effective?"
"No, astera magic is concentrated in every part of the creature. Asteris magic is concentrated in our core. The magic in my hair is not potent, but I'm not willing to part with more than that."
"I wouldn't expect you to. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
Galen clapped his hands, "Now that we have that settled, we can go over the rules."
"The rules?" Severin straightened.
"I have three simple rules. One, do not try new magic when I am not around. Two, do not practice magic where someone can see you. Three, do not tell anyone that I am teaching you magic."
Severin nodded, "Absolutely. Rule 3 will definitely be the simplest, considering my lack of friends besides you."
Galen stared silently at Severin, "We'll have to fix that."
"Do you have any other friends?"
"Of course, I do. I just don't talk to them regularly or see them for extended periods of time. Anyway, let's start your training."
Severin perked up, "Where do we start?"
"Language lessons."
"When you casted that illusion, you didn't say a word. What language is there?"
"I don't have to say anything because I am a being made of magic. However, if I were to enchant something or make a rune, I would have to use the Oxuri language."
"Oxuri? I've never heard of that. Do magicians use the language?"
"Yes, any human who uses magic must know Oxuri. Even the most powerful magicians on the High Court must use it.”
"Do you think a magician could ever not need Oxuri?"
Galen hummed, "Their grasp of magic must be great enough so that they can visualize spells. I’ve never met nor heard of anyone not asteris who can do that, but I won’t say it’s impossible."
“Visualize?”
“I won’t waste my time teaching you something you can’t use. Maybe I’ll tell you in fifty years.”
“Fifty years!” Severin exclaimed.
“You’re talented, but magic is not natural for humans. To visualize, your skill must go beyond mastery. When I was first learning how to use my magic, I had to use Oxuri. However, my use of magic is innate, so I got the hang of it pretty quick.”
“It sounds like you’re bragging.”
Galen turned around, so he could give Severin an unimpressed look. “Anyway, are you ready to learn Oxuri?”
"I'm ready."
"Put the closed sign up for the shop, and we'll begin."
Severin rushed to do as Galen said. Galen was happy to see Severin so excited about learning. Oxuri was the language of the asteris. It is the language of magic, and the reason why asteris initially thought humans had no ability with magic. Humans who learned Oxuri, no matter the fluency, still could not use it. Turns out they needed both Oxuri and astera parts. He had never taught Oxuri before, but he had a long history of learning languages. He knew six of the major languages of the world, as well as the regional languages in three countries. He knew where to start and how long the journey would be. Severin would not need to be fluent or even proficient in Oxuri to perform basic to intermediate magic. However, he would need to be fluent if he wanted to be powerful.
Severin asked, "Where do we start?"
"I'll start by showing what the language sounds like. Don't be deterred."
"I'll try not to be."
Galen closed his eyes, concentrating. He lifted his hand in front of him and said, "Etlu ehrate eéb iyref"
A flame appeared in the palm of his hand. It flickered for a moment before extinguishing.
"That was amazing!" Severin exclaimed, "I'll be able to do that?"
"Hopefully. The pronunciation doesn't seem too hard, right?"
"It sounds impossible. I have no idea how I will produce those sounds."
Galen laughed,
"You will in time. Let me get some paper. We'll begin with the
alphabet."
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