Angelina felt ridiculous. She was standing on one foot while balancing a rock on top of her head. “I thought you were going to teach me magic!” she complained, “this has no magical applications whatsoever!” 

Mancer was stretched out lazily on top of a log, taking in some sun. “Magic is a mindset,” he said seriously, “if you can't even do this much, then there's nothing I can teach you.” 

Angelina grumbled but maintained her position, with her arms out straight and the heel of her left foot pointing into the air. About five minutes later, she asked, “how much longer do I have to do this for?” 

“Tumulus,” Mancer replied, and an earth spirit popped out of his ankle and into the ground. Angelina, who was facing away from him, didn't notice until more stones were placed on her wrists and foot. 

“How dare you!” she screamed, “I'll tell my daddy on you!” 

Mancer sighed. “Look princess, you're the one who wanted to learn from me. And anyway, in case you hadn't noticed, your daddy's nothing special.” His voice was suddenly directly behind her, sounding much older, and Angelina nearly jumped out of her skin as the words resonated deep within her mind. 

“What the hell was that?!” she cursed. 

Mancer responded from a couple meters away, in his usual child voice. “That was my mana voice,” he replied, “similar to dragon tongue, it's used to convey the immutable truth of the universe.” 

Angelina turned around furiously, dropping all the rocks. “You're lying!” she yelled, “my daddy's the strongest person in the world! Not even the emperor can touch him!” 

Mancer laughed. “You're so naive. Your daddy's living on borrowed time already.” 

“Shut up! Just shut up! There's no way that's true! Daddy's gonna live forever! He's got to! A world without Daddy…” Angelina broke down as her tears spilled over, and she wailed into the swiftly clouding sky. 

Mancer stood in front of her, staring down at her huddled body. He was never one to feel sympathy. His own emotions were confusing enough. Why should he be expected to understand someone else's? 

“You know nobody will hear you here, right?” he asked. “Even your precious daddy doesn't know where we are. We're all alone.” 

“I told you to leave me be!” Angelina turned her back on him, sulking softly to herself. 

Mancer grumbled something about kids being too sensitive. “Look,” he said irritably, “your dad's supposed to die, but I didn't mention it just to be mean. There's a way you can help him.” 

Angelina's whisper was too quiet for him to hear. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. 

Mancer furrowed his brow. “What did you say?” he asked. 

Angelina turned to him, but now her tears were gone, replaced by a cold fury that glinted in her sapphire eyes. “How do you know that?” she demanded, “how do you know that my dad's supposed to die?! You don't even know him! Don't you dare presume to know his future!” 

Mancer stared at her evenly. “You're what? Eight?” he scoffed. 

“And you're only six, so shut up! I'm older than you, so that makes me smarter!” 

“Oh, does it now? I didn't know that age determines intellect. I guess I've learned something new, Master Angelina.” Sarcasm dripped from his tongue, and Angelina's expression soured even further. 

“Don't patronize me, boy,” she said, mimicking her father's tone. 

Mancer sighed. “Daddy's girl to the end, aren't you? You're just as stubborn as he was,” he said softly. 

Angelina's lip quivered. “I don't like you!” she yelled, “I'm done learning from you!” And then she stomped off, into the forest. 

Mancer stretched out on his log once more, bathing in the morning sun. He yawned as he stretched. 

“Stupid girl,” he mumbled. 

*** 

Angelina stomped angrily down the path, furious with the boy she thought would teach her magic. There was absolutely no way her father would be dying. He was still in his prime, able to swing a sword for days on end without ever tiring. How could anything kill a swordsman that powerful?! She was convinced he was lying, but for what, she couldn't tell. It just infuriated her that he could be so casual when talking about someone else's– no, her father's life. 

She was so incensed with him that she didn't even notice she had taken the wrong path. She kept walking, cursing him quietly to herself. The trees grew thicker and taller, aging as she passed them by. The undergrowth deepened, and the dead leaves and rotting branches piled on top of each other, condensing into a musty smelling mulch. Hardly any light passed through the forest's thick canopy, and Angelina suddenly found herself lost in the middle of the forest, with no discernable path in any direction. She turned slowly in a circle, trying to find the correct way to go. 

But all she succeeded in was getting herself more lost. She hadn't paid any attention to the course from which she'd come, so now she was stuck in the middle of the forest with no sense of direction. 

Angelina panicked. It was one thing to be walking down a well trodden path with a maid and a guard, but wandering alone through built-up foliage and undergrowth in the darkest part of the forest was another matter entirely. Her father was certain to scold her, if she made it back alive. She'd heard stories of people, especially children like her, getting lost in this forest, never to be seen again. Worse still were the stories of monsters appearing and gobbling them up. 

Her breathing quickened, and she looked wildly around, wondering where her demise would spring from. She looked up, but no monsters were hiding on the low hanging branches. The space in front of her was dark, and an inexplicable feeling of intense, stifling dread emanated from it, locking Angelina's joints and freezing her with fear. 

She stared into the darkening void as it gathered more of itself, coalescing into a pitch black roiling mass of inky blackness. A clawed hand appeared from it, reaching slowly for the petrified girl. 

With one final surge of courage, Angelina clamped her teeth down hard on her tongue. Her incisors bit into the tough muscle, and blood flowed freely in her mouth. With her sanity reclaimed, she took a tentative step back, then bolted through the forest, screaming as she ran. The thing followed after her, reaching out desperately for the sensation of life once again. 

She plunged through the underbrush, screaming her head off in the hopes that someone, anyone, would come to her rescue. In her rush, she tripped over a root that protruded from the ground, just barely coated in decaying plant matter. Leaves scattered on the ground, thrown into the air as she fell flat on her face. 

Directly in front of her, cloaked in a mantle of obscuring darkness, the monster convulsed with the shape of a skull, and a single vicious spike darted from its mouth. 

*** 

Mancer knew from the moment he heard the scream that he had no time to waste. In an instant, he spread his mana towards the source of the sound, determining immediately where Angelina and the monster were confronting each other. Power surged through him, and he was suddenly standing between them, a spike caught between his fingers. 

“Watch closely, Angelina,” he said, “this is your first lesson.” 

Angelina watched in awe as Mancer snapped the spike of shadow in half. The monster screeched, and the horrendous sound made even the trees shudder in pain. Another spike shot out from the shadow, striking his hand and sinking in, but it drew no blood. In an instant, he filled the space in front of him with raw, unrefined mana and detonated it, spewing explosive energy in a wide arc. Mancer's hair waved wildly as the wind blew away the last traces of shadow. 

He turned around, and Angelina's voice caught in her throat as she stared wide-eyed at the most powerful spellcaster in the world. His eyes swirled with millions of stars shining in a myriad of colors. In the filtered light of the forest, he seemed much taller than the six year old boy that he was. He spoke, but all she could hear was a dull, tinny ringing filling her head. 

Mancer extended his hand, and water flowed down his arm from Seiche’s contract symbol, enveloping Angelina in a thin bubble and rinsing the blood from her ears and mouth. The water was cool and refreshing, cleansing her mind of stray thoughts and feelings. The fresh spring water retreated and Seiche smiled down at her then darted back into her contract symbol. Angelina's ears popped as her hearing returned. 

Breathlessly, the Baron's daughter took her teacher's hand, and the two of them returned to the manor in less than an instant. Mancer released her hand, gone before she could find her voice. She stared into the space he'd occupied, clenching her jaw in frustration. She still couldn't believe him, but she wanted to thank him at the very least. 

She turned as she heard her name called, and Charlotte came running. She stopped in front of her, gasping for breath. 

“Are you alright, my lady?” she fussed, “do you know how worried we were?! Don't ever do that again!” 

Angelina smiled fondly at her head maid. “Don't worry,” she replied, “I won't.”