“Alright. So! One more quest is completed,” I said to myself, ticking the appropriate box in my journal, and carefully tucking our photo in my portable album.

In the photo was smiling widely, while Grynoth eyes were half-closed against the flash, showcasing his toothy grin. Not perfect, but I love it anyway.

At that moment, I heard Grynoth knocking at the door.

“May I?”

“Sure. The house is yours anyway, you know.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t allow you privacy.” I noticed him peering at my album. “You humans sure have strange customs, but I'm glad it brings you joy. Anyway, I'd still like to give you a quick briefing on magic and some basics as I promised. Are you in the mood?”

“Of course I am!”

As my next upcoming quest, I was going to write 'learn magic', but thinking that was too abstract, I decided to write 'learn my first spell' instead. However, just as I was about to do it, something crossed my mind. I closed the journal without writing anything and headed back to Grynoth.

“So… uh, wanted to ask something important,” I began preemptively, wanting to get the most worrying question out of me as soon as possible, “is it really okay for an outsider like me to be learning magic stuff? I know you aren’t a person who would make rash or thoughtless decisions… you know, like me, hehe… but seriously, couldn’t you potentially come under fire for that?”

“I’m glad you asked”. Grynoth nodded approvingly at my question. "You're right to be cautious. Teaching magic to outsiders is not something done lightly in our realm. However, I have my reasons for doing so."

He settled himself more comfortably, his tail curling around his feet. "Firstly… My nearby comrades and I operate outside of the law of the Main Kingdom. The nearby land belongs to us, at least while we have the power to defend our autonomy. That affords  me some leverage, unless you decide to go places you shouldn’t, casually showcasing magic tricks you have learned. And, as reckless as you are, I trust that even you will have common sense to not do that. Hopefully.”

At that moment I couldn’t even imagine what kind of circumstances would force me to go out of my way and be an absolute dumbass, carelessly endangering lives around me so, obviously, I nodded.

“Secondly, preparations have to be made to start teaching you any basic offensive spells… if that will happen at all, as for wielding them you will have to prove yourself not only how skilled you are, but how responsible and self-conscious as well. So we will start with harmless, simple tricks, slowly moving to defensive and survival-based arts. Nothing that could pose a threat to our kind or upset the balance of power."

I listened to Grynoth intently, trying not to skip any word.

“I will be honest”, he said, “just by looking at you, I can already tell that when it comes to physical strength, humans will never reach the peak of dragonkin.”

‘A little bit insulting, but, I suppose, it is true.’.

“When it comes to magic, however, every living sentient being starts off on an equal footing, so no matter your race, you have equal capabilities to master it.”

I noticed another question entered my mind, however, I decided to save it for a while.

“You are, however, right about one thing: power can corrupt. You mentioned “Kor-porations” of yours, that you perceive as soulless companies, heads of which care only about profit and power and nothing else. How many of those were once young and passionate visionaries, striving to change the world for the better?”

For a moment I was surprised he knew so much about our culture.

“Honestly, I always thought that those guys were bad from the beginning but… yes, you are correct. If we are to believe the biographies of those CEO’s, but somehow I think there aren’t reasons to doubt them.”

“Good. Now take the same principles and apply them to magic.”

“Point taken. Gotta say, I’m surprised you know so much about our society.”

“Once you have lived long enough, you realize the world is the same everywhere, and the rules of one realm can as well apply to any other, just with a few cosmetic changes. In any case, we are far off from teaching you any dangerous spells. However, if I ever discover you using any of these spells for malicious intent against dragonkin or a human, there will be severe repercussions, which will go far beyond losing your precious collection. The same applies to misusing your arsenal or any other weapon you will get your hands on.”

“Figures… I’ve gotta ask though, why have you… had mercy on me yesterday, when I have zapped you with a stun gun? Haven’t I… “misused” it back then?”

“A couple of reasons: first, you acted in self-defense. You didn’t use it until the very last moment, when you perceived your life to be in danger, which you had a right to. I didn’t use the best tool I could have to prevent you from leaving. Obviously, you acted in the heat of the moment as well. Second…”

I noticed Grynoth side-glancing at something, his mouth curved into a sad smile.

“…I heard you screamed “I’m sorry” just before I lost consciousness.”

I felt a pang of guilt at Grynoth's words yet again. "I... yeah, I did. I really am sorry about that."

Grynoth nodded solemnly. "I understand. And I appreciate your remorse. It shows you have a conscience, which is crucial for anyone wielding power, magical or otherwise. And, well, I wasn’t entirely innocent either. You also showed bravery, deciding to stay and defend me yesterday — which, to be honest, wasn’t the best decision — but we have been over that already. So, all of these factors are more than enough to give you a second chance. For now, that is. However, it's not giving you a free pass to go around zapping people. Please, remember that."

“Yes, master.”

While I still felt a little pangs of guilt for yesterday, I swore without a second thought that I would never use any of my powers for “evil”. It didn’t even phased me at the time that I would go out of my way to hurt innocents out of malicious intent someday. Little did I know that “evil” and “innocents” were, actually, a little too broad concepts to understand for me…

…In any case, Grynoth pressed on.

“With all this yapping, finally, out of the way, let’s get down to business.”

At those words, Grynoth put his hand out in front of him, and spoke: “Dree-Solas!”

Immediately, a small firefly appeared in his scaly hand.

The tiny ball of light hovered above Grynoth's palm, casting a warm glow across his scales. "Whoa," I breathed, leaning in for a closer look. "That's amazing!"

Grynoth's mouth curved into a slight smile. "This is one of the simplest spells — a basic light conjuration. It's harmless but quite useful. Will be the one of the spells you will have to learn first.”

With a simple hand gesture, he made it disappear.

“You, humans, probably think that magic is available only to us. But that's a mistake: it's actually available to everyone. The energy called Mana permeates the earth, the air, and every living thing... including yourself. Without even realizing it, you are absorbing and releasing Mana with your body."

Grynoth paused as if the question would follow:

“Why, then, have we not yet learned how to use it?”

“It is possible that you have forgotten how to use it.”

“Forgot?… wait, how do you know all that?”

“…With your permission, I will answer all of that and more after the introductory lesson. For now, in order to use magic there are a few conditions and techniques that need to be fulfilled, and only we know about them. Many dragonkin learn these techniques from childhood and thus are able to wield it. Somehow, I doubt humans have the same practices nowadays.”

Grynoth paused, but this time I could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking about how to continue the subject... or at least how to make me understand.

“There are many other nuances, but right now I'd like to focus on the most important ones, namely: mana flows inside you, and with the right knowledge you can channel it. The first step is to learn to *feel* it. Close your eyes.”

I did as he said. Grynoth gently took me by the shoulders and sat me down.

“Try to concentrate on your breathing and relax your body.”

“Focus and relax at the same time?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Despite how oxymoronic that sounded, I tried to follow that advice.