Life was slightly less boring now that he was allowed to roam around the house. It had been about 3 years since he was born into this new place, this new world. In that time, he learned so much already!

To start, this wasn’t earth. How did he know it wasn’t earth? There were several reasons, like the language which made little sense on its own. It seemed like some odd ball fusion of German, old English, maybe Celtic and something else he just couldn’t place. Nothing like it existed on earth and it just made no sense.

Then there were the maps. Some of the books had strange maps with half drawn continents that also didn’t make sense. There was one book, a history text of something called “Land of Asturia: The Six Kingdoms.” It was unlike anything he had seen on earth. He guessed this was where he lived given his parents talked about the Six Kingdoms quite frequently, and in particular, a country called 'Thurs' which is where they seemed to be. The village they were in was called 'Wollseeth' which didn't seem to be any kind of word in the so called human tongue. He had even found the village on one of the maps, a small barely annotated dot.

There was also the wildlife. Some were common enough, like horses, cats and dogs. But then there were things called “land dragons”, which he saw a few times. They looked like large lizards, like, well dragons. They seemed to fill the same role as horses. Reese wasn’t quite sure why you would need both, but that was a question for another day he supposed.

Oh, then there were the real, regular, run of the mill dragons. He saw one once when the whole town went on alert. He gathered they weren’t as friendly as the land dragons.

Probably the biggest reason he knew this was earth was because there was magic here. Not science magic like TVs, airplanes and computers, but real wizard casting magic. He didn’t understand it all yet, but he would learn. He had to, it seemed to be everywhere in this world.

He learned a lot about his family as well. Like his family name was Bronwyn and his larger family was of some importance, though his father refused to discuss their larger family. It didn't seem like they were lords and nobles, at least given the house and village they were in, but still they were important. His father was apparently a knight of some kind as well, not a mercenary. The other soldiers here called him a Knight Commander, probably some kind of Sargent or lieutenant, maybe a captain? He didn’t really understand how those titles all worked. But again he was important, and clearly in charge of the others.

Next his mother, who was once a powerful sorcerer, and who may have had a different name? He didn’t have the whole story because again no one wanted to talk about it. Somehow her powers were sealed, and she could only do limited healing spells now. Which still made her a great healer in the village and even the surrounding villages too. People were always coming to seek her help with minor ailments. It was lucrative by the looks of it. Reese wondered who the real bread winner in the family was.

Going back to magic, Reese learned it was very hard. The house had several books on the subject. Most should have been above his reading level, but even in the foreign language his years of education made it easier than it would have been otherwise. The texts were all confusing though, and not just because of the language barrier, but because they didn't match what he was experiencing. The simpler texts implied magic was simple. You think about something while looking at an image or a glyph, say some very specific words and then poof! You have a small puddle of water on the floor, or a gust of wind. Or at least you should. He couldn’t get it to work. Maybe he was just too young.

Recently, his mother had bought him a text for the end of the year solstice. It had unusually large script and diagrams that were simpler than the other books. The title of the book was aptly, “Early Magic”, and it seemed like it was meant for younger readers, or perhaps just simple-minded ones. One thing that he had noticed about all the books he had read so far was that they all looked handwritten. Some even had small smudges or an occasional mistake. It was easy to guess that there was probably no printing press in this world. It seemed unlikely they would only have very old and likely expensive handwritten books around the house if there were alternatives.

He had wondered if he could make one, or something similar in the future. The principle was simple enough, would just need to experiment with different materials and metals for the stamps. Might prove a fun and lucrative endeavor, eventually.

Future plans aside, he had already read this book cover to cover, several times in fact. He almost had it memorized, but it didn’t help. The language was easy enough to understand, but the ideas seemed odd. Like something was missing from it.

Whispering to himself he re-read the first pre-lesson again,

“When you cast a spell, it’s important to say the words fully. Do not hesitate or struggle. You must intonate each word carefully. As you speak you will feel your mana pull from your body into your spell.

Often you will see glyphs and magic graphics like the ones below. These items should be studied intently and memorized if possible. This graph will allow you to cast the spell. As you become more well versed in spell craft you may be able to construct these glyphs in your mind and cast without the need of this tome. For now, follow along as you cast your first wind spell.”

It was followed by a simple, one sentence spell, that required no preparation or difficult process, just an outstretched hand and a magic graph. The graph was also simple, with a single symbol and some lines he had already seen many times before. He would give it a chance, again.

“Wind I call you forth, blow gently though me.”

Nothing.

According to the book the lightest of breezes should be felt, just enough to lift a piece of paper off of a table or cause a flame to dance. But the paper he had nearby was still and flat on the floor showing that was not the case.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He tried again, and again, and yet again. A simple spell, but he couldn’t figure it out. The book said he should feel something, but all he felt was the fatigue in his arm from having it raised for so long. In minor frustration Reese pushed his hand forward causing the paper to move slightly, but that was cheating, and he knew it.

Why was it so hard, was he just too young? The book’s preamble did mention that most people don’t learn their first spells till later, usually 9 or 10. But it also said some learn it much younger, there didn’t seem to be a limit as he turned back to the very begging to reread it.

Lilith watched him from the other side of the room. She could see the boy struggling. It was difficult for her, and she just didn’t know what to do. As a child magic had just come easily to her, it was instinct and she just knew how to use it. The benefits of having a large and well-ordered gate. But her son, seemed different she couldn't feel any mana coming off him, and she should have felt something, no matter how weak.

“Still having problems Reese?”

He didn’t want to tell his mother it felt useless, because he didn’t want to believe it was. Or rather he refused to believe that. He was just too young and would need to keep practicing. “I just need to keep practicing mum.”

His older sister couldn’t help but lend her opinion into the mix, “Maybe he’s just gate-less mom.”

“Nemi!”

“Well, you’re the one that said it.” She whispered sheepishly.

Reese had heard that term before, gateless. He wasn’t quite sure what it meant. This book mentioned gates in a few places, but it wasn’t clear what they meant either. With a loud thunk the book closed. He needed a break, and if his mother and sister were here it meant one thing.

“Come on Reese, it’s dinner time.” Her voice had this sadness to it, that just lingered. Like something inside of her was hurting, but he couldn't tell what, just that it was there and it didn't seem to be caused by him.

The family dinner table was often quiet, but not quite silent. There were no prayers to the gods, at least none that he had heard. There was a quick thanks for the food, but it seemed to be more of a ritual than a prayer. Just something people said to show they were grateful to have something. Yet tonight, was truly silent for reasons he didn't know.

But, in regards to the food they were eating and of this world, there just wasn’t much to write about. The lack of complex spices, or probably their cost, meant food was blander than he would have liked. Not that it was bad, the stew they were eating was quite good, earthy, with a touch of… earth. Again it was bland, but not bad. The bread he was given was quite good though. Better than the store bought loafs he used to get. It reminded him of a fresh baguet, if only there was more butter.

After dinner, Fortus ask if Nemi and Reese could handle cleaning up. Of course, as good children they obliged, and of course Nemi got mad at him for everything he did. Apparently, there’s a wrong way to dry a plate.

‘Give me a break sis, I’m only 3.’ He thought about saying it but knew it would just make her worse.

After, he considered going back to his textbook but maybe he’d have more success with another? He still wasn’t allowed in the study, but that didn’t stop him from sneaking in and borrowing a different book from the shelf.

This book’s title was called “A Freelancer’s Guide to Mana and Magic Use”. He had read it over once before, but another read though wouldn’t hurt.

From all the books he had read, he gathered there were several types of magic in use. Spell Spoke was the most common, particularly by novices. It used poetic verse and glyphs to get mana to do what you wanted. It's what his textbook tried to teach. Then there was something called Spell Invoking, which seemed similar to Spell Spoke, but didn’t rely on the words quite as much nor did you need to focus on any glyphs. There were many movements and they looked very exaggerated. There may be a way to fast and silently cast a spell with Invoking, but none of the books explained how just hinting at it. Lastly, there was something called Runic Casting. None of the books explained what it was just side mentions of it. From the name, it probably involved drawing things.

Enchanting was it’s own subset of magic, different from spell casting. There were two general ways to do it. You could draw magic circuits on the item, and sometimes add mana infused gems, or you could infuse a powerful spell on an item using a runic or enchanting table, though a powerful mage might be able to do it in the field without any of that. The last one, seemed to require a great deal of stored mana, and would degrade over time.

The idea of magic circuits was an intriguing one. In his other life Reese had studied mathematics and the sciences. He knew a lot about the inner workings of computers and electronics, and knew the algorithms that derived it all, even had the degrees to prove it. Seeing terms and ideas that talked of circuits and mana interactions he couldn’t help but drive his curiosity, could you build the magic equivalent of electronics, pushed far enough maybe even a mana based computer? Had someone already done so?

His mind was giddy with the thought of magical engineering, though it would have to wait till he was at least a little older. He’d need to at least be able to hold a hammer properly. Also, he needed books that actually explained it all, being more an engineer than a scientist. It seemed like everything in the house skipped over the enchanting part, for some reason.

His older sister’s door opening caused Reese to scatter back to his own room with the book in tow. She was always looking for something to hold over on him. He still didn’t know why she didn’t like him.

The sounds of sobbing could be heard as he walked past his parents’ room, the door was just barely ajar. His mother had been deeply despondent all day, and the word miscarriage came up through the crack in the doorway. He thought his mother was pregnant, but obviously you never ask a person that question. Even your own mother.

“It was a boy again, wasn’t it?” His father sounded defeated, as if this was a battle they had fought and lost before. “Are you… Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m fine dear. I just… it hurts.”

Fortus seemed some cross between embraced and angry. “I’m sorry, I just hopped after Reese… Maybe we’d have another one. Maybe it wasn’t really a curse between us.”

Lilith had already had two miscarriages before Reese was born, both boys. His unknown brothers. From everything he could gather, his parents were cursed somehow, and they were never supposed to have a male child. In that sense, Reese was kind of a blessing for the two of them. Fortus had even gone to the local temple over several months and left offerings to each of the gods in thanks. Which was a rare thing for anyone to do, most people didn’t pay attention to the gods much at all, and in exchange they did the same.

Those two had a lot riding on his success. He couldn’t let them down and had to keep trying. This life would not be like his last, his family would be proud of him and he'd pay them back for this chance at life.

In his previous life he was a night owl, no reason he couldn’t continue that here. With a single still charged light stone in hand, he began again opening the book, and again began taking more notes. The stone's glow would work for a few hours before fading in the night. They didn't give him candles; they were a bit too expensive for such frivolity. Maybe when he was older, he could make or buy some reed lights or figure out how to charge these damn stones.