"Chris, this is Michael. He's an old friend of mine, and he was nice enough to volunteer his time to teach you and Julie." Victoria introduced Michael as she closed the front door. I looked at Michael with curiosity, appreciating Victoria's thoughtfulness in finding someone experienced to guide us. Eager to make the most of this opportunity, I extended a grateful smile towards Michael.
We were at the front door of the building, on the ground floor, and also at the entrance of the cake shop. As we stepped inside, the sweet aroma of freshly baked goods enveloped us. The display case was filled with an array of beautifully decorated cakes and pastries, tempting us with their deliciousness.
"It's just a small favour; besides, you out of anyone would know that I have better things to do than babysit," Michael responded with a lazy, laid-back, and sarcastic attitude.
Such a dynamic gave a clear picture to anyone who spectated that such tomfoolery and banter were a normal occurrence between the two and showed just how close their relationship was. Their playful banter and comfortable dynamic were evident in the way they effortlessly teased each other. It was clear that their friendship was built on a strong foundation of trust and understanding.
The way Michael looked at Victoria made me think that there were some underlying feelings between the two.
He was well over average in terms of male height and wore a white trench coat.
His tie was tied in a lazy fashion, and he looked like your average sleep-deprived Prince Charming with messy black hair and blue eyes. Damned handsome bastard.
I'd even suspected him to be my father, but even if such a thing were true, it was hard to accept.
Michael was chill, laid-back, and pessimistic at first glance, while Victoria was the opposite. Similar to siblings... how strange...
But when looking at how Victoria looked at Michael, no romantic feelings could be seen in her eyes. Perhaps platonic and familial love, but no romantic love.
Damn… I kind of felt bad for Michael. The friend zoned one.
Pfft!!!
As if able to read my mind or the radio signals of my brain waves, Michael frowned and looked at me with a funny yet absurd expression, which made him look really mad.
"The hell's this brat looking at?" Michael had the eyes of a bully who had found his next victim as he smiled like a hyena. "One of the things I hate most in this world are snotty brats. In fact, it easily makes the top 10."
"Senior, I was wrong! Forgive me!" I held in my laughter.
As I wiped away the tears that threatened to form from holding in my laughter so much, I noticed the gentle and tranquil smile on Victoria's face.
It was so strange. I've known this woman for all of my second life, yet she always seemed so mysterious, calm, and unperturbed.
The other night, when she revealed to me that Julie, her, and I were in danger and being pursued, she was still as calm as a mountain.
"Michael, I'll leave these two in your care from now on. And I'm sorry for all the trouble, but please keep in mind our agreement." After the initial introduction, I couldn't help but feel a mix of curiosity and concern. What agreement was she referring to? As I pondered over her words, I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to Victoria than met the eye. Little did I know, our lives were about to take an unexpected turn, and the true extent of their agreement would soon be revealed.
...
Michael, Julie, and I headed upstairs. Julie seemed unusually happy as she strode in front of the both of us.
The loft on top of the cake shop was, as it normally is, not that spacious, and thus we resorted to using the living room as the chosen place of study as opposed to Julie and I's bedroom.
"Alright, brats. I ain't much of a great teacher, I'll tell you that, but I'll just give you a specific run-down on your situation. You'll first get to learn the basics after you enter middle school, so there's no rush." Michael talked as he grabbed a chair, turning it around and sitting on it backwards while facing us.
He reached into one of the inner pockets of his white trench coat, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, but as if remembering that Victoria might get mad if he continued, he shivered slightly and put away the pack.
I stared hard at Michael in confusion. We haven't even started elementary school, and yet he's talking to us about middle school...
As if reading my mind through my confused expression, Michael smiled and continued at a leisurely pace. "I won't bore you with the details. But you, Christopher and Julie Clement, are the fraternal twin children of Victoria Celestine." Michael paused for a second, as if contemplating what he was to say next.
I didn't think much of his proclamation, apart from thinking that the surnames in this new era were quite different and more flamboyant. As far as I knew, Michael's surname, Constantine, and Victoria's surname, Celestine, were very unique.
"I'll simplify this as best as I can; in due time, you'll learn of this anyway."
"Magic comes from mana, which is in the atmosphere. The ability to awaken magic is mostly hereditary. However, magic isn't the most reliable source of power in this world. This is due to it coming from the God of Magic, who bestowed magic on the human race. Magic is elemental; therefore, there are only a numbered amount of elements someone could awaken, those being fire, water, earth, air, wood, metal, lightning, shadow, ice, and light."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Julie and I opened our eyes wide in surprise and excitement. Seeing our reactions, Michael raised an eyebrow. "You're not taking notes?" Michael waved his hands, and as if his white trench coat were able to store an entire universe inside of it, two notebooks, a few magic theory books, and other school appliances appeared out of thin air coming from his trench coat.
Was his coat some sort of magical artefact?
As if the mood was finally set properly for learning, Michael smiled and nodded in satisfaction.
However, there was a dilemma.
Neither Julie nor I knew how to read or write in this language.
In my estimation, the world was most likely tens of thousands of years older than when I left it in the twenty-first century.
The oral language itself, in today's Australian Federation, was not too different. The way I talked, however, made people not mind my speech as I was just a child; they saw my weird dialect as endearing.
Michael, realising that he may have jumped the gun, smiled awkwardly and decided to change his teaching approach in embarrassment.
They hadn't even entered elementary school and had been somewhat home-schooled all of their lives, so they hadn't attended any day care or kindergarten. He'd have to start from the beginning or wait for them to attend school for a while first.
Noticing Michael's reluctance, I quickly pleaded desperately for him to continue at least teaching us the basics of history.
"Victoria really treated you like a cooped-up prince and princess separated from the outside world's affairs." Michael sighed before continuing to teach.
"I've told you that magic isn't the most reliable source of power due to the mysteriousness and lack of information about the God of Magic and his motives; now I'll teach you about the most powerful and conventional path to power."
"Sorcery."
"Although sorcery, like magic, is hereditary, it relies solely on your inner energy. Every living being and object with cursed, magical, or spiritual properties has inner energy. In fact, mages and magicians rely on inner energy to convert the mana in the air into magic spells. Sorcerers bypass that completely and can directly use their inner energy to manifest their powers and abilities. Unlike the limited 10 magic elements, sorcerers have a multitude of abilities, ranging from abilities that rely on one's soul, direct manifestation of powers or properties and the ability to manipulate them, domains, heavenly restrictions and heavenly pacts, curses, innate traits, magic artefacts, barriers, demonology, strength, and innate techniques."
For some reason, I felt as if these concepts weren't completely alien to me; in fact, I felt as if I had heard of them in the distant past. However, I failed to come up with what I found familiar about them.
A new world of possibilities and opportunity had just shed light on my narrow sights and opened up to a vast ocean.
Julie also found these concepts interesting, but since she was a child of this world and was quite impressionable, as opposed to me, who thought these things impossible in my past life, I was clearly ten-fold more excited than her, which surprised Michael.
"Boys will be boys, I guess." Michael smiled with melancholy before giving us a strange expression.
"Christopher, Julie. The world isn't as bright and good as you may think it is."
"Although magic and sorcery are new concepts to you, have you considered why your mother decided to shelter you from the world of sorcery? Although you are only six years old, she would have sheltered you for as long as she could; she, out of anyone in this world, knows the cruelties of this world. Apart from demons, monsters, and curses, humans are an equally dangerous threat." Michael talked to us, his eyes serious as he spoke to us with the seriousness of an adult. In this moment, he briefly stopped treating us like little kids.
"If you think such a job is exciting, you might as well give up before you find yourselves disappointed." Michael seemed like a completely different person. He went from a sarcastic and easy-going attitude to a suddenly solemn one. His eyes shone and changed from their normal icy-blue irises to a dazzling and sparkling golden hue.
My heart skipped a beat as I looked into his domineering eyes. Those eyes were as deep as the ocean and as solid as an unmoving mountain; they were like the key to the heavens themselves.
I felt cold sweat forming on my back right before I broke away from his gaze as he closed his eyes. "Christopher, Julie. Eighty percent of your strength as a sorcerer is determined by genetics. Whether you have a strong body, vast amounts of inner energy, or the nature of your innate technique or domain, all of those are predetermined; the only exception would be the existence of a heavenly restriction."
"Both of your parents are powerful sorcerers beyond compare, so such a thing is no huddle for you; however, mages and sorcerers alike die in copious amounts every single day. With our divine privilege comes a price. Mages and sorcerers are forced to uphold the duty of protecting humanity and humankind from beasts, demons, monsters, devils, curses, and, of course, other humans."
"If you choose to become sorcerers, both of you will be miserable, at the mercy of those stronger, and forced to uphold 'justice' in the name of a cause you're not even clear about. The extermination of the human race? Although our lands, oceans, and uninhabited terrains are infested with beings capable of such growth, given enough time, our society is nowhere near such a level of danger, as politics, benefits, and contracts are what move the higher-ups more than this so-called self-fabricated 'justice'.
Michael looked as if he knew that children like us could not understand the gravity of such a situation. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and pondered as he looked at us with shining eyes. "It's true that I could not warn you of such a truth. But both of you are merely children. Due to your parents, both of your potentials are near-limitless, but I'll ask you once again for your choice once both of you turn sixteen."
My heart and passion for the new fantasy-esque world had me conflicted. I felt an array of different emotions as I felt my future unfold in front of me. Magic. Sorcery. Concepts that were synonymous with fiction could be attained at the tip of my fingers.
From our short tutoring session, I was aware that Michael was a mysterious and powerful figure within this world's society. How was such a man associated with our mother? Who was our mother? Our father? How powerful were they, and why would Mother want to protect us from such a world?
I wasn't naive enough to believe the world to be all sunshine and rainbows. I was aware that this world might as well be at war, and I wasn't aware of that.
Schemes, conspiracies, and potential unknown enemies, Mother had told us that we were on the run and that we were being hunted down by people who wanted to hurt us.
But I couldn't help myself. I wanted to attain this mystical feeling.
Perhaps it was common sense in this world, but Michael had told us that the first step to becoming a mage or magician was the initial awakening, which would happen after we entered middle school.
I looked at Michael with anticipation in my eyes—the light of hope, a fire burning within my chest in excitement at the premise of a new start, a new beginning, and the opportunity to turn over a new leaf. I stammered to ask this mysterious yet youthful middle-aged man. "Just... who exactly are you?" I didn't care. I didn't care just how out of character it was for a six-year-old child to speak in such a way.
Michael, back in his laid-back and devious attitude, smiled like the devil and laughed out in amusement before saying in dominant confidence, "Haha, this kid really is something! Alright, I'll just tell you this."
"All you have to know is that I am the strongest."