The young farmer found himself standing between two sides. On one hand, he knew that Manuel was an expert wizard, one of the best if not the very best in the world. Trusting him was only logical, should one take fame as a guarantee of trust. On the other hand, the demon's words made sense, however, Jin was not quite yet persuaded. Not until Rudy continued.

"I can prove it to you that I'm not lying. I can lend you some power. It's not exactly Manuel quality, but at least you'll see it's possible."

"Absolutely not!" Jin stepped over onto the wizard's side of the predicament. "I know this is some scheme of yours!"

"Is it? Manuel is literally only a few tens of metres away from us. If you shouted for help, he'd come in an instant. If something happened to you and you didn't return after a while, he would come looking for you. In all those cases, I would be screwed. So why do you still think I have something to gain from lying to you?"

"I... I don't know. It just sounds wrong."

"Really? And what if I told you I already made you my medium?"

Jin's eyes widened. "No. You're bluffing!"

"Do you think so? Test it. Just point your palm in any direction and think of the word 'spike'. And please, don't think this is some elaborate plan to fool you. No magic strong enough to help me would be based only on one word."

Jin's hand was shaking a little. He had great trouble trusting the demon, but at the same time, the idea that his first-ever spell might be just at the tip of his fingers was as alluring as nothing else could ever be.

He raised his hand. Only slightly, so his palm was still facing the ground. His fingers spread out and with excitement and anxiety playing tug of war over his heart, he thought "spike".

Something flew out of his hand. He felt it. Like a little droplet of water that slid down between his fingers, then onto his palm, before finally shooting outwards at a massive speed. It dug into the ground in front of him. A red projectile with similar black lines and stained glass look, like the one he saw in the druid's hut. As soon as it hit the target, it disappeared in a tiny blast of sparks.

"Holy cow..." Jin gasped and rubbed his hand. The previous feeling was gone as quickly as it arrived.

"Impressed?"

"I... That was magic!" he turned to the blade and raised it up to his eye level. "Was that really you?"

"No, that was you. I only lent you one of my most simple techniques. Lending is easy, but it's up to the person if they use it or not. I can teach you more, but if we were to test it out right here and now, Manuel would notice. Do you understand now? He could've given you spells all this time but chose not to. I offer to give you some of mine. Only the ones you wouldn't hurt yourself with."

"And in return?"

"Nothing. You are already dragging me along and honestly, that's the best thing that happened to me in years. All I ask is that I get to stay. Even when the punishment given to you by Manuel is over and the spell binding us is gone, I still want to stick around. Maybe not all the time, but most of the time. You do that, you'll get my magic. You don't, I'll just take it back and be pissed."

Jin gave it a moment of thought, but the sudden rush of excitement overshadowed all his worries. "Fine, deal. Now, what else can you teach me?"

"Patience. I'll show you something much better tonight. Right now, it would draw Manuel's attention and get us both in trouble. I'll wake you up at midnight, okay? We'll come here again, so you'll have a guarantee that if you shout for help, others will hear you, okay? And then, I'll show you the rest."

Falling asleep that night was practically impossible for the boy. His whole life he dreamt of becoming a wizard and now it was right there in front of him. His mind wanted to scream "spike" as loud as it could, but he did manage to suppress the urge. After all, using such a spell under Manuel's roof would most likely draw his attention.

"Oi! Jin!" the sword spoke. As soon as he did, the boy's brain jolted him awake like he had just gotten an electric shock.

"Is it time?"

"Yeah. Just sneak out carefully and try to find Manuel. We have to make sure he's asleep."

He carefully tiptoed down the stairs, all the way to the ground floor. There, in the living room to the side, he found the archwizard, snoring away in an armchair with an open book resting in his lap. Jin couldn't help but smile. When asleep, he didn't look all that mighty. In fact, he looked about as normal as any other man.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The boy ran out the door and off towards the hill. He was so eager he didn't even bother changing from his pyjamas or taking his signature helmet.

"So? What can you teach me?" he asked as soon as he stuck the sword in the ground. The boy sat cross-legged in front of him, waiting for the next magical incantation.

"Now, listen up. I won't teach you any lethal spells. I'm not that crazy. We'll talk about those when you're an adult. For now, the worst these magics can do is give someone a proper slap. Maybe keep them from moving for a while. So make sure you don't go using them on just anyone, okay? They are for emergencies."

Jin nodded. Of course, proper safety and discipline had to be maintained.

"Now, brace your ears. I've got two words I want you to remember."

"Good morning!" Kaili welcomed everyone as she joined the rest of the gang at the table for breakfast.

"Mornin'" Jin muttered, his eyes refusing to fully open.

"Wow, you look like hell. Rough night?"

"Oh, yeah, Rudy kept me up all night."

"Huh. He really is like a puppy. Where is he anyway?"

"Sleeping." Jin nodded over to the side where the blade lay resting against a loaf of bread.

"Maybe we could help you out with him? Take him for a... walk? What do you even do with a demon?" Cia asked.

"Just take him outside and talk to him."

"That doesn't sound so bad. We could do that," Airo quickly offered his aid as well.

"Well, let's see if you'll be saying the same afterwards. He can really talk a lot once he's outside."

"Now, where are my precious couriers?" Manuel manifested in the room, his right hand victoriously holding a cracker next to his face.

"Please tell me there's no work today," Jin muttered and rested his head on the table, cushioned by his arms.

"Indeed there is. And a really special one. Mining settlement Icnuti requires some tools. They dig for rocks that are rich in mana over there, so you'll be transporting some very precious equipment today."

"So I assume the rule about us breaking rather than the package is especially true?" Cia asked.

"Right you are! It would be really problematic to repair such tools, so please, do be careful with them." Without a word, the archwizard put a large mug in front of Jin. Where exactly he conjured it up from was anyone's guess. "Here, drink this."

"What's in it?" the boy muttered as he looked into the mug. He saw his own reflection in it, but not like one that he would see on the surface of water. No, the mug showed such a perfect copy of him, it was like looking into the mirror.

"A tea from my collection. Something from the locked section. Trust me, it will help wake you up."

Although Jin didn't like how vague the wizard was, the idea that otherwise he'd have to travel with his exhaustion weighing him down didn't seem like a better option. He grabbed the mug with both hands and looked down into the abyss it contained before quickly pouring it into his mouth.

The substance was revolting. Bitter, yet with hints of cocoa. Minty, but also slightly spicy. The worst part, however, was how viscous it was. It felt as if he was asked to drink an entire jar of cough syrup. Nevertheless, Manuel's reassuring smile was enough to keep him drinking until he gulped down the entire thing.

He let out a loud sigh and put the mug down. To his surprise, the fatigue that previously plagued him seemed to have disappeared completely. It was as if he was reborn. The speed at which it took effect was both astonishing and mildly terrifying.

"Better?" the wizard asked.

"Yeah. That's impressive. Don't make me do that again though."

Manuel grinned but did not say a word. It was obvious that he had far worse options in his vast stash. He just didn't feel like showing them off yet.

The rest of the process was already quite familiar. The children took the package and fastened it onto Jin's back while Manuel put the address into the Cordicon. By the time they were all ready, the portal was waiting for them.

"Safe travels. If you do get into trouble, give me a shout, but I have to warn you, it might not work. You will be deep underground. My magic can reach all sorts of places, but down there, it's full of magical interference. If you keep calling, however, I should be able to pick it up eventually. Still, please, stay safe." The way he said it was far different from his usual self. It was one of those rare moments when he wasn't smiling and when his eyes were staring at the children like he was peering right into their souls.

"We will be, don't worry," Jin promised him, which seemed to be enough to return the wizard's optimism.

"I know you will. I'll be counting on that." He gave them a wink before leaving the pathway free so they could depart. As soon as the last of the quartet stepped through, the wizard let out a faint sigh. "Ah, well, I suppose I should go stretch a bit. Maybe revise the basics again. Wouldn't want to look bad in front of my students, right? Hehehe."

They were already used to the sudden shifts in gravity. All it took was clenching their muscles and standing as still as possible while their heads adjusted. The first few travels were difficult, but now they were getting more and more accustomed to it.

The moment Jin stepped through, however, he knew there was something wrong with the place. Despite his best efforts, his knees buckled as soon as his feet hit the ground. There was nothing he could do. The loss of strength was so sudden that he couldn't bring himself to even react to it.

Others were not handling the mines too differently. Everyone fell down, unable to bring themselves to stand back up. It was as if they were floating in honey. The air was hot and heavy, and something in their heads was telling them that it wasn't oxygen, despite their ability to breathe.

"What's happening? What is this?" Airo gasped. His taste buds did not like the gasses flowing through these caves. There was nothing toxic here, but it didn't feel natural either. It was as if something settled down in his lungs and refused to leave, pulling him down to the ground.

"C-Calm down," Kaili muttered and took a deep breath. "There are... lights, see?" Her eyes turned to the large glowing sticks stuck in the ceiling, forming a shining trail leading further into the cave. "There must be... people here. S-So it has to be safe. Right?"