David hadn’t realized before how hard William’s eyes were. The cold steely grey of them weighing him. Measuring him, piercing thoroughly and perhaps finding him wanting. David had never seen eyes like that back in his world. He imagined there were people who had them, surely. People who’d fought. He felt sheltered now, but maybe that was a good thi-

“You’re thinking too much!” A wooden sword came crashing into David’s chest, throwing him back onto the grass that covered the training field.

“Oww.” David moaned, rolling onto his side and curling up. The tip of William’s wooden blade dropped into the ground right in front of his face and he flinched away.

“It’s just a bruise. I won’t hit you that hard.” William said, before muttering quietly: “Besides, anything too serious we’d heal.”

“Felt plenty hard to me.” David moaned. William’s eyes focused on him again, searching once more before he sighed, and a slight smile formed under his bushy white mustache. I think he’s happy he got to hit me.

“Alright, let’s start with something more basic, then. We can begin with some simple combat magic and then move onto your form. It should help keep your mind… less busy too.”

“Isn’t that backwards? Form seems more basic than magic.” David asked.

“No, when Borrowing you can move in ways that aren’t normally possible. You need to practice with that enhanced movement. The biggest change won’t be that you hit harder but that you can move faster and farther. The changes to your footwork matter most. In that way we’re lucky. You haven’t learned any bad habits. I had a few.” William smiled but his eyes seemed softer. Unfocused and slightly distant. David sat up slowly and rubbed his hand against the sore flesh of his chest before saying:

“Ok, but I haven’t figured the whole magic thing out though.” William laughed,

“You’ve barely been here a day, how could you? I’ll fetch a candle.”

David sat in the most comfortable chair he’d been in since he first woke up in this world. William had brought it with the candle, saying that ‘it helped to be comfortable’ when finding your magic. He stared at the candle, it was placed in the top of a metal rod, sitting just at his eye level. David heard William’s voice from his side:

“Narrow your focus. Let your mind fill with the candle and let other things fall away. Your mind is scattered now, but when it is focused it will be stronger and sharper. This focus will allow you to tap into your magic.”

“What if I, uh, what if I can’t stop thinking about random things.” David squirmed, moving his legs and hands listlessly.”

William nodded, “There’s no wrong way to do this, but I… I like to let those thoughts roll over me. I don’t reject them or try to push them away. I let them flow through me like a river, accepting them and then letting my mind return to the light. With each return, it gets easier.”

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David felt William’s hand on his shoulder. Long fingers, almost spindly but somehow sturdy and without an ounce of fat, gently squeezed him reassuringly and then released. David let out the tension he had been holding, rubbed his sore chest once more as he focused on the light. Just me and my thoughts, huh. I can’t believe it’s already been a day since I got here. Weird. I’ve only eaten one meal too. David ran his hand through his hair, dragging it back in a practiced motion. Just pay attention to the light, how hard can that be? I guess pretty hard, since now I’m thinking about thinking about the light. David clenched his hands, closed his eyes and sighed, then released his fists feeling the sense of relaxation run up his arms, as he looked back to the candle. Breath in, and out. He felt the breath go into his lungs, slowly filling him up and pushing against the throbbing, bruising pain of his chest before moving back out. The comfort of the chair supported him as his body seemed to slowly fade away. With each exhale the aching and soreness William had inflicted on him faded. His field of vision narrowed, his eyes catching each flickering movement of the small candle as he breathed. Until he was just lungs, breathing in tune with the flickering of the flame. Just a heart beating with the flickering of the flame. Just the flame.

Just the flame.

Just the flame.

He saw himself. Staring back at him as if in a mirror. Or no, not a mirror, more like water. He reached forward to touch it, to touch his own finger. The thinnest layer of water separated his finger from his own, ripples spreading around it as if a pebble had been tossed into a pond. Ripples moving out like the flickering of a flame. Moving, slowly, one ring after another until the surface was clear again. David breathed in slowly, and pushed his finger hard against the pool. The ripples grew larger and greater until they were tremors and then finally waves. He pushed harder, and water rose toward him in a sudden tide, enveloping him alongside his reflection as their fingers touched.

“What about our family?” He heard himself ask. Then everything went black.

The bell rang as people filed in through the door. David was late for class, which wasn’t unusual, but he didn’t want to get yelled at for it again. God, mornings are so hard, I’m so tired, he sighed and then started to move faster towards his classroom, room 203. At least it’s only on the second floor. He nearly ran up the stairs, taking advantage of the fact that most people were already in class. As he slipped through the door to room 203 he heard the bell ring and grinned. The teacher for this class, Ms. Brown, turned to him and grumbled:

“Mister Hart, glad to see you’re on time I suppose.” He just smiled back at her and found his way to his desk. Sitting down he immediately slumped forward into the familiar wood, with its myriad patchwork of carved initials. David made as much comfort as he could using his arms as pillows. The buzzing of class around him seemed to fade slightly. The sound of the announcements began but it seemed distant, like an echo or like hearing something while underwater. He was asleep by the time the morning announcements finished.

David faintly heard someone shouting, it was strange and disorienting. Quiet like a whisper and yet forceful. It was Ms. Brown calling out. She had noticed him sleeping and was walking towards him while shouting,

“Mister Hart? Mister Hart! MISTER HART!” She reached out, as if to wake him. Another student was at his side. He couldn’t remember her name. He couldn’t remember her face. She had her hand on his back, she seemed to be almost teary. Scared. Her skin was so pale, like the colour drained out of her. She turned to Ms. Brown,

“I don’t… I don’t think he’s breathing.”

David woke up gasping.