“Now, I know you haven’t a clue of magic,” Noelle smiled, leaning against the wall. The room I had been brought into was fairly large, about twice the size of the bedroom I had been in before. Although… the room definitely lacked the feeling of such openness, as books took up almost all of the free counter space, knick-knacks of various appearances and uses lining the shelves, rows of vials and pottery surrounded a cauldron, of which had a large enough width to rival many of the ponds I had seen before. Held within was a bubbling liquid, shining an iridescent blue, with a long wooden rod sticking out of its top. That cauldron laid next to a wall, one that, unlike any of the walls I had seen thus far in the house, was made of solid stone. Upon that wall, was where Noelle stood, her arms crossed with her sleeves raised, studying me through her steamed glasses. She rose from that location, whisking her body over to a desk I had failed to notice to that point, although it was cluttered to the point that its surface could not be seen.

“Come, come, we do not have all day,” Her voice beckoned with a playful tone, “Oh… well this will not do…” She had finally noticed the disorder upon the surface, yet her smile did not falter regardless of her tone. “Well… I guess this would be good enough to start, so instead of cleaning it up, let us begin the lesson!” She pulled a book from a fold in her robes, its pages yellowed and frail, bound by a thick leather cover. Upon it was an engraving of a circle encapsulating a star, another circle at each point where they met. The letters upon its cover seemed impressive, bold and powerful, and the book itself was rather hefty; No doubt this book was incredibly important! There was only one problem, which hurt me to address as Noelle glanced at me with expectant eyes.

“I… I do not know how to read…” I murmured, soliciting a sigh from my hopeful teacher.

“That certainly puts a hold on my teachings…” She murmured, her finger reaching to her chin. That movement I soon realized was an indication of her thoughts, though of what those thoughts were about, I could never tell. “Oh well, let’s start simple then. When I ask you a question, answer honestly with what you first think of, understand?” With a nod, she continued, “Good! Love it when people actually listen!” As she explained, she laid the book upon the intricate mess that was the desk’s surface, of which it miraculously did not fall off. “Now, since you know nothing of magic, what do you think it is?”

A simple question, yet it was hard to come up with an answer for it. Even if I was an outcast in my village, I had heard and seen miracles many times before, yet not a mention of magic. Although, if it was the me from back then, even if I had seen magic, I would think it was a miracle… but from the conversation Luther and Noelle had before, the two were different. The power of gods and the power of spirits, those who rule and those who are unruled… “Magic… it would be the power of change, right?” A murmured thought, yet my voice still reached her ears.

“Quite an interesting answer,” Noelle dwelled upon the response, as if it was unusual. “I will say, that is the closest answer I have heard from a novice in my lifetime. Good job…” She patted me upon the head, her compliment causing my heart to feel all fuzzy.

“Now, where was I… Oh yes, the origin!” She retracted her hand and started the lecture once more, her other hand reaching into her robe once more, pulling out a small vial. Holding it up to me, she urged me to peer within. What was trapped within it was a small green orb, radiating an aura of lime in color. As I watched it, it suddenly backed away, running into the wall of its small container.

“What is it?” My curiosity peaked, I studied it from every angle. Each time I changed position, it did so as well, trying to stay as far away from me as possible.

Laughing, Noelle seemed to enjoy my sudden change, releasing the cork from the small bottle. “This is a spirit, one belonging to the domain of wind. They are quite the gentle sort, and are easily scared.”

“A spirit?” I murmured, remembering the Salamander she had shown me once before. As we talked, the small ball happily fled from its cage, enjoying the freedom of the room.

“Yes, though it may not look like much compared to a lesser spirit like Salamander, there is a reason for that. This little one is a mere child in comparison, just born a few days ago.” She watched the spirit flit around the room, a simple breeze created from its movements pushing lightly upon her hair. “Unlike Gods who exist in an unchanging and unbending state, spirits grow. Similar to gods, they may have eternal life, but they are not immortal. Do remember that Fina.”

“Alright,” I whispered, my eyes drawn by the ecstatic form of the ball. It looked so happy, so free… if only… the cold iron against my neck brought me back to reality…

“That is the reason I prefer working with spirits rather than gods, they understand us better, and offer clear terms for their help. You see my dear, as I have said before, magic comes from the spirits' help, and to get their help you must form a contract. After you do so, that spirit will help you wherever you ask, as long as you fulfill your end of the bargain. Equivalent Exchange, unlike those meddling gods and their blessings and miracles, this is what magic is based on. Now, I’ve been off track for a bit, so let’s return to the subject at hand. You, my sweet Fina, have an incredible aptitude for magic, one that is seen only once in a lifetime. That is why I chose you to be my apprentice after all.”

“What do you mean by aptitude?” I asked hesitantly, as far as I knew, I had never been exceptional at anything. My body was weak, I learned at a normal pace, the only thing I would say was good about me was my instincts.

“The teachings of the church, you know of them. I am correct in assuming that, right?”

“I guess, of the gods and virtues, the sins, I’ve even dealt with exorcists before…”

“Good, those teachings, while prejudiced, are useful to know when it comes to magic,” Noelle nodded at me, pulling a small stick from the sleeve of her robe… just how many objects did she keep in it? Regardless, with that stick, she drew in the air, a solid light left behind wherever the point touched. By the time she finished, seven figures stood mid-air, a Raven, a Wolf, a Snake, a Lion, a Bear, a Rabbit, and a Sword. “Outside of contracts, we still have the ability to make temporary contracts. Even when making true contracts, this factor determines how much power we may request from that spirit. In that moment of binding, we offer our sins to the spirits. Yet each spirit has a preference, as a High Spirit of the Domain of Wrath will not care for being paid in the Sin of Sloth. In addition, every Witch has a specialty, very few show even just three of the sins.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“What do you mean?” I inquired, starting to worry for my own wellbeing. If one had to give up a part of myself every time one wished to use magic, wouldn’t anyone feel the slightest bit hesitant…

In response to my question, she seemed exasperated, tired even. Yet, determined to some end, she sighed and searched the room. To be honest, I would have guessed that despite the mess, she had a clue to where everything was. That… was not the case, as I watched her fumble with the mess, sometimes being toppled by towers of books with a loud crash… was she really some sort of powerful witch?

“Would… would you like some help?”

“If you would…” She laughed humbly, scratching the back of her head. She had been knocked over for the fourth time by that point, and I was starting to worry. Dusting herself off, she rose from the clutter, shuffling over to me soon after. “What I’m searching for is a small metallic box about the size of my fist. I honestly forgot where I put it, though if you can’t find it we can work with that.”

With that inclination, my eyes scanned the room. It didn’t take me long, yet… my eyes were soon filled with pity, as I noticed what was exactly described by her laying right beside her foot. With a simple point, that shame was brought to Noelle’s usually fair face, which was now red with embarrassment. After receiving an intense glare, I nodded; a silent agreement to never mention it was made at that moment.

Without losing a shred of her grace, she extracted the parcel from the ground, by which I mean she nearly fell picking it up. Regardless, she stood with it in hand, and opened the item, a pleasant fruity aroma suddenly flowing from the tin. Out of the corner of my eye, the spirit from before that was flitting in enjoyment came to a halt. It seemed to have noticed the smell, and was slowly creeping closer to Noelle and me.

“Many witches have held similar concerns to you before,” Noelle explained, she too watching the small creature. “Though to be honest, you can make a contract with a spirit using anything as payment, as long as they can accept it. But these, of which I call Spirit Treats, were made specifically for contracts with simple and lesser spirits. Even some greater spirits enjoy these.”

As she talked, she held the tin out to me, granting me a glance inside. Its contents looked like small cookies with rainbow specks baked in. Just the smell made me hungry, and I felt drool start to build up in my mouth. As Noelle had stopped paying attention to me, and was now focusing on the spirit, I gazed at the snacks. They looked so good, and I could still feel my empty stomach raging against me. Honestly, before I even knew it, I had unconsciously took one of the treats and ate it. I couldn’t explain the compulsion, though what it tasted like, I could say. It was oddly fluffy for such a thin snack, and those small vibrant pieces in it, well they were bursting with flavor. Of everything that I had eaten before, even the foods for breakfast earlier that day, that was the most delicious.

But as I melted in my bliss, Noelle had noticed, and looked at me worriedly. The spirit too looked a bit disheartened. “Are you okay? Do you feel odd in any way?” She quickly asked, her hands suddenly gripping my shoulders. The sudden change in demeanor caused me to flinch backwards, to where I almost stumbled. My stature remained strong, and I simply nodded at her question. “Fuuu, that’s good, seriously, why would you do such a thing?”

“Was that a bad thing to do?” I shrunk back, tears starting to form in my eyes.

“Well it is hard to say, I’ve never met anyone who has eaten a full one… After all, their taste is simply abysmal. These little cookies are completely filled with what one might call elemental energy, that’s why spirits seem to like them, for the common man… not so much.”

“It tasted good to me…” I murmured, a bit confused. Although, she didn’t seem to hear my mutterings, as she took a small nibble of one of the treats, and instantly drew back in disgust.

“Yep, still awful,” She groaned, “Regardless…” regaining her composure, she continued, “At least when it comes to simple and lesser spirits, these are a must have. They are commonly used for a Witch’s first contract, unless they are some sort of child prodigy.” Reaching into the tin, she pulled out one more cookie, one that had a floral shape and apple-ish scent. Handing it to me, she pointed to the simple wind spirit, who was waiting just a meter away. “Now, a witch’s first contract is more important than any other, as often, in the case of simple spirits at least, they will stay with you for life. Take this treat and go make a contract with it. Just a simple promise will do…” Stepping back, she left me alone with the spirit, who had started to hover over the bubbling cauldron.

Even though it lacked eyes, I could tell it was watching me, as it shook with every motion I made. Hesitantly, I drew forwards, holding out the small snack to it. Floating a bit forwards, it took a sniff of the item… if floating green orbs have noses to begin with at least. Yet… that was the extent of what it did, as it simply waited, causing me to remember Noelle’s words.

“If I give this to you, will you be my friend?”

“Cchhiiinngg” A ringing noise emanate from the small creature, almost like a bell. It jumped around when it did so, seeming to be an affirmative movement.

“Here you go,” I handed the biscuit off to it, of which it seemed to absorb. Then, far slower than it had moved before, it set itself down upon my outstretched palm.

“Good, the contract has been established it seems,” Noelle’s voice broke the sudden silence, her footsteps joining as she walked over to me. “Now, I want to teach you your first spell, Naming Ceremony. You can feel the energy running through you from this child, correct?”

Although her question was rather vague, I understood what she meant, so I nodded. Ever since the contract was finished, I felt some sort of a force permeating throughout my body, it felt happy, free, and relaxing. Like a melody of chimes, that was the feeling.

“Now, imagine that energy running all the way to your tongue, whether it is rushing or trickling, just make sure it gets there.” She waited till I gave another nod of affirmation, as I tried to envision what she asked of me. At first, it was like a raindrop, then a steady flow, until finally I felt a rush of power reach my tongue, to the point where it almost felt numb. I noticed it then, that not all of the energy was the same, though what was different I could not tell. “Finally, say the name of this child, you should already know what it is in your heart.”

Yes, I already knew from the moment I touched it. The wind spirit before me carried within it the feeling of freedom and exploration, finding a peaceful meadow with a pleasant breeze, and the chimes that called the lost home. Yes… chimes…

“It is nice to meet you… Bell.” At that moment, that which was quickly becoming a habit occurred. A billowing silence overtook my mind, and an inky darkness claimed my eyes. I blacked out for the third time in three days.