“Well you look quite energetic,” Noelle snickered, her form leaning over my fallen one. It was a troubling situation: My body felt lethargic, to a point where it was a struggle to move. In fact, with the quiet breeze, fluffy grass, and shade gifted by an abnormally enormous tree, my eyes felt heavier than ever… z… zzz…
“Luther, the bucket.” My pleasant sleep was swiftly interrupted by a cascade of briskly freezing water, my heart quite literally skipping a beat from the act. Sure, I was awake, but… so cold… I truly did not think that an apprenticeship to a witch would be this stressful…
That morning I was sleeping peacefully… at least until a ringing clamor resounded through wherever I was. To begin with, I was already confused; I once again woke up in a room that I lacked recognition of. Soon after, before I could even get accustomed to what was happening, Luther pulled me from that room to another, the table from before where various covered platters were laid across.
“Eat quickly now, the madame asked me to have you fed and bathed before she wakes,” Luther explained as he removed the lids to the platters, once again revealing a plethora of foods, most of which I had never seen before. To be honest, I could not even describe them to you, as they had vanished all too quickly. Luther’s face actually grimaced at the sight, yet I hadn’t a clue why. My stomach was fuller than ever before, to the point that I could just sleep there.
I did not get a chance to do so though, as I was whisked from the table back to the room I came from. Getting a better look at it, since my mind was finally fully functioning, the house itself was labyrinthian, corridors leading to dead ends, sudden steps up and down, all tied together with countless twists and turns. My head actually grew dizzy just from trying to remember the route connecting the room to the dining area. I had seen villagers construct a house before; What kind of person would build a residence like this? Regardless, Luther seemed to know the house as the back of his hand, and I was returned to the one room where I had awoken that day.
“From this day till whenever you leave us, this shall be your room,” Luther stated, tilting his head lower to stare right into my eyes, which somewhat frightened me. From a pocket at his breast, he withdrew a small key engraved with an extremely detailed carving of a wolf, a red gem serving as its eye. A bit of a side note, but to be honest, I had never understood the yearning for gemstones that others had felt. After all, gems could not be eaten, nor could they provide shelter through the years, yet people wished for them all the same!
Well, even if I didn’t understand, I at least knew their value. Hesitantly, I grasped a hold of that small key, examining it in my hands. The surface was cool to the touch, a bit chilling compared to the feeling of the world around me. Letters were engraved upon the underside, not that my uneducated mind could read them. Yet, I still understood. The key seemingly spoke to me of its purpose, and the small piece of metal called to the door’s keyhole. Luther said nothing, simply watching as I followed the premonition forwards. A faint energy ran through myself as the key entered the slot; With a click, the eerie feeling ended, even if it left me rather puzzled.
“For the one who seeks unending knowledge with an insatiable voracity, I grant thee shelter,” nearly a whisper, yet I heard it all the same, that of which seemed to be the sound of the opening door. The room inside was dark, far darker than before.
“I assume you would appreciate an explanation?” Luther asked with a playful smile, as if watching an animal scared of a simple vegetable. Grimacing, I nodded promptly. “Now then, well actually you might not understand the premise in its entirety at this moment. Regardless, what you need to understand is the following: In general magic is a power of contracts, with demons, angels, spirits, and sometimes even other races of humanoids. In simple terms, this entire house is upheld by a similar phenomenon, especially the living quarters.” As if to demonstrate, he closed the door to my room, and after taking out another key in the shape of a panther, he reopened the door.
“For the one who lives in service to uphold another’s honor, I grant thee shelter,” the key or maybe the door?) whispered, as the door opened to an entirely different room once more. Unlike the dark emptiness of the previous, the room that opened was bright and open, light spilling in from various directions. It was simple in layout, though various paraphernalia littered the area. Brooms, dusters, and other items for cleaning, as well as books and various vials were included in such a variety of articles.
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“You see? Now, that is enough time wasted…” Luther closed the door, the room seemingly turning to normal behind it. As my key brought forth my room once more, I was hurried in, and told simply to change into robes that were stored in the wardrobe. After that, Luther would lead me outside and my training would start.
Within my room, which I only at that point got a good view of, were walls colored sky blue, the closet, and the simple bed I had awoken in just earlier that day. A desk of light colored wood stood at one wall, and a curtained window and door lay at another. It seemed nearly exactly as the room before, with the exceptions being the added decoration. The blue walls, a grassy carpet, and a star covered ceiling, it all felt… so open. As I looked closer, even the bed and wardrobe had a more tree-like appearance than before. Peaceful was the best description of how I felt, although I knew I couldn’t savor the moment for too long. Therefore, I drew open the doors to the closet. Within were cloaks, colored a dark magenta, with linings of a moonish silver. Removing my old clothes, which looked like naught but rags before these, I donned the robe, the cloth airy and smooth on my skin. It was odd, the fabric lacked scratchiness or coarseness, unlike anything I had ever worn. Though, I lacked the time to relish such a fact, as I heard the tapping of Luther’s fist to the door. Quickly closing the wardrobe doors, I headed to the main one, which I opened to see Luther waiting with his eyes closed., leaning against the wall to the side of me.
“So her affinity is Scientiae of Gula. Huh… I guess it makes sense…” His foot tapped against the floorboards, his thoughts leaking into speech. Shutting the door behind me, his eyes opened, noticing the noise. “Interesting, it seems the robes of an apprentice suit you quite well, though it feels incomplete without the hat… well that comes later anyways. Now follow me.”
“Oho~ You finally look the part!” Noelle chuckled, her hair slightly waving in the midday breeze. Her eyes looked me over, bringing a smile to her lips as she appreciated my new clothes. It seemed as though the training was to take place in the outdoors, as Luther led me to what appeared to be a large courtyard, where Noelle had been sleeping in a hammock. With a tap on the shoulder from her trusty servant, she awoke to greet me.
“Now… what were we doing again,” Noelle murmured, stifling a yawn. “Yes… education, that was it.” Lazily, as if her body was moving through water, she stood from her resting place. Picking up her staff, of which she had laid against the nearby tree, she turned to me once more. “Though, let’s do that later, for now… how about some light exercise?”
That statement was what brought upon that of which I could only describe as a hellish training regimine. Odd stretches that I could barely complete, endless running, something weird that Luther called a Plank, just to name a few. To be honest, my body could barely handle it. After all, my life had mostly been that of little movement, mostly hiding. Yet… I didn’t want to give in. So I kept going, even after losing the breakfast from earlier and starting to feel light headed, leading me to a final run. That run of which I ended up collapsing on the ground in front of Ms. Deru by the last stretch.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect her to have so little stamina,” She murmured after the bucket of water had been poured upon my head. My breaths were heavy, my body shivering as I laid sprawled across the ground. Every single part of my body was in agonizing pain, yet… I felt so relaxed.
“If I may, milady,” Luther started, his voice that was absent during the training finally making its debut. As he talked, he strode over to me, reaching a hand out to help me up. That hand was greatly accepted, as it was unlikely that I could stand by my own lacking strength at that point. “Should we not move on to the education now?”
“Fuu… I guess you might be right,” Noelle sighed, glancing at me with a warm smile. “But first, let’s let her get some rest… I’ll be awaiting you inside, don’t take too long a rest my apprentice.” Gradually, her form retreated into the building that surrounded the courtyard, while I leaned against the tree, my eyes weighing heavily against my unexhausted mind. Although, that mind only thought of one thing: This was going to happen often, wouldn’t it.
Sighing, I gathered together my willpower and followed the waiting Luther in. He had a grimace as he watched me shamble forwards, though he said nothing. Instead, he led me to where I needed to go swiftly, which I appreciated greatly. Even if what awaited me was somehow more suffering, I would make it through, to repay her kindness. That was my resolve.