Teo sat silently on a boulder near the elevated cliff, that was overlooking the pebbled beach in the southwest of Ritark, staring at the wide, open North Sea.
Yesterday had been quite something. Teo had never before experienced such an odyssey of emotions, throwing him up and down with a series of revelations that still baffled him.
Who could have expected, that he possessed the talent necessary, to learn 'real' Magic?
That he had mysterious relatives, conveniently living in a prosperous, nearby city, just waiting to welcome him?
No, this had to be fate, what else could explain these fortunate circumstances?
He had originally planned to succeed his father's craft as a blacksmith, living a sheltered life in this peaceful borderland-village...
But now he had the chance to become something else entirely and his insides slowly began burning with desire to grab this chance by its horsetail, jump onto it and ride into the sunset.
Sure, he would miss his parents, but how bad could it be? Also, his father had already made himself clear, that he could not say no to his parents' decision anyway, so now he only had to wait patiently for his destiny to come knocking.
The only problem was...
The wait was killing him!
His father had just finished the letter to Teo's paternal grandparents and handed it to Mr. Freebender, the only merchant in Ritark, who also happened to set out towards Sigella tomorrow anyway.
Paper used to be something quite valuable, that not anyone could effortlessly afford, especially books were a limited commodity, almost considered luxury goods. Writing a mere letter, or even knowing how to write, an impossible dream for most common people.
Teo only knew this from his father's stories though, since he was too young to notice any ongoing historical changes himself.
Much had changed after the Magic Association was assembled over 100 years ago, one of the most notable effects being the massive promotion of paper, books, and knowledge.
Through the Association's efforts in mass-production, paper and books became something that even common farmers could afford, depending on their topics, even if they were still far from being cheap.
This was something, Teo deeply appreciated, since he loved to make his mother read the stories about Magic and Adventures to him, that the Association propagated.
Sitting there at the shore thinking about various topics, Teo was deeply aware, that he needed something to put his mind on until it was time for his departure; and he had just the right idea.
He could not simply waste his time, playing around with the other kids, he was not a child anymore!
No, instead it would be much more interesting to try and learn the basics about Magic from Mr. Atkins, who had kindly offered to answer his questions and seemed to be free anyway.
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The decision already made, Teo quickly waddled over to the overbearing building that was the Apprentice Magician's home, as well as the Magic Association's official branch in Ritark, the Magician's Office.
Half-sunken into the shadows of the neighboring forest it was as gloomy as ever when Teo slowly approached the rune-adorned door.
It was still impressive, but his recent experience took much of the fear from him, no longer outweighing his courage.
Obviously, this place had not been built for children, as he had to invest a considerable amount of effort to lift the heavy, black iron door-knocker, that he could barely reach, and let it crash against the massive door.
"BAMM!"
It produced a muffled, but clearly audible, blunt sound.
'Whoever is in there, must have heard that!' thought Teo, satisfied with his own work.
After a short moment, the door swung open by itself again and the unmistakable, rough voice of Mr. Atkins echoed,
"Come in, boy!"
Teo wondered, what had given him away, clearly, Mr. Atkins knew who had come to visit.
After stepping through the gate, he saw a scrawny, but rather tall, middle-aged man, seated behind an old, document-ridden desk, wearing a thick pair of reading glasses.
Spare for the glasses, neither the room nor Mr. Atkins had changed much since yesterday and were as unwelcoming as ever.
"To what do I owe the honor of welcoming you again today, Teo?" hissed the robed figure in a snake-like voice, visibly unpleased for being disrupted during his work, whatever that was exactly.
"I want to learn Magic... real Magic!" stammered Teo intimidated and then quickly added,
"You said I can ask you about Magic anytime... Sir."
"Indeed," the man nodded, "I did."
"But isn't there a difference between answering questions and teaching? I am a busy man, you know?" the man said with a slight grin.
"Please Mr. Atkins! I don't need much of your time, just give me a few hints, in what direction I should work too!" Teo begged, providing for a heart-wrenching scene, with his little body curled into a deep bow.
He had quickly reached the end of his rope, as he did not know what else he could do to convince the Magician in front of him.
Meanwhile, the calculative Senior Apprentice, Mr. Edgar Atkins, was very satisfied with his small ploy, as the dialog with the raw gem in front of him was progressing quickly along the pre-chosen path.
'He may be a nameless nobody now, but when introduced to the right people, this could quickly change,' he thought to himself.
"Maybe I can spare some of my precious time, to teach you the basics, but do remember, that you owe me a favor for that. Everything has its price, in the realm of Magic," he offered in a glutinous voice.
Teo was surprised, it seemed like he had a chance after all. He really did need someone to teach him, the offer sounded strangely formulated to him though.
"What price do you mean exactly? I am only a boy and I have no money; also I will probably leave in a few days to live with my grandparents in the city," Teo replied cautiously.
"Oh, don't be silly, why would I want your money? I have not fallen so low, that I needed to mug a kid for a few copper coins. No, what I want is a favor…" Edgar licked his lips in an unsettling manner, following the typical evil villain trope, while Teo still did not get the implication.
"Let me put it in simpler words: I will teach you as much as I can before you leave this village and all I want in return, is a favor; redeemed when it´s ripe. Maybe a precious Potion from an Alchemist, a Magic Artifact from an Enchanter, a priceless Grimoire from an Archmage, even a few gold coins, if that is your limit."
"See it as an investment, if you fail, like most other boys with ambitions, I will have lost nothing, but if you succeed in whatever path you take, a simple favor from you could equal a lot of benefits," the Magician explained, with surprising honesty.
Indeed, even from Teo´s side, he had everything to gain and nothing to lose.
"That´s it? No hook?" Teo asked, skeptically.
"What hook? Do I look like a demon to you? Where would be the honor in that? I simply proposed a fair deal, that would benefit us both," Edgar hissed, he was actually quite hurt by the untactful remark.
He didn´t want to trick the boy, he just didn´t want to work for free! Why did people always misunderstand him?