“So, how are you all settling in?” Reud asked, looking around at the four young mages that were sat on the grass around him.

He had brought them all to Lilia’s training field, despite the chill of the late autumn air, for their first real lesson in magic. It was never a good idea to experiment with spells when surrounded by things that could break, or catch fire, or otherwise be destroyed.

Magic was a volatile thing, after all.

It was a shame that the older boy, Leo, hadn’t joined them too. From what he’d heard, the boy was still struggling with accepting his mana, a sadly all-too-common reaction to those who awakened without the proper support. Most children’s affinity’s burst into life when they tried to do something beyond their physical capabilities around the ages of ten years old, which was the rough threshold where an affinity finally grew mature enough in their souls to handle mana. These first spells often manifested in uncontrollable and dangerous ways, potentially causing injury or death to those around them. A fire affinity could cause burns, an ice frostbite, a lightning a stopped heart.

That that wasn’t to mention the damage the awakening of a soul affinity could cause, as Reud well knew.

“Very well, my lord.” Aleida said, bowing her head. “Jess has been very kind to us.”

“Yeh, she’s real nice.” Hamo said, nodding his head excitedly. “My bed is soo comfy, and she bakes these delicious buns and-”

“Hamo, I don’t think Lord Reud wanted that much detail.” Aleida said, glancing at Reud worriedly.

“No, no. It’s good to hear you’re enjoying your new home.” Reud said, smiling.

Turning to the young twins, Marla and Vorlo, Reud directed the same question at them too. “How about you both, how’s life with your mother?”

“I like being home.” Marla said, her voice so quiet it was barely audible.

“It’s nice.” Vorlo agreed. “But sometimes mommy's a little sad, like when we have to go places. She always wants to hold us.”

Well, Reud could certainly see why the boy would say that. It had been a fight to get the children to come to the schooling he was setting up, Cecily only having finally backed down on the subject of letting the twins out of her sight when Reud had asserted his authority.

The woman still had a lot of issues to work out.

“Are we done? Can we learn some magic now?” Hamo blurted out, his voice filled with eager anticipation.

Reud laughed. “Right right, that’s what you’re here for, isn’t it. We are going to get you all familiar with your affinities, so you can begin to practise, and so you can avoid accidentally hurting anyone. We wouldn’t want that after all, now, would we?”

Marla and Vorlo shook their heads, hugging their knees.

“So, tell me, have any of you tried to use your magic yet?” Reud asked.

Hamo’s hand shot up.

Reud nodded to him. “Oh yes, I remember you attacking one of my minions back in Avonford.”

Hamo’s hand half lowered, the boy immediately looking worried.

Reud raised a hand. “That wasn’t me telling you off, so don’t worry. It was actually very impressive, given how little time I assume you’ve worked on your magic.” He leaned forward. “I expect you’ll turn out to be a very powerful mage one day.”

That sent a grin across Hamo’s face.

“Given you’ve played with your magic before, why don’t you give us a little demonstration.” Reud said.

“Here?” Hamo asked.

“Yes, just throw out the first spell that feels natural up into the sky.”

Hamo furrowed his brow, concentrating hard on his hand. Reud watched the boy, focusing on how the mana moved around and through him. The mana shifted, and a tiny amount slipped into the boy, and an instant later an orb of shimmering air appeared above his hand.

“I did it!” Hamo exclaimed, face lighting up with excitement.

“Well done!” Reud said. “Now, just throw it up.”

Hamo gestured, and the orb shot up into the sky, quickly fading from view.

“So, Hamo here is an aeromancer, otherwise known as an air mage. What he cast there is the most standard spell of the elemental affinities, what we call a bolt. I, on the other hand, am a necromancer, I can manipulate souls.”

Reud looked around at the blank faces around him.

“I know, lots of new words there. But don’t worry, they’ll all make sense eventually. Today, all we are going to do is figure out what all your affinities are, and give you a taste of how to cast your first spell. If at any point you get confused, or want to ask a question, just put your hand up.”

Hamo put his hand up immediately.

“Yes Hamo?” Reud asked.

“I can already cast a spell, and you said I’m an aeromancer, so what should I do?”

“A good question, Hamo. It would be good for you to observe how your friends use their mana, but you can also practise casting that air bolt. The more you use your affinity, the more you cast spells, the more powerful you will become.”

Hamo immediately set to firing off bolts into the sky.

Reud turned to Aleida. “Do you have any idea of what your affinity is?”

Aleida shook her head. “No, my lord. I never had the chance to try it.”

“That’s fine, we can quickly find that out.” Reud shuffled closer to her. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’ll push some mana through you, and we can discover together what form your magic will take.”

Reud reached out, and Aleida flinched away from him for a moment, before relaxing. Gripping a small drop of mana, Reud pushed it into her body, carefully watching how it changed as it passed through the young woman.

A wash of strength flowed through him in return, soothing away the ever-present headache that plagued him every time he restored himself. A wide smile spread across Reud’s face.

“Aleida, it seems you are a biomancer. A healer, as you would otherwise be known. Congratulations.”

“That felt… strange.” Aleida said, sitting back and looking at her hands in shock. “Is that what magic feels like?”

Reud nodded. “It’ll feel better when you are the one fully in control of the spell. This time I pushed the mana into you, next time, you’ll do it yourself.”

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

Reud turned to the twins. “Which one of you wants to go first?”

To his surprise, it was Marla that shuffled forward, just barely edging out her brother. “Me please.” She whispered.

Reud reached out gently and pushed mana through her, the smallest amount he could manipulate. It sunk into the girl instantly, her affinity ripping it out of his grip like some voracious beast.

And then something hit him in the stomach.

The wind was knocked from him in a loud wheeze at the impact. Marla squeaked and jerked back from him, her hand held out in front of her like it was a live snake.

Chuckling, once he could breathe that was, Reud gestured towards her with one hand, the other rubbing his stomach where the spell had struck. “You are a geomancer, or earth mage. That was a rock bolt you cast just then.”

“I… I didn’t mean…” The girl stammered, looking to be on the verge of tears.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. I’m perfectly fine.” Reud said, sitting up straight. “See, no harm done.”

Marla nodded tentatively.

“Me now, me now!” Vorlo said, scooting up past his sister and thrusting out his hand.

Smiling, Reud took it and pushed mana through him too, more carefully this time. A good thing, because the moment that he did another projectile shot out of the boy's palm.

“Huh, that’s odd.” Reud said, frowning at the spell that had just bounced to a stop in the grass.

“W-what do you mean?” Vorlo said, immediately looking worried. “Is it bad?”

“No, nothing like that.” Reud quickly said. “You are a geomancer too, just like your sister.”

Vorlo immediately broke out in a grin, spinning and grabbing his sister in a hug.

“My lord, why is it odd?” Aleida asked.

“Hmm?” Reud said, looking up. “Well, affinities would normally be entirely random, influenced by the unknowable whims of Vistol only. I haven’t heard of twins both gaining the same affinity before. It’s not a problem, it’s just odd.”

Shaking his head, Reud clapped his hands. “Anyway, let's get you all casting your first spell yourselves.”

Focusing, he grabbed the mana in the area and began moving it in a circle, swirling it around the four young mages. “I want you all to close your eyes. Except Hamo, you keep working on those spells. Now, try to feel the energy in the air around you. I’m moving it in a circle, so you should be able to feel something swirling around your heads. When you feel it, try to pull a little into yourself, just a drop, and then push it out. Pull it in, then push it out.”

It was Marla who managed it first, a small chunk of rock popping into existence above her hand before turning into dust as the girl jerked back in surprise. Vorlo was a close second, his rock lasting a few moments longer than his sister’s.

Soon, it was just Aleida left, her face scrunched as she concentrated.

“Relax, just try to feel the mana.” Reud said softly.

“I can’t.” She grunted out from between clenched teeth. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Aleida, it's like the exercise we had to do in the enclave.” Hamo suddenly piped up. “You know, the one with the crystals. Just pretend it's that.”

Reud looked at the boy in surprise. Crystals? Manacrystals maybe? What did the Seekers have them charging those for? To check the success of their affinity research?

He really needed to read more of those papers.

Apparently, the advice was just what Aleida needed. Reud felt the mana surge into her, and she stiffened, then relaxed with a contented sigh.

“Oh, that’s much better.” She said. “I feel amazing now.”

“That’ll be because you just healed every little itch, ache, and discomfort in your body.” Reud said. “One of the benefits of being a biomancer.”

“This is amazing.” Aleida said, opening her eyes. “So I can feel like this all the time?”

Reud nodded. “Yes, as long as there is mana available around you to cast with. And in time, you will learn to do more, to heal more. Cure diseases, injuries, and ailments of all descriptions. I’ve seen healers bring back people on the brink of death, healing them until you would never have been able to tell they were moments away from the end.”

“How about us, what will we be able to do?” Vorlo asked.

Reud thought for a moment, before holding out his hand. “Something like this.”

Focusing, Reud called all the mana in the air into one point, twisting and shaping it into a familiar and very specific form. Gritting his teeth with the strain, he forced the mana tighter and tighter, until the spell snapped into place. In an instant, the mana vanished, and in its place was a fist sized crystal, glowing with a faint amethyst light.

“Woah.” Vorlo said, his eyes wide.

“W-what is that?” Hamo asked, similarly as transfixed by the crystal.

“This is a mana crystal.” Reud said, wiping a faint sheen a sweat from his forehead. “It can be used to store mana. Vast amounts of mana. Very useful for certain, more complex, spells.”

Aleida put her hand up tentatively. Reud nodded to her.

“My lord, I don’t understand. You said you are a necromancer, but you said Marla and Vorlo could do that, so isn’t that geomancy?”

“A very good question, Aleida.” Reud said. “And you are entirely right. Did you see how hard I worked to make this? How much mana it required?”

All four of the young mages nodded.

“That’s because I couldn’t use my affinity to do it. You see, it all boils down to one question.” Reud held up a finger. “What is magic? Anyone want to take a guess?”

“Casting spells?” Hamo said, his voice uncertain.

Reud wobbled his hand. “Sort of close, anyone else want to take a guess?”

“Something to do with mana?” Vorlo hazarded.

“Much closer, yes.” Reud said. “What magic is, is taking mana, shaping it into a particular form, and letting it loose on the world. That shaping and directing, that is what we call a spell.”

“You see, when a person is born with an affinity, like we all were.” Reud gestured around at all four of them. “They gain two abilities. The first is common to all affinities, the ability to manipulate and channel mana. The second ability is unique to each affinity type, and it is the ability to shape mana into specific forms. So that means air magic for Hamo, healing for Aleida, earth magic for Marla and Vorlo, and soul magic for me.”

“Think of magic like… like a goldsmith, making jewellery. Mana is the raw gold rods. The end result, the spell, is the ring he intends to make. And his affinity is the mold. Now the goldsmith can melt down the gold, pour it into the mold, and have the ring he desires. Most mages work this way, simply channelling mana into their affinity, and maybe tweaking the output a little on the other end. This way of casting spells is what you all did just now.”

Reud held up a finger. “However, that is not the only way to create a spell. Instead, the mage can manipulate the mana into the desired form manually, using only their mana shaping to do so. Just like a goldsmith shaping the ring using a hammer. Doing it, however, is extremely difficult. Even the slightest imperfection in the spell can make it fail, or worse, backfire, often with explosive results. It requires endless repetition, and most who try to learn the art injure themselves to quitting.”

Reud looked around at them. “I have practised for more years than you know, and I can only do a few select spells myself, the mana crystal being one of them. Think about it, decades of practising a single spell, a spell that Marla and Vorlo both will be able to do with ease with a year or so of training. One day you may be able to experiment with the art, but only once you’ve mastered everything your affinity can do.”

Hamo looked crestfallen, so Reud patted him on the shoulder. “If you can show me you’ve done that, I will teach you the art myself. Consider that a promise.”

That seemed to perk Hamo up.

“When can I make skeletons?” Vorlo asked.

“I’m sorry, Vorlo, but unless you have a soul affinity, you won’t be able to.” Reud said.

Vorlo looked crestfallen.

“But instead, you can make golems.”

“What are golems?” Vorlo asked, perking back up.

“They are minions made by geomancers, normally made of clay, rock, or metal.”

“So I can make a metal skeleton?” Vorlo asked, his eyes shining.

Reud nodded. “If you practise hard enough, you definitely can.”

“That’s awesome.” He said, smiling.

Spotting a figure standing at the edge of the park, Reud pushed himself to his feet. “But, it looks like that's the end of our little magic lesson. Hana is here to take you all to the rest of your classes.”

A chorus of complaints came from the children, only Aleida keeping silent. Reud put up his hands. “Enough of that, learning your letters is just as important as learning magic. After all, if you can’t read, how can you read the ancient magical texts I have in my library?”

Immediately, the children silenced their complaints, looking interested at the new morsel of learning he’d dropped before them.

“Go on, you don’t want to be late. Tomorrow Lady Lilia will be teaching you magic, so be good and show her what you learned today. Now off with you, go go!”

The group sprung up and hurried off, Hamo and Vorlo chatting excitedly about what amazing secrets the ancient scrolls Reud had mentioned may contain. Reud watched them go, smiling. Teaching the young mages… it felt like old times again. Like Srinaber was getting back on track. These four would be the first of the next generation, a generation free of the oppression of the Seekers and Lightire. A generation free to practise magic as they willed.

And he would crush anyone who got in their way.