Chapter 06: Birthday

[The Spell wishes you a happy birthday. May you prosper in life and be a blessing to others.]

[The Way of Self-Mastery I (4/10) is now available.]

The messages from the Spell filled my mind the moment I woke up.

"Thanks..." I whispered, yawning. "Is the Way a gift for my birthday?"

Silence answered me.

Might just be a coincidence, I thought, making a mental note to ask Mum how common birthday wishes from the Spell were. Even after all this time, the Spell was still as mysterious as the day it revealed itself to me. It (or she? they?) usually popped into my mind when needed, offering little to no instructions.

Mum had explained that the Spell was designed to make magic more viable and to guide those born with it. Normally, it was only after one’s awakening during their sixteenth season that one gained full access to its benefits.

Or four years, according to the new calendar.

I was merely two today—eight seasons tough—and had eight more long seasons to overcome before my awakening. I could not wait to see what else there was to learn. So much so that I had begun counting my days.

1487 days to go.

It would have been over a hundred days less if I could have gone through it right after my fourth birthday. Unfortunately, the sacrarium did not have enough manpower to awaken everyone immediately after their birthday. They gathered all the unawakened children above four during the two solstices and performed a mass awakening ritual.

I had yet to witness it myself to know how they went about it. All I knew was that the process rooted an essence seed into a child's body, along with awakening any latent talents.

After a couple of hours of meditation, I left my room with a big smile plastered to my face.

"Happy Birthday!" Mum and my aunts cheered in unison the moment they saw me. Clearly rehearsed.

Though not a complete surprise, I giggled and thanked them, my eyes scanning for presents. None in sight. Before I could ask, Mum swooped me up and herded me off to get ready.

She trimmed my hair with practised ease, as if she had done this a hundred times before, then shooed me off for a bath. There, she scrubbed me down as if washing away a year’s worth of grime.

Once I was clean, dressed in new clothes, and my hair neatly combed, I was marched against the wall in the study room.

"Stop looking up and hold still while I measure," Mum said, steadying my head. She placed a ruler on top of my head and scratched a line onto the hardwood with her nail. The wall had been my growth chart since I could stand. "Alright, now you can look."

She aligned a measuring strip along the markings. "99.3 centimetres. You’ve grown a whole eighteen centimetres this cycle."

I'm practically half a man now! Just a few more years to go, I thought, clenching my fist.

"He’s going to tower over me," Aunt Emilyn commented, ruffling my hair.

That much was obvious. Mum was just under six feet tall, and what little I remembered of my father hinted at a brooding, towering figure.

"Alright, it's time for the gifts!" Mum clapped her hands. "We also have a cake."

Mum set up a recorder on the table to capture the moments as we cut the cake and devoured it with utmost gusto. I ended up with a creamy moustache on my upper lip.

Then, it was time to unwrap the presents.

Mum helped me unwrap a small gift box. "Your aunt must have picked something truly special for you, Pumpkin."

I held my breath in anticipation, hoping for something magical. After all, Aunt Emelyn was a Magus. Maybe a magical trinket! But when the wrapping fell away, I found a silver chain with a phoenix pendant.

It was pretty, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. However, Mum’s expression changed when she saw the pendant, and she glanced at Aunt Emelyn.

"Emi, you didn’t!"

"It wasn’t easy finding the right gift for a two-year-old nephew," Aunt Emelyn said, holding up the chain. "Rose kept suggesting silly things like wands, scrolls, essence strips, even aether droplets..."

And you didn’t think a kid might have a better idea of what a younger kid would like?

"In the end, I chose this. He’s an Amadeus, after all."

I stared at the pendant, suppressing any disappointment I bore in my heart.

"It’s beautiful," I said quickly.

It wasn’t a lie. The phoenix pendant was stunning and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. One could not mistake it for an ornament for girls. When Mum fastened it around my neck, I noticed that the small phoenix wasn’t silver—it was some kind of silvery gem, and it felt heavier than it looked.

With one gift down, I eyed Rosalyn. Noticing my gaze, she turned to me, baffled.

"What?" she said. "I already gave you a gift, remember? Or have you suddenly taken a liking to the flute?"

"I was looking at your pendant," I said, quickly holding up my phoenix pendant. "It looks like mine."

The only difference was that hers was sapphire, while mine was silvery.

"Of course it does," Rosalyn said curtly. "We all have one."

I had never seen Mum wear one. I looked at Aunt Emi, who smiled, showing me a ring on her index finger with the same phoenix emblem. Hers was sapphire too.

Now there was only one person left. I turned to Mum.

"I lost mine ages ago," she said, crouching down to my level. "And your grandmother would kill me if I asked for another."

Before I could ask any more questions, Mum pulled another gift box from behind her.

"This one’s from me, Pumpkin."

This time, I got to open it on my own. Everyone waited to see what was inside.

"Is that what I think it is?" Rosalyn leaned forward, her eyes narrowing.

Aunt Emelyn shot a very measured look at Mum. "Really?"

"What is this?" I asked, pulling out a crystal cube covered in familiar and unfamiliar letters. "Another puzzle?"

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Mum had given me a wooden puzzle cube for my first birthday, but this one looked far more impressive, shimmering with complexity.

"Did you craft this, Ash?" Rosalyn asked. "Wait, isn’t he a little young for something like this?"

"You should've thought of that before suggesting wands and scrolls," Aunt Emelyn said with a laugh.

"Don't worry, little goblin, I made one for you too," Mum said, stroking Rosalyn’s hair. "I was planning to send it to you when you go to the academy."

"Can I have it now?" Rose asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Only on one condition." Mum pulled another box out of nowhere. How did she do that? Is Mum a Magus too? "You can’t get help from anyone to solve it."

"Obviously. I'm not a blighted fool."

Why did you look at me when you said that? I glowered at her, but the brat had already moved on. She snatched the box from Mum’s hands and ripped the wrapping off to reveal a crystal cube similar to mine—but hers had no runes or letters on its surfaces.

I couldn’t help but grin, glancing between the two cubes.

"What?" Rosalyn caught my expression.

"Yours is smaller," I teased, smirking.

"So?" the brat snorted. She held her cube up to my face as it came to life with dozens of shimmering blue spirals. "See this? This proves my cube is magical, compared to yours, which is simply a bigger one."

I frowned, glancing between the two cubes before turning to Mum for clarification.

"You’re not allowed to get help with yours either, Pumpkin," Mum said, planting a kiss on my forehead. "As for magic, I’ve told you before—you’re still too young."

I sighed, letting Rosalyn have her little victory. Gloat all you like, brat. I’ll catch up soon enough, and I won’t even have to brag about it.

"What is it, though?" I asked after a tentative study of the cube.

"Stupid, it’s a Spell Template," Rosalyn said. "Well, mine definitely is a Spell Template. Don’t know about yours."

Thanks for no help, then. I returned to Mum.

"That is the common term for it," she said. "The rest is for you to figure out."

"I’ll give you a hint," Aunt Emelyn added. "Once you solve the cube, you can begin to learn spellcraft, maybe even some runes... Right, Ash?"

Mum shot her a sharp look. "Will you stop raising his expectations?" she groaned. "I don’t want him growing up like we did. I want him to be himself, to do what he loves, not what we expect of him."

But I want magic. Who wouldn’t want a little magic in their life?

Rosalyn looked up from her cube, silently observing her sisters.

Mum placed her hands on my shoulders. "You’re still little, Pumpkin," she said softly. "Too young to grasp what it takes to practise spellcraft."

I tilted my head in confusion.

"Do you know it takes years of mental training and discipline before you can even attempt it?"

I blinked in surprise. This was the first time I had heard of it.

"It took me eleven seasons," Aunt Emelyn added helpfully.

"Only nine and a half for me," Rosalyn boasted.

I looked at her in shock. This brat already knows magic?

"Truly?" Mum said, amused. "Who knew our little goblin was such a prodigy?"

Rosalyn’s cheeks flushed at the compliment. "It’s nothing. Just hours of tedious work."

A small breath of relief escaped me. I’d been worried she meant it would take a decade to prepare. Nine seasons didn’t seem so bad by comparison. The important question here was—when could I start?

Rosalyn looks about six and a half. If it took her nine seasons, she must have started around when she was four at the latest. I can’t wait that long...

"Ari, you need to remember that these mental exercises can be very dangerous for young minds," Mum said. "I’ll teach you when you’re older, but you must promise me you won’t try anything on your own."

"I won’t..." I promised, though part of me still wished I could start sooner. Well, it wasn’t like I had nothing else to practise. There were still so many Ways I needed to complete and so many more to gain access to.

"Good boy!"

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****

"Where are we going, Pumpkin?" Rose asked, smirking. She seemed to find my nickname funny, and hers was Goblin.

Rosalyn spent the entire morning absorbed in her cube. Eventually, Mum and Aunt Emelyn got fed up with her lounging on the couch and sent us both outside to play. Of course, the girl didn’t forget to bring the cube with her. It remained in its active state, glowing in spirals of blue light, manipulated by her threads of essence.

"Is it really that fun?" I asked, watching her.

"Hmm," she hummed distractedly.

"We’re going to the playground."

"Hmm."

Only Eran and Diana knew about my birthday, but when I got to the playground, it turned out everyone did. Soon, I was surrounded by my friends. Under Eran’s lead, they sang a stupid folk song, wishing me a long life while circling around me in floppy steps.

Even Rosalyn looked up from her cube to see what was happening, though she stayed a dozen paces away, watching with amusement.

I guessed this was a birthday ritual among playmates. I vowed to make every one of them embarrassed when it was their turn.

Once the singing and dancing finished, the kids split into two teams for Serenade Circle. I was made leader, probably due to it being my special day.

"Hey, Ari, who’s that?" Eran whispered, nodding toward Rosalyn.

A snotty little brat, that’s what she is. Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of being her nephew. That’s what I wanted to say, but instead, I managed with, "My unpleasant aunt."

Eran exchanged a look between us. "Should we ask her to play?" he asked hesitantly. "She’s standing there all by herself."

"You can try," I said, though I doubted she’d want to. The brat probably thought she was too good to play with little kids.

Eran was unsure, but a group of adolescents arrived and headed straight for her, sparing him the awkwardness. Not that she looked any more interested in talking to them either.

We had just started the second round when the kids spotted something far more exciting than our little game. And what could be more interesting than Serenade Circle, other than the presence of a Shaper?

"Look, it’s Ulric!" one of the kids shouted, and the group scattered to join the teenagers. "He’s going to show us magic spells!"

In the end, only Eran, Diana, and I remained behind in the circle. My friends cast their glances over at the commotion.

"Who’s Ulric?" I asked.

"You don’t know Ulric?" Eran gasped, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He’s the son of Master Luna…"

"Who’s Master Luna?" I asked, still confused.

Both Eran and Diana stared at me, dumbfounded.

"Never mind," Eran said. "Didn’t you hear that Ulric awakened the Shaper path last year? Come on, let’s go watch!"

I hadn’t, but I followed them anyway. The term Shaper intrigued me. Shapers were among the rarest and most sought-after paths. They were the foundation pathways towards magi and knights. They came in all kinds of elements: Shaper of Fire, Shaper of Life, Shaper of Water, and so on.

Ulric was about Rose’s age and seemed a bit out of his depth, surrounded by eager onlookers. He looked uncomfortable in the spotlight, enough to give him stage fright. It looked like he was playing with mud, but there was something more to it.

I inched closer to Rosalyn, trying to get a better view. My Arcane Acuity tingled.

It took me a moment, but I realised Ulric wasn’t just playing with mud. Thin, mud-green threads of essence weaved through the soil as he lifted his hands. The mud began to shift.

Under everyone’s riveted gaze, the muddy soil rose into a small wall, the essence binding it together.

The crowd erupted in cheers, but Ulric wasn’t finished. With a gesture, the wall lifted off the ground and began to float in a slow circle. Claps broke out among the kids.

The mud changed shapes in the air for several minutes as the young Shaper began to sweat, despite the cool weather.

"Alright, that’s enough for today," he said, wiping his forehead.

The kids groaned in disappointment. His eyes briefly flickered towards Rosalyn.

"I need to practise more, or I’ll be stuck playing with mud forever."

"You didn’t have much training before awakening your path, did you?" Rosalyn asked, cutting through the chatter.

"I…" Ulric flushed, unsure how to respond.

"All he does is train, train, and train," another boy said, coming to his defence. "Either with his father or his mentor."

"There’s a difference between regular training and Shaper training," Ulric said with a sheepish smile. "I never expected to awaken as a Shaper, let alone train for it."

Rosalyn nodded, as if she had already known.

"Are you a Shaper too?"

Rosalyn frowned at him, then glanced at me, noticing my curiosity.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Can you shape earth like Ulric?" Diana asked, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Earth is not my element," my aunt said.

Diana and the other kids looked visibly disappointed.

"But I can do this."

She raised her hand. Wisps of mist and wind curled off her palm and rose into the air. Most of the kids looked puzzled, finding nothing unusual, but I could see the blue threads of essence spiralling from her fingertips, binding the mist and wind together. So could Ulric, who sniffed the air, sensing something mystical.

I watched closely, but I couldn’t figure out what she was doing. The others lost interest and began to leave, but I stayed.

Then, the first flake of snow landed on Diana’s shoulder. She looked up in surprise.

"Snowfall?"

More snowflakes followed, drifting lazily through the air. The kids cheered again, lunging to catch them on their tongues. I caught a few myself, watching them melt in my palm. Finally, I realised how she did it, though I was hopeless to replicate it.

It didn’t take long for everyone to figure out where the snow was coming from.

"Arilyn, you didn’t say your aunt was a Shaper?" Eran asked, wide-eyed. "This is amazing!"

I had to admit, it was. Rosalyn’s face was a mask of satisfaction when she noticed me watching.

We played for another hour before it was time to go home. After saying goodbye to Eran, I walked beside Rosalyn in silence. Intrusive questions built up inside me as I stole glances at her.

"You drew the heat from the moist air to make snowflakes, didn’t you?" I finally asked.

Rosalyn faltered, shooting me a surprised look. Her expression told me I’d guessed right.

"How long will it take me to learn that?"

"Weeks, maybe months," she said. "Or perhaps never."

"When did you start training?"

"Since I was three," she answered, frowning. "Why are you asking?"

I didn’t reply, clenching my fists. Four more seasons to go.