Yura cautiously stepped into the hidden cave nestled within the roots of the massive tree. Inside, she found the aged man known as Thyme engrossed in planting seeds in shoddily crafted clay pots. A neat row of these vessels sat before him on a sizable, mostly flat stone.

Apart from the pots, the cave accommodated a few makeshift bedding arrangements constructed from accumulated hay, serving as their resting places. A large stone bowl brimming with water, a dead bonfire with a cleaned frying pan, and an ancient, rusty cauldron – that was the entirety of the available utensils within this vast forest that enveloped them, the unlikely group of strangers.

"Are they training again?" the elderly man inquired.

"Woof!" Milo, the faithful canine companion, answered on behalf of the girl as he trotted alongside her.

"Because of all the troubles that happened, Yue-liang lost his mother... He is angry and wants revenge," Yura explained. „He thinks he might get it if he learns from Whurel, but...”

„But?”

„But how can a single man fight with dozens of trained soldiers? He is only going to get himself killed. He is blinded by anger, but I can see that Whurel only does this so Yue-Liang will follow him to the man who sent him here,” she shook her head. „I tried to explain, but he didn’t listen.”

"And now you don't know what to do with yourself," Thyme observed, his hand gently hovering over one of the pots, cradling a freshly buried seed. „You are angry, and need a distraction, but you can't find any.”

She nodded. Gradually, a delicate green leaf emerged from the soil, unfurling itself as it pierced through the earth's surface, luring the girl’s attention and awe. The old man carefully placed the pot back on the stone, alongside the others housing the sprouting plants. Without delay, he reached for the next pot, which appeared to contain only a handful of moistened soil.

Passing his hand over it, another tiny plant emerged, born into existence.

"How do you do this?" Yura inquired, her gaze fixed on Thyme.

"It's magic," he explained, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Woof!" Milo barked in agreement.

"How dare you!" the old man retorted, his temper flaring. "I'm not wasting my time! This is important work!"

He sprang to his feet, shaking his fist at the wolf while still clutching the pot in his hand.

The animal darted out of the cave but paused at the entrance. Lowering itself onto its front paws, its tail wagging furiously. „Woof!” Milo let out another bark flapping his tongue out, tounting the old man.

"I'm not gonna chase you! Grow up, you rascal!" Thyme shouted.

"Woof!" Milo responded once more.

With the old man resuming his seat, the wolf rose from its position, lifting one hind leg and relieving itself right at the cave entrance.

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"You little rascal!" Thyme exclaimed once again, jumping back up. "How dare you do this at our house!"

The mischievous animal darted away into the wilderness.

„Wrrrr!” the old man growled but sat down once again. „I swear, this wolf will be the end of me.”

Yura observed the brief interaction with a smile dancing on her lips, then turned her attention to the old man, who muttered to himself in an attempt to regain composure.

"Can you... Can you teach me?" she hesitantly asked, once Thyme had calmed down from his outburst at Milo.

"Teach you? Teach you what?" The old man raised his head, genuine surprise reflecting in his eyes.

"The magic," she explained shortly.

"Oh... Right... My magic is a difficult thing. It's not like the fancy tricks wizards do," he shook his head.

"I want to try if you don't mind," she persisted, refusing to back down.

Her determination caused the old man to sigh. "Come. Sit next to me," he instructed.

Without hesitation, she settled down beside him.

"Do you know how magic works?" he asked, carefully studying her face.

"No," she shook her head. "I'm a peasant girl. All I know is how to work in the fields."

Her words brought a gentle smile to his lips. "You are so much more than that. I've seen it. It's only been a few days, but I've seen everything. Milo sees it too, otherwise, he wouldn't be playing with you," he nodded slowly before shifting his gaze toward the cave entrance. Then he continued, "Magic is this mysterious energy that can be manipulated. It surrounds us, but it's often difficult to notice. Sometimes, if your senses are finely tuned, you can feel it."

„Then I guess mine aren’t because I don’t believe I ever felt it,” she confessed.

„Some do have it within themselves. And those individuals we called the mages. They can develop this power. Learn the principles behind it, and figure out how to use it in different ways.”

"So, you're trying to tell me that I need this magic within me to do what you do, but I don't have it?" she questioned. Her lips pressed tightly together, revealing a touch of sadness.

"No. What I want to tell you is that most mages will claim you need innate talent to use magic, but that's not entirely true. Yes, many people perceive magic in that way—you have to possess it within yourself to tap into its power. However, the truth is different. The truth is that magic is actually everywhere. It's in the grass outside, in the trees, in the birds, in your friend, and in you too. It's in everybody. Some people just have more than others and can manifest it. But what I do is something entirely different," he smiled once more.

She gazed at him patiently, anticipating his further explanation. A moment passed, and then he took a deep breath, deciding to continue.

"What I do, is draw the magic from the world around me, then shape and channel it. That's how I make plants grow faster. I can teach you, but it's incredibly challenging. Far more difficult than the methods used by other mages. What's even more crucial to understand is that it's dangerous. It could harm you if you're not careful. I mean it when I say it's truly, really dangerous," he concluded, locking his gaze deeply with hers.

It felt as though he was peering directly into her soul, which sent a shiver down her spine, as she could feel that his warning was genuine.

"When they took my friend, I went to stop them, but I couldn't do anything," she stammered, her voice trembling. "They kept me locked up for days, and when they finally released me..." Her voice faltered momentarily, but she clenched her teeth, summoning her determination to continue. "They wanted to do terrible things to me, and I was powerless. I couldn't do anything when that man attacked the soldiers escorting us,” she pointed at the entrance of the cave. „I know it's only going to get worse... I need to be able to do something. I want to protect what I have left. Myself, and Yue-Liang."

Thyme let out a heavy sigh as she finished her heartfelt admission, and with a groan, he hoisted himself up.

"If you truly need it, then I will teach you," he grumbled. "Close your eyes, quiet your thoughts, and try to feel it. Once you do, let me know," he instructed, gathering the pots containing the delicate saplings.

"Feel what?" she asked, her face etched with confusion as she watched him.

"When you feel it, you will know," he replied, a faint chuckle escaping him.

With that, he gathered all the pots and left the cave, clutching them in his weathered hands.