A magician can start their training when they are at least nine years old.

Those words were stuck in my head; it's starting to get a bit annoying. Nine years old... That's three years away, and then I can finally cast my first spell.

But, however, I still have to get to the library for Claude's lessons. And I was starting to not like books because of those experiences. There was one time when I almost fell to my death off the railings when I decided to lay on them for a break, and once, I even cried like a new-born infant on the stairs due to my exhaustion (long story).

I was starting to get fed up by those monstrous mountain-climbing stairs. There must be a shortcut to it... I asked many people for faster (and safer) ways. I remember asking some maids about it, and they said that they didn't know since they had never been to the library. Then a guard replied that he had never known we had a library. "What's a library?" he asked. It's strange, you know. Who doesn't know what the heck a library is? I mean, unless people were that book-intolerant (I am not one of those people).

"I remember there is a lift to it." General Kano answered when I asked him about it. "But I don't think children like you should use it without an adult." Well, I get it. There would be too many buttons on it, which is frustrating even for a six-year-old prince.

I had another idea, and I only came up with it now because I was stupid. How come I had never thought of this when I came to the library for the first time? I decided to follow Claude to the library. And why did Claude arrive there without a sweat? He used the lift that General Kato had mentioned.

I had learned more than just the origin of magic; there were more things to understand too. Magician legends, mythical creatures, and the one I found the most interesting were the elements of magic. All of them were fascinating and unique in their own way. If I were to use magic, I must have started to choose which element to use now.

I had also learned about how magic had affected us humans, both positively and negatively. Claude had told me this story: "Centuries ago, magic was mostly despised by people; despite the legend of the nice sister, people believed that magic was a curse, and magicians were evil witches and wizards who used their power for evil." "Well, that's not true, right?" I interrupted kindly. "It's not entirely true." Claude agreed. "Even though there are some people who do use magic for nefarious purposes... People hated magicians so badly that they decided to hunt them down and execute them in horrific ways, like burning them alive, crucifixion, drowning them, and forcing them to swallow molten gold." I gulped; this was definitely some information that I regretted learning about.

Claude looked at me apologetically and said, "I think we should bring your teddy bear the next time we come here."

"But this had changed two hundred years ago; a king and his son were heading to visit a neighbouring kingdom; in order to do so, they had to cross a mountain with dangerous edges. When the king and his son were passing through... The prince made a wrong move, and he slipped off and plummeted down the cliff. Before the prince could hit the ground, a miracle appeared. The son was incased in a bubble of water, levitating in the air. A magician had saved him, who had used the element of water. The king was grateful for the magician's heroic deed, and once they had reached the nearby kingdom, he told the emperor who ruled there about this incident."

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"The news spread like wildfire, from kings to queens, from merchants to traders, and they knew that some magic can be used for heroic purposes. And this 'burn-the-witch-or-wizard' had died out. And magic is accepted by everyone out there." I gave a quiet clap of applause. "So, because of that dude, magic can exist in peace?" Claude nodded. "Yeah, if it weren't for him, fewer people would want to become magicians, or worse, magic could go extinct. And out of the twelve elements, water is the most favourite of every magician and is used by many." That was an interesting story, and I can't wait to turn nine in order to learn magic.

We repeated the same thing over and over again. And I had learned more new subjects about magic, and they were getting more interesting as we progressed. I had learned about more legendary magicians; there was one who had escaped the Underworld when he accidentally slipped into it; there was one who had been raised by a werewolf; one stopping a war just by creating a vaporizing the enemy's weapons; one who had tamed a thunderbird (which no one had ever done); and so many more, and each of those stories had raised my spirits about becoming a magician.

When I was in bed, I would often pray to the Olympians, the Asgardians, or other gods that I recognised to speed up time so that I could turn nine way quicker. But I think I should respect time, as I don't think the gods will speed it up just for one person. Claude also decided to have these lessons for four days, since he knew I must be tired of learning these things non-stop. But that didn't stop me from waiting to become nine.

Who knows what I will become when I am finally a magician? Maybe I will become a legendary figure for generations to come. Oh, it must be nice for those legends to be famous even after death. My seventh birthday has arrived, and that has made me even more impatient to become a magician. But I can handle it; it's a waiting game, and I'm used to playing waiting games before...

Before I knew it, it was time.

My ninth birthday has finally arrived, and excitement flowed through me when the citizens of Paxsalam cheered for me. I was so delighted that I could have gotten a mental breakdown. "Happy birthday, brother," Claude said as I blew out my candles. "Thanks, bro, and..." "Yeah, yeah, you're nine now, which means you can finally learn magic." My face cast a huge smile and squeaked. Yeah, somebody needs to apply my name to a mental asylum now.

There were a lot of things I needed to ask my brother, but I couldn't keep my cool. "So, when will my first training be?" I asked. Claude took a bite from my cake and said, "Anytime you want." He replied with his mouth full. "It can be today, you know!" I was so hyped up to finally cast a spell. I hope there will be one to make all staircases vanish and replace them with elevators. "It's your birthday today; I think you should relax for now." He does have a point; birthdays are meant to be relaxing, but learning magic is even more relaxing to me!

"And also, have you decided on what element to use yet?" Claude asked. The joy I had almost faded away. For three years, I haven't decided on what element to use yet. I once planned on using the element of insects, but due to my phobia of roaches, I scratched that. I also decided on using the element of thunder, but I'm not an electrician and have very poor understanding on lightning, and I don't think I like the idea of zapping the lights out of some poor soul; no one likes to be electrocuted. "I'm... I'm still deciding." I managed. "It's alright, take your time." Claude replied, "You can even think about it when we are on the way to the Cave of Elements."

"Huh?" The Cave of Elements... That's something that I remembered learning from one of the books. It is the place where all magicians choose their elements before they train. "Are we going there now?" I asked, and an idea ran through me immediately when I thought of the cave. "If you want." Claude answered. "Alright, brother, let's go to this 'Cave of Elements'." I said just after Claude had finished, "I think an element can be a perfect birthday gift.