Upon entering the shop, my gaze was met with the kindly blue eyes of the shopkeep at the back of the room. The small old man smiled, the action deepening his wrinkles, and stepped out from behind the counter to greet us, a waft of incense trailing behind him.
“Hello! What can I do for you?” He asked.
“We’d like to get this animal tested.” She said, gesturing to Ani, still huddled in my arms. The old man smiled and gestured at me to bring Ani closer.
Noticing my hesitance, he reassured me.“Don’t worry, boy. I just need to feel for him. It’s completely painless and will be over quickly.” I opened my mouth to protest at being called ‘boy,’ as I was in my twenties, but he cut me off. “Don’t protest, boy. Most people are young enough to be called ‘boy’ by me.”
Fair enough, I suppose. I brought Ani closer, and the old man raised his hands to hover over him, concentrating. I leaned down for a better view, curious to see real magic in action. The air around us cracked with static, and the old man started glowing green, light radiating from his hands. I started at the view, and I had to tighten my grip on Ani to keep from dropping him. Real magic! I felt as giddy as a child at Christmas, the sight of it enough to momentarily wash away my aches and pains.
After a few minutes, his blue eyes flashed open, and the man turned to look up at me. He smiled kindly.
“Have you ever been tested?” He asked me. The question was strangely targeted.
“N-no,”
“Well, I want to confirm something before I tell you,” He stated, eyes twinkling, “Mind if I check?” I shook my head mutely.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
He gestured for me to set Ani down, which I did stiffly. He then stepped forward and cupped my face with his hands before closing his eyes. Like with Ani, the old man glowed green. His hands warmed my face, not quite warm enough to burn. After a few minutes, he dropped his hands, giving me a smile.
The corners of my lips turned up in return.
“I see.” He said with a broad smile. He glanced at Sera, Helia, and Ani before turning back to me, eyes dancing with joy.
“Well, my boy, it seems you’re a mage–and a unique one at that!” He proclaimed. I thought I should feel excited, but I felt blank from shock. Real magic. Excitement and anticipation tingled along my spine, and I wondered if it was something this world had granted or if magic had always been real.
“Unique?” Sera questioned. The old man laughed and nodded.
“I’ve met very few mages with this feeling. Most I’ve encountered with it have little and end up as fortune tellers or specialize in other magics.” His gaze then turned serious as he looked at me. “I don’t know everything your magic type can do-I don’t even know what it’s called. I only know of a few abilities, though I’m sure there are more. The ones I know of are: the ability to see the future and the ability to see the past.” Well, not quite as exciting as I’d hoped upon hearing the word magic, but it could be very useful if I learned to use it
“When the magic is just developing,” he explained, “some have said it manifests as a ‘bad feeling. Sound familiar?”
His words brought to mind the feeling of crawling ants I’d had before unlucky events. Doubt crept in, then. Surely, someone would have known if magic existed back home.
“It doesn’t,” I told him. He gave me an understanding smile, and I felt as if he’d seen through to my inner thoughts.
“And your kitten is your familiar! He’s got the same feeling as you. You’re lucky there, boy, to find a magical creature with the same abilities you have. Yours is a subtle magic, so I’ve only encountered magical creatures with such abilities once or twice when people such as yourselves bring them in for a cursory test.”
The same abilities? I glanced down to look at Ani. Dust and incense from the floor store reflected in his eyes, reminding me, suddenly, of the stars I had seen before. I wondered then if there was perhaps more to our magic than was known.
“Thank you for your services,” Sera stated, an unreadable look on her face. The kindly old man gave another face-splitting smile.
“No, thank you! I’m glad I got to meet another such as yourself before my time on this earth ended.” He said, bending over to give Ani a gentle pat on the head. “Unfortunately, I don’t know much about this kind of magic, but if you want to know more, you can ask the Mage’s guild for access to their library. It’s not normally open to outsiders, but I’ll put in a good word for you.” He stated, turning his attention back towards us.
Sera gave a real smile at that and nodded in a silent thank you. I turned to nod at the old man as well, then bent over to scoop Ani up and follow her outside. We silently made our way back to the inn, contemplating the revelations.