It took Gabe three weeks of solid studying, working in the shop and meditation before Agnes allowed him to cast the first spell. She told him about the monsters hidden in the shadows, gods that could turn one into a tree or animal. She told him of the Veil, that hid it all away.

"The Veil is a magical creation by witches eons ago, it keeps humans safe from the creatures of the other world, where magic lives. The Veil is like a mesh, it allows magic to flow out but only those aware of it and with training can touch it's majesty. There are holes, though, that form, and monsters leak out. I want you to be safe from them, and to protect yourself, but first you must be able to see them, to sense them. To exist past the veil, that draws away your senses.'

To fix all of this, and give him a real chance, she had a spell ready for him. They were outside, in her garden, in a circle of torches, and he was chanting. The ritual was simple, draw on the essence of magic to pierce the Veil and see the world for what it was. It would hurt, the raw focus to shatter the Veil would be agonizing... but it was key if he was to tap into the craft.

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So he chanted, over and over, pouring his full might, hope and desire into the spell.

"Congrega et veni, magicae mundi. Frangite velum, mortale hoc videndum est!" For a long ten minutes, nothing happened, the air just felt cold... but Gabe would not give up. "Congrega et veni, magicae mundi. Frangite velum, mortale hoc videndum est! Congrega et veni, magicae mundi. Frangite velum, mortale hoc videndum est! Congrega et veni, magicae mundi. Frangite velum, mortale hoc videndum est!"

It was only after an hour, when the Full Moon reached its zenith, that he felt it. A rush of cold and hot, his mind searing in anguish, but still he chanted. The world blurred, red and white, his mind bursting free from the Veil over it, and soon... the world shifted and he saw it.

The rush of shimmery white energy lifting from him body and dispersing into the air.

He collapsed, turning to face Agnes, smiling. "With a free mind, you can see what you must... now, shall we begin?"

And from that day on, everything changed, and the path that formed before him truly became open.