The next morning had an interesting effect on everybody's mood.
The sun rose, powerful and bright, making all life possible on that side of the world for one more day, like it did everyday. With all of its warmth and light, it was able to shake off the dark feelings that had circled around Nero's thoughts during the previous night.
She never believed in you.
Nero placed a bunch of finished books on a desk and sighed.
Sharmon had argued that the reason grandma Lonia was so shocked was her lack of faith in him. A good day for Nero to go have his fun, participate in a magic contest, only to come back defeated, but feeling like everything is possible, and that everyone has a chance, but ultimately deciding that selling books was his thing.
Instead, he had returned victorious, accompanied by a striking familiar, and that had thrown his grandma's plans out the window.
However, when the store opened the following day, a lot of people had gathered around the bookstore. Many wanted a word with the summoner, but many others took the chance to help an old lady out and purchased something, causing business to boom. This in particular, Nero noticed, had a positive effect on grandma Lonia's view on things.
Nero smiled at the view of his grandma happily selling her merchandise and couldn't help but disagree with Sharmon. Grandma Lonia was an old lady who had tended to that bookstore for years, and was in many ways the work of her life. She had raised him, educated him, and allowed him to join the exams, and was now set to participate in the second round of testing.
For that, he needed to prepare, and grandma Lonia had allowed Nero the week off his regular bookstore duties to keep learning magic.
Nero grabbed his bag and his head popped out of the door leading to the back room.
"Grandma, I'll be going now."
"Yes, yes. Take care of yourself, dear.", she waved him goodbye before quickly addressing the next customer in the line.
Outside, Sharmon was waiting for him, arms crossed.
"So... where are we going?"
"Do you have the book with you?"
"Yeah, I have it in the bag.", said Nero, giving it a gently pat, "I also brought lunch, and stuff."
"Very well. We shall head into the nearby forest and find a secluded place."
Sharmon gave Nero no further information.
Northeast of Nycea, a lush forest extended itself near endlessly. Many called it The Green Maze, since a lot of people had gotten lost in there, and some said that there were people who never returned, but that was was just a myth.
Probably.
Nero followed Sharmon around the city and deep into the woods. Someone was bound to follow them, and Nero thought a few people had, at least from a distance, but everyone had quickly given up after the pair entered the forest.
"Looks like everybody decided to go back to their routines,", commented Nero with a smile.
Being popular was one thing, but having people watching him prepare for the exam and potentially divulge that information was something he had no interest in.
If the details of the test were to be kept in secret, then his preparations would also be done in secret.
"This is a suitable location.", said Sharmon after an hour of walking.
Nero stepped next to him and took a moment to appreciate the view in front of him.
A small, C-shaped clearance cut by a quiet stream presented itself as the perfect grounds to conduct his training.
At least, Nero assumed they would be training.
"What are we doing first?"
"Get some water ready."
Nero filled a bottle with water from the stream, taking the chance to drink some, before standing right in front of Sharmon.
The sorcerer looked at him, measuring him somehow, before addressing him.
"If everything you told me yesterday is true, then you will fail this next test.", he said.
Nero blinked a few times.
"Huh...?"
"You only know how to do one spell, and you cannot use it anymore. Whatever the College requires you to do next, you will find yourself unable to perform it."
"So... what are we going to do?"
"If you are to succeed, you must learn magic, boy. And not the children games you saw yesterday,", his tone grew severe, "but real magic."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Yesterday, you said you did not know anybody named like me. You have an interest in magic and its practitioners, meaning that if you have never heard of me, then it is safe for me to assume that nobody else does, either."
"Yeah, you're probably right about that.", said Nero.
He still didn't know where he was getting at with this.
"As I was trying to say back at the infirmary before being interrupted, what you did yesterday was not a regular summoning."
Nero scratched the back of his head softly.
"I mean... I guess I didn't. I'm aware I shouldn't have been able to summon a familiar stronger than myself, and yet I did it."
"The three basic rules of summoning. Name them"
"The... three rules..."
"Surely you know these rules, brat."
"Ye-yeah..."
"Then, name the first rule of summoning."
"First rule of summoning: a summoned familiar can never be stronger than the summoning party.", Nero recited.
"That is correct. Name the second rule."
"The second rule... is that a bond between a familiar and a summoner can be broken at any given time, either by mutual agreement or forcefully if the summoner wishes it so."
"Indeed. Surely you know the third rule as well."
"The... the third rule of summoning... states that if one dies, the contract is null and the surviving party is free."
"Certainly. These are the three basic rules of summoning. The reason I am here is because the ritual you performed yesterday is not a summoning, but a soul contract."
Nero stared at him, speechless.
"Namely, the spell you cast yesterday is called Blood Pact, and it allows the user to ignore the first rule of summoning... at a price."
"What... what is the price?"
"The price," stated Sharmon, "is that it also breaks the other two rules."
Nero gulped.
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning,", Sharmon said, "that our contract can never be undone."
Nero clenched his fist.
"And what if... what if one of us dies...?"
Sharmon crossed his arms before giving Nero the answer.
"Then, so does the other."
"No way... you can't be serious!"
"This is what you have done, boy. And the consequences are irrevocable."
Nero's face went white with worry.
"Then... what now? What are we going to do...?"
"Do not despair yet, boy. There is a test you must pass in a week's time."
"But this...! This is far more important than just studying...!"
"Listen here, brat. I am not done talking.", he said, irritated, "this Blood Pact you performed will not remain stable indefinitely."
"It will not...?"
"The reason you lost consciousness yesterday was not due to fatigue only, but the immense disparity between your powers and mine. You said earlier you do not know me. Allow me to introduce myself, then."
Sharmon grabbed his cane and adopted an elegant pose.
"I", he said, "am the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk this land."
Nero raised an eyebrow.
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"The most powerful one.", said Nero in a monotone.
"Yes."
Then, the boy broke down in laughter.
TAK!
"Ow...!"
Sharmon had hit Nero in the leg with his cane.
"If you need evidence", he said, "remember who defeated that old sack of bones yesterday, and with my powers capped, too."
Obviously, he meant ser Eldrich.
"Well, I mean... it was just a chess game...", said Nero, rubbing his leg, "wait, did you say capped?"
"Even though the Blood Pact allowed you to summon me, you have no power to subdue me. The contract is doing it in your stead, tying our souls and limiting my powers so that they are always the smallest bit lower than yours.", explained Sharmon.
"Really...!? That's... just amazing..."
"However," he continued, "my magic is attempting to leak towards your side of the spell, into your body and soul, and since you are not prepared to take it, any movement between our magics has negative consequences on your integrity."
"Like... like yesterday."
"For this reason, you must become stronger, boy. For my sake as well as your own, you will learn magic."
Sharmon looked at Nero straight in the eye.
"And I will be your instructor."
"Meaning you'll help me pass the second test?"
Sharmon nodded assertively.
"Indeed."
"That's just great...! Thank you so much...! But hey, now that I think about it... why?"
Sharmon squinted his eyes.
Nero placed his hands on his hips, pensively.
"Why would a mage like you ever accept the summoning? You're basically weaker than me, now. And if it's true that you're the greatest of all times, then that makes it all the weirder, don't you think?"
Sharmon stared at him in silence for a minute.
"I have my reasons."
"This is awesome...! I'm going to learn magic...!"
Nero was so happy he felt like jumping and raising his fist up in the air, not doing it simply because he was concerned that Sharmon might hit him with the cane again.
"Then, what's the first lesson going to be about?", he asked, stretching his muscles.
He felt ready for anything.
"Sit down."
Nero obeyed.
"I am sure you are aware that magic is created from a mixture of life essence and the arcana that flows freely around us.", he said, slowly walking around Nero in circles.
"Yes."
"In order for you to do this, you must commune with your own life essence, as well as the arcana around you. This will allow you to manipulate them into the shape you so desire."
The boy nodded.
"The Blood Pact you performed yesterday was no different in this regard. You drew a circle, sprinkled it with arcana powder, and communed your life essence before touching the circle. It reacted to the arcana powder, and the summoning you recited was carried out, with the terms of the Pact included in it."
"I see..."
"For your summoning to be successful, concentration was key. You will repeat that state of focus, but with no incantation. Close your eyes, and focus only on your breathing and your pulse."
Sharmon kept walking around him.
"Be aware of yourself, boy. Realize you exist in this plane, that you are alive, and that you are part of the nature that surrounds you."
Nero took a deep breath.
"You are a living fragment of this world. Your life essence is part of the arcana that flows through it."
The boy could feel his muscles relaxing.
"Understand that they are one and the same. Tap unto it. It shines bright."
Nero felt a powerful warmth on his palms, which were resting face-up on his crossed legs.
"Now, open your eyes."
Nero did so, and...
"Amazing...!"
A tiny sphere of yellow light was floating between his hands, like a very small sun.
Sharmon crossed his arms.
"Your endless practice to perform the Blood Pact has left you some important basics on magic that we can capitalize on, boy."
Nero blinked, and the little sun disappeared instantly. He raised his head to stare at the tall man who stood in front of him.
"I will turn you from a useless kid into a mage so powerful you will belong in a class of your own. Or rather, a class of my own."
"Awesome...! Are you gonna teach me some spells, too?"
"I will," he said, "but be warned that things will not be so easy."
"Bring it on.", challenged Nero,
"Hm. Stand up. I will teach you a basic spell, and you will learn no other until you master it completely."
"Which will it be? Fireball? Wind blow? Lightning strike?"
Yeah, that last one sounded badass.
"Barrier.", said Sharmon.
"Barrier.", repeated Nero in a deflated tone.
"You are the weakest link of the union. Should the test prove dangerous, we must keep your life safe at all costs, and right now that means learning no other spell than this."
"I see..."
The disappointment in his tone was more than evident.
"Don't pout, brat. This spell is the foundation to combat magic. Only a fool would jump into battle without a means to prevent their enemy from killing them. The first rule of combat is that you must never allow your adversary to establish the terms of the duel."
"Then... do you promise to teach me offensive magic later?"
"Only if you master this spell, brat. Do not make me repeat myself."
Nero sighed.
"Fine. I'll do it. What do I have to do?", he asked in a bored tone.
"You will perform the same communion as mere moments before, and this time a small dot of magic will not do.", Sharmon pointed his cane at Nero, "I will have you conjure a wall of light tall and wide enough for it to shield you head to toe."
It took Nero a few minutes for Nero to be able to cast a small sphere of light again, this time without Sharmon's guidance.
The sorcerer simply stood in wait in front of him.
"Then... how do I make it bigger...?"
"An appropriate question. Your arms are stretched towards the front; move them to the side of your body, as if you were swimming, but never stop communing. Do it slowly."
Nero followed Sharmon's instructions as best he could, but the small sphere only managed to stretch and form a semi-ring in front of him.
"This is a lot harder than I thought...", said Nero, his hands trembling because of the effort.
"Raise your right hand , and lower your left hand.", instructed Sharmon, "never stop communing."
Nero obeyed, and the ring extended downwards to Nero's left, and upwards to Nero's right.
"Now, center your right arm and aim it at the front above your waist. Do the same with your left under it. Leave some space between both arms, your hands must not touch one another."
With extreme difficulty, Nero was able to do the form he was instructed, and finally, after grueling minutes of great efforts, the magic wall formed in front of Nero, separating him from Sharmon.
It was a very clear yellow one, and one could see through it like a glass which borders shone brightly.
"I did it...! I conjured the barrier...!", panted Nero.
Sharmon took out his cane and...
CRASH.
"Ow....!"
Hit the barrier so strongly that it shattered like glass, hitting Nero in the right wrist.
"What the hell are you doing...!?"
"I am testing the strength of your barrier, brat. As it stands, it can barely be called a screen."
"What....?"
"This frail line of arcana you called a barrier would not even protect you from an insect.", said Sharmon, menacingly, "raise your hands and do it again."
----------------------------------------
CRASH.
"Weak. Do it again."
"Hah.... hah....", Nero panted. His arms were covered in bruises, and hurt like hell, too.
Above them, the sun had done most of his job for the day and was now retiring to the other side of the world, where it was needed, leaving behind it a trail of beautiful orange and red in the sky.
The boy raised his arms, conjured a speck of light, extended his arms to his sides, created a ring, then up and down, creating yo diagonal arcs, then unite them vertically...
TAK!
"Gah...!"
This time, the barrier had been so weak that Sharmon's cane passed through it like it was made of vapor, and hit Nero directly.
"This is enough for today.", said Sharmon, crossing his arms, "you can no longer cast any real magic."
"I... I refuse!", protested Nero.
"Be realistic, boy. You are done for the day."
"Let me... let me eat something... and have some water... and we'll keep going..."
Nero walked to the stream to drink and wash his face and arms, then headed back to his bag and took out a few sandwiches he had prepared.
Sharmon leaned against a tree and watched him in silence.
"Do you want one...?", Nero offered.
"No need."
"Huh, that's weird. I've never seen you eat. Aren't you hungry?"
"I do not require food?"
"What do you mean? Everybody needs to eat."
"Use your mouth to eat, brat. It is getting late."
Nero didn't need Sharmon to tell him twice. After taking the first bite, his appetite opened up and Nero satisfied his hunger so desperately that he almost choked with bread, needing water to pass it down.
"Haaah....! I'm all full, now...!", he celebrated, stretching his arms.
They still hurt, but everything felt so much better after a well-deserved respite.
A chilly wind began to blow softly in the clearance, prompting Nero to stand up and get moving again.
"Ready for round two?", he asked Sharmon.
"That question is for you to answer."
The sorcerer walked up to the young boy, cane in hand.
"You bet. Check this out."
The boy repeated the whole process and, no doubt helped by the energy provided by the food, was able to cast a very solid magic barrier in front of him. Perhaps, the most solid yet!
Tik, tik, tik.
Sharmon walked up to it and gave it a few gentle touches with his cane.
"Hm. Interesting. Do it again."
"Sure."
After undoing the barrier, Nero focused his hands, cast the speck of light, widened his arms, stretched it into a ring, and...
SMACK!
"Ouch...! What the hell...!?"
Sharmon had hit him with the cane before he was done conjuring the barrier.
"You are too slow, brat. Your opponent just cut your left arm with a scimitar."
"Are you serious...!?"
Sharmon squinted his eyes.
"Your enemies will be."
"But how the hell am I supposed to react so fast...!?"
"Second rule of combat, little boy: be creative."
Sharmon stepped back, and then lunged himself at Nero.
TAK!
"Ow...!"
"Defend yourself, brat! You are under attack!"
"Da-damn it..."
Sharmon took another step back, and then...
Another lunge!
Nero clenched his teeth and focused hard on his speck of light. He was almost within cane's reach...
FWIP!
Nero jumped backwards, evading Sharmon's cane. Sharmon did not relent; he jumped forward and swung his cane again, but Nero had managed to keep his speck intact in spite of jumping, and extended his arms to his sides, creating a concentrated ring that crossed perpendicular to Sharmon's vertical arc.
BZZZZT!
It blocked the attack!
Sharmon jumped backwards and stood at a decent distance from Nero.
The boy undid the magic line he had used to catch the blow and smiled at the sorcerer.
"How's that, master?", he asked in an ironic tone.
"Well done, boy,", said Sharmon, "you can now defend yourself against a retired old lady."
Nero grimaced.
The robed mage adjusted his cane to his left, and crossed his arms.
"Evading my first attack to give yourself more time to conjure a thin line of magic was a good idea, however. Always remember not to use more magic than you need to. The complete magic screen is the more powerful version of the spell, but at that moment all you needed was to block a vertical strike, and you did it successfully. You can consider today's lesson to be completed. I shall teach you how to project your defenses in a quick manner tomorrow. Grab your things now, boy. We are going back to the bookstore."
Nero nodded.
There was still some remaining sunlight back at the clearance, but within the forest it was getting rather dark, so Sharmon raised his hand and projected a sphere of light that floated above the pair and followed them before proceeding.
"So, I never got to ask you... where did you learn magic?", Nero asked.
"I did not learn magic.", said Sharmon.
"You mean nobody taught you?"
"I am the way I am."
Nero frowned, visibly confused.
"I'm sorry... I don't get it."
"You do not need to."
Nero wasn't even sure if Sharmon's answers had addressed his questions at all, but the sorcerer didn't seem willing to provide more information.
The rest of the walk was a very quiet one.