Ellise approached the giant double doors that blocked the entrance. They were twice her size and had metal skull knockers. She paused just before knocking when the hair on the back of her neck raised. She was being watched... but when she looked around her there was no one she could see. She turned back to the door and forced herself to take slower breathes so she could listen to what was on the other side of the door. She heard nothing even when she pressed her ear against the door.

Well... this was it. Once she knocked there would be no turning back. Ellise took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back. She had learned very early on that regardless of how she felt, if she presented herself as confident then people respected her more. Her confidence and tall frame had kept her out of many a difficult situation.

Deciding she was ready, she extended her hand and knocked, shivering slightly when she heard the empty house echo and amplify the sound. Ellise realized she had scowled at the door and wrestled her face into a neutral expression just as the door opened. Standing before her was the very embodiment of the word butler. He was an older gentleman with snow-white hair and a perfectly ironed suit. Not a single blemish or wrinkle in sight. She looked at his face and found gleaming, sky blue eyes.

“How can I help you?” He asked with a flat tone that matched his unmoving face.

“I wish to talk to the mage that resides here.” She said matching his tone and blank expression. She had a bad habit of copying the disposition of those around her which tended to annoy nobles but had worked rather well when dealing with other street dwellers.

He raised an eyebrow at her before walking into the house and motioning for her to follow him. As she followed, she couldn’t help glancing at the paintings and gleaming amour that littered the halls. She noticed that several of the decorative tables held real weapons with no sort of covering. She would have to keep that in mind if she found herself in a dangerous situation. They came to a stop in front of an opened door and he motioned her inside.

“I will inform him of your presence. Please wait here.” He said sticking with the flat tone.

Ellise found herself wondering about the mage as she waited. She had heard many a rumor about vampires but they were incredibly rare and she had never heard of a vampire mage. Could he make mana stones for himself? That would be a helpful skill for a vampire to possess. Perhaps she could offer to make mana stones in exchange for an apprenticeship.

"What business would a child have with me?"

Ellise nearly jumped out of her skin as the words interrupted her thoughts. She had always prided herself on being able to detect those around her by sound alone. Yet this man had managed to walk right up to her without making a single noise.

He took the seat across from her and met her eyes with a challenging stare. Her blood ran cold at what she saw. Not only were his eyes an unnatural dark burgundy but they had a vertical slit similar to a snake's eyes. She forced her eyes to take in the rest of his features while trying to calm herself. If she ran screaming from the room, all chances of an apprenticeship would go flying out the window and she had not come all this way just to run at the first hint of danger. Thankfully his eyes were the only unnatural part about him. He looked just like any other noble, short brown hair, high cheekbones, and a jawline that could cut. 

"I have come to request an apprenticeship." She said forcing herself to meet his piercing gaze and speak confidently.

Booming laughter echoed through the room, yet his face lacked any sort of humor.

"Realy. Which one of them put you up to this and how much did they pay you." He said resting his head on his hand.

"I... I came here of my own free will and I have not received any payments." She replied wondering who would do such a thing. Perhaps the other nobles hated him as much as her.

His eyes narrowed even further at her statement. "Why would you seek an apprenticeship with me of all people?" He said searching her face for any signs of deceit.

She didn't know how to respond to that. Telling him her true motives would be rather rude. Yet as she looked into his eyes she had a feeling that he would know if she lied. She had survived this long by following her instincts so she would not doubt them now. She would tell him the truth even if he kicked her out for it.

"All the other mages either had no interest in teaching me or already had a waiting list of apprentices." She blurted out before she could change her mind.

"Yes, I imagine those idiots would refuse to teach anyone of less than noble birth." He said with a hint of disgust. "Very well, if you have the proper amounts of mana control, then I will take you on as my apprentice."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Ellise couldn't believe her ears, it had been so easy. He had just agreed to teach her! She allowed herself a moment of hope before forcing it back down. She still had to prove herself to him before she could celebrate.

"How will you test my mana control?" She asked having to force herself to meet his eyes yet again.

"We will see how long it takes you to fill a mana stone." He replied standing from his chair and gliding out the door.

Ellise jumped from her chair and struggled to catch up to his fast steps. Even though she was taller than most people she met, he was a good head taller than her and had a much longer stride.

"I don't know how to fill a mana stone yet." She called after him.

Noticing she had fallen behind, he slowed his pace slightly so she could catch up. "I had assumed that would be the case, this will be your first lesson... and if you cannot complete it within a reasonable time frame, It will be your last." He stated, finishing just as he turned to enter a new room.

Ellise followed him inside and was amazed by what she found. It was an indoor garden with all different types of plants, ranging from flowers to trees and bushes. It was beautiful. She was astounded by the variety of colors that assaulted her eyes. She had never seen anything quite like it before.

When her brain finally caught up to what she was seeing she turned to find him hovering over a desk in the corner. It was covered in rocks and crystals of many different colors, but they all seemed to be about the size of her thumb. She inspected them closer as she walked toward the desk and noticed some of them where glowing.  He turned toward her holding one of the green crystals that were not glowing and held it out to her.

"This is the mana stone you will need to fill. The green color means that it will only except plant mana. Every mage has a type of mana that they prefer but plant mana is the easiest to sense and control so it is the best to start with. If you prove able to control plant mana we will experiment with other mana types until you find one better suited to you." He explained after she excepted the crystal.

"How many types of mana are there?" She asked as she followed him deeper into the garden.

"It is unknown the exact number. Mana can be made by almost anything but the quantity and quality restrict us to fewer things. There are many common sources, like plants, that have been used for centuries because of the ease with which they can be harnessed. But the ease of use also comes with less power than some of the harder sources which is why we are always searching for better sources." He said stopping in what seemed to be the center of the garden and pointed to a blanket that had a scattering of pillows on it. "This is the best area to fill a plant stone, please sit."

She walked over to the blanket but found she was too uncomfortable to sit with him towering over her. Luckily he decided to sit before she had paused for too long. She sank onto one of the pillows facing him, only to find him blinking at her, his face a mask of surprise.

"I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Simeon Wallace you may call me, Mr. Wallace." He said.

"Oh, my name is Ellise." She replied, caught off guard by his manners. She had been taught how to speak well by nuns at a church but she had not been taught much about manners. The extent of her manners was that she usually ran instead of punching anything that moved, which was the common practice of most people she knew.

"Good, now hold the stone in your dominate hand and close your eyes."

She had a moment of doubt at having to close her eyes. She would not be able to react quickly if he decided to attack but she knew there was not much choice. She would need to trust him if she wanted to improve and he was not likely to wait for her to become comfortable. So hoping he had not noticed her inner struggle she closed her eyes.

"Concentrate on the plants around you, remember what they looked like and picture them in your head. Then try drawing energy from them as you would pull a string from a garment." He instructed.

Ellise did her best to do as he said. She saw the garden in her mind's eye and noticed every plant had a sort of aura around it. She pulled at the aura and saw a string of it detach from the plant and come flowing toward her.

"Good, now direct it toward the stone in your hand. Switch the plant you are drawing from regularly so you do not kill it. If you are feeling confident you can even try drawing from multiple at the same time." Wallace said his voice seeming to come from far away.

When the string of mana got close enough she pushed it into the stone. Once she connected it the stone seemed to suck in the mana all on its own. She pulled at another plant and connected the string of mana to the stone. Looking at the first plant she had taken from she noticed the aura around the plant had become much smaller so she decided to switch plants. She pushed at the string and felt an almost physical snap as the connection broke.

"Perfect, you drained a good amount of manna without killing the flower. Try drawing from bigger plants, they will give you more mana." This time his voice seemed to come from even farther away but she didn't allow it to distract her from the plants around her.

She broke the second connection and searched the area for bigger mana pools. Finding a few, she tugged at them finding it a bit harder to drag the mana to the stone. Each one she attached to the stone increased the pressure she felt building in her head.

"You are a natural. Be careful not to draw from too many at the same time and try not to kill any of my plants. I will be at the desk we passed on the way in, come find me when you have filled the stone." He said from so far away she could barely hear him.

Ellise tried to draw from more plants but found the most she could draw from at one time was three. She watched the small strings slowly draw the mana towards her and wondered if she could make it go faster. She had a deadline to meet after all. She concentrated on one she had already connected and pulled harder. The pressure in her head increased to an almost unbearable amount but she was rewarded by the string doubling in size. 

The longer she pulled at the mana the easier she found it and she was soon able to maintain three large strings of mana. Once she got used to the process she was able to concentrate less and looked down at the stone she had been filling only to find it shining like a star. It was glowing with green light and had become warm to the touch. She looked back up at the garden and found hundreds of little glowing stars. Now that she was not concentrating on what the plants looked like all she saw was the mana. She was blown away by the sheer number and range of sizes. The mana of the plants she had been drawing from where about the size of her head but there were also little pinpricks of light scattered around. She felt like she had floated off to join the stars in the heavens.

Her wonder was cut short as she realized the mana strings had stopped flowing into the stone. She tried pushing at the mana to force it into the stone but when that didn't work she assumed the stone was full. It was time to bring it to Wallace and hope she had done it fast enough to earn his approval. She took one last look at the beautiful mana around her before forcing her eyes open.

Before she could even take in her surroundings she nearly fell over from how tired she had become. While drawing the mana she had stopped paying attention to everything else and it was catching up to her. Her joints screamed at the abuse of staying still for so long and she was so tired she just wanted to fall asleep right there. She almost gave in but she needed to bring the stone to Wallace first, then she could pass out for a week.

She struggled into a standing position and took a second to stretch her aching muscles. Then she took a deep breath and headed out to find Wallace.