Chapter 40 - Becoming a Wizard

It had already been more than a year since the seven-year-old Azriel began living with Rhema. Meanwhile, she read through the books that she had memorized in a rush. They were still difficult for her, but she understood them little by little with Rhema’s help. Rhema was not particularly good at explanations. Still, he tried his best to explain them to her. It was around the spring when now eight-year-old Azriel was done reading through all the books on the booklist with Rhema.

“It looks like you’re ready to learn magic now.”

Azriel’s face was filled with hope at Rhema’s remark. Seeing that face, he quietly stroked her hair. Fond of that huge hand, she smiled showing her dimples. “We’ll begin from early in the morning. You have to wake up early, is that alright?”

“Yes!”

“Then, get some rest early today. It’s not good for you if you lack sleep.”

“Okay, Rhema!” As always, Azriel sincerely obeyed his words and went to sleep right after dinner. The teddy bear he gave her was always set on the bed. There were other more cute dolls among the toys he bought her, but the bear was still her favorite.

Early in the morning before the sun rose, Azriel felt someone carefully shaking her shoulder. She immediately opened her eyes. It was because she had been fully anticipating it. Rhema looked at her eyes and smiled quietly. He certainly smiled more these days.

“Let’s go outside.”

Putting on a coat over her nightgown, Azriel followed him. The chilly air of the dawn rolled in. Rhema, who came out to the yard, approached her. “We will go up. Please come here.” He knelt down and lifted Azriel up. The wind raised them and put them down on the roof. Although a dim light was shone from the end of the Horizon, the sky was still dark blue and full of stars. The colorful bird that was sitting on eggs on one side of the roof looked at them, lifting only its head. The bird buried its head under its feathers as if it was not interested.

‘Why doesn’t Rhema introduce me to that bird?’ He introduced her to the spirit which did not have a name. She wondered for a moment. “Please sit here,” Rhema let Azriel perch on the edge of the roof. She felt dizzy looking below her feet. She turned her eyes to the sky to repress fear. She could hear Rhema from behind her back. “Azriel, you do know what the surname of a wizard means, right?”

“Yes, Rhema.”

“Can you try explaining it to me?”

“The surname of a wizard is a name that he gave to his mana. Mana only moves and exercises when it’s called, so the name becomes a spell that solely belongs to that wizard.” Azriel usually did not forget something once she saw it. She recited without hesitation. Rhema continued, sitting down behind her. “Excellent. As you said, the surname that a wizard uses is the name he calls his mana, spell, key, and the name as a wizard. Usually, his master would name it, but some would name it by himself.”

“Rhema, your spell is ‘Reshith.’ Did your master give it to you?”

“I named it on my own.” Precisely, it was a case where he abandoned the spell his master gave him and made a new spell. Rhema went on without going into the details. “You know your spell, don’t you?”

“You named it, Rhema. It’s ‘Esthera.’”

“Yes, Azriel. Do you know what Esthera means?”

“Is it a word with meaning?”

“Of course. To name mana in Lemm text is a rule.”

“Is ‘Esthera’ in Lemm… ‘star’?”

“That’s right.” It was a pretty meaning. Azriel said her second name multiple times inside her mouth. ‘Esthera, Esthera, Star. This will be a spell of my own,’ Looking up at the stars scattered in the dark sky, she asked. “What does your spell mean, Rhema?”

“Reshith means ‘the beginning.’”

“The beginning…”

“It also means the first.”

“Why did you make that word your spell?”

“It’s a word related to my duty… no, to my mana. It’s like how I gave you the spell named Esthera because I saw stars from you.”

“You saw stars from me?”

“You will see from now on. Close your eyes, Azriel.” At Rhema’s request, Azriel calmly closed her eyes. Inside her blinded sight, she could smell the cool air and the forest. Rhema stretched out his hand from behind and touched her forehead. “Mana moves actively this time, which is the borderline between night and day. That’s why we are here. You will sense mana from now on. Magic begins from sensing mana.”

“Can I sense mana right away?”

“Yes, in fact, in your case, you’ve been sensing it already. You just don’t recognize it as mana.”

“I’ve been sensing it already, is that true? I am not so sure…”

“You’ve used magic already.”

“What? When?” Startled, Azriel almost opened her eyes. She was not aware that the soldier, who died in a gruesome way, ended up like that because of her magic. She did not use it knowingly. At the time, Rhema sensed that magic from a distance. Afterward, it took a little time until he could reach her. So, he did not know what exactly happened to her back then. He could only guess that it was not something good as the magic used was destructive. He did not want to disclose her scar. “Azriel, I will make your senses more sensitive from now on. You’ll feel strange but hold on for a little while.”

“Okay, Rhema.”

“You can open your eyes when I get my hand off of you. And if you sense something, don’t say but just raise your hand. Talking is dangerous.” From his hand that covered her forehead, something sparked like static. That thing disappeared, stirring her whole body. When his hand was off, Azriel opened her eyes in a slow manner.