"Hey sleepy head, we're here."

"Wait, what?"

"You fell asleep, we're in the magic district now, I thought It'd be best to wake you since you seemed so obsessed with magic."

"Wait, we ARE??? Finally!!!"

Looking around, there are multiple stands with different people trying out weird artifacts. There are also a lot of magic origami flying around. One Cat Feyfolk is inspecting some staff with a purple eye on it while another is looking at a crystal in the shape of a star then throws it on the ground and disappears in a cloud of dust. The shops all look like a mix of a bazaar, a carnival and a Halloween store. People are happily perusing the bits and baubles infused with magic strewn around the place. Kids are running around with magic toys and it's just awesome!!! One of the kids that looks like a gnome with a scruffy beard that's starting to grow in, is in a magic wand shooting match with a fairy and every time they get hit, a random part of their body transforms into something ridiculous like an elephant's trunk or a flower growing out their hair but they seem to disappear and get back to normal after a few seconds. There also seem to be a bunch of different ingredients for magic or something like that. Feathers, eyeballs, cobwebs, spiderlegs, that sorta thing. Just like in the fairy tales where witches brew potions. As we walk a bit further, there are even literal cauldrons with potion glasses around!!! There is a type of Birdfolk buying and drinking a potion who then starts glowing a bit and starts flying off as fast as a jet!

"Hildi!"

"Sammy!"

"What's with all these potions? How do they work? Is it magic? What can they do? Are they expensive???"

"Hmm, well they're more or less spells in a bottle. It's not quite the same but they have similar effects to normal spells. They're one time use and depending on the quality and rarity quite expensive. I would also NEVER buy a potion from a person that is not known to be extremely knowledgeable. Potions can be quite finicky, a small deviation from the recipe could lead to disastrous results."

"Do you know how to make potions?"

"Nope, stayed FAR away from that course in school. Many kids end up with weird mutations or teleport themselves somewhere or kill themselves by accident. ESPECIALLY the ones that want to improve by themselves and not train the basics for decades."

A bit sheepishly, I ask, "Soo…I should not buy random potions from dubious salesmen?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Got it."

Waiting a little, I ask, "But what if they give me special powers I would never get from non-dubious salesmen?"

"The chance for that to happen is close to zero."

A bit excited, I say, "So, what you're saying is there is a chance."

"Yes Sammy, there is a chance, maybe one in a million if you're lucky and about half of the million times that will just kill you…If you're lucky. You know, the Silent Leaf even hires potion makers that are extraordinarily bad at their jobs as an assassination method."

"Fine, fine, you convinced me not to buy shady potions and drink them myself."

"I'm a bit concerned on how you phrased that Sammy but I'll leave it at that…Also keep your arms and legs close to me we're about to go to the shady part of the district."

"Oooh, we're going where the good stuff is I see, I see."

Taking a few sharp turns through small alleys, we venture deeper into the backs of the streets. There are a lot less toys here and a whole lot more unnamed bottles of potions and weird looking artifacts. The amount of bouncers and barred doors also increases the further we go. About ten minutes later, we arrive at a door with a dreamcatcher hanging from it.

Hildi knocks on the door and a small eye-slit opens with a huge eye looking through.

A deep voice answers "Blessing or curse?"

"Neither" Hildi answers.

"He rules upon?"

"Heaven and earth"

"Roaring thunder…"

"With every flap of his mighty wings"

"Humans pray and…"

"Shake at his whim."

"Alright you're good, come in."

The eye slit then closes and what sounds like at least 8 locks slowly get unlocked before the door is opened and a cyclops beckons us in. As Hildi steps in with me, he quickly closes the door again and locks it. Some of them seem to just be normal locks, though some are more like…magic circles? He then leads us to another door that he pushes open with brute force. It seems extremely heavy.

"What is that door made of?" I ask the cyclops.

Sweating and groaning he answers "Osmium, with an iron core."

No idea what Osmium is but it seems super heavy. He then lets us pass him and we come upon a 3 forked hallway.

"Left, left, right, left, turn back, right, go straight and then you're in" he says as he goes back to the entry room and slowly closes the door again with brute strength.

"This seems…REALLY sketchy Hildi. How do you even know this place?"

"We're a family of assassins, remember? You need to know how to move underground for that."

"So…How many 'Jobs' have you completed?" I ask a bit sheepishly.

Hildi answers bluntly, "I have killed 47 people so far but most jobs are usually either intelligence gathering or administrative stuff, like documenting or gathering supplies, sometimes you also just help other assassins to carry out their jobs and secure escape routes. I don't count those as kills though."

"Hmm…Do you like your job?"

"I don't particularly like the killing. Though it is important work legitimized under the crown, so we're not just random thugs, we usually stop corrupt people, rebels, terrorists, criminals, that sorta thing."

"Do you think your job makes you a bad person?"

"Nope. I do think I do bad things sometimes but in the end, what makes me a person is not the job I do but how I spend my time outside of it."

"That's fair…Sorry for asking such loaded questions."

Pulling on my ear, she says, "No apologizing!" then brushing through my hair, she answers, "Also, don't worry about it. You're just a kid."

Rubbing over my ear, I reply, "I just don't want to hurt your feelings."

"If you did, I'd tell you. Now let's get ready, we're on the last corridor."

Moving further, we reach the end of the hallway where suddenly a door appears in the wall. Hildi opens it and we walk straight through. Looking at the room, it looks like Man'Hu's grandpa's house. There are a lot of artworks that looks native American mixed in with different artifacts, ingredients, potions and more. Basically, everything magical I've seen so far and more combined in a single shop and at the counter stands a man in a colorful feathered mantle with a headpiece like an Indian chieftain.

In a stoic yet gentle voice, he answers, "Welcome to my shop. I believe we've met before."

"We have but last time I was here with my teacher."

"Yes, I remember…You've grown. What brings you here today?"

"Before I tell you…" she takes something out from under her clothing, the clerk seems to ready himself but he does not seem scared, she pulls out a sack and puts it on the counter.

"Two royal Night, five Light. I believe this should buy your silence on the matter."

He smirks "It should be enough".

"We're here for three things. Find out her magic aptitudes, identify an item and undo a curse."

"Surely the silence payment was for the latter."

"Correct and for us being here in the first place."

"Understood."

Getting me out of the carrier, she puts me down in front of her and says, "Starting with the more pressing matters, my daughter has been the victim of some ritual leading to her being imprisoned in the body of a human corpse. I want you, to figure out how to free her and identify her necklace. I assume it is a locator of sorts but I am not sure."

"Hmm…Interesting. Put her on my table."

Hildi then picks me up and puts me on top of the table.

"Hey before you examine me, can I ask you something?"

He raises an eyebrow, "Depends on the question."

"Do you know a place called America or the United States of America?"

"I do not, why do you ask?"

"It's where I'm from and your clothing and décor reminded me of it."

"Hmm, I see."

Proceeding without any follow up questions, he takes off both of my necklaces, looks at them and says "Ke manaʻo nei au ʻo kēia ka lei ʻimi?" (So, I'm assuming this is the locator necklace).

"I have no idea what you're saying."

"ʻAʻole hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻomaopopo iā mākou e Sammy?" (Can you not understand us, Sammy?)

"Damn Hildi you too?" I say with a sad look. It feels so weird to hear her like this. I really don't like it. I guess I haven't thought about it but of course they don't speak English… I guess I'll have to learn their language sometime soonish.

"Can you please give me my language necklace back?" I say motioning at the hair necklace.

He looks at it for a second then puts it on top of some small platform with a crystal eyeball over it. He looks through the eyeball, says a word I don't understand and it starts glowing. It takes a minute or two for him to stop looking at it before handing it back to me. I quickly put it on and ask, "Hildi? Can you understand me again?"

"I sure can, can you?"

"I can! I got kinda scared there for a second. It was so weird hearing you speak another language."

"Same for me. I guess I had never considered that you wouldn't know Fey-speak but obviously you wouldn't if you were raised by humans. I've got to teach you all about it when we get back home."

"If I may disturb this family talk, your translation necklace is quite well made. Where did you get it from?"

"It was a family's heirloom from a Human family I met."

Looking at it for a bit, he answers, "I see. It is well crafted, most likely a tier two artifact of its kind. It would sell for something between five Royal Song and one Royal Winter. I would buy it off you for four Royal Song."

"I think that's a lot of money if I remember correctly but I must decline. I need it to communicate after all."

"Understandable. Anyways, let me look at your other necklace as well."

He takes it under the crystal eye and says "Identify". The eye starts glowing and he keeps looking at it for a minute before stopping and getting out another of those contraptions, three times the size, from under the table, puts it under it and repeats "Identify". This time three crystal eyes go into a line for him to see through and it takes him probably five minutes before he stands up in a panic and says

"Put this back on. QUICKLY!"

I follow his command and quickly put it back on.

"Who is she really?" he asks in a stern voice.

"What do you mean?" Hildi asks.

"That is a tier zero amulet to stop all scrying. Who is looking for her!?"

"We don't know."

Sitting back down, he scratches his head for a bit and seems deep in thought before saying, "Tsk. You guys are trouble…But I am a merchant, and you pay well. Either way, whoever did the ritual of enslavement really did not want you found by someone. Who knows, perhaps even the ritual itself was meant to shield you further from prying eyes. It is a tricky case but from what I know, the only ways to undo this are the court of four, convincing the one who made the ritual to undo it or finding a tier zero magical artifact that dispels magic. Additionally, if you were to die in this state your soul would be bound to the rotting corpse until one of the three scenarios happen."

A bit nervous, I say, "That…Is alarming. You don't happen to have a tier zero dispel item or know someone with one, do you?"

"Look, I'm good but not that good. First of all, you can only buy tier zero items illegally because any tier zero item made or found belongs to the crown. And secondly, an item like that would be worth at least 50 Royal Winter. It would take at least a hundred years of shady dealings for me to get that sorta money together. The way I see it, best to plead your case at the court of four or find the one who did this to you."

"I don't think that is going to be possible. I'm pretty sure a bunch of druids did this to me and they all died."

"So?"

"So…they can't undo this."

"Druids can't cast a ritual this powerful without a patron Fey giving them the power. In this case, it must have been a quite old and powerful one. And if that Fey had died too, you would be free as well. Which means they're still out there."

"So as long as we find and kill this son of a bitch, we will set her free?" Hildi asks.

"Yes. Though like I said, they must be old and powerful, it won't be easy. Especially if they have access to tier 0 artifacts."

Forming a fist, Hildi says, "We have a target now, that's all that matters…Anyways, please do her magic aptitude test, I need to think."

"Fine. Girl, move over here and sit down at the table. I'm going to get some things."

"Eh…Sure."

I sit down on a chair next to the table, look at Hildi pacing back and forth and wait for the wizard dude to come back. So, I guess I'm like only semi fucked? We can get rid of this curse and I can get back to normal…Question is, what do I do after? I don't really have anywhere to go and I mean Hildi said she'd take care of me either way but still…I doubt I'll have cool magic powers when I go back. And I mean it's not THAT bad to be a girl…At least I'm pretty. I should still look for the stuff though, it doesn't hurt to find out who did this and to have a contingency plan. And I mean the Silent Leaf works for the crown, right? So, we might get access to a tier 0 item through them if we wanted to. Maybe they can even throw in a good word at the court of four to just undo it.

"Alright girl, how much do you know about magic?"

"Basically nothing. And stop calling me girl. Call me Sammy."

He lets out a sigh, "So I have to start from zero... There are eleven schools of magic that us Fey can use. Spatial, Chronic, Energy, Life, Transfiguration, Domination, Illusion, Spiritual, Repulsion, Curse and Cosmic. Each one of us is born with a random number of aptitudes and disabilities in these schools. An aptitude means you are naturally gifted in learning and wielding this magic and a disability means the opposite. The average amount of aptitudes most Fey have is between three and five, the average amount of disabilities is between none and two. Some individuals may have more or less aptitudes and disabilities. In the rarest of cases, one might even be completely unable to use magic or have an aptitude in all schools. What schools you are gifted in is random and not influenced by your ancestry. We will be testing these aptitudes and disabilities today. But before you do, I will tell you that it is not impossible to master a school of magic you have a disability in nor is it a given that you will learn a school's magic by doing nothing, even if you have an aptitude. The study of magic rewards diligence, practice and motivation. Do you understand, girl?"

"Yes Sir! And please stop calling me girl."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Alright girl, first we shall start with Spatial magic. This magic focuses on altering the properties of space itself. A spatial magician creates portals, wormholes and pocket dimensions to freely move around and use everything around them. To start off, I would like you to imagine a worm eating through the air and creating a tunnel for you to grab this apple through which I have placed right outside your reach."

"And that's it?"

"That's it."

Trying to follow his advice, I try imagining a worm munching towards the apple. The image isn't clear but I try it anyway. I stretch out my arm towards the apple and a small hole appears right before closing again.

"It didn't work."

"It almost worked. Try again."

He then puts his hand on my shoulder and gestures for me to start.

I try to imagine the worm again, this time feeling a sort of spiral energy twirling in my arm coming from my shoulder and moving down my fingertips. I concentrate on that pattern and try to extend it outside my fingers. That energy then moves towards the apple and I see a portal opening. I quickly try grabbing it but it then closes on me.

"Damn it, I failed."

"No, you did it, you just lost concentration as you saw it working. Congratulations, you just cast your first spell 'Tunnel'."

"Wow! So does that mean I have an aptitude for spatial magic?"

"No, you're average," he answers bluntly.

"Oh, well either way pretty damn cool!"

"Indeed."

"Did you see that Hildi!? I cast my first spell!!!"

Giving me a thumbs up and a smile, she says, "I sure did Sammy. I'm very proud of you, keep at it."

"Will do!"

"Now onto the next school. Chronic magic. Chronic magic is all about manipulating time itself. To make time be quicker or slower and to move forward in time."

"What about moving backwards in time?"

"That is only technically possible."

"What do you mean?"

Taking a piece of glittery chalk, he starts drawing on the desk to help aide with his lecture, "There are infinite parallel timelines going on at all times. When you move back in time, you move to a parallel timeline exactly like this one but a certain amount of time earlier, forever vanishing from this timeline and the people you grew up around. Meaning you can change the past of a different timeline but never your own."

"Huh, so does the same happen when you travel to the future?"

"No, traveling to the future just means encasing yourself in a bubble of slowing time, so that the world around you moves along until your bubble ends."

"Sounds complicated."

"That's because it is. Many a chronomancer have gone insane over their theories on how time works and what it is. But this is not for you to think about, we will be only doing the most simple of incantations."

He then puts two hourglasses on the table.

"I will turn both of these at the same time. I want you to choose the hourglass on your right and imagine time slowing down and the sand floating down like a feather rather than a waterfall. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Three, two, one…Start." He says snapping his finger causing the hourglasses to turn on their heads and start the flow of sand.

Concentrating on the sand, I imagine it falling slowly. I have trouble imagining it as a feather, so I imagine it more like snow slowly falling from a cloud. I can feel a current coming through my arm and towards the hourglass as I try to do the same I learned before and attempt to make it reach. When I do, a small cloud appears right over the hourglass and it starts snowing.

"Look Hildi, I made it snow!"

Before Hildi can praise me, the man interjects "And you didn't follow my instructions."

"Well yeah, but look something cool came out of it, literally haha."

Getting angry, he objects, "The study of magic is not a trivial thing. Do exactly what I tell you, deviations could yield horrible results."

He then waves his wing at the cloud and makes it disperse.

"Now, do it again. Correctly this time."

"Fine."

He turns the hourglasses over again and I try to imagine the sand flowing down like a feather. I do feel something but it's not very concrete. In the end, it takes about 3 seconds longer for my hourglass to run out than the other one.

"I think that worked, right?"

"It did…Badly. Let's try again."

"Wow, judgmental much…I'm ready."

He puts his hand on my shoulder again and I feel an energy going through it that is going fast then instantly coming to a crawl then fast again and so on. Trying to extend this towards the hourglass in my hand, I attempt to focus on the feeling of stopping while imagining the feather. This time, looking at it, it takes about 30 seconds longer for my hourglass to finish and I do not lose concentration during it.

"Better, you're starting to listen" the feathered mage says.

"Hey, by the way Mr. Mage. What should I call you?"

"Just refer to me as Thunderbird, girl."

"Alright Thunderbird-girl"

"No. Just Thunderbird."

"Ok Just-Thunderbird."

Getting annoyed, he asks, "Why do you twist my speech, girl?"

"If you don't respect how I want to be called, then I won't either."

"Fine Sammy. I shall abide by those terms."

"Sounds good, Thunderbird. So anyways, what's next?"

"We do the same again but this time you try to fasten the hourglass and without my help this time."

"Alright."

He turns the hourglasses again and I try to imagine the flow of magic once more. This time using the fast flow of magic, imagining a rockslide rolling down the hourglass. As I do this, the sand flows faster, not quite as fast as the last try was slow but it's working. I'd say the hourglass ends about ten seconds faster than the other one, so overall not bad!

"Decent enough. You're average."

"Man…Am I just gonna be average in anything? Hildi you'll see, next one I'll probably be gifted in!"

"Best of luck with that, Sammy! But don't be too sad if it doesn't work out"

Pfft, stupid Hildi with her lack of confidence. I'll show her! Next one I will be gifted in, let's put in my all! Magic powers…ACTIVATE! I think to myself as I strike an anime-like pose.

"What are you doing Sammy?" Thunderbird asks bewildered.

"Just getting fired up, no worries!"

He looks at Hildi, "There is a reason I usually don't work with children, you know…"

She gives him a threatening smile, "Well, you already got paid so, too late."

He sighs and then continues his lecture.

"The school of Energy is the fuel that moves the machinations of this world. With it, we power the mighty machine and move it to our whim. It is one of the purest of the magic schools. All other magic schools use energy to power their arts but most don't understand the machinations behind it, so even if one is bad in using it, understanding the theory behind energy is what makes a good sorcerer a master of his craft. As such, I will now impart the basics of energy theory. Energy can not be created or destroyed, only moved or altered. You must learn to use the Energy outside of you to the fullest of your extent. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir!"

Hehehehe this is basically just physics, so I should have an advantage of this if I apply my knowledge of it from school.

"Now, I want you to imagine throwing a net with your magic and trapping all the magic in this room within it, reeling it in closer and closer and then pushing it on top of this candle. The energy concentrated like this will light the candle on fire because heat is just concentrated energy while cold is the lack of energy. Now try it."

Doing as he said, I imagine a net coming out of my hands and spreading around the room, I then try to reel it in towards the candle. I keep reeling and reeling but nothing happens.

"Alright stop. We will try again with help."

He puts his hand on my shoulder again and I can feel a stream of energy through it, it's quite strong and complicated. I try moving it outside my arm but the energy doesn't stay stable, essentially the second the net leaves my body and widens it fizzles out, becoming more like a tangled mess of strings than a net.

"Hmm. Stop." He leaves the room for a second and comes back with a lantern that he puts the candle in. "The magic is more condensed here. Try the same thing again while touching the lantern."

Feeling his magic flow through me again, I put my hands on the lantern and try to really concentrate on making a small net and condensing it to the candle. Trying to keep the net short but strong, I keep getting it to move closer to the candle and then…A spark! Don't lose focus, Sammy. Keep going. Another spark! Keep pulling, keep pulling...

"It ignited! I did it!"

"So you are capable of using it…Either way, you're disabled in the use of Energy magic."

"What!? But I did it!"

"Barely, with extreme assistance."

"Well, the test wasn't fair anyways! I'm a snow elemental so making heat should be against my nature!"

Walking up to me and putting her hand on my shoulder, Hildi says reassuringly, "You know Sammy, it's ok to be disabled. Not everyone can do everything equally well and with enough practice you can still be good at it. It will just take longer."

"Your mother is correct. No need to sulk over your inadequacies."

"Well the test was still rigged though! Do another one where I make things cold!"

Getting annoyed, he answers, "It will not change anything. The mechanism is the same, just in reverse. Cast aside your sense of pride in something you have no talent or skill in, it is unseemly. If you wish to revel in the mud of your own incompetence keep thrashing around but do it without my guidance. Those who expect things to be handed to them are nothing more than filth giving mages a bad name."

Gritting my teeth I'm close to cussing him out…But he's right. Expecting things to just go my way has not been working out too well so far. Last thing I need is another moment like the trials of the Silent Leaf. I will probably never forget that encounter with that red cap… Alright Sammy no more moping, keep working, be diligent and even magic will open up to you!

"I understand Thunderbird, it was unseemly of me. I hope to still get your guidance and perhaps even help me overcome my disability in the future."

Thunderbird looks at me with what for a second could be seen as a smirk before going back to his stern face.

"Maybe the art of magic is not lost on you yet. Perhaps with more training, a good attitude and enough finances I'd be willing to train you in the future. Overcoming your pride and humility at the face of the vastness of existence is the hallmark of a promising student after all."

"I appreciate meeting you Thunderbird, please continue your aptitude test."

"I shall."

As he puts the candle and lantern away, I take a glance at Hildi who seems to be beaming with pride and gives me a thumbs up.

I give her a slightly embarrassed smile and look back to the table where Thunderbird has prepared a plant pot with earth in it.

"Next, we will be testing your aptitude in life magic. Similar to the study of energy magic, life magic is the study of the energy within living beings. It is about manipulating, imparting, taking and empowering the souls of the living. Applications of it are healing , nurturing, and dabbling in death magic. The use and study of death magic, due to its oppositional nature to our race as Fey, is however highly restricted to academia. You must never train in it without a teacher or academic professional present. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!"

He takes a seed out of his pocket and puts it into the soil.

"Your task will be to imagine channeling your very lifeforce into this seed to make it grow. The best results tend to be yielded from imagining it as something dear to you close to death, though Life magic is not my expertise, it is something I myself am disabled in."

"So even you can be bad at some sorts of magic?"

"Of course. But through decades of training and studying theory, I have trained myself to be at least able to cast intermediary spells at a satisfying level. Anyways, go ahead and infuse this seed with life."

Alright…So I need to think of saving the life of something dear to me and put my magic into it…What should I imagine? Hildi being hurt? That seems kinda hard to imagine, not gonna lie…She's way too competent. Maybe ElBEEzabeth? Nah…she's too ridiculous to imagine being hurt…Hmm…So far I was always the one being hurt not others. Maybe if I think back to my old life? There was never really anything too bad besides that time my dog Buddy died. He was way too young when he passed…I still remember when mom woke me up in the middle of the night, only two days after the doctor said he'll be fine, to say goodbye as he lay there vomiting up his last breath.

Somewhat unconsciously I put my hands on the pot as I imagine holding Buddy. If only I could have done something back then, I can still smell his vomit from that day…Oh Buddy…Why did you have to go? You were my best friend. Things were so tough after you left if only…If only I could have saved you!

"Alright very good, that's enough"

Tears streaming down my face I imagine giving up my own life for his. If only you could have lived, I know you'd miss me but we can meet after you lived your last years with the rest of the family…

"That's enough, you've already put in plenty of energy."

You saved me from my own loneliness so many times. Without you I'd never even have gotten this far. You can't die Buddy! You can't!!!

"Aaah!"

I scream as my arm is suddenly being ripped away and I open my eyes once more to a fully grown tree in front of me.

"I said that's enough! Don't lose yourself in your own practice."

Breathing heavily, it takes me a bit to come to. Still crying, I feel the warm body of Hildi on my back as she gives me a hug.

Gently wiping my tears away, she says, "I really need to do something about you always being stuck in your own world. It's not good when you totally tune out the outside world, Sammy. Who did you think about during your spell?"

"My dog…Buddy. He died a few years back. We were really close."

"It makes me feel sad when you're sad. I hope I can help you with your grief."

"It's ok…I'm already better, it's just sometimes when I remember, it's like I'm back there…But anyways... did I pass Thunderbird?"

"Very much so, your talent is impressive. You definitely have an aptitude in life magic. I'd recommend getting a tutor helping you develop your skills without going rogue again."

"I'll look into it." Hildi says while softly patting my head.

"Are you not gonna scold me for not stopping when you told me to?"

Looking away for a second before giving me a gentle expression, he answers, "Loss is a powerful emotion. Usually children your age have not experienced it, so I was confident of giving you that prompt to help you, it seems I still need to work on making assumptions myself…

Anyways, next we will take a look at Transfiguration magic. Transfiguration is the art of changing the physical form of one thing into another. This includes both living and nonliving things. A skilled transmutationist has the ability to form the body like clay and change the properties of something as naturally as a Donbiko changes color. In short, transmutation is the study of matter. Your task this time will be to…" he breaks off a twig of the tree I grew, "Curl this twig into a spiral without breaking it. Imagine your magic flowing into it making it malleable and soft then just take your other hand and curl it up. Understood?"

"Yeserino teacherino!"

Picking up the twig, I feel a familiar warmth from it. I'm not sure why though, maybe it's because I grew it? Either way, I attempt making my magic flow through it once more. As I put more magic in, I imagine it changing the twig to make it rubbery and malleable. I then take my other hand and attempt to curl it. It's definitely a lot softer but it is just more flexible, as I try curling it up I can feel resistance and hear a bit of cracking. At this point I know the drill already and just nod at Thunderbird who promptly puts his hand on my shoulder again. This time, the magic current feels more like those slime toys that change in consistency depending how much warmth your hands knead into them. So perhaps if I just put more of this energy into it it'll become more malleable. Matching the incoming magical pattern I pump it into the twig and with my other hand twirl it up completely into one big snail shape.

"By listening more you're starting to improve already. You're average in transmutation but you're starting to be above average in terms of listening to my teachings."

"I appreciate the high praise, teach!"

"Don't let it go to your head. Speaking of, the next school of magic we'll be testing for is Domination. The study of influencing the minds of others. This school is about dominating the minds of others to implant or erase memories or make them do things they would not do otherwise."

"That's terrifying."

"It can be, if used by the wrong people. Using domination magic on others without consent is strictly prohibited, though seeing as you found your way here, I'm sure you're already aware that the law doesn't stop everyone. As such, it is important to stay aware without becoming paranoid. A difficult task…Many dabbling in the school of Domination have gone insane from the fear of the possible changes done to them without them knowing, even if they have never been affected by Domination magic. Domination magic is like a basilisk in that way, simply knowing of it on a deeper level can petrify the wills of people. Naturally, because of this, it tends to attract the strangest people that are either insanely confident or do not care for their own well being. I recommend avoiding people interested in Domination."

"What about defending against it? Do I need to learn Domination magic to be able to defend myself from it?"

"Hmm, it would help but there is no direct defense against Domination built into Domination. Everyone has an inherent defense against it depending on the strength of your will but the only real way to defend against it preemptively is repulsion magic which we will go over later."

"Before we try it out…Could you try using it on me to do something mundane? I want to know what it feels like."

"Are you aware that asking anyone, especially a criminal, to use Domination magic on you is a great risk? I could do many things to your mind."

"Ehm could you maybe promise me then to just command me to lay on the ground?"

"Fine I promise." Color is emerging from the both of us, a pact has been made. Looking over to Hildi he adds, "You need to train your daughter to be more careful of strangers."

She lets out a sigh, "It's been a problem with her from the very beginning. Sometimes she's super weary of strangers and sometimes she gets way too trusting…"

"Hmm I too have noticed she seems to be dealing a bit in extremes. Either way, I will be trying to dominate your mind now using different strengths. Are you ready Sammy?"

"I am."

"Good, lay down"

There is a small pull like when you lay in bed and think you're falling before I regain control.

"No thank you."

"Lay down"

Well if dad is telling me to, I should probably lay…Wait a second! I'm already in the movement of lying down before stopping myself and standing straight again.

"No thank you and you're not my dad!"

"Quite impressive mental defenses for your age but this next one is where you won't be able to defend without repulsion magic. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Lay down."

Suddenly, I find myself in a cabin. Wait, where am I? Wait…I know this place. This is the log cabin I dream of sometimes. Wait…Didn't this happen with Avantina too?

"Sammy, it's me Hildi, can you hear me? You're having another fit, you need to lay down so the magic stops and we can intervene!"

Is that Hildi's voice coming from the radio?

"Hildi! Can you hear me? It's me Sammy. I'm stuck inside my dream again."

"Sammy, you need to lay down so we can wake you up!"

"Ok, I will. Don't wor… Wait a second. This is another trick isn't it! I'm not gonna fall for it this time Lightning chicken!"

Huh! Showed him! Though…What am I supposed to do now? I'm still here.

"Please just lay down Sammy. We're worried."

Ok Sammy, remember the sensation that black arm had and try using your magic to recreate it. What was I feeling every time I manifested one? Fear…And Determination. Ok, I can do this.

"Please lay down Sammy…I don't want to lose you."

"No!"

"Were you able to hear me??? Sammy please you need to lay down!"

"No! I refuse." feeling my magic flow to my arm, I see the black goo coating it. It seems less strong than the times before but I managed to bring it out on purpose this time.

"Sammy what is going on!? Please calm down…I'm so worried, lay down please!!!"

"No, you lay down Thunderbird" I say as I crush the radio with my blackened arm, when suddenly I am back in the shop, my black hand on the neck of Thunderbird. His expression is that of someone highly scared as he whimpers, "Father?" before coming to and easily ripping the goo of his neck.

"Sammy are you ok?" Hildi says with a concerned tone.

Stopping her, I ask, "Are you real?"

"What?"

"Are you the real Hildi or are you another illusion!?"

"I'm the real one."

"Fuck! How do I know if it's real or not? Fuck it, it's not worth it. I'll lay on the ground and if this is real nothing will change but if it isn't I'll wake up."

"Sammy you don't have to..."

"Stay away from me Hildi! I don't trust you or anyone here!"

She seems taken aback by what I said and it almost seems like she's holding back a tear as I lay down and nothing changes.

"So this is reality. Right!? Answer me Thunderbird!"

"Yes it is."

Shivering a little, I mutter to myself, "This is real…This is real. Ok. Ok…" I take a deep breath, "Domination magic is horrible! How…Why does anyone want to do this to people!? Have they no empathy!? This is torture!"

"Only if you resist. Domination magic is like a hooked arrow, sometimes you do more damage trying to pull it out than you do letting it push through and complete its mission."

Lying on the ground, I try to calm down but my tears keep flowing.

"Hildi…Please…I need you" I say without really thinking about it and before I know it I'm already in her arms.

Crying, I plead, "Please let me carve this feeling into my soul, the way you feel, the way you smell, the way you care. I never want to have to doubt your existence ever again…"

"Take it all in, Sammy. It's ok. You can hug me whenever you want, no matter how old you get," she says while gently petting my head.

Thunderbird seems almost a little empathetic, when he says, "We can come back and finish this another time if you need to rest."

"No…just give me a few more seconds and I can finish this."

"Take all the time you need…"

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