Kalar´s Continent

The Magician´s Office was enveloped by an ice-cold, blue glow for a few seconds before it slowly faded away and the room reverted to its usual dim-lit state as if nothing happened. Teo instinctively took a step back and looked at his right hand, which naturally had not changed much since he last checked.

What just happened, most definitely differed from the explanation Mr. Atkins had given him a moment ago. He had hoped for a warm, red glow, that would allow him to shoot Fireballs from his hands in a few weeks, but what was this reaction supposed to mean?

Whatever the reason, any reaction was better than no reaction in Teo´s eyes; and he couldn't be so unlucky, that he had some super rare negative condition, right?

While he was still in deep thought, Mr. Atkins took a few steps towards him and said with an excited gleam in his eyes, "Not bad! You are quite lucky, young man. I never expected to find an Arcane in this remote village!"

A short look to his mother showed that she was just as puzzled by these words, as he was. "Excuse me, Mr. Atkins, but what do you mean with Arcane?" his mother, Elisa, asked in a worried voice.

"Oh, of course, these technical terms don't carry any meaning for you. Let me phrase it differently: An Arcane is someone naturally blessed by Magic, who has an intimate connection to mana itself, the very foundation of all magical phenomena! This is only possible if the body and soul are in perfect balance with all six Elements, which is very rare. Less than one in thousand people on the continent have a similar condition and since it mostly runs through special bloodlines, I had yet to see one being tested myself," Mr. Atkins swung around his arms like a wobbly windmill, while he explained, visibly shaken.

'Blessed by magic itself? A connection to the foundation of all magic? Doesn't that sound really powerful?' Teo wondered before he turned to the lean man beside him and asked, "Does that mean, I can become a real Magician?!" he blurted out, completely ignoring his mother's shocked expression. The Apprentice Magician momentarily furrowed his brows with a slight frown at the word 'real' but decided not to let a child's banter upset him.

After a brief intermission, his thin lips began to wriggle as he said, "Well, that is not exactly what I meant. It's not impossible though.

If you had High Rank, or even Pinnacle Level Talent, I could help you apply for a stipend at a Magic School and Magic Academy immediately! I would even get a bonus for that... But unfortunately, your Ability should solidify somewhere around Intermediate Level as you grow up, meaning you would have to stem the tuition fees yourself, which I fear would be beyond your family's capabilities."

Deeply disappointed by this elaboration, the small Teo deflated like a leaky balloon, it would indeed have been too good to be true. With a weak voice he tried to clear his doubts, "So, what Element do I have an Affinity for? It should be Water, right? The ball turned blue after all." Water was by far not his favorite Element, but at least it was better than Earth. "No, not exactly. You should have already noticed the difference between the reaction you manifested and mine. The colors displayed are more like an aesthetic choice from the creators of the Artifact, used to represent the different Elements. Raw Magic itself is shape- and colorless, and thus inscrutable to the n.a.k.e.d eye...

Anyways, every association between a color and an Element is simply illusional and should be seen as a mere metaphor." Teo had a hard time, following the conversation, even his mother did not seem to understand the topic completely. "Arcane Magic, which is how every form of Magic, that utilizes pure Mana, is known, is not associated with any Element; or all of them at the same time, depending on the viewpoint." The topic continued to be impervious to Teo´s understanding.

So, he did not have any Elemental Affinity after all? How could that even be called Magic? What good was the ability to control some foundation of Magic he could neither hear, see or smell?

"One of the greatest advantages of Arcane Magic is the ability to imbue any material with Mana, independent of its elemental properties. This is extremely important, as it is the only known way to create neutral Magic Circles, that can be used by all Mages equally, no matter what Element they use," Mr. Atkins continued to share his common knowledge. The last part even managed to blow some spirit into Teo again; it did sound somewhat impressive.

"So, you have no need to be crestfallen, you are still extremely lucky! You have everything you need to become a  successful Magic Assistant, helping out in Magic Laboratories, or an Enchanter, capable of creating powerful Artifacts, like this one; just to name a few examples," the man smiled and c.a.r.e.s.sed the smooth crystal ball, he picked up from the table.

The descriptions of his future possibilities did not match well with the image of powerful Magicians, Teo had in his head. Had he ever heard stories about Assistants and Crafters? Of course not! Every figure in the legends was domineering and powerful, shaking the continent to its very core with every step they took. 

"Is it perhaps a very powerful kind of Magic?" he asked hopefully, eager for an answer.

"Arcane Magic is one of the weakest types of Magic in a direct confrontation since it lacks all of the advantageous properties the various Elements provide, but it is much sought after in many Magic Occupations," Teo sagged into himself again, hearing that it was the weakest Magic of all.

"It may not be as pompous a talent as the heroes from the old legends possess, but it can provide for a comfortable life and is all-round in its nature," he continued and looked harshly at the unappreciative Teo, seeing right through his thoughts.

The cunning man paused for a moment, to let the answer sink in, then he continued, "However, it does have its strong points. Arcane Magic may not be as suited to shield and nurture, like Earth Magic, burn and disintegrate, like Fire Magic or cut and flow, like Air Magic, but instead, it encompasses all of the properties and abilities of all the Elements in an unrefined form. It is by far the strongest variety of Magic when it comes to reconciling offense and defense in a single caster," he said, finally giving an answer that satisfied the cheeky boy.

Edgar was quite displeased by the ignorance, the child before him displayed, even when he knew, it was only natural. 'At least his mother seems to be satisfied,' he thought while reflecting on his own life. He envied this country bumpkin quite a bit for his gift. He would rather have become a mediocre Magic Craftsmen than to pursue a failed career as a Magician. The blue-eyed boy before him was simply too young to understand the vicissitudes of life and appreciate his own fortune.

He himself had been the most promising talent in Water Magic his town had seen in decades, the rising star of his family. He grew up treasured and pampered, passing the graduation exams of the best regional Magic School with flying colors. Yet the growth of his Water Affinity stagnated when he was around thirteen years old. Not long afterward he began falling farther and farther behind his colleagues in the Academy...

When even his younger brother, whom he had always mocked for being born with subpar talent, finally surpassed his own accomplishments and became the new favorite of his parents, something in him broke. Now, after failing all attempts to take the last step and become a proper Water Magician, he was stuck in this rat hole at the edge of the civilized world for what meager wage the Association paid... Yes, talent and power were not everything.

After answering a few more questions from Teo's mother and explaining the ins and outs of Arcane Magic, he offered to introduce Teo to some Magic Craftsmen in the larger city's to the south, if he so decided to enter Apprenticeship.

Eventually, Mr. Atkins escorted both of them to the door. He had already done his job here, but still chose to flash Teo a forced smile and say,

"Do visit me anytime you have questions regarding Magic,"

as he had much to gain from getting into Teo's good books, while he was still dependent on him.