1 Chapter One |

[Dieter pov]

A loud thud echoed when I tried lifting my mentor into the air. with the use of the magic of the çelare stone, I had recently, where I almost failed to get. "Oh darn!" Why can't I use magic?!  Too frail to even lift a thing, even though it's the easiest thing to do!

Some folks I'd met were very good at it. Some are using their magic to make good money; some are in the lifestyle. But my magic is too frail to lift anything.

"Hey, kiddo. You're too lousy to even do that trick!! What are you, a weak?" My guardian Finnigan remarks, who rants about the magic trick I never surpasses.

"What am I supposed to do? Have you ever tried to teach me?" Slumping my shoulders, I tried a few efforts but still failed.

Whining, my guardian slash teacher only sits and watches me in misery.

"Dieter," Finnigan stood up, "All you have to do is concentrate. Feel the presence of the energy that surrounds you." Finnigan performed inhale-exhale exercises, I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate.

"All you need to do is consume the energy and take the force on doing the magic trick." I continued with the exercise. After a while, I felt something! Who would think that using my lungs would be effective, and produce some energy? Ignore the part of me wheezing like an asthmatic child.

"Start on small things right." Finnigan took a pebble and placed it on his working table, which is mine sometimes, still confuses me.

I moved the pebble in front of me and started giving it the hand, focusing on a pebble as I tried to lift it.

Surprised, I succeeded! That's unexpected!

Being able to lift two pebbles, I couldn't help but wiggle my ass, it's disturbing in many ways.

On its way to the air, My power wears off, the halfway-up pebbles drop on my head with a painful flick.

"Ow," I hissed in pain, rubbing the sore, it throbs like nails are being drilled in my skull.

"Dieter focus on your surroundings." Mentored the critter.

Makes me think he's losing his patience, but Fin was beyond that.

He's almost the most patient creature that deals with me.

Although, It's arduous to control this magic with my çelare stone. Before, I could wield it fine without the stone. But right now, I can't even do a single trick! Note that it's the most basic thing to do!

-

After Finnigan trained me, thoughts of my parents' trail in mind, with my parent's çelare stone in hand, I held it tight.

Never want to lose them. After all, it's the only thing I have of them.

An unsteady feeling of learning new rune magic irks me inside. I remember Fin mentioned a name before, he said about the guy being my ideal mentor.

I decided to make an errand to the nearest town, townies had mentioned. They said there's a school where their children learn how to use their çelare stone for a good purpose.

Upon walking into the forest, absent-minded, I seem to have reached my destination.

I climb the wooden fence, I'm tempted to make friends with the kids playing in the square. Dang playing with them must be fun! But, Finnigan wouldn't like the idea.

I divert my sight, careful of staying out of sight, which I'm doing the opposite. He's going to kill me after this.

"I must never have closure to anyone" I chanted, trying to keep my mind off the fact that I want to make friends. But the guy he mentioned, but I forgot who he was. Dabbing my chin and digging into my head, to no avail, I had to kick a harmless plant.

Confused. I tilt my head as I look at the village, which hasn't changed. It was like the first time I was here when I was about seven or eight years old.

The structures have the same pastel hues, some of them were dull enough to even distinguish. Nonetheless, it casts warmth throughout the village. There were unfamiliar stores—new shops I guessed.

Walking to have a closer look, upon looking at the crystalized windows, hands clasped. In awe, I had the urge of getting in and trying out some.

I would look dashing in those outfits, especially the crimson-colored ones!

They fit my eyes!

But, Finnigan would not want me trying out outfits and modeling them in a clothing shop. I mean, who can resist a shop of cloaks and hoods? It's a trend nowadays!

Oh, the street's cemented! few stores and structures stayed the same, and some were recently painted. It's eye-catching not to notice.

My feet seem familiar with the place as it takes me to the spiraled floor of bricks. While the enchanted fountain sits right at the center of the town.

I leaned in to see swimming creatures of various colors.

Most were the colors of my eyes, strange, it glows too!---Extra strange.

I continued exploring the village. It has loads of activities, some of which play with children of my age. Why does it have to be kids?

I pursed my lips, nodding to myself, I must stay to my goal.

Find the guy who can teach me to master my çelare, so I don't have to sit around and watch my life go by. I want to master my çelare fast.

The reminiscence of my lost childhood swivel in my head as I

shake the thought and continued to wander around town.

"Where am I?" I peek around like a cynical, it's a dark alley, where a felonious act occurs, great, mumbling under my breath.

The place is way duller than I imagined, with a dark aura surrounding the place. Chills wormed my neck, as I enter an enigmatic door, a terrible reek pierced my nostrils, in a way it itched my nose, yikes.

Living with my guardian Finnigan is not bad at all. The thing is, I never got to see people, who are this chaotic, it is completely different from where I came from.

It amazed me though, I didn't even realize my mouth gape in awe, while the crowd cheered with excitement. Besides getting crushed into the crowd, I managed to stay still.  Jeez, they fight dirty, it's so addicting like I am also in the fight.

But, Finnigan would never like this idea. I move out of the crowd, gazing at the cheering men across, I could not help but wince every time the crowd shouted.

I could even imagine a fist connecting to my jaw, I grab my chin from the thought.

Immediately, my eyes caught an old man doing his trick, tricking people for money. It's a shame, moreover, it seems interesting to learn new tricks. I made my way to the crowd surrounding the elderly man with his scraggly-brown cloak. His table was at the far edge of the area, he seemed to have covered his face with a hood whereas his hand did all the tricks. Genius.

But something seems off. Shifting my gaze, I saw the man with the hooded cloak swindling his hands in the pocket of an old man. A swindler!

I flee into action and managed to grab the man's arm stopping him from doing such a filthy trick.

"What do you think you're doing kid?" He was taken aback by what he saw, the man glared at me, who I thought was an old man. 'Now you've got yourself into trouble, Dieter' the man groaned.

"Y-you, you're a swindler!" Grim was plastered into the man's face. He snatched away his hand to break out into the crowd.

"Hey! Someone get that guy!" Escaping over the crowds of people, Dieter started running after that man. I had a quick look behind at the man who almost lost his finances, who still seemed unaware of the malefaction,

"Hey! Come back here!" The man was so familiar with the place, he sure knows where to get off to. But unfortunately, we got caught up with a very disturbing sound. It was the flatfoot.

    "You again,! Come with us." That intimidating presence makes you not say anything.

    "Officer Grutch! We met again! How are you today?" The man greeted him with a sheepish smile. The officer brushed aside his remarks instead he looked at me with a stern look.

      "Are you one of his accomplices too?" The officer asked, why would he even ask me? I shake my head, visible chunks of sweat coming out from my temples. "Come with us."

-

"You can't get out of this encapsulation, kid," said he, who's only sitting in a corner. He seemed calm in a situation like this, as I was casting magic to get out of this cell, but to no avail. I can't even let a small cast of magic out. Stupid çelare stone! It's so useless. I'm so useless.

This slammer is so stupid! I couldn't even bear the awful situation before me. "How can he be so peaceful laying on his ass." I tried yielding some energy left in me, and soon gave up; this is a nightmare! "Okay, Dieter, stay calm; happy thoughts Dieter, happy thoughts." Ugh, this bristling mind-numbing silence is killing me! "Why can't you calm down Dieter? Breathe in, breathe out."

"Kid, stop being giddy, it's bothersome." The man inhales, "You are being silly, you'll be out of here soon, so keep your obnoxious thoughts in you. I don't want to catch it." He played with his words like it was no kid he was talking to.

     "Firstly, you got us both in here," I said. "Why would you be tricking people?" I questioned him, but he ignored my question. Great job Dieter. I mentally slapped my face.

     "Mister, how come you have good control with your çelare?" He looked at me incredulously.

"Boy, that's what çelare stone we possessed for. Çelare stone makes you who you are and what you are capable of." Now, it's me who looks incredulous. "So that means my loss of mastery of magic is part of the çelare stone?" He snorted. Well, that's handy.

"So, you know magic even though you haven't got your stone yet?" I shrugged. "Well, it was something every child would know, you know. Basic?" He held his hand open in front of me like he was asking me to give something to him. I look at him with confusion as I froze, wide-eyed.

His eyes. "What?" He asked inconspicuously.

"Your eyes..." It made me raise a question. If he's like them, why would he be conning people around? He looked at me horrified as I found out about his image. He's a freaking black çelare! Who would've thought that I met a black çelare?

He rummaged into his pocket, finding a bottle, only to discover a familiar potion, extracting barely a drop. He turned to me, serious and somewhat alarming. He looked like he wanted to do something bad to me. Was I not supposed to witness that?

"Uh-mister." I stuttered.

He shoved the empty bottle into his pocket. "Some individuals get desperate, and it gets to the point where the loop says, they'd left me no choice." At some point, I couldn't even read his face.

"People judge eventually, it irritates me kid, I feel wronged and emotionally abused, they address wrongly and it comes to the point where they could not redress their words; those kind of people are socially immature and unevolved..." his eyes fixed with mine. Fear and anxiety started to rope in, and his eyes became sadder and somewhat it makes me feel disgusted.

"And then it snaps to the point when there's no other outlet other than rage." I couldn't believe what I was hearing until my body froze when his hand reached me and come in contact with my skin. What am I feeling? I glared at the man before me; I close my eyes while my brain screamed 'Dieter you gotta move!' I can sense his bad intentions as his hands began to glow in raven luminescence.

           "Let me tell you something, kid, there are some things people hide; and for me, it's my identity," he said trying to find empathy in my eyes. 

            "I'm sorry but I don't want anybody knowing about my true color." I gulped, was I not supposed to witness that? Should I have stayed quiet?

"—m-mister" my voice breaks; damn it, Dieter. The second thing I know is that the man violently grabbed my wrist whilst his other hand covered my mouth. 

I looked at him with fear; "You know kid, I'm starting to like you. You should have stayed silent about it." He clicked his tongue.

"Now I have to eliminate a kid."

His hands started to emit magic as it sparked, filling the place with enchantment, his raven eyes fixed on me. I began to shiver, terrified of what he might do to me. Do I need to fight back, black çelare against an unskilled red çelare?

I'd be damned. I wish I knew and learned how to use and control my çelare.

      Who would have thought my life depends on my power in a way I never could have imagined?!  Now I'll die in vain without even learning how to use my çelare stone!

         I winced as his power starts to injure my skin, I screeched in pain as it parched my skin. Unexpectedly the scorching pain stopped as he scurried away from me with a dreadful look on his face.