A little about Time and Space

Kai noticed the change in the shopkeeper, who quickly returned to normal so that no one else would notice that something was amiss.

"My young man, I think I have some wands in the storage that would be of great help to you. Would you like to come with me and take a look?" the shopkeeper said.

The invitation from the old man seemed a bit strange, but Kai went with him anyway. The others present didn't find anything unusual. It was normal for some wands not to be on display and only shown to students who had the ability to use them.

Kai followed the shopkeeper to the storage, a place filled with boxes, each containing a different wand. The air had a scent of wood—practically all the wands were made of wood—but there was also a different smell that Kai couldn't quite explain.

He noticed that the storage was spotless, with no sign of dust, and all the boxes were perfectly organized. The shopkeeper seemed to be very attentive to every part of his shop.

"Well, my young lad," the shopkeeper said, stopping and looking at Kai, "I could tell that you have an affinity for illusion magic, which is not very common and well-regarded, but I have nothing against illusion magic, before you ask. However, I noticed something peculiar about you."

"Something peculiar? What do you mean?" Kai asked.

The shopkeeper looked at him for a few seconds and said, "I am a powerful Arcanist, and quite old, but I've been retired for many years. I've been taking care of this wand shop for 230 years."

Kai was shocked. He already knew that the more powerful an Arcanist was, the more likely they were to live for many years, but hearing this from someone for the first time was still quite shocking.

"During all the time I've been running this shop, only you and two other people in 230 years have had an affinity for Temporal and Spatial magic."

"What do you mean? My affinity is with Illusion magic," Kai said.

He was anxious, his heart beating rapidly. How had the old man so easily discovered his talent?

"No need to be afraid or pretend, young one. I think within the 4 kingdoms, I am the only Arcanist capable of reading talents in this way. Well, I only know that your talent has to do with Space and Time magic because I've seen it before," the shopkeeper said.

Kai remained silent for a while, but he became interested since he had no idea how to begin using that kind of magic, and the conversation with the shopkeeper was the first information he had come into contact with regarding it.

"Please clarify. And can I trust you, or will you exploit me because of my unique talent?" Kai said.

The shopkeeper chuckled, "You can trust me, and I won't exploit you. But don't tell anyone about your talent yet. You're lucky that I'm a good person. Anyway, let me explain how my power works, and how I know you have this talent."

He then explained to Kai how everything worked. The shopkeeper could touch people and feel specific energies. At first, he didn't know what each energy meant, but by asking the Arcanists, he discovered each element.

For example, when he touched Kai, he felt a specific energy, one that he already knew belonged to Illusion magic. However, he also felt another energy. An energy he had only felt twice in 230 years.

"I had to study a lot and seek information to figure out what that energy was," the shopkeeper explained. "It took me about 40 years of research just to find out that it was related to Time and Spatial magic."

That seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Kai to inquire more about that type of magic. But to his disappointment, the shopkeeper didn't know much about it.

"I can tell you a few things. First, the hardest part for those who have an affinity for this type of magic is finding a conduit. For most Arcanists, that would be the wand, but for some specific types of magic, it could be something else. Because it's so rare, you're unlikely to find a conduit that works for you so easily,"

"With a conduit, the issue lies in finding spells of that element. I think you might be able to find something in Brainheart, like general information about this type of magic, but you might need to create the spells yourself."

The second piece of information was a bit challenging, but the first one was amazing. Kai had a strong feeling that the pocket-watch he found at that time was the conduit he needed to start using Time and Space magic! It was an item with a strange connection to him, and the only explanation was that it was linked to that element. Well, he hoped that was the case. After talking for a while with the shopkeeper, Kai got a decent wand that would help him cast Illusion spells.

"So, how did it go?" Trevor asked when he saw Kai return with a wand.

"Good. Illusion magic is not so common, so the wand was in the back of the shop," Kai said.

"Makes sense."

When all the students got their wands, they left the shop, departed the city, and returned to Brainheart. On the way, Kai analyzed his wand, which was made of magical wood and had some purple designs, making it stand out compared to the other wands. He liked it. The only problem was that the wand wouldn't perform miracles. He still didn't have a teacher willing to help him with Illusion magic.

'One step at a time, Kai,' he thought.

They all looked tired after returning to Brainheart — the mountain was tough to climb — and without much time to rest, they went to the first class of the day. The class was not in one of the classrooms but inside a greenhouse.

Kai had a guess about what class it was, and he was excited. The class was with Jane, whom Kai saw as his grandmother. She smiled when she saw him but said nothing. Jane didn't want others to know much about their relationship, as people would find a way to complain.

"I am Jane, and the subject I will be teaching is Herbology. Now, why is Herbology important?" Jane asked, staring at the students.