Chapter 7: Lesson One

"Alright, I've begun writing up the applications which include questions about age, area of expertise, type of magic used, and a section for them to fill in what they want to do after their year is up, in case we can help them along somehow," Ashton stated, setting a sheet of paper down on front of Charlotte and Alther.

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Charlotte smiled, though it seemed a bit strained, and read over the paper. "How many different types of magic are there anyway?"

"No idea. There are at least four that I've seen," Alther answered, counting on his hand. "The gardeners have yellow and orange magic. Some of the cooks and servants have gray...and I think the doctor has pink."

"So the color of the magic reveals the type of magic it is. Should I add color to the application?" Ashton asked Alther.

Before Alther could answer, the doors opened and King Selwyn strode in. "Hard at work, I see. Hopefully you'll be ready to announce the project next week."

Ashton straightened up and raised his chin slightly. "We'll be ready, father."

"Good. I need to see Alther for a moment, if you don't mind."

Alther nodded and stood, trying to mimic his brother's stance as he followed the king out of the room, but he found himself looking at the floor. Had he done something wrong? Was his father leading him away to scold him?

As they walked towards the library Alther tried to come up with an apology that would suffice, but when King Selwyn faced him there was no anger in his expression. Quite the opposite, in fact. The king's eyes revealed his excitement at whatever he was about to tell his youngest.

"Alther, I've noticed a growing sense of purpose in you recently. I know how important the liberation of the wizards is to you, and I want you to know that I am so proud of you. You've always been so quiet and reserved, and I know that you'd rather not be seen or heard, so when you spoke up at the meeting and proposed that we employ the wizards here I realized that you've grown so much in such a short time." The king smiled and seemed to go in for a hug, then thought better of it and patted Alther's shoulder. "You're going to do big things, Alther. Amazing things. But to do that, you'll need a teacher."

Selwyn opened the library door and Alther walked in. Standing by a table full of ancient scrolls and well worn books stood a middle aged man with kind gray eyes, long graying hair neatly combed back, a somewhat long beard, and blue and gray robes with intricate patterns.

"Your highness," the man bowed. "I am Aspro, a wizard and your new magic teacher." Alther couldn't keep the excitement off of his face as he returned the greeting.

"I'm Alther. Thank you for teaching me!"

"I'll leave you two to it," the king said, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"Why don't we have a seat?" Aspro asked, pulling out a chair for Alther before sitting as well. "We'll start off with a few questions to see how much you know."

"I'm afraid I don't really know that much," Alther admitted. "I haven't been allowed to study magic until now."

Aspro smiled sadly. "I see. No matter, we can start at the beginning. Do you know where humans got their magic from?"

"The elves, right? They shared their abilities with the first king, Edward Valisis."

"'Abilities' isn't the right word. The elves shared their knowledge with the people, but if the people didn't already have the innate capacity to wield the magic then the knowledge would have been useless. That ability came from the creator of this world herself."

Alther's eyes widened. "Our magic came from Athora?" Alther had been raised on the tales of Athora and her chosen people, but never before had he heard that humans could use magic because of her.

"Indeed," Aspro grabbed one of the scrolls and opened it up on the table. "As you know, Athora used her powers to create Vardyan under the instruction of the Most High. She created the humans, the fae, and all the animals that inhabit this world, but at first only the fae and a few creatures were capable of using magic. Athora loved her creation, and protected it fiercely. But as with all good things, envy filled the heart of Aster, a being much like Athora, and he planted his seeds of darkness in Vardyan.

"Dismayed, Athora realized that to save her beloved creation, she would need to shed her divine form and purify the world from within. Here is where most of the debate comes in. Those against wizards claim that Athora never used magic once she became a human, and that the rumors of her abilities were actually referring to the Fae she traveled with. However, several scholars agree that Athora still wielded magic, though it was far greater than anything we could perform today. They say that in her battle against Aster, she used such powerful magic that the aftermath was what created the Barren Lands."

Alther tried to imagine having that kind of power. Magic so strong that everything within a 100 mile radius was affected.

Aspro solemnly continued his retelling. "As I'm sure you've heard, neither Aster nor Athora survived the battle, and upon her death, the magic inside of Athora scattered and took root in various humans, who passed it down to their children, until almost everyone in the world had the ability to wield magic."

"But if almost everyone can use magic, why isn't everyone considered a wizard? Shouldn't everyone have purple blood too?" Alther asked, furrowing his brow.

"An excellent question." Aspro rolled the scroll back up and faced his young pupil. "As I'm sure you know, there are various types of magic. Most of the population has what we call Dormant magic. What this means is that while they have magic, it is either too weak for them to use or what they can do is very limited. Whether it was done intentionally or not, the spell that changed the color of everyone's blood ignores Dormant magic."

"Do we have official titles for the other types of magic?" Alther asked, eager to learn all that was in store for him.

"Of course. There's Natural magic, which revolves around flora and fauna. Those who have this affinity can influence the growth of plants, speak to animals, and in certain instances they can command both. Most of the gardeners in the castle are Natural wizards and you can tell it apart by the distinct yellow glow.

"Elemental wizards are those who have power over the four main elements and the various secondary elements. They can also impact the weather if they desire, though I've yet to meet a wizard who could. This magic typically glows orange.

"There are wizards who use Defensive magic, giving them the ability to conjure up green barriers and immobilize attackers. Defensive magic is very useful, though I've often heard wizards complain that it isn't as flashy as the other types of magic," Aspro chuckled, causing Alther to smile.

"Healing wizards have influence over the life energy in things. They manipulate their own energy to heal wounds, cure sickness, and save lives, but the truly great healers can borrow energy from others and even connect them. Healing magic always radiates pink light. The greatest healers live in the kingdom of Gealicem, in the mountainous regions. Some say that their queen has achieved the greatest healing magic of all, the Breath of Life.

"Then we have Mental magic, magic that stems from and targets the mind. Illusionists, telepaths, and psychics all possess this magic. It has a gray grow if I'm not mistaken.

"And last, but definitely not least, we have purple magic." Alther straightened up immediately at the word purple. "We call it Pure magic. Magic with almost no limitations. Wizards with Pure magic can do what all the other wizards can do and more. But sadly, they're very rare." Aspro noticed Alther's increased attention at his words and his smile grew wider. "Though it seems that a certain young prince has just discovered what kind of wizard he is."

"I noticed my eyes turned purple when I last tried using magic," Alther stated. "But I didn't know what it meant. Until now..."

"You're a very special person, your highness. I do believe that we wizards are very fortunate that you are one of us." Aspro handed his pupil a thick, leatherbound journal. "For you to write the spells and history you learn. Unfortunately, I do believe Prince Ashton and Princess Charlotte are still waiting for you. Until our next lesson, Prince Alther."

Alther took the journal, thanked Aspro, and ran back to his friends, eager to share what he'd learned with them.