Man-up

The First 5 years of my new life were slow and boring. It was spent mostly re-learning how to control my ever changing body and learning to communicate with others. I spent most of my time bothering some adult or other at the magic school I found myself in.

I found myself a Godfather in Drevis Neloren, who didn't mind hanging out with me. Others called it babysitting but we both knew better. He feels more like a big brother/immature uncle than the powerful mage that he is.

My Godmother, Colette Marence, was a powerful restoration mage. She became close to my mother during her orientation to the college and was even the woman who delivered me. She treats me like I'm her son.

My mother, Silvy, was an up-and-coming destruction mage under her master, Faralda.

She, Colette, and Faralda always made sure we spent at least breakfast, lunch, or dinner together, despite not being able to spend too much time with me.

Faralda and my mother are destruction mages, their best practice is done outside the walls, by hunting bandits and mighty beasts. Even Colette has to leave the castle to treat some sick noble or rich merchant from time to time.

Most of the time, it's just me and my uncle Drevis. He's a pretty hands-off babysitter, so I get away with acting more mature than I should be. We get up to no good from time to time using his illusion magic to prank students at the castle. Most often my targets are some students that decided to bully me for my Fair skin looks despite my mother being a dunmer.

I will not be deemed mature enough to learn magic until I was 7. So I've been running errands for people at the castle to build some goodwill and make some money. I mostly just run notes and packages for people in the castle, helping them communicate through the castle without having to go anywhere.

At least with Colette's help, I can make sure I don't have any soreness or muscle ache, not that these things are a big deal to my 4-year-old body that always seems to be brimming with energy.

Soon my 5th birthday came. My mom threw a feast at the castle. I got quite a few gifts, most of it was just money in the envelope type of gifts, or this case, Septims(coin) in coin-pouch. I got some books and some toys from those closer to me.

My Mom, Colette, and Faralda pitched in together to get me a simple-looking necklace. Then my mother explained, " Barry, this necklace is a testament to my, Faralda and Colette's achievements in magic and our care for you. You best cherish it and always keep it with you".

Faralda continued " Ambarys, This was conceptualized by your mother and required my knowledge of enchanting and creating magical foci. Your aunt Colette imparted her experiences in restoration to the project, she will explain its functionalities to you". I brighten at her use of my full name.

An excited aunt Colette cuts her off and says " Oh Barry, you will love this considering how often you ask me to teach you anything magic. This necklace is both an enchanted item and a magical focus. Your mom and Faralda prepared the necklace as one would make a magical staff, but instead of binding a spell to it, we bound an enchantment. The enchantment is based on my healing and respite runes. "

"What does any of that mean exactly," I ask, a little confused

Aunt Colette blushed as my mother chucked and replied." It means that this necklace will work like a staff of healing, in that you can supply magic to it and it would heal you. Respite rune means that it will also replenish your stamina as it heals you. The enchantment also has a minor passive effect where it increases your rate of recovery for both health and stamina at all times".

As I came to terms with what was being said, I screamed in glee and hugged all of them, much to the guilty pleasure of Faralda, what a tsundere.

Much to the chagrin of the ladies. My Godfather got me a young mountain goat. Upon My mother's complaint, he had to explain " Ambarys needs some friends, if not other children, then at least someone that's not an adult. I spent the most time with him so I know he is mature enough to take care of it. Too mature for his age even, a consequence of his very grown-up company of course", he grins as he finishes.

"And where do you think can he house it? If you hadn't noticed, he sleeps in his mother's bed" asks Faralda. "That's the other thing I wanted to ask while you are here Silvy. I wanted to take Ambarys as my apprentice. I know we agreed to keep magic at bay until he turns 7, but I think he is ready." said Drevis.

I was gobsmacked at his revelation. being an apprentice here would mean I get my room, my bed. "Of course, Master Drevis, it is my son's fortune to be recognized by you, but that still doesn't solve the matter of the goat and its accommodation."

"Well, if your ward could sleep in your room, then why can't his ward stay in his." being compared to a goat was not something I liked, but I ain't complaining. I was desperate for a pet and this goat was awesome. it had 4 horns, two at their normal position and 2 that covered its cheeks at its sides.

Eventually, after my mother agreed, we talked to the Arch-mage about the goat and he found it very amusing, especially given Drevis's assurance of my capability regarding caring for the creature.

I was even able to ask him if I could maintain the public garden at the entrance of the castle while my goat gets to feed on its fodder. I even told him that I will harvest any Alchemist ingredients for the college before letting my goat near it.

The next month went by with me manually shaping and planting more plants in the college gardens. I would feed any pruned branches and leaves to my goat. While I would take all the harvest to Colette as Alchemist ingredients. I took this opportunity to learn bits of alchemy from her.

She would also help me better understand and use the functions of my necklace. As she explained, a major passive body to health regeneration might mess up my growing body and its metabolism rate.

She said that the minor passive buff they have put in doesn't act as a clutch for my own body's regeneration. Its effect is proportional to how much my body needs healing or stamina. So the bigger my injury is or the more tired I am, the bigger the passive regeneration would be.

I spent the rest of the time learning whatever crumbs of magic Master Drevis was willing to teach me. In one month of becoming his apprentice, he had taught me some basic versions of illusion mind spells. I've learned Sooth, Irritate and Encourage. lesser versions of Calm, Fury, and Courage.

These spells are lesser because they need me to be touching the target to cast them and instead of shooting and forgetting, these are continuous spells, so I have to actively keep the spell active by continuously carrying it out while touching the target. I'm pretty sure, uncle Drevis got me the goat so I would have someone to practice illusion spells on.

In one month, I've become good enough with these spells that I can use my goat as a plant shaping tool. It starts eating the shrubs as I hold and navigate its head over the plants. When I want it to stop, I cast soothe. When I want it to start again, I cast encouragement. It's like my little chain saw.

By the time I reached the age of 7, I was already adept at Illusion magic. I can mask my presence from sight, sound, or smell. I can create real-looking illusions and somewhat control emotions.

I had even reached Apprentice level in Restoration and Alteration thanks to Colette and my new friendship with master Tolfdir. Mysticism is a school that seems to be spoken of in passing as if studying any magic is itself mysticism.

Like Science was divided into Physics, Chemistry, and Biology back on earth, Mysticism seems to be divided into Illusion, Restoration, Alteration, Destruction, and Enchantment school. All these are interrelated, just like Chemistry is just Physics of Small (Quantum) Particles, Biology is just the Chemistry of the body.

I still prefer to consider Mysticism as a separate but all-encompassing subject and have started to make progress in my self-imposed goals regarding it. I have already become adept at wards and have become an expert in the divination aspects of mysticism.

This aspect includes spells like Clairvoyance, Vision of the tenth eye (spell that lets you see through illusion), some diagnosis spells from Colette, and some spells that survey/examine materials from Tolfdir.

After I mastered the diagnosis spell, I started practising my favourite shout from the game, "LAAS". I don't know the full shout but this was the first word of detect life shout. I think it means life. I remember it being my signature shout for my sneaky archer build, that all my other builds eventually always devolved into.

Diagnostics spell only give the reading s of caster various vitality indicators of the target. The caster has to have knowledge of medicine and anatomy to be able to properly find the root of a problem. It's like the Diagnostics spells give Heartbeat count, and blood pressure and the doctor has to use their knowledge to interpret that as a disease or injury.

When I use this Spell with "LAAS" Thum, it's like comparing a Heartbeat monitor to MRI Machine. I can't yet use the Thum itself, But just meditating on the Thum and casting the spell on myself gives me so much detail that I will probably have to read medicine for a year to decipher most of it. The time it takes for meditation while casting this spell makes it hard for me to test it on others without a good excuse. At least I can cast it on my goat, that i finally named Scape.

By the time I Turned 11, I was an expert in Illusion and Restoration magic. I became adept at Alteration and Enchanting. I can't really calculate my Mysticism mastery though, nothing to compare against. After 4 years of meditating on it, I even learned the thum "LAAS" and can still use it to empower my restoration spells.

I was finally allowed to go to the city on my own. I have been going to visit the khajit Caravan with Drevis for 2 years, but because of the broken bridge, I was not allowed until now.

When I was 9, I had started a physical training regime for both me and Scape. It would clash it's head against me as I bare a shield against it. It reminds me of American football where players tackle practice dummies for training.

This is not to better wield a shield, infact I use both my arms strapped to the shield during impact, that's not how a shield is used in combat. I'm training to better withstand the impact. Regeneration with restoration magic and better controlling the impact I allow on myself with Alteration magic allow me to safely train against higher and higher impacts.

As my arms become used the a certain amount of impact, I reduce the thickness of the shield so, more and more impact would come to me. I did this until just before my 11th birthday where I became capable of taking an impact from Scape's impressive headbutt crossing both my arms to defend myself.

Next I will remove the arms and take it in the chest, with Armour at first, but hopefully build it up to bare-chested as well.

Seeing my phisical and magical prowess , adults in my life couldn't confine me to the castle in name of safety anymore.

My permission to visit the town of winterhold could not have come at a better time. After all three days after my 11th birthday, I had my first boner. Finally, I'm a man again

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