A Boring Education

Ah, well. That was much harder than I would have expected. This has all been much harder than it should be. Wasn't I born to be powerful? Blessed by the moon?

Or cursed? Ah, who cares. What matters is that I felt that energy begin to stir. Life came to an even pace, step by step and day by day.

Taran was holed up with Chandra, I'm sure they were engaging in red-blooded magical training and mating all day. I could just imagine it, those flaming mounds bouncing up and down - oh my.

Lucky bastard, when will he come out? Kessem was basically a god, or was treated as one. A child treated as divinity, the king consort to be. He was personally trained by the head mage of the school.

Another lucky bastard. Or wait, he was a true born heir- this was the life they were supposed to live. Now what to do, what to do?

I learned the first few basic 'levels' they like to call them. I'll never understand why titles are so important. I was an apprentice, then you become a normal and official 'Magi' or mage or wizard or warlock or Sorcerer or Witch or just a plain magician. It was an amusing thing, the variety of all things, from titles to elements.

My mind was not focused during these classes. Once I was 14 - technically an adult in Solari, (Don't ask me, the nymphets must have aroused the Lord's curiosity) I would be able to go on missions, take down beasts, solve cases and investigations, villains and more!

What a bore. I thought of it all, so many stories have already been written. I was only smitten by power and moonlight. Everything would be just fine.

I should describe to you my teacher 'Taz'. He was also a half-mad man. He specialized in gravity and space. He walked with a gimp, he had a crooked chin, he cracked his neck and back constantly. He spoke in strange ways, very strange ways.

"Ha, don't hobble yourself. Let space take the wheel!"

"Eh? Let it flow. Let it flow more…."

"No, grasp it. Really! You need to grasp it." He made constant grasping motions, in which I could feel him pulling everything toward him at once. I tried to emulate it, but could only grasp a bit. Still, it was a bit.

"Good! Good!" Taz shrieked, "First try you got it!"

"Really? That was nothing, I could barely move a leaf." I felt it was a bit too flattering.

"It takes time, child. It took me months to first grasp gravity like you did. Let me tell you child, you have the makings of a true genius, with the madness to boot!"

And all hours in the night did I keep trying to grasp space.

Close your eyes, and imagine pulling everything back like a rug. Like a sheet quickly pulled from under the ceramics and dishes on a dinner table. Eventually, you will feel that wonderful friction that is space. That wonderful friction that is everything at once.

The sheet, the rug, it encompasses all. Once you have it in your hands, it's something you never let go. I was addicted to the pull. That night, I managed to pull a small rock into my hands, oh they joy.

More pebble attacks.

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Now, most mages don't need them but use catalysts to increase their power. Classic wands and staves and rare gloves and weapons of all sorts. Right now, I was learning of space and the Magi who grasp space only grasp it with their hands.

I was worried about the light, how would I get it to come out? I asked Taz one day.

"Is there anyone that can teach me how to use my light, already? The moon tells me it will be necessary."

"The moon? Don't speak nonsense, lad. That light of yours…I feel it. The head of the academy is a Magi of light. But don't bother. Evil woman. Ahh. More like a witch, I believe. But very alluring…" he spoke at a fast pace, with many pauses intermixed.

Sounds like they had some affair, I continue to understand how magic mingles with emotions inside. The strongest ones come out. Anger, Pride, Lust, Greed. Only the truest of sages could smite those demons. I was not a sage, no, I was just a soothsayer.

"Huh, I've never met a kind woman yet. We are too oppressed by the matriarchy of Solari. Maybe I'll start a movement to get equal rights…" I wondered of many possibilities.

"Don't bother, last lad was boiled to death. Don't bother…"

"Isn't that woman training Kessem? How can I meet him and my damn bastard brother?" I couldn't contain the inner fire fury. They are holed away with their sexy female temptress teachers and I have this shabby old fart of a ghost teaching me how to grab.

"You can meet them once you become a magi. When you feel a lake of magic solidify inside, calcified inside, you are a magi." he told me. " Then, you will be allowed to see them. Right now, you are stuck outside, my pupil."

"Why don't they have to take the damn classes like the rest? What makes them so blessed?"

"They were taken in, privately taught. I can take you in if you want." yellow teeth grin, baked brown lips. What a vile creature.

"I'll stick to the dorms, then…"

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Tip tap and the water drops hit the ground. Soon enough, it was the end of fall. Now I was nine, my birthday celebration with Taz and the moon. I continued every day to feel that one minute of doom, but I could stand now, I could walk now.

It was now losing its grip. I attributed it mostly to my one eye, the sun was now struggling to enter the one entrance.

Still I can't begin to explain, just how much that light melted my brain, all neurons were fried and rewired everyday, this is a maddening way. The dao has failed me, oh Lao Tzu, where are you?

The classes continued: Basic elements: Wind, earth, fire, Water. Only the four make up the earth and sky.

Special elements: Shadow, darkness,physical, psychic, atom, lazer, cloud, smoke, Wood, Metal, sound, poison, rubber, blood, and many more. I was quite amazed at the sheer number of the elements.

Almighty: Space, Time, Light, Reality, Karma, Mind, Soul.

Haha! I had two almighties already. I made it another life mission to obtain the rest. I continued grasping every single goddamn day.

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I once walked around, there was a cafeteria and a lobby, hanging grounds.

A one eyed man receives many stares, but only sees half of them. I attempted to talk to a group of popular and eager bright-eyed rose-buds.

"How goes the struggles of staving off oblivion?" I asked them a normal question, they just sounded of fluttering laughter and bounced away. Hmm.

"So, what's going on?" I asked another group. "What happened to your eye?" they asked in a wonderland fright. I told them a good lie about being in a fight with a beast.

Once more, that sounded of laughter. "Yeah, okay…" the kid childishly insinuated I was lying. I knew it, rumors spread here too. Well, I may only make love to the moon. Geniuses are always lonely, right?

Not really. But still, I will find someone.

Oh, the Succubi, I will find them. Nobody here would talk to me.

I looked around for another soul, and there was a giant of a giant eating alone at a table far away from others.

"Giant… you come from the west, huh? Cool." Therein lay a race of giants, they were quite a bit taller than humans, and physically stronger too. He looked at me almost comically.

"Heh…I've heard about you. You know you're a bit of a legend in this place? Mad from birth, threw your eye into a well, escaped a sanitarium and somehow ended up here. Now you have no one to talk to, so you come to me?" a deep voice as expected, he was taller than most adults, even though he should only be around 10.

"Yep, you know it all. Giant child. How old are you?"

"Nine." he sounded in a voice that shouldn't be his. Too deep, too strong.

"Do the people here still hate the giants?"

He was silent, and glared at me. Ah, well. The giants are known aggressors, they have invaded Solari and Streum time and time again. They have claimed the west dessert of solari, and battles till wage every day. Infinite Valhalla.

"Well, I've nothing against you, giant. You speak too eloquently for a child...tell me, has the moon ever whispered to you?"

"Ha!" he boomed, "You really are mad, you know? I hate to say this, but I am technically a 'genius'. My mind is much faster than most."

"Well, a gift and a curse, yeah? What's your name, feather-bird?" I asked him, and he shook his head with a little giant smirk, and said "Alvis". From that day on I ate lunch with the giant. It was truly strange how I was not allowed to see Taran.

Even stranger how he didnt come out to see me. I glowered with envy, who wouldn't?

"Both my damn brothers have been taken by gorgeous feminine flowers, oh i'm sure they seed and germinate everyday." I complained to the one who would listen, this smart massive child giant.

"Ahh, that does sound nice…damn them.." he also cursed them. May curses rain down upon the both of them.

This really wasn't what I imagined, I will be honest with you. I expected…more pizzazz. I don't know, festivals and tournaments and trials? Taz told me all that was for the real Mages. I was in the outer circle. Inner in the island, the stronger they are.

Three circles, one large outer for apprentices, one middle ring for the Magi, one center ring for archmages and higher. This was like a limbo, the first layer of hell, according to dante.

I Went to the border to train with Taz, there was a small region where teachers remained to take in apprentices, and Magi alike. They lived on the border, and could teach all those who need help.

Those at the center need no teachers. Only the elements themselves can guide them at that point.

More time passed, another season gone.

I began to feel liquid inside, Liquid energy, a bit of magic was appearing. There was still the moon, but I couldn't use its power.

It was like a wand, It would only boost my ability. I needed to tap into the mana spring, the energy flow, the qi winds blow. It began to show within, as the water flowed underneath the moon.

Soon, a lake began to grow within, and I could now grasp a large rock. I could now throw it and smash it against a tree, leaving a massive dent. It even tipped over, what fun! I was not an official Magi yet, but soon, soon. Even the moon agreed.

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Taz kept teaching me about the grasp, and then the push. Then he taught me the ultimate of spatial techniques - coating the space on your skin, becoming space itself. Spatial barriers, teleportation, Swimming through space.

Of course I couldn't use them at all, not even a little. Still he showed me them, time and time again. My one eye watched with beautiful curiosity. After a while, I was able to barely out of a defensive barrier.

A few strong punches would break it at the moment. Still, progress is good. Inch forward like a caterpillar up that string of silk, and form that cocoon.

I asked him to teach him how to slice apart space.

"Why? So violent, child."

"It's for defense, what if I need to cut my way out of something? Dont jerk me around, old beast. Teach me."

"Hmm. Fine. Be careful to dodge."

He then flung a slice of space, it would cut through almost anything, I dodged to the left as that slice of death lurched about my scapula and clavicle. God damn.

This continued for a while, my dodging skills improved like this. I tested the edge of my barrier against that slice and it was easily torn apart. This was an ingenious method of training, I learned to dodge, hardened my barrier, and slowly learned to cut as I watched his hands carelessly fling about.

Painting the world of space, he was the painter and the world his canvas, the slices turned in every which way - all 360 degrees around the x and y and z axis. I had to jump, duck, sidestep, lean and bend and even roll. I was turning into a master of this, twisting my body around like an

I could tell he was careful not to kill me, shooting a little slower as I got tired. Oh, taz - what a good lunatic of a teacher.

This is the way we trained for the next long while. Defense, attack, dodging. It would take a long time before I could teleport, or compress space. One day, alas. Space will be in my grasp.