Chapter 3: I'm not Wizard

"What?" the child blurted out.

"I'm not a wizard." Solomon repeated herself.

"Then how? How did you become a Master Wizard?"

Solomon turned her gaze as she muttered. "Because the judges were stupid..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Solomon said as she quickly composed herself.

"Anyway were almost back at the tea house, so come on." Solomon said as she offered her hand to the child.

The child stared at Solomon's hand before he took gladly. "You know Master Solomon, you're not a bad person."

"Is that so?" Solomon glanced at the child before she held his hand tightly.

The two continued to walk through the forest. The child chatted with Solomon throughout the rest of their journey, even though Solomon didn't talked to him back much. Another hour later, they found they're way back to the tea house.

"Wow! Is this really where you live Master Solomon?" the child said with awed.

"You were here just before, but I guess you wouldn't remember since you were slightly unconscious when that happened." Solomon said as watched the child run around the tea house.

"Master Solomon... I'm hungry." the child said as he held his growling stomach.

Solomon opened the front door and walked in, the child followed behind. Solomon walked up to a cluttered kitchen's counter and pulled a wooden chair next to her.

Solomon stared at child as she pointed to the chair. "Come here, I'm going to teach how to make bread."

"We're making bread?" the child's face glowed as he hopped himself onto the wooden chair.

Solomon cleared away most of the clutter before she pulled out a stick of chalk from the cabinets. She then drew a pentagram on the kitchen's counter, the child stared curiously.

"Pass me that jar," Solomon said as she point one of many jars that sat in the edge of the counter.

"Which one?" the child said as he examined the jars.

"The one that has the label "Grass" on it." Solomon said.

"Grass? I thought you make bread with flour?" he said he passed the jar of grass.

"I never said I was teaching how to make "normal" bread." Solomon took a fist full of grass before she placed it on the pentagram.

The child titled his head as he reveal a puzzled expression. Solomon pulled out an old rusted key that was attached to string as if it was a necklace. Solomon placed her of hands on both side of the pentagram, the pentagram began to glow as well the key. And within a spit second, a light was flashed and the grass was replaced by a loth of bread.

"Wow! So cool! What kind of magic was that, Master Solomon?" the child beamed.

"Master." Solomon said with a blunt tone.

"Huh?"

"You may just call me Master, for starting today. You! Little one, are now my apprentice." Solomon smirked.

"I'm your apprentice? I'm going to be your APPRENTCIE?!" the child squealed.

"Going to be? Little One you already are my apprentice." Solomon slightly chuckled.

The child pouted. "I'm not THAT little,"

"Well, you are compare to me at least." Solomon chuckled again as she reached out two jars labeled "jam" and "butter".

"I'm not little!" the child huffed.

"Then what's your name?" Solomon said with a plain tone.

"What?"

"What do mean "what"? You do have name, don't you? Or did the people who brought to this world failed to give you one?" Solomon said as she cut some of the loth of bread with a large sharp knife.

"I... uh..." the child muttered.

"Your name, child!" Solomon said as she stabbed the knife into one of the cabinets.

The child flinched as he stuttered. "Eric, Eric Pluto!"

"Pluto? You mean you're from those bunch of no bodies?" Solomon chuckled as she opened the lids of the two jars.

"They abandoned me because they said I was cursed." Eric said as he lower his head.

"I didn't ask but okay. Just assure you, you are not cursed." Solomon said while she passed a butter and jam slice of bread to Eric.

"I'm not?" Eric said while he accepted the slice of bread.

"You have no tattoos anywhere on your body, so no. You are deemed not cursed." Solomon said.

"What are tattoos?" Eric asked.

"Black ink that is engraved into your skin."

"Sounds painful."

"It is painful."

"Did you had a tattoo before, Master?"

"No, but Veilig Town is filled with cursed people if you checked the right places."

"Master." Eric called while he tugged Solomon's arm.

"Yes?"

"What did you actually meant when you said you weren't a wizard?"

Solomon sighed, she took another wooden chair and sat down. "To put it simply, I wasn't born with magic."

"But you did magic just before. Does that mean it wasn't not magic?" Eric hopped off his wooden chair before he rested his head in Solomon's lap.

"Not necessary. What I did before was a type of magic that I created."

"You created your own type of magic? So cool! What is it called?" Eric stared with sparkly eyes.

Solomon chuckled. "It's called Alchemy. It's magic that anyone can use, even if you don't have magic."

"Wow! You're amazing, Master!" Eric said with a cheerful smile.

"Don't get impressed yet, there is still more I have show you." Solomon grinned.

"Okay!"

[Present Day]

"Ready to go?" Solomon said as she held a pink door handle.

"Ready Master!" Eric said excited as he tugged his bag.

Solomon opened the door and revealed an whole cavern made of pink crystals.

"Okay, remember what I taught you?" Solomon said with her usual deadpan expression.

Eric nodded aggressively as he pulled out some green crystals and placed them inside his boots. Eric then carefully stepped off the door frame and quickly got his feet stuck onto the pink crystal wall.

"Master! Did you see that?! I did it!" Eric cheered.

Solomon slowly applauded Eric. "Nice work, but remember that's only step one,"

Solomon flipped off the door frame and got herself stuck onto the cavern's ceiling. "Now the real challenge begins! Are you prepared for it, Eric?"

Eric grins widely as he screamed. "YES, MASTER SOLOMON!"