The room was filled with sunlight. Dark green drapes hung from brass brackets fixed to the wall. The room was adorned with mahogany furniture. A desk sat in the back of the room, with rolls of parchment scattered across it. A single quill rested in the open ink canister. A chair was pushed in just behind it, coupled with verdant cushions of plush velvet. In the center of the room two figures sat upon chairs, facing each other. The chairs resembled the one behind the desk, and between them, a short, round table stood. Upon that table, fine ivory colored china sat on a tray, with a plate of shortbread cookies off to the side. A porcelain teapot sat on a pedestal in the middle of the table.
Pouring out a cup of tea, the young woman asked.
"So, to recap, your village spontaneously caught on fire?"
She lifted the cup in her hands and offered it to Kai, the boy across from her.
Taking it, he replied,
"Yes, that night burns fresh in my mind every second I live, and it's taking all I have not to break down."
The beautiful woman in front of him nodded at his statement. She had long blond hair that fell down to her shoulder blades, fair skin, and deep emerald green eyes. She was pretty, no doubt, but it wasn't her looks that demanded respect; rather, it was the way she carried herself.
"Seeing as you're a victim of this, I believe you have the right to know. Your village, not unlike many under the wind gods' dominion, is being targeted. We're unsure of the motives behind the attack; however, we believe that since the House of Wind and the House of Fire have been at each other's necks for a long while; they are behind the attack. Given their nature and general tendency to raze everything in a sea of flames, we believe our thoughts have proven correct.
Kai nodded along, unsure of much of what she was saying. To his credit, he had never even learned of any gods or churches, much of the wider world was unknown to him.
The priestess sipped from her cup and set it down once more.
"Any questions?"
Kai paused for a second, and then retrieved a small green crystal and an ornate quartz ring from his pouch. He had been given a new pair of clothes as well as this pouch for materials, his old ones having been ruined by the beast's last stand. They consisted of a coarse, grey-green tunic and dark grey military pants, lined with pockets upon pockets.
His casual outfit contrasted with the priestess's black gown, coupled with her white collared habit, and veil that cascaded down from her coif. The gown fit her nicely, conforming to her body while also remaining innocent. The priestess was on the slimmer side, much unlike Kai who was well built from years of hard labor and exploration. She had strong cheekbones, a soft jaw, thin eyebrows, and a straight nose.
She uncrossed her legs as she leaned forward and took the items from Kai's outstretched hand.
"An essence stone, coupled with… a spatial ring."
She frowned, setting them down on the table between them.
"Where did you find these? I'm going to assume you found them and didn't steal them. If you did, I'm going to have to purge you."
Her eyes flashed dangerously, making Kai flinch. Then, she burst out in a fit of giggles.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. There's no way a kid who struggled with a dormant beast could steal from a tier 3 mage—unless they're dead, of course."
Kai raised an eyebrow,
"And you're so certain I didn't kill them? Why?"
She only continued to laugh, stopping only to wipe her eyes.
"That question explains exactly why I'm so sure."
Finally managing to contain herself, the priestess straightened her back.
"To start, there are ten realms…"
Kai braced himself, eyes steady, ready to consume the load of information coming his way.
"The first realm is called the Sense stage, where you can sense and manipulate essence in the air."
She clasped her hands together, smiling brightly.
"Each Sense stage magician has around 10 units of essence, but that's only if one awakens using a Tier one crystal."
The priestess reached down and grabbed the emerald crystal off the table,
"This crystal is a Tier two crystal, which means it came from a tier two beast."
Whistling, she tossed it into the air and suspended it above her palm.
"Using one of these suckers to awaken is the optimal path, as it doubles your mana talent and stresses your body's conditioning to the max."
Letting it spin freely above her hand, she drew a diagram with light.
"To put it simply, with double the mana reserves and a body stretched to its peak potential, this gives you the best possible starting point, allowing you to elevate yourself further than just awakening with a Tier one crystal."
She let the stone float over to Kai as the graph in front of her skyrocketed towards the ceiling.
"Boom! Your potential explodes exactly like that!" –The chart made of mana burst into a shower of sparks–
Kai nodded. "Assuming a tier two crystal is double the mana talent, would a tier three crystal not triple it then?"
She let the crystal fall back down onto the table.
"In theory, Yes. In practice… well, you explode. Believe me, the royals have tried everything."
Kai sucked in a sharp breath.
"To be totally honest, I have no idea about much of this magic stuff."
The priestess looked him in the eyes before clasping her hands once more, her face bright.
"That's why I've taken it upon myself to be your mentor!" Smiling at him, she stood up.
"My name is Sylvia, by the way, lessons start tomorrow."
With that, she turned her back and walked away.
Kai was sitting on a soft bed –his bed. The room loaned to him by the priestess was moderately sized, with a nice, long window. The view from said window was of the mountains beyond the village wall.
The bed was crowned with a rugged oak headboard, reminding Kai of the forest where he grew up. The mattress was soft and comfortable, but springy, holding his weight well.
Folded over it lay a pair of blankets. Each of them was woven with ornate patterns and vivid colors. A single pillow rested in front of the headboard.
The floor was a simple pattern of interlocked wooden boards, polished with some sort of shiny resin.
In the corner of the room stood a single chair with ornate arm pieces, upon which rested a change of clothes that wasn't there last night.
His mind was reeling as it processed the information given to him the day prior. Awakenings, tiers, magic- all sorts of things flew through his mind. Eventually he stood up, –unable to contain himself– and set off down the hall towards the priestess's room, not bothering to change his clothes yet.
Taking a deep breath, he walked down the hallway, its verdant carpet and white walls in all their glory surrounded him.
Today was the day he would learn about magic…