That is how I learned all of magic. In addition, I read about various different subjects. I trained not only in the arcane arts, but in combat too. There was so much knowledge in that library, and I spent years absorbing as much of it as I could. The wizard tested me in various different ways, checking to see if I was up to speed with his teachings. For every new way I learned how to wield magic, he would test me to see if I had learned my lesson well. I suffered all sorts of injuries during that time, you know. Plenty of pain, but it was worth every moment of it. One memorable moment was when he was teaching me how to manipulate flames. It was always painful to watch as he did it with such ease, and when I attempted to do it, the flames often burned my hands and left me having to use balms to heal the wounds. Even worse was his laughter whenever I failed in my lessons. He openly mocked me every time I failed to grasp the knowledge he was attempting to gift me. I think this was a strategy to get me angry with him, and thus try as hard as I could to succeed with the lessons. It definitely worked. I grew angrier and angrier, and even spent several nights staying up by candlelight, studying the arts which I had failed in. Eventually, I started to excel with the magic he had taught me. But, whenever I had thought that I was finally becoming wiser, he would present an even greater challenge. I grew greatly curious about his origins, and tried to find out more about my mysterious mentor.
‘So, who are you exactly?’
‘A wizard.’
‘I know that you are a wizard, but what’s your name? Are you actually from Arcana?’
‘This is useless knowledge for you when you have all of these books to study. My name is irrelevant. The only important thing is what I am.’
‘Which is a wizard.’
‘Precisely. You are starting to grasp my teachings and my wisdom a little bit better every day, Jacques.’ He paused for a moment, drifting off into his own thoughts.
‘You have proven to be an interesting student. Most people I have tutored across my long life would have given up by now.’
‘That does not surprise me. I have only stayed out of necessity.’
‘No, it’s more than that. There is a great curiosity within you, a desire to wander, to learn, to explore. But, there is also something else…’ He pulled out a strange glass crystal, and raised it to the bright candlelight. Light reflected from the crystal and pinpointed itself onto my forehead.
‘Ah, I see. Peace. You mean to go out into the world and achieve peace between two warring factions. Before you ask, this crystal lays a person’s desires bare and in their most simple form.’ Before I could speak up, he quickly cut me off with another statement.
‘I believe the time has come for an actual test of your skills.’
‘You mean everything up until now weren’t actual tests?’
‘They were, but not in this sense. They were tests of your individual skills. This is going to be a test of how you use those skills together.’ With a click of his fingers, everything went blank.
When I regained my senses, I was in the middle of a forest. However, it was completely unlike any forest I had set foot in before. The very trees and grass were of completely random colours, and twisted in strange ways. Great trunks which seemed to be made of metal rose eye into a purple-hazed sky, reflecting the strange array of colours around them. Looking around, I noticed a sword carefully placed on a nearby tree stump, alongside some simple leather armour and a small sack. Upon carefully opening the sack, I saw it was filled with various foodstuffs. I reached out for the sword after completing my inspection, and as soon as I grasped it, the Wizard’s voice suddenly echoed through the bizarre forest.
‘This is an artificial world which I have constructed. We will be using this region to test your abilities. The first test will begin soon.’
‘So, any advice, Wizard?’
‘I have already given you the advice you need. You merely have to apply it to the task at hand.’ Nothing more was spoken, and the forest grew deathly silent. My first impression was that I was going to have to slay something, for a sword does not have any purpose other than to slay. Deciding to explore the area for potential shelter, I cautiously sneaked through the whispering trees. Each rustle of the leaves gave an almost metallic sound which carried along the wind, singing through the dense undergrowth. As I came deeper into the forest, the bushes and shrubs which covered the ground became thicker and thicker. Soon, it came to the point where it was extremely difficult to simply walk through them. Raising my sword above me, I only stopped myself at the last moment. Inspecting the branches of the bushes, it was of the same metal that the tree trunks were composed of. It could blunt my sword only after a couple of swings, which meant that I’d be just as worse of if I didn’t even have a weapon. This world that had been constructed by the wizard seemed to only have one clear pathway for me to take. Returning to the clearing, I could see that it stretched into a narrow path on the opposite side of the woods. Forward I went, deep into the bushy and dark pathway which cut through the bizarre forest. While I was making my way through the windy path, I heard the bushes rustle around me. It does not take a genius to know when something is watching you. When the erratic leaves above me began to block out any trace of light, I formed a small orb to hold in my hand, which provided me with light. Another thing I had noticed when I walked deeper and deeper inside the forest, it had grown colder and colder. It was a sapping cold, which began to make my muscles ache from the mere act of walking forward. Those same rustles from before had come closer now, and continued to come closer and closer as I continued on the path. Whatever constructs the wizard had made knew about this path well, using the sapping cold in order to weaken any potential prey. Without warning they came bounding from the shadows, my orb barely lighting their twisted forms. Razor sharp teeth and claws barely missed my throat, instead slashing across my chest. My leather overcoat provided a small measure of protection, though it was now completely torn apart. Before I could even react, the shapes disappeared into the undergrowth. Instinctively, I clutched for the sword the wizard had provided, which I had carelessly left in its scabbard until this point. Those things seemed to understand what I was holding too, because they did not come directly at me like they did earlier. Instead, they began to move in irregular patterns through the undergrowth. I was terrified at this point, and I could hear them coming from every direction at once. I knew that I could not win like this. The wizard had taught me many different uses of magic, but I was rummaging through my mind to find the one way which would protect me from the ensuing onslaught. As another shape swiftly burst from the undergrowth, I used my magic to cause the air around me to become extremely frigid. The thing was frozen solid the second it came into contact with the air, and messily shattered on the ground as I ducked underneath it. Its companions released strange quivering howls, as though they were mourning its death. Since it had shattered beyond recognition, I still had no clue what was attacking me. I was not safe from them yet, I still heard them rustling through the thick bushes and tall grass. The way they moved was different than before. They moved faster and with less patience, aggressively tearing through the foliage. I presumed that they were infuriated by the death of one of their own, and that they desired to spill my blood as soon as possible.