Sen’s first day of learning magic turned out to be a disappointment. Not because he found the magic disappointing, but because Murdin had apparently decided the first day of an apprenticeship didn’t merit actually learning magic.

  Instead, Murdin tested Sen on a variety of tasks. Reading, writing, as well as a variety of topics related to herbalism, hunting, and several areas which Sen had no knowledge, such as geology.

  Despite how unexpected he found it, it was an interesting distraction. He noticed that he enjoyed the language used here more than the one in his previous life. The words had a rhythmic lilt that he enjoyed, and certain sentences read with a cadence that swept him away like a dance. It was enjoyable even reading some of these parts, not because they were especially poignant, interesting, or well-written, but because the language itself fit together in a way that he found novel.

  He felt thankful that he didn’t have to learn the language himself, though, depending heavily on his memories to ensure he could keep up with the nuances of the language.

  Murdin didn’t react to much of his ‘testing’ but did seem annoyed when he realized how little Sen knew about rocks.

  “Materials are the basis and foundation of magic,” he said. “You simply must know more about the tools at your disposal. Rocks are some of the most effective supplies we have, and you need only go outside to find more.” His explanation seemed rote, one that he had repeated perhaps hundreds of times, if not more. That didn’t change the obvious passion for the subject on Murdin’s face, however.

  Sen looked at the man thoughtfully from the small, plush sofa he sat on. Murdin sat on a similarly plush chair, with simple, if interesting, detail work on each arm. “What exactly is the point of all this?”

  “I need to know what you know so that I can ensure you learn what you do not,” Murdin said simply, marking on a paper in his hands. “Do not think you can come to me, ask for knowledge and education, and get away with something subpar. I will not allow such laziness, and if that is your objective, I suggest you leave now.”

  Sen smiled. “I have no intentions of giving up,” he said. “I welcome all the knowledge you have for me.”

  “Good.” Murdin smiled. Some might read the look more like a sneer, Murdin himself a somewhat ugly man, but Sen hadn’t noticed anything off about him. He just seemed… unlucky, in terms of physical characteristics. A bulbous nose adorned his face, with small, pinched eyes and a large bald spot. Huge lines worked their way across his face, wrinkles that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a man several decades senior to Murdin.

  At the least, he had the look of experience on him.

  “Come,” Murdin said at last. “We will begin your proper education tomorrow, but most days I have obligations in the town. You will be accompanying me for most of them.” So saying, Murdin stood, and gathered several items before the two of them left.

  He held a large bag full of rocks across one shoulder as they approached a small woodworker’s shop. Murdin knocked on the door with a quick rap of his knuckles, and a slight, older man greeted the two of them with a kindly smile and the sight and smell of sawdust all over him.

  “Ah, Murdin,” the man said. “It is good to see you. I think my sharpening enchantments are fading already.” He shook his head, then tsked. “My apprentice doesn’t know how to preserve the blades at all, yet.” He looked toward Sen. “And who is this? Found your own apprentice, have you?”

  Murdin smirked. “Yes, indeed. An apprentice of my own. Let us hope he is not like my previous apprentice.”

  “Oh? I wasn’t aware you had another apprentice, Murdin.”

  The mage shrugged at that. “It was a long time ago, before I ever came to Shiren,” he said. Shiren was the name of this town.

  “I see, I see,” the woodworker said as he gestured them inside. Murdin inspected a number of enchanted blades silently.

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  To Sen’s surprise, he pointed out several areas where the enchantment had begun to degrade. “I don’t expect you to understand any of this yet, but a little bit of experience now should make it easier later,” he said by way of explanation.

  It took only a few tweaks to the degraded glyphs to re-set them properly, but Murdin warned the wood worker, named Berrus, that they would still need to be replaced entirely in a few more months. “There’s just not enough material left for the enchantments to work with for much longer than that.”

  Berrus nodded in understanding, and Murdin continued his work. He checked the building, and Sen realized that almost every part of the home had a number of small enchantments at either the base or top of the walls. To what end, Sen didn’t know, and he didn’t want to interrupt while Murdin worked. They stayed there only a short time longer as Murdin inspected several more minor things.

  When they left, Sen took the chance to ask about the enchantments.

  “Your theoretical education is lacking too much for a deeper explanation, but suffice it to say that most buildings will begin to fall apart quickly without the aid of magical enchantments. The weather wears harshly in this part of the world.”

  That answered just enough to leave him with even more questions, but Sen didn’t feel too lost. It had never occurred to the part of him - Tane - that had lived his whole life in this small town, but now that he thought about it, Sen did find it strange that he’d never seen anyone working to maintain any of the homes in the town.

  It certainly wasn’t something that happened constantly in his first life, but it wasn’t uncommon. Rather, it would have never been notable without the context of his new magical pursuits to give it meaning.

  Sen followed Murdin for a few hours as the mage paid several more house calls to various parts of the town. The man checked off each place on a large list in a notebook as they left, and with each building, Sen learned a little bit more about how magic was used in this world - though not much about magic itself.

  It was interesting enough, but he couldn’t help but feel a burgeoning hunger. It was one thing to see that magical enchantments were useful, and how they managed to keep tools sharp, buildings sturdy, and minimized the upkeep needed on things that would otherwise fall apart over the course of time.

  Sen had even seen an expensive cupboard filled with glyphs that supposedly extended the life of fruits, vegetables, and meat inside by keeping them cooler. Incredible.

  However, all of that was a far cry from actually understanding the root cause, the magic itself. That was the knowledge he wanted. How did these glyphs carved into objects allow all of this to happen?

  Sen thought back to the magic he was already familiar with. It drew its energy from a natural cycle of power that radiated from the soul called mana. That mana could be channeled through the body or through scrolls into a rune that formed a magical spell.

  There were some superficial similarities, but everything about this other magic system, which Sen found himself calling Fiddian magic - for the other world that everyone came from through the Crossing - and his own Ceriddian magic, seemed to focus entirely on separate objects. Ceriddian magic could use separate objects as a way to make it easier to use that magic, and it was normal to do so. However, Fiddian magic seemed to require that separation.

  Their arrival back at Murdin’s house was only a short time before the end of the day. Murdin looked up at the sky, then to Sen. He grunted, and Sen thought it might be in disappointment, but couldn’t say for sure. “We’ll have to see if we can find time to begin your training tomorrow,” he said. “It’s getting late, and I have other work to do tonight. There are more inspections to be made for the rest of the week, and then…” He trailed off, deep in thought.

  “Do you have any books? Maybe I can start with those?” Sen asked.

  Murdin looked at him in surprise, broken from his reverie. He hummed, rubbing at his chin. “Hmm, yes, I suppose that could work. Wait here just a minute,” he said before heading inside. The sun slowly lowered in the sky as he waited, turning from the last vestiges of blue into purple and violets that smeared across the sky.

  Sen turned as Murdin stepped outside with two small books. “Here,” he said, handing them over. “These should explain enough for a basic understanding. There will be much more for you to learn, but this will be a good start until we can actually find the time to get you started properly.”

  When Sen tried to take them from his hand, Murdin held them tight in his grasp. He stared deep into Sen’s eyes. “Do not experiment without understanding what you are doing, do you hear me? While the work you saw today allows for the protection and maintenance of many things, do not think that magic is something that cannot get you killed on accident. Easily, at that.”

  Sen nodded at the mage’s warning. “Ok,” he said, swallowing at the gravity in Murdin’s expression. Murdin searched his eyes for a moment, but eventually gave in and let Sen take the books.

  “Turn of the morning tomorrow,” Murdin said suddenly, then turned and stepped inside the house, shutting the door behind him.

  Sen looked down at the books as he turned to go back home. Finally, he thought, gripping the books in his hands.

  Magic!