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Moist air collected on an 11-year-old's brow as he tried his darnest to clear his family's hay field. The scythe he wielded weighed almost as much as him and every swing put him off balance. He paused to recuperate.

"Elisha!" His brother called to him from afar. He abandoned the pigs he was tending. Elisha stopped what he was doing to run to him. Kartan met him halfway.

"Dad wants you to draw some water then call it a day."

Elisha rested his hands on wobbly knees. He coughed and spat out the bile stuck in his throat. "I'm going really slow, aren't I?" Kartan squatted to meet him eye level. "Hey hey hey don't think like that. He just worries is all." Elisha looked at the rest of the farm. Their little sister, Crystal, tended the crops. Father worked the horses, and mother cooked something sweet inside. A murky feeling swamped inside Elisha. "Shoot, if you want to work so bad you can help me make some ice cream after chores."

"Promise?!" It took a long time and a lot of hard work to make ice cream, especially outside of winter. Kartan sniffed the air. Gray clouds obscured the sun.

"Yeah, but it might rain today so don't get your hopes too high. I'm thinking we'll make vanilla."

"I want chocolate," he pouted.

"My ice cream, my flavor." Elisha lightly kicked him and jogged to get pails.

It was an easy trek. The well lazed atop a grassy hill overlooking the nearby town. A girl sat precariously on the edge and played with the lever that lowers the rope to the bottom. The wind swam through her seaweed hair and poofed her dress.

"Hi Jane." Elisha didn't talk with her much, only seeing her in Ms. Artichoke's class. She balanced on the bricks. "Stooooooop." Elisha did. She walked in a circle while swaying back and forth like a witch. "Have you ever heard the story of the boy and the well."

"No."

"They saaaaay, that a little boy came up to a well one day." She jumped off and spun barefooted. "Curious, he looked down the well." She tilted her body into the well, making her dangerously close to falling in, then tilted out. "What he saw scared him so bad he fell down." She danced and hopped around. The trees swished and blades of wet grass stuck to her clothes.

"What'd he see." Elisha had a bad feeling

She tiptoed around the well. "What he saw, was his own UUUUUUUUUUUUUGLY reflection." Elisha didn't know how to react. He stared at her as if he didn't hear. "I'm talking about you, dummy." She stuck her tongue out and ran away. He scaled the hill to attach a pail on the hook and lowered it down. When he looked down he saw nothing but darkness.

After that was done he traveled to the beach. The tumultuous waves were always soothing to watch. The town's main source of income was in whaling, but the ports were closed today. Elisha wistfully observed the town boys chase each other on the sands. They were playing tag. The 20-minute walk forced him to take a break lest he faints.

He slowly inched closer to the group. It was hard to jump into the ongoing game. Thomas happened to be the one who's it, and Elisha knew he hated it. He was slow and burly. The 3 other kids deftly skirted around his stumble. Elisha decided to make his move.

"Can I play too, Tom?"

Thomas examined him up and down. He snorted and stuck his finger in his nose. "If you're fine being it."

"Yeah." He poked him with a booger "You're it!" he bolted. Elisha went for a swipe at Tom, which he evaded by a hair. He tried chasing anyone who came close, but they kited him. He quickly grew tired and rested on his knees again. One of the kids, David, pushed him. He tried grabbing him, but Thomas shoved him from behind. He toppled face first to the sand. They continued to play without him. He dusted himself off and watched.

This was his daily routine.

He stayed after they left when the sun hovered between the ocean and gray skies. The waves lap his dangling legs from the packed sands. Jade green waters mingled and swirled into light blue. His nose stung from sea salt. The comfort the scenery brought lulled him to sleep.

Gentler than a mother the waves embraced his small body and carried him. He was able to stay afloat until rain clouds poured. Salt entered his mouth which awakened him to tossing currents. He panicked and tried to wade back to shore. The waves crashed and rain bombarded him from above. He swallowed salty water and shut his eyes. He didn't have any strength to struggle, but he held on until the waves buried him.

His dreams flashed images of work. He was leading the horses to plow the fields for the first time. He fell and the horse stepped on his leg while his father was there. Pain suffused his drowning as he screamed. He forcefully pulled himself from the nightmare.

His eyes had to adjust to dim light from a fireplace. He was in a single-roomed house, resting on a large bed. Whistles and gurgles emanated from a table across the room. Strange instruments littered a wide table. It carried different colored liquids in its innards, and when one of the liquids dripped from a spout, it landed in another miniature vat to evaporate. Someone sat in a lavish cushioned chair writing on parchment. Elisha surmised the person rescued him, but what surprised him was that he was completely dry like he had never gotten wet.

"E-excuse me sir?"

He didn't respond. Elisha could hear the rumblings outside, so he couldn't just leave. He looked out the window, he could see part of the shore and docks. The ocean must've carried him down the coast, past town. It would take at least a day to walk back. It was near nighttime. The half moon began its ascent, casting its gaze on every critter on earth. *BOOM*.

It came from the vats. The person muttered and scribbled. Elisha imagined his handwriting must be unreadable. The stranger wore a cowl. Elisha didn't want to get close.

His gaze lingered on the bookcases near the hearth. Most of them were thick and had dull colors, so Elisha's eyes were drawn to a thin bright blue one. It happened to be on a shelf he couldn't reach but was near his bed.

He used a shelf as a footstool to grab it. While doing so some other books tumbled and made very loud noises the person ignored.

"Can I read this?"

He swore the person grunted. Well if it wasn't a no. Elisha settled in front of the embers. The front cover didn't have anything save for the flowery title, "Introduction into the World of Magic." Elisha reminisced the children's books his teacher read in class sometimes. Magic was viewed as smoke and mirrors. Once every year a group of jesters heralding so-called "magic" toured town to street perform. He skipped to the first chapter.

The mind creates reality and reality created the mind. To study magic is to study oneself and our harmony with nature. It is to impose one's will upon the world, to create reality within reality. To study magic requires incredible focus of the mind and a natural curiosity of the world. It requires endless patience and a lifetime of devotion to achieve anything meaningful. Magic is NOT meant to be used for violence or self-gratification. It is for those of kind hearts who are willing to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the development of humanity. Do not misuse magic for violence, manipulation, torture, inebriation, carnal pleasure, defamation, or any other harmful or selfish desires. Any who carry out abhorrent acts are to be stripped of their Lexicons post haste. Now then, If you are ready to journey to the wondrous realm between pragmatism and fantasy, turn the page to begin your adventure.

He turned the page

Close your eyes. Try it imagine your surroundings. What do you see? What can you sm-

"Why are you still here?" Elisha was so raptured by the book he didn't notice the gangly man behind him. He wore loopy robes that dragged on the floor and had a black neckbeard half Elisha's height. He had bronze skin that shined from his bald head. He didn't look too old, he could be in his 50s. In his hand was a floating, spinning cube.

"Uh, the storm?"

He strained his eyes to see the blackness outside. "Ah right." He walked back to his chair and started scribbling again. Elisha returned to reading.

-ell. Feel the ground under your feet and taste the air. Being able to perfectly visualize your surroundings is key-

"Who gave you permission to use my library?," the man said sternly. Elisha almost threw the book in shock.

"I-I-I-I thought you didn't mind when I asked you,' he stuttered.

The man stroked his beard in great consideration. He had small beady eyes and a squashed nose, like a giant gnome. "If you're going to steal from me at least take a few more." He muttered while picking up the fallen books and fanning through his collection. He picked 4 hefty looking books and placed them beneath Elisha's feet.

"Do it in the order from the book in your hand, then from top of the stack to bottom."

"Thank you sir."

"Feh." He sat in his chair and resumed his work. The boy studied while the storm pounded the thatched roof. Hours passed in silence. By the time Elisha finished the book it was past midnight. His nap knocked him out of his normal sleep cycle. He put the book behind him and lied on the floor; he gained a headache from binge reading. He tried applying the techniques he read. Carefully visualizing his surroundings and gaining a sense of distance of the objects around him. The bed was about a meter away. The ceiling was 10 meters from his head, or was it 6? Hard to tell with limited light.

"Boy."

Elisha snapped to attention. "Where do you live?"

"Umm, a little north of Cape Town. I live on a farm, we sell fruit sometimes."

"Once the morn' pops I'll take you home, I'm sure they're fretting all about you."

He laid out a tarp and put a spare pillow on it. He snuffed the fire and navigated the darkness to his bed.

"Maybe," Elisha whispered to himself. He had no place to sleep but the tarp.

Elisha rose far earlier than the strange man. He snored loudly while seagulls squawked for the rising sun. He walked outside to view the precipice where the house presided. The sky was as clear as the sea and the scent of mildew refreshed his mind. The boy sat on the edge and meditated, taking in everything. The book said to create a strong mental image. The color of the sun is orange, the gulls are white and have black tipped feathers.

It was hard creating something concrete. He could only focus on the details in a small area, like an out of focus picture. If he added smell or sound the entire thing would be a blurry mess. Guess he'd have plenty of time to work on this crap when he got home.

He went back inside. Still snoring. He didn't even bother taking his robes off before going to bed. Elisha pushed a leg of his bed, hoping the noise and movement would wake him. It creaked over a floorboard. No luck.

"Sir?" he said quietly.

He tugged on his beard. It was coarse and tangled together where he pulled. The head jerked but he was steadfast asleep. He grew bored and decided to browse his rescuer's wares. The glass bottles with weird liquids contained looked dangerous to touch. Cabinets on the far side of his desk had kettle pots and lazily stored dried meat. There's some crackers, more weird instruments, wooden spoons, a broom, extra clothes; none of them looked fancy. The cube lay unattended on the table and caught his attention.

Purple veins pulsed in a shiny onyx colored jewel. It was as big as a small tissue box, and fit neatly in the child's palm. The book said many things about the "Lexicon" as it was called, but Elisha couldn't decipher anything the book meant.

Elisha heard the man stir. He put the cube down before he got out of bed and rubbed his eyes open. He practically dislocated his jaw to yawn. He had pristine white teeth. Elisha pretended to be browsing his library.

"Being up so early is veeery," He yawned again. "irritating."

Was he faking being asleep? "Sorry sir, and thank you for saving me:

"Save your platitudes." He tucked his cube inside his sleeve "Let's be off." He sounded winded. He waited outside the door for Elisha.

"Can I come back sometime?"

"Hm." The man was surprised. He pointed at a book on the floor. "Read that in a week and you can." Elisha heaved the heavy book to his chest. Something popped at the lab set-up.

He rushed to his disk to observe the new liquid. "Nevermind, I need to do some data analysis first." He furiously scribbled while he adjusted the equipment. Two hours passed before they set off.

Elisha practiced his techniques while they were walking. A hickory tree grew 7 meters from the road and stood 9 meters tall. The dirt road was approximately 6 armlengths wide and his arm was. . . Elisha skirted a rock and tripped. The old man caught his arm with a surprisingly strong grip before he faceplanted.

"Watch where you walk."

"Sorry. I was trying to do what the book said."

The man sighed and bent down to pick up a pebble. "Start with something small before doing everything at once." He tossed the pebble to Elisha. "That's 1.57 by .79 centimeters for your reference."

The town looked as deary and smelled of fish as usual. Small 1 story shacks lined most of the bazaar. Hearty laughs over the latest catch could be heard from the taverns. Women selling the caught fish lined the streets where foreigners hoped to trade for a good price. Downtown was the town hall and larger buildings meant to process whale oil.

"Oi Mr. Mar, haven't seen you come 'ere for a while now. Got enough food in your hobble?" They both walked to an old ladies' stand. She was selling iced salmon and carp.

"Plenty enough that I don't need to buy your stinking fish."

"My fish is good for ya, puts some meat on dose bones. If my son weren' so strong I woulda asked ye for yer hand with how handsome ye are."

Mar ignored the pass. "I'm amazed Chad caught anything at all with the rocky weather yesterday."

"He was out on sea when the storm hit. Came screamin' ome, tellin' me "the seas can't touch me when I have the goddess of victory". He flaunted that stupid clamshell. "Ma Goddess always protects me, always." She giggled. "Men and their old wives tales."

"Tell him his "goddess" won't be so charitable next time."

"Right Right." She noticed Elisha. "Is that Mr. Hydrangea's son?" Are ye stealin' children Mar!"

"No. No. I found the little tyke washed up on the coast. I'm taking him back home." Elisha partially hid behind Mar. "So your his son then." The professor chuckled to himself.

She beckoned Elisha closer to whisper, "You met my Jane before haven't ye?" Elisha nodded. "Pretty tot ain't she. She's in the schoolhouse right now, why don't you ask for her hand?"

"Uhhh." Elisha was confused. She cackled. "Just kiddin'." Elisha wanted to get something from there, so after Mr. Mar talked with the locals he went.

A few children sat on the floor, shaving wood into whatever mess they desired. Jane saw Elisha and waved; he ignored her. The schoolmaster, Ms. Artichoke, sat at her oak desk, writing presumably winter lessons.

"Excuse me, Ms. Artichoke." The middle-aged lady was delighted to see his star pupil though she always hid her favoritism. "Have you been keeping with your studies Elly. Just because you think it's easy doesn't mean you should be slacking off."

"I know. I was wondering if I could buy one of your rulers?"

She banged her fist on the table. "Absolutely not." She pulled out a ruler from her desk and brandished it like a sword. "Do you know how expensive these things are. I paid a carpenter to finely craft the numbers in the wood. Look." She shoved it in front of his eyes. The perfectly symmetrical notches made for perfect measurements. The middle caves in to allow a quill to be carried with it. The varnish, the hole which you can hang it with, everything was ornate. "There is zero possibility I will part with it," she whacked against the table, "buuuuuut." She handed him the ruler. "You can make a copy of it with parchment yourself, now shove off and return it when you are done."

"Thank you Miss."

Elisha traced and cut a copy of the ruler. He rushed to keep Mar from waiting too long. He planned to glue it to plywood later.

By the time they arrived the sun was setting. Kartan and father were tending to the fields as usual, with father the first to see them. He leaped from his horse and crossed his arms. It was difficult to discern the mood he was in.

"You've made mom cry, Elly. Where'd you run off to?"

Elisha partially hid behind Mar. "I-I-it was high tide and the waves, they. ." he mumbled the rest.

"Did you try swimming again?"He clenched his fists and marched to Elisha. "Boy haven't I told you-you're too weak to do anything. We prayed for you at dinner and you have the nerve to involve-"

The professor defended him with a hand. "I wouldn't blame your son. As he said it was high tide and the sea was particularly nasty that day."

Father sized up the professor, who was considerably taller than Mar. "That so. And who might you be?"

Mar lifted his hood. "An old acquaintance."

Father's mouth gaped in shock, however, he recovered quickly and resumed his aggressive tone. "A decade and you've hardly aged. Don't think you'll get any pittance from me just because you saved him." He shoved a thick finger in his face.

The professor cracked a smile. "I don't think it would matter. You couldn't give yourself what you wanted so how could you give me anything?"

"Fu-"

"Heeey." Crystal yelled and ran with Kartan in tow. Father reigned in his anger before them. Elisha stopped hiding to catch her with open arms. Kartan picked them both up in a bear up theen put them down.

"We thought you ran away for good," Kartan said.

"You gotta tell us what happened." Crystal chimed. "Quiet!" father yelled. The siblings stood at attention immediately. "I thank you for returning my son. You can stay and have supper with us if you wish." He hid his anger beneath a thin growl.

"A kind offer but I have to decline. I'd fear for my life." He bowed and made his way on the trail road home. Elisha looked at the back of the man who saved him. "Thank you again!" he said. He watched the professor as he dipped out of view momentarily and climbed the hill away from sight. Father clapped his hands.

"Alright back to work" They all scampered to do their tasks. Father stopped Elisha as he passed him. "What's under your shirt?"

He noticed. Elisha had no choice but to take it from hiding. He presented the book and ruler for father to inspect. He scowled.

"I hope you didn't steal this."

"I didn't I swear!" Elisha thought he looked disappointed. His father turned his back.

"Keep it out of sight or I'll burn it. And go inside, let mom know you're here."

"Yes father."

A pie aroma permeated the living room. It was roomy, with cozy handcrafted furniture and a fireplace in the center. Large stuffed fish hung from the walls from Father's younger days. Crystal pushed Elisha aside "Mooom," Elly's back.

Clanging sounds came from the kitchen. She came running full charge to hug Elisha to death. She gave Elisha a long smooch on his neck.

"Welcome back." She swayed back and forth."I heard most of what you all said. He ever does anything tell me okay."

"Okay."

She released him "Good, now clean up. I'll scrounge up something for you in the meantime. You just missed dinner so you'll have to make do with leftovers."

After a quick bath he was served soup. It was heavenly. Hearty potatoes and pork with a touch of mother's love. It filled Elisha's stomach and warmed his heart. Without much fanfare he went to his room where he tucked himself into a feather bed for an earlier than usual sleep.

He awoke in the middle of the night. His sleep schedule coupled with a loud noise disrupted his sleep. Kartan snored somewhere in the darkness. It came from below. He sneaked downstairs to his parent's chambers. The door was open but he didn't need to see.

"He wouldn't be useless if you hadn't had him in six months."

"How can you say that about your son?"

"I don't like extra mouths to feed, especially ones that cause trouble."

"At least he's trying Shapta."

"He can try all he wants; that doesn't make him any more useful unless you make him do your work."

"We can work out something like that."

"I'm not raising any fags in my house!"

"Well what do want to do?"

"When he gets old enough I'll kick him out."

Long silence.

"Did the professor make you angry?"

"Yes, very much so."

"He's helped me when I was pregnant, saved your life multiple times, and saved our son. How can you be angry with him."

"I'm not arguing this with you."

"Is it because he told you to give up your dreams."

He slapped her, good and hard. The sound reverberated in the air to make Elisha wince.

"Better me than him," she whispered.

"Come on was only the one time."

"I bet your dying-

Elisha didn't want to hear any more. With how loud they were starting to get he bet his sibling could hear them from upstairs. He returned to bed to wet his pillow with tears.

The next few days passed business as usual. After Elisha did his meager share of work he nestled in the family's mini-apple orchard to study. The book had at least 50 chapters. Its voluminous vocabulary gave Elisha headaches trying to understand, but it kept him interested. So much so that he didn't notice his brother leaning on a hoe in front of him until he got conked on the head. Elisha waved his hands like he was swatting a fly.

"Thanks for forgetting me." Kartan sat next to his brother. He smelled of sweat and dirt. "What happened to making ice cream?"

"I'm reading this." He handed Kartan the book. He turned a random page and squinted at the small words, then gave it back.

"You've never been a bookworm, why the change?"

He shrugged "I dunno. I like magic."

"You do know that stuff's fake, right?"

"Yeah, but it's fun and .. " he paused to think, "Professor Mar told me I could visit him if I finished in a week."

"Cool." He leaned into the tree and gazed at the leaves. "Must be nice. . .. having that much free time."

"I guess."

"Dad was really pissed at that guy. He tell you why?"

"No. I'll ask the professor when I go." He didn't want to talk about what he heard.

"I'll come too. Gotta keep my bro safe."

"It's fine. I can go by myself."

"You'll be able to make it on your own?"

"Yes."

"You won't get into any fights.

"Yes."

"You won't get picked on." Elisha started reading his book

"Yes

"You won't get tired along the way."

"Yes."

"You won't not act stupid."

"Yes." Elisha thought for a second "Wait-

"Gotta come with you then."

"Doesn't dad need you?" Kartan shrugged.

"If it won't take long not really."

"But still, those few hours could be important."

Kartan stared at Elisha reading. "I'm not going to protect you, I'm going for me," he pouted.

"Then you can go by yourself." He laid on his side facing away from Kartan. He put more sting in the comment than intended.

"Did I do something, what's wrong?"

"You didn't do anything, I just want to go by myself."

"Fine." He had to get back to work so he left it at that.

A week passed and Elisha had not finished. He decided that it wouldn't matter and asked father for permission to go back. He didn't seem to care, as usual.

"Return by nightfall and don't do anything stupid."

With permission he ventured from the homestead to Cape Cod. The waves were calm when he surveyed the coast from the countryside. Fishing boats lined the horizon and crowded the shore with nets. Kids frolicked in frothing waters. They were the same kids from yesterday. Thomas Elisha shoveled a pile of sand and threw it. The wind blew it back in his face.

The town was more lively than yesterday. The bright reds and pale blues on houses brightened the worn down docks and made the fish gleam rainbows. Though nothing compared to the sight of townspeople flensing a whale brought to shore, the corpse being carved for fat. The smell could make a man faint. Elisha settled on the dock overlooking the whale to soothe his sore feet. He heard Jane creak up the steps and walk as if she's on a tightrope.

"What do you want?" Elisha asked tersely.

"Nooooooooothing."

"Go away." She walked past him, her scent blowing into his nose. Her hair fluttered in the wind like seaweed.

"My grandma told me what happened. You're going to visit the magic man in the shack right?" She twirled around Elisha then lightly leaned on his back.

"I heard the reason he lives alone is because no one likes him." Elisha flung a fist behind him. She dodged and fleed giggling.

*BANG* The men were yelling at each other. The whale exploded while Elisha wasn't watching.

The house on the hill was a pain to climb, but the view over Elisha's entire world made it worth it. Waves crashed against the crags, which shook his bones as he knocked on the door. Mar didn't answer, but Elisha knew he was awake since he could hear his frantic scribbling. The door was unlocked so he let himself in. The old man wore the same clothes and rocked in his chair.

"Hello?"

The place was tranquil and musky, like a small library. There was a stool set out in front of the fire which Elisha sat in. Elisha surmised he was just ignoring him rather than not noticing.

"I read the book like you told me to."

He stopped scribbling and turned. "Did you finish it?"

"Yes."

"What was the last chapter about?"

"It was about how the lexicon can't be used for evil and only for the benefit of mankind." Elisha read the thing so fast he hardly remembered anything. It was mostly about how to use the lexicon and basic magic casting.

"That's the first chapter." He pointed to the door. "Finish it then talk to me. And if you plan on studying anything in your life take notes next time."

Elisha swallowed the sour pill and sat cross-legged outside his door. It shouldn't be that long. ....

One should keep in mind that casting at even a basic level is dangerous. The magus's memorization and materialization skills should be honed to a proper before even attempting the most rudimentary of spells. If a novice magus wishes to practice casting immediately they should scribe prewritten code on a tablet or piece of paper before using code derivation from the lexicon. Improper processing of code from the lexicon not only leads to a flopped spell but can drain the casters mental faculties to a monkey's. It is of utmost import that it bears repeating, start casting spells from code written on a piece of paper. If the code is incorrect or you do not visualize the code in your head correctly, the spell will simply not work and will not consume energy. If you do not possess any pre-written code and wish to create your own please consult Introduction to Magus Code Inscribing for further information.

The entire thing was just as boring. An hour passed by the time he re-entered the hermits abode.

"I finished."

"Now was that so hard?"

"Yes." They didn't say anything for a moment. Elisha didn't know what he wanted to do, just that he wanted to be here again. He now realized the man is ruder than he initially thought.

"Is magic real?"

"If you believe it to be." The lexicon lay at his desk glowing as usual.

"Can you show me?" He settled himself on Mar's bed.

"That's like asking someone to do backflips for you."

"So you can't?"

The man gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm over 150 years old. I don't have the energy to expend on a whim. If you wish to see magic do it yourself first."

Elisha didn't believe the age he gave. "I don't have a lexicon."

Mar reached for a book on a shelf and exchanged it for the one Elisha had. It was a little less thick. "Read this in a week and practice the techniques you've learned and maybe I'll give you one." The title was the same as the one mentioned in the book.

"I don't need to read this. I've read how to cast magic and I know what to do."

Mar scoffed. "If you aren't willing to put in the work then don't bother. Magic isn't meant to be some fanciful hobby you practice when you feel like it."

Elisha grit his teeth. "I didn't say it was."

"But it's what you think of it. You think magic is like playing cards or twirling a pencil; Something to distract others from your weakness. It is not and you will gain nothing if you maintain that mentality."

"SHUT UP! I'll read it in a week and prove you wrong."

He dashed out the door and ran back home. He had entirely forgotten to ask about his history with father. He returned home as promised by nightfall.

Next morning Elisha asked her younger sister for a favor. She wore a bucket on her head with an apple on top.

"Stay still Crystal."

"When are you gonna shoot the arrow?"

"I'm not gonna shoot an arrow. Stay still and move when I tell you to."

She stopped and went rigid. Elisha sat away from her and made a window with his hands like a painter to measure the distance. He made the center the apple.

"So 0 degrees" he muttered. "Okay move a little left. She shuffled to her left.

"About 15 degrees. To the left, the left."

She shuffled a bit more.

"70. Now step back please."

She complied.

"34 degrees no-."

"Crystal can you come down and help with sewing." Mother called from below.

"Coming mom" She walked away and downstairs.

"No, wait." The apple fell. He reassumed his painter's window.

"89 degrees south, I think?" He picked up the apple. It was homegrown from the family orchard. It had bruises and the brown discoloration told it had a worm in it, so father didn't mind him picking it. He tried sucking in every detail of it, the little white beads on the side, where the green fades to dark red and the shape and mushy feel. He closed his eyes to create the image in his head. The image wasn't as precise as the books said they should be. He threw the apple.

He approached his father cautiously. He was harvesting wheat. "What do you want?"

"Can I, um, do other stuff instead of working today."

He didn't even look. "Do whatever you want."

With father's permission, he would seclude himself every day in a nearby forest to plow through chapters, this time keeping a quill and parchment handy to take any important tidbits down. He meditated and practiced creating images from apples. He practiced his memorization by taking quick peeks at previously read chapters and trying to picture the page with the words included. From the book he learned the basics of magic. In order to do magic one must write specific instructions and have fine control of the resources around oneself. If the lexicon doesn't provide it, the code must be memorized exactly throughout the duration of the spell. The spell require a "position", "energy", and "conditions". A caster needs a keen understanding of distance, which means they must have a "grid system" by which they can plot where the spell will be. A spell, in essence, is manipulating the energies of the world to turn it to something else, the act of which also requires energy. If the code does not specify a source of energy it will be taken from the caster's body. A spell can kill a caster if the caster is not prepared. Also to use magic the caster needs a source of mana. It can be from magic crystals or one can be borne with mana generation powers. Most bought Lexicons come with some crystals inside. Lastly, the conditions of the spell may be the command, duration, or the components needed for the spell. For example, the conditions for a "fireball" would be the fuel, air, and temperature. The conditions can be met by manipulating such things, or already be in place.

Elisha practiced writing his first code. It was a spell for casting a small flame. He had no idea whether it would work except by consulting the book. He spent his time honing his skill until it became dark, by then he would return home and enjoy supper before bed. As promised in a week he went to the professor's house and unceremoniously strolled inside.

The professor flipped a pencil. "How long?" He didn't seem to care about Elisha's last outburst.

"From the tip, it's 14 centimeters long, and. . . 1.5 wide."

He presented the next item. "My abacus."

"20 wide 17 long."

"My mug."

"13 long, 8 wide."

"This thing." He took a flask from his desk and poured a drink for himself. It had a thin neck and a wide base.

"The neck is 7 long and 3 wide and the bottom is," the bottom was a sphere," the surface area is 40, I think."

"For fun can you tell me the volume of the liquid."

He scrutinized the viscous fluid as hard as he could. Looked like rum. "Definitely not."

"Hmph." He shuffled around his quarters to find a wooden box. Sharply cut sticks were lackered together to make a cube where a smaller, shiny black cube filled the space. A plaque on the top bar had the words "All is Real" written in gold letters. "In order to establish a link to the cube, you must imagine a key with those words on the shaft and put it in a keyhole. Simply twist and open." He handed the cube to him.

"So, I passed your exam," he said smugly?"

"Hardly. Huge margin of error. You only showed me you did your homework. I assume you know what to do?" Elisha closed his eyes and did as instructed.

His mind's eye transported him into a world of darkness. He levitated in the nothingness and looked up to find the giant cube glowing gray. Inside the wooden sticks were swirling black masses that clawed against the bars. Hands reached past and attempted to grab Elisha. They screamed to be let out.

"What?" The boy shivered in fear. The professor bent a knee to touch the cube. "I-I think I saw someone crying," the boy whispered. He buried the cube tight to his chest. Mar clutched his shoulders.

"What you saw was nothing more than a mountain of energy, a temple of the unknown. You must climb it to know its beauty." He ruffled his thin hair.

"Energy?" The boy reentered. The envisioned cube, 20 feet tall, held the mound of black wisps. It kneaded and rolled into itself like soft dough. Sometimes the dough would resemble shapes but nothing more. He materialized the words on a sword of light that cut the cage in two. The gas amassed and charged. Elisha breathed it in like puffing a cigarette.

Grief for a dead loved one. Love of a newborn child. Regret from crushed ambitions. Despair on a lost ship. Frustration with the inferiors. Elisha opened his eyes.

"Sorry?" The cube spun on an edge slowly on his palm. His mind felt like someone had scrubbed it clean. "That was easy." He thought he needed to battle a devil.

The old man grabbed a piece of paper from his desk and searched his library for two books. "Just when I'd given up in comes a stroke of luck." His voice sounded less winded. "I want you to cast this as your first spell. Its name is "eb" and its function is to draw water to a point. All you need is a cup of water. If you have any trouble then read Basics on Water Magic, should have an appendix there." He started shoving him out the door.

Elisha put a hand on the door frame."Wait wait wait what's the rush?"

"I'm in the middle of something important. Come back when you've learned it."

"Can I ask you a question then?" He stopped pushing him.

He deliberated for a moment. "If you wish."

"Back when you brought me home, father was mad at you for some reason. Why?"

"Ah, that. When your father was a fisherman a storm hit his sailing boat one day. He would've drowned if I hadn't saved him. I suppose he's angry I saved him as well as his kin."

"Why would he be angry about that?"

He stroked his beard. "The irony. I think you should ask him for the rest."

He lifted him out and shut the door. The old man didn't answer when Elisha banged on his door. He peered through the window, he was diligently checking his tubes and taking notes.

Elisha visite the well in the morning. He drew water from it and set out his parchment. It was easy to find and copy the spell. The most important part of it was knowing the distance between you and the liquid and how far it is from where you want to draw it too. He orientated himself exactly so the desired point would be directly above the bucket so everything could be centered on a straight line. He stared at lines of code and pictured them in his mind. He ordered the spell to execute. Nothing happened.

If the spell worked the cube would do something. Elisha thought he didn't have a clear image of the code yet so he spent time staring. He visualized every little letter and period to get it perfect. He tried again but still, nothing happened. After numerous attempts and headaches, he retired for the day.

Three days were spent repeating the process. He tried different things to get it to work. He refined his pin-pointing skills and experimenting with different variations of the spell. He stared at the same words for so long he started seeing them when he closed his eyelids, and sometimes in his dreams. The fourth day he was met with success.

After he knew it worked he immediately went to the beach where the other boys played. He didn't know how to draw the kids' attention. They were running along flying kites, trying to cut each other down. Elisha went as close as possible to them and settled in the sand. He dug a little to plant his cup in the sand and wiggled his fingers. He squinted to focus everything on the task. Slowly water pooled into a small sphere. It levitated and bounced slightly like a helium balloon. He had to hold it there for a minute before they noticed.

John was the first. He dropped his spool and fell in front of Lima to gaze at the ball. "Wooaaah." his watery eyes sparkled. David came next and stared in awe.

"What is that?" David said.

Elisha couldn't hold the spell any longer and the water spilled. "Magic."

"Woooah," they said in unison. Elisha renewed the spell and made the ball a little bigger. Thomas stood back.

"Is that all you can do?"

"No, I can move it." He saw the theory behind it in the book he read. He changed the coordinate in his head from 0,0 to 1,0. The ball wavered, then popped. It wasn't a big explosion, nothing that would get anyone wet, but water peppered the sand.

"Wait, I can do it." He tried and failed a few more times. They got bored and resumed their kite running.

Later he pulled Kartan aside to show him the fruits of his labor. He mimicked his performance, the ball hovering patiently in the air. Kartan politely clapped.

"That's amazing." He was just as awestruck as the David and John.

"I want to show dad after I get better."

Kartan crouched to dip a finger in the water and rub it between his fingers. "I don't know. Doubt he'd like you learning stuff from that guy."

"Well if I show him I can be helpful with magic then he won't mind."

"You already can be helpful Elly." Elisha gave him a "bullshit" look.

"I'm serious. You'll get stronger and can help with the heavier jobs. Give it time."

"Am I doing something bad?"

He fidgeted. "No, I'm saying be careful who you show it to. Some people say magic brings bad luck, like bringing a woman on a ship. You know?"

They both heard father calling. "Gotta go."

"Think you gotta clean up pig dung?"

"If I do, maybe I'll put some in your pillow when I get the chance."

Elisha displayed his efforts to Professor Mar the next day. To show off a little he made the floating orb of water a little bigger. Elisha held the spell for as long as he had the energy. He looked pleased.

"It seems you've been training diligently."

"Yeah, I showed my brother and he was super happy."

"It isn't nearly up to par." he rebuked

"Yes sir."

"Master."

"Huh?"

"All of my pupils refer to me as master. You shall do the same." His lexicon spun, water flowed out from Elisha's mug and swirled into an orb the size of a baseball in front of his forehead, except the orb was to the left, about 45 degrees from the center.

"Umm I think I know what to do." He produced the ragged piece of parchment that had the code. Master beckoned for it and erased the coordinates the spell specified. "It should be easy enough."

When Elisha processed the code mentally he replaced the 0x,0y,50z coordinates with coordinates that replicated the angle master showed. The orb formed shakily to the left.

"Now while still casting the spell, move it to the right."

While the spell was still in his mind Elisha changed the coordinates again. The orb unformed and drew itself to the desired point, then reformed.

"Forward."

His forehead creased. He entered a different y coordinate. The orb dissipated, flowed to the middle and the spell broke. The water wet the floor.

"You'll have to practice moving between points at different coordinates and angles." The spell master cast caused two orbs to form behind and in front. They both orbited around at different speeds. Elisha gawked in amazement.

The water spheres transformed into a toy a horse and a star. They closed in on Elisha, who opened a hand for them to sit. The water tickled his skin as the small ripples of the amorphous horse massaged his hand. The toys popped like balloons in Elisha's face, which made him blink in surprise and laugh.

"It shouldn't take you long to gain finer control, come back once you do. And try to play with the code if you can."

"Yes master." He promptly left, wanting to get started right away.

He experimented with different setups and ended up with a spell embedded within the original flow spell. When he wanted to cast flow he would activate the spell and the spell's coordinates would change to the new location. Controlling the entire thing was akin to playing drums with each hand; doing a separate part to the whole. He focused on simple movements, from one location to another within short distances. He practiced making the transitions smoother to minimize the energy. After making sure his flow was smooth he practiced different shapes. Rings, cubes, boxes, any mundane object he thought off. It was easier to make geometric objects. He practiced for a week.

The other kids were drawing pictures in the hands with sticks. One of them noticed Elisha coming along the shoreline and called to the others. They all sat in a circle, with Thomas directly across from Elisha.

Elisha flourished his hands like he was telling a fortune. Seawater drew into a crystal ball from the sea. The shimmering water changed colors from dark green to blue when the water gushed from the inside. The orb shot around Elisha's head.

The kids were already impressed, but they were screaming in amazement by what Elisha did next. More water flowed from the sea to pool into the center, it split into tiny pieces the size of an unripe pear that each moved in front of their faces. The pieces transformed into different objects, stars, pencils, a teddy bear. The kids shouted a whim to transform the orb into and Elisha did his best to transform his "point" of reference into the object.

Elisha's energy waned. For the finale, the water coalesced into a thin barrier that enclosed the children. The sunlight made the water shimmer pink, purple, blue, and red. The membrane exploded and lightly rained on them, leaving a perfect rainbow over their heads.

Elisha lied back and panted from his performance. The hardest part was having the stamina to manipulate everything. The boys clapped and raved at the spectacle. They rolled around in the sand and ran crazily around as boys do, except Thomas. He stared at the now motionless cube. While Elisha was recovering he snatched it from the sands.

A shock was sent through the magus's brain. When Elisha saw Thomas shaking the thing, it felt like someone was shaking his baby.

"Give it back!"

"How'd you use this?" Thomas mimicked Elisha's hand gestures.

"I said give it back!" Elisha made a grab for it. He was far too slow and hit the ground as Thomas backed up. Elisha chased him but Thomas pushed away easily.

"It's his you should give it back," John said.

"Shut up." He pushed John. He jiggled it some more. When it didn't work he threw it and stomped on it. Elisha got up and hurled a punch. It was so weak Thomas didn't bother dodging and let it land on his chest. He returned the favor by punching him in the stomach. Elisha curled in pain.

"I wanna know what you did to make this stupid thing work. Tell me!" he yelled.

The punch cleared his head enough to subside his rage. The code naturally came to his mind. "If you want to know, I'll show you." The cube whirred and the dark substance swirled within. Seawater gathered and shot inside Thomas's mouth. He gagged and chocked on the ball of water. The other kids watched as the tables turned for the two of them, with Elisha standing up and Thomas clutching his neck. He tried vomiting the water, but it kept coming back inside. His face turned blue from asphyxiation and Elisha turned yellow from burning away his fat, but he wouldn't stop. Elisha laughed and kneeled. Thomas kept forcefully gagging and turned purple. The kids watched, doing nothing.

"Elly?"

Elisha saw his brother standing where the sands met the grass. He lost focus on the spell and Thomas spat out the water. Elisha collapsed. The kids ran away from the impending trouble, including Thomas. Elisha blacked out.

The door flew open to let in someone. Heavy boots wet the floorboards and creak from the noisy sheets of rain outside. The firelight softly lit the gloom that seeped in.

"Please, you have to help Elisha!"

"Hm? I've seen you before, haven't I?"

Master rotated his rocking chair to face his guest. He was soaked. "I'm his brother. Somethings wrong with him h-"

"I can guess. He had a scuffle with the town boys."

"You knew?"

"I had a hunch."

Kartan raised his voice. "Then why didn't you stop it!"

"To teach a lesson. . and to have another excuse to go out. It's not like either of us could have done anything."

Kartan's pink face turned red. He clenched his fists. "So it's your fault?"

"Let me ask you this. If your father gave you a pitchfork and you killed someone with it, would your father be at fault?"

"That's not the same."

"Is it?" Master dusted himself and rose. "I'll take responsibility in any case."

Kartan looked around. "Do you have an umbrella?"

Master wiggled his pointer finger. "Don't kid yourself." Water pulled from the floor and Kartan's clothes to fling itself into the rain. "Stand near me and we'll be fine."

As promised rain slid down an invisible dome as they both walked to town. There was no one about save for the men at the docks heralding the ships to come back from the harsh weather.

The clouds made it impossible to tell the time when they arrived. The animals were screeching in the barnyard. The crops drooped from the weight of the downpour. Kartan opened the door for Master. Any droplets on the dome levitated outside.

"I brought him mom."

Something dropped from upstairs and footsteps sounded down the stairway. Mother clasped her hands and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for coming, would you like anything."

"Long time no see. I'd like some tea if you have any."

"Sure. Elisha's upstairs. Dad didn't want to bother you but he's been unconsciousness for over a day."

She lead the way upstairs."If that's the case then also make me something sugary, or starchy. Where is your husband?"

"He's sleeping in today." She knocked on the door where all her children slept. "Elly I'm coming in." She softly opened it.

Coughing and hacking racketed Elisha's tiny build. A metal pan lay next to his head, which had saliva in it. His face was bright red. Mother shuffled off to the kitchen.

"Would you mind if I took off his shirt," he asked Kartan.

"You can."

Master pulled the covers and Kartan took off his shirt. His body was all skin and bones. The professor picked up his small wrist.

"Can you cure him?"

"There's nothing to cure. He's just incredibly tired."

"Then why is he like that?"

"It's as if he ran for an entire day while holding your breath. His body isn't used to do doing that so he's in shock." He touched his Elisha's chest. His original color spread through his body, but he still coughed up a storm. "I don't know why he's coughing. Sounds like a whale dying."

"It's not the first he coughs like that. Every time he works too hard he spits a lot and has trouble breathing." Master spotted his lexicon by the bed. He pressed it to his head for a second.

"Didn't even use much magic," he muttered to himself. "I would like you to leave the room if you wouldn't mind."

Kartan crossed his arms. "Why?"

"Magical reasons. I require focus is all."

"Don't do anything dangerous." Kartan reluctantly closed the door behind him.

Master waited until he heard Kartan go away. He pressed a finger to his lips. "My my what a weak pupil you are." He stared at Elisha's head. "I'll tell you a secret. There's one other side effect I forgot to mention." He spread his hand and magic crystals fixed in place in the air, which shimmered around Elisha. "But it's nothing I can't fix."

The window told him it was mid-afternoon when he woke up. He lay in bed at home, as if yesterday were only a nightmare. His entire body stabbed him with pain when he got up. Every muscle in his body was as if he ran 10 miles at once. He read magic drained your body of vitality but he didn't consider it would this drastic. The events from before hit him like a bad hangover as he stumbled downstairs. Master sat on the living sofa, reading a large tomb with spectacles.

"Master, what're you doing here. Where is everyone?"

"Elly?" Mother came from the kitchen. She saw Elisha and snuggled him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine mom."

"I'm proud of you for standing up to those kids."

"Thanks." She let go of him.

"You should talk to daddie outside

Elisha exited the house. He saw father and Kartan working the fields and tending to the animals. Master closed the door behind him. He wobbled to Kartan first.

"Kartan what happened." His brother gave him a look of pity. He scratched behind his head, thinking of what to say.

"A lot."

"What'd you mean?"

He couldn't look him in the eye. "It would be best if I explained things," master said. Father noticed their presence and walked to them.

"Elly, did you try to kill those kids?"

"NO! It wasn't my fault. They started it," he shouted.

"Boy," Father warned.

"I think you should go Elly."

"Why?" He went to master's side and hid behind him.

"You've caused trouble for this household and I want you to stay with him until you've straightened yourself." Father wasn't angry at all when he said that, more disappointed. He looked at Master. "Is that alright?"

Master lightly smiled. "Perfectly. Are you ready Elisha?" When Elisha received no objections from Kartan he complied.

They didn't utter a word during the journey to master's house. They purposely went around Cape Cod to avoid any concerned parents. When they go there Elisha huddled near a bookshelf and buried his head in drawn up knees. Master took his seat and observed. The waves could be heard crashing against the rocks.

"I don't need to explain why what you've done was wrong, do I?"

"It wasn't my fault!" his voice was muffled under sobs.

"Oh but it was. Defending yourself is permissible but flaunting your powers as you please isn't. Magic isn't intended for that." Elisha was surprised he had scolded him for that rather than for fighting. He raised his head.

"Then what is it good for?"

"Many things. Is there something you desire?"

Elisha thought for a moment. "I want a better body. Casting magic is too tiring."

"Ah, the perfect place for you would be The University of Magic. Healing magic isn't my specialty but there are definitely mages who can help you."

"Really? Where is it?"

"It's far, very far from here."

"Have you been there?"

"I used to teach there. I left after the University changed its philosophy in magic usage." He waved off the next question. "It's not important. In regards to casting magic, tomorrow I'll teach you a method to circumvent the energy requirements"

"You're not going to punish me?"

"Under ordinary circumstances, I would have taken the lexicon and leave you to your family, but things are different. As long as you've learned your lesson I will make an exception." He smirked. "It's not as if it was your fault, right?"

Elisha brightened. "Yes master"

"Then we'll start tomorrow."

"Can you tell me what happened while I was asleep?"

"Tomorrow."

The sleep schedules of a farmer and a hermit clash and Elisha is left with a sleeping master at dawn. Although he knew a surefire technique to wake him, he didn't want to annoy master.

Elisha hadn't noticed before but he found an outhouse behind the master's house. To his surprise, it had a flushable porcelain toilet, like that of a manor.

He strolled downhill and wanted to rest under the trees. On the coast, near the docks by the town, he saw people carrying crates to ships come to port. Right, fall is the time of the year a whole bunch of foreigners shows up to resupply then escape before winter makes travel impossible. Today though the waves were higher than usual.

Farther down he saw a posse of girls trying to make sand castles. They packed hard sand and stacked it together near the waves. Jane hid behind a tree, watching. He returned to find master awake.

A small flame combusted on the tip of Master's finger. He lit his stove which had a tea kettle on it, then snuffed the flame. "I would like for you to write the code for the spell this time." Elisha sat quietly watching his master as he levitated the cube on his shoulder.

"You do know how to write code, yes?"

Elisha practiced adjusting the "flow" code when he processed it but had not actually written a new spell. "I can figure it out." Water surged from the bucket Elisha filled into several small balls. They made a neat line in the center of the room.

"You've learned to make several points with water." Water flowed between the balls to make a solid ring. "And you've figured on your own how to connect those points." The water in the ring pushed inside itself and coarse like a river. "Now I want you to add motion to those points. It can be linear or rotational." The ring made a line and wiggled up and down like someone waving a rope.

"So, it's like an extension to the spell."

"In a way. It's a spell that you would cast at the same time as "flow".You can code with a new spell and an extension that integrates with "flow" or write the spell within "flow", a nested function if you will."

"Why not give me what you use?"

"What I use you would need 3 pages to write down and is extraordinarily difficult to remember."

"I see." Master allowed him the use of his tools. He tested various methods for the desired effect, some working some not. Master would chime in and give advice when necessary. Master let him stare at the code while casting to make it easier. The final product was a spell that would trace the path of motion that the fluid would follow and flow. The water turned to a snake that wiggled around then recoiled into the cup. When Elisha demonstrated its efficacy he almost passed out. He still felt weak from before.

"Here." Master passed him herbal tea. It tasted bitter and stung like mother's poultices. However it had a sweet aftertaste like tons brown sugar was mixed in.

"It still takes a lot to do. Didn't you say you'd teach me how to use less energy?"

"There's no way to use "less" energy. Whatever energy the spell requires the spell requires. Do you remember the training you did sensing the energies of nature."

Elisha nodded. He abandoned it in favor of memorization and visualization training as that seemed more pertinent.

"Think of what you can use as an alternate source of energy."

"The sun?"

"Yes, however the energy produced is so little it would take day of absorbing solar power to cast anything useful."

"Other. . . humans?"

"It's difficult to draw power from living things unless, well. Let's say it would not be worth it."

"Plants."

"You need to grow plants meant for energy draining."

Elisha had to think a little more. The mug in his hands started to warm his hands and had to put it down.

"Heat?"

"Yes." The room chilled and the flames flickered as Elisha felt something being drawn to Master's hand. Master let his cup levitate and Elisha heard a loud "FWOOSH" when loads of steam erupted from it. He tipped the cup to Elisha, there wasn't a drop left.

"But that's a whole different school of magic. I'll give you a hint." He chops the air like he's swatting a fly. The slight breeze hit Elisha's face. "That creates energy."

"Oh! You want me to be a watermill."

"Watermill?"

"Like that wheel thingy that gets turned because water pushes it."

"Huh." He scratched his chin. Yes exactly."

"I need to learn another extension then."

"Correct but this one will have to work with any spell and will be far too long to memorize, so you'll also have to learn how to cast spells directly drawn from the cube."

"Uhh." Elisha was partially scared of the thing.

"It's nothing difficult don't worry. Give it here." When he got it he closed his eyes for a second and gave it back.

"Just do the same thing as when you accessed the cube the first time. Only take a peek at it, you'll get a headache if you try to process it all at once."

He did as instructed. Instead of an image of the Lexicon a long line of text scrolled. As master said it would be impossible to memorize.

"Um Master,"

"Yes yes, I'm sure your dying to know." He tossed a sack of coins at Elisha.

"We'll talk over lunch, buy some fish will you."

"Do you have to make me wait all the time?"

"Heh, makes it more exciting don't you think." Elisha left to get the deed done.

It was the first time Elisha went shopping alone. The stands and bakeries filled him with excitement and intimidation as he perused their wares. He witnessed people haggling with each other to get the optimal price. Sometimes the buyer lost, most of the time the seller won. He saw Jane's grandma manning her little stand and steered clear. He had more than enough money to buy fish. Master didn't say he could only buy fish.

Children's laughter caught his attention. Elisha happened to wander into the part of town near Ms. Artichoke's house/school. There were boys and girls, and they were all flying kites. They were running around trying to cut each other down. Jane was hiding behind a tree again. Elisha walked to her and patted her shoulder. She jumped, startled. She had watery eyes and a forlorn look, but it cleared when she recognized Elisha.

"I heard what you did to Tom." She clutched her neck and pretended to be chocking, making fake gags.

"Yeah."

"Bet'cha you got in real trouble."

"I did."

"Real monstrous thing to do, kinda like how you look."

Elisha shook. "Your point?"

Jane couldn't think of anything to say for a while.

"You did a bad thing that you shouldn't have done."

"I know."

Tom happened to be playing with them. He was performing excellent, dashing all over the place to add to his pile of corpse kites. He swiftly fell John's kite.

"Well good. Glad you get the point."

Her face soured and she wanted to watch them play.

"Why don't you play with the others?"

She twisted her foot in the dirt. She bashfully lowered her head. "No reason, I'm just not good at flying kites."

The ones who were defeated ran back to school to make new or kites or restring their favorite ones. "Not stopping some people." She whipped around to pout. "I'm not good at kite fighting okay! What do you want?"

"I need help buying fish. I was hoping you would know stuff about it."

"Really!?" She was baffled, then angry. "What cuz my dad fishes you think I would know how to." She twirled, her seaweed hair following her like a cape. "I want to be a seamstress when I grow up so I don't have time for things like that." She wove her hand through her hair while turning, posing like a siren overlooking the sea.

"If you say so." Elisha headed to the headmaster's classroom.

"Wait." Elisha turned.

"I'll help you, but don't think anything funny. I've nothing better to do that's all." She leisurely hooked an arm around his bony one.

"It's always better to buy after a certain time- to get the freshest catch." Elisha froze for a second. It was the first time a girl touched him that way.

"Okay."

She carted him around, pointing and explaining different species of fish up for sale. She was enthusiastic about haggling with the older men. Elisha didn't say much, but she was nonetheless happy and talked all the more. They bought two large carp at what she thought was a steal. They stopped by her grandmother's stand last. She brightened when she saw the two of them together.

Elisha offered Jane money as payment, raising a coin in her face. She turned the hand down. "No thanks."

He was more concerned with heading to his training. Before he left Jane called to him. "Elisha. Sorry for being mean to you."

"Don't mention it."

Her grandmother crooned at the sight. "My daughter wants to marry already?"

"No, he's just a friend." She stared at his scrawny back. "Friend, huh."

Elisha didn't bother knocking. Master was weathering through his research when he returned. "Run into trouble?"

"No, aah." He looked for a place to put fish. The stove had a large pot filled with water. Water tentacles sprouted and asked for the fish. Elisha reluctantly put it in its things, which it drowned in the water. Inside the pot, the fish was getting skinned and organs were being separated.

On the floor there was a mug of water that had a piece of cotton and a needle spinning. "A compass?" Master didn't deign to face him. "Create an orb of water using only energy from that needle spinning. It can be as small as you like. Write the code, inscribe it in the Lexicon, execute. If you have difficulty you can shake the jug."

"Oh, umm."

"You were out for a few days after the incident. Your family thought you were dying so they called me in to do "magic". Hmph."

"How many days exactly?"

"You were in and out of consciousness a few times, but it was 3."

"Three!?"

"Your mother spoon fed you constantly. I only came in during the last two days. In truth, you might have died if I hadn't treated you."

"Why did I have to come with you?"

"The kid's parents came during the last day, throwing a hissy fit. They wanted compensation for the mental damages you caused. I told them they're stupid and your father got angry. It was decided you are to apprentice under me so he wouldn't do anything he'd regret."

"Oh."

"If it's any consolation you can learn magic without any disturbances now." The fish floated out of the pot and flayed itself on a cutting board. It was gutted efficiently and the bones were thrown out with the guts. "Let's eat."

Master brought a small table meant for sitting on the floor. He picked silverware and expensive looking dishes from a cupboard. Fishmeat flew from the boiling water and flopped to the plate. Invisible forces garnished the food with spices and herbs. Elisha's mouth couldn't help but water when master set the plates. They both sat on the floor for their meal.

"Been a while since I ate with anyone." Elisha waited for master to take the first bite before starting.

"How long?" Elisha gobbled the sizzling meat. The temperature wasn't so hot that made it hard to eat but wasn't cold either. The outer skin crunched beneath the juicy interior. When Elisha chewed the textures overlapped to make him want to savor every bite. The spices flavored it just enough to get rid of the bitter fishy aftertaste but bring out the best qualities of the carp. He didn't want to admit it but Master was a better cook than mother by a mile.

"6 years give or take, excluding yesterday." Elisha sipped his drink. It was mineral water.

"Any reason?"

"Don't I give off the "witch in the woods" appearance?"

"Mmmm no," he lied. "Does it ever get lonely for you?"

"Nope. I've had my fill of socializing, but doing so once in a while is nice."

"Question for you. Do you know your health problems.?"

"I have trouble breathing when I run, and I spit a lot I guess."

"Did anything happen to cause that, like smoking?"

Elisha looked baffled. "Smoking? No, it's always been like that."

"I see." He finished his food and wiped his mouth in a flash. Grease and food bits shlopped of the plate and silverware and charged into the fireplace.

"I'll clean up once you're done." He went back to work at his desk while Elisha practiced.

He sat down in front of the compass by the fireside, the needle spinning aimlessly. The inside of his cranium buzzed as he accessed the spell from the Lexicon. He tried executing the spell raw. As expected nothing happened. He inscribed every spell he memorized into the cube. It was like writing on an infinitely long piece of paper cut into segments. He learned from his studies how he can get to each spell separately by writing a special function for each. A verbal command can access and execute a spell immediately, but only for a specific predesignated set of conditions and coordinates. He noticed that the spell master gave him was partially incomplete at the ends. The code was meant to be put in between another. He combined it with the flow spell, adding in code he read from the books to make sure it worked. It was like a painter's easel and a blank canvas, he took colors from the easel and added them to his blank mind to create the perfect picture. He cemented his first creation in the code and executed it.

A small sphere of water about the size of an ant hovered above the compass. Elisha felt the difference immediately. Before it was jogging but now he was walking.

"Master?" Elisha didn't see him at his chair. At some point he left. So focused was he that he didn't notice it was nighttime. He continued practicing adding the new code to other spells. Moving water, creating objects and moving the objects, and simply moving the water in the cup took slightly less energy. He mixed and matched different combinations of all the spells he learned and created some verbal commands for ease of use. The options he had for creating new spells only from what he learned was staggering.

He noticed when he was using these spells the needle moved slower than when he wasn't. When the spell required too much energy it took a regular amount from Elisha. It seems if there isn't enough energy to be taken nothing happens to the needle and the user is drained as normal. Also no matter how much energy was taken from the object there is always some energy taken from the user. Is it because of using magic itself or some other reason? Is there a way to measure how much "energy" is needed? Elisha slept on these questions in the cot laid out for him.

Elisha's eyes flipped open. He kicked off the sheets, feeling refreshed. He was unnaturally clear headed.

"You awake?" Master said. He similarly was in bed and just getting out of it.

"I-" he rose. "Yeah."

"Where're learning outside this time." He opened the front door. Thick mist and mild winds clapped Elisha's cheeks.

He followed master to the coast, where the waves packed the sands hard. The white wisps clouded draped the oceans in a heavy cloak. Just at the edge of visibility, Elisha saw a galleon navigating the waters. Master observed them as well. The winds made it a little chilly

"This will be the final spell I teach you."

"Huh. Why?" There was a hint of sadness in Elisha's voice. Master looked to his disciple, dark pupils glistening.

"The rest is up to what you want to learn. Magic is an entire world, so let it be your oyster."

"I haven't fully learned the spell you gave me yesterday though. . . ."

"Doesn't matter, your Lexicon." Elisha fiddled with the wicker sticks on his toy and touched the dark matter inside. He reluctantly gave it up. It lightly spun and was returned. Elisha opened the spell in his mind's eye and was floored. The spell was longer than any he had seen. Not only that it was a 100 percent completed one. He saw bits and pieces of extensions of spells he knew, but some things were completely new to him.

"What spell is this?"

Master smirked. "A spell I made just for you, consider it a gift. It has a name so you can use it quicker. "Parse." Go in the waters and use it."

He looked at the cube like a shiny toy. He let the waves lap his shoes. "Parse." The tiny waves were cut, parting and making an ovular space around Elisha. It took almost no energy to keep up at all, and when Elisha went in deeper it seemed to take even less effort. He walked to where the waters would reach his knees and not a single drop made it past, he could see bits of seaweed and seashells in the sand. He picked a sandy colored one before going back and releasing the spell.

"A beauty isn't it. The spell uses energy from whatever touches it to perpetuate itself, so the stronger the waves the stronger the barrier. It only uses the amount necessary to get the job done"

"How long did it take for you to make it."

"A few hours. You know, working out the kinks." He bent forward to meet Elisha eye level. "How about we have some fun, hmm?"

Elisha chewed his lip.

They stood a couple feet away from each other. Master brandished his cube. "Make sure you keep that spell up boy. I'm not going to hold back."

Elisha had a bad feeling. "Got it." Master put one sleeve of his wool cloak on the other. He swiped and sparks fluttered across. The sparks ignited and exploded into a fireball. The fireball grew larger, bigger than Elisha. It reached the size of a large boulder and the small boy could feel its immense heat. He trembled. The flame ball hurled itself head-on. Elisha closed his eyes and chanted the spells name over and over.

Warmth. A mother's embraced enveloped his senses. He opened his eyes. The flames formed a bright cocoon where he lay. They danced and swirled in a sea. Patches in the blanket formed until the flames petered out to kindling. What was left was a circle of charred sand. Master laughed and clapped to Elisha.

"Wasn't that great? Reminds me of my younger days."

Elisha's heartbeat as if still in mortal danger. "I could have died."

"Nonsense." Master cupped the cube in Elisha's palm. "I had faith you wouldn't fail."

"Really!"

"Of course."

Warmth bubbled in Elisha's heart. "HOLY CRAP!"

Thomas came barreling down the hillside to them. His fat belly jiggled as he ran and huffed in exhaustion when he arrived. "Professor you should've told me you can do things like that with magic!"

"Tom?" Elisha said.

"You should've realized you could if you read anything." Elisha looked back and forth between them.

"Can you teach me again?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know." He looked to Elisha. "Should I?"

"Wait what? When did you start teaching him?"

"Around two years ago."

"Elisha, sorry for taking your cube before, and sorry for all the times I bullied you and stuff."

"You're not sorry, you're only saying that to get magic."

Elisha didn't consider what he did as"bullying", just not including in their games. "No I really am sorry. I-I couldn't use that cube thing and wanted to know how do it, that's why I took it without asking."

"Hnng. Fine, but only if we practice together. It's called a Lexicon by the way." Elisha puffed up his chest, proud. Thomas looked at the professor.

"So the boy says."

"I should be apologizing to you anyways. I wanted to. . . nevermind."

"About that. Today you're going back home."

"Whaaaa? It's only been a day."

"Don't be baby. I'm sure your father has cooled off and you two boys even made up. There's no reason for you to stay with me."

"I'll tell my dad to lay off" Thomas said. You'll tell me how to use the Lexicon, right?" He stared at the thing in Elisha's hand.

"Mine? Do you have any more Master?"

"What do I look like, a magic shop?"

"Then, I can. . . share. Next time I come here I guess."

"Good, good."

"Master, I'm gonna go back right now. Have any books for me to read?"

"Indeed I do." He handed him a thick black book titled, "Water Magic Spells".

"Is there any way I can repay your kindness?"

"Continue the craft is all I ask." He traveled back home beaming. He passed by Jane and casually greeted her. She seemed more cheerful, and in turn Elisha was more cheerful. It was midday when he came back home. Father was the first to see him.

"What're you doing back here so soon."

"Master said I've learned my lesson, and I apologized to Thomas."

"Did you now." Father's frown couldn't possibly spoil his son's smile.

"Yep. I'm going to help around now." While Elisha was learning he stewed plenty of ideas for cleaning up the house. He first went to the barnyard where the soggy hay lay. He used the flow spell to dry off the hay so it could last longer. Next, he sucked the water from the crops suffering from excess water like the wheat and cabbages and gave it to the plants that needed it like the tomatoes. He took water from the firewood, dried the hoed dirt, and cleaned the animals. He dashed to the clothesline where Kartan hung everyone's clothes.

"Yello Kartan."

"Hello?"

Elisha drew water from all of them and let it fall to the dirt. He started to sweat but wouldn't stop there. He ran inside where mother worked the loom.

"Elly?"

He planted a kiss on her check then whirled around the house collecting any rainwater that passed through the roof. Back outside and he shunted the water ball outside. He dropped to the ground panting. Father caught up with him.

"See. I can be useful now."

Father observed his handy work. It 2 hours for the entire farm to be spick and span. "You actually learned magic," he said in disbelieve. He watched his son catching his breath and laughed.

"It's early, but you should eat something. I don't want you to getting sick again."

"Right!" He scuffled along inside. Shapta planted his shovel to the ground and leaned against it, chin on the handle. Kartane came up behind him.

"What happened?"

"He learned magic."

"Oh. I thought you wouldn't like it."

"Not at all." Kartan looked down, an indiscernible expression crossed his features.

"Aren't you happy for him?"

He hesitated before saying, "I guess so."

"Are you jealous?"

"NO. I always thought of him as my little brother. He's growing up really fast."

"I should be saying that." He chuckled. "We'll have to turn in soon, again." Shapta looked to the sky where fat clouds gathered. "A storm's coming, and this one will be bigger than the last, much bigger." Elisha ate his meal, bathed himself, then hopped in for an early sleep.

Sleep was sound and peaceful. He dreamed of when they lived in a different house. Kartan used to play jacks with him and afterword they would see who could catch the most fish. Kartan always won.

"Elly get up. GET UP." His little sister shook him vigorously.

"Wha-"

"We have to go Elly or we're gonna die."

Deafening roars lurched the entire house. Terrible gusts attacked the sides. Elisha snapped out of his trance immediately. They tumbled downstairs where the entire family gathered at the opened door.

"What the hell."

The entire farm was flooded. The crops were completely wet and the ground turned to mush under the seawater quickly rising. Something onerous and primal reverberated in Elisha's bones. Bits of wood and debris jumbled in the air.

Father had to yell to be heard. "I think we're far enough away that we don't need to leave." Elisha looked to the trees where the waters rose. "I.. need to go."

"No way!" Kartan said. "You'll drown." He tried putting up a front but couldn't match father's calm. He fidgeted and crouched on edge. Father gazed upon his son as if for the first time.

"You want to see the Professor?"

"Please, Father."

"Go."

"Dad. If anyone should be going it's me! I'll come-

"Kartan you'd only be in the way."

"But I, ugh." He couldn't say anything back. He bowed his clenched his fists and bowed his head. "Yeah, just go."

"I know magic don't worry," Elisha said."Kartan, we'll make ice cream after this is over." He hurried to the disaster ahead.

The waves goaded him to come to the shore. The water engulfed the sands and trespassed on the grass. Elisha steeled his resolve and cast the spell."

"Parse."

The water waves went in and flowed around Elisha's feet, making an oval around him. The shore couldn't be seen anymore, he heard distant screams from rocking boats farther at sea. The once tranquil jasper sea broiled to gray as if mother nature was lying in wait all this time to spring this cruel prank. As he trecked his way to town the waters continued to recede and rise.

The winds picked up speed as the water levels reached knee height. They buffeted against Lima's spell, trying to knock him over. The town was completely disheveled. The ramshackle shacks collapsed on themselves where wailing townsfolk desperately clung to driftwood. Some kept their grounds by hugging the face of the stronger structures while others sought refuge on the roofs. Their rancor and screams almost broke Elisha's focus on the spell.

"SAVE MEEEE." Ms. Artichoke held for dear life on the roof of her house. An ear piercing scream reached Elisha.

A tall wave crashed and went over Lima's defenses, scaring Elisha enough to drop the spell and get him doused. He reapplied it quickly. The waters reached the point where it encased him in a salty bubble where pieces of wood and stone mingled with clams. Beneath the waters, he heard Jane's voice pierce the thunder of the waves.

The water settled, then slowly withdrew for the next assault, which allowed Elisha to spot Jane's family struggling to keep afloat. Her father, despite the turbulence, managed to keep the boat upright and tethered to a strong house while the Grandmother bailed water with Jane.

"Jaaane." Elisha called. He ran to her. The father laughed without a care in the world.

"The Sea Goddess shall save us!" he yelled.

"Cut the rope. I'll lead you out safely." Elisha was talking to Jane. He manipulated the water to stay still. The dad cracked a grin. "Can' let you do that lass. This ere's a once in a lifetime event an' I got dibs. Woah" The boat was a victim to the current, the grandmother cut the rope.

"Mooom."

"I lost family one time I ain't gonna lose another." Elisha led the boat downstream, making sure it stayed balanced up the waves wouldn't rock it. While he saved dozens others were swept away. The next wave impaled an unfortunate soul on a sharp plank, vomiting blood and tearing his body to bloody bits.

Elisha did the best he could, casting spells to draw the citizens into his safe circle. Even with him using the vast energy of the waves, his energy was running thin. He was forced to tighten the circle, practically crushing the children and men together. The waves were too high, they would have to walk a substantial distance to be anywhere near safe but the pressure would not cease. He was carried on the shoulders of someone he never met. He closed his eyes to focus, to maintain, to hold on for dear life.

Crashed to the ground by a kick. Blood pooled in his mouth. "Tell me why I should feed you, clothe you, keep you around when your just a useless sack of shit. TELL ME." He kicked Elisha in the stomach. Mother latched onto him and begged him to stop while Kartan watched from the crack of a door. Though weak his spirit wasn't broken. He wanted to stand right back up and return the favor, but it was impossible. Not against such overwhelming-

Force.

Elisha was sent careening away like a tumbleweed along with all of his work. Water filled his ears and wanted to crush his brain from the inside. He somehow held onto the cube embedded in his stomach. It glowed the spell was recast and Elisha set himself on a muddied piece of cement.

He had no idea where he was. Directed by instinct he heading to the general direction of master's house.

The wish to see his master gave him the strength to push against the currents/ He traveled to the north side of town where it was partially uphill. He made his way past town hall, past the haze and past everyone's cries. He was basically underwater until he managed to walk up the windy road to master's house, where it just reached to his head. Elisha collapsed once he made it to high ground where the winds buffeted him. The destruction left the shantytown almost barren. The building that server via town meetings groaned in pain.

Thoams was shivering with those who made it under the trees. Thomas pointed and called to him. The noise was so loud they had to yell to communicate.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know."

"My dad's still there. You have to save him"

"I-I tried already." His face filled with despair turned to rage.

"This is all your fault, isn't it?! It's because you learned magic; the ocean's mad at us."

Elisha couldn't believe what he heard. "I don't have time for this."

The vague pressure turned to horror as a looming giant blocked the horizon and touched the clouds. As Elisha climbed the hill he gazed a greater view. It was taller and wider than any beast, any building, any fathomable object one could imagine. The imminent approach of the hurricane wrought utter despair to its audience. It was mesmerizing, beautiful and elegant in its calm, slow movements yet it would spell the end of the world itself. Everyone gapped in awe. There was no stopping it. Elisha felt at peace with his short life and only had one more wish.

He barged into master's hobble. "Master!" The fireplace was out and nobody was inside. On the table, in front of master's strange tools was his Lexicon surrounded by glowing fluorescent light-blue crystals. The lexicon spun madly as if in a crazed dance and the crystals all floated a little. A magus can use his lexicon from any distance, however, the greater the distance the more energy must be used. If there's this much fuel here then that must mean. . . .

Elisha ran back outside and scanned the sea. Indeed, a speck beneath the feet of a giant. A tiny, infinitesimally small dot was cutting the far away waves and heading towards the vortex. He couldn't see it exactly, but he knew what that defiant, traveling cavity of water meant. "Master?" The speck grew smaller and smaller while the hurricane grew bigger. There was no way master could take it. No way. Elisha screamed for his master.

Then something odd happened. It was as if someone slipped on a banana. The hurricane shrunk, like a ball of yarn unraveling, it grew smaller as it traveled. The top of the hurricane lowered into the waves and generated a shockwave that knocked Elisha off his feet. The ensuing wave reached the shores and rocked the coast. The speck was nowhere to be found.

The boy balled his eyes out. From above he saw the damage. The docks were no more and Cape Cod looked like someone vomited on it. The waves lost their oomph.

Elisha wasted no time doing damage control. He parted swaths of muck and debris to rescue crushed civilians, drew out water from the mouths of drowning folks, transferring corpses from their watery graves to the hands of loved ones, and doing all he could to push the water back to sea. The people thanked him and sought refuge from the farmsteads farther south. It took the better part of the day, and when night fell he retreated to master's abode. Sleep never seemed so appealing.

He woke up later than usual. He didn't feel groggy at all, and the fact that he was sleeping in master's bed meant the events of everything really occurred. Elisha stumbled from bed and saw master's lexicon gleaming in the sunlight.

He fumbled his way to it. All of the crystals that were there before disappeared. There was no possible way for Master to just leave this here. Even though he saw what was probably his master sacrificing himself Elisha held hope he was still alive somewhere.

Elisha accessed the black box. An image of an abyss in the sea plagued his mind. A pop-up box asked for a password.

He scrambled through master's belongings. He opened the drawers in his desk. He found plenty of writing implements and notebooks. He found schematics for something. It was definitely master's handwriting, and was written in a different language. Seemed like it was for a Lexicon. A bottom drawer contained a treasure trove of the same crystals from before. They didn't glow instead maintaining a pearlescent hue. He checked master's Lexicon again, it had a button that you could press but wouldn't do anything. Elisha read about this. Most Lexicons had a place where you could put a magic resource in. The button only works once you access the cube, Elisha guessed.

A note was pinned to the bed, which Elisha just noticed. He took out the needle and read it. He thought he had been done with crying but his eyeballs watered once more.

Not much changed from yesterday, save for the soil was muddier. It would take weeks to for the chest-high waters to clear, and months to rebuild. He parted the sea to head home.

Along the way, he heard crying from above. Ms. Artichoke managed to stay on the roof of her tilted schoolhouse/home, not releasing her hug from her weathervane.

"Ms. Artichoke are you okay?"

"Obviously not! Oh, Elisha?" She cleared her eyes and looked down. He felt bad that he didn't save her sooner. Elisha made a hand of water to grab spare wood to build a later. The water only splashed into the wood fruitlessly. Making water manipulate other objects like that wasn't something he learned yet.

It would be unreasonable to ask her to jump, and he doubted there would be a ladder around. "I'll go ask my dad to help you." He dashed to home

"Wait don't leave me!" He didn't hear her. "What about the children?" she muttered to herself.

The homestead was faired far better, only the crops were ruined and the pigs escaped. The water seeped into the dirt, turning it muddy. Mother was the first to greet him when he went inside the main house. She embraced his tight frame and sobbed on his shoulder. Crystal followed suit while father and Kartan hung back. Elisha wanted to collapse right then and there.

"Hey Mom."

She caressed the back of his head, saying nothing.

"Glad your alive." Kartan said. He looked just as tired as Elisha.

"Mom. Can you make me something to eat, I'm hungry."

"Of course."

Mother released Elisha and headed to the kitchen. Kartan, his siblings, and even father looked like they were holding back tears. Father wordlessly went outside. Elisha went with him while mother prepared a meal.

"Did anything happen?" Elisha asked father.

"Nothing much. We hid until the tides lowered. You?"

"Also nothing much. I went to master's house, saved people, unflood the town."

"Ha you make it sound so boring."

"I found something at master's house." He gave father the letter.

"I should read this to the entire family then we'll talk."

The entire family sat for lunch. The menu was a mundane oatmeal. Food wasn't scarce per se, but it had to be rationed. He read the letter aloud.

"Dear Elisha

I haven't much time to write this (because I forgot to do so sooner) so I'll keep it short. You are the most talented student I've had the pleasure to work with and I hope you continue your studies in the future. If you wish to obtain the password to my lexicon and cure your illness then I implore you to go to the University of Magic. It has long worn out its usefulness for me but it should be more than serviceable for you. Show the lexicon to the headmaster, or to a Professor Hawkins and either of them should be able to give it to you. I've marked the location on a map and please please go there. It would be a waste to watch talent rot. This world contains many things outside of little Cape Cod which would be a joy for you to experience.

Jahile Mar"

"Are you leaving?" Crystal asked.

"Yes," Elisha said.

"You can't be serious, it's way too dangerous." Mother said.

"Are you serious?" father asked.

"Yeah. Master told me I'm talented. I want to see how far I can go."

"No way he's too young to be adventuring by himself."

"I have magic!" Elisha said.

"So what? Magic isn't going to stop you from getting mugged. Honey you can't let him go."

"About that. I've been meaning to confess something to all of you for a while. Now's the perfect chance to say it." Father said.

"Honey you don't have to."

"I think I should." He cleared his throat. "I had a dream a long time ago. I wanted to find a sea dragon someday. I tried looking for it recklessly one day but only ended up being saved by the professor. I asked him to teach me magic and he had me touch that cube thing of yours. I didn't have any aptitude for magic. The fishing business started to sink too." His voice cracked. "Elly, I'm sorry I hit and insulted you back then and I'm sorry I acted stern to you. I thought you were another failure of mine. I couldn't bear to look at you. The stress got to me. I'm proud to see you do what I couldn't and that I was wrong. If you want to leave I have no reason to stop you."

"Th-thanks dad."

"I remember that happening," Kartan said. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything about it."

Mother was silent. "Mom?" Elisha asked.

"No matter what reason you have you're still leaving us. Is that really what you want."

"I don't need to go right away. I was planning on fixing the farm."

"You're dead set." Mothe said.

"I won't change my mind."

So he stayed returning his home to its former glory. He did all the things he did before but had the added task of unflooding all of the fields and orchards. The animals needed to be tracked down, the barnyard had to be repaired. Elisha told father about Ms. Artichoke and he went to town to save her. Mother prepared every conceivable thing she could fit in a sack Elisha would carry. It took all of a week for these events to occur, and on the final day they made their last goodbyes at the well.

"We're all going miss you," mother said.

Elisha carried mothers sack. It was a little heavy but he would grow accustomed to it. "Elly." Kartan called

"Someday, after I take care of everything here, I'll follow you to wherever you'll go."

"Is'that a promise?"

"You bet your ass it is."

Elisha smiled, the widest one he's ever done. "Good." He referenced his map and set off.