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Fantasy Sand in the Bottom of the Hourglass (Vatusia&TwistedMagnolia)

“If not alchemy , would you rather spells? They’re useful. I believe that anybody can be a talented mage with a bit of effort and elbow grease. Patience helps too...” he commented and walked around. He felt like it was an impressive offer to make, one that he knew the slave might not receive again. He rubbed his forehead and looked around. How big was the forest? That was an excellent question.

“I’ve never mapped it out myself. Not one of my talents…” He paused, giving it further thought. “However, I would say it’s massive. I chose this space strategically for how quiet it’d be. What are the odds that anybody else finds us?” He asked. If he sends guards, he was willing to summon something to butcher them down. He kept pacing in his small home. That was problematic. How many slaves could a many possible need? How many could he own? Why would he even want to keep these children? He wondered. Was he also a mage? Was this finally a noble opponent? It had been years since he fought one- Death.

“Perhaps… if you learn the spells… You can be the one to…. Take him out yourself.” He quietly suggested and lowered himself down to Luka’s level, stroking his hair and squinting his eyes a bit. “I know how important revenge can be for a man. I would have your back during that fight. I dislike slavers. I see no reason why any man should own this many children.—Sorry, you’re a man. Men. Humans. Homo sapiens. Us. We’re supposed to be free.” He said and looked towards the window. This was worrisome. So many people? In his forests? It didn’t feel safe anymore. He looked around at his stuff, to move this would be a hassle. “Do you know the slaves?... They don’t deserve to be hurt right?”
 
Taking him out? Did Casimir mean killing the lord? Luka stared blankly at the taller man. But then he was asked about the other slaves. "They don't deserve to be hurt, but they certainly will turn you in even if you aren't what the lord is looking for," Luka mumbled under his breath. His mind was still stuck on the idea of him taking out his master. It wasn't unheard of for a slave to snap and attempt to take out their master. Heck, there had been a few successes. But they never got away with it. They were always caught, always thrown in jail to never be heard of again. But none of the attempts Luka had heard of had magic involved. Luka nodded, making up his mind. "Whatever you have to teach me, I want to know. I refuse to let another asshole put their hands on me," Luka declared. And he would deal with anyone who got in his way.

But before he started learning, he would need to clean the cabin. As it was, Luka couldn't imagine anything of importance happening in this disaster. Luka uncurled himself and stood up, careful to not touch Casimir or throw the man off balance. "Where do you want to start? I suggest picking a corner and moving from there," Luka suggested. His eyes wandered the cabin, not sure where to begin in this mess. He would leave that to the person who has let it get this bad. It was the least Casimir could do. Bright eyes looked towards the older male, waiting for him to make a decision.
 
(Sorry I keep not getting notifications- shoot me a pm every now and then because I’m forgetful)

He thought about the slaves. That made sense- them getting caught, them getting hurt, punished, so on and so forth. “You are literate, yet? I can give you a book and you can read it?” He asked and moved after him to stare at the same corner. “I’ll start with the bookshelf. Any writing you find, give it to me. I’ll go through the books to find an easy book for you to start with.” He said and went to do so in silence. The noise would distract him, that he knew and he anyway seemed so easily distracted by his own spells. He occasionally made ‘oooo’s and ‘aaaa’s as he went through his book, storming up to place bits of paper elsewhere. Spells he surely thought he had long forgotten to time.


Casimir didn’t keep many of his basic books- he mastered all of the spells, however, he assumed the writing would be a good base to go off of. He checked his books as he went, looking through them, focusing on the task at hand although it was complicated. Eventually, he found a small leather bound book that was a good base. It started off with simple light spells and advanced to slightly more complicated things such as fire and water manipulation. He took it and went to Luka’s side. “This might be a good place to start. I doubt I can teach you everything I know unless you plan on becoming immortal or conveniently forgot to mention it however, I’ll do my best at teaching you the most useful things.” He said.
 
As Casimir started on the bookshelf, Luka looked towards the couch. It would be nice to get it cleaned off so that tonight he wouldn't be sleeping on the floor. Not that he had any problems sleeping on the floor. It was dry and warm and that had been a step up from some of the places that the slave had slept in the past. But having a soft place to sleep was an idea that encouraged Luka to clean the disaster that was the couch. So the boy started sorting everything into piles. Blankets and his clothing went in one pile, notes and scrolls in another. Books had their own pile on the side of the couch. Casimir would have to go through later. "I can read, just not very well. Don't ask me to write anything, it won't end well," Luka stated to the couch. He wasn't proud of his inability in what so many people considered a life skill. But when your worth was judged by your physical abilities, most owners didn't bother teaching you to read and write.

But for now, he had something more promising ahead of him then he had in the last decade. Here he wasn't forced to do anything just to get the basic necessities of life. Here someone was willing to teach him things that would allow him to be independent if he ever decided to leave this forest. That was enough to Luka. Luka had half the couch cleared by the time Casimir spoke again, having found what he deemed a good place for the boy to start. Useful things. Luka nodded silently. Useful things would be good. If he got skilled enough, he could buy his way out from slavery. He may even be able to free other slaves if he learned and mastered enough. Luka blinked at that thought. He could free others. "I want to learn everything I can. Alchemy, magic, everything. Anything you can teach me, I want to know," Luka demanded, cerulean eyes burrowing in Casimir's. The slave wouldn't take no for an answer. Casimir had already offered to teach him alchemy and was currently figuring out how to teach him magic. Luka would learn everything he could from this immortal man to make his and other lives better. Others may waste the potential to help those that society had forgotten, but Luka wouldn't. Luka would save everyone he could or die trying. Starting with himself.
 
He looked up and noticed the sofa was cleaned. It felt like a long time since he actually saw that sofa. He got up and found a bit of lavender oil and put it in the edges. “This’ll help you sleep and make it smell a bit better.” He commented as he did so, before tossing another cleaner blanket over it. He hoped that’d make it better for his guest, assistant…Luka. He admired the piles. He loved piles. He then went through the scrolls, freezing when he saw one before opening and reading it, tearing up a bit as he did. It was a letter from his wife and it was a good reminder of what he was staying alive for. He hoped that Luka wouldn’t notice him although he stopped to look up when Luka started talking about his reading and writing abilities. “I won’t ask you to write anything for a long time. Though you should improve. It’d be good for you.” He said and then went back to digging through his own stuff. He settled that special scroll by his bed to reread later.

Casimir didn’t realize how much of a difference he was making to Luka’s life, however, as far as he was concerned, he wasn’t a slave anymore. He stopped when he leaned him say it. . 'I want to learn everything I can. Alchemy, magic, everything. Anything you can teach me, I want to know,' repeating in his head. That was exactly the kind of attitude he’d want from his students. He smiled a bit, almost with pride knowing that he could offer him that and looked him in his eyes. “I’d be glad to teach you everything I can remember or anything that has the opportunity to be taught…” he said and took another book. Light was a good first spell to learn. Magic was harder to grasp than alchemy, which was already slightly difficult to comprehend, but he hoped the boy would do it. He certainly seemed determined to try, at least. “Okay so.” He said and handed him the book with the page opened to the spell. “You need to focus your energy in one spot. The book talks about it more in depth than I can. Thinking of something bright helps and when you do.” He snapped his fingers and opened his hand and from his hand was an orb of light. It was dim and had a gray aura. “I can make it more intense if I’d like to, but I won’t. Light is useful for blinding people momentarily and is useful if you ever get lost. I don’t expect you to pick it up right away however, keep trying over the next few days. You’ll get it. And it’s easier than having to buy oil and have matches or anything.” He said and stayed there, wanting to watch him try. He was excited to see where the boy would go with this. It was something he could say he felt for the first time in a long time.
 
Luka was relieved when he heard that he wouldn't be writing for a long time. Maybe then he could practice a little bit. Last time he had tried to write it had turned out to be illegible to the other slaves. Not that many of them could read in the first place. But then Luka saw Casimir moving a particular piece of paper by his bed. The slave just blinked his eyes and then turned to the book that was being presented to him. Luka was glad that the immortal hadn't said anything about his declaration to learn everything that he could. He didn't want to explain his thinking, not sure if the older male would laugh at him or pity him. Luka didn't want either of those things. So he slowly read the page, looking up when Casimir demonstrated the spell that Luka assumed was on the page the book was open to. It was amazing watching the light come to life in the alchemist's hand. Magic was something that he hadn't seen often in his life and never this close up. The greyish light didn't hurt his eyes and just floated above Casimir's hand.

Cerulean eyes narrowed on the floating light, determination causing the slave to stand up straighter. He was going to learn how to summon a light orb. It didn't matter how long it took him, he would do it. Luka set the book on the couch and sat on the floor, staring over the page. It took him a little while to read over. But once he got through the part that Casimir had told him about he stopped. He placed his slender hand on the couch, focusing on the center of his palm. Cerulean eyes stared hard at the skin in the center of his hand. Maybe if he stared hard enough then the light would appear. But so far there was nothing and Luka didn't feel like his energy, or magic, or whatever it was, was pooling under the skin in his hand. Luka tried thinking about the grey orb of light that Casimir had so easily brought about. But still, there was nothing. Luka frowned, glaring at his hand. "It's not working!" Luka groused. He glared briefly up at the mage, as if it was his fault that Luka couldn't conjure up a light. Soon his eyes were back to glaring at his palm. He would get this, even if he had to stare at his own hand all night.
 
Casimir watched him for a moment, although he wasn’t judging him on his speed of reading. He might test him later on his comprehension but it wasn’t malicious. He wasn’t expecting an instant fix or expect him to suddenly grasp it. He felt that Luka didn’t show strong magical talent or have a particularly strong aura, but he was a strong believer that anybody could learn it with a bit of effort. He sat by him and looked at him, seemingly trying to recall his experience with the spell. “It was the first spell I learned when I was 6. It took me 4 days to even get a little dim light. Magic is challenging- especially for a beginner. It gets easier as you progress...I've certainly come a long way, or else I wouldn't be here.” He said and summoned the light and passed it to Luka’s hand so he could get a feel for it, how it would feel in his hands, the dim warmth, the glow of it.

Casimir let it for after a bit before the ball slowly fizzled out. “You will be able to perfect it with some work... I appreciate that you were persuaded and chose to pursue it. It’s a fine art.” He said and looked towards the fire, thinking for a moment. He stayed silent for several minutes as Luka kept trying. “It was the first spell I taught my wife…” he said and debated if he should tell the child about how they met. It was a long time since he had the need to tell the story out loud, but he missed her and figured that telling it could help his heart ache. “This was centuries ago. The countries weren’t developed, we played a large role in building Sword’s identity. Any-who, my home burned down and my family left. But as we stood outside, 15 year old me couldn’t let my books burn so I ran inside the burning home to save the books. I cast a sturdy protective spell; however, by the time I got out, my family abandoned me. They weren’t important in the grand scheme of things... so I don’t actually remember anything about them.” He sighed deeply and smiled. “I found her in a cave after wondering alone in the snow for several days. She could see things. How my family abandoned me, that I went for the books, about my childhood- stories of me harassing shop keepers as a child, trying so hard to get the books I saved. She was the perfect seer. And she was the only person I ever taught this spell to that perfected it right away.” He said, shaking his head a bit, still amazed by her even though she was dead. “I cannot wait for her to return to me.” He said, as loyal as ever to her. He didn’t expect Luka to comment nicely though, but it felt good to say out loud.​
 
As Casimir explained that this was his own first spell and passed the ball of light to Luka, the slave looked over at the taller man. Four days to even get a dim light? And he had gotten it when he was six? Luka was at least triple that, so did that mean it would take him longer to produce anything or would he be able to get it quicker? Luka turned back to his hand and the light and watched it fade away. He tried to focus on the way it had felt, but then Casimir was talking again. Luka was about to spit out that he couldn't figure out how staring intently at his hand was an art, but then the alchemist started talking about his wife. Luka found himself drawn in by the story Casimir was telling. The slave was struck by how Casimir could admit that his family wasn't important in the grand scheme of things. They had abandoned him all because he was trying to save something important to him. And now he didn't remember much about them? Luka had been sold at eight and he still remembered everything about his family. The way his younger siblings would beg him to mend socks that were older than them, his parents struggling under the debt of having too many children but always having one more on the way.

But something else struck Luka. Casimir was still waiting for his wife to return. "How can she return to you? Isn't she dead?" Luka muttered. His mood had soured as it always did when he remembered his parents. Luka scowled at the immortal before returning to glaring at his hand. If Casimir was going to reminisce, then Luka wouldn't stop him, but he now had a time frame for when he should hopefully get a light to appear. The constant patter of rain and the crackling of the fire were the only sounds for a brief few seconds that Luka could hear as he tried to focus his energy to one spot on his palm. He tried remembering how the grey light had reflected on his bronze skin. But even though it was magic, it simply hadn't clicked. Something about the glow of it hadn't felt right. He had been able to feel the energy of Casimir's magic prickling against his skin. It had felt wrong though. Like an accessory that he wasn't used to and that chaffed against his skin. Uncomfortable, like his hand being in the sun for too long and getting hot. "What does magic feel like against your skin?" Luka turned his wide eyes to the immortal. He had felt magic only once before in his life when it had been used to punish him for trying to escape from a slave market. Then it had felt like his bugs all along his skin. His cellmate had later told him that it was some type or paralyzing curse that made the victim completely numb, but Luka swore he could feel the pinpricks of the curse on his skin for weeks after. Perhaps Casimir could explain what magic was supposed to feel like.
 
Casimir let the moment of silence pass, taking the time to collect his thoughts and to find the words to explain the situation with his wife. He scratched his head a bit. “She died, yes. My wife has a very particular gift. She’s the most talented seer I ever met and my entire life’s goal since meeting her has been for my magic to get past her level of knowledge…” he sighed a bit. “It’s an impossible task, I know, but it keeps me motivated even when she isn’t around and makes the time that passes between her lives more bearable. If you believe in reincarnation, you’ll understand that the soul goes through an endless number of lives in order to accumulate…lessons; I suppose you can call them…” He thought for a moment, taking a seat and watching him. Religion was a long topic for him. “Salvation, I suppose is the ultimate end goal… To move on from the hurt in your past lives. Liberation... I didn’t want to be reborn over and over again and imagined that accumulating knowledge in this form was easiest. That I would one day be able to reach my impossible goal. They all warned me it was a goal I didn’t want to accomplish and at times… I wonder if they were right.” He admitted and looked towards the fire. “I look for my wife’s gift as I can recognize her anywhere. There is no other human like her in the world. That’s why I love her and why I wait for her.. Even if she’s told me I should probably move on from her while she’s dead.” He said, seeming amused. He smiled slightly and reached his hand out for the flame, pulling the flames towards him and holding a small ball of the fire floating over his hands.

“I can’t do that, though I worry she’d find somebody better or that I wouldn’t ever see her again. The memories become too much for her to handle… Imagine knowing everything. All the suffering of people. I can’t remember what I did yesterday, so to imagine what everybody else did yesterday is simply too much. She often has a short life and I am usually forced to euthanize her.” He said sadly as the ball disappeared from his hands and he lowered his hands down slowly, looking down. “Magic makes me think of her. It feels familiar, warm, and has her smell even if nobody else can smell it. It feels like my definition of home. Magic draws on memories and strong feelings to power it.” He explained and looked back over at Luka.

“I don’t identify strongly as a single kind of mage. I prefer to learn everything that I can, attempting to excel everywhere all at once. Over the years, it’s gotten easier, yes. Though now my memory and bad organization is holding me back.” He said and sort of tilted his head towards his house and the horrible shape it was in. “Emotions and memories help mages become who they are. I recall, I had several close friends- awfully talented mages. A married royal couple that loathed each other even though I cared for them both dearly. The king, Lidios Altair, had been a talented necromancer all of his life because he grew up in a particularly bloody period of history in our country. His wife, on the other hand, grew up on the borders with Swords, from where my wife is from. She hated her husband so much, that she started to excel at life magic out of sheer spite.” He said and started to smile, it soon stretching across his face. He thought it was a delightful story. “Magic is like that. I am convinced everybody has their niche, they just have to discover it and know themselves enough to understand their inner motivations and wirings.” It was in part true, and in part, Casimir was trying to motivate the kid.​
 
If what Casimir was saying was true, then Luka would need to figure himself out in order to get anywhere with his magic. That was not a particular subject that the slave tried to avoid at all costs. But then again, maybe Casimir in his immortal wisdom could help him figure it out. "And what would someone who had been sold by his family and treated as nothing more than property excel in?" Luka spat the question more than asked. Hearing about Casimir's undying devotion to his wife made Luka's blood boil. Instead of doing something useful with the time between her lives, if they were even her, he waited in misery, learning for the point of beating someone who knew all. Luka stood suddenly, turning from the immortal man before he even had a chance to answer. The slave wasn't even sure that he wanted to hear the answer that the alchemist would give him. But he knew that he should hear it anyway. So he busied himself gathering up his pile of thankfully dried clothes and slipped his pants on under the tunic dress he was currently borrowing from Casimir. Luka glared down at his hand and wondered what type of magic would come from his years of pain and suffering.
 
Casimir stopped and looked at him, considering his options. He reflected back on what he knew about the now former slave. He pressed his pointer finger against his lips. “I imagine you feel a lot of anger, and we discussed revenge. So unfortunately for my house, you might be a good destruction mage. Or maybe you’d channel it into positive energy….somehow… and become a really good healer.” He explained and thought about it for a moment more then shrugged. “We all process things differently. It depends on how you handle it. If we had to discuss emotions- what do you think you most strongly feel?” he asked, although it seemed rather….personal.
 
Destruction magic or healing? Luka scoffed at the idea of being good at destroying things. "I want freedom more than I want revenge. Revenge only comes after," Luka spat. While the boy did want revenge against those who had done him wrong, he could live without it. But he knew what it was like to be chained and unable to move. He had been caged, he had been beaten, he had forced to work on his hands and knees. Light blue eyes glared down at his palm, lips pulled into a frown. Perhaps he wanted to destroy his past more than anything else. Or maybe the opposite was true and he just wanted to be able to heal himself and the others who had been degraded and treated like they were less than humans. "Have you ever been forced to live in a cage Casimir? Treated no better than livestock?" Luka muttered, his eyes glazing over as his mind wandered to the worst humanity had offered the teenager. Slave markets run worse then places a farmer would buy livestock. Filthy quarters cramped with too many bodies. Chains that would only let you walk a few paces if you could even stand at all. Luka rubbed at his wrist at the thought of the chains that had been there less than a week ago. The lord had made sure none of his slaves had run before they were released into the woods. Even thinking back on all of this and trying to focus his energy, nothing that could be described as magical was happening. The silver-haired boy turned back to the immortal, eyes narrowing as he had to look up at him. "So what does it say about any magic I may have that all I want is to be free?"
 
Casimir heard him scoff and tried to process how he understood his suggestions. He wasn’t entirely sure with Luka, he was sort of a wild card to the mage. He thought of his question and honestly, he couldn’t say he ever had. If anything, he had been given too much freedom in life. He shook his head quietly and walked a bit closer to him. To say that Casimir was ethical and lawful himself was a stretch. “Magic gave me my freedom and allowed me to do more than most mortals ever dream of accomplishing.” He got down to Luka's level and conjured weak shackles. He quickly placed them around his wrists to see if his newest theory would be true. The shackles were see through and had wavy purple outlines but felt only slightly lighter than the real ones. “Break free of them.” He said and stood back to watch him.
 
Luka watched with narrowed eyes as Casimir got closer. When he started saying that magic had given him freedom, Luka knew that the older man was up to something. Then the mage conjured up shackles. Luka was bound with them before he could even react to the hateful things. Luka let out a strangled shout and lunged for Casimir. Thin fingers wrapped themselves in the fabric of Casimir's shirt, shaking the mage once before growling out "why the fuck would you do that?" Luka used the hand that wasn't holding Casimir close to scratch at the magic shackles. Even if he had seen them conjured up, could see through them and they were lighter than real shackles, Luka's mind quickly started to panic. His fingers pulled at the shackle, the familiar feeling biting into his skin. Luka let out a growl and let Casimir go, kneeling down to try and leverage the bindings off. They didn't give so much as a centimeter. Luka bit back an instinctual sob and tried stepping on the chain to get the leverage to pull the shackles off. Still nothing. Luka was bound in shackles once again.. Was this all just some elaborate trick Casimir was using? Did he delight in seeing people raise their hopes just to fall again? Luka lashed out at the mage, aiming to scratch at his face, a wordless scream echoing around the cottage. He would get these shackles off if it meant killing Casimir.
 
Casimir watched his reaction, but he didn’t expect to be lunged at. He fell down against the sofa with the boy, and looked at him grab his shirt. His eyes widened, that wasn’t what he expected. As he pulled away, he put up a barrier so Luka wouldn’t be able to attack him again before making the shackles disappear. He moved away from his hand before grabbing it and staring into his eyes. He sighed, feeling slightly disappointed with his reaction. “They were conjured, easy to break out of. You’re aggressive and impulsive. I keep telling you. Destruction magic would be your best bet, although you'd make a reckless mage. You need to stop. Process and understand what is happening. It was a test to see if you could break them out. Then protection magic would’ve been your best bet.” He sighed and released the boy’s hand and sort of shoved him off on the sofa, sitting up and standing up. “Would you like to try again with a warning now? You’re aware of what is going to happen. Try not to kill me again. Would be a difficult and admirable feat , however.”
 
That was a test? Luka was tempted to punch the mage for that stupid test. "Has the years rotted your brain?" Luka spat, "you don't just put chains on a slave!" Something was seriously wrong with Casimir if he thought that Luka would react any other way then to attack. He had heard his history or enough of it that he should have known better. Luka straightened himself out on the sofa and glared daggers up at the mage. He had to be delusional, that was the only explanation for what had just happened. And his asking if Luka was ready to try again. "If you don't want me to attack you, then don't do that again. No shackles. Put me between a bunch of those invisible wall things, but no more chains," Luka growled. Anything was better than chains. He had lived whole years of his life in chains. If he never felt the weight of metal on his limbs again, it would be too soon. He could live as long as Casimir and still remember the feeling.
 
Casimir mentally debated it. Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest to try to chain up a slave. He pressed his curled fingers against his lips as he thought. Perhaps it would be best not to attempt that again. He moved his fingers onto his forehead and shook his head a bit. “Alright. We will figure out your magic later… In another way. I suppose.” He said hesitantly. “Since I must.” He got up and headed towards the fire, tossing in more firewood before heading towards his room. “It’s getting late. I suggest you get some rest. A new day might help with your magic. Good night. Try not to run and find refuge with the chickens again, tomorrow morning.” He said and headed to bed, leaving the door slightly open. He could still see the kid through the fireplace but didn’t seem bothered. He lit a candle and found himself a book, before getting in bed.
 
Luka let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, relieved to hear that they wouldn't be trying that again. Maybe there was still sense somewhere in Casimir's age addled brain. The slave curled up on the couch, pulling a blanket around his body as he stared at his hand. He had panicked, but still, there was no stirring of magic. What if he didn't have any? It would hamper his abilities to free himself and others. The white-haired boy frowned. Even if he just learned alchemy though, that would be enough for him to start a new life free of the chains that plagued him. But Luka had already become enamored with the idea of learning magic. The idea of having a power that no one could take from him was appealing. Especially when he had been powerless for most of his life. But these things would have to wait. It wasn't like he was getting anywhere on his own. So Luka settled himself on the couch, pushing his back into the cushions and curling himself into a small ball. The sofa, now cleared, was much more comfortable then the floor had been last night. Luka found himself quickly drifting off, wondering what tomorrow would bring for him and the immortal.
 
As Casimir read, he couldn’t help but think of the servants he encountered. Servants of the temple and castles. Those who cleaned buildings. Magic didn’t have to be drastic, and perhaps expecting him to start with fire and death was a bit…. drastic. Maybe it’d be best to start with organization magic and spells to make his life easier and advance from there. There were many talented witches in his home country that did the same, many without their husband’s knowledge. He imagined it’d be a good place to start. LIfe's most brilliant innovations came out of shortcuts.

Casimir slept in slightly, not finding the need to go chase his chickens and hunt down their eggs. Instead, he was going to let Luka do that. He got out of bed, got washed up slightly and dressed before coming out with a blindfold. “I had an idea last night. Not chains, but you won’t see. You’re going to find the eggs blind folded.” He said and went over to the poor boy and settled the silk blindfold over him before going back to his kitchen and grabbing an egg. He held it carefully before taking it to Luka and putting it in his hand. “An egg is familiar. We’ve mostly seen eggs all of our lives. You understand what it looks like, smells like, feels like, how much it weighs. So It should be simple to imagine it and tune into its energy. I’m going to take you out, blindfolded, and you’re going to find the rest of the eggs by channeling the energy of all eggs.” He said, although it sounded ridiculous to be said out loud. “If you step on them all, then I suppose we will simply have to eat a chicken instead. If you find them, then we have a nice omelette. Hmm?” He suggested. It seemed like a good idea to him. He could usually visualize the path of the eggs, but his damned chickens never made it easy for him as they enjoyed roosting in strange places.​
 
Luka had woken up early in the morning. He quickly went about putting on his now dry clothes, depositing the tunic over the back of the sofa. It had finally stopped raining outside, so Luka decided to sit out in the garden for a while. It wasn't like there was much he could do with Casimir still asleep. He focused on his palm, trying to will a light into existence. Nothing came of it, so the slave stared up at the forest canopy. The wind blew the leaves around in a gentle pattern, the sound of the breeze soothing Luka. This was so much better than waking up and being forced to work until he collapsed from exhaustion. Soon, however, he heard Casimir stirring in the house and made his way back in. Where he was presented with a blindfold.

Not being able to see was more tolerable over being in chains. At least Casimir had come up with a different idea for today's training. If it could even be called that. Finding eggs while blindfolded sounded more like a lesson in futility then in magic. At least it did to Luka. But the darker-skinned male wasn't about to argue. So he just listened to Casimir's instructions as he held the egg. When Cas said that if he stepped on all the eggs that they would be eating a chicken instead, Luka frowned. He didn't want to eat one of the feathery creatures. They were too cute for that. "I'm not eating one of your chickens," Luka stated, a pout forming on his face. The birds had been all too willing to provide comfort yesterday, even if they were just drawn to his warmth. He would not pay them back by eating one of them.

With the egg in hand, Luka stumbled back out of the cottage, managing to not hit anything on his way out. But once he was outside he didn't even know where to begin looking for eggs. He stood there for a good thirty seconds trying to 'tune in' to the eggs energy. All he could feel was the breeze ghosting through the forest. "Casimir, I don't think this is going to work the way you want it to," Luka warned. His lips were pulled down into a frown, his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. All he could feel was the egg in his hand and the breeze at his back. The slave let out a sigh and slowly shuffled forwards, trying to search with his feet. He was sure he looked ridiculous.
 
Casimir walked out with him and watched him try. He crossed an arm across his stomach and put the other hand over his mouth, trying to hide how amused he was. He knew that it was valuable magic training, even if the former slave was skeptical. He tried to choke back his laughter and eventually managed to do it. He lit up a faint energy path towards the eggs to see if Luka would at least pick up on that. “Are you sensing anything?” He asked and walked closer to him, walking around him. He looked towards where the eggs were. The chickens made it slightly easier that day by not roosting in bushes or trees.

“They’re chickens. We are supposed to eventually eat them.” He said, although the boy seemed to like their company. “Talk me through what you’re feeling.” He suggested.
 
The boy's frown only deepened when Casimir mentioned that the chickens were meant to be eaten eventually. But he also knew that the birds were the alchemist's, not his. Their fate was ultimately up to the taller male. But as he contemplated the poor fate of his feathered friends, there was a tingling sensation beneath his feet. "I don't know how to describe what I feel," Luka whispered. For some reason, he felt that if he spoke too loudly that it would break whatever was going on. The breeze also seemed to be pushing in the direction of the tingling. "Did you do something?" Luka questioned, still keeping his voice quiet. He took a few tentative steps forward, almost stumbling on some branches. He caught his footing again, feeling the earth between his toes. He stepped forward again, feeling the rush of wind behind him increase until it felt like he would fall over from the force. The slave stopped for a moment, trying to tell if there really was a breeze at his back or if it was Casimir using some weird type of magic to guide him. He couldn't hear the leaves rustling as much as they would be with this type of wind. On a hunch Luka knelt down, his hands searching for something. Just as he was about to stand and declare this pointless, his fingers curled around a familiar shape. An egg. The dark skinned boy turned back towards where he had come from, assuming the mage was back in that direction. "Casimir..."
 
Casimir carefully watched him and registered when he picked up the guide. At least he was sensitive enough to the magic in order to, so he couldn’t help but feel slightly proud of him. “I did do something.” Casimir admitted. “There’s a path for you to follow to the egg. It’ll help you come in tune with your magic sensitivity and registering it. Tell me what it feels like.” He said.

He walked closer to him as he searched for the eggs, angling himself so he could see what he was doing. He smiled when the egg was found and took it from him. He gently placed it in his pocket. “For a moment I thought we’d have scrambled eggs.” He admitted. “Glad you found one. It means your feathery friends live to see another day. Let’s try another. I’ll make the path weaker.” He said and moved his hands in the movement to control its strength. The wind got softer and the glow weaker. He grabbed Luka by the arm to help him up and turned him in the right direction. “Talk me through it. What is it manifesting as for you? Do you think this kind of magic could help you in your life? Is it something you think you’d be more able to learn? I mean, your whole life has been about helping others. At one point, you’ll be in the position where you’ll need to help yourself.” He watched him go about it. “There are 3 more eggs. We will try this one with the weak signal. Then you will be able to take off your blindfold, and try to follow it as it is extremely faint. Following that, for the last egg, I’d like you to try to cast your own egg guide. Does that sound like a favorable plan? Fewer chains.”
 
How did the magic feel? It was hard for Luka to describe and the question gave him pause. "It feels like... a sort of tingling in my feet that moved up my legs the closer I got to the egg. And there's was this wind that was pushing me in the direction of the egg. The closer I got the stronger the wind, until it was almost knocking me over," Luka mumbled. He wasn't fully satisfied with his answer, but it was the best that he could give the immortal. The comments about needing eventually ending up in a position where he would have to help himself gave him pause though. How would helping himself look in the future? How would his magic manifest if it was about helping others? With the anger that he felt inside him, he couldn't imagine it being healing magic. But nor did he feel that his calling was destruction magic. Being free and freeing others wasn't about destroying. "Considering I don't even know what you're doing, I have no idea if I'd be able to learn this type of magic. I have no idea what it is..." Luka admitted, sassing Casimir at the same time. Just because the immortal was helping him now, didn't mean Luka had forgotten the brilliant idea of last night. Eager to avoid more chains, Luka set about shuffling towards where the wind pushed him. The slave was sure he was on the right path because the tingling was getting stronger in his legs. The breeze at his back wasn't as strong either. Luka shut his eyes tightly as he concentrated on where he was going. There was something else he could feel that he was sure wasn't what he was supposed to be feeling further to his left. "Casimir, what's off that way?" Luka questioned, pointing towards his left. He could faintly hear the chickens clucking the way the odd presence was. Maybe it was his feathery friends?
 
Casimir watched him, thinking that was a good way to respond to the magic and perceive it. He nodded slightly. “This is making you sensitive to magic. I believe that I jumped ahead too much for your skill level and sensitivity. To understand magic, one must know what it is like.” He explained. “Seeing its benefits help you in wanting to control it.” He added, so that motivation was certainly a part of why he was doing it. "I never had to be a teacher, beyond Lyra, who was beyond magically skilled."

He heard what the boy said and stopped the spell. He looked towards the way that Luke pointed towards. It wasn’t more eggs, it wasn’t more chickens. It wasn't even another animal. No- he knew that feeling. He frowned as he tried to understand what went there. “That’s… nothing of mine.” He said and tried to make out what it was. He swore he saw the shape of a human, and that concerned Casimir. Perhaps it was people coming to search for Luka. He went closer to the boy and put a hand on his back. “Take off your blindfold and go inside. Go to the bedroom. Stay out of sight. I’ll deal with this.” He said, trying to gage how to interact with the foreign person. His privacy was being invaded and he didn’t like that at all. “If anything happens, close your eyes, sit in the closet and cover your ears.” He explained, unsure what he’d have to do if it was people coming to get the boy. He stood his ground, where it was safe. He could feel his hands getting warm, hating that people were on his land, looking for somebody who he was now helping and was now essentially marked as part of his tribe and his own.
 

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