Learning & Parting

It had been a week since I was able to use magic. Somehow, every time I used it my muscles limped. I felt like running a marathon in the desert without drinking water.

I had a question in my head when facing this problem. If this healing magic could be used to heal wounds, what about stamina?

After many attempts, I concluded; it was impossible. It seemed that fatigue was unable to be restored with this spell. Could there be a specific incantation? I didn't know. Yet, I should not hope too much for it.

"Damna!" Aila shouted while knocking on the door. "Hurry up!"

I was here. Currently in the inside of an old-fashioned toilet and looking for inspiration. This place was supposed to be the most comfortable zone after my room, but ever since Aila came, everything had changed. My special time in the morning started to narrow down.

I came out after cleaning myself and the toilet. I moved to the side and Aila quickly walked in and locked the door.

I took a deep breath. The amazing smell infiltrated my nose and brought regret to my mind. I moved my legs to carry my body away and went outside to change the air.

"Finally... there's nothing more refreshing than the morning breeze."

I sat in front of the door and enjoyed the same scenery every day. Farmers busy in the fields, a few merchants coming their way, and children running around without worrying about their future.

This morning, Rosch was not working in the fields like usual. He left because the bearded man came to see him last night. I didn't hear a word because he whispered directly into Rosch's ear. And then, my mother's husband immediately put on a cloak and armed himself.

I believed something urgent came up and they needed more people.

After that, Rosch kissed both of us on the forehead and he left with a bearded man who was dressed eccentrically.

Talking about the bearded man, his outfit looked like a clown in a circus. Yet, I was sure he wasn't one of them. I wanted to pull his beard and draw a masterpiece in it. Okay, stop with my wild imagination. I should enjoy the morning breeze with a positive mind.

So peaceful today. Mom was busy washing clothes and cleaning the bed. Meanwhile, I was still waiting for Aila to come out of the toilet so she could teach me more about magic.

"Have you been waiting long?" said Aila.

I turned my head and looked at her. "No, Aila. So, where do we practice?"

She pointed to one of the nearest big trees we could reach. She took off running and I quickly followed.

I heard mom yelling from the doorway. She said that we shouldn't play too far away. I answered her with a "yes" while waving my hands.

Running with this three-year-old body made me unable to catch up with Aila. There was always a big gap between us. My bones and muscles weren't strong enough to handle the activities of a five-year-old kid.

When we got there, Aila sat against a tree and told me to sit in front of her. She plucked some grass and held it above her lips like a mustache. I could hear her grin, she seemed pleased.

"Listen, my student!" she said, imitating how a grandfather would speak. "I will give you an example."

Aila stretched out her hand and began to recite the incantation. "O Creator of the Aqua! Let the water nourish my desire here and now, Water Sphere!"

A water sphere the size of her hand was suddenly created on top of her palm. Next, Aila faced the wheat field. Her eyes aimed at something and then placed the controlled water sphere forward. "Water Splash!"

When the incantation finished, the water ball flew fast and hit the scarecrow. Her target was drenched.

Amazing! Being able to create something directly from life energy into a physical object completely defied logic in my old world. Yet, this illogical was something I had to learn.

Urgh! It was so hard to hold my squeal! I shouldn’t act like a child!

"How was it, Damna? I did great, right?" Aila showed her face and struck a victory pose.

"You're amazing, Aila!”

I clapped for her great demonstration. She laughed and didn't realize that her fake mustache had fallen off after hopping up in excitement.

“Teach me some other magic too!"

"Sure!" She picked up some more grass and made it into a new mustache. "I'll teach you! Huhuhu!"

Aila told me the other three spells. One after another was shown and I began to memorize the incantations. It seemed that the incantation of magic wasn't as complicated as I had imagined. They all had a similar pattern.

The pattern was consistent with three main elements: Pleading, Desiring, and Invocation. First we had to plead with the divine being or nature to lend us power, then described the wish in poetic language, and invoked it with a certain name.

These spells could also be combined or shortened. I had come up with that hypothesis ever since Aila was able to turn [Water Sphere] into [Water Splash] without any additional incantation.

However, I still didn't understand the main mechanism. Aila didn't know about it either. I wished this world had a magic research institute so I could learn directly from them.

Although I failed to use the magic Aila had just shown me, it never discouraged me like before. I knew that I wasn't as talented as Aila, but I could do well if I started now.

Before I knew it, the sun was overhead.

We rushed home to fill our hungry bellies. Mom had prepared the food and was soon feeding our mouths. When hunger had left, sleepiness came. Without asking for anyone's consent, Aila and I fell asleep in the same bed.

Since Aila came, we have been playing every day. Not a single day passed without it. The games we played were interesting, though sometimes wild. There were times when Aila would dig into the ground to find worms, she jumped into the ditch to get small fish, or even caught insects to eat them. In the end, Aila threw up and immediately regretted it.

Geez! She would do anything to please her curiosity. And after she was contained, she happily taught me magic.

Day after day passed with lots of laughter. Sometimes there were unpleasant things like her deliberately knocking on the toilet door while I was still using it. Or she would mix my lunch with weird insect legs. Yet, I still felt happy.

I never had any friends other than coworkers. Or perhaps, I didn’t care enough about it. I assumed that "friends" would make my life difficult and annoying. As it turns out, that was all wrong.

For the first time, I wanted someone else to stay here.

Unfortunately, our time together didn't last long.

Three weeks after Aila stayed here, I heard noisy horse steps outside. Rosch went to see what was going on. As it turned out, it was them. Raul and his wife had come to pick her up.

Upon learning of their return, Aila quickly ran into her father's arms. The little girl cried and poured out all her longing. It was such a heartwarming sight. This scene made me feel grateful for my current life.

I had the desire to keep Aila here. But, when Aila cried while hugging her parents, I aborted my intention. She should be with her family.

Well, Mom was still here. Rosch too. I was not lonely. I won't be lonely.

When Aila stopped crying, our parents greeted each other and made small talk. Then, my parents invited them in and served them food and drink in the dining room.

I sat on mom's lap and Aila did the same. This jolly little girl looked so spoiled to her mother. I was a little jealous because as a grown man, I felt reluctant to be spoiled by my mom.

I did not lie. At that time I was still a baby! So it was different now!

Anyway, my mom's food was so tasty. Even Raul could not stop eating it. After enjoying the food and drinks, he looked at his wife and stroked Aila's hair. Then his attention returned to Rosch and my mother.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Rosch, Sis Sonja." Raul extended his hand and Rosch immediately shook it.

"Are you going straight home?" my mother interrupted. "Not staying overnight? It's late in the evening."

Raul shook his head. "I'd like to. But my wife, Sara, and I have to go back to her homeland."

When Raul mentioned his wife's name, my gaze quickly fell on the woman wearing a white dress with gold trim. She had long braided hair covered by a scarf. I couldn't see her entire face because of the veil, but the look in her eyes was so soft and majestic. There were two gold rings on her ring finger. Could it be that she...

Rosch let out a long sigh. "It can't be helped. The Abbas Kingdom has an urgent matter after all."

Raul's expression suddenly became tense, then it changed into a laugh. "It seems that nothing can escape the North Dog's nose."

"You are praising me too much."

I just discovered that Rosch has a cool-looking nickname. Could it be that he got his nickname from hunting on the iceberg? Never mind. I didn't want to talk about it right now.

Sara, I meant, Mrs Sara. She lowered Aila from her lap and stood up. She took off her veil and revealed her beautiful face. Then she bowed slightly to my parents.

"I thank you for taking such good care of Aila," she said. "I'm sorry to trouble you. I can't give you much, but I hope this is enough to repay your kindness."

Mrs. Sara placed a small chest on the table. She pushed it gently until it reached us. The inside of the chest made Rosch's face stiff.

"This is... too much." Rosch pushed it back, but Raul stopped him.

"It's okay. Think of it as silent money."

"Ah... I see."

The situation became awkward. Aila and I could only exchange smiles at our parents' conversation. After that, their talk was merely pleasantries. Ten minutes later, we escorted Raul and his family outside.

What I saw in the yard was a luxurious horse-drawn coach decorated with silver. Besides the coachman, there were also six uniformed horsemen acting as bodyguards. This sight reinforced my suspicion that Aila's mother was royalty. Not just any royalty, Mrs. Sara seemed to be closely related to the Abbas Royal family.

My eyes turned to Aila who was about to get into the silver state coach.

"Aila, when are we going to play again?" I asked.

Aila smiled sweetly. "Soon! When I come back, we'll play and I'll teach you many things, Damna! Hihihi!"

I nodded, waved and returned her smile. "Keep your promise, Aila. See you next time!"

As Raul and his wife went inside and closed the door, Aila began to cry. Still, she tried to smile.

"See you soon, Damna!" she shouted.

I kept waving until I couldn't hear her anymore. The group left to chase the sunset. Leaving behind the dust that litters the air. Although it's faint, I still remember it clearly. Her words that evening were the last I heard.