The sun was shining brightly above, watching the spar currently taking place. It wasn't the only one watching, though. From the garden balcony, Malrik was staring at the father and daughter duo as they clashed with their swords. They swung with precision and skill, each trying to overtake the other. It was clear Dain was winning.
With his long wooden sword, Dain sent a downward slash at her. Sarah quickly twisted her body to the left, just narrowly dodging. Gripping tightly with two hands, she spun and swung with a sideways slash, smirking as the sword drew closer and closer to her opponent. However, to her surprise, Dain lunged backwards, whacking the sword away with his. With Sarah defenceless, she couldn't block the kick that sent her stumbling to the floor. Dain's sword pressed against her chin threateningly as he smirked.
"I win."
Sarah frowned and glared at her father, who was glowing with pride.
"It's not fair. I was about to win," she groaned.
Dain just smiled at his daughter, crossing his arms. He was about to say something before Malrik interrupted.
"There was no way you had a chance with the way you were swinging."
Sarah's glare shifted to Malrik, who was walking over.
"What do you know about swordplay?"
"Not much. Other than the fact that you were overreaching a bit. You focus too much on attack and never leave room for any defence."
Dain looked at Malrik, impressed, while Sarah just deepened her glare at him.
"For example, that last attack—you focused way too much on strength, and you wasted your speed by using both hands. You could've easily produced the results you wanted with one hand and left the other free in case of a counterattack."
"Fine then! Since you're suddenly an expert in swordsmanship, let's spar—you and me, right now," challenged Sarah, dramatically pointing her finger.
Malrik shrugged; he had wanted to see the extent of his sword capabilities since the fight yesterday. Dain handed Malrik his wooden sword, seemingly interested in the fight too. He walked off to the side to spectate.
"Alright! I want a clean, fair battle, understand?"
The two nodded in agreement, their eyes never leaving each other.
"Ready!"
The two dropped into their fighting stances—Sarah with her sword facing forward in a standard stance, and Malrik with his sword next to his face, pointing ahead.
"Set!"
They dug their feet harder into the ground, preparing to charge.
"Go!"
The two fighters lunged and clashed in the middle, signalling the start of the battle. Not even a second later, they were trading blow for blow. Dain stared, impressed. Malrik was keeping up well, despite losing all his memories of any sword practice. He could tell the boy was fighting on instinct, learning as he went. It seemed he hadn't lost any of his battle instincts since the base, although they were probably not as refined as before.
He watched Malrik closely, analysing his every move. The boy was fighting like he was possessed—launching himself into every attack like a lion, yet still protecting himself from the few counterattacks.
Sarah was struggling—uppercut, downward strike, sideways strikes; she was barely managing to block and counter. Malrik was far too fast. He dropped down, attacking with a low kick. Sarah sidestepped it before Malrik launched an uppercut with blinding speed. The attack hit Sarah's chin, sending her to the ground.
"I believe I win," the boy cheered in victory.
Dain clapped as Sarah rubbed her bruised chin. Malrik helped her up.
"You win—for now," she accepted his hand and dusted her clothes. Looking at her brother, she smiled. "You're just as tricky with the sword as you were before."
Malrik raised an eyebrow. "You mean I was this good before?"
"Are you kidding? I think you almost killed me last time we fought. As much as it pains me to say it, you're a real beast in pure swordsmanship. I'm just surprised you remember all those skills you had."
Malrik looked at his hands, smiling at the praise. "To be honest with you, I was just swinging the sword and analysing your every move."
Sarah looked at him in confusion, and Dain paid close attention.
"I don't know—it just felt like… like I had done something like this before. I didn't know why, but it felt like I was swinging for my life. Like if I didn't focus on your every move and plan for every possibility mid-battle… I'd die."
Malrik's face scrunched up, staring at his hands like they were murder weapons. Sarah looked at him sadly, while Dain walked over and placed a hand on Malrik's head. Malrik looked at him, searching for guidance.
"You're not cursed."
Those words hit Malrik like a ton of bricks. 'How did he know that was what I was thinking?'
Dain's face turned serious.
"What you have is a skill—a damn fine one at that. You know how to fight like everything's on the line. You know how to predict your opponent's every move and act accordingly. That's a skill, and don't you ever think it's a curse. Now… what do you think you can do with that kind of skill? Protect or kill people?"
"You think I can protect people with my skills?"
Dain didn't answer. Instead, he walked away, gesturing for Malrik to follow.
The trio arrived at a meadow full of boulders and bushes, just outside of town. They moved to the centre before Dain finally spoke again, although Sarah looked like she already knew what he was doing.
"Alright, listen up, Malrik. I want to teach you about magic."
Malrik raised his eyebrow, looking at his father like he was mad. "Magic?"
Sarah nodded, eager to share her knowledge.
"Yeah, it's lik—"
"I am still talking, Sarah," said Dain sternly, cutting her off.
Sarah mumbled a quick "sorry" before Dain shifted his gaze to Malrik.
"I assume you've forgotten what magic is."
Malrik nodded.
"Alright, it'll probably be easier if I show you."
Dain raised his hand, smiling at Malrik. A few seconds passed. Nothing happened. Malrik looked around, growing more confused by the second. He growled when he noticed Sarah giggling to herself and sneaking glances at him—the ones she only gave him when he was having a 'stupid moment'.
Malrik looked back at his father's hand, still raised in the air. "Nothing is happening."
"Exactly. Just watch."
Dain walked over to one of the boulders. He suddenly clenched his fists, leaned back, then swung. On impact, the boulder shattered into pieces, debris falling everywhere. Dain turned back to the stunned Malrik.
"You see that? That clearly shows there's something there. You just can't see it. That's because magic is an essence that flows through every human's blood. You can't hold it, nor can you see it—but you can feel it, guide it, weaponise it. It can enhance your strength, sight, and speed."
"Wait—so you're saying I have magic inside me?" The boy stared down at his body, dumbstruck, as if seeing it in a new light.
Dain nodded. "It's been in every human's blood for a hundred years." He lifted Malrik's arms. "Can you feel it? What does it feel like?"
"It feels warm and fuzzy… It feels almost right."
"Good. That's how it's supposed to feel. Now close your eyes and try to guide it. Think of it like a human in a pool. Your magic can swim throughout your body; you just have to tell it where to go—otherwise, it'll float aimlessly."
Malrik closed his eyes and concentrated. His breathing slowed, and the air around him began to quicken. Dain's eyes glowed golden, while Sarah's glowed green. They focused on Malrik's arm as a blue substance began to travel upward. Sweat poured as his magic flowed through him. Upon reaching his hand, a blue aura enveloped it.
Dain let go of Malrik's arm. Opening his eyes, Malrik couldn't see anything, but he smiled—he could feel it.
"It feels so powerful," Malrik smiled.
He waved his hand as the magic moved with it. He began guiding it throughout his body. Running towards a boulder, he channelled magic into his leg before kicking it. Like Dain's, the boulder exploded into pieces.
Sarah widened her eyes. "What! He broke it on the first try! It took me a whole day to do that!"
Dain just chuckled. "I guess Malrik's magic is naturally denser than yours."
Sarah grumbled while Malrik raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'denser'?"
This time, Sarah answered.
"The density of your magic determines its power. If someone's magic is denser than yours, it'll be stronger."
Dain nodded. "Exactly. Magic with lower density can't produce the same power. But density isn't fixed—it increases through training. The denser it gets, though, the harder it is to improve. Take Sarah, for example—her magic started lighter than yours, but she caught up in just a day. If you trained for a day now, you wouldn't see the same growth. The stronger your magic is naturally, the slower your progress becomes."
Malrik looked at Dain like he'd just heard a bunch of nonsense. "Uuh, can you repeat that one more time, please?"
Sarah sighed while Dain laughed.
"Don't worry—you don't need to know that for now. Today, we're just starting with the very basics. You've just completed one of the three basics of magic."
"Three?"
"Trust me—those three are only the beginning," warned Sarah.
"Sarah is right. But for now, let's stick to the basics. Now that you've learned how to control magic, do you want to know how to see it?"
Malrik stopped playing with his magic and looked at Dain, confused. "I thought you said you can't see magic?"
"Not with normal eyes, no. But Paladins can—through what's known as Arcane Sight. It's a simple ability where you channel magic to your eyes and envelop them. This makes them glow and allows you to see other people's magic as well as your own. Any questions?"
Malrik channelled magic into his eyes, causing them to shine blue. His face lit up as he gazed at the golden aura surrounding him. Looking at Dain, he saw the aura cloaking him like a deity. Shifting to Sarah, he initially saw nothing—then a faint green tint began to appear, growing stronger.
"One question—what's a Paladin?"
"Oh, I know this one!" Sarah raised her hand eagerly. "Paladins are licensed fighters who battle magical creatures for humanity. They're basically heroic knight badasses."
Like a broken record, Malrik looked at her, confused. "Okay, now I've got two questions. What's a magical creature?"
Dain answered this time. "Magical creatures are monsters born from the pure essence of magic. They come in horrific forms and can only be fought by People in combat professions such as Paladins.' Dain pointed to himself, indicating he was one of them. 'Some people call them Underworld Creatures, because they dwell in a place called the underworld. Their sole purpose is to travel to our world and consume our magic."
"They can consume people's magic?" Malrik asked, shocked.
Dain nodded. "Correct. Once they consume a human, they absorb their magic and become what's known as a demon. Underworld creatures are usually mindless beasts, but demons gain control and intelligence through the magic they've absorbed. That's what makes them so terrifying."
Both children shuddered. Even Sarah hadn't known that detail.
Dain chuckled. "Anyway, we're getting off-topic. Are you ready to learn the last of the basics?"
Malrik nodded eagerly, practically bouncing with excitement. "I assume you have noticed the amount of magic surrounding you currently, right?" Seeing the boy look around the area, he took it as a yes. "Well, watch this." Dain suddenly clenched his fists, and the air quickly responded. The winds started flowing faster, and Dain's hair flowed up. Sarah's eyes glowed green while Marik watched with his blue-shining eyes. They soon covered their faces as the air smashed into their faces. A thick golden aura filled the area. The winds grew stronger; it was like Dain's magic was pushing everything away from itself.
The pressure began to subside as the two children sighed in relief. Malrik looked at Dain excitedly. "What was that aura?!"
"That is what we call Pressure Overflow, or you can just call it Magical Aura. That technique has two stages." Malrik stared intently at Dain, eager to hear every piece of information. Sarah was sure that if he had a notebook with him, he would already have a full page of notes on magic. "The first is to push your magic out of your body. This can be used to intimidate your opponents. Most high-tier magic users pump it out naturally. As long as blood runs through your veins, you have an almost infinite amount of magic to pump out."
"And the second?" Asked Sarah, excitedly. Both she and Malrik leaned in, making sure they were hearing every bit of information."
"The second is a little higher tier, something you two are not ready for yet. The second is basically," Dain paused, trying to think of the best way to describe it. "…it's like a limit breaker."
"A limit breaker?"
"Yeah, now this is where it gets complicated. I told you earlier that magic flows all over your body through your blood. Essence flows in channels, ensuring it's steady and limited, much like the blood going through your veins. Your body also regulates this flow to protect itself from flowing too much. The second stage does the exact opposite, though. It forces those channels to open all at once. Overwhelming your body's natural limiters and pushing them to the limit."
"So, when do we start?" Asked the eager boy, looking like he barely heard a word that was just said. Sarah sighed and gave Malrik the side eye.
"Well… you're not going to." Malrik widened his eyes open hearing this, staring for an explanation. "Well, if you heard me, this ability pushes your body to your natural limit. In other words, if your body is not physically prepared to handle that strain, it can cause massive damage to your body."
Dain laughed at the dejected children. Suddenly, Dain turned serious as he looked at his two children. "If you take anything away from here, I want you to take this. All these abilities mean nothing if you don't understand the heart of magic."
"The heart of magic?" Asked Malrik
"What's that?" Asked Sarah
"It's having belief. Not only that, having a strong belief. Belief in something, you are ready to fight for – ready to die for. Belief in yourself and belief in your power. That's the fourth basic of magic, the one no one can teach you." He stared at the two as he placed a hand on their shoulders.
"Because you can't control power, you don't believe in."