Night had fallen, and the party of three was now where two of them called home. Normally by now Lona and Erris would have dinner, but Erris had been talking to Vese outside of earshot from her. It had been an hour until the two had come back finally. Vese sat at the dining room table that was on the right from the entrance. Instead of Erris sitting, however, she bowed at Lona.

Erris: “I apologize for doing this so suddenly, but as a court mage I’ve been summoned to the capitol. Vese will stay here with you until I return.”

She then glared at Vese.

Erris: “As for you, you’d better consider yourself lucky. If I come back to find out you’ve harmed her in any way, I will kill you.”

Vese: “Don’t worry. She’ll be perfectly fine in my hands. Now have a safe trip.”

She smiled and waved goodbye as Erris left.

Lona: “What was that about? Do you two know each other?”

Vese: “There’s no need to worry about that. She’s just worried about leaving a human with a witch.”

She stood up and started to undress to a simple dark dress underneath her robes.

Lona: “Wait, you’re a witch? Erris told me that witches were evil magic users.”

Vese: “She isn’t wrong. Witches tend to use their magic for their own selfish needs, after all. However, she would always leave me as an exception. If I’m to be honest, despite the tension you saw earlier, her and I are good friends, and have been for many years.”

Lona: “Are you a bad witch?”

Vese laughed then shook her head. After putting her robe on a hanger, she had joined Lona once again at the dining room table.

Vese: “To define me as a good or evil magic user would be left to the observer. So tell me.”

She leaned close to Lona and smiled faintly.

Vese: “Do you think I’m evil?”

Lona shook her head. How could she be evil? After all, she not only saved her, but Vese and Erris are friends.

Lona: “Well, I don’t know you well enough to know for sure, but you don’t seem bad.”

Vese: “I’m glad. Many people here fear witches, and many of those people do have good reasons.”

She got up once more and walked towards the beds.

Vese: “Which one will I be sleeping on?”

Lona: “The one with the white blanket.”

Vese nodded and promptly climbed into the bed. Without saying a word she had gone to sleep. Lona had thought to do the same thing, after such an eventful day. She climbed into bed and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she drifted off into sleep.

She opened her eyes to the sunlight shining through the window. She got up off of the ground and stretched.

Wait, got up off of the ground?

She had immediately realized something was off. She looked at her surroundings, which appeared to be some type of chamber to a dungeon or tomb. What she had thought to be sunlight was an artificial light. Old wires from the lightsource guided her eyes to a hallway.

Lona: “Vese?”

With it being the only direction she could go, Lona had ventured into the dark hallway. The hallway seemed to go on and on. The lights were showing up less and less, and Lona could occasionally hear something creaking, followed by a heavy breath. Eventually she had reached the end, and at the end was a wooden door. With no choice, she opened the door and entered the room.

A blinding light had flashed for a moment, making Lona close her eyes, and upon opening them, she had been welcomed by a familiar face.

Vese: “Good morning. How’d you sleep?”

Lona had sat up and stretched her arms.

Lona: “I slept well. Although I had a strange dream.”

Vese: “Oh?”

Lona: “Yeah. I don’t quite remember it though.”

Vese: “Well, it can’t be helped if you don’t remember.”

Vese smiled and proceeded to hand Lona a cup. The cup was full of what looked to be tea.

Vese: “After you’re done with that, we’ll start with today’s lessons.”

Lona: “What’re the lessons for today?”

Vese: “After some thought, I’ve decided that while I’m here, I’m going to teach you how to use magic.”

Lona’s face lit up. Ever since seeing Erris use magic for the first time, she’s been wanting to learn. However, she was always told it’s dangerous to learn.

Lona: “Won’t Erris get mad if she finds out?”

Vese: “She might, but that just means it’ll be our little secret.”

The two had now found themselves outside. Their destination was the shoreline, which was directly north. They had planned to stay there for a week, so they packed some essentials before starting a four hour journey.

Lona: “So how does magic work?”

Vese: “There’s five different forms of magic. Most people in this world get some type of ability or talent when they’re born. It’s the most common form of magic, but it can also be hard to discover what your born talent is. This type of magic is commonly known as divine skills, as most people believe that they’re bestowed upon us by the gods. The second most common type is natural magic. These, unlike the divine skills, have to be casted. For instance-”

She lifted her arm effortlessly, and almost immediately after, a huge gust of wind shot out from her fingertips.

Vese: “Most magic users tend to cast by citing ancient phrases, but it is possible to have mastered magic to the point where no words need to be spoken.”

Lona: “Wow… Is that why Erris has so many books?”

Vese: “Well, some of them are for magic, yes. Though I’m sure some of them are just for entertainment.”

She cleared her throat.

Vese: “Back to the five types of magic. The third type is song magic. It is commonly used to aid allies or to inhibit the enemy. However, it is rare to see anyone use that type, as it takes a songstress. The fourth form of magic isn't known to most of the world. Witches are born with special talents only they can use, and once a witch has a child, will lose those abilities, as it is passed down to their child.”

Lona: “Do you know what witch talents you have?”

Vese nodded.

Vese: “My inherited talent allows me to almost never be touched in combat, with the only exceptions being when I have fought other witches.”

Lona: “So how many witches are there? Do you know?”

Vese held up seven fingers.

Vese: “The only ones left are my sisters and I.”

Clearing her throat once more, she proceeded to finish explaining the forms of magic.

Vese: “The last type, and perhaps the most powerful form of magic, is also known as divine magic. Only creatures as powerful as angels and demons can use these.”

Lona: “There’s angels and demons?”

Vese: “Yes, and they’re truly frightening creatures if you are unlucky enough to come across them.”

As the two were walking, Vese stopped and took off the bag she had carried.

Vese: “I think this is far enough. We don’t want to set our camp too close, and the walk will be a nice exercise each morning.”

Lona dropped her bag and pondered for a moment before speaking.

Lona: “So… How can I figure out what my divine talent is?”

Vese: “First, you’ll need to figure out where most of your magic energy is stored. Normally you’d have to be granted an audience with someone who is closely connected to the gods, typically a religious leader. However, as a witch, I can do the same.”

She walked close to Lona and held her hand to Lona’s heart. After a brief moment, she moved her hand away.

Vese: “My, my. Your magical energy is evenly distributed, meaning whichever divine talent you have is a unique one.”

She took a couple steps away.

Vese: “While this process would usually take years, I will help you be able to use your divine talent by yourself by the end of the week.”

Lona: “How’re we going to do that?”

Vese smiled and gestured for Lona to wait. She then stuck her arms out to her sides, which then caused the wind to pick up. Soon, light started forming a giant circle on the hill that they stood on. She then lowered her arms and looked in Lona’s direction.

Vese: “Now Lona, close your eyes. Direct your arms towards me, and imagine energy flowing through your body. So as long as this magic circle is here, it should draw out your divine talent. While it won’t activate it like this, it will let me know just what it is you can do.”

Lona: “Oh, uhm. Okay!”

She proceeded to listen to Vese. She closed her eyes, raising her arms in front of her, and tried imagining energy flowing through her body. A moment passes, and then another moment passes.

Vese: “Now, open your eyes.

She listened, opening her eyes. Nothing felt different. However, she remained silent, waiting to see what Vese said next.

Vese: “I want you to pick up a rock, and throw it in my direction. When you do, focus on transferring the energy from your body to the rock.”

Lona: “Are you sure this is going to do anything?”

She nodded. Lona picked up a rock and paused. She was imagining the energy flowing through her body. She then threw the rock, imagining the energy going into the rock. As soon as she let go, she expected the rock to start flying in the direction she threw it at, however it hovered in the air. It was moving, but only very slightly.

Lona: “Woah! What did I do?”

As soon as her focus on the rock broke, the rock then flung out of sight.

Vese: “That is your divine talent. So as long as you focus on an object, it will slow time down on that object.”

Vese waved her arm, and the magic circle dispersed.

Vese: “Now then, let’s get you to learn how to do that by yourself. After that, you can then safely learn natural magic.”