Chapter 28: The Path of the Mage I
Chapter 3: The Path of the Mage
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One day later...
The morning mist had begun to lift from the hills as John stood at the edge of the village, watching the sun rise through a haze of golden light. Dew sparkled on the grass. Chimney smoke curled lazily upward as the village stirred to life behind him.
Sera stood nearby, arms crossed, her white cloak fluttering gently behind her. Her shiny eyes scanned his face like she was searching for something she wasn’t sure she wanted to find.
"You’re really leaving?" she asked.
John nodded. "I need to. There’s something I have to do. Something inside me that doesn’t belong in a forge. I need to become a mage."
Fizz hovered nearby, carrying a long stick like a walking cane and wearing what appeared to be a paper crown made from temple prayer slips. He raised it high.
"We ride at dawn!" he declared. "By ride, I mean you walk and I sit on your shoulder. Because my wings are tired and I’m sitting on John’s shoulder the whole way."
John ignored him and turned back to Sera thinking. "The forge is upgraded. The system’s interface can replicate basic tools and store blueprints now. There’s even a ring blueprint for extra inventory."