Chapter 3: Self Defense
When he was twelve, Kir got stabbed.
He never went into town, preferring instead to sit on the swing Darlae made for him. He could watch the town from the top of the hill, under the branches of the rilion tree and its big, fleshy leaves.
How Darlae managed to find fifty meters of rope for the swing, he didn't know, but he remembered being scared for her as she climbed high enough to secure the swing.
The spot was perfect for Kir, who had grown into a rather quiet boy, to sort out and try to process his thoughts and memories. He had a routine of clearing his mind, then circulating his mana, then thinking.
On that fateful day, Kir had been minding his own business when a group of boys from the town came up to him. Their leader, who Kir would later learn was named Lugh, actually seemed alright until he opened his mouth, interrogating Kir as the other boys made a circle.
Kir said it didn't seem fair that an older boy like Lugh thought beating up a twelve-year-old would be a fair fight, even if he was a bit big for his age.
He tried to warn them off with magic, creating a few intimidating lights, but then they merely switched tactics. Lugh knew who Kir's parents were. He promised to make trouble for them if Kir didn't stay quiet and accept what was coming to him.
Kir spat in his eye. Lugh stabbed him.
When the knife went into his ribs, Kir discovered that he could not cast. As Lugh beat the living daylights out of him, the other boys grew fearful that Kir would die, inviting the wrath of his mother, the witch. After only a couple of minutes, during which Lugh also broke Kir's tail by stomping on it, they pulled Lugh off of him and left. Kir was left alone to make his way back home, clutching the wound in his chest the entire time. If not for the binder he wore that day, he would have died.
As he recovered, he learned that metal in particular could block or interfere with the meridians of the body - the internal mana network that enabled magic to be powered - if someone was stabbed.
Brigit didn't wear any metal; even her wedding necklace was made of polished amber crowned with a tiny, preserved flower instead of some precious metal.