Chapter 41 First Lesson
Kaelith stood quietly in the clearing, the morning mist still clinging to the grass.
Gabriel arrived just before sunrise, carrying no weapons or tools, only a calm, unreadable face. His steps were slow, deliberate, and heavy with thought.
He stopped a few feet away from Kaelith and looked at him for a while before speaking.
"You’re early."
"I’m a diligent student," Kaelith replied, his voice flat.
Gabriel nodded as if he was right. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a thick piece of chalk. He knelt and began drawing a wide circle into the earth, muttering something low under his breath as his hand moved along the forest floor. Strange symbols formed around the edge, glowing faintly.
"This isn’t a trap," he said as he stood. "It’s a teaching circle. The safest place to learn the most dangerous things. Not that we are going to do anything dangerous today... we are going to learn basic things for now."
"Step inside the rune."
Kaelith stepped into it, his eyes observing the intrigue drawing on the ground. In his past life, he had learned magic in the demonic way, now being reborn... he was learning the righteous mage’s method. It looked different and strange to him. He had always hated their way of magic, but right now he had no choice but to learn in their way.
The blue wall of magic with floating words circled him.
Gabriel waited until he was settled, and then he began with his teaching.