Sen’s knuckles rapped against the wooden door. Mage Murdin’s house sat atop a small hill on the southern edge of the town, overlooking a small creek. It seemed a nice enough spot, with several trees and a small stone bridge that led back to the town.

  The door cracked open with the scratchy sound of wood against wood. The door wasn’t set properly. A face peeked out at him, lined and balding. The man had a curious look on his face.

  “Mage Murdin?” Sen asked.

  “That’s me,” the man huffed. “What do you need?”

  Murdin’s temperament seemed different to what Sen expected from his memories of the man. He remembered a friendly and welcoming smile whenever the man dealt with the villagers, but now he simply seemed annoyed.

  I probably would, too, if villagers were bothering me at home when I expected a break. Oops.

  “Well?” Murdin said. “I can’t help if you can’t speak.”

  Sen realized his mouth sat open as he tried to figure out the right words. His teeth clapped together. Finally, he spoke, giving up on finding the perfect way to phrase it. “I’d like to be your apprentice.”

  Murdin quirked an eyebrow, and several wrinkles shown on his forehead. Sen struggled to hold back his laughter. That would be a terrible first impression. Instead, he waited patiently for Murdin to think it over. Or, at least, he assumed the man was thinking. He just stared at Sen, unblinking.

  “Why do you want to be a mage?” Murdin finally asked.

  Sen gave it some thought. It was an important question, he supposed. Magic was a powerful tool, and letting any random person learn magic could be problematic. He didn’t know if that was why Murdin asked, but it seemed a fair enough guess.

  One of the reasons he wanted to learn magic was because it interested him. He loved the way it could do things that seemed impossible otherwise. That was made doubly interesting because he already knew some magic - and if his memories were correct, the magic he knew wasn’t the only magic that existed anymore!

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  But that probably wouldn’t be a good enough answer on its own. What else did he want access to magic for? He tried to hold back a grimace, but he knew he’d failed. Hopefully Murdin wouldn’t try to read into that too much.

  A smiling, cold part of him wanted the power that magic gave him. It would help him with his revenge, fantasy though that revenge might be. It might even help, somewhat, recognizing how big the gap is.

  Another part of him thought back to the end. He held himself together admirably, he thought, keeping the dark part of his mind at bay for long enough to consider the reason in its entirety. He hated the feeling of helplessness. He wanted the freedom to act when danger came upon him. More than that, he wanted the ability to protect those who were important to him. His sister, Anelica. His old master, Amery.

  “Well?” Murdin snapped. “If you don’t have any reason at all…”

  “No, no, I have a reason.” Sen apologized. “I have a couple reasons. First, I think magic is interesting, and I love learning about it.” Murdin didn’t seem especially impressed with that, but Sen continued on. “I also want the ability to protect my family. I know monster attacks have been increasing lately, and I want to be able to make sure everyone stays safe.” That was true, though Sen didn’t think it was too alarming. Monster attacks were a normal thing, and though they had been more common recently, it wasn’t as though they were under siege.

  Murdin huffed, then closed his eyes. Hopefully that was a good sign. Sen grew alarmed when the man continued to stand like that, only his head and arm peeking out from behind the door, in thought.

  Finally, Murdin let out a deep breath. “Okay,” he said. “Come back tomorrow morning. I’ll put you to work. If you happen to learn something, good for you.”

  Sen couldn’t help but smile at the man. “Thank you, Master Murdin! I’ll do my best.”

  “Just Murdin, Tane,” the older man said and abruptly shut the door.

  After realizing that Tane was his name, Sen found himself surprised that Murdin even knew his name. The town wasn’t that large, though, and realized it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. He only knew Murdin’s name because the man had been around for years at this point, helping with the defense of the village and ensuring buildings stayed strong against the elements, among a multitude of other duties that he knew nothing about.

  Surprisingly, Sen felt a rush of excitement. It felt out of place, considering… everything… that now sat in his mind like a jagged, thorned vine wrapped around him.

  But it was a step forward, and one more step than he should have had. It was a small victory, but hopefully it would be the first of many. What’s more…

  Magic!

  Tomorrow, he would learn magic. He felt a stir of excitement inside him, and even the dark smile and the locked viper seemed to appreciate the feeling.