Chapter 0 - Prologue
"Papa, can you tell me a story before I go to bed?", the boy asks.
"Son, it's well past your bedtime already, it's high time you get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day, as there's much work to do in the fields", I tell him.
"Please, dad? I'm not even that tired."
I break a smile, and say: "Well, one bedtime story then...but don't tell your mother."
"I promise!"
"Have I ever told you about magic, my boy?", I ask, and the boy shakes his head in awe.
I grab a stool and put it next to my son's bed.
"Magic is everywhere. It's all around us, but not all magic is plain to see. Some is hidden deep within, inside people and animals. Even within the earth and the sky themselves. There are people who will tell you that tales of magic belong in the realm of legend, but I can assure you, it exists in our world as well."
A twinkle shines in the eyes of my son.
"Did you come across magic in your adventures, papa?"
I smile as the memory of my adventures is rekindled.
"Yes, my boy, I have. I have seen magic in many of its forms. Magic of light... and magic of darkness. It all started years ago, when I was serving as an apprentice under the Dwarf scholar Meryn Stonescribe..."
