Chapter 10- Something to believe in

Ombric hummed a small tune to himself as he left his small study. Seraphina was leaving for her seasonal palace today, and he wanted to give her something before she left.

After everything that had happened, the old wizard had not slept a wink in two days, and he was beginning to feel tiredness weigh him down. As he made his way through the oak halls to the outside, he saw through the windows that everyone had gathered outside.

The wind was blowing ever so slightly, not enough to properly pick up the snow. North was wearing his usual red clothing, which still had few tears and holes in it from the battle with the bear. Katherine was also in her usual yellow winter dress, but the hood was up this time, obviously feeling more of the cold. Jack had taken off his brown cloak, which the winter spirit lamented had gotten a huge hole ripped through on his way back to Santoff Claussen the day before. He looked the least affected by the weather, even rolling the sleeves of his white shirt up to his elbows. Seraphina stood before them, wearing the same dress as yesterday and her cloak.

As Ombric stepped outside himself, muttering apologies for his tardiness, he caught on the last bits of their conversation.

"The seasonal spirits will all be there on the Summer Solstice." Seraphina was saying. "I hope to see you there as well, I believe that they would also like to meet you."

Jack nodded. "How will I know where it is?"

"I will send you a message, don't worry." As she said that, she turned to face Ombric. "I do not know when we will meet again, so I can only ask you to stay on guard for the mean time and remember the promise you made."

The old man inclined his head. "Of course. For now, I would like to give you this." He held out an amulet similar to the ones he gave Jack and Katherine, only this one had an emerald for the stone. "Though not great for communication, if you put a bit of magic in it, it will give us a signal to where you are. In case trouble happens."

The tall woman took the amulet and tied it around her neck. "Thank you. I will be on the watch for you as well."

Despite the well meaning words, Ombric still disliked the mention of Seraphina's ability to spy on people. Perhaps he was just paranoid.

After a few farewells were said, Seraphina took a step back, and, in a flurry of wind, leaves and snow, disappeared from Santoff Claussen. Soon, Katherine excused herself to the library and Jack left to go throw snowballs into unsuspecting people's faces, leaving just North and Ombric to stand out in the cold.

Ombric's eyes glanced to the side where North was standing. The young man's brows were furrowed and looked to be deep in thought. The wizard thought back to everything he had seen of the young man recently, and finally came to a conclusion. Apparently, the man saw this place in a dream and was led here by moonbeams. He and his company had raced for hours, across rivers and lakes, mountains and clouds, before reaching the wards in the woods. His men had been too tempted by the guardian in the forest, and had been turned to stone. But North, despite being tempted at first, cast aside his desires and fought the bear instead. Very few had been able to escape the allure of the jewels and riches before them, so that made North quite a special person already. The bear was also not an ordinary bear, as it was the largest and strongest of all bears in the world. Then, there was the idea of him not only clearly seeing magic being used, but spirits and immortals as well. North is no child, and Ombric had felt a magical presence from him.

Yes, Ombric knew exactly what to do.

{~}

North would never say out loud that he felt nervous when Ombric had asked him to follow him into his study, but saying it in his mind was fine.

North was very nervous when Ombric asked him to follow him into his study.

The wizard was hundreds of years old, and, despite being a friendly person, was not someone you wanted to anger. Now, North was uncertain as to whether or not he had angered the man, but he didn't want to assume otherwise. Perhaps he had heard the bandit swearing in front of Katherine.

That would not be good…

So, when the young man heard what the elder had said upon reaching the study, he was certainly surprised. So surprised, if fact, that he asked Ombric to repeat it.

"I asked," Ombric said with the slightest hint of exasperation in his voice, "If you would become my apprentice?"

North blinked. Twice. Three times. "What?"

Ombric slumped against the wooden desk, his eyes rolling so hard, North thought they might fall out.

The old wizard muttered something to himself under his breath before speaking aloud. "Never in all my long years of life have I ever taken on an apprentice, and the first one I ask suddenly turns deaf when I do!"

That didn't sound right. "I thought Katherine was your apprentice."

Ombric shook his head. "No, not quite. I am hoping to take her as an apprentice when she is older, but for now she is just a student of ordinary magic."

North raised an eyebrow. Now that sounded interesting. "There are different kinds of magic?"

Ombric gestured for North to sit in a nearby chair as he explained."Of course. There is 'elemental magic', which is used by spirits of the seasons and elementals. There is 'spirit magic', which is spells and tricks that are unique to a certain spirit. There is 'conduit magic', where a spell caster can channel extremely powerful magic and create charms. It can also be called 'book magic' for that is what most people use as their conduit. But a conduit for channelling power can be almost anything, as long as it is tied to the wielder. And then there is 'belief magic', or just commonly known as ordinary magic. It is called as such, because it can do almost anything, and is limited by only one's will and imagination."

North sat in silence for the entire explanation. To think there were so many things he did not know about the world! Everything he was hearing was sure to make his head explode…

Unaware of North's oncoming migraine, Ombric continued. "I teach the children of this village only 'belief magic' because it is the least dangerous, and allows them to experiment without going too far. There are, of course, many other kinds of magic, but they are not as important as the ones I mentioned, and will get onto them at a later time. As it is, if you became my apprentice, I will be teaching not just how to advance in 'belief magic', but also in 'conduit magic'. But only if you wish to."

As he said the last part, Ombric went over to behind his desk and brought out a candle, placing it in front of North.

Although confused by this, North had more important questions on his mind. "What makes you think I can do such magic. And why ask me? Surely there are better candidates out in the world for such a thing."

Ombric hummed. To answer the first, despite being a young adult, you have the ability to see both magic and spirits. Such a thing can oftentimes be difficult for many of the older people in Santoff Claussen, who have lived here their entire lives. That is not something a person without strong ability for magic can do. As for the second, well, I believe that, in time, you will find the answer to that question on your own."

His thoughts lightened when given the answer to his first question, but they soon fell again with the second. Cryptic old bastard…

"AS for the candle," Ombric said, bringing North back from his thoughts, "Why don't you try lighting it." Oh, well, that should be easy. "Without your hands."

What.

Ombric smiled. "Try seeing if you can light it with magic. How about we use this as a… trial lesson of sorts, hm?"

And with that, the old man patted North on the shoulder, and left the room.

A few silent minutes passed, until…

"How the fu-"

{~}

A week passed, and North had yet to light the candle.

Endless hours of just staring and staring brought him nothing. Zilch. Nada. not even a puff of smoke. The young man was beginning to lose heart, and was starting to think that the old man had just been lying about the whole 'strong magical thingy' from before.

He huffed and puffed, and surprisingly did not bring Big Root tumbling down. Although it was a close thing. When on a mission, North was always quiet, keeping to himself as he thought and pondered. His endless brooding caused not just Jack to notice soon enough, but Katherine too. While Jack just laughed at the man silently from a corner or a window, the poor girl was trying her very hardest to give him encouragement and as much help as she could.

She would tell him stories of her own failings in magic and how she overcame them, she would tell him when to take a break, and would bring him freshly baked cookies on regular intervals.

But, soon enough, even little Katherine had no idea of what to do, and began to start brooding herself. And that was something that they could not have.

Jack had to actually throw one of his special snowballs in her face to lighten up. She, in turn, threw one back at him. This eventually caused a massive snowball fight, tying all the villagers into it. Even Ombric threw some at a few points, however he would vehemently deny the accusation of pouring ice cold water down Old William's back.

But amidst all the fun, there was one person who did not join in. North had simply sat solemnly at the window, the unlit candle sat in front of him.

It frustrated him to no end! Never in his life had there been anything that he could not achieve. He was the great Bandit Prince for bloody's sake, and nothing was ever going to stand in his way!

Except a candle, it would seem.

He let out a great sigh and banged his head against the window, closing his eyes in frustration. He was glad he did, for had he been distracted by anything else, he would not have felt the faint chill before it was too late.

"Don't. Even. think. About. It." He growled out. Jack frost just laughed in retaliation, and flew down from his perch up high to sit opposite the bandit. The blue tinted snowball in his hand vanished as he did so.

"No need to get so snappy. I'm only trying to help." The spirit cocked his head to the side. "Surely you are tired of just sitting here in a dark room by yourself all day long?"

North did not want to admit it, but yes, he was very tired of sitting in a dark room all by himself. But he didn't know what to do!

When he expressed as much out loud, Jack took on a contemplative face. "Have you asked Ombric?" A nod. "Have you asked Katherine?" Another nod. "So, a week has passed, and you have asked everyone in this giant tree except me?"

Wait, what. "No, Jack, that isn't-"

"No! I don't want to hear it. All this time that I thought we were friends, and you couldn't even deign to ask me for help? What kind of friend are you?" The white haired teen crossed his arms and turned his back on the young man.

Said young man was dumbfounded. He didn't know what to do, he had never been in such a situation before!

Unbeknownst to him, Jack was trying his hardest not to start laughing out loud. This was too easy.

Eventually, after a few moments of North bumbling over his words, Jack relented, turning back and laughing in his face. He laughed so hard, in fact, that tears began to spring in his eyes.

Poor North flushed with embarrassment for being caught in such a joke, and a murderous look overtook his face.

Upon seeing that look, Jack slid back a bit. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was just too easy, calm down!"

North did eventually calm down, but not before giving the spirit one last glare. "I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. Have you ever used 'belief magic'?"

Jack pondered this for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, I have not. Mostly because I have my winter powers, and also because I have never really had much to believe in."

Of course, being alone for three years would give someone very few things to have actual attachment to, so it would be unlikely that Jack would have ever used such a thing before, purposefully or accidental. 'Belief magic' was limited by one's will and imagination, that is what Ombric said. But North just could not figure out how to actually use that.

"What do you believe in?"

Jack's sudden question brought North's mind to a stop.

The spirit carried on. "Surely, after all these years you have lived, all the people you have met, you have found a purpose or something worth more than anything else. Something special to you that no one else can have. It can be an object, a person, or an idea. It doesn't have to exist, because if you believe enough in it, it can become real. So, I ask you, what do you believe in, North?"

What did he believe in?

Fame? No, he already had that, and it felt empty enough as it was. Family? Never had one. A person? He had never been that close with someone.

The question cut to his core, for North came to the realisation that he did not believe in anything at all. He was a bandit, yes, but what for? Had he ever truly achieved anything except empty praises and promises of comradeship from people who would only later want to stab him in the back?

Who is Nicholas St. North, and what is his purpose?

Jack seemed to notice the young man's inner turmoil, as he continued to speak. "Why not start with yourself?"

"What?"

"Do you not believe you can do it? Do you not believe that you have the ability to achieve whatever you want? Ombric believes in you, Katherine as well, and so do I. so why not start with believing in yourself. You can then find your way from there."

North frowned, not understanding. He had not known these people long, yet they had such faith in him. No one had ever said they once believed in him. All his life he had been pushed around and beaten to a pulp, before he finally learned to do the same back. Never once, had someone held out there hand offered their help, or truly stood by his side in battle.

He had given up on such a wish, thinking it to only be a mere pipe dream that anyone could be so loyal or kind.

But could that dream become a reality? Could such a thing be possible if only he… believed in himself enough to pave the way for such a thing. Perhaps it could. But only if he tried.

What the hell. Might as well see if I can actually do this.

Closing his eyes, and tuning out his surroundings, North concentrated on only his belief in that dream and what he wanted to do with it.

I believe…

The words echoed in his mind, and for a while, nothing happened. But then, a warmth lit up in front of him, the warmth of… a fire.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, and beheld a… well, it was certainly a sight. He had lit the candle alright, but not just the tip of it. No, somehow, the whole thing had suddenly combusted into flames!

He noticed Jack suddenly moving back, his blue eyes were wide and frantic. "Holy shit!"

Holy shit, indeed.

Unsure of what to do, North just began to flail his arms all over the place. "Did you do this?"

"Me?" Jack practically screeched. "Do I look like the kind of person who could do this? I'm a winter spirit, I don't do fire."

Then that means… he had done it! He had actually achieved it!

His moment of revelry was soon interrupted though, as he once again noticed the large fire in front of him.

"Quick!" He cried. "Put it out!"

"Wha- Do it yourself! You started it!"

"Yes, and you remember how long it took me to achieve that?"

As the pair argued, the fire started to grow, and soon started spouting out sparks as if it had a mind of its own. Panicked, Jack threw out his hands, and a cold air once again enveloped the room.

Where there was once a raging inferno, there was now a block of ice, which increased what might have once been a perfectly good candle, but was now just a clump of wax.

"Ombric's going to kill me for that, I know it." North said mournfully.

Jack was looking down at his hands in awe, as if the spirit had never noticed they were there before. "That's never happened before." He muttered to himself. "I wonder what else I can do…"

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. But, uh, hey! You lit the candle, sort of…"

North snorted. "That's an understatement."

The two stared at the ice block for a long time, before eventually bursting out laughing. To someone looking in from outside, they might have looked like they had gone insane, with the amount they were laughing and the intensity of it.

And it was exactly the scene that Katherine and Ombric found themselves watching as they came in from outside, the pair of them completely covered in snow. Katherine, although not understanding what happened, began to smile at the two. Meanwhile, Ombric raised his eyebrow at the strange ice sculpture sat between the two laughing idiots.

Sighing and shaking his head as he walked off, he decided to just ask about it later.

He was too old for all of this.

I am so sorry this took so long to get out. I did say that this was going to slow down because of school, but I was hoping maybe not by so much. Be prepared for just one chapter a week I'm afraid...

That aside, I had loads of fun writing this chapter. The beginning was a bit meh, but I really enjoyed the ending, and I hope you do too.

Things should really get moving next chapter, I hope. (I'm making no promises!)

But anyway, please enjoy!