The bright grin remained as Merlin motioned for the boy to come closer and join him. Capping the concoction that simmered within the cauldron, the older man started to flap his arms in a beating motion that mimicked that of a percussionist.
A few paces in front of him white whisps seeped out of the floor and coagulated into an illuminating blossom taller the Lea's hair and pulsed with white light. Lea tried to hide his wonderment but he could feel it leak onto his face.
"Today we move past the world of text and literature and journey into the realm of practice." Merlin's croaky voice penetrated the room. The teen's interest peaked and he continued to stare in anticipation.
Popping to his toes Merlin continued, "Let begin. Follow me." With a slight bounce the man and his beard meandered towards the light and stepped in. Then he was gone.
Bewilderment issued through Lea's mind but he quickly followed in step, eager to discover what was in store. As he passed into the beaming light he felt the reality of the room fade behind him while at the same time a new one formed.
Brilliant blades of grass and curved hills unraveled before him, each step forward making the scene slightly less opaque and more vibrant. Finally back to the full color spectrum, Lea twisted his head and observed the landscape. It was a simple meadow but the forest the encompassed it circled around and formed a makeshift coliseum completely obscured from outside eyes by the thick and towering oaks.
His eyes eventually landed on the pointed hat and focused his attention on the limber man. "What we will be doing today is harnessing the elements of our world: Ice, Water, Electricity, and Fire. I will show you a display of each and then have you demonstrate them back. You will be learning to power each as part of our training but the one that connects with you that most will be our focus. The feeling is hard to explain but you will soon enough understand."
Bending back and cracking the bottom of his spine, Merlin started a swimming motion and swirled his wrists to produce the enchantments. White flashed before them and Lea felt his innards spasm as that desperately fought of the bitter cold that ensued. Hovering a few feet of the ground was a crystalline flake that rotated about its middle. Just as Lea was getting used to it the old wizard popped it out of existence.
With the next flamboyant movement the old man caused the earth to rumble. The ground split and released a fountain of water. Spiraling into the sky, the liquid rose and then crashed back down bubbling around the humans. Once the half sphere had formed it erupt and dispersed the water throughout the field to be reabsorbed.
The next move that was performed involved much more arm flapping and most of it above the head. Lea's senses burned as he both smelt and tasted sulfur becoming more concentrated. Suddenly a crash landed between the two and sent shockwaves of electricity rippling through the ground. Steadying himself, Lea prepped for the final display.
Unlike all of the other acts, Merlin kept his motions relatively still. Swaying in a slight back and forth and gently twisting his wrists he slowly warmed the area. It started as a basic flame that appeared before the elder but quickly grew into an inferno. Not content with its size Merlin continued to pour more energy into the blaze until he formed a small sun. Lea averted his eyes while the sorcerer collapsed the star into nothingness.
Slightly giddy from the power that he just expressed Merlin faced his pupil. "Okay, now let's see what you can do."