It is roughly noon. Kenneth and I are walking along a forest trail which wraps along a steep hill. Below us is a fern-covered creek.
In Kenneth's hand is a long, black staff. Both ends are tipped with sharpened iron tongs, bent inward like half-opened claws. Kenneth said it was for hunting.
Back in Maplefall, Kenneth and I used to go on many walks like this. Sometimes he would ask me simple things, like how school was going, or what I thought of the weather. Other times he would show me simple magic tricks, like card tricks or optical illusions. I did not think much of it at first; I though he was just one of my neighbors. Later on, Kenneth started to ask me deeper, philosophical questions. His questions began to challenge the rules of my parents and my school that I once complacently followed. I began to wonder if Kenneth's magic tricks were more than just sleights of hand. The more I spoke with him, the larger his world seemed compared to my own...
...but I had fooled myself into believing I would join that world.
"Iris..." Kenneth begins hesitantly, "I know you're thinking about running away again."
I say nothing, preferring not to affirm the obvious. I would have run away sooner, if I was not dependent on Kenneth for food.
"I really hope you reconsider," Kenneth continues. "You have so much potential. And I'd hate to see it all go to waste."
"I am not reconsidering," I state. "All this time, you have taught me nothing. You leave me with a spellbook that I do not know how to use, and then you shut yourself off in your study for the rest of the day."
Kenneth stops walking suddenly. He turns around to face me, anger locked in his brow.
"You know NOTHING," Kenneth seethes. "I cannot even begin to describe how wrong you are. All this time, I have been slaving over academic work. You have no business knowing it because it is simply beyond your comprehension at this point. But it is very important, I assure you. It is certainly more important than babying you over some introductory spellcasting techniques that you should be intelligent enough to teach yourself!"
I am speechless. Kenneth completely dismissed my criticism. Was I wrong to want help?
"Maybe this was not meant to be," I finally admit.
"Why do you say that? Because you think you aren't good enough?"
"No. There is just not enough time," I say.
"How would you know that? It's hardly been a week," Kenneth insists.
"It is just that..."
"Just listen to yourself," Kenneth says, his tone becoming softer, more patronizing. "You are making excuses. Where is your confidence? Where is your pride?" He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Don't let your doubts consume you. Just give it your all. A lot can happen in a few weeks."
I shrug Kenneth's hand off of my shoulder. "No. You are wrong."
"But you are intelligent, aren't you?"
"That is not what I meant!" I yell, hands clenching into fists. "I am not scared and I am not stupid! I never said I was! I simply refuse to be your apprentice any longer!"
"Oh..." Kenneth's brows heighten in emphatic sadness. "I see what the problem is. You've just lost your motivation." He smiles. "I think I can fix that."
Kenneth bends down, lays down his staff, sits on the dusty trail, and beckons for me to sit.
I sit down with resistance. I will not let myself react to Kenneth's sudden friendly shift of tone.
Kenneth's gaze turns toward the creek below. I follow his gaze and spot multiple animals walking along its bank: a flock of large birds and a feral cow.
"Some people claim," says Kenneth, "that they can see an animal's soul when they look into their eyes. Have you ever looked into an animal's eyes, Iris?"
I nod.
"What did you see?" he asks. "Do you think you could see their soul?"
"I do not know," I reply. "Sometimes light shines in their eyes, but I am not sure if this is just because light is reflecting off of them. But I am certain that animals have souls. They are living creatures, after all. Just like us."
"You would be correct," says Kenneth, "although the light in their eyes really is just a reflection. Most people who claim to have seen an animal's soul are really lying to themselves. I am one of the few people who actually has seen their souls."
"How could you see their souls?" I ask, rather skeptical of his claim.
"With void magic, of course."
"Oh..." I reply, not very satisfied with the answer. "But what I really mean to ask is... how did you use void magic to see their souls?"
"I don't know, to be honest." Kenneth smiles sadly. "It's one of those things that just came naturally to me, once I was able to control the void. I believe the void-fire allows me to penetrate some sort of psychic barrier. It's quite fascinating. I can predict exactly what the animal is about to do next. I can tell when the animal is hungry... or sad... or afraid. But it isn't necessarily what an animal thinks that is surprising, it's what an animal doesn't think."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, most of the time, an animal isn't thinking anything at all. Their mind is completely blank. They are exactly as dumb as you would imagine them to be."
"That does not sound right," I reply.
"But it's true!" Kenneth insists. "Animals have inferior minds. They cannot plan, or reason, or even appreciate their own existence. But that is not even the most surprising thing I've learned. The most surprising thing comes from the minds of humans themselves. Care to take a guess at what that might be?"
"What? That humans are stupid too?" I joke sarcastically.
"Of course not. Humans are quite intelligent. That's not the point. It makes no difference that humans are more intelligent than animals. The truth is that there is one thing that humans and animals have in common: both are incapable of free will. Human existence is just as meaningless and devoid of choice as that of animals."
"That is wrong," I insist. "I know I have free will. The actions and choices I make are my own."
"I never said there weren't exceptions," says Kenneth. "You are one of the few people who truly can think for themselves. That is why you have to stay here. Magic can unlock your potential in ways that ordinary humans couldn't even comprehend!"
I cannot help but notice the excitement within Kenneth's wide eyes. They are frightening, but they also hint at some tantalizing truth. What is it? What is it like to feel what Kenneth feels?
I snap myself out of it. This is no time to give in to hollow dreams.
"Do you remember the dragon from your dream?" asks Kenneth, "the dragon with rainbow feathers, that could fly higher than the clouds? The dragon you said you could ride whenever you wanted to?"
I nod. I do not remember telling Kenneth about that dream, but I still remember the dream. It was one of my favorite dreams. I wish I could return to it again.
"Are dragons real?" I ask.
"Well, we're not sure, actually. We've never actually seen one. We have reason to believe that they do exist, though."
"Really?" I cry with glee. Then I return to reason, remembering that I am supposed to be angry at Kenneth right now. "I do not believe you."
"Well, perhaps if you study hard, you may be able to find out someday." Kenneth smiles whimsically.
I ponder Kenneth's words. "I do not want to study about dragons unless I can tame them."
"Well, nobody knows yet if dragons can be tamed yet. You would have to study first to find out. That's how magic works, too. You don't get to know about it unless you work really hard first. That is why you have to learn the introductory spells on your own."
Kenneth drags the side of his hand against the ground and gathers the soil into his palms. He lifts his enclosed palms up to his face, blows briefly, and lets the dirt fall. A tiny yellow spark leaps from plume to plume, causing the flowing wisps to coalesce into a four-legged creature. As the creature's feet land upon the ground, its form becomes clear: it is a miniature dragon, with graceful feathered wings whose transient dirt tendrils flicker like tongues of flame, and a long tail which swishes slowly back and forth. Even though it is only an illusion, it is very beautiful.
Maybe I should stay a little longer, just so I can learn the spell that Kenneth just used.
Just as I begin to consider reaching my hand out towards the illusionary dragon, Kenneth blows briefly, and the swirling form of dirt collapses lifelessly onto the ground.