The boy looked at the old man in confusion. Should he know who this man, Theos, was?
Theos looked just as perplexed, but before either of them could say anything, a blast of pure darkness hit him in the back and he blacked out.
4 hours later…
For what felt like seconds, the boy felt nothing. A soothing black veil laid over his vision. But then he heard the words…
“Wake up…”
A twinge of awareness fluttered through his sleeping conscience. The darkness slowly flowed away as he slowly became conscious. A delicious smell filled his nostrils. But he still felt so tired…
“Wake up…”
With a groan, the boy opened his eyes and pushed himself off the ground slowly. Right in front of him, Theos was kneeling down and looking directly at him. The sky was dark and littered with hundreds…no…thousands of small lights shining overhead alongside the shining moon.
“What… happened?” the boy asked.
“You were hit by a blast of shadow magic from one of those mad wizards,” Theos answered. “You were badly injured and unconscious by the time I killed him. Don’t worry, I healed you and took care of the rest of the wizards while you were unconscious.”
“Th-thank you,” the boy replied.
Theos looked at the fire. Something was being cooked in a cauldron.
“It looks like your food is ready,” he said. “Wait here.”
Theos put the contents of the cauldron into a bowl and handed it to the boy.
“Now I will explain everything you need to know but first, you must eat something,” Theos said.
The boy looked at the bowl and realized how hungry he was. He ate his meal quickly, not even bothering to savor it.
When he was done with his meal, he put down his bowl and looked at Theos.
“I will let it go this time, but please eat more slowly in public,” Theos pleaded.
Guilt filled the boy. “I’m sorry,” he said.
Theos acknowledged the apology with a wave of his hand and a small nod. “By the way,” he said. “what is your name?”
Theos looked at the boy as he said this. The boy’s mind went blank for a few moments, but then, a single thought filled his head.
Pax. My name is Pax
“Pax,” he said softly.
Theos smiled. “A good name,” he said warmly. “Now, as I promised, you will have answers. The energy you released to kill that insane girl is known as magic. With time, experience, luck, and patience, you can master your magic and use it to its full potential. Now, let’s see what you can do…”
And so Pax learned the basics of magic and learned more about the world he had come into.
—
Later that night…
Theos finished his preparations quietly, taking great care not to wake up Pax from his sleep. He looked up at the night sky and felt that familiar feeling of guilt.
I’m sorry Pax, he thought sorrowfully.
Next to Pax’s sleeping body was a sack of supplies, a small bag of lamina, a magic dagger, Randal’s book explaining the aspects of the world in detail, and most importantly:
A spirit weapon from a previous world.
He took one last look at the Pax’s sleeping body and with a heavy heart, slowly walked away.
On the shore was a rowboat with 2 oars on its sides. But it wasn’t for Theos.
It was for Pax.
Goodbye Pax, Theos thought. May you have a great adventure,
In this arcane world of magic.
And Theos sprouted his fiery wings and flew away from the boy whose arcane adventure had just begun.
End of chapter II
Arcane Adventures: Book 1: Chapter III - An Adventure Begins
