• Slowly, I become aware of my own slow breathing, the cold air around me. I try to look around but all I see is blackness. I can barely tell where I am; I think I’m lying on the ground.

    I can feel someone softly shaking me, steadily shaking harder, and a voice growing louder.

    “’Ey, kid, Ya there?” It’s a young man’s voice, “Can ya hear me? ‘Ey, come on!” I try to respond to him to tell him I’m alright, but I can’t move anything. “Ya can’t die on me out ‘ere! Ah, great, guess I gotta take ya with me to town then.” I can feel him pick me off of the cold ground; he’s carrying me like a small child, cradling me. Then a soft voice begins to sing sweetly. The words are soothing even though I can’t understand them. Slowly my senses start to fade again and I’m back in the blackness as before.

    I have no idea how much time has passed, but I’m beginning to fade back into the world again. My senses and awareness are coming back slowly. I can still hear him singing even though I still cannot see him. I can feel the warmth of his arms around me, still holding me like a child. I begin to try to move a little bit. I try to move my head so my face is toward him, I manage to do so. I try to open my eyes. They open but everything I see is blurry. All I can see of the man holding me is a dark blur.

    The singing stops and again I hear the man speak, “So yer still alive, thought I mighta lost ya a few times there. Well, since yer awake le’s take a break fer a little bit.”

    As he sits me down against a tree my vision begins to clear so I can see him better. He has fair skin, and shaggy dark black hair pulled back into a short ponytail (Most of which was not in the ponytail.). He is wearing dark clothing, a black long sleeve shirt, dark jeans, and an old looking dark colored cloak.

    He stands and walks a little ways a way to a slightly clearer area, looks around, then comes back to where I’m sitting against the tree. He takes off backpack he’s wearing and digs around in it for a tad bit.

    “Ah, ‘eres what I’m lookin’ fer.” He says as he pulls out a small pouch and some blankets. “Is gonna be gettin’ dark soon. So we better get some sleep.” He walks back over to the clearing he was at previously, lays out the blankets to make beds, and opens the little pouch he had in his hand. He reaches into the bag and pulls out some powder.

    “What’s that?” I ask.

    “This?” he responds as he turns to me.

    “Yeah, that powder stuff in your hand.”

    “Jus’ watch,” He says as he turns back to the clearing. He holds the powder in his fist and places it near his chest. I can hear him mumble something that doesn’t sound like any language I’ve ever heard, raise his fist up in the air, then bring open his fist near his lips and blows on the powder. Instead of powder flying out of his hand as expected an orb of what looked to be fire floated out of his hand to the middle of the clearing.

    “H-how did you do that?”

    “Simple. Is magic.” He says.

    “Magic isn’t supposed to exist! You’re not supposed to be able to do stuff like that!” I argue.

    “Well’en explain me.” He says looking at me expecting an answer, “Nothin’? Well’en mages exist if ya can’t fin’ a reason why not.”

    “My mother told me stories about mages from long ago in fairy tales that took place many worlds away, that’s the only place magic is supposed to exist! Not here!”

    “Well, I’m pretty sure if it di’n’t then you prob’ly wouldn’t be here.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “When I was carryin’ you, you stopped breathin’. If I hadn’t done somethin’ you would be dead.”

    “I…would really be dead?”