Becoming his disciple was the best thing I did. I am so proud of you, Dalia, I said to myself. Even if I couldn’t win his heart, I would be happy to be his disciple and stay close to him. There is nothing more I hoped for. I smiled as Kaichen looked at me.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I think anything will suit you well.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“Well… I can’t really answer it for you. It depends only on you.”
“What if the wand comes out as a simple wooden stick?”
“Then that would be the most appropriate form for it.”
“What if it looks like an absurdly big pillar?”
“You will have to deal with it.”
“I don’t want to…”
He answered her matter-of-factly like a teacher would. In the end, he told her that everything would be okay. But he was lost in thought. Why was he thinking so deeply if everything would be alright? I remembered that Kaichen would have to make a new wand for himself as well.
“Then, as a demonstration, please make yours first.”
He went very quiet.
“I will watch and learn. I think my mind will be at ease if I can watch you do it, then I will be able to accept however mine turns out.” I smiled sheepishly at him. The nape of Kaichen’s neck had turned red.
He nodded reluctantly. I was so surprised. He agreed? I couldn’t believe it! My cheeks burned in embarrassment. But it was alright. Kaichen had agreed.
As I was about to get close to him to watch him make a wand, he raised his hand and stopped me. He avoided my eyes but gestured for me not to move too close. His earlobes were red now.
Is he… embarrassed? I wondered. I sighed in disappointment and sat down again. Suddenly, his hand was on my face. He stroked my cheeks gently and let out a long sigh.
“Do you even know what it means to ask a magician to make a wand together?” he asked.
“I… uh… no. What does it mean?”
He didn’t respond.
“I have never heard of it being done before,” I said, hurriedly. “I know that the magic wand is the most important and precious thing for a magician because it allows you to take control of your own magic and push it to the next level.”
I thought about it. I had learnt a lot about magic and magicians in these two years. I was even certified by the Magic Tower but my knowledge was still weak. Kaichen had taught me magic formulas, theories, and various kinds of magic. But that was it. The only magicians I had ever met were Julius and Kaichen.
“A wand is very precious… two people only make their wands together if they can trust each other entirely. It’s because if you get attacked while making a wand, then you will be caught defenseless.”
“Oh… so it means that two people trust each other if they agree to make wands together!”
Kaichen’s expression darkened. In the original novel, he and Julius made their wand at the same time. Their teacher explained it to them. They had to then go into separate rooms and make their own wands behind closed doors.
Maybe this meant more to Kaichen. I tried to think what else it might mean but nothing came to mind. I groaned.
Kaichen chuckled. “You always put me in such trouble.”
“What? Why?”
“Forget it, I’m a fool for thinking too much about it.”
I looked at his sad smile. He did not say anything more. He sat upright and closed his eyes. With his golden gaze now covered, it felt different.
Kaichen stretched out his hand as though he had caught an invisible ball in the air. The golden magical light erupted from his open palm and engulfed my mana that was floating in the air. Kaichne’s mana was dazzling as always. No matter how many times I saw it, it left me breathless every time.
A spell floated out from Kaichen’s house. I had never heard of it before. I looked at him in shock, admiration and surprise. It was like a fairy-tale.
The purest magic flowed from Kaichen’s hand. One needed meticulous control and focus to handle so much mana. At such a time, a magician is entirely defenseless to attacks. If someone attacks, you can’t even use your hands to fight.
I could understand why agreeing to make a wand together was so special. It meant two people needed to have faith and trust in each other. I realized that I might have put Kaichen in a difficult position. I might have crossed the line as his disciple. Even so, him trusting me enough to be defenseless with me made my heart flutter again.
