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    "How in the... HOW!?"


    "Uhhhhhh... Effort?"


    Merwyn stood in the doorway looking outside at the slightly roughed up boy, who had dropped the hefty bundle of willow whips.


    "Child, if I ever see you or hear you go to the marsh again I''ll-I''ll..."


    the druid groaned, retreating with loud steps back into his home.


    Kalle simply shrugged and followed, dragging the bundle with him. Careful not to knock over any tower of books and ledgers.


    The place smelled of pastries, which probably explained the flower covered apron Merwyn was wearing.


    Kalle moved into the kitchen and dropped the bundle right at the entryway, just in time to see Merwyn nibbling on some lemon cakes.


    "So... I brought the willow matter inside. Where should I-"


    "Take it upstairs. Turn right and walk all the way to the corner then turn left and walk until you see a door on the right again. Drop it there and wait for me. I''ll accompany you shortly."


    Kalle only got half of what Merwyn was saying, with all the quick rambling and chewing.


    The library wasn''t the most well lit. There were many small windows pouring in sunlight, but the bookshelves in the center proved difficult for the light to flood past. It created a similar gloom to the forest Kalle had traveled through to get to the marsh.


    Should I tell Merwyn about Willow and the spell she used to heal me?


    What was that symbol thing she used to heal me?


    How is she able to make it appear? And how is that alchemy?


    These were all the possible questions Kalle had.


    But first the rope, it was more important now than the other questions he had. He could ask Merwyn to teach him magic after he got the money from selling the tooth.


    Kalle had sorted out his thoughts in time for him to stop and drop the whips at the door.


    The door was as black as the alder trees in the marsh, with a grimy brass door handle that made Kalle cringe and contemplate if this was the right room.


    It was.


    the room was too dark to really see anything far inside. The only things the boy could really make out in the inky darkness were the multiple desks lining the walls, lit with bottles that had luminous ink inside them. Any other details were shrouded by shadow.


    The boy wavered at the entrance. Hurriedly plopping down the heavy willow whips and closing the door. The dreariness of the forest near the marsh was way better then whatever this room was.


    He''ll just have to wait for Merwyn to come and light the room up.


    There were few things that unnerved the boy. For one he didn''t care much about the gloom of the forest. But if it was darker out then he would have been very reluctant to venture forth.


    Something about the dark just disturbed the boy. Not scare him, but make him feel uncomfortable. Maybe it is because you are nigh blind when in darkness. Or perhaps not knowing what is in it.


    Slippered feet faintly echoed throughout the library. Not before long Merwyn was around the corner with a plate of small cakes and a thick tome under his arm.


    "Why aren''t you in the room?"


    Merwyn asked.


    "It''s dark in there."


    "And?"


    "And the dark isn''t fun to be in."


    Kalle was always quick to answer. So it always made the druid slightly baffled for a moment. This was one of those cases.


    "Well don''t worry, I quickly light it up."


    Merwyn stepped in and set his things down on a table.


    A red jagged glyph flashed from his index, with the wicks of hidden candles blazing to life, the darkness dissipating as quickly as the small embers appeared.


    Now Kalle could really see the room and its contents, on top of each desk were glass battles and clay pots with strange contents inside them.


    The room had multiple tables and shelves and desks, all overflowing with papers and bottles laced with strange colored inks.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Though at the center sat an immaculately kept stone platform raised a palm length off the ground.


    Deep circular grooves all around the inside with burn marks? Soot stains?


    Kalle couldn''t really tell.


    "Now" Merwyn started, biting into another one of the small cakes.


    "You know what the aether is or do I need to explain again?"


    "Explain again please."


    Merwyn swallowed the cake and nodded again. "So.. Oof this is difficult to start with. There is the aether, that is where we get magic from. And then there are glyphs, like this"


    Merwyn flicked his wrist, a luminous grey character flashed. And in a heartbeat the plate holding the small cakes began to levitate.


    Kalle eyes still widened at the display. he wasn''t used to how versatile magic could be. The plate gently floated back to the counter-top.


    "That there, the character that appeared, is called an Instance glyph. There are... a lot. A quarter of the books in my library are dedicated to chronicling each one."


    "Now, that is the basis of all magic I just showed you, a glyph that brings out magic from the aether and makes it do something that naturally wouldn''t occur."


    "Unless you count Hypoglyphs," Merwyn mumbled.


    "I think I understand." Kalle said.


    "Oh good. Then hopefully you will understand what I will do now. See, Instant glyphs are well, instant. Quick and easy to cast. But easy come easy go. As quick as you can cast one, they can easily disappear. That is where Carved glyphs come in handy."


    Merwyn searched around the room for some loose, unwritten paper. He then opted for one that had something of little importance written on it and began to write something with a charcoal pencil.


    He then put the paper on the plate with the cakes and added a smaller detail to the strange character.


    The plate then floated up into the air. and remained so until Merwyn took the paper off and the plate fell quick onto the countertop with a ear grating klink.


    The small cakes fell from the plate across the table and unto the floor.


    "Damnit. keep forgetting how abrupt carved glyphs can be." Merwyn commented with gnashed teeth.


    Kalle crouched down to pick up some of the fallen cakes while Merwyn fetched some strange inks and things from the many shelves.


    "So Kalle, are you able to understand magic?"


    Merwyn asked, still busily taking bottles and grabbing a peculiar crystal like stylus from one of the desks.


    "Kind of, I still have some questions. Like how there are so many glyphs, and what''s the difference between carved and instance?"


    "Well." Merwyn started again.


    "A great mage named Messudah came up with the majority of glyphs in his 306 year lifespan. And the difference between Instance and carved when being cast is that instance have...accents you could say."


    "Now, could you drag the bundle to the center of the cast circle," Merwyn said as he gestured with his eyes to the stone platform.


    Kalle dragged the bundle toward the center, followed up by Merwyn placing the bottles on the stone, dipping the stylus in some ink he began to scribble the glyphs on the stone.


    The further Merwyn wrote, the more the words started to curve into a circle.


    "Why in a circle?" Kalle asked.


    "Why do you write it in a circle?"


    Merwyn looked up at the boy then back down at his work. "Its tradition. Yes it is easier, but its more uniform and magic flows better in circles and curves."


    The glyphs began to slightly glow, emitting sparks of mana. each one a different color. some a deep crimson. others a bright yellow or green.


    Kalle stared in awe. it was like the glyph willow used, but so much more.


    Merwyn saw the boys amazement at the flitting mana particles. It brought a whole new sense of wonder to magic that had lost after all the decades.


    The sparks began to grow more, an ever persistent crackle grew as they all drifted about, they came down on the willow whips, fading inside it. droves of the sparks began to drive into the bundle. steadily making the whips glow and contort.


    The light from the bundle grew strong enough for Kalle to turn his head away.


    The light that bounced off the walls grew stronger than the candlelight, flashing and crackling like thunderous lightning.


    The light grew immensely bright, but as quickly as it flashed, it dissipated. plunging the room back to its dim lighting and silence.


    Kalle''s eyes struggled to adjust with the sudden change.


    "Well, there you go," Merwyn said, breaking the silence.


    "You can get your rope."


    "Is it always this bright?" Kalle asked, blinking.


    "I could have used less glyphs for the magic circle. But now you saw know amazing magic can be."


    "How strong can magic get?"


    Kalle asked.


    "Excuse me?"


    "How strong can magic get? Like, can it really do everything?"


    Kalle asked again, picking up the newly made rope. it was weirdly warm.


    "It can have its limits. Like the various ways it affects people who cast it, like myself."


    "How did it affect you?"


    "I''m 93 years old, and there isn''t an ache or pain in my body, except for when you come and pester me,"


    the druid rubbed his temple.


    "Then you give me a splitting headache."