Adopted By The Top Mage

ONE

For as long as I can remember I was always an outcast. In a world where breaking the boundaries of knowledge was forbidden I was an unyielding curious mind. Learning something new always left this warm feeling in my stomach I couldn't get enough of. I wanted to learn more, and understand all I could.

Despite my boundless desire for knowledge I was raised in a temple orphanage, so for every question I asked I was given the same answer. "Because God." Once, when I was around four years old I had asked the priest how fire burns. He had tapped his pale chin and simply answered, "because God gave us the gift of fire."

That answer didn't feel right to me. Yes it was a gift from God but how does fire work. I knew it couldn't all be the work of magic or miracles. At the age of five I was taught how to read and finally allowed to enter the temple library.

No one usually used the library because they didn't see a need for it. So while I roamed the library on the first day after getting permission, I noticed the halls were empty and the shelves were dusty and dark. But I didn't mind.

Each section was a category of mystery to me. What was History, Science, and World Literature? How did these books play into the over all aisle of education? Our temple's education was mainly based on studying the scripture so I found these topics to be an alien existence.

So I picked a random science book called, 'laws of motion.' That book marked the start of a whole new world I had never known.

"An object will lay dormant unless a force acts on it. This falls into the laws of cause and effect," I didn't completely understand but I kept reading. "Motion does not occur without a force." This phrase was led with an 'equation.' A new word I didn't understand. So I asked the priest. "What is an equation?"

The priest had raised a curious eyebrow at me and chuckled, "it is used in math to help solve a math problem." More words I didn't quite understand. What was this, 'math,' and why did it have problems the equation needed to solve?

So I read more books. I learned that the numbers that marked the pages of the Bible were far more complicated than they seemed. This new found discovery set a fire at my feet. I pretended to be sick during morning prayer and snuck into the garden. On the pavement I grabbed a chalk rock and started testing the math in my book.

"1+1 is two. And and..." I stared at the next set of numbers. "2+2 is four? Why not three?" I counted it on my fingers and was astounded to see two plus two was indeed four. So I continued down the book.

By the time I turned six I had read 20 math book, 11 science books, and 3 literature books. A large feet at the time. However, it came at the cost of any chance of making friends. Everyone thought I was weird and shunned my obsession with books. Even the priest looked down on it, claiming I should, "stick to the scripture."

Since I was an outcast in the temple I basically lived in the library. It was my own temple of solitude. Now, I could do math far beyond my years and I finally understood how fire burns. Science was the explanation of God's creation. It showed God's true omniscience by allowing everything on the planet to have an explanation and purpose. I loved science.

But there was something that would come to trump my love for science. And that was magic.

On one morning after prayer an elderly man with a long white beard and sunken eyes came to visit the temple. The first visitor in ages. We were a temple in the far country side so only the people in the village came to visit. And that was rare.

On that day I was heading back from the library to finish reading on algebra, when I had tripped over my own feet while running. I braced myself for the fall but to my surprise I never met the ground. In fact my feet weren't on the ground at all. I was floating in air!

"That could have been a bad one," a rough voice spoke. I looked up to the calm eyes of the mysterious old man. "Uh th-thank you." He only smiled. I touched the empty space below my face and gasped. "First time seeing magic?" I nodded.

Divine magic was completely different. The priest was only able to heal small wounds or bless people or their property. But nothing quite like this.

He snickered at the small blush on my face. I wasn't used to talking to strangers. He eyed the books in my hand. "Algebra! Young one, can you do math? Let alone that, you can read?" I was now on the ground and very confused by the question. "Y-yes we were taught how to read so we could study the scripture," I hesitated.

He ran a hand through his long beard, "interesting. Interesting indeed." He was looking at me like I was a cactus in an ocean. "Do you understand the contents of that book?" He rephrased. I nodded. His eyes widened, "remarkable." My heart warmed. That was the first time I was praised for learning math. I smiled. This old man was kind of nice.

"Why don't you come with me child. I must speak with the priest." He began walking towards the entrance. I didn't argue. Despite how confused I was something told me if I ran away from that man I would regret it for the rest of my life.

When the priest saw the old man he nearly feel to the floor. "Uh-uh! Master of the Magic Tower! What do I owe the pleasure!" I eyed the old man curiously. Magic Tower Master? Was that a high position? The grandpa just smiled down at me. He laughed at the frantic manor of the priest. "Richard, no need to act so formal. I came here to talk about what I wrote in my letter. I am looking for a child apprentice I can raise to take my position."

The priest straightened himself and cleared his throat. "Awe yes. I forgot we had decided to meet at the end of the moon cycle. Should I call the children in for you to check their magic aptitude?" The old man shook his head no. "I've already found one. She is right here!" He stepped aside revealing me to the priest. Richard looked faint again.

"A-a-are you sure? She is a bit... unique." The old man chuckled, "unique indeed." Then he knelt down to me. "Would you like for me to adopt you and teach you magic? We will travel all over the world together. We can discover all types of places, races and cultures, and learn far more about the world than these books here could teach you."

He was offering me a dream I didn't know I had. My reality seemed to crack and dissolve at the idea of stepping into something completely new. I wouldn't just need to read it in books but I could experience it myself. I nodded frantically. He laughed again and patted my head.

"Alright. It's settled then. You are now my daughter and apprentice..." he paused. "Do you have a name?" I shook my head no. He thought about it for a moment, "Teni. Your name will be Teni."

'Teni?' I touched my chest that was warming with anticipation and excitement. I liked that name. "Then, your full name shall be Teni Ainsworth."

And that was how my story began as I ventured to become the strongest mage in the world. My story began as Teni Ainsworth, the adopted apprentice of the Tower Master, Vincent Ainsworth.