The Price of Knowledge

Knowledge was painful. Everything inside Sirius' mind turned upside down. Master never told him about his past, and now his entire person was full of secrets. Gregor rested on a root near Sirius, patiently waiting for boy to take in the revelation. After calming down a bit, Sirius' curiosity took over. He felt that whatever happened was very important.

"Why?..."

"What do you mean?"

"Why did they come here? Wasn't the Order fine with uncle?"

"They did not come after Verden. I am afraid they were looking for you."

"But why me?" Sirius was dumbfounded.

"The Silver Order has some sort of prophecy about a person of unrivalled magic talent who should play a huge role in the world's end, be it beginning or ending. No one knows what exactly it means, but they are on their toes about anyone with a talent for magic. You, as you might have guessed, are more capable than you think. You have talent from birth, and Silver Order have somehow found out about you."

"What do they want?"

"Control. They want every talent to join their ranks. However, if they can't control, they must kill them, lest they will go against their rule."

"So, you think a prophecy telling is about me?"

"I don't believe it is real."

"Why?"

"The number of people who can not interact with mana decrease over time. In times of my grandfather a mage was a rare occasion, but now, more than half of a village can become a mage, if they want. I think that the Order is afraid of losing control over people, and those who are too capable are deemed dangerous."

"Are they going to kill me?"

"Do you want to join them?"

"No..."

"That's good. Their strict teachings will only hinder you. If you want to learn, you must do your own research. They won't kill you if you won't stand out too much. So, keep your spells to yourself."

"Fine."

"But for now..." Gregor stood up and stretched. "For now you need to stop fearing mana flow."

"But how?"

"Well, only time and practice can heal your mind. If you are willing to let go of the past, the ghosts won't be able to follow you into the future."

"Let go.. of the past? you mean forget what happened?"

"No, you must not forget the past. It is an important part of you and your experience. You just need to learn to live with it and use it as a lesson of life. Do not let your master's efforts be in vain."

Sirius thought for a bit, listening to small cues of his mind. He was still afraid of that night, and the pain of a loss was still fresh, but now he was ready to try.

"Yes, you are right. Thank you Father Gregor!" He said and bowed to a priest.

"While we are away from the prying eyes, do you want to try doing some magic? Just to make sure you are on the path of healing."

Sirius nodded with determination. He took a wide stance and breathed out. His focus was on his body, not the mana around him. He didn't have any mana organ condensed yet, so he used his body movements as a guide. With each deep breath, he gradually increased the amount of energy under his control, as he felt it enter and leave his lungs with air. Distress tried taking control of his focus, images filled with terror appeared in Sirius' mind, but here, in a familiar forest with aura of his master surrounding him, he felt like the most powerful mage in existence. He freed his mind from any thought and tried to cast the first thing that came to mind.

Sirius moved his arms in circular patterns, stirring the mana around him. The tiny amount of energy he controlled right now would not be enough to move existing matter, much less manifest something into reality. What he could do, though, was control the state of the world. He forged his spell on the go, changing the amount of energy inside mana and separating "hot" mana from "cold", like he did thousands of times during his training. Eventually when there was too much to control and his focus began wavering, he applied the spell to the damp soil, evaporating the water, and freezing it right after. When he opened his eyes, he met a proud gaze of Father Gregor, surrounded by dancing snowflakes.