3 A Close Call
Even saying that, learning magic was proving to be far more difficult than expected.
Despite this world seeming to be heavily reliant on magic, people generally didn't use it around infants. After all, magic was as useful as it was dangerous.
He had only ever seen magic used once. Since then, even though he knew magic was being used, he was always kept a safe distance away.
'Sure I can see hand motions from a distance, and hear that there's an incantation, but it's not close to enough to even begin to try and wrap my head around magic' He cursed to himself
He thought and thought of a way to be able to see magic up close, but it was an unexpectedly large challenge.
After all he couldn't just ask anyone.
'It's not like a 4 month old can just walk up to their mother and say "Hey mom, show me magic!" She'd probably throw me out the window' That mental image made him shiver.
He couldn't even sneak up on a casting since every time a spell was being performed, he was either in a high chair, a crib, or in his play pen.
Granted his play pen was made of earth magic, so he at least had something to work off of.
That detail alone let him discover that magic only altered the world around it temporarily. By checking the stone gate, he could tell that it was just that: Stone. It was no more durable or robust than a stone of a similar unaltered kind.
This was great since it implied that magic only temporarily overwrote the laws of physics, it didn't seem to replace them entirely.
'Too bad that doesn't help me any towards figuring out how to use it'
He thought of anything that could get him closer to magic, and every time he could only come back to the obvious answer.
It wasn't one he was looking forward to though. There was a reason he had been so desperate to find a different solution.
After weeks of searching and coming up empty for answers though, he finally gave in.
'This better be worth it. Ah, the things I do for progress...' he thought before throwing his head into his stone play area.
All that could be heard next was a child's screaming
If Saivas could speak, his parents would have learned just how many curse words there were in the English language.
'God dammit! I knew it was going to hurt, but I completely overlooked how fragile baby heads are!'
Luckily the baby gate was rounded to prevent children from hurting themselves too bad, but that didn't mean throwing your head into it was a great idea.
His mother was the first to make it over after hearing his screams. What she saw made her stop in her tracks.
"How the- STUART, I NEED YOU HERE NOW" she screamed as she frantically picked up her now bloody son.
Saivas's father came running inside with his sword drawn after hearing his wife's screams "What happened?! Is everything alright?"
Given his past, there were plenty of enemies who would want to see him and his family dead. When he heard his wife screaming, he had feared the worst.
He let out a small sigh of relief and put his weapon away after seeing that only his wife and son were present, but quickly paled when he saw how much blood now covered the latter's face.
"He's bleeding too much! I think he must have fallen trying to stand up!" His mother explained frantically.
"Trying to stand up? He's only 4 months old!" He retorted
Stuart wanted to reprimand that she was supposed to be watching him, but decided against it and wasted no time before grabbing his injured son and rushing to the village healer.
It was clear why Scarlett had called her husband.
The village healer was a 5 mile hike! But Stuart wasn't a former King's Guard for nothing.
They moved so fast that the villagers around them only noticed a blur and a strong gust of wind that threatened to knock them over. The aftermath looked like a tornado had blown through.
Truly they must have been going about 100 mph! If he had the time, Saivas would have likely been stupefied at his father's speed. But at the moment he was a bit preoccupied.
'I need to stay conscious, all of this means nothing if I pass out!" he thought to himself
His plan was simple: Injure himself to the point where his parents would have to take him to be healed. He just didn't expect to overdo it so much.
His mind and body were both protesting his lack of planning by threatening to shut down entirely. This made the next 3 minutes seem like hours.
'Away with ye pervading darkness, ye shant have'th mine head today!'
...As you can tell, he had even suffered brain damage.
He focused on his breathing, the air around him, the sensation of his father's heartbeat, anything to distract him from the pain. The call of unconsciousness was growing louder and louder.
"All you have to do is stop fighting, the pain will be over"
'Avast ye vile siren! I shant heed your call!'
It may have just been the concussion talking, but he could have sworn he started to notice a connection between his breathing, his fathers heartbeat, and the air around him.
Even in his sorry state, what he couldn't miss was a large amount of pressure being let off by his father that seemed to envelope them both.
It explained why he didn't feel the wind against his face even while moving so fast. If he wasn't so damaged, he might have even explored the idea further.
As of right now though, he had just one thought.
'Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake..'
After what felt like an eternity his father and him finally arrived at the village healer.
Barging through the door and seeing the lobby empty, his father called out "Basteel, we have an emergency!"
A woman who Saivas quickly recognized as the midwife that had assisted in his birth came from behind the curtain with a disgruntled look on her face.
She would have had to been about in her mid forties, but she was absolutely jacked. Saivas was kind of reminded of an amazonian warrior. That is, if an amazonian had abused steroids for a few years. She had bronze skin, a piercing gaze, and despite her size, a very ample bosom.
The only thing that gave away her age were a few wrinkles on her face and silver streaks in an otherwise burgundy hairdo.
She was clearly annoyed and spoke curtly in a rather husky voice "Stuart this is a hospital, EVERYTHING is an emergency, I'd ask you keep your voice do-"
She was stopped short when she saw a damaged looking baby covered in blood and struggling to keep their eyes open.
She immediately ran over and received Saivas from his fathers arms and, after making sure he was securely in her arms, punched Stuart square in the jaw.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU???" She yelled "HOW DO YOU LET A CHILD SCREW THEMSELF UP THIS BAD?!"
Stuart felt ashamed, but swallowed his pride for the time being and simply asked "Can you help him?"
