The next two days passed quickly. Cassie spent some time catching me up on the absolute basics, but assured me that Almon knew I was going into this with an incredibly baseline understanding of magic. We spent a bit of time discussing our plans for the future, and we spent an hour with one incredibly enthusiastic child who recognised us from the play.

  She turned out to be Katie, the girl who I had pegged as being very energetic. Now I knew that I had been subconsciously sensing her vitae, which was roiling like a boiling sea. She had insisted that she was going to be a huntress when she grew up, and neither of us could find it in us to object. It would have been more than a little hypocritical for me to do so anyway.

  Soon enough, we were back with Almon for the first lesson. Well, my first lesson. Cassie was working off in the background with paper and charcoal in front of her, presumably doing something magic related.

  A snap from in front of me. “Pay attention,” barked Almon. Now that the was actually teaching he was back to being grumpy again, although I suppose I wasn’t helping.

  “What’s she doing?” I asked.

  “She’s making a spellform. It’ll slow her progress down now, but it will be an invaluable skill to have. It’s not something you have to worry about for your own magic.” My attention stayed on Cassie for a moment, who was currently staring at the paper like it had slain her mother, before I brought it back to Almon.

  “Now, the first thing that I am going to discuss are the different forms of magic, since that affects you directly. First, we have the two learned forms of magic: wizardry and witchcraft. Wizardry is the magic of study, using knowledge of the arcane to manipulate it into doing as a wizard wishes. We use academic study and rigorous testing to discover how best to utilise magic, and are the best suited for enchanting. This is what Cassandra is learning. Witchcraft is the magic of nature, and is arguably the broadest way to wield magic. It covers typical spellcasting of course, but also covers alchemy, domain creation and some degree of enchanting too, although that can be done by anyone. Any questions so far.”

  I nodded mutely, still trying to record what he had said. I had never really needed to write quickly, so I was a little behind. Despite his gruff demeanour, Almon patiently waited for me to finish before continuing.

  “Good. If you didn’t have any questions after that I would be forced to assume that you weren’t listening, but I will be taking them at the end. Now for the next form of magic: pact magic. This is the magic of Contracts, and the easiest way to learn magic. At first, anyway,” Almon chuckled. “Essentially, pact magic consists of bargaining with an entity a magnitude of power above you, receiving a sliver of their power in return for… something. It can be anything really. The most common is selling your soul, but that’s because devils love Contracts, and as such are the most common patron for a warlock to have. There are a few unconfirmed tales of people performing individual services for some of the less… coherent planar beings, receiving power just for that. Once they have their power, a warlock will gradually grow stronger as they adapt to their magic, or their patron will grant them more for services rendered.”

  I opened my mouth to ask a question, but it was clear that Almon was on a roll now. Besides, his expression had lightened considerably now that he was talking about his favourite subject.

  “Now for the final type of magic: sorcery. This one is going to be the most important to you, Julie. As such, I will spend some more time on it.” I held up a finger to pause him so that I could finish my note-taking, eventually caving and just using bullet points. Once I was done, I refocused on Almon. I wanted my full attention for this part. Almon seemed to approve, nodding slightly as he continued.

  “Sorcery is the most diverse school of magic, and the reason that witchcraft is only arguably the broadest. While each individual sorcerer will be limited in scope, the school as a whole could feasibly cover almost anything. There are also far more sorcerers than any other kind, for one simple reason. Not all sorcerers are mortal.” He gestured to me as he spoke. “Fey, dragons, magical beasts, all count as sorcerers in classification even though they are far from identical, even if you only look at how they cast. Of course, the more powerful Archmages for example can hardly be called mortal at this point, but that is a discussion for another day.

  “Every sorcerer will be more or less unique, even in the smallest ways. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they can’t be classified. Hells, you just went through that process yourself. We know what to expect from you, although those expectations are barely even guidelines at the end of the day. Especially until you find the fey that fathered you. Much like yourself, sorcerers are the natural talents of the magical world, in a different way from witches. Most sorcerers will come from inherently magical species, such as dragons. However, there are also those caught in magical phenomenon that develop magical abilities that are also sorcerers. The main tie-in is that their abilities are intrinsic to them. A fey without magic isn’t a weird looking mortal, it’s just dead.

  “Sorcerers tend to be very powerful within the scope of their magic. For example, your toolkit makes you a life-mage of considerable quality despite the fact that you came into your power less than a week ago. When it comes to individual elements, sheer magical might and adaptability within a single affinity then sorcerers will almost always win out. Dragons are a prime example of this, having the average magical potency of a low-level Archmage once matured. Of course, they are few and far between, and they will lack the variety of a true Archmage. For that is the weakness of most sorcerers. If there was a fire breaking out in a town, a sorcerer aspected towards blood or earth would have to think on the fly to adapt their magic and solve the problem. In contrast, a wizard could simply use a different element.

  “Now, this is not to say that sorcerers are limited. In fact, most sorcerers will be capable of most magic, specifically using their affinity. This is because sorcerers as a whole have a more intrinsic and intuitive connection to their magic than other mages, and as such can control it more directly. You did this yourself when you changed the purpose of your healing with that bunny. The average witch - the next best healers you’re likely to find – would have to know exactly what they were doing beforehand, and cast with that in mind. You were able to adapt on the fly, saving yourself from the chaotic effects of wild magic and the cancerous growths of rampant vitae.”

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  My brain felt like it was completely full. I had started furiously writing again, and didn’t stop for a full couple of minutes after Almon finally finished. There was absolutely no way I was remembering all of this, so I wanted as much of it on paper as I could manage. I eventually looked up to see Almon with a satisfied smile on his face.

  “I’m glad to see you so dedicated to recording our lessons. If only my actual apprentice were so studious.” He shot a glance towards Cassie, who was still lost in her own world. “Now, what questions do you have?”

  I thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase my query. “How exactly are they separated? I mean, what’s the difference between a sorcerer with nature magic and a powerful witch, for example? Surely at some point their magic becomes intrinsic to them, right?”

  Almon stared at me for a moment, before he burst into a deep laughter. It didn’t take him long to recover his composure, but I was completely shocked. “Oh, there you go shattering my expectations. When I gave young Cassandra a more wizard-focused version of that lecture her first question was ‘When can I learn real magic?’” Almon pitched his voice up, speaking in a surprisingly good impression of Cassie.

  He shook his head. “A shame you can’t learn wizardry, I get the feeling you would have been a good apprentice. Still, I have a feeling that we’ll have a productive year together. Now, onto your question.” In moments, Almon was back in lecturer mode.

  “While there have been incidents where one type has been mistaken for another, their similarities are typically surface level. At the end of the day, a mage’s classification isn’t dependent on what your magic is but how you use it. A wizard casts through meticulous spellforms, shaping mana with incantations. A witch relies on natural formations or domains to shape their magic. A warlock will channel power through their patron, allowing their magic to be all but shaped for them, at least early on. The most powerful warlocks will eventually learn to shape magic themselves, but the explanation of that process is beyond the scope of your question. A sorcerer will cast magic by shaping ambient mana with their own inherent mana, which is in part what gives them so much control. It is far more intuitive than a spellform or planar entity.”

  I nodded, once more finishing my notes before asking my next question. “Earlier, you said that Archmages weren’t mortal. What did you mean by that?”

  Almon took a moment to respond, clearly planning out his response ahead of time. “Magic, at its core, is a force for change. Development or regression, ordered or chaotic. The magic doesn’t care, it just wants to change the same way that fire wants to consume oxygen or water wants to follow the shape of a glass. When you’re a mage, the magic isn’t satisfied with just changing the world around you. It will change you as well, in a process known simply as the Changing. Inspired, I know.

  “The Changing manifests differently for everyone of course. Some sorcerers will mutate frequently, or not at all. You for example, likely won’t change much unintentionally. Fey are so well-known for the shapeshifting because it is in their nature to change. As such, you will probably control most of the changes to your body. Besides, you specifically are probably at least slightly biologically impossible already. However, you'll also likely change earlier than most, for the same reasons. You're predisposed to change as it is, and that is a trait I expect to exacerbate over time.

  “Now, there are those alterations that are welcomed. The most well-known change is how frequent magic use extends the lifespan. That is one of the earliest changes to happen. If a wizard were to complete his apprenticeship and then swear off magic, he would probably still make it to one hundred. Beyond this, a mage will become more adapted to magic in general, channelling more magic with less effort.

  “After this comes the most obvious step, which is different based on classification. A wizard will grow attuned to his field of study, guided by his affinity. A wizard focused on transmutation with a fire affinity may begin to spontaneously burst into flame, while a wizard with the same affinity focused divination may have his eyes replaced with orbs of magic fire, seeing via his magic rather than physical sight. These changes always at the very least have a silver lining, and are only rarely debilitating. That doesn’t mean that they have no downsides.

  “Witches will tend to grow more… attached to their domain. How they do this is dependant on their magic, of course. There was one witch, Morgan something, who reached the heights of magical power and ended up as a hive-mind of insects. Another who grew very literal roots, expanding her mana channels through her entire domain and granting her incredible casting speed at the cost of stopping her from moving. Of course, not every witch has a domain, but few enough of those tend to reach the heights of power required to change too dramatically.

  “Warlocks will grow closer to their patron. A warlock who made the classic devil deal for example will develop infernal trait, horns and fangs and all that. Their magic use doesn’t really drive this beyond frequency, because it is fundamentally not theirs. Similarly, sorcerers tend to simply become closer to manifestations of magic, with a lot of the changes based on why they have their magic.

  “If anything, you have a head start there. Having a form made even partially of magic is pretty rare, although it’s far from a fey exclusive. As I said before, since the origin of your magic is so closely linked to the concept of change already, I would be surprised if you aren’t at least in partial control of your changes, if you even change at all without desiring it. This is a theory, however. I look forward to seeing it one day.

  “Of course, I should mention that the amount of magic use required to gain even a grab bag of magical features is fairly immense. I am a relatively accomplished wizard, and I have little in the way of exterior changes. Partly because wizards are the most detached in their spellcasting, so change the slowest. If you see someone with clearly magical features, they’re either an accomplished mage or a very obvious sorcerer of some sort. This is actually another thing giving you an edge in speed, as unlike a wizard you are constantly exposed to magic.”

  I honestly hadn’t expected so much information from that question, but I was glad that I got it. I hadn’t really thought about it, but I should probably at least try shapeshifting, since both Almon and the book said I would be able to do it. I think Almon could see it on my face, because he said “Alright, that’s more than enough for now. I hadn’t intended to go so in depth on lesson one, exactly to avoid the shell-shocked impression you’re giving me now.”

  I schooled my expression, earning a chuckle from the man. “Go on, why don-”

  “Got it!” Cassie shouted, waving her piece of paper in the air. On it was a charcoal diagram with a load of annotations that I didn’t understand. It as complicated, like someone had tried to layer a series of shapes over each other while keeping all of the visible.

  Almon didn’t even look at the diagram. “Really? Then sleep on it and look again in the morning.”

  “Again?” Cassie huffed.

  “Yes, again. You know the rules, Cassandra. Check twice -”

  “So you get to cast more than once, I know.” Cassie looked a little frustrated, but quickly brightened when she saw me sitting awkwardly with my notes on my lap. “How was the lesson?”

  I smiled. “Good. It’s really interesting, although I don’t think I could absorb any more information if it was magically put in my head.”

  “She’s a better student than you Cassandra, that’s for sure,” Almon interjected, to the dismayed cry of my friend.

  Yeah, this was going to be a long year.