CURSED!

The inn that housed Kai was near the outskirts of Aube. It did not stand out among the other buildings that lay further ahead, but it had an aura to it that was rather homely. The heavy wooden double doors opened to a large entrance hall, with a laminate floor, laden with tables.

The receptionist's desk greeted guests directly at the entrance. To the left of the desk, a shadowed alcove played host to the wooden staircase that led to the rooms. Beside the alcove was a door leading to the corridor that annexed Philip's own house to the inn. Kai had lived with him in the house when he was younger, but he now lived in Room 12 of the inn, helping, and paying rent. Philip always argued that it was unnecessary, but Kai knew that he would not be able to live with himself any other way. Besides, Kai had loved the inn even when he was a child, with its hustle and bustle, and tales of strangers travelling to distant shores. He knew it intimately. Even now, as he descended the steps from his room on the third floor, he made sure to skip the third step after the second landing, because it always pivoted under the weight. He'd snickered at many a traveler who had fallen victim to it.

Kai took a deep breath as he exited the inn, taking in sharp, cold air. For a heartbeat, he was snow-blind, until his eyes adjusted to the white. It was the time of the year when creatures went into hibernation, sleeping through the long days and longer nights. But Aube was nearly always like this. It lay on the northern-most edge of the continent and was littered with buildings that always looked like frosted cakes with their warm yellow windows and red-orange bricks. It was morning, so the path Kai always took near the lake was vacant. He peered at the water as he crossed. Kai came here often. The lake was said to sprout from an underground source, but he had never been able to gauge how far down it went. It was frozen solid, this time of the year.

Kai stopped, considering. He walked closer to the lake and gingerly tapped the ice with a foot. It felt hard and sturdy enough to take his weight. Taking care not to slip and lose his balance, Kai stepped on the ice. He waited for a while, for any sort of give in the ice, before he decided to walk forward.

He had made it halfway across when he heard the faintest of cracks. His heart froze in terror before his feet did. Shaking off the dread, he contemplated an escape. He turned slightly to look around and decided to sprint. Before he could even take the next step, the ice below his feet cracked sharply. Losing footing, he tried to slide away from the fissure, but in vain. The solid ground beneath him disappeared entirely. His mind snapped shut as soon as the freezing water covered his face, invading his mouth. Before everything faded, Kai felt something - a stranger's hand - grab hold of his own, its touch so hot, it scalded him, as if he had touched burning metal. And then everything was black.

When Kai came to, he was completely dry and lying on the far bank of the lake. Sitting up, he tried to recall what had happened, but the memory was faint, worryingly so. He realized that he had not been out cold for long, there was still light. Then it came back to him, slowly and in pieces - he remembered the hand that had grabbed his own, and the burning sensation that had followed. He raised it to examine, and his eyes widened. There was a peculiar marking on his palm, white and taut against his skin. But there was no pain, nothing to show that it was there, except for its very visual presence.

In the course of the next few days, Kai realized that the markings were getting darker - much like a brand, only there was no scab to prove that it was an actual burn. Truly worried now, he felt that he had put it off long enough, it was time to talk to Uncle Philip. That thought put more butterflies in his stomach, because he recalled Uncle Philip categorically forbidding him from walking on the icy lake.

He winced. His uncle will not be amused.

Kai had study sessions with Uncle Philip four times a week, and it was time for the last one. He'd kept his hands gloved the entire time - it was an advantage of living in a town that was frozen almost the entire year. Approaching Uncle Philip's study, he took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Kai, is that you?" came his uncle's steady voice from inside. He didn't wait for a response before he continued, "Come in."

Kai tentatively pushed the oaken door. The study was a welcome sight, as always, a snug haven that held comfortable memories. It had a beautiful ornate fireplace, with strange metallic devices on the mantel. Kai's favorite was a little snow-globe containing a strange heavy-looking orange liquid that seemed to defy gravity - always floating at the top of the globe - attempting to escape. A small mat and two armchairs sat in front of the fireplace. One wall played host to shelves lined with books in all shapes, colors, and sizes, and a little ladder that helped reach the ones that were higher up. Philip rarely used it, seeing as he could make do without it, but he had it installed anyway. Kai recalled clambering over it, his eleven-year-old self-attempting to reach a particularly colorful tome. Philip never said that it was for him, but it warmed Kai's heart nonetheless.

The far back of the room had a large glass window that opened outwards. There was a trick to opening it, though. Kai having had mastered it even before his uncle taught him how. On each side of the window there were locked cabinets that contained more important documents, various poisons and potions Philip deemed 'unhealthy' for public consumption.

The wall to the left of the fireplace, however, was Kai's undisputed favorite. For over it hung a fantastic assortment of weapons of all shapes and sizes, from a huge mace the size of Kai's head - to a tiny naked blade that could be concealed between two fingers.

Philip always said that they existed only for academic purposes and was just a scholarly inventory. Kai allowed himself the faint satisfaction of letting his Uncle think he believed him. All the weapons in this scholarly arsenal were sharpened and would always prove lethal if used to the best of their ability. For now, they hung gleaming on the wall, killers in disguise.

And seated in a heavy armchair behind it was his enigma of an uncle, clothed as he always was in his heavy-looking emerald robes, his gentle blue eyes narrowed in thought, thin long fingers stroking the silver hairs of his bearded chin. Although there was no mistaking his age - the experience in his eyes always gave it away - Philip moved nimbly, straight-backed and broad-shouldered. There was an aura about him that made you constantly attempt to make sure you never disappointed him. It had been years, and Kai could still not shake off that need to do better - be a smarter, better version of himself - whenever he was around this man who had raised him like a son.

Philip's blue eyes met his stranger ones in the soft light, and he smiled in lieu of a greeting. He asked him to take a seat, as usual, and then leaned back in his chair.

"Do you remember what we did the last time?" he asked, in his calm gravelly voice.

Kai pushed aside the thoughts of the marking on his palm and concentrated on the lesson.

"Yes, Uncle," he replied, "You taught me the basics of matter manipulation."

Philip nodded. "Good. Today, we'll be doing something a bit different." He looked at the book that was open on the table in front of him. Kai deliberately positioned his hand, so it lay out of his uncle's keen eyesight. "I will now teach you the basic nature of Magic."

The topic was a welcome distraction from his dilemma. Kai had been waiting to broach the subject for some time, so Philip had his complete attention as he continued in a quiet tone.

"As you know, emotions are the various bodily feelings associated with mood, temperament, personality, disposition, and with hormones. Although, they can also be explained as the driving force of your behavior. If you feel happy, you will do things, look at things, in a positive manner. Alternatively, sadness can cause you to make decisions that might damage your performance."

Kai nodded, thinking, and then asked, "Er, what's the difference between feelings and emotions, exactly? I mean, I know they're different, but it's not really clear how."

"Interesting question," Philip acknowledged thoughtfully, "Let's see now... feelings, in a general sense, are what we may feel in any part of our body. These may be simple bodily sensations, such as hot or cold, pain, a touch. They could also be physiological responses associated with emotions like love or hate or joy or anger. Emotions, on the other hand, are mental reactions to someone or something, and usually involve our ego. It is a complex nuance. I could say that it is easier to be inherently understood, rather than logically."

"I see."

"Moving on... now, magic is concerned deeply with these things - how you feel, what you feel and why you feel it. The stronger the feelings the stronger the effect of the particular magic."

He turned a page, showing Kai a complex drawing of the human body, and went on to explain it. Trying to understand, Kai completely forgot about the strange marking on his hand, more interested in the explanations and the complexity of what was being taught. This is why he loved these lessons. Philip was a brilliant teacher.

It was some time after the lesson had ended, that Kai realized why his uncle was quieter than usual. He looked up from his notes to see Philip gazing at his gloved hand, a very keen look in his eyes. The butterflies came to life inside Kai's stomach again, and he decided to take the plunge. Too nervous to directly incur his uncle's wrath, he decided to soften the blow a bit, asking questions that his uncle's sharp mind might subconsciously pick the subtext behind.

"Uncle," he started in a tone that was deliberately casual, "you said that different kinds of magic are concerned with different types of feelings, so..." He cleared his throat, "what type of magic does a curse fall under?"

Philip raised his slightly narrowed eyes to Kai's own, and Kai realized that his uncle saw far more than he liked to admit.

"It depends on the nature of the curse," Philip replied slowly, "Usually it is black magic - influenced by sadness, anger, hatred, and other darker emotions." He paused. "Why do you ask?"

Kai felt his stomach turn to lead, truly worried about his hand, he decided to swallow the bitter pill. He took a deep breath, unable to meet his guardian's eyes.

"You see, Uncle, I don't really know what it is, but I had this incident a couple of days ago, and I think - I'm not sure - that I got my hand cursed."

There was silence for a while.

"Why do you say that it's cursed?" Quiet, quiet words.

Kai looked up at his uncle's face and swallowed. Philip's left eyebrow was twitching in disdain, as it often did when he was angry, the calm blue of his eyes suddenly stormy. Kai knew when he was sunk. So he took another breath and related the entire incident to him.

"... and now I have this strange mark on my hand, that keeps getting darker," Kai finished sheepishly, sweat beading on his forehead. His uncle, on the other hand, seemed to have calmed down.

"And why did you not tell me right away?" he asked him.

"Well," Kai said, "Um -"

"What?" his uncle asked, a bit impatient.

Kai looked down again. "Well... I thought you'd scold me..."

"And so, you risked your life with a curse. Out of fear of my scolding." Kai looked back at his uncle's face and was surprised to see the faint hint of amusement in his eyes. Philip sighed.

"Well, show me."

"Show you what?" Kai asked, frowning.

Philip looked at him in exasperation, "Your hand, Kai, naturally! So I can see what kind of curse it is!"

"Oh, yeah." Kai shook his head at himself, and extended his palm to Uncle Philip, taking off the glove. Philip looked at his palm, observing the markings carefully. His eyes did not betray either surprise or worry.

"Ah, yes, it's a magic seal." He spoke after a complete examination. "Do you remember what I told you about it? Magic is usually done using one's body as a medium. This curse simply renders the body, well - ineffective. In simple words, you cannot do magic for a while now. And as a punishment, I shan't remove it." He smiled at Kai, continuing when it looked like he would protest, "Don't worry, it'll wear itself off in a few days. Let this be your lesson for wandering on thin ice."

Kai just gazed at him, quite unable to believe that the storm had passed so smoothly. Philip seemed aware of this.

"Run along now, Kai," he said, the amusement still in his eyes.

Nodding, he rose and made to leave the study, slowly closing the door behind him.

Philip sat up straight with a sigh as soon as the door closed behind him. There was silence in the study for a moment, the only sound, the crackle of the fire in the grate. Then Philip smiled, looking ahead at the room that remained seemingly vacant, other than him.

"It appears we have guests."