The Heathen

The old man looked at the confused Aos and said, "Shamans are those who aren't tied to a singular nature. They are those who are of the world not of the land. They were hunted to extinction many eras ago but the world will not forsake its own and once every few millennia a new shaman is born to the world in order to re-establish the shamanistic blood. Over the years whenever a shaman is born it is normally universally slaughtered. The people of Ulfin have grown terrified of the powers of a shaman. The greed and jealousy of the ancient people brought them against the shamans and in order to ensure the shamans never return to the prominence, they passed down their deceptions and lies against the shamans. I had to prevent your eyes from appearing by suppressing your nature through huge amounts of effort and preparation to prevent your clansmen from turning against you."

Aos who finally put together her parent's actions in the past and why they would never answer her inquiries of why the old man had visited her in her youngest months. The old man soon started again, "I have long forgotten many things but the first lesson my predecessor taught me was about the costs of magic. The nature of wielding magic is strenuous and tiring. It is actively draining and if pushed too far it can kill you. The only way to improve your capacity is through constant use and higher and higher draining." the old man concentrated until he remembered the old analogy his predecessor had taught him then continued, "If your body is the land, your magic is a stream. In the beginning, it barely moves and is very slow and indirect. Taking time to move and having a very low capacity. Over usage the stream strengthens, the water flowing faster and digging further into the land increasing its capacity. Eventually, it reaches a point in which the winding nature of the stream becomes linear and very deep being able to house immense amounts of water."

The old man paused looking for an indication that Aos understood. After some contemplation, Aos finally indicated her understanding by nodding her head letting the old man continue, "over these next five years I hope to teach you the ways of the druids of old."