27. Teach Me!

The next day, Clarice woke up early because she knew that Grandpa would also wake up early in the morning. She found him outside the house, tending to the goats. "Good morning, Grandpa," she greeted him with a bright smile. "Morning, dear," he replied with a nod of his head. "Why are you up early? Do you have coffee already? How about breakfast?" he asked, petting the goat in front of him. "I already had coffee in the kitchen before coming here. Lorey is busy with breakfast preparation," she replied, lowering herself to the wooden chair under the shade of the tree. "Do you want to ask me something?" he asked. "Say it. I'm listening." Clarice took a deep breath. "Regarding what happened in the mall yesterday when you made Aurelia and the shaman stumble on the escalator. How did you do it? Did you use some kind of magic?" she asked curiously. Grandpa stopped feeding the goat and looked at her. "Yeah, I have magician blood embedded in my veins. It's a gift from my mother's side. And I also have healing skills I have inherited from my father's side. But I stopped pursuing magic a few years ago because there was no need for it. What you saw yesterday was just a simple magic trick. It comes with a simple magic spell. I only know a few shabby magic tricks, but not complicated ones..." he explained. Clarice's brows drew together. "Huh? Why did you stop honing your magic skills?" she asked, confused. "Because I don't need it anymore. As you can see, I have no enemies and the land is peaceful after Callum united the savage rogues, so learning magic is no longer my priority. Instead, I focus on perfecting my healing abilities. The truth is, practicing magic takes all my focus and energy. It's pretty tiring. While perfecting my healing abilities, creating herbal tonics, and anti-poison medicines is much easier to do. It doesn't require much of my time and energy. In short, I prefer to be a healer than a magician," he elaborated further. "Ah, okay. I understand now. If you don't want to learn magic, teach me instead. Can you please transfer your knowledge to me? Can you teach me how to read and memorize magic spells? I think I need it more than you do," she said in a serious tone, trying hard to convince the old man to teach her magic. "Huh? Why would you need to learn magic? So you can take revenge on your enemies?" he asked. "Yes. I also want to protect myself and the people I care about from danger," she added. "But learning magic is not easy, and besides, if you don't have magic blood in your veins you can never practice magic spells. Some people are born with magic blood in their bodies. How about you? Do you have that magic blood in your body?" he asked. Clarice shook her head sadly. "I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't even have a wolf. I'm weak. I'm pretty useless," she said dejectedly. Grandpa Eliezer pitied Clarice. The desperation in her eyes was painful to watch. "I'm sorry. I can't help you, dear." "I want to gain supernatural power so no one will dare poison me again, Grandpa. Please help me!" she said in a desperate tone. Grandpa Eliezer shook his head. "Dear, there are several ways to obtain power. Like, for example, you are born with magical blood in your body. You are naturally born with the power you inherited from your parents. A powerful demon or entity can give you power. You accidentally find a powerful ancient object or medallion that could grant you supernatural power. It's just some of the many ways you can gain supernatural power," he explained. "Can you check if I have hidden magical blood in my body that can support my desire to learn magic? Please?" she asked in a pleading tone. "Alright, I'll check your body if you are capable of cultivating magical powers," he finally relented. Clarice smiled happily. "Please instruct me what to do, Grandpa," she said excitedly. "Just close your eyes while I'm checking your consciousness if you have a hidden talent for magic," he said. Clarice nodded her head. "OK." "I'll put my hand on your head to draw out and detect any hidden power lurking in your system. If my hand is glowing and white smoke comes out of your head, you can practice magic. If there is no reaction at all, you simply don't have what it takes to be a powerful wizard," he explained. "OK. I understand. I'm ready now to take the test!" she said, closing her eyes, desperately hoping she has magical blood in her veins so she can finally take revenge on the people who tried to kill her. Grandpa Eliezer placed his right hand on Clarice's head and started chanting the magic spell, drawing the power hidden within her. After he finished chanting the spell, nothing happened. His hand was not glowing, and no white smoke was coming out of Clarice's head. To be sure, he repeated the chant five times, still no reaction at all. Grandpa sighed. "I'm so sorry, dear. There is no reaction coming from you. Your head should release a white smoke and my hand will start to glow as a reaction to your hidden power. Sad to say, you can't practice magic. You are not born to cultivate supernatural power unless someone willingly gives you a powerful object that will become the source of your power." Disappointed, Clarice finally opened her eyes and gazed at Grandpa sorrowfully. "This is truly disheartening for me," she said in despair. "How I wish I had power hidden within me. Too bad, no such luck," she said, misty-eyed. "Where can I find a powerful object, Grandpa?" she asked. Grandpa Eliezer sighed heavily. "Dear, stop wanting to be a powerful person. Instead, focus your time and attention on your son when he finally arrives. Be a good mother to him. Stop thinking about revenge. As long you are finally reunited with your son, consider that as your blessing, your good fortune." Clarice fell silent. Grandpa was quick to remind her of her responsibility as a mother to her son. He was right. She should listen to him and forget about magic and revenge. She took a deep breath and said, "You are right, Grandpa. I should focus on my son." Grandpa Eliezer smiled. "That's what you should do, dear. Focus on the things that really matter to you. At this point in your life, revenge can't give you peace of mind. You survived death once. You have been given the gift of life. Don't take it for granted. Maybe the Moon Goddess wants you to live a peaceful life with your loved ones. She doesn't want you to take revenge on your enemies to protect and prolong your life. Just leave things as they are. Leave revenge to the Moon Goddess. She knows how to punish bad people. Your duty is to treasure your second chance at life. Put your blessings to good use." Clarice smiled brightly. "Thank you for your words of wisdom, Grandpa. My mind is now at peace." "Good." Grandpa smiled and continued feeding the goats fresh grass. Clarice still can't forget magic. "Um, Grandpa, is it true that there is a magical book filled with magic spells for people of your kind to study, read and practice?" she asked curiously. "Yeah, such books exist. I have that kind of book in my possession," he replied casually. "Can I see it? Can I take a look at it? Please?" she begged for a chance to see a magical book. "Sure," he said and opened his palm. A worn-looking brown booklet magically materialized in his palm. He put the booklet in her hands. "If you can read magic spells, maybe you still have a chance to learn magic," he said. "However, if you don't have magical blood in your body, you will get a headache trying to read the words," he added. Clarice flipped through the pages, attempting to read the words, but she couldn't make sense of the ancient writing no matter how hard she tried. The more she tries to understand them, the more they appear blurry to her eyes. A few moments later, her head began to ache painfully. She finally closed the booklet and returned it to the owner. "Ugh! I can't read the words. It's very hard to read and understand them," she said in a wretched tone, disappointed with the result, finally admitting to herself that she was not fit to acquire supernatural powers. Tears of defeat shimmered in her eyes. "I give up," she said sorrowfully, watching as the booklet suddenly disappeared from Grandpa's palm. "That's magic!" she gushed. Grandpa Eliezer smiled. "Yes, it is." Clarice felt terribly sad. In the past, being the Luna of the Bloodhound Pack made her a powerful woman, respected and admired by many. But that power was gone forcefully, taken away from her by evil people. Life is indeed full of surprises. Status in life can change at any moment. Lorey walked to the clearing and announced, "Breakfast is ready!" Clarice stood up. "Grandpa, let's have breakfast." "Okie Dokie," Grandpa Eliezer replied, and followed the girls back to the farm house. They entered the house and ate their delicious meals at the dining table. Afterward, they performed their daily chores around the farm. For the rest of the afternoon, Clarice was busy sorting the groceries she had to bring for their journey. She can't wait to start traveling. She misses her son so much. She's looking forward to being reunited with him.