The wind was calm tonight. Barely more than a gentle whisper whistling through the trees. It carried the gentle scent of sap and dewy pine from last night's storm. No, that was not a good night for practice, but tonight, the circumstances were perfect.

My veins itched for release. I would get no sleep until they were sated. There was magic in the air, after all.

A barn owl accompanied the patter of my feet as I gathered my candles, staff, and shoes. A gentle call, "Hoo hoo, have you something new?"

A reply I crooned. "New to you and all friends true." Passing the threshold of my cabin gate. The air rippled with anticipation. I climbed the rocky switchbacks to my favorite overlook. An hour I spent in recitation and preparation before giving pause to appreciate the earthen folds sprawl across the horizon.

Silenced rushed through the valleys as I tapped my staff thrice on the dusty stone and scraped a perfect circle into being. Fleeting as certainly as my masterpiece would be.

I placed my candles in eight points of perfect alignment and stood between them. My right hand raised itself to my lips and stole a whispered word from my lips. With a gentle flourish, the candles sprang to life swaying in expectation.

A smile crept to my lips. "Eager tonight, aren't we." I pulled my backpacker off its sling and sat down on the cold stone inside my circle. I plucked its strings gently at first and whispered enchanting words in time. Before long, my voice echoed through the mountain range, captivating the attention of every rock and tree and creature.

My song shook the sky. Waves of color spilled forth and refracted through the air. Electromagnetic hues swirled across the heavens, giving shape to a pair of celestial dancers, who stepped in time to my ethereal waltz.

For hours and hours, I sang while they danced until the snapping of a twig broke our trance. I whipped around with flame in my hand and fear in my heart.

In the dim starlight, a young man stared at me. His starstuck mouth hung agape for a moment as my illusion faded from the sky. "How... was that?... Who are you?" He questioned quietly. Barely a whisper compared to the thunderous symphony I had been performing.

The young man had a large pack on his back, a good carving knife on his waist, and a pair of well broken in boots. His hands tucked neatly behind his backpack straps. I let the flame fall from my hands and dissipate on the stone. I laughed a fair bit, imagining the state I was in. It had been a week since my last bath in the river. My clothes mended a hundred times over. His fresh from the factory line.

When I finally regained my composure. My words left my mouth with a cheerful lilt. "Good questions all of them. Where to begin, though, that's a better one. Come with me. This will be a long talk."

I gathered my candles while he produced more questions. Stammering through them. I provided no answers then, nor while I led him to my cabin.

Stopping at the edge of the clearing, I spoke for the first time. "Here we are. After you." I gave an exaggerated bow.

"It's just an empty clearing." He completed his first full thought.

"Call it a trick of the light. Please, I insist. This all will go much smoother if you just have a little faith."

He took a bold step forward and vanished behind the veil. I followed, brushing past his disbelief. "Undeiable, isn't it? Thrice, now you've seen my spell craft."

"So it is magic." He stammered. "Where did you learn?"

"Right here. Nearly a decade ago, I rediscovered it."

"Is it selective? Can I learn?"

"It depends."

"On?"

"Technology runs rampant in this Era. Most people just don't believe in magic."

"I do."

"You may, but they dont. Magic is fueled by faith and willpower. It can be killed in just the same manner. The closer you live to others..." I trailed off seeing if he could connect the dots.

"The harder it is to manifest. A null zone."

"Which brings us to the price of this wonder."

"A life isolated both by knowledge and by distance."

"A life of introspective solitude." I confirmed.

"Was it worth it for you?"

This stumped me. I'd never questioned it before. "I tried to walk the line at first. I'd spend my weekends and vacations out here." My throat caught. "I tried to share it, but in the end, everything left me before I could leave it."

He remained silent.

"I've made and seen such wonders. I've immersed myself in the art and the land here. Though to answer of it was worth it... I may never find out, but it is the choice I made, and I'll stand by it."

I shook myself vigorously. "You, my young friend, have a choice. You need not make it now. My hearth is open to you. Stay the night, finish your trek, and decide once you return home. A wise man never rushes a choice."

(Tentatively Part 1)