A Concept of Apathy

Chapter 1

There was once a man with too much rope. It was bound to him, you see, and it trailed behind him far enough he figured it may not end. But the man did not care for the rope, and ignored it. Others would ask him, “Why do you squander such a gift?” And each and every time he would answer, “What gift?” The man was a traveler, wishing to find answers about why this rope was with him. He asked the greatest sages of his time, and many many more. But he found no answer to his liking. So he kept traveling. One day however, he could travel no further, and he looked back to see that the rope stopped him. He had walked so far, the rope had become a knot. He laughed, and cursed the world and the gods, saying “See? I knew this to be no gift!” The man was stuck, and the sole gift he was ever given killed him, as he turned it into a noose.
– A well known children’s story, unknown author

“Madam Lie?”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Could you teach me magic?” The eight foot tall creature smiled down at me. I had learned more, and her entire body was more or less smoke and mirrors, a lie. I hummed as I waited for her to answer, considering. I had my father show me the contract. Well, he didn’t call it a contract but a “Solidifying-Of-Concept-To-Person,” but I had learned my father liked the longer and almost archaic terms.
It turned out he was a “One-Who-Makes-Concepts-Solid,” but would more often be called a binder. I had not figured out what magic my mother knew yet, but from what I understood she was also a highly accomplished mage. She had a job as well, but was given leave for a few years for me. Evidently, that ended in two days, one day after my birthday. I would be five here soon, and thus today I was relegated to my room as my parents prepared.
“Not yet Young Master.”
“Why not?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“You have not had an awakening yet.”
“What is that?”
She smiled. From what I understood, Concepts liked to be bound to the physical world. It made them grateful to binders, as long as the binder was kind enough to them. My father was a very kind man, and so Madam Lie was grateful. She had been bound to me as my caretaker, and would evidently look after me for as long as I wished.
“Patience Young Master, you will learn in time.”
I turned back to Mister Reclamation who was grading my most recent set of papers. Evidently he was weaker because his concept was less broad. He was evidently Reclamation of Long Lost Knowledge Claimed by Nature. He was also endlessly patient, which I was constantly thankful for. He looked up from across the table, evidently having noticed my gaze.
“I won’t tell you either, Young Master. It is not our place.” His voice sounded like a whisper met an impossibly loud echo. It made you want to both lean forwards to hear and flinch back from the volume. It seemed to hurt him slightly when people did that however, so I had trained myself out of such a reaction.
He sighed, putting the quill back into the inkpot and handing me my papers. This was simple math, and as such he had no corrections. “As always Young Master, you are fully correct on this. That is all you need to do for today. I am proud that you accomplished so much so you would not be behind due to your birthday.”
I gave a nod, and he cleaned up the papers, quills, and ink pots. Perhaps I could ask another question, seeing as my previous was for some reason being stalled.
“What does mom do? What if dad is a binder what would mom be called?” I got up from my chair and pushed it in. It was more out of habit than anything else.
My two caretakers changed a look. Whatever they said in that voiceless communication they reached a consensus. Madam Lie turned her head to the side to follow my movements as she remained seated. She still watched me even as I walked behind her to my bed, her neck twisting in a way that made me cringe. She seemed to notice as she turned her body, and I inwardly sighed for not hiding the reaction well enough.
“Your father would say she is One-Who-Fuses-Concept-To-Flesh, although the more known term is Witch-Doctor.” It was strange to me how much of the truth Madam Lie spoke. It seemed to me that it should be less, but perhaps this was just the binding.
“So she… what?” I asked, throwing myself onto my bed, staring at the ceiling.
“Takes a concept and makes it apply to the flesh.” Mister Reclamation answered, having finished putting things away. He hummed for a second, before piping up. “Young Master, would you like to hear a song?”
“A song?” I asked, frowning.
“You seem to like it when music plays, and I know of a few long lost.”
“Sure.” I said. He sang, and Madam Lie joined him although I did not know how she knew the words. I didn’t know the language, but they taught me all the same.

***

The next morning, I woke up as my father gently shook me. He was smiling, and I shook my head clearing the cobwebs of drearyness from my brain.
“Happy birthday!”
“Thanks.” I got up, and he told me to come down stairs after I changed. I opened my wardrobe, and found new clothes there. All of them were purples and blues, and I narrowed my eyes. I knew those were hard to get, how rich were we? Those dyes were famous for only the highest echelons of royalty to wear. Perhaps it was different in this world. I shrugged on a new shirt with a more muted blue and a darker purple, and some grey pants to match.
I washed my face in the basin in my room, and walked out. Madam Lie was standing there by my door, and she smiled down at me. Her hands were behind her back, and I felt like she was hiding something.
“Happy birthday Young Master, would you give me an honor?”
“Thank you, and sure?” I was confused, but she pulled what she was hiding from behind her back. It looked like a huge golden straight pin. It was perhaps four inches long, and it looked like it was part of her. Not that it was part of her body, but that I could imagine the needle being nowhere but held in her hands.
“This, Young Master, is my gift for you.” She handed it to me, and I took it. It felt warm, but in a way that felt like it was merely surface level.
“It is a gilded needle. It… has a price. I will be at your service for as long as you want me to, but in your service and by your side are very different things. That needle will let you contact me, wherever I am.”
“And the price?” I asked, turning it over in my hands. When I looked up, for the first time she looked a bit uncomfortable.
“Blood, dear Master.” She said, voice quieter than it normally was. “Just a prick to contact me. If you truly need me however, you need to spread blood on the entire thing. Your blood. It will let me appear by your side.”
I gave a small bow, and she quietly chuckled to herself. “Thank you so much, Madam Lie.”
“Of course Young Master, let us go see the rest of your family, yes?”
We walked down the stairs, and I slid the needle through the cloth of my shirt near the collar. I somehow knew it would not leave the place I stuck it, and walked down ahead of the lady who was only smoke and mirrors.
Downstairs I found my father, my mother, and two strangers. They all turned to me as I walked in, and I studied the two strangers. The man was like a blonde haired version of my father, his smile even turning his face into the same amused look. They even wore the same clothes from the look of it, and knowing my father it was likely done on purpose just to amuse him.
The lady looked a lot more reserved. Her face wasn’t in a frown, but neither was it a smile. It was the perfect image of neutrality. Her blonde hair was done in a very intricate bun with a braid running around it. When she turned to me, her face broke out of neutrality and turned into a soft sweet smile, and it surprised me more that it seemed to reach her pale grey eyes.
They all said happy birthday, and I gave thanks and a small smile of my own. My father came to my side, inadvertently making Madam Lie take a step back. He put his hand on my shoulder, and pushed me slightly forwards.
“This is my brilliant son, Sylin. Sylin, this is my younger brother and your uncle, Talon. Next to him is his wife and your aunt Rica.”
“It is nice to meet you Uncle Talon and Aunt Rica.” I gave a slight bow, which made my uncle laugh.
“No need to be so formal, kid.” He came over to me, crouching down to my eye level. “Do you want to know something?” He asked in a stage whisper.
“Sure?” I asked, somewhat confused. He seemed more amused that I did not change my voice at all than anything.
“It’s your birthday.” He told me his face going serious before breaking out in a huge grin. I had no clue what to say to that as he stood up and my father rolled his eyes at his young brother.
“Don’t mind him.” My aunt said in a half sigh although she looked amused. “It is nice to meet you Sylin, I’m sure you’ll grow to be much more than any of us expect.”
“Thank you.” I said, and something made her softly laugh to herself.
“Happy birthday, my little one.” My mother said, coming over to give me a hug. “Do you want breakfast?” She asked, wrinkling her nose and smiling.
“Yes ma’am.” I said, and she picked me up and took me over to the table. What looked like a small cake was set out in front of me. I had learned that cake was a traditional breakfast food here, with deserts pretty much only being eaten in the mornings. Savory foods were saved for later in the day, and instead of cake being given it was normally some sort of dipping food.
I ate and listened to my parents, aunt, and uncle talk. They seemed happier than I was, which mildly amused me. After I finished eating, they took me outside where some sort of play was going on. The protagonist was constantly running into problems which were always solved by him doing something completely unrelated before he even knew of the problem. It was played mostly for laughs from what I could tell, and it was somewhat amusing.
We had lunch, and I was given my second gift of the day. It was a knife, the handle some sort of grey wood, and the blade simple. The thing that stood out the most of it was that the blade was not reflective, although it still cut well enough. Evidently it was usual to give knives on a fifth birthday, giving them one that would last them their entire life.
I looked at the blade, and felt that everpresent temptation. The one that asked what point there was. I sheathed the blade and stuck it into my belt and thanked my parents. My father pulled out the one that he was given for his fifth birthday, and his brother did the same. They looked identical to mine, and the question evidently showed on my face.
“We get them from a blacksmith who is fairly renowned for his work. Well, not from the blacksmith, but he made these knives somewhat commonly. They are perhaps the best in terms of durability. It does want to be used somewhat however. It keeps sharp from being used, so if you haven’t used it in about a week you need to cut something with it.” My father said, resheathing his own.
That was strange. That should not be how it worked, that should dull the blade, should it not? Another thing to add into my list of problems for this world. There was something that did not quite add up with everything else it felt, like things almost worked backwards.
We went out for a hike through the nearby woods. They were old, but evidently someone long ago put in the concept of travel through them so they wanted to be traveled through. It was like the forest provided light for you so it never got too dark, like the rocks and roots were always just out of the way so you never tripped. And it was always beautiful, like every moment was an idealized version of a forest.
We walked for a while, and did not turn around. I was about to ask about dinner but found what looked like a small cabin ahead. My mother smiled, pulling out a key from a pouch around her waist and unlocked the door. We followed her in, where it felt like I just stepped inside a hollowed out tree. It was peaceful here, like the outside world had been muffled.
Most of this place looked like one room, but there was one door that led to a bathroom. In the main room jars lined the walls with animal parts suspended inside them, and plants were hung from the ceiling and wall. Then there were some that had been dried, which were on a counter being chopped up and put in different jars. Against the far wall was a giant stone basin where a cauldron was set, and in this place my mother looked like she belonged. Like this place was an extension of her will.
To me it felt welcoming, like the entire place loved me and everything I looked for was just at my finger tips. On the wall to the right a table was set with food that was somehow still warm despite likely having been set there for a day or more.
We sat down for dinner, and it was delicious. For the dipping food I was given a steamed artichoke with some sort of butter lemon sauce and it was delicious. We moved to the opposite side of the room where some seating was set up. The last memory of that day I had was falling asleep with my mother to my right and Madam Lie to my left.

***

The next day I asked my parents if I could go for a walk. I had woken back up in my room, evidently carried there by my father. They asked if I had finished my work assigned by Mister Reclamation, and I said I had. My mother made me grab a cloak as it was turning to fall inland, the winds were starting to pick up, but I had their assent.
I gave my goodbyes to the family I met yesterday. They were leaving today, and they gave me hugs and my uncle told me to cause problems for my father. I told him I would and with that I set off. I did not even have Madam Lie with me, I wanted to be by myself. I supposed I still had her needle which never left my person, but beyond that I only had my knife.
And a book. I had finally figured out how to pick the lock from my fathers study and stole what claimed to be an intro to magic. I hummed to myself and walked into the forest. I did what I was told to do when you entered the forest, to think of a location. The forest wanted to help, so if you had a solid idea of what you wanted it would try to help you. I wanted a place to be protected from the wind, with good reading light and preferably near the river that ran through the forest.
It took a bit of walking and wandering, but eventually I got there. It had a stone with moss that made it comfortable enough, and I opened the book to start reading.

***

I had read quite a bit, and found out what awakening was. This entire book was on it in fact, and most of it went over my head. It was evidently not an intro to magic, but more an intro to “Higher Understanding of Access of Magic.” They needed to label their books better, as the title was simply “The True Basics of Magic.”
The awakening was something that happened when you turned seven. At the following midnight, you would awaken. Evidently the process was slightly different for everyone, so I had no real idea of what to expect. But once awakened, you could see things you could not before if you so chose. Not everyone accepted awakening, but some did. In fact, it was a fraction of people who did.
I was not sure why, and the book did not explain, so I started to head back. I went along the river as I had always had a liking for running water. I pictured the entrance of the forest in my mind, and slowly wandered back. Hopefully I would not get in trouble for being out too long, although it had only been a few hours.
I listened to the birds chirping, and closed my eyes. I was told this was safe, and that if there was a problem you would hear it. The forest wanted to help you, so you would not trip. Supposedly you could even run through it with your eyes closed, but I was more doubtful of that claim. It was rather peaceful out here, and I felt my brain wandering down pathways trodden many times before.
I tried to change them, but I knew it was a losing battle. Trying to tell yourself to stop thinking about something was an easy way to start thinking about it. I likely would have started to go into that cycle, but I heard something. Whistling, sounding light and happy
I opened my eyes, and down the dirt road in front of me a girl around my age was skipping in a light blue dress. Her shoulder length light brown hair looked choppy, like there was nothing proper to cut it so instead it was hacked at. She looked like she worked outside, a dark tan covering her skin, and what looked like the start of a sunburn on her shoulders. It seemed she saw me as she waved towards me. I waved back, but before I could say anything she spoke up.
“Hi! What’s your name?” Her voice was bubbly, happy much like the tune she had been whistling was.
“I’m Sylin, and you would be?”
She hummed absently mindedly, eyes narrowing before replying. “I’m Kaeo. I haven’t seen you before.”
“That is quite likely, I have a private tutor so I have little reason to go out.”
“Who are your parents?”
“Nomiki and Karios Duewoe,” I replied, then paused, “Yours?” Her eyes went slightly wide, but she replied.
“You’re the wizards and witches son?” Her hands went behind her back in what looked like a very girlish way.
“I have heard my mother referred to as a witch-doctor, so maybe?”
She slowly walked towards me, and I was glad I was made to take the cloak. I was getting the feeling that something was off here, and by leaning forwards it was letting my hands move without being too noticeable. I had tucked the book into my shirt and grabbed both the knife and needle.
“Do you know any magic?” Her twin brown eyes were dark enough they were on the verge of being black met my own and I unsheathed the knife.
“I do not.” I warily replied. After that response she nodded, like everything was as it should be.
“Good. Do you want to play?” Her face looked genuinely happy, and resheathed the knife and accepted. It seems I had made a friend for a reason I did not even know.

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