<em>“The foundation of all magic in our world is from a substance known as aether. This invisible energy permeates everything, existing all around us and within every living creature, including you, the reader. Aether is highly reactive, responding to anything, including a person''s will. The essence of spellcrafting lies in exerting your will upon the aether, molding and shaping it to create different forms. Through this process, one can generate a myriad of phenomena: aether can be transformed into fire, water, solid matter, and even something that mimics life itself.</em>


    <em>“However, it is important to note that anything made from aether is usually temporary. Without continuous exertion of will, aether will eventually revert to its invisible state. This transient nature of aether-based constructs requires constant focus and intention to maintain their form and function.”</em>


    <em>—”Magic: The Basics” by Sam Rork</em>


    As dusk settled over the city of Graheel, Cid was wandering through the streets of Graheel in his green school robes, feeling dejected and lostpletely in his own thoughts.


    The city of Graheel was ancient, boasting a long history and knowledge of the arcane. Many organizations and religions would visit this ce in search of knowledge. Attracting the attention of those of the purest intent to help people, as well as those that would see the world burn.


    Cid was neither of those kinds of people. He came here solely for himself, to improve his control over the arcane. He learned and trained all in an attempt to improve his own life and be recognized as a mage.


    Cid saw society as divided into two groups, those who can use magic, then those who can’t. Initially, he subscribed to the notion that magic was a great means for social ascension. But Graheel unveiled the harsh reality: mere magical proficiency was insufficient; one had to wield formidable power or possess rare abilities to truly excel. And Cid found himselfcking in both regards.


    Hisst arcane affinity test had yielded dismal results, revealing no affinity for any element, and the magic he could use effectively was useless. His speciality was the art of numerology. He could use numbers to make predictions of the future, but it requires a ludicrous amount of data for any degree of uracy. Even the best practitioners of numerology were quite unreliablepared to other forms of divination.


    Outside of divination, numerology magic could also be used to makeplex mathematical calctions. In the past this may have been useful, but with today''s technology, its processing capabilities were not much better than a phone orputer.This ability wasn''t good enough to raise Cid''s standing, and the only other magic he could use were all utility magics. Making things clean, hiding foul odors, moving small objects up to 15 feet (4.5 meters). Those were the kind of things his magic could do.


    This stark realization plunged Cid into a chasm of despair. The future seemed to be dictating that he was to be a janitor for some wealthy noble. He had sacrificed so much to reach this point, and couldn''t ept this.


    The friendship he sacrificed, his family he ignored, the love he had abandoned was all for nothing. He gave up so much just to learn how miserable his future prospects were.


    Not to mention the substantial debt he had amassed, a sum far beyond the reach of a janitor''s ie. Cid was ready to jump off a bridge at this point. Thus, he wandered the streets, trying to take his mind off everything, unsure how he was supposed to pay for his next semester.


    He had managed to get into one of Graheel''s great arcane schools. He was of the Shroom Pact college. Not the most respectable of the schools, but they were the easiest to apply and get into. Cid wanted to just drop out, but a degree from the college was still useful. He could get a simple office job with a degree. It wasn''t what he wanted, but it made a little more money than a janitor.


    He was, however, still running out of money. Cid had expected he could get a side job while going to school, but with his ability, he couldn''t get any decent paying job that covered both his tuition and living expenses.


    It was either eat or go to school, and sadly textbooks can’t fill your belly.


    Cid had stopped walking and looked around to see where he was. He had somehow managed to wander off the college campus into the east side of Graheel. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t realize how far he had walked. Off in the distance he could see some of the neon signs that marked the beginnings of the red-light district.


    Cid had heard stories about it. Many of the more wealthy students would go there regrly, and tell stories of the exotic pleasure and thrills that could be found in that ce of vice. Cid never paid too much mind to it. He was too focused on getting his degree and unlocking his arcane potential, but now was different.


    “<em>Maybe instead of working towards a life of endless menialbor, I could experience the thrills of life I never got to. Then when my money or thrills run out, I could just end it all.</em>” Cid thought to himself.


    Cid was ready to step toward the Red-light district and enact a ruinous n. Then a unique aroma entered his nose. It had a unique nutty, yet smoky scent. It was unlike anything that Cid had smelled. There was something about it that was stimting, and he needed to know what it was.


    Despite thete hour, Cid''s determination drove him forward. With closed eyes, he honed in on the strange aroma, his senses attuned to its elusive trail. For minutes, he wandered, guided solely by the intoxicating scent, until finally, he came to a halt.


    <em>“Wait. Why am I even doing this? Who cares what that smell is. It''s not like it will not help me with my problems.”</em> Cid thought to himself.


    As Cid prepared to depart, a glimmer of light drew his attention—a solitary establishment illuminated amidst the dark street. Its presence, unnoticed moments before, perplexed him; how had he missed it in his earlier search of the street?


    It was strange. Cid had looked up and down this street to find the source of that smell, yet he somehow missed that store. It was the only store with its light on, it should have been impossible to not have noticed, but he had.


    The store itself was strange too. The sign on the front read “Mystic Emporium”. A store that sounded like it catered to magic users, but that didn’t make sense.


    This was the east side. The vast majority of the aetherless in the city live here. They should have no need for a store that sells supplies that only magic users can use. Yet it''s here, mixed in with other stores and restaurants causally.


    He then noted how close he was to the Red-light district from here. His proximity to that ce further fueled spection..There was a lot of crime that went on in that district. It supported the possibility that this store had some link to those same illegal activities.


    It could also be the reason he didn’t notice the store at first. If that store was involved with crime, it could be assumed they would use illusions magic to hide, and he had somehow crossed the threshold of such an enchantment, allowing him to see this ce.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    A part of Cid''s mind urged caution, warning against unfounded paranoia. Yet, the allure of the unknown intrigued him, curiosity beckoning him into realms of the unknown.


    Cid thought he may be overthinking this. Regardless, A store like this, that is this close to the red-light district, definitely sounded like a ce criminals would visit. People he would have never risked associating with in the past, but now was different.


    He was just going to blow his savings and kill himself after this anyways, so he decided to indulge his curiosity.


    Cid pushed the front door open, triggering the ring of a bell, announcing his presence. Upon entering, he was greeted by the sight of a man wearing an elegant ck suit with a white shirt underneath. His clothing and ck hair made his red eyes stand out, almost looking like they were glowing in the dim light of the store.


    Seated at a table towards the rear of the store, the man poured a mysterious ck liquid from a teapot, his movements precise and deliberate. Pausing in his task, he nced up at Cid and smiled, imbued with an enigmatic charm.


    <strong>Red Eye Man</strong>: “Why hello. You''re a new face. What can I help you with?”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “I''m just browsing.”


    <strong>Red Eye Man</strong>: “Of course. Please, take your time.”


    Cid discreetly slipped into an adjacent aisle, concealing himself from view while pretending to peruse the wares. He was trying to look like he was examining the merchandise, while trying to get a better look at that man.


    Looking at him, he assumed that person must be the owner of the establishment. He was quite well dressed for someone operating a business in the east end. The red eyes of the man were striking, making Cid wonder if they were natural, or if this person was a mutant.


    Cid continued to survey the assortment of goods that filled the store: towering vases, gleaming suits of armor, jars brimming with dried herbs, des of various make, and an array of books and trinkets. Yet, amidst this collection, there was a conspicuous absence of items typically coveted by mages. Perplexed, Cid could feel no trace of aether emanating from any of the merchandise, casting doubt upon the store''s was for magic users.


    <em>“This store is a fraud! It calls itself a magic shop, but there was nothing here a mage would want. All the items here are just benign objects you could get from anywhere. I can’t even feel the store owner’s aeather, meaning he is just an ordinary person.”</em> Cid thought to himself.


    He then looked towards the red eye man with some level of contempt. The owner was not paying attention to Cid, instead he was reading a book while sipping his beverage.


    Cid was a little disappointed. He had thought he found a secret store for ck mages, but instead it was just a normal store pretending to be a magic shop. He was ready to leave, but wanted to chew out the owner for doing such a deceptive practice, so he grabbed a random book off the shelf and walked towards the back of the store.


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “Excuse me. Are you the owner of this store?”


    The man put his book down he was reading and looked up at Cid.


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Yes, I am. Can I help you with something?”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “I''m Just a bit curious. For a magic shop, there is a very oddck of arcane products.”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Yes. I suppose a student from the colleges would notice that,” he said while looking at Cid’s uniform.


    Cid felt like a blood vessel was about to burst.


    <em>“This guy was definitely a scam artist. He was probably scamming people who wanted to desperately be mages.”</em> Cid thought.


    People devoid of magical prowess proved susceptible to deception, their inability to sense aether renders them vulnerable to maniption. You could give a magicless person a benign item and says it is magical, and they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Without being able to control aether, they wouldn''t even be able to use those items even if they possessed genuine enchantments.


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “Don’t you think it’s a bit dishonest to advertise yourself as a shop for mages when you''re not.”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “With all due respect sir. I never advertise myself as a shop exclusively for mages.”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “Then why call it the mystic emporium”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Well... When I first named it I wanted to invoke ideas of mystery, and I thought the word ‘mystic’ sounded very mysterious at the time.”


    <em>“What a liar.</em>” Cid thought. He believed any reasonable person would know “mystic” is just another word for magic. Only people in the countryside, who generally are a bit more uneducated in the field of magics, might interpret the word “mystic'''' differently.


    Cid also noticed this guy also obviously had some knowledge of magic. Being able to recognize Cid uniforms as being from the arcane colleges was proof of that.


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “Then why not just call it the Mysterious Emporium.”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Ugh. Ok, you''re not the first one to point this out to me. I know. When people see the word ‘mystic’, many assume a store for mages.”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “That''s exactly what I was talking about. It’s dishonest.”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “I know. I know. I should change the name of my store, but I don''t know if you’ve noticed, my store is kinda hard to find. If I change the name, the few regrs I do get would have an even harder time finding my store.”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “Yeah. I wanted to ask. What''s up with that?”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “It’s weird, right. The architecture and position of the shop blends in so well with the other surrounding stores, you can’t see my shop unless you look at it from a very specific angle.”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “So it’s just an optical illusion?”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Yup, it’s crazy, right.”


    Cid was feeling a little dumb for overthinking the nature of this store.


    <em>“Of course it''s something like that. This guy has no aether, so how could he hide this store with illusion magic. It really is just a normal store.”</em> Cid thought.


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “That is crazy. Anyways, back to the topic. You shouldn’t be naming this store like this, when there are no magical items, or anything a mage would want.”


    <strong>Store owner: “</strong>Now that is quite presumptuous, to assume there is nothing in this store a mage would want. After all, you''re a mage, but you still manage to find a book of interest in my establishment.” He says as he points to the book in Cid''s hand.


    Cid looked down at the book puzzled. <em>“Why did he grab this book?”</em> He contemted this until the store owner interrupted his thoughts.


    <strong>Store owner: “</strong>Lets not forget friend. Mages are still just human.”


    <em>“Mages are human?”</em> He confusedly thought to himself.


    It was such a simple, but profoundly obvious statement, and too much for Cid to take.


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “No! That’s wrong! Mages are so much more than that!” he yelled out.


    His outburst was followed by an awkward silence.


    Cid''s face became red in embarrassment. He wanted to apologize for shouting, but the store owner spoke before he could say anything.


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “You seemed upset about my store’s name, but that’s not really what you''re upset about, is it? Please, have a seat., he said while he motioned to an empty chair.


    Cid felt he had no right to refuse, so he grabbed a chair and sat across the table from the store owner.


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Would you like something to drink? I have tea or coffee.”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “What''s coffee?”


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Ah, well that answers that.”


    The owner pulled out another teacup and saucer and began to pour a ck liquid into it. It was the same thing the owner was currently drinking.


    The ck beverage itself looked very unappealing to Cid. It was much darker in color than any ck tea he’s had in the past. It looked like something you would put in an inkwell rather than something you would drink. He wanted to refuse, but a familiar scent caught his nose. It was the same scent he smelled outside that he became obsessed with finding.


    <em>“So the store was the source. What kind of substance is this exactly?”</em> Cid wondered to himself.


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Go ahead. It’s good to try new things. Oh, by the way, it is quite bitter, so I would rmend adding some sugar and cream,” he said as he pushed those items towards Cid.


    He felt like he was being offered drugs, but earlier he wanted to experience some thrills earlier, and the first hit was free if it really was drugs, so he discarded that thought and did as he was told. He added some cream and sugar before stirring. He then brought the cup up to his face and breathed in the aroma.


    Something about the smell was calming. The stress he was feeling earlier melted away a little in the face of it. He then sipped on his beverage and was met with a strong vor. The sugar and cream took away the bitterness, leaving him with a vor that was nutty, smokey, and of caramel with a floral note.


    The taste was unlike anything he ever had. It left his mind nk and calm. He felt he regained some sense of his rationality since walking off the campus today. The suicidal thoughts he was having were behind him, for now.


    Cid was thankful for this person''s kindness.


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “Do you like it? If not, I can get you something else.”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “No, it''s delicious. It’s unlike anything I''ve had before," he said, while smiling.


    <strong>Store owner</strong>: “That''s good to know. Here, have some treats to go with it.”


    From under the table, the owner pulled out a tray filled with baked goods.


    “<em>Where did he get those? Were they under the table the whole time?</em>” Cid confusingly thought to himself.


    Cid reached out and picked up a baked good and was surprised. They were still warm, like they were fresh from an oven. There was definitely more to this store owner that meets the eye.


    <strong>Store Owner</strong>: “Care to tell me your problems Mr….”


    <strong>Cid</strong>: “Cid. My name is Cid.”


    <strong>John</strong>: “A pleasure to meet you Mr. Cid. My name is John Li. The owner of “mystic emporium” and someone who is in the business of helping people.”