The Everburn Mage

19. Master and Apprentice

No apprentice was worth their grain in salt, lest they find a master to guide the way.

Upon his awakening, Rune was greeted by rippling streams of golden sunlight that poured through the glass of the window beside him. They drenched the room, filling it with warmth and brightness. 

What first the young mage noticed was that his entire body felt as if someone had forcefully pulled it apart and then, applying little to no effort at all, shoved it back together. In other words, he felt awful. Like his very bones would shatter from even the slightest bit of movement. His head throbbed with such amazing intensity, Rune pondered if his brains would surge out of his ears. It was even a challenge to see, like his eyes had been covered in a veil of oil.

However, discounting his seemingly unending agony, he quickly discerned another abnormality. Something was pressing onto his chest, something so light that he hadn't noticed until his nerves began to reactivate. 

Lifting his scalp off a pillow, Rune gazed ahead only to find a small mass of orange fur sitting atop his sternum. The sentient puff, upon noticing it'd been discovered, peered back at him and released an aggravated hiss, capturing Rune's bewilderment inside of its pair of jade eyes. Although, his initial confusion swiftly transfigured into fear. For he knew what was about to happen, and so did the little menace.

Without warning, the creature abandoned its comfortable spot and latched itself onto Rune's face. Eighteen tiny daggers pierced through his flesh, sending an electric discharge from the peak of his head to the tip of his toes. 

Suddenly, it dawned on him. And no sooner than it did, Rune ejected a loud, pain-induced screech out his mouth. It was a massive shockwave that exploded out of his room and enveloped the entirety of the house. 

"GET THIS THING OFF ME!!"  

He did his best, grasping the monster by its gut in an attempt to separate it from his face, but to no avail. It was starting to look like it had permanently attached itself to him, a fate worse than death, he reckoned. 

Yet over his stinging afflictions and his own reverberating screams, he detected the sound of a door swinging open, wood rapidly skimming over the floor. He couldn't see anything, mind you. Or rather, his vision had been completely obscured. What only his eyes gazed upon was the white, fuzzy belly of his attacker.

Nevertheless, her voice cried out, "Tiger, what are you doing?! Get off him right now!". 

The miniature beast dressed in an orange, fur coat known as "Tiger", complied. He retracted his claws, launched from Rune's face, and expertly landed on the floor beside Leora. Tending to the top of his paw with a series of delicate licks, he headed for the opened door and left, not before giving a final vexed glare back at his former prey. 

"I'm sorry," Leora apologized, leaning over the bed to check on him. "He's been grumpy, as of late."

"Yeah, I noticed..." 

He couldn't see himself, but he was certain his face was covered in scratch marks. A part of him was too hesitant to check. He merely led his fingers to wherever the pain was the worst and then proceeded to rub it gently. 

"That cat belongs in a cage. He nearly killed me. And this isn't the first time, either. I'm starting to think he's got a personal vendetta against me."

"He's a cat, Rune. Quit being paranoid." Leora quickly drew a magic circle before casting a healing spell on him. His entire face ignited with relief, Rune moaning with pleasure as he felt the minuscule slices into his skin fade away. "Besides, how are you expecting to enlist in the military if you can't even handle one pesky feline?"