There is no one richer or more influential than Lao Beifong. Such rumours circulated throughout Gaolin, causing jealous convulsions among all the other families trying to establish themselves firmly in the trading arena, and the reason for this was exclusively social advancement. Few merchants could boast of an ancient lineage that began long before the start of the Hundred Years' War, each leader of which had skilfully built relationships with everyone possible. Lao, judging by the rumours I had heard, had some of the best commercial skills of all the recent leaders of his family — which was hardly surprising, as it took skill to continue developing your business during such a large-scale war and stay afloat. Something else was strange, though.
The family consisted of only three people: Lao, his wife Poppy, and their daughter Tof, whose existence was unknown to anyone outside their large private estate. While the reasons for the latter were explained in the canon — the parents were slightly obsessed with their child's safety — nothing was said about the size of the family itself. The richest family has only one heir, right? Lao had no brothers or sisters, no other relatives who could covet his wealth, but only one heir, a child who, in his opinion, was weak.
I wasn't implying anything, but it seemed as if Lao was a very scary man who was able to ensure the safety of his family in such turbulent times through less than... positive actions. However, this is all just speculation that I heard while trying to spread the word that the Sand Mage was looking for apprentices. Since I didn't know anyone in the city, I simply turned to people who spoke well of me... the guards. They were the first people who recognised me, and in exchange for an autograph, they gladly distributed my personally signed flyers. It took only one night for the whole of Gaolin to be abuzz with exciting news by morning.
I expected letters to start pouring into the hotel where I was staying, messengers from other families wanting to come and chat in person to discuss the terms, but the first to arrive was a man with a winged pig emblem on his clothes — the symbol of the Beifong family. I won't hide the fact that there was a good chance the whole plan would fail, especially since I didn't even show up at the Arena as a sandman, but even Anubis didn't have to intervene in my decisions. Once, without thinking, I took a surprisingly correct step, which made me famous as the saviour of the miners. This allowed me to be in good standing with Boomi himself, which is why, in the end, I stood bowing before the entire Beifong family, surrounded by shocked, frightened and admiring glances.
"Master Dagoth, do I understand you correctly...?" Lao spoke in an even, suspicious tone, staring intently at my face. It was difficult to sum up the range of emotions in the room. Won, his wife, was very intrigued by my manners and good physical shape, while Tof rubbed her eyes, more out of shock than to dispel the illusion. Master Yu, the Blind Bandit's first teacher, looked even somewhat aggressive. "I could take his job," you can teach even a blind person your defensive techniques? I warn you right away that this person has very low magical potential, teaching her anything more is unnecessary and pointless.
"Even children in the desert have such defensive techniques to protect themselves and their legs from dangerous fauna, such as scorpions or snakes that sneak up quietly. And it is not always necessary to use only sand, which requires a very high level of control to master.
"How exotic," smiled a woman named Poppy. "But can you swear that your touch doesn't kill?"
"Of course..." Before I could finish, I saw a guard approaching and holding out his hand to me. Everyone was watching this scene, Lao and Poppy especially intently, as if they had planned it all themselves. That's why, when I shook the hand of a simple, slightly frightened worker and nodded confidently, everyone around me breathed a sigh of relief.
"All right," Lao finally smiled. And as soon as he got up, his servants opened the door leading to another hall. "Then let's chat at the table, as an apology for these checks.
How these rich people loved to drag things out. For a casual meeting with a guest, they had prepared a long, beautifully decorated table filled with light dishes that would not weigh heavily on the stomach early in the morning. Lao and Poppy finally began to tell me who I would actually be teaching, as if I didn't already know. Both of them carefully hinted to me that even if I found out about their daughter, I should not spread this information outside the estate, otherwise it would greatly affect my reputation. The same would happen if I in any way hurt the little eleven-year-old girl. "Don't worry, I have good medical skills and I know very well how not to hurt people," I smiled, looking at Beifong's brick-like face.
"How interesting, what else can you do?" She forced a smile and tapped her heel on the floor.
"I can't tell you everything after such a short breakfast.
"But by the way, fighting on the battlefield and teaching another person are not the same thing," Master Yu spat out at that moment. "You're unlikely to be able to show any extraordinary abilities that Tof can repeat. I've already taught her everything she needs to know.
"Oh, by the way," Poppy breathed, "This is our ToF's teacher. He'll be away from his duties for a while while you're teaching our little one." I heard teeth grinding. This teacher was incredibly happy to hear this information.
"Let me tell you something, Master Yu," he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and smiled at him, "Only a person who has faced danger can teach others how to face it. These are not peaceful times, everyone must be able to defend themselves, even if it's just one of my insignificant techniques — you are also teaching her magic for self-defence, in case there is no security nearby. What if... I teach her to see without using her eyes?
"Excuse me?" Lao frowned.
"Nonsense," Yu snorted.
"Ahem," Toff coughed into her fist.
"Nonsense? How do you think a blind person can say they picked up a stone if they can't feel it? Sometimes you sighted people see much less than the blind, and you want to understand even less," Toph held her breath. I knew she had said something similar to her parents, but it was difficult for a little girl to express her thoughts in a way that others would understand. And she presented the information incorrectly, trying to go against the stubborn words of her influential parents.
"What a philosophical thought," said Tof's mother, impressed, but I quickly put her thoughts in their place.
"It's not just philosophical, it's the truth. You'll all see for yourselves — and if you're not satisfied, you don't even have to pay me for the lessons. If you need proof that it's possible... ask the guards behind me to hold up a certain number of fingers. I'll show you what it means to feel.
***
"Ha-ha-ha, that was amazing!" The girl running across the green grass spread her arms wide and let a smile bloom across her face. Those were their shocked words when you spent thirty minutes pointing at things they couldn't see even when they were right in front of them. Did you see their faces? I didn't. Can you tell me?
"After those thirty minutes, I started to feel a nasty headache coming on," I said, following behind and rubbing my temples, struggling to keep a smile off my face. I managed to become Tof's teacher, not without her help, of course. The girl honestly told her parents that Master Yu really wasn't teaching her how to defend herself, only showing her the basics that she still needed to learn how to use properly. Her parents didn't see anything wrong with that... until I came along.
"For them, it was like a miracle... I wonder if your parents are Earth mages like you?
"Kind of," said the girl, running up to the bridge and sitting on the railing, swinging her legs. "My father is a wizard, but he doesn't spend any time with her. His whole life is devoted to his business — sometimes he works all night. I can hear him no matter where he is on the estate, and I can tell he's not a bad man, he cares about his employees, but when it comes to me... that care starts to come across as too aggressive.
Her slumped shoulders showed how much she disliked it.
"Nevertheless, he has never deceived me as brazenly as you have. Did you really give in back then in the Arena?
"I was just learning earth magic, which I'm worse at than sand," I said, and small grains began to fall from my feet. Tof felt them herself when several specks of dust surrounded her nose, making her sneeze. "I can orient myself in space a little differently, feeling everything that is in my veil.
"So that's how you fought back then, in the Arena. Hey! Will you show me how to do it?" At that moment, she showed her character. Show me, don't teach me — she wanted to master this skill on her own. But considering how difficult it was to direct the sand, and that it didn't really make sense for her to dive deep into it, she should have approached me a little differently.
".... Earth magic requires the most imagination; you can create truly amazing things with it, but it also requires the user to adapt to the situation. Some people are willing to spend their whole lives lifting stones, while others invest all their time in understanding the basics of their powers, which requires understanding themselves.
"Will you show me?
"I can teach you. But only if you ask me — it won't be easy," I said, folding my arms behind my back and looking closely at the frowning girl. I was at odds with her personality, which caused her dissatisfaction, but now it wasn't up to me to find an approach. My student had to become more pliable. "If you don't want to, I won't force you," she snorted.
"If you want to, ask.
"If you're so busy that you can't even give me one piece of advice, how can you teach me? I understand that you don't need to spend so much time on me. Just give me some advice!
"Your parents didn't hire me for advice, I can't let them down.
"R-r-r, fine!" she parodied Afka, whom I had sent to fetch a book I needed. "Seriously, learning from someone who lost to me? Come on, show me what you can do.
I need to change her whole attitude towards magic and people... nothing will work if I push her too hard. How could I know the answers to the questions of an ordinary girl whose problems lie not in herself but in her surroundings? Many adults simply ignore or laugh at so-called problems like hers; after all, they're not actors who can step into someone else's shoes and experience their life. I myself had a hard time understanding what the word "parents" meant to a girl under moral pressure. But I had to understand, even just a little, even just one per cent, to call myself a Guru.
"And in return, you'll teach me to understand the earth more deeply, okay?
"Ah..." She froze with her mouth open. She thought about it, weighed the mutual benefits, and finally smiled. "Agreed!"
Not every training session has to start with a barbell or a fight. People need this to rebuild themselves, not just their bodies, but their personalities — the main culprit behind how magic works. I have often thought that people ruin their potential with conventional attitudes or inappropriate examples — no one told Tof that it was impossible to feel the earth, but when she learned how, they stopped believing her. Why?
Narrow-minded, limited, overly susceptible to the opinions of others... I could give you a bunch of examples. But I'm here to help Tof see the benefits in everything. It all started with her new schedule.
"Hey, Dagoth... that's too much," she muttered, looking at her plate.
"Onion soup can relieve tension in your body. Now you'll eat it instead of your usual breakfast, lunch and dinner. Trust me, it has an amazing effect on magic," she frowned at my serious tone. "Your trauma, negative thoughts, hatred for the life you were forced into — it's worth thinking about. Lightness in the body is the best way to achieve this, so this dish will simply improve your concentration.
"I don't understand you at all... and where do you think I should put the food at the table with my parents?
"I don't know. That's the fun of it! Let's try it together at dinner?
***
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