"I'll do it! I'll become your apprentice!"
"You've made the right decision! Then, take my hand, my apprentice, and let's get out of here!"
The Boy jumped forwards, grabbing his hand. The barrier shattered into pieces, and the two blinked into the air. When he opened his eyes, they were standing on the top of a large, snowy platform. He doubled over and puked from the vertigo.
"Old St. Mary Ann...?"
In the far distance, the massive pillar of flame roared and twirled into the sky.
"Is that what this thing is called? On my way here, I saw the peak get sliced cleanly off. Impressive feat for a normal human, I guess..."
"Lady Veyra did it so easily, and from so far away. And now we're here, at the top." His teeth chattered. "It's freezing!"
"Oh, of course. You're in... rags."
"Rags? These are brand new. I got them like, four and a half years ago."
"Ha..." The wizard, for the first time, removed the large pointed hat from his head. He pushed his hand inside, past his elbow and nearly to his shoulder. "Here it is!"
He pulled out a red poncho which shimmered in the moonlight and tossed it to The Boy.
"Wow, that hat is a lot bigger than it looks!" he said, slipping into the cloth. "Warm...!"
"My hat isn't big, it's enchanted. The same goes for all wizard's hats. Actually, everything a wizard wears is enchanted with some sort of spell. Same goes for that poncho, that's why it's so warm."
The Boy looked over the edge of the mountain. The plateau was quite large, but once you reached the edge, the drop was quite steep. One misstep would mean certain death.
"Why'd we come all the way up here anyway?"
"I suppose you wouldn't have recognized it. That knight has an annoying item she carries around. It would've been too difficult to run away normally. Up here, though, heh... she won't be able to get near before we're already long gone."
"...So we're sleeping up here?"
"Is that a problem?" he scoffed. "I have everything we need in here, anyway."
He shook his hat, and dozens of items fell out. He waved his staff and the logs flew about in the air, lighting and turning into a decent campfire.
"You should probably get to sleep, since we'll have to leave early tomorrow," Alwyn said, pointing to the sleeping sack on the ground.
The Boy nodded and climbed inside. It was a lot warmer than he thought it'd be, just like the poncho had been.
"Good night... er." The wizard scratched his head. "Kid."
The next morning, the two quickly packed and zipped to the forest floor once they were sure the knight wasn't on their tail.
"But why're we walking on foot if we can just do that over and over?" The Boy asked.
"Seriously...? You look ready to die every time we do it. A weakling like you can't handle the force of a spell like that."
"Well, aren't there any other spells that get us around fast?"
"Sure there are, but what's the use in being fast for? Isn't it nice to enjoy hiking through the woods?"
"Not really..."
The wizard hadn't told The Boy where they were headed. He wasn't really curious, anyways. They walked for hours, speaking of various things of little importance.
"Alwyn... where'd you get a name like that anyway?"
"What, you think it's weird...?"
"No!" The Boy laughed. "I've just never heard anything like it. It sounds... stuck-up."
"Stuck-up...? The hell? Well, names like mine are more common where I'm from. I think. Or my parents were just creative."
The two talked casually, despite recently becoming teacher and student. It was hard for The Boy to speak with respect, since Alwyn didn't seem much older than he was. Well, in personality. It seemed to The Boy that Alwyn was nearly double his height.
"How old are you, anyways? I thought wizards were old..."
"Common misconception! Great wizards are usually old and wise and... ugly. I'm handsome and full of youth! I turned twenty a few months ago."
"So you aren't a great wizard?"
"...Of course I am! I said usually. I am a prodigious, once-in-a-millennium talent."
"How come I've never heard of you?"
"Can you name a single wizard to begin with?"
"Mer... lin?"
"That's a kid's tale, you idiot!" he laughed, slapping The Boy on the back of the head. "How about you? How old are you? Eleven? Twelve?"
"I'm fourteen you jerk..."
"Oh. You're quite small for—Ow! Don't hit me, brat!"
"I'll grow eventually. The doctor said it's because I don't eat enough."
"There's nothing wrong with being small. Wizards don't need to be big at all, in fact."
"So why're you so damn tall...?"
He shrugged. "But, seriously, you haven't got a clue what your name is?"
"Didn't I already say it? I didn't forget it; I never had one!"
"That can't be true..." he sighed. "Can't I name you?"
"You're not my parent, idiot. You can't name me."
"Right, but since I'm your teacher, I'm also your... uh, guardian?"
"What the hell's a guardian?"
"I'm responsible for you, since you're my apprentice. It means I'm like your parent, but I didn't make you. So I can name you, can't I?"
"Sounds made-up. But, do what you want. I'm not accepting it if it's something stupid, like Alwyn, though."
"How about... ehhhh...? La... no, Li... Li-Lin. Lin? Linnie for cuteness... how's that?"
"The hell d'you mean, 'for cuteness'!?"
"I don't know? You're a little too small for a real man's name, alright!? This way, girls can sweetly call you Linnie, like a puppy. But if you wanna be taken seriously, then you're the serious and cool 'Lin.' Isn't it nice?"
"When you put it like that, actually... I guess it isn't too bad."
"Lin...? Linnie? Is that my name now? After all this time... Li-Li-Li-Linnie~! I admit, I kind of like it..." The Boy—no, Linnie, thought to himself.
"Alright, Linnie! Now that you're no longer some boy without a name, you can finally sign a contract!"
"A... contract!?"