First Breaths of Eternity - part 9

First Breaths of Eternity - part 9. Liwen spends the day with Edward learning about water-magic.

(Reminder, this is a WIP, there will be spelling and writing errors. | Join me for live writing streams on Twitch. | If you like what you see, consider supporting me on Ko-fi and/or Twitch so that I can continue making more content for you to enjoy. https://linktr.ee/GoldThornGuild)

(Note: I'm testing out using a different pronoun for Liwen. I haven't fully decided yet so you may see a mix of pronouns throughout this WIP.)

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"Good morning beloved," Progenitor said when Liwen woke up.

"Good morning," Liwen said as zey sat up and looked around to find the Progenitor sitting by the window.

They had a brush in their hand and their hair hanging loose over one of their shoulders. The hair almost seemed to sparkle in the morning light.

"Your hair is so beautiful," Liwen said as zey crossed the room and lightly touched the icy-blue strands, "May I brush it for you?"

"I'd love that, thank you."

The Progenitor handed Liwen the brush and moved their hair to have it fall down their back. Liwen reverently brushed through the hair, marveling at how soft and smooth it was.

"You didn't really need your hair brushed more, did you," Liwen said softly.

"Not technically, but please don't let that stop you. It feels nice to have you brush my hair."

"If that is what you want."

The room was quiet for a few minutes with the brush and the breeze from the open window being the dominant sounds. Liwen nearly jumped from surprise when there was a knock on the door.

"Liwen, are you up? It's Edward."

"You can come in," Liwen answered.

"Good morning to you both," Edward said when he entered the room, "Oh, you've been blessed this morning. Progenitor has the most beautiful and wondrous hair in the world. I'll admit that I am kind of jealous of anyone who gets to touch it."

"Edward," Progenitor said with a smile, "Why don't you show Liwen how to braid long hair? I was planning on braiding my hair today anyways and it could be a useful skill for Liwen to learn."

"I would be honored to."

Edward took Liwen's place behind Progenitor and began running his fingers through Progenitor's hair.

"The first step is to make sure the hair is brushed out and there are no tangles," Edward explained as he worked, "Which I see has already been done. We'll just do a basic braid this time, so next you need to pull all the hair back and then divide it into three equal sections. Make sure everything is laying flat and even in the front."

Edward reached forward and combed his fingers back along Progenitor's scalp, pulling the hair back from their forehead and laying it flat over the top of their head.

"Oh, would you like any loose at the front?" Edward asked.

"No, pull it all back."

Edward then continued to comb through and divide the hair into sections. Once he was satisfied with his progress, he showed Liwen how to weave the sections neatly together.

"Excellent work as always, Edward," Progenitor praised when Edward finished.

"Thank you, I am honored that you like it."

"Liwen, if you ever need anything related to hair or clothes styling, Edward is the person to talk to. His primary occupation is being a water mage but fashion is his secondary calling."

"I just dabble a bit."

"Well you are a very talented dabbler then."

"Oh! I almost forgot why I came here. Liwen, would you like to shadow me today? I have a few different jobs to do today, so it could be a good opportunity for you to see more of the village and the different jobs and roles in it. Maybe it could help you in the process of deciding what you want to do."

"That sounds like a great idea," Progenitor said, "Unless there was something else you wanted to do today, Liwen."

"I hadn't made any plans yet, so if you won't mind me tagging along, Edward, I would love to see what you do."

"I guess it's settled then. We'll head out after breakfast if that works for you."

"Sounds good."

"I'll see you at breakfast then."

"Edward seems really nice," Liwen said after Edward left.

"He is. You'll be in good hands today."

"What are you going to do today?"

"I have a few things I need to check on around the village and then I'll probably go for a walk in the forest."

"That sounds nice, I almost wish I was going with you instead."

"I'm sure you'll find the day with Edward more interesting and useful than walking around with me."

~~~

"Ready to go?" Edward asked Liwen after breakfast.

"Yes," Liwen answered.

"Let's go then. Our first stop today is the farm. I'll try to explain a bit about what I do while we walk. Feel free to stop me at any point if you have any questions. As Progenitor mentioned earlier, my primary occupation being a water-magic mage. I'm not the only person in the village who can use water magic but I am the most advanced user here. That means I have the most spells I can use and in general all my spells are stronger than those of other water-magic users in the village.

"Water-magic is what it sounds like, it's the manipulation of water. I can cause water to move, change the phase of water, and even 'create' water out of water-energy."

"You can create water?"

"Sort of. Technically all I am doing is giving the already present water-energy a physical form, if that makes any sense."

"I think it does?"

"I'm sure it will make more sense once you start seeing and using magic. I struggled to understand magic conceptually until I started using it myself. Now, back to my job as a water mage. I do a variety of thing around the village. My primary role is monitoring the village water supplies. This includes the natural sources, rivers, ponds, springs, etc, and the man-made sources, wells and reservoirs. I also sometimes help with watering on the farm and other odd jobs that require either large amounts of water or detailed control of water.

"The first thing I need to do today is check the reservoir at the farm. It has been a while since I last filled it, so it could probably use some more water. I might also help with watering some of the fields depending on where the farmers are at in their process."

"This is the reservoir for the farm," Edward said when he and Liwen were standing on a platform at the top of a large, open-topped, stone cylinder, "It is filled naturally by rain and by myself. There are taps at ground-level and irrigation channels under some of them so that the farmers can get the water to wherever on the farm it is needed. I usually come by to check it once a month or so. Sometime more often during busy or rainy seasons to make sure that the water level never gets too low or too high.

"It is a bit low at the moment because there has been extra watering needed to prep some of the fields for planting. Besides that, everything looks good, so I will stir the water a bit to make sure there aren't any stagnation issues and then I will add some more water."

Edward reached his hand out and moved his fingers in a stirring motion. Almost instantly the water in the reservoir began to move, spinning first in one direction and then in the other. While the water was still moving, Edward flipped his hand over and began moving his fingers in a new pattern. After a moment, water appeared in his palm. The pool grew larger and larger until the water was overflowing. He tipped his hand and the water fell like a waterfall into the reservoir below. After a few minutes, Edward flicked his fingers and the flow of water disappeared.

"That was incredible!" Liwen said in wonder.

"I will admit this is one of my more impressive looking jobs. Though the spell itself is relatively easy. Water production is far from an advanced skill, even novice water-magic users can learn it. Though I have developed my skills, so my output is significantly greater than anyone else in the village. Now let's go see if the farmers have anything else they need me to do."

"Liwen! This is a nice surprise," Lilian said when Edward and Liwen entered the farm office.

"It's unusual to see you in here," Edward said, "Usually you are out rolling in the dirt."

"I don't roll in it. ...Usually... Anyways, why are you two here?"

"Liwen is shadowing me and I am doing my normal farm checks. The reservoir has been checked and filled. Is there anything else that needs my attention?"

"Hm, could you spray down the covered paddock? It has been particularly dusty lately."

"Sure. Anything else?"

"I don't think so. Now that the reservoir is full we should be good for a while."

"Alright, let me know if something else comes up."

"Will do."

"This is one of the paddocks used for the livestock," Edward explained as he and Liwen stood at the fence of a large dirt paddock, "Because it is covered, it is mostly used to keep the animals out of bad weather or to do health checks and grooming. It needs to be sprayed down occasionally to keep it from getting too dry and dusty. Anyone can do this job, even without water-magic, but it is much faster and evener when I do it. I use a spell that is similar to the one I used to fill the reservoir but of a slightly different form which allows me to cover a wide area in a spray of water rather than a localized flow of water like I did earlier."

Edward lifted his hand, his palm facing the centre of the paddock roof. He closed his eyes and spread his fingers. A light rain began falling over the whole paddock. Once the dirt was damp, Edward lowered his hand and the rain stopped.

"That's my most advanced spell," Edward said, "It takes far more control than just producing a single source of water. I've only been able to perform it on this scale for a few seasons. It still requires a lot of focus and effort for me to be able to perform at all; it's not nearly as effortless as my standard spells are. But I keep practicing and getting better at it, so maybe someday it will be easy too."

"So you are still learning magic?"

"Of course. I am the most advanced water mage in the village but I am still a novice compared to true water-magic masters. There is always more to learn. Looks like this is all that needs to be done on the farm, so let's move on to the next location. I need to check the wells in the village to make sure they are still in good condition and have plenty of water. I also have a few places to stop for other things along the way. Sound good?"

"Yes. Lead the way."

~~~

"Edward, perfect timing," a woman said when she let Edward and Liwen into her house, "My hair as been driving me crazy since the celebration."

"Let me guess, you did it up elaborately for the celebration but then didn't take care of it properly afterwards and now it is a tangled mess," Edward said, trying to hide an amused grin, "I should have known when I got your letter yesterday. You don't mind if Liwen watches me work, do you?"

"As long as you get my hair fixed, I don't care."

The woman crossed the room and sat at one of the chairs by the table. Set on the table were a number of brushes, combs, and ribbons.

"If you haven't guessed," Edward said to Liwen as he moved behind the woman and began examining her hair, "This is one of my side jobs. I am the village's water-mage and hairdresser. And this is one of my regular clients. Vivian loves having decorative hair but hates actually taking care of it."

"It just takes so much effort," Vivian complained, "And who takes care of their hair after a celebration anyways? It is so late and you are so tired by the time you get home that there is no chance of your hair being touched."

"Who takes care of their hair after a celebration? Those who don't want to have a tangled mess when they wake up the next day."

Vivian shrugged and Edward got to work carefully untangling the mess of hair, flowers, ribbons, and hair pins.

"Water-magic is actually a useful tool for this job," Edward chatted as he worked, "I can use water magic to get the hair damp if I need to. It can even help with styling sometimes, though I am still working on developing those skills."

"What do you mean? How do you use water-magic for hair styling?" Liwen asked.

"There are a few ways. Many of which I am still experimenting with. One technique that I have used a few times is to get the hair wet and then freeze the water in order to temporarily hold parts of the hair in place. It helps keep unstyled sections of the hair from getting tangled in the part I am styling."

"Yes, but it makes the person's head cold," Vivian said.

"True. Like I said, I am still experimenting with ways to use my magic with my non-magic work."

"It's so cool that you are experimenting at all," Liwen said, "I never would have thought to do something like that."