Rezo wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed.
"Very good Rezo." His Master Dathan murmured as he laid his hands on the adolesent's thin shoulders. "Perfect." Rezo smiled shyly..
"Thank you Master Dathan." Rezo murmued. .
"Well as much as it pains me to admit it, you have surpassed me in White magick, congrandulations my boy." Rezo 'looked' at his Master using his magick. .
"Thank you Master for taking me in. Without your kindness, I would probably dead, or worse." Rezo frowned slightly at the memory of his chance meeting with Dathan

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It had been les the six months since his village had been destroyed and Rezo had wandered from town to town trying to scrape together enough money for food. But most of the time he went hungry, and when winter came around, he bleakly realized there was now chance for his survival without shelter. But luck seemed to shine down upon Rezo, for he had finally reached his goal. He had finally reach Seyrunne, the capital of White magick and one of the great wonders of the world this side of the Barrier. To nine year old Rezo, Seyrunne was overwealming for he had never been outside of his village until after the Accident. The bustleing streets baraged Rezo's senses, never had he heard such sounds, nor had he smelt the sweet aroma of fresh baked Seyrunne bread. Rezo reached into the pocket of his ragged pants and pulled out two coppers. He wondered if that would been enough to buy some bread, he was just starting over to the stall when he heard a hawker shouting his wares..
"Come one come all! Today and only today there will be a magick exposition at the Seyrunne Gardens. The price is only two coppers! Yes you heard me right two copper coins to get in and see the thrill of your life!" Rezo froze in his tracks when he heard this.A magick expo, he could see other's perform, perhadps he could learn some new spells. While on the road to Seyrunne, Rezo had met a few sorcerers and sorceresses, and they had been more then happy to 'entertain' the small town folks with their powers.... for a few coins of course. Rezo had been fortunate enough to see one of these performances, and there he learned the rudiments of Fire magick. After he had left the village he spent weeks perfecting his technique while he was on the road. Maybe now he could leanr a new healing spell, or maybe even witness someone cast Fireball. rezo grinned in excitement and ran as fast as his long gnagly legs could carry him. Rezo run up to the booth at Seyrunne Gardens..
"I would like to see the expo please." he whispered reverently as he handed over his two coppers. The elderly lady smiled indulgently at him..
"Sure you wouls dear, but wheer are you parents?" One of the things he had learned early on was that you didn't tell adults that you had no parents. So Rezo smiled and looked at her. .
"Of they are back there." he motioned with his arm at the long line forming. "They had to get some food for the baby, and I get to chose my own seat." The elderly woman smiled again..
"But dear you have to have you parents with you." The crowd begain to become restless, and shuffled their feet. Suddenly someone laid their hands on Rezo's shoulders..
"Is there a problem ma'am?" A man with a deep voice asked..
"Oh no Master Dathan, please go on in." Rezo peered up at the man and tried his hardest to open his eyes, but he could only open then a fraction of an inch. But still the man towering over him was quiet a sight. He must have stood six feet tall. His long red hair was pulled back by a leather thong and his bright green eyes shone down merrily at Rezo. .
"Come along son." Dathan hustled Rezo along until they reached a spacious box. Rezo unable to see the steps slammed his shin painfully into them. Dathan chuckled and picked Rezo up by the waist and carried him up the steps. The violet haired child tried to squirm, but Dathan had a firm grip on him. Dathan set Rezo down in a chair next to his own. The boy looked at Dathan uncertain, but Dathan's deep rumbleing laugh set him at ease. Dathan grinned and ruffled Rezo's hair affectionately. "Relax kid I'm not going to harm you, but why did you lie back there? Where's you parents?" Rezo felt his heart ache in remeberence..
"I don't have any, they died this last spring." Rezo murmued. Sorrow briefly flashed across Dathan's face and was just as quickly replaced with a smile..
"Then I guess you will just have to come home with me. I sense the power within, and it is great. So what is you name?".
"Rezo sir, my name is Rezo." the young boy murmured. .
"Rezo huh." Dathan mused. "A good name, a strong name." Dathan held out hid large blunt fingered hand. "Well my name is Dathan Lei." Rezo took the man's hand and shook it. Just then a shock ran up his arm and he jerked back. Dathan smiled at him guiltily while absently shaking out his arm. "Sorry about that Rezo, but I just wanted to know the extent of your powers. Serves me right for not asking you permission, forgive me." Rezo looked at Dathan in shock. No one had every asked for his forgivness, btu still he nodded his head slightly. He was about to say something else, but the expo begain.

After the expo was finished, Dathan took Rezo to a nice restruant and they talked some more. At Dathan's assurence, Rezo ordered what he liked and eat like a starving wolf. When he wasn't looking, Dathan looked down at him with sorrow filled eyes. He himslef knew what it felt like to go hungry, if not for a luck break in his life, he would have died on the streets. So now it was his turn to take a lost unwanted child under his wing, and show him what a family was trully like. After Rezo had eaten his fill, Dathan lead him home. But the porr child was dead on his feet and didn't even really protest when Dathan picked him up and carried him the rest of the way home. Dathan's wife Shona met them at the door with a smile on her lovely face. When she saw Rezo, she cooed over him and Dathan relinquished his hold on the slumbering child. Shona carried Rezo up the stairs to te guest room..
"Sieran is waiting up for you." Shona said softly. Dathan grine dat the thought of seeing his daughter, Sieran. Dathan climbed the stairs and opened the door to her daughter's room. A dark blur hurtles into him and hugged his legs fiercly..
"Daddy!" the small child shrieked in delight as her father picked her up and held her over his head..
"I 've missed you vixen." Dathan nuzzled his daughter..
"I missed you too daddy." Sieran's soft indigo blue curls floated around her face as she stared up at her father with the same light green eyes. "Who's with you?" Sieran for a six year old was extremly astute for her age..
"I brought you a playmate pet, and eh is going to train with us in magick. He is now a part of our family, would you like that?" Dathan asked as he knelt down next to his daughter.
"You mena like a big brother?" Sieran was exstatic and she ran down thehall and peeked into the room where her mother had placed the young boy.
"Sieran!" he father called urgently, but she ignored him and walked into the room. She sat down next to Rezo and pushed some of his violet hair out of his face.
"I'll be the best little sister ever. I swear!" Sieran bent down and gave her new 'brother' a kiss before she left the room like her mommy always did. Sieran slowly shut the door, and in the shadows, Rezo smiled to himslelf. Maybe he had found a family after all

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"Rezo are you listening to me?" Dathan asked his adopted son.
"Yes sir, I am sorry sir." Rezo muttered as a flush of embarishment colored his pale cheeks. Rezo looked looked up at his Master. In the last five years, his had sprouted like a plant. At thriteen, he was already 5'9 and he was still growing.
"Good, then you understand why I want to send you to the Great Temple?" Dathan asked. Rezo felt his eyes begin to sting. Was Dathan sending him away? Dathan saw the look of devastation in Rezo's face and grabbed him in a bear hug. "I'm proud of you Rezo, and I want you to go as far as you can. Who knows, maybe one day you cane become a great mage. But all I do know is that there is notihng more I can teach you, and at the Great Temple, you cna learn so much more." Rezo nodded in understanding.
"I understand Master." Rezo murmued as he tried to grin weakly.
"Daddy!" Sieran hurled down the stairs and into Dathan's arms.
"What no hug for me brat?" Rezo asked as he playfully tugged on Sieran's bleu braid. Sieran stuck her tongue out at him.
"Dork." Sieran muttered as her afther let go of her. But still obidiantly, she gave Rezo a hug, and behind her back, he smiled. He was probably going to miss Sieran most of all, she was like a sister to him, and it tore his heart out that he would have to leave, but still. If he could come back a great mage, then maybe Sieran might return the feelings he had begun to have about her. Abruptly Rezo pushed Sieran, one good thing about leaving would be that maybe he could stop these odd feelings he got in his chest whenever she was near.

The next morning, Rezo kissed Shona on the cheek and held out his hand to Dathan but the big man hugged him once more, when he stepped back, his green eyes where overbright with unshed tears.
"Go with the Gods my son." Dathan murmured. Sieran latched onto Rezo's leg and refused to let go.
"Please don't go niichan! I promise I'll be good and stop calling you names!" Sieran cried at tears ran down her cheeks. Rezo knelt down and lifted Sieran's face to his own.
"First off, I am not leaving because of anything you did minxllette, adn second off, i will only be gone for a few years. By the time I am through with my training, you will have every boy charmed, and Dathan and I will have to beat them off with a stick." Sieran looked up at Rezo with tear filled green eyes.
"You promise to come back?" she asked, and Rezo grinned and hugged her one last time.
"I'm miss you minxlette." he whispered in Sieran's ear as he stood up. "Goodbye." he whispered as he turned around and got into the carrige that would take him to the Great Temple. As the carrige pulled away, Rezo stuck his head out the window and waved at the people who had been his family for five wonerful years. He continued to look back at them long afte rhe had lost 'sight' of them. Rezo wiped some moisture out of his eyes.
"Stupid dust, it's making myeyes water." he whispered at the carrige continued down the road.