"Ok, son, I can only show you the inscribing process once every few hours. For today, that will be after lunch. However, I can still talk you through the process and we can see if you have been gifted control or just a lot of magical power, or perhaps that magical knowledge of yours is the gift. . ."
Arthur trailed off as he began rambling, thinking about the implications of a magical awakening.
"Honestly, we have only ever heard of a singular mage passing through here. And only a few people got to ask him questions about magic. From there, we just have the village rumors. That, and the guards that are on rotation from cities that come out here to defend us from monsters. But they honestly seem more clueless than the villagers."
Jacob went ahead and interrupted his father.
"Dad! I thought we were going to enchant stuff!"
Arthur looked down at his child, a little startled. He noticed that his son had a cute, angry face on, and he couldn't help but smile with fatherly love at his son.
He reached down and mussed Jake's hair.
"You're right, son. Let's see if we can get you to channel some magic in the pen."
Arthur then reached over and grabbed the etching tool off of his bench, where he had left it. Then, he reached down and picked up Jacob and placed his son on one of his knees so Jake had a spot to sit at the bench with Arthur.
"Now, Jacob, my grandfather, detailed the method that works best for beginners to start the enchanting process. He stated that, for some reason, our magic will first be felt from the center of our chest. He noted in the book that he has no idea why it is like that, and I also have no idea."
Jacob was looking into his father's eyes as his dad explained this to him, and he nodded along. Before his father could continue, though, he made a comment.
"Father, I have never felt anything magical coming from my chest. Are you sure the magic is in there?"
Arthur chuckled a bit.
"Heh heh, it is in there alright. You have to feel it, first. This is the first step to enchanting, but also the most difficult. I will instruct you, as my grandfather has detailed for us."
Jacob sat up straight as he prepared to follow his father's instructions.
"Ok, first, you should close your eyes."
Jacob then closed his eyes, listening to his father.
"Now, feel your breath coming in and out of your lungs through your nose and out of your nose as you breathe. And breathe deeply so you can really feel it."
Jacob started paying attention to his breathing as he took in a breath through his nose, he followed it down into his lungs and then back out through his nose, making sure to take deep breaths like his father instructed him.
After a while, Arthur was happy with the immersion that his son had taken to the breathing practice, so he continued.
"Good, son, now imagine in the center of your chest, where your heart is beating, that there is a small blue ball of magic. A small whisp of light in the center of your chest."
Jacob, with his eyes still closed, nodded his head and began to imagine the ball in his chest.
"Try to reach out to that ball in your chest with your mind when you are able to visualize it."
It took a while, but Jacob was eventually able to imagine a blue ball of light in his chest and began to try to feel it with his mind. It was an odd sensation, trying to feel an imagined ball of light. But, after just a few short seconds, he was able to actually feel it.
"Ah! Dad! I feel it! It feels very comforting, and soothing. . . it feels almost like a warm bath?"
Arthur gently patted his son's back to reassure him.
"Yes, it does feel nice. I think you are feeling the magic in your body, it seems to feel the same for us. Now you need to try to move that ball of warm light around a little, can you do that?"
Arthur had been speaking to his son very softly at this point, to prevent startling him and ruining his concentration. Jacob could feel the care his father was taking to instruct him, and felt motivated to try his best.
"I will try to get it to move dad."
As Jake started to try to move it around with his mind, he just imagined the ball of light moving around his chest in little circles, and to his surprise, the ball instantly moved at his direction.
"Oh, that was easy. I can get it to move just fine."
Arthur smiled.
"Good, it looks like you must have been blessed with amazing control. It took me many long nights to get the ball to move at all. This next part should be easy for you, then. Just imagine the ball staying in place as it sends out a small stream of light down your right arm into your fingers. Ensure the stream stays steady and calm."
He took his son's small hand into his own as he watched the young boy channel his magic.
Jake did as his father said and imagined a steady, calm stream flowing down his arm and into his fingers from the ball of light. It was an easy task that felt like second nature to him very quickly. He made sure the flow stayed steady and calm.
With the magic that had regenerated, Arthur probed the stream in his son's arm and hand, feeling with his own magic tendrils that his son had an optimal stream going into his little fingers already, and after a few moments, he was confident that the stream would stay steady.
"Good job, Jake, now try to push the stream out of the tips of your fingers. This part might be harder since . . ."
Arthur was interrupted by a soft blue light coming out of the tips of his son's five right fingers. He smiled this time with a wide smile.
"Amazing, son, you did it already."
Arthur grabbed the etching tool and placed it in the small hand of his son, moving his little fingers to curl around the tool.
"Now, let that magic flow from your fingertips into the etching tool. It should feel like guiding a warm stream to warm up the cool metal."
And the metal was cold to the touch. It was a weird cold this time that he had not noticed before.
'I wonder if this cold feeling is the magical properties of the tool being inactive. . . it does seem like it is warming up. . .'
Arthur let go of his son's hand as he could see the blue light starting to gather at the tip of the etching tool. His smile began to show teeth as he became more and more excited for his son.
"Alright, Jake, open your eyes and look at the etching tool now."
Jake opened his eyes, and to his surprise, the etching tool looked like it now had a blue glowing tip.
"Well, son, I would say you are ready for your first attempt at an enchantment. Just make sure to keep that flow smooth and steady."