Darian's expression brightened.
As his concentration wavered, the casting process was involuntarily interrupted, and the leaf lost its support, falling back to the ground.
However, Darian wasn't disappointed. He held his breath again, focusing his mind and controlling the leaf to slowly float upward.
This time, he lasted longer than before; under his control, the leaf danced in mid-air until his focus broke, and it fell again.
After several more attempts—each one lasting longer than the last—Darian switched to a small pebble, which was heavier than the leaf.
Controlling the pebble proved much more difficult. It felt like starting over from the beginning. The pebble floated unsteadily, then fell even faster than the leaf.
But with each try, Darian grew more excited. Immersed in the application of magic, he became completely unaware of the passage of time.
It wasn't until Bilbo appeared that his practice was interrupted.
Bilbo, witnessing the scene, looked at him wide-eyed in astonishment.
"Darian, are you practicing magic?"
Darian nodded slightly, a little embarrassed.
Strictly speaking, what he was doing wasn't really "magic"—it was merely the most basic form of magical control, used to lift light objects.
In fact, the force he used was even weaker than if he had just thrown the items with his hands.
There was no destructive power at all.
But in Bilbo's eyes, this was nothing short of wondrous.
"That's so cool!"
Bilbo looked at him with wide, admiring eyes, clearly excited.
"Darian, can you show me again? Please?"
"As you wish."
Being looked at with such admiration, Darian couldn't help but feel a secret thrill. He was more than happy to show off to the curious Hobbit.
With a graceful gesture, countless petals in the garden rose into the air under Darian's control, swirling around the two of them in a dazzling, magical display.
Bilbo's mouth dropped open, his eyes sparkling with awe.
In the following days, Darian spent most of his time honing his control over magic.
He progressed from levitating small leaves and pebbles to controlling objects weighing up to ten catties.
The duration of his control also increased—from two minutes in the beginning to nearly half an hour.
He even began multitasking, attempting to levitate several objects at once.
Of course, this was different from the petal display. That had just been a quick show-off trick, impressive to those unfamiliar with magic.
Now, he was simultaneously lifting objects weighing several catties each, and maintaining control for a significant amount of time.
It became common to see objects flying or floating around in the living room of Bag End.
At first, he only used non-fragile items. But as he became more proficient, he began practicing with water cups, teapots, and even dinner plates.
Bilbo, too, transitioned from being shocked to completely accustomed. Sometimes, he even got lazy or didn't feel like walking to fetch something—so he would call on Darian to bring it over with magic.
One day, Darian paused his training.
The food stored in Bag End had nearly run out, so he and Bilbo needed to visit Hobbiton to buy groceries.
Walking along the winding path that followed the hills, they passed through the scenic Shire countryside, occasionally spotting two or three Hobbits working in the fields.
When the Hobbits saw Darian—a clearly tall Human—they paused and stared at him with curiosity.
There were no secrets in Hobbiton. Word of a Human staying at Bilbo Baggins's house had already spread through the town.
However, Bilbo was known to be reclusive and not particularly social.
So no one dared to go to Bag End and ask questions.
After passing the mill and crossing the double-arched bridge, they arrived in Hobbiton's central area.
The Hobbit homes here differed from those on the hill. They leaned more toward Human-style architecture, though still low enough for Hobbits to live comfortably.
There was also the town's only inn: The Green Dragon, a favorite gathering spot for Hobbits.
The market was bustling with activity. Hobbits were selling their various specialties and often bartering for goods.
Women haggled over prices, while children ran joyfully between the stalls.
Darian stood out in the crowd. Everyone who passed by glanced at him.
The adults tried to be subtle, but the children were openly curious.
Several little Hobbits gathered around him. One even tugged at his clothes and asked with wide, innocent eyes, "Are you a Human?"
Darian looked down at the child—who barely reached his knees—and smiled, patting his small head. "Yes."
Not wanting Darian to be looked down upon, Bilbo cleared his throat loudly to attract attention. Then he puffed out his chest and declared proudly:
"Darian is not just a Human—he's a Wizard!"
"Wow!" The Hobbit children gasped in amazement.
Even the nearby adults looked surprised. Their curiosity about Darian shifted into a kind of respectful awe.
After all, Wizards were powerful and mysterious figures in Middle-earth.
But children felt no reverence—they just grew even more excited, begging Darian to show them magic.
He didn't refuse. With a playful tap, he brought their hats to life. The hats flapped their earflaps and danced through the air.
The children laughed and gave chase, filled with wonder.
Even the surrounding adults couldn't hide their astonishment.
Bilbo looked absolutely pleased with himself and cleared his throat in a mock-serious tone:
"Ahem… Darian, we should be going."
Darian chuckled and followed the Hobbit, who strutted forward like a warrior who had just won a battle.
Once Bilbo finished his shopping, Darian headed to the only blacksmith shop in Hobbiton.
The owner was visibly surprised to see a Human walk in but greeted him politely: "What can I do for you, sir?"
Darian looked around. The shop mainly carried farming tools like hoes, cleavers, and axes.
"Do you sell weapons here? Like longswords?"
The blacksmith gave him a strange look and shook his head. "Hobbits don't like fighting. There's no demand for weapons here, so we don't carry them."
Darian was a bit disappointed. Still, he pressed on, "Then if I commissioned one, how long would it take?"
The owner shook his head again. "Sorry, sir. Even if I wanted to take your order, I've never forged a longsword before. I wouldn't know where to start."
"If you're serious about finding a proper sword, I'd suggest heading to Bree—east of the Shire. It's a Human town, and they're skilled weapon-smiths. You'll likely find what you need there."
Darian shook his head.
According to Bilbo, the distance between Hobbiton and Bree was about 135 miles. Traveling on foot would take at least six or seven days.
He had no plans to go that far—at least, not yet.
Since weapons were out of the question, Darian picked out two bone cleavers from the shop.
Though the shop didn't forge weapons, the quality of its tools was excellent. The cleavers, in particular, were thick and razor-sharp—capable of slicing through bone with ease.
According to the blacksmith, they could last a lifetime.
Darian was skeptical, but he paid without hesitation.
As for the money? He had none.
Naturally, he borrowed it from Bilbo.
He was poor, penniless, and entirely dependent on Bilbo's generosity. He didn't even know when—or if—he could repay him.
But the kind-hearted Hobbit didn't mind. He never once asked for repayment.
And for that, Darian was truly grateful.
He often thought, "If the first person I met hadn't been Bilbo… would I still be so at ease today?"