Jacob was a bit shocked when his father said he would be teaching Jacob about magic. Since he had been on this farm, he had no memory of any sort of magic being used, so he just assumed that a simple farmer didn't know how to use magic.
His look of shock was evident, apparently, and his father started to laugh.
"Hahaha don't look so shocked! I know we told you many stories of magic and I figured you would already believe magic was real!"
It Jacob a few seconds to get himself together to ask a question, "Are all those stories true then?"
This caused Arthur to laugh even harder, but Jacob knew he needed to ask a question that a kid would ask, not the inquiry of an adult. He also knew his father was having fun, so he figured he would play along.
Arthur then continued, as he repressed a laugh, "heheh! No, Jacob, the stories were mostly just bedtime tales that my parents told me, and their parents told them. Most of the powers and mystical items in them are just made up from the imaginations of people like us that can rarely encounter real magic."
Now Jacob was really thinking because he really wanted to know about the magic of this world, but it seemed like his dad didn't know much about it.
"Then what is real magic, Dad?"
Jacob asked his question as innocently as possible while looking up to his dad with big questioning eyes.
Arthur smiled at his adorable son, "Jacob, I think you had a magic awakening, and it is what caused you to get so sick so suddenly, but for just a short time. Real magic, as far as I know, is something inside of you that you learn to control yourself. It is unreasonable and, as the name implies, magical."
Jacob just listened as his father continued, "From what I have seen and heard, magic can allow you to fight with a skill you do not have and with a strength you never possessed. It can let you create natural phenomena that humans should not be able to control, and even unnatural phenomena that humans do not understand. It can make children as wise as adults, and it can turn a peasant into a king."
Jacob realized at this point that his dad really was just a farmer, the son of a farmer, from a small town out in the boonies.
His father seemed to be describing science from the perspective of an American settler during the witch hunt days, without the penchant for killing the mystical beings they encountered. Though exacerbated, Jacob decided to probe a bit further while playing his innocence card.
"Dad, I don't really know what you're saying, but it does sound like my bedtime tales."
Arthur grinned really big as he realized his way of telling his child about magic was not entirely effective.
"Jacob, it looks like I will just have to show you what I am trying to say."
Jacobs' eyes then got really big as he thought he was finally going to get to see magic. Instead, his dad grabbed him by the hand and led him outside toward his workshop in the big barn.
"There are a few ways to use magic, Jacob, and one of them is very practical, even if it is unreasonable."
They approached the door to the workshop, and as Jacob thought they would, they entered it, where Jacob could see tools hung on a bench with a shovel sitting on the table.
Jacob had no memory of the workshop, but he did have memories of his dad telling him and his brother not to enter the shop without their father with them. He never thought about it and just tended to the things he was allowed to as a kid.
His first impression of the place was that it was exactly what someone would think of when they thought of the shed of a middle-ages peasant.
'I wonder what kind of magic he wants to show me in here. . .'
Jacob could hear his father rummaging around in a toolbox, and when he was done, he turned around with a smile on his face and a thick silver tool that looked like an ice pic in his hand. It was about 5" long and one end of it was about as thick as the wooden handle of the shovel on the table, good enough for a grip, and it slightly decreased in thickness for about 4". It then quickly turned into a point for the last inch, giving it the appearance of a hand-held tool for writing or etching.
Arthur then showed the object to Jacob, "This is a scribing tool, and it can channel your magical power in order to create magical runes of power on objects to give them a specific ability."
"Look at this shovel, it's a normal shovel that we use on the farm, but have you ever noticed how we rarely ever replace them?"
Jacob thought back to his memories, 'Yeah, I don't remember any tool on the farm ever breaking. Actually, I think it's the same for the wagons and plows. . .'
Jacob only shook his head at his father.
Arthur nodded, "That's because we inscribe all of the tools with enchantments that make them more efficient and durable. I'll show you."
Jacob was really excited now; he was finally going to get to see some magic in this world.
Arthur paused as he was looking at the shovel, then he looked back at Jacob. It seemed as if he remembered something and picked up the shovel before handing it to Jacob.
"You might want to see how well it works before we enchant it."
Jacob took the shovel and nodded as he headed outside to try out the regular shovel. He found a good patch of ground out of the way and started digging with it, making a small hole.
He mentally imprinted the force that was required to get through the layers of soil and how it quickly became quite hard to dig further into the earth into his mind. He then returned to his father with the shovel after removing the dirt from it.
Arthur took the shovel and then wiped it down further with a rag that he kept on the bench. He then placed the shovel on the work area of the table and grabbed the silver inscribing tool, readying it for what he was about to do.
"Watch this, Jacob."