Xavos stood before Ayden with a proud grin on his weathered face.

  “This last year has been fun,” he said.

  Fun wasn’t the word Ayden would have used. He’d grown taller than Xavos now and he never realized until now as he stood face to face with him. He was seventeen and he felt as if he was going off to war. In reality he was just going to school.

  They stood beside Xavos’s stone shack where he spent the better part of the year recovering from the various brutalities Xavos had thrown him into. Now he felt as if a miniature graduation took place, arguably one more important than the one Silterra would give him.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  “Like I’ve been put through a meat grinder,” said Ayden.

  “You have,” said Xavos. “I am not sorry for it.”

  “I know,” said Ayden. Xavos rarely apologized.

  “I am proud of it. You are stronger than any mage that will be in your class.”

  “I haven’t gotten in yet,” said Ayden.

  The Silterran Mages were coming tomorrow and Ayden would trek back to Eleda and rest at Janari’s home before facing the trials. Xavos claimed he didn’t want to be there. He didn’t want to spoil Ayden’s chances. Xavos and the Academy had a falling out years ago due to differences in teaching and a lack of decorum.

  “You will,” said Xavos.

  “I never learned how to absorb the power of the worlds above,” said Ayden.

  Xavos cackled. “Boy that was a fairy tale!”

  Ayden blinked. “Oh… You lied.”

  “From a certain point of view. I did say the man who wrote that book was wrong. Anyways, that happened a year ago. What happens tomorrow is more important. Get into the Academy. Use their resources. Make a name for yourself. Then we will talk again when you graduate.”

  “We won’t meet before?” asked Ayden. He felt a pang of sorrow. He would miss the old man despite all of the pain and suffering he’d put him through. His love never came in a tender shape. Always an iron fist or whimsical stories.

  “Best if we don’t,” said Xavos.

  “Alright,” said Ayden, miffed, but trying to hide it.

  Xavos saw right through. “Don’t get emotional.”

  “I’m not!” snapped Ayden.

  “Temper your rage, boy,” said Xavos, his voice like ice. “Just get in.”

  “I will.”

  Xavos scanned him for a few seconds before smiling and patting his shoulder. “I know you will. That’s my boy.”

  Ayden almost scoffed at the sudden forced affection. “You never told me the plan for what happens after.”

  “I did,” said Xavos. “Graduate.”

  “Okay, fine, but after.”

  “Nothing after. First focus on graduating, then we discuss. It all starts here. In this world power needs standing as well. As much as I would love you to succeed as a free lancing mage, Silterra's reputation reaches far even to Ingstad.”

  Ayden sighed.

  “We’ve talked about this. Asking again won’t change a damn thing.”

  “Fine,” said Ayden. “I’ll be off now.”

  “You will pass the trials.”

  “I know,” said Ayden, waving and starting his trek back to Eleda.

  ***

  Nadi hugged Ayden before he left for the town square where the trials would be held. Her hands draped around his waist now with how tall he’d grown. He patted her head and hugged her back.

  “I’m not some dog!” she cried.

  He pried her off and braced himself for the bear hug Janari gave him. She squeezed him enough to where Ayden wondered if she was channeling Green this time. He hugged back and held back tears.

  “Do well, Ayden,” she said. “Make us proud.”

  “I’ll join you soon enough,” said Nadi.

  “I know,” said Ayden with a laugh.

  “Better have some tips prepared for me!”

  Ayden ruffled her hair again and she swatted his hands away.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Thank you all for everything,” he said, a lump forming in his throat.

  Janari pinched his cheeks. “We’ll be there to see you off. I have some rations packed for you.”

  Ayden gave her another hug before leaving.

  ***

  The Silterrans had assembled in the town square where they’d sectioned off the area. Many townsfolk tried to watch the trials, but they wouldn’t happen here. Here was where several of Eleda’s brightest would present themselves and then be escorted off to the real trial grounds.

  Ayden gasped as he spotted the mages. Some bore noble attire meant for balls and ceremonies, but a few bore plated armor and weaponry. Mage Blades, some of the greatest warrior mages of the land. They possessed great martial prowess as well as arcane might. They led armies and fought their battles in the frontlines.

  Heroes, the lot of them.

  Beside a tall Mage Blade he recognized as the famous Oscall Silverstone, nephew to the queen herself, stood Cara Silverstone. Daughter of the queen, but not daughter heir. There were no heirs in Silterra. Only the monarchs that the lords and ladies of the nation elected. She bore silvery hair tied into a knot and a dress that flowed down to a riding skirt, split at the sides. Around her waist and chest laid armored plating that proved to be just as practical as stylish.

  Cara Silverstone was two years his senior and already had a knack for saving the day. She was the front runner of politics and people saw her as the future queen of Silterra if things continued this way. However, there were other nobles that were also favored and rivaled Cara in experience and age. Ayden found it funny how he knew more of another nation’s politics than his own.

  Silterra served as a permanent neutral fixture in Ridden’s politics. No one wanted to war with Silterra because they had the best mages (or once did) and without their services to the world, the Triscourge may have wiped them all out. Why conquer a realm that fights the supernatural wars for you. It gave other monarchs more time to slaughter a target group when they didn't also have to worry about the real threats.

  Ayden’s own country, Mahar, made a deal with Silterra that they could recruit amongst their ranks and in return Silterra would provide support in any conflict. Specifically the supernatural kind. Silterra would not fight Mahar’s civil wars.

  The group around Ayden numbered twenty. He was shocked to see one of Talda’s lackeys among them. He didn’t remember his name.

  “Welcome, people of Eleda,” said Oscall Silverstone, channeling his voice with Blue to have it boom over the audience. “I am happy to see so many of you here. I wish you the very best in the trials.” he cleared his throat. “I don’t wish to dwell on niceties any longer. Time is short and precious. We know you are eager. So follow our troop and we will head to the real trials.”

  The townsfolk parted and the Mage Blades, and mages file out with their recruits. Ayden spotted Janari and Nadi and they waved at him, mouthing “best of luck!”

  He swore before they left the town gates, he saw a glimpse of Xavos. He shook his head and decided to focus on his trials.

  ***

  They stood in the forests, an hour away from Eleda.

  “The first trial I crafted myself,” said Oscall. “I believe we need fighters amongst our ranks. It’s controversial as many nobles think it’s barbaric.” He scoffed as did many of his cohorts. He looked like their captain. “I think academics is important to our culture, but I wish to see some students with grit in our midst. So the first trial is to withstand my attacks.”

  The twenty recruits glanced at each other in shock and fear. Ayden felt excited.

  “I won’t hurt you,” said Oscall. “If I do, then I have my dear cousin here ready to heal if necessary free of charge.”

  Cara stepped forward and gave a small bow of her head. “I trust my cousin’s restraint.”

  “Who’s first?” asked Oscall, drawing his blade. It glowed blue and everyone except Ayden stepped backward. The blade enamoured Ayden. So powerful. He could feel the arcane energy emanate from the metal.

  “That’s amazing,” he said.

  “Looks like you’re first to get a closer look, then,” said Oscall, flourishing his sword.

  Ayden peered behind him to see uncertain faces. “Okay,” he said. This is it.

  He stepped forward and Oscall snapped his fingers to form a ring of blue fire around them. “Don’t leave this ring. And don’t get hit. You have three lives”

  Ayden readied himself in a fighting stance.

  Oscall gave him an appraising look. He nodded to Ayden in respect.

  “Begin,” said Cara from outside the circle.

  Oscall came at him fast, but Ayden was faster. He enhanced his body and sidestepped the descending sword. The crowd hooted and cheered. Oscall turned to give Ayden an incredulous look.

  He tried again, and even feinted a few times, but Ayden managed to keep his body bolstered with Green. Eventually, Oscall tuned up his effort.

  Ayden immediately felt the difficulty soar as the sword narrowly missed his shoulder. Only, it swerved at the last second. A feint so subtle, Ayden felt it rock his body before he even saw it. He flew away toward the edge of the fiery ring.

  He channeled an immense amount of Red to create an inferno behind him. The sheer power that burst forth from him stopped his moment in mid air so he landed next to the ring of fire. His ribs groaned in pain.

  Oscall and the rest glared in shock at the raw power he displayed.

  A trick Ayden had learned. If he empowered his body with Green, he could technically draw forth on an enhanced Body Source to cast Red offensive spells. Perhaps his method was too flashy, but he didn’t want to lose two lives in the span of a single second by stepping out of the ring.

  Ayden panicked and turned to see if he’d hurt anyone. Cara stood behind him. She’d cast a Green Barrier to shield herself and the recruits behind her from his infernal blast. She shot him an annoyed look. He gave her a nervous smile back. What amazed him was that her Barrier had barely cracked.

  Oscall barreled toward him again, sword blazing. Ayden channeled Green, and leaped over him, dodging the blade swipe, and kicking Oscall on the way down with both of his enhanced legs. It sent the Mage Blade through the ring of fire and into the dirt. He recovered fast, entering the ring again.

  “Do I get a life point back for that?” asked Ayden, shrugging.

  “Very funny,” he snarled.

  Oh, it’s serious now.

  Ayden didn’t last longer than five seconds against an angry Mage Blade. He blasted Ayden with a bone shaking spell of raw, blunt force which sent him reeling backward. A series of feints and swipes followed which easily shred through his defenses and sent him sprawling to the ground with no lives left.

  The ring of fire vanished and Oscall’s soldiers dragged Ayden away. Cara loomed over him with a sympathetic smile, and healed him. The pain wasn’t anything compared to some of the nightmares Ayden dealt with during Xavos’s training.

  The mages recorded his survival time and then continued with the rest of the recruits.

  They tried to dodge his attacks like Ayden, but failed since they weren’t nearly as proficient at enhancing themselves as he was. Others like Talda’s lackey tried to block incoming attacks using Barriers, but they shattered into tiny emerald shards of glass upon two strikes from Oscall.

  Eventually the first trial ended and Ayden had won by a long distance.

  Half of the recruits were escorted home by a few of the Silterran soldiers. The rest moved onto the second trial. Cara’s trial.