There was less than two days remaining before the entrance exam, for the Academy of Fire, commences. During that time, Zane needs to register his name to the mages sitting just outside the arena entrance, and discover if he has any magical talent that would allow him to pass the exam. He knew that accomplishing the former would be simple, but the latter would be much more of a challenge. Magic was not something a person could force them self to learn overnight, but something that developed on its own and then showed itself with time, usually at an early age. If no sign of magic could be seen during childhood, then it is safe to assume that there is no magic within that person.

This thought ran through his mind to which there were only two hopeful solutions to: he would either need to make an excellent impression at the exam so the academy would accept him, or try to learn magic somehow. There have been exceptions where people showed signs of magic at later ages, late bloomers as they were called, but their potential is not great. They would not be able to pass a mage too. Zane wondered if he could ask an elemental to give him its strength. Mages created bonds with elementals in order to further their magical abilities, so what would happen if an ordinary human created a bond with one? He only had one day to find out.

To test this theory of his, he would need to find an elemental and quick. He left his mother and aunt talking at the table. He did let them know that he was leaving, and they did not oppose him. He turned right and went down the street hoping to find his way to the central market. He figured that if he was going to bond with an elemental, he would need to find a guardsman or a mage. A guardsman would be easier to find though, and he knew that there would always be one or two patrolling around the merchants. At the end of the street he looked to his left and saw the massive gates to the city. He knew where he was now, and how to get to the market from here. He turned right and walked up the main street and kept walking straight. Sooner or later he would come across the marketplace.

He arrived to see it busy as ever. He could tell by the smiles on everyone’s faces that they were enjoying days building up to the entrance exam. Many of the customers were kids his age being swindled into buying items priced at three times their original worth, hoping that these charms and tools will help them pass the test. The thought of buying a lucky charm crossed his mind, but he dismissed the notion, telling himself that he had already caused enough trouble for his parents

He crossed over to two men standing by the well in the centre. He noticed their clothes and recognised it as the garb of the city watch. As he came closer, he could see a fiery hawk perched on one of their shoulders. Smoke rose from its nostrils and small flames dispersed from its wings as they stretched out. How lucky of me! He thought. There was a watchman who was trained in magic on duty in the market. He did not want to waste this opportunity, and picked up his pace to the duo. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by a screeching caw that sounded as deep as a breathing furnace. What followed were words from the elemental that cracked like burning wood , “Don’t even bother! You smell odd!”

Its words attracted the attention of the two guardsmen who turned and saw Zane standing in front of them, “What do you want, boy?” One of them asked.

He stood there surprised by the hawk’s sudden words. He stayed quiet for several moments before answering the man, “N-nothing. Sorry to bother you,” He spoke as he walked away from them. The response he received, made him feel that the elemental knew what he was going to. He took that as a sign that he should not ask a bonded elemental for power, and find another way.

He passed several more guards and mages with their elementals close by, all of whom screeched at him for thinking about trying to bond with them. He did not speak a word and yet they all denied him. Feeling hopeless, he left the city and walked over the river that ran through the city. Along the banks of it grew tall palm trees, and luscious greenery. The oasis was always a pleasant resting place from the beating sun of the desert. People would go to it to rest under the trees’ shade and take cool dips into the water. Today, the river was occupied by a troop of children splashing around and enjoying the sweet fruits that grew around them. Some of the children seemed familiar to him.

A tap on his shoulder caught his attention. He saw another familiar face, a girl with red who spoke with confidence and cheer, “Hey, you’re fruit boy! It’s nice to see you again.”

He smiled when he recognised the girl and replied in an equally cheerful tone, “It’s good to see you too. Maria right?”

She smiled and nodded before speaking, “What are you doing here… uhmm?”

It hurt a tiny bit that she forgot his name while he remembered hers, but he happily replied, “Zane, and I came here to think.”

She glanced over to the noisy orphans playing in the river, and then smirked back at him, “I think you chose the wrong time to come here then.” A giggle escaped her.

He could not help but chuckle along with her. They found a soft patch of grass beneath a tree, next to the river, and sat there side by side. The shade felt refreshing. She asked him another question, “So what were you going to think about?”

He thought about if he should tell her about the farm and the misfortune he caused, but he could not. The guilt of it all prevented him from speaking for it was his burden to carry, and his alone.  Instead, he kept part of the truth and told her the rest of it, “How I’m going to pass the entrance exam.”

“Oh, so you’re going to join the academy too?” Her tone was surprised.

Her reply caught his attention. It was sudden and surprised him just as much as she was, “Y-yeah. You too?”

Her eyes went wide as she smiled an equally wide smile, “Yeah! What a coincidence huh?” She giggled again except harder this time. Eventually she calmed down and continued, “I can’t wait to learn more about magic. It’s been my dream ever since I was a little girl.”

He was unable to share in her excitement, and he let her know, “That’s what I came to think about. You see, I don’t have any magic within me.”

This sent her smile away and confusion stepped in, “I don’t understand. It’s required that you have magic if you want to take the exam. Why do you want to join the academy?”

The image of his parents and the fire filled his mind. He gave her a stern reply, “I have to help my family. The academy is the only hope I have.”

Neither of them spoke for a while. The only sounds that could be heard was rushing water, howling wind, and wild children playing. The trees above them shook and added their hisses to the melody. Maria was the first to speak again, “Look, I think you should-”

She was interrupted by the ringing of the city bells. They echoed out into the world carrying the sounds of danger with them. They both turned to look at the city and saw the reason behind the bells’ concern: a giant cloud of sand was raging across the land towards them. A fierce sandstorm that covered everything. It was coming fast, faster than any normal storm. Maria called out to the children, ordering them to cease their playing and follow her home. Zane pulled them out of the river as they came close to the bank. The children were not given any time to dress back into their clothes. They were told to carry them instead as they returned to the city. Maria did her best to keep the children calm as they all hastily made their way back.

Zane gave himself a moment to breathe as soon as he passed the gates. He was behind the whole group ensuring that everyone made it home safe. A guard approached them and asked, “Is that everyone in your group?”

Maria began counting heads, but suddenly stopped in horror. With a shaky voice she told Zane, “One’s missing… Little Tin is not here.” Her whole body began to shiver as she looked in the direction of the river.

The realisation came to him as well. Little Tin must still be by the river, and must have not heard Maria calling the children home. Without hesitation, he sprinted out of the city back to the river. He could hear people behind him shout for him to stop, but he ignored them and kept running. The wind had grown stronger already throwing sand at his face and into his clothes. A sign that he did not have a lot of time left so he picked up the pace. He came to a halt right beside the river and looked all over. He could hear a distant splash and followed it to find a small boy sitting in a puddle throwing his arms about, and crying his heart out from the encroaching doom and sudden abandonment. Zane picked up the boy in his arms holding his head against his chest.

As soon as he was clear of the treeline, a powerful force barrelled into him pushing him a couple steps back. He closed his eyes to hold out against the sting of sand and dust The wind pushed back his hair so hard it felt like his scalp would tear. The skin on his face was taught as it was pushed back. He struggled to even take one step. The sandstorm had found an unfortunate victim and seemed to grow only stronger.

Zane forced himself to keep his eyes open. He looked down to his chest to see the boy clutching at his clothes. He allowed himself to feel a brief moment of relief when he saw the boy still in his arms. He looked up and discovered that he could not see anything. The red walls of the city that seemed so clear a moment ago had disappeared from his gaze. Unsure of his surroundings, he looked around hoping to see any sign of the city. All he could see was dust and sand. 

His eyes then caught sight of something strange. White streaks of sparking light ran rampant within the raging storm, appearing suddenly but then disappearing just as sudden. A hazy form took shape in the dust cloud. It glowed a dim red and blue making it occasionally blend with the storm, but he could still see it. The light drifted away, and he decided to trust his instinct and follow it. Every step took effort. His arms began to ache from the weight of the boy, and his legs began to tire from exhaustion but he continued to push on. A bigger darker shape began to emerge. It was not hazy as the light was, but instead solid and strong. He found more strength from the sight of the city walls.

The shape of humans also began to take form as he approached closer and closer to the gates. They walked over to him and guided him inside the city. Dozens of men struggled to close the gates behind them. The storm was less powerful when he was behind the walls, but sand and dust still flew around in the wind. The men who guided him inside the city led once again indoors.

The wind suddenly died down as another door was closed behind him. The long assault from the sandstorm withered away allowing him to breath once again. He coughed out dust from his lungs, and placed the boy on a chair while he collapsed down to the floor. He rubbed his eyes to try relieve him of some pain, but it did not work. When he propped himself up to a sitting position, he was embraced by a shivering tearful girl. For a moment he thought it was the storm given a body coming back to end his rampage.

Maria hugged him tight before leaving him to inspect Little Tin. She took a wet cloth and started wiping his face of some of the dirt. She spoke some words to him, but Zane could not make it out. All he could hear were the roars of thunder and rattling windows. He could tell from her expression though that she was being both stern and glad, like a big sister caring for her young sibling. His muscles then started to relax and his vision darkened to pure black. 

When he awoke, he found himself in a bed covered with a soft blanket, and all the dirt washed away from his body. Scrapes and scratches appeared all over making every movement sting. It brought on a feeling of nostalgia. He could hear the sandstorm still raging outside.

A voice from his left spoke to him, “Glad to see you’re awake, and still alive.”

He turned to see Maria smiling slightly sitting beside his bed. He could not prevent feeling embarrassed that a girl was presumably watching over him while he slept. His cheeks blushed as he asked her, “How long was I asleep, and how long have you been there?”

She replied seemingly unaware of his embarrassment, “You were asleep for a few hours. It’s almost sunset, and I sat down only a few minutes ago.”

It all felt a little less embarrassing after he heard her say that. He smiled back at her, and lay back down on his bed.

She spoke again, drawing his attention, “So, I want to tell you something.”

He interrupted her before she continued, feeling like he knew what she was going to say, “I know what you’re going to say. It’s about what you were saying before the storm, right? I know that my chances of passing aren’t good without magic.” He believed hearing it from himself would be less painful than from her.

She sighed and nodded while answering, “Yeah, you pretty much summed it up. I’m sorry.”

He winced at her words. Even though he was right in his thinking, it still hurt him hearing her confirm his thoughts, and it hurt him that he was right.

She continued speaking, “That being said, when I saw you run to save Little Tin while all I could do was stand back frozen in place, it made me realise something: I’m too weak to be a mage, so I don’t deserve to join the academy.” Her voice began to crack as tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away, and took several deep breaths before continuing, “You risked your life to save him, while I was trapped in despair believing that he was already gone from us. Yet here he is sleeping soundly with his friends acting like nothing happened, and that’s all because of you! I am too weak. Which is why, I want you to let me help you pass the exam! I want to learn how to be strong like you, and to do that you need to pass! So I will make sure you do!”