At the southest end of the Kingdom of Med, there was a lonely island, which was in vague vision from the land. All year around the island was shrouded by mist. Any ship coming close to the island would be pushed away by the undercurrent.
It was rumoured that there were natives or even hermits on the island. However, people didn't believe that there were habitants on the island, until someone saw wizards fighting in the sky above the island.
On Mermaid Island, a quite mysterious island to the outside world, it seemed that some sort of ceremony was going on. All the habitants, not many in number, gathered on the square in the center of the island. Though they attempted to be serious, their happiness failed to be hidden.
An extremely handsome boy, in a robe sewn with color patches, was standing in the middle of the square and accepting gifts and flower from other people.
He was very active and always laughing. To each people presenting him with gifts and blessings, he returned with warm hugging and sweet comments.
Soon he was surrounded by piles of gifts.
Then an amiable elder came up, and he tapped the boy's shoulder. He said, "Happy birthday, Ethan! Time really flies. We adopted you fourteen years ago, but it just seemed like yesterday. Now you are leaving us. We really hate to part with you."
Hearing this, people around immediately put on sad expressions in place of smiles about to show on their faces.
"No. Wait, Grandpa Cameron." Said Ethan Lane anxiously with a bad feeling, "Why am I leaving you?"
"Silly boy, you are fourteen years old today. It's time for you to go to wizardry academy." Cameron tapped Ethan's shoulder again, with a hating-to-part appearance, and took a ring from his pocket. "This is a storage ring, and it contains the luggage I have prepared for you, including those things you have hidden secretly."
Ethan saw Grandpa Cameron stuff all the gifts just received into the storage ring very quickly. He felt both excited and sad. " So I can become a wizard finally? But, but I don't want to leave so soon. I still want to learn how to make sculpture from Uncle Julia, how to make dresses from Aunt Ora, and how to make dosage from you."
Hearing their names mentioned, Julia, a middle-aged man with long black hair, and Ora, a middle-aged woman with short red hair and with naughty and naive expression, suddenly felt nervous, though they were leaning towards each other. At the moment, Julia pictured in his brain: Ethan was making a sculpture according to a graceful swan and ended up in a sculpture of roast duck which somehow looked tasty and presentable. While Ora was looking into another picture: Ethan made pieces of cloth into weird-looking clothes and boasted that the skill was from her. And she always felt that others were trying very hard to hold back their words.
"Good boy. All good things will come to an end. Time does not wait for you. And if you don't hurry, you will miss the admission test. When you have fulfilled the study and achieved the fifth grade in wizardry, you will come back." With these words, Cameron, the village head, carried Ethan by his shoulder and walked him to the seaside quickly.
Ethan was forced forward by Cameron's strong arm and he had to say, with confidence on his face, "I will become a fifth-graded wizard as quickly as I can."
It' said that the lowest level in wizardry on this island was the sixth grade, so it shouldn't be difficult to achieve the fifth grade. Then he will be back very soon. Upon this thought, Ethan felt quite relived.
Other people followed them, praising Ethan for his determination to study and expressing their unwillingness to part in all sorts of vocabulary. But in fact, they were walking more and more quickly. Julia and Ora, whose names were mentioned before, were even more anxious.
