Zeke wandered the academy grounds aimlessly, the headmaster's words ringing in his head. He glanced around, searching for any familiar faces among the throngs of people. He wanted to find his friends and seek comfort and guidance in their company. Eventually, he found his way back through the hallways and out of the Elementium.

Zeke approached the large square in front of the main academy complex. There, he saw a large group of initiates gathered near the fountain. He quickened his pace, hopeful that one of his friends might be among them.

When he arrived, he looked around for any sign of a friendly face — Markus, Lilly, or even Peter. He didn't recognize anyone, however. The students milling about ignored him, and he didn't have the confidence to approach a stranger.

He waited for a while, hoping that someone he knew would show up, but as the crowd thinned, he started to get worried. Without any better options, he decided to sit and eat the rest of his provisions, waiting a little longer in hopes that one of his friends would show up.

Zeke sank onto the steps of the academy, his bag open at his feet as he rummaged through it. He pulled out a small pouch of dried fruit and a hunk of bread. The growling of his stomach reminded Zeke of how hungry he was. He put each piece of dried fruit into his mouth separately and tore little pieces off of his bread, trying to make it last.

As he ate, he started to feel the full extent of his disappointment. He had been so certain that his red hair signaled a Fire Affinity — that dream had now died. Tears of disappointment welled up in his eyes, and he lowered his head so the passers-by wouldn't see.

According to the headmaster’s words, he would be tolerated in the Elementium with his Blood affinity, but nothing more. Yet what else could he do? He could not bear the thought of abandoning Lilly. And what about his dream of becoming a hero? What hero gave up at the first sign of trouble?

He wiped his eyes and looked around. Right in front of him, a train of carriages pulled up to the gate. He recognized the driver on one of the magical vehicles. This was the very carriage that had brought him and his friends to the capital that morning. They all had been buzzing with excitement and filled with hope.

Through the open windows, he glimpsed the faces of the rejected candidates returning home. Some had swollen eyes, some were sunken in on themselves, and some sported looks of complete despair. The sight reminded Zeke of the fact that he was still one of the lucky ones. Unlike them, he had a chance. His dream might have become harder, but it was not impossible.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He was relieved to see who was standing there. A sense of happiness washed over him at the sight of his best friend. Markus's smile was a welcome sight indeed and Zeke grinned back at him with real warmth.

"Where's Lilly?" Markus asked as he took a seat right next to him.

Zeke shrugged. "I lost her at the Evaluation. She turned out to have a greater Wind affinity.”

Markus whistled in appreciation, causing Zeke to crack a smile. “Who would have thought that she would turn out to be the best among us?” Markus smiled for a moment, but his eyes remained serious. “What about you, Zeke?”

“I have an affinity as well,” he said. “Three of them, in fact.”

“Then what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be moving into the academy as well?”

Zeke couldn’t hide a grimace at his friend’s question. “Unfortunately, none of mine is of the four elements.” He shook his head as if that could clear the negative thoughts, and grinned sheepishly at Markus. "Not sure if you heard, but initiates without a primary affinity don't get to stay in the dorms. And the carriages back to Feldstadt just left — I guess we're both homeless now."

Markus looked at him for a long moment, the expression on his face unreadable.

"Walk with me for a bit," he said abruptly. "I need to talk to you about something."

Zeke stood and followed his friend. But despite his words, Markus remained silent for a while. They passed through the gate to the Crafters district. The guards stopped them, but after Markus showed them proof of residence, they were let through without having to pay the toll. They turned several corners, navigated numerous junctions, and crossed countless alleys before Markus finally spoke.

"I'm sorry I left you earlier," he said. "I was just really upset. I didn't mean to leave you alone."

"Don’t worry about it," Zeke said emphatically. "I understand how you feel. And Markus - I'm sorry."

Markus scoffed. "Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you gave me that affinity," he said dismissively. But when he spotted the look of real guilt on Zeke’s face, he smiled. "I mean it. I met with my uncle after leaving the evaluation early. He's a blacksmith in the crafter district, and I'll get to study under him in the future."

Zeke took in this information with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it would mean that Markus was sticking around. They would be able to see each other if they were both staying in the capital. On the other hand, Markus talking about his new plan brought home the fact that their dream of attending the academy together was truly over.

Thinking along the same lines, Markus's lips turned downward. "I'll just have to forget about this Magic stuff altogether, I suppose. It's not like there’s anybody around who'll volunteer to teach me."

To that, Zeke didn't know what to say. If one of his affinities had been Metal, he could have shared the lessons with his best friend. As it was, there was very little he could do. Still, it was too early to give up. “I’ll teach you the basics as soon as I learn them, okay?” he proposed. “And I’m sure we’ll be able to figure something out about the rest.”

A sad smile appeared on Markus's face, but his eyes were warm as he looked at his friend for a long moment. He didn’t reply verbally but nodded his head fractionally in acknowledgment.

“You haven’t even told me. What affinities did you get?” Markus asked after a while.

“Blood, Mind, and Space,” Zeke said, a little cheer returning to his voice. Whatever anybody else might say, he liked the sound of that. However, the involuntary grimace that came to his friend’s face felt like a punch to the gut.

They walked silently, shoulder to shoulder until Markus started speaking again. "You really don’t like to make things easy for yourself, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

Instead of responding, Markus gave him a stern look. “I hope you didn’t just choose this path for Lilly’s sake.”

Zeke felt his face grow warm. “Of course not,” he said quickly.

Markus scoffed. "When I revealed my Metal affinity to my uncle, he told me a few things about the Elementium and how they treat students without any elemental affinities here…" His friend paused and regarded him with a worried look. “Even if you were the best in all of your classes, you would still be treated as a second-class citizen… at best."

Zeke stared at Markus with a blank look on his face. How could his affinities be considered so worthless? Wasn't the emperor a Mind Mage as well? But there was another question that he couldn't help but ask right away. "How does your uncle know…?"

Markus beamed proudly. "That's because he does a lot of business here in the capital," he said. "His smithy is by no means one of the biggest, but you pick up a lot by doing business for years, it seems."

Markus had more to say, and before Zeke could sidetrack him again, he skipped right back to explaining. "You know how the Elementium is only for combat mages, right? Blood is considered a school of combat Magic, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be treated the same as elemental Mages.”

Zeke’s eyes narrowed. “Why would they treat me differently?”

“Just think about it, Zeke. Have you ever heard of a hero with a Blood affinity? Metal, maybe? Of course not! That’s because there is no such thing. Think of the songs we heard growing up: Balduin’s Flame, Leopold the Fortress, Seraphina Stormbringer, and Freya of the Deep. Those are all elemental Mages. Why do you think that is?”

Incredulous, Zeke stared at his friend. "So you are telling me," he said slowly, "that despite having a perfect Blood affinity, the only academy willing to teach me Blood Magic is the Elementium — and they would rather not have me either?" Zeke asked, his face getting uglier and uglier with every word.

Markus sighed and regarded his friend with a mix of sadness and sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Zeke," he said. "But that's the gist of it. Without an elemental affinity, you are unlikely to ever wield any real power in the empire, as there is little chance for you to be adopted either."

The two of them walked along the empty streets, the only sound the falls of their footsteps on the cobblestones. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a dim orange glow over the city. Zeke wondered if he had made a terrible mistake turning down his chance at the straight path the Himmelfahrt Institute or the Gedankenmeister Academy could have afforded him. Instead of looking forward to what was to come, he now found himself ruminating about his future, or lack thereof. His thoughts kept turning in circles, and eventually, he just sighed.

"Well," he said to Markus with a lopsided grin, "Lilly will have to become a powerful Mage in both our steads, I guess. When she's rich and famous, maybe she can put in a good word with her family."

Markus grinned back, the hesitation behind his eyes easing the slightest bit. "She'll have to become exceptionally powerful to be able to vouch for a blacksmith's apprentice and a Blood Mage."

"To be fair, I can much easier picture you wielding a hammer than the might of the arcane."

Markus mimicked an arrow piercing his heart at these words before chuckling and playfully punching Zeke’s shoulder. "At least I have a plan, Mr. Blood Mage!"

Zeke’s smile faltered a little a the mention of his affinities, but he pasted it back on.

"So do I," he claimed. "I guess I'll just have to become the greatest second-class citizen in the history of the empire!"

Both of them laughed. They continued joking back and forth, the tension from earlier slowly dissipating as they walked through the increasingly deserted streets.

Zeke looked down at the small pouch of coins, his brow furrowing as he counted out his few bits of money. He had saved up for years, but even so, it wouldn't last him for more than a few weeks. Markus, noticing the distress on his friend's face, offered a solution.

"Why don't you stay with me and my uncle? He has a spare room, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind you crashing there for a bit."

Zeke hesitated. "No, it's fine," he said finally. "I'll figure something out. I don't want to be a burden."

Markus waved off his concerns. "You're not a burden. Besides, it's better than sleeping on the streets. Just think about it, okay?"

Zeke sighed as he looked at his friend. "I appreciate the offer, really, but I can't just sponge off of you and your uncle," he said. "I have to find a way to make this work for myself in the long run.”

Instead of pushing the issue, Markus decided to change the subject. As they walked, he tried to steer the conversation toward lighter topics. He brought up memories from their childhood and revisited carefree times. But no matter how hard he tried, the weight of the situation hung heavy in the air.

Zeke, for his part, was deeply grateful for his friend’s efforts. However, he still didn't manage to shake off the feeling of disappointment and failure. He felt like he had let himself, his family, and his friends down.

As the two of them walked, the sun began to set and a cool breeze blew through the streets. Markus shivered, and Zeke offered him his jacket, which his friend gratefully accepted. They walked in comfortable silence for a while longer, each lost in their own thoughts.

Eventually, his friend spoke up. "Hey, I know things aren't looking great right now, but we'll figure something out, okay?”

Ezekiel nodded, but he couldn't bring himself to truly agree. Markus meant well, but the reality of the situation was starting to sink in, and it was a heavy burden on his heart.

As night fully fell and the stars came out, Marcus spoke once more. "I won't push you to stay with us permanently," he said. "But could you do me a favor and accept the room for a couple of days? Don’t forget, you promised to teach me the basics of Magic."

Ezekiel couldn't deny that he was exhausted after the day's events, and so he agreed. The two friends made their way toward the blacksmith shop.

The road ahead would be difficult for both of them, but at least they had each other's backs. That would have to be enough for now.