It was bitterly cold, but the overcast sky had given way to a brilliantly clear morning. Frosted windows glittered the morning light and clear patches of grass crunched underfoot as an entire class made their way to the public entrance.

They would be greeting the parents as they arrived. Yaric wouldn’t have anyone to meet, but he also had nowhere else to go, so he quietly followed the others while they excitedly spoke about seeing their families again.

A large group of wizards and mages stood off to the side, already laughing and joking amongst each other. There was no effort to put the students into any form of order, however, and Yaric soon saw why.

A small group of five people walked through the gate, looking around curiously. It took a few seconds for the right person to notice, but as soon as she did there was a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the front. Once clear, Tracy tore across the courtyard to greet her family.

More and more similar scenes followed, until reunited families had to move to the side to allow new arrivals to get through.

Li Na’s family arrived first. Her mother was taller than Yaric had expected, but still shorter than Lauren. Her father though, was built like a tree. Even taller than Sven, he had arms as thick as Yaric’s waist and a beard that touched his chest. Both beamed when they spotted Li Na sprinting toward them, her mother’s smile and identical blonde hair reminding Yaric of Li Na herself. Her dad immediately picked Li Na up off the ground for a bear hug.

Lauren’s parents arrived soon after, along with her older sister. They stood politely to the side and quietly looked around, smiling widely when they saw Lauren making her way over to join them. Both parents had tall and slender builds, and had very clearly dressed up for the occasion. Her father somehow managed to look dignified in a way that Yaric couldn’t define, while the mother had eyes only for her daughter. The couple both seemed to be restrained and quiet.

Not so her sister. Yaric knew that after giving up the family business to pursue her teaching passion, Amanda had found a job teaching in one of the very wealthy neighborhoods close to the estates. She didn’t hesitate to shout Lauren’s name and run to meet her. Yaric could see Lauren blushing from across the courtyard.

Sven had to wait a little longer, but his family had also had to travel for a few days to be there. Soon they walked in, and Yaric had to struggle to hold back a laugh.

There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that they were Sven’s family. The man who had to be his father was 6’5 and had a neatly trimmed beard. His mother was tall enough to stand up to his shoulder, but she actually reminded Yaric of Sven even more than the father did. Two brothers and a sister accompanied them, trailing behind and looking around with wide eyes.

No one would ever mistake them for anything other than nobility. Yaric knew of Barons who passed out drunk in taverns or threw wild parties, swearing like sailors and causing trouble wherever they went. The McDavid family were most certainly nothing like them. They all stood ramrod straight and held their heads high, which according to Sven, was something they were deliberately taught. Everything about them screamed aristocrat.

And yet they all appeared to be wearing cheap cloaks not much better than what a farm laborer would wear. Luckily, Yaric was close enough to see their clothing properly, and it was immediately apparent that the material used was very high quality. The cloaks were lined with luxurious fur on the inside and sat over finely stitched clothing. They had deliberately chosen clothing to try and blend in with the other families, yet the clothing did not define the man, and it showed.

Sven looked apologetically at Yaric, but Yaric just waved him on.

“Go. I’m fine, don’t make me the reason you wait.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Sven hurried away to shake his father’s hand and hug his mother. His siblings immediately started bombarding him with questions.

But Yaric was surprised to find that he wasn’t fine. Standing awkwardly to one side, he watched the last of his classmates run to their families, and suddenly he felt very exposed and isolated.

“Why are you standing down here? You lost?” a familiar voice asked.

Turning, Yaric saw Lloyd standing with a woman he had never met before.

“This is my friend, Mage Twyla Annika, a retired healer, and retired horticulturist before that.”

“Hello Yaric,” Twyla said, casually holding out her hand.

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Stop acting like you have a stick up your ass. Twyla is twice retired and does nothing but cook, she’s not a queen.”

Twyla’s eyebrows rose rapidly.

“She likely could have been, but she obviously chose not to.”

Lloyd led them off to the side, joining the other groups. “No reason to stand in the middle of the courtyard like that.”

“Well, this area isn’t meant for me,” Yaric retorted, carrying more heat than he’d intended.

Lloyd turned his head sharply, looking concerned. Like a bolt of lightning, Yaric remembered some of the stories Lloyd had told him before, and he immediately put two and two together, feeling very guilty. Lloyd’s reply only made it worse.

“Yes, it is. You’re a student here like any other. This is exactly where you’re meant to be,” he added gently.

Yaric nodded awkwardly, not knowing what to say. It was Twyla who stepped in to save Yaric, asking him questions about his last competition and making jokes at Lloyd’s expense. Yaric suspected that Lloyd’s earlier comment would come back to haunt him.

Other sponsors were joining the families as well. Some groups had parents practically interrogating their children, others had sponsors embarrassing them with boasts about their achievements. Yaric noticed several golden orbs of light projecting from some groups, no doubt from the trophies every Shadow had received earlier that year, now being shown off to amazed family members.

“Welcome to Lekton Academy,” Sandy said, magically projecting her voice across the courtyard to speak conversationally to everyone at once. “We have a greeting ceremony planned for everyone, along with refreshments, after which the rest of the morning will be for all of you to catch up with the students. If you will please follow us.”

It was almost like herding cats, with so many people far more interested in their children than going to get refreshments, but they slowly made their way through the campus, talking all the while. This was likely a regular occurrence, as the staff did not attempt to hurry them along. If anything, they seemed amused.

Their destination was likely specifically kept aside for formal ceremonies. The hall was massive. Thick square pillars of golden-brown wood stood against the stone walls, holding a large scaffolding above. Bronze domes reflected the flickering candlelight down on the amazed family members, despite the mage lights set into the walls. Four large fireplaces lined each side, all of them crackling merrily away. Even the tables seemed to glow, with large candles reflecting in the silver platters of food and the crystal glasses, or shining their flickering light through the red and amber drinks within large bottles and pitchers.

“On behalf of our Academy, I welcome you to our campus and thank you for taking the time to be here. The students amongst you have done us all proud, and later today we will be accepting them as full members of Lekton Academy. Each and every one of them has earned this privilege through hard work, skill, dedication, and good conduct. I’m sure you are just as proud as I am, if not more so.”

Many in the audience started clapping, and Yaric smiled when he saw that the occasional whistling that he heard over the applause all came from the adults. Red, blushing faces made it clear whose parents they were.

“And we also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you, the parents and family members of our soon-to-be Novice’s, for raising such fine young people. For all the time they’ve spent learning and training here, you built the foundations for their success. Who they are today, and how they’ve conducted themselves these past years, is as much a reflection on yourselves as it is on them.”

The staff and sponsors all started to clap now, along with more and more students.

“We are well aware that every minute spent talking is a minute we’re keeping you from catching up, so I will keep this short. Please enjoy our hospitality, everything you see before you is for your benefit. If any students would like to take you on a tour, please feel free, though I would ask that you are all back here by lunch as the demonstrations and acceptance ceremony will follow soon after. The small stones on the tables are for the students; they can channel through them to produce an arrow that will point right back here if you get lost. Please, enjoy your visit.”

With that, Sandy turned away, to small scatterings of applause that quickly died away as people started turning to those they’d come to visit.

“Want to take me on a tour?” Lloyd teased.

“He could probably do with one,” Twyla retorted, smacking Lloyd’s shoulder. “If they don’t serve food there, I doubt Lloyd has any idea it exists.”

“I’ll have you know, I’m a pillar of our community. This campus wouldn’t be what it is without…”

“The campus isn’t what it was, because of you. Or have you forgotten the house you…”

“This is Yaric’s day, don’t bore him with outlandish speculation.”

Twyla just smirked, and even Yaric smiled. Lloyd was normally on the other side of the argument.

“Seriously though, you should take one of the stones. They’re yours to keep.”

“So I can find the hall again?” Yaric asked, raising his eyebrows.

“No, so you can find Lekton again. Remember when you first ever channeled magic, back in Clery?”

Twyla looked concerned or guilty for a moment, but it disappeared just as quickly.

“Of course, I made the…” Yaric’s eyes grew wide as he trailed off.

“Yes, that was my stone from my own ceremony. It could be useful if you decide to hunt wild beasts one day. Or anything else that takes you out of the city, really.”

They spent almost an hour talking, mostly telling Twyla about some of the things Yaric had been up to, though he suspected that she already knew, as well as some of Twyla’s exploits. Apparently, she was only semiretired and still joined the response to any outbreak or plague. Twyla openly acknowledged that she wasn’t particularly good with injuries, but no virus or bacteria stood a chance against her. Her earlier background as a horticulturist also helped, as she spent much of her time making more basic remedies that anyone can use. Lloyd was quick to point out that she seldom charged for the work.

Twyla was telling Yaric a story about Lloyd answering a petition to investigate strange sightings in a faraway town, and how it took him four days to discover that it was children playing a prank, when Lauren and Li Na brought their families over.

“This is my mom and dad,” Lauren said, introducing her parents. “Robin,” her dad said, stepping forward to shake Yaric’s hand. “Amanda.” Yaric felt like an idiot when he started raising his hand just as Lauren’s mother stepped forward for a hug, but he awkwardly transitioned to a hug as well. Lauren looked just as embarrassed. “It’s a family tradition to name kids after their parents.”

Yaric’s eyes flicked to her sister, the other Amanda. He hadn’t even realized it yet. “I guessed as much,” Yaric replied.

“And that’s me,” Amanda Jnr added, shaking Yaric’s hand as well.

“Bruce and Jolene,” Li Na’s dad said, crushing Yaric’s hand in his own. “I ‘ear you helped ma daughter win ‘er competition.”

Yaric smirked and looked to Li Na, hoping to see her embarrassed by her father and trying to think of ways he could make it worse. She was grinning like a loon.

“Yes sir,” Yaric mumbled quietly, defeated.

Jolene waved from where she stood beside Jerold.

“Ahm,” Lloyd coughed from behind Yaric.

“Sorry,” Yaric exclaimed, jumping to the side to gesture to Lloyd and Twyla. “This is High Wizard Lloyd Chen, my sponsor, and his friend Mage Twyla Annika.”

“I know you,” Bruce said. “You fixed tha fightin’ between tha tanners.”

“I remember. The family causing the sabotage was arrested. I take it things have been going well since?”

“Been good,” Bruce replied, rubbing the back of his head. He started panning his eyes across everyone as if looking for someone. Li Na elbowed his side.

“We should find Sven,” Lauren said, already turning and dragging her mom behind her.

Sven was still with his family, this time joined by Mersha. Mersha wasted no time in introducing everyone, though she paused to allow Li Na and Lauren's parents to make their own introductions. In seconds, Sven's father, Bryson, had started a conversation with Bruce, while his mother Nancy joined Lauren's parents.

Erik and Otto, Sven's brothers, joined their mother, along with their sister Ella. They both started talking to Lauren, transparently flirting with her and sometimes even her older sister, but Ella seemed to have been expecting it. She enthusiastically started pointing out their boasting, ruthlessly asking what they really meant or if they were trying to hit on Sven’s friend. She eviscerated them so badly that they left to join their father, leaving a smiling sister to smirk in their wake. One look at how closely Li Na had moved to stand next to Sven, and they both chose to listen quietly.

Robin and Amanda both took the time to speak with Yaric as well, eventually inviting him to visit with Lauren. Li Na’s parents were much the same half an hour later, though Li Na kept interrupting with stories of Yaric’s misadventures.

Sven took his family to meet a few other people, while many others came around to introduce Yaric and the others. Cormac and Chelsea came together, as did Kayden, Marlon, and Kaylin, Yaric’s team during the last stand. Even Chris came past, looking awkward yet determined. His parents were surprisingly friendly, and vastly different to what Yaric had imagined after he'd first met Chris.

By mid-morning, Lauren and Li Na had dragged Ella and Amanda to one side. They already seemed to be good friends, though Ella chased her brothers away when they tried to join the group. Anton was talking with Bryson, along with Chris and his parents, and almost everyone was mixed up.

Yaric was talking to Robin when his arm was suddenly grabbed, and he found himself being dragged along by Li Na.

“What’s up?” he asked Li Na, as she pulled him to where the others were watching.

“I was wondering the same thing,” Ella said teasingly. “I thought this was girls only.”

“Relax, he’s one of us,” Li Na replied.

Yaric wrenched his arm free.

“What?!”

“Learn to take a compliment, sheesh.”

“She means that you won’t harass everyone like some others,” Lauren explained, though Li Na’s grin looked suspicious.

“Did you know that Yaric is one of the top archers in our year?” Li Na asked Ella.

“You shoot?” she asked excitedly.

“It’s one of my individual lessons,” Yaric replied.

“I shoot at a range as well, but horseback is the best. We go hunting in the forests on our lands. Have you ever shot on horseback while riding?”

“No, I’ve never seen that before.”

“It’s so different! It doesn’t matter if the target is stationary or if it’s moving, everything is different when you’re moving as well.”

“I’ve shot while moving before, I know what you mean. You have to compensate in whole new ways.”

“Yaric once jumped off a five-meter-high wall and shot two people while he was still in the air,” Li Na offered.

“How could he fall so far?” Ella asked incredulously.

“Magic.”

“That’s so cool! Sven never tells me this stuff!”

“He has a bow made from magic monsters.”

Li Na was grinning and glancing across at Lauren whenever she thought no one would notice. Lauren didn’t seem to be enjoying the conversation as much as the others.

They were interrupted when Bryson came to fetch his daughter. There were more people he wanted to introduce her to.

“Daddy, did Sven tell you that Yaric can shoot? He uses magic to jump and shoot people from the air!”

Amanda looked suspiciously between Li Na and her sister, eventually glancing at Yaric as well.

“Come,” Lloyd said from behind Yaric, making him jump. “Your friends Gerrick and Tracy both want to introduce you to their parents.”

Lloyd led Yaric away while Li Na carried on the conversation behind him. “What? There are lots of people here. You should do something before one of…”

Yaric ended up being introduced to several families, and he noticed that everyone who’d been a Shadow earlier in the year made a special effort to include all their former teammates.

Things settled down when people started taking seats at the various tables. Crackling fires in a warm hall gave the whole event a cozy atmosphere, along with so many families catching up. Yaric found himself taking a seat between Lloyd and Twyla before long, sitting at a large table with Lauren, Li Na, and Sven, along with their families.

“Look Lina,” Lauren whispered, though not so quietly that those around her couldn’t hear. “There’s Sven.”

“So?” Li Na had her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“There’s so many people here, you should – ow!” Lauren hissed, reaching both hands under the table.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you,” Li Na grinned.

Conversations continued all around the table while everyone had a late breakfast. Once they were done, Bruce and Bryson both suggested that they should get a tour, so they all agreed to go together. The weather had grown overcast again, but the walk was still pleasant. Yaric didn’t need to be there, as he had no one to show around, but Lloyd had joined them, and he pulled Yaric along.

Their dorm building was first, with everyone going off to their rooms to show their parents. Even Yaric had to give a small tour as Twyla insisted. She was very interested in his trophy, though Lloyd kept trying to show her Yaric’s armor.

Back in the central common room, many people were standing around the real flags that Shadow had captured, running their hands in and out of the solid-looking light. They were all appropriately impressed.

Training fields, classrooms, and even a library later, Lauren started leading everyone through parks and more scenic paths. There really wasn’t anything amazing to see in the part of the campus that they usually stayed in.

Lloyd insisted that Yaric use the compass to navigate back, which once again impressed the others. Very few people saw such visible signs of magic in their day-to-day lives. Li Na looked excited when she heard that they could all keep one, even Sven and Lauren looked interested. Light snow started to fall just as they arrived back at the hall.

Sandy was already back, and she didn’t wait for long.

“If everyone would please follow the staff down to the arena. The students have several demonstrations planned, after which the acceptance ceremony will begin. Please don’t worry about the weather. The heating enchantments are active, and we will have warm food and drinks for everyone.”

Yaric and the others jerked their heads up at the mention of heating enchantments.

“We have heating enchantments?” Li Na mouthed incredulously.

“In the meantime, if the students would please go back to their rooms and change, we will begin once you are all ready.”

The students all rushed outside and jogged back to their rooms. It didn’t take long for Yaric to change and don his armor. He joined his friends in a jog down to the arena where the family members were only just arriving.

They all smiled at the sight of the students in their armor. No one used Academy-provided armor anymore, as everyone had been gifted a set by their mentors by now. As such, there was a very wide variety on display, all fitted to the students and of high quality. It made for a very impressive sight.

The parents seemed to think so as well, as they quickly swarmed the students. For once, Yaric was almost happy that he was left alone, though he did spot Lloyd making his way toward him, no doubt to compliment his armor. He had to keep himself from laughing when he saw his friends.

Lauren had her mother fussing around her. She clearly knew nothing about the armor her daughter wore, but she was tucking the top and pulling pieces of cloth as she walked around Lauren. Lauren looked very embarrassed, but she didn’t do anything to stop her mom.

Li Na was in a similar situation. While Lauren’s hair was long enough to reach halfway down her back, she had it tied up behind her, and her mother just moved it to give herself access to Lauren's clothes. Li Na’s hair was so short she didn’t bother doing anything with it, yet that was what her mom was fussing with, raking it through her fingers and trying to style it. For her part, Li Na didn’t look bothered at all.

Sven stood stoically while his father inspected the actual armor, testing the fitting and making sure everything sat right. He nodded approvingly on occasion, and when he was done, he clapped Sven on the shoulder proudly. Nancy fiddled with Sven’s clothes the entire time.

“Nice armor,” Lloyd said when he arrived with Twyla in tow. “And an even nicer bow,” Lloyd added, pointing to the bow on his back, held in place with specially designed fittings that were part of the armor. It held the bow securely without swinging while also keeping the bowstring clear.

“We didn’t think to ask, but I hope you signed up for some of the demonstrations dear,” Twyla said, looking nervous.

“They made me,” Yaric replied, gesturing to his friends and making Twyla smile.

“Excellent! I’m sure you will put on a great performance!”

Family members were ushered to a specific section of the stands, sitting comfortably on heated seats that somehow warmed the air around them as well. Sponsors all sat on the stands opposite them, allowing the family members the opportunity to cheer for the students together, with the intended fields in between. The others went to collect their weapons and find pairs to fight. Although it wasn’t a Solstice Tournament, and there would be no knockouts, they would be following a similar format to the knockout rounds, rotating through matches, and facing new opponents each time.

Deafening cheers and screams met Yaric when they turned to walk onto the fields. No match had even started yet. With his shield strapped securely to his arm, Yaric stepped into an available field and found himself facing Chelsea. She also had a sword and shield.

It was hard fought. Chelsea’s short sword encouraged closer combat, including using your shield to press your opponent while making short thrusts with the sword, but Yaric was no longer the inexperienced fighter he had been.

His next fight was over very quickly, but he found himself on a field beside Lauren’s. Lauren was also armed with a sword and shield, though he knew she planned to change to a spear later on. Her fight was devastating; she completely dominated Anton.

Just two fights later, Yaric found himself next to Li Na. The fight started, and he was distracted almost immediately by a loud CLANG. Li Na had simply struck Kaylin’s shield with her mace, smashing it and sending Kaylin flying. By the time Yaric glanced over to her fight, Li Na was already posing with her mace over her shoulder.

Furious conversations took place in the short gaps between fights. Anyone who didn’t feel like they had put on a good showing wanted to try and make better matchups for themselves, and Yaric was pleased to see that many were very happy to help. No one did anything to throw a fight, but matching against an easier weapon combo or even finding someone who just wasn’t quite as good became very sought after.

Yaric fought in twenty match-ups before they were sent to get drinks while the obstacle course was put up. The noise accompanying his last match was just as loud as during the first. Somehow the entire obstacle course was put up in the time it took for everyone to help themselves to a drink.

Racing through a course set up in the middle of the arena was fun, and Yaric even had a moment to see Lloyd and Twyla cheering him on from where the sponsors all sat. Cresting the top of an 8-meter-high wall, Yaric paused to look left, where the family members all sat. He’d hoped to catch a glimpse of his friends’ parents cheering them on, but his face turned red when he made eye contact with Ella just before he made the jump. She was very obviously cheering for him.

Sixth place wasn’t bad with such a large field. True, Yaric never won any section, but while others all had sections where they excelled, Yaric was at least in the top ten – for every section of the course. Five laps had been enough for a lot of excitement, with tumbles and falls, spectacular leaps, and impossible-looking climbs.

The end of the course was followed by a short lunch while the snow started falling harder, enough to start collecting noticeably on the ground. Only the students were bothered, as everyone else had heated seats that controlled the temperature around them. Yaric couldn’t help but wonder how many parents thought that they received luxuries like that while they were learning.

Archery was the first display. Neither the 30-meter nor the 50-meter competitions were much of a challenge for Yaric, though Yaric did look forward to the moving targets. With hard clay objects launched into the air by mages, Yaric got to really show off the power of his bow. No unconnected could hope to handle the draw weight, but basic augmentation allowed Yaric to draw his bow without any problems.

The increase in power was drastic. Many spectators gasped when his arrow streaked across the arena, barely visible and striking the target so quickly that there had barely been any drop. His bow was still humming when the last fragment hit the ground. Higher velocity arrows meant a flatter trajectory to any particular target, which Yaric took full advantage of. And it looked impressive as well.

Lloyd was clearly using magic to amplify his shouts. Yaric had just turned away after finishing when movement from the far end caught his eye. One of the clay targets had lifted into the air and started to sparkle, catching everyone’s attention. As Yaric turned to look, the target started flying toward him. He pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, and drew, all in one smooth motion. Then he let his arrow fly, smashing right through the target which shattered to pieces and fell to the floor.

Yaric didn’t hesitate. He immediately spun on his heel to glare at Lloyd, who just clapped with an innocent look on his face. Many of the mages and wizards around Lloyd were staring at him in shock, even Twyla. But they didn’t look surprised or upset, instead, they all looked amazed. Lloyd didn’t acknowledge any of them, not even Twyla when she started prodding his shoulder.

The others all took their own turns. Most were demonstrations of various forms, which Yaric had to admit looked impressive when performed alone in the middle of the arena, surrounded by cheering spectators. It was amazing how simply changing the atmosphere changed the entire feel of everyday exercises.

Sven made several demonstrations, but Yaric, Li Na, and Lauren joined him for a squad exercise, where Sven led them through several complicated maneuvers. They even simulated responding to a second attack from the rear, reminding Yaric of their expedition against the kobolds.

Exhibition fights were next.

Everything was always set up to be difficult in some way, usually by fighting two or more at the same time. None of the fights would be a simple one on one. Which was likely why they all received medallions for these fights, instead of relying on referees. Though they never had any problems usually.

‘I bet they think it will look more impressive.’

It did. Gerrick went first, wielding an impressive-looking war axe. He smashed through the first shield, much like Li Na had been doing, but this time a familiar crimson shield lit up when Marlon went flying. Gerrick went right through the two-man shield wall.

Chris followed with another good show. He also had an axe, though it was smaller and held in one hand. He accompanied it with a large tower shield, which he maneuvered to keep himself covered at all times, all the while hacking away at his three opponents with his free hand. He had several close calls, and Yaric was sure he would lose, but he still came away with a win, much to everyone’s excitement. It seemed that the spectators enjoyed the closer, more tense fights.

Student after student went up to face their friends. Lauren awww’d when Cormac and Chelsea went up together, teaming up to fight against five others. Both had bows, but as soon as the remaining four drew close, Cormac dropped his to take up a spear and shield, stepping forward to cover Chelsea while she continued to fire arrows at heads, feet, or anything else exposed. They went down to their last opponent, when Anton sacrificed himself to allow Kayden to take Cormac out. Armed with just a bow, Chelsea followed soon after.

Li Na’s exhibition was a disaster. But it was a Li Na disaster, so everything worked out for her.

With a metal-faced shield on her left arm and her favorite mace in her right hand, Li Na sauntered onto the field. Gerrick was facing off against her with his massive axe, this time as an opponent. Delmar stood with a bow, and Tracy wielded a long sword. They had all decided to forego taking a shield. Who knows why?

Three fighters formed a rough triangle around Li Na, with Delmar standing much further back with his bow. They paused to nod to each other, and Li Na waved to her parents, then the fight began.

Dashing right, Li Na moved to engage Gerrick. It would have been a smart move, as it brought her shield between herself and Delmar’s bow while allowing her to quickly improve her odds if she succeeded. But it was a feint, as Li Na actually intended to charge down the archer first.

Unfortunately she slipped. Li Na’s foot slid over the snow when she tried to stop the feint and change direction, putting her horribly out of position with her shield arm extending in front of her to keep her balance, exposing her left side just as Delmer loosed his first arrow.

The best move would be to simply pull her elbow back and take the arrow square on the shield, accepting an embedded arrow. But that wasn’t good enough for Li Na. Swinging her hand out wide, Li Na swiped her shield across her body with the shield angled sharply.

It was a horrible decision. The angle drastically reduced the coverage provided by the shield, and the swinging motion meant that the shield only covered her for a moment before continuing past. There would only be a fraction of a second where the flight of the arrow was blocked.

PING!

The arrow glanced off Li Na’s shield as she sprang forward, charging toward Delmar. She didn’t even see the deflected arrow continue past her to strike Tracy in the chest, just above her diaphragm. The whole crowd went silent for a moment while Li Na closed the gap, then utterly exploded when Tracy dropped, covered in a red glow.

Yaric stared open-mouthed at her ridiculous luck. To everyone watching, it seemed like Li Na had deliberately deflected an arrow into a second opponent.

Li Na made a small hop when Delmar released a second arrow, pulling her legs up behind her shield. The anticipated arrow flashed below her. Reaching him, Li Na lunged forward, putting her shield so close in front of the next arrow that it struck before leaving the bowstring, not even leaving a mark.

One strike was all it took.

Spinning around and swinging her shield in a nearly identical fashion to earlier, Li Na braced for her last two opponents. Only Gerrick was still standing.

This fight was more difficult, as Gerrick was a monster with his axe, but the very first time he tried to block with the haft, Li Na changed the trajectory to target the haft directly, shattering the wood. Gerrick leaped back and took a knee, submitting immediately.

“GET ‘EM, PRINCESS!”

“THAT’S MY GIRL!”

Li Na’s parents were going crazy, screaming at the top of their lungs. With a wave and a smile just as wide as her parents’, Li Na skipped over to Tracy to help her up and then joined her friends, where she quietly started trying to tease out why Tracy had been on the floor.

Yaric was up soon after. He didn’t have anyone to put on an exhibition match for, but he was doing it to support his friends. Unfortunately, he’d made the same mistake as many others. Despite his initial plans to fight unarmed, the people who had agreed to fight him worked together to change his mind. His opponents had all volunteered, and two of them were fine. He had no problem fighting Kaylin with her sword and shield, and it was the same for Vano with his spear. But he’d also thought that fighting a large opponent with an even larger axe would look very impressive, so he found himself stuck with Gerrick, now wielding a new axe and looking for blood.

Gerrick was in a very good mood, and not upset in any way, but his desire to win his next fight had clearly risen if his expression was anything to go by.

Glancing at the stands, Yaric felt slightly hollow when he saw that Lloyd had already left, along with Twyla. He’d just assumed that Lloyd would at least be watching.

His opponents took their places. Kaylin took the center with her shield raised. Vano stood to the left with his spear, Yaric’s right, while Gerrick took the right, giving himself a little more room than Vano did.

Right from the start Yaric copied Li Na’s feint, but he followed through, using his shield to protect him from Kaylin and several meters of space to keep him safe from a giant axe. That’s not to say that Vano was an easy target, far from it.

The dwarf seemed to float backward, making it difficult for Yaric to get past the spearhead and threatening to put Kaylin behind him if he advanced too far. Fighting a dwarf with a spear was never easy. Spears were always anchored to the hip, but Vano’s shorter stature put that anchor much lower than usual. The sharper upward angle of the spear was much harder to defend against, and Vano had an easier time striking low.

Despite this, Yaric still managed to lunge past the spearhead, augmenting himself to move forward much faster than Vano could move backward. With Vano down, Yaric turned just in time to deflect Kaylin. He dodged Garrick and shifted to put them in each other’s way, then continued his attack.

He’d scored a strike on Kaylin’s sword arm, leaving her with just her shield, when Gerrick landed a blow on Yaric’s shield, splintering it and lifting Yaric off his feet. He would have been out if he hadn’t managed to reinforce his arm in time.

Kaylin moved forward to strike him with her shield, but Yaric was in a better condition than she’d expected, having allowed his shield to slide off his arm and now holding his sword with both hands. Stepping deftly to the side, Kaylin extended herself too far past him, allowing Yaric to strike over the shield and into her neck.

She dropped to the floor, covered in a glowing red shield, just as something glanced hard off Yaric’s shoulder and whistled past his ear.

“Non-fatal, not debilitating!” the referee called.

Yaric turned to see Gerrick standing unarmed. Looking over his shoulder, he was just in time to see the great axe plow into the built-up snow.

“Damn!”

Gerrick took a knee for the second time in an hour.

Loud cheering distracted Yaric. Despite being alone now, Yaric still appreciated the acknowledgment. He looked over to the other side, where the family members were seated. His friends had only just introduced him to their families earlier that day, but they were all cheering louder than the others.

Bryson and Nancy were standing with their kids. Bruce and Jolene were jumping and screaming like they did for Li Na. Robin and Amanda clapped enthusiastically, standing as well, right beside a small white banner.

Yaric’s breath caught.

Lloyd and Twyla had moved to the family area. Each held one arm out, extending away from the center and holding up a large white banner that simply said ‘Yaric’ across the front. Squinting, Yaric could make out a smaller line below. “Lloyd’s other student.”

He had to swallow to get rid of the weird lump that formed in his throat while he walked back to his friends. They all congratulated him on his win, including Lauren, who oddly hugged him and held him for a moment.

Then Lauren went up for her fight, carrying her spear. She faced off against three other spears, and despite their skill and the difficulty, Lauren made it look easy. Not only was she also one of the few to win their exhibition match, but she looked like she could have faced four or even five. She couldn’t, and she was hard-pressed the entire time, but there was also a reason why she was the best in their year with a spear.

Her second exhibition match was much more difficult. All three had swords and shields this time, and Lauren’s opening attack failed to eliminate the first as she’d hoped. Under pressure and finding herself between them, she took a hit to her leg that left her crippled just before she finally managed to slip her sword past an out-of-position shield. The next two minutes were long and desperate, with Lauren outclassing Serina but hobbled by her injury. Serina targeted Lauren’s good leg while simultaneously bashing her with the shield. Lauren fell back and submitted, unable to get up.

Sven was the only idiot who fought against four. His lone shield faced off against two pairs that lined up close to each other, the blades of their swords peeking around.

When the fight started, both sides approached cautiously, but Sven soon charged. He changed his target twice, then began to use his greater mobility to outflank the line. They were restricted by their plan to maintain a formation, which proved to be a mistake.

Sven was able to once again change targets, knocking the second in the line back into the two behind him, then turning to face the first. The fight was fast and brutal.

The next three seemed more difficult, even if they were down a man. They certainly abandoned the formation they’d been using, spreading out instead to fight individually. Sven kept shifting his position, moving to use his opponents as obstructions for their friends. Each step involved lifting his foot past his other knee, repeatedly allowing him to avoid low slashes that he hadn’t seen coming. His positioning and footwork were masterful, making him almost impossible to hit while occasionally giving him his own opportunities.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the fight drew on, watching one close call after another. Finally, caught between Sven and his two teammates, the second fighter went down, leaving Sven fighting against only two more while his parents leaped from their seats.

The fight continued for a few seconds more, though this time it was Sven’s opponents who were able to maneuver around him, as it was next to impossible to force just two people to get in each other’s way. Finally, they managed to attack from opposite sides at the same time. Sven still managed to deflect both attacks, simultaneously using his sword on one side and his shield on the other. Then he did it again, but was forced into a position that left him exposed. Faced with certain defeat, Sven opted to try and take one of them with him, successfully deflecting an attack and slipping his sword through to strike the heart, just as another sword stabbed him in the back.

Sven went down, but you wouldn’t know it from how every spectator cheered. The final fight had been one of the highlights, and everyone knew it.

With that, the fights and demonstrations were over. The whole class welcomed Sven when he rejoined them, eventually lifting him on their shoulders. More and more people were lifted up, only to be put down for someone else to replace them.

A group of wizards and mages approached, causing them to go quiet. Walking amongst the students, they handed out thick, short rods, along with strict instructions to not channel any arcana until they were told to, and when they did, they were to hold them above their heads, pointing up into the sky.

Sandy stood up from her seat in the stands with the other sponsors.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for allowing these students to put on their display.”

More applause interrupted her, but Sandy only smiled.

“Now we would like you to observe as the students are officially welcomed as full members at Lekton Academy. They joined us as Prospects, and while it is an unofficial title, two years ago they also became Initiates, when they first started to practice their magic. From today, these students will take up the mantle of Novice. It is a great honor, but also a grave responsibility.

“Every arcanist has a duty to the Kingdom, just as all of you do as well. By joining our ranks, they will have a great many more duties. In return, they will also receive a great many more opportunities, not least of which is the service they will provide to so many others. Accepting their new titles will mean accepting these additional duties, and all the expectations that come with them.

“It is also a display of our trust. Henceforth, every action they take, both good and bad, will reflect directly on our Academy. Every achievement is shared by all. We will be held responsible, and we will be held accountable. That is our responsibility, and with these students before us, one we wholeheartedly accept.

“You have all shown yourselves worthy. Your performance has been exemplary, your growth unparalleled, and your conduct beyond reproach. As full members of Lekton Academy, a vast collection of resources is now at your disposal. Your opportunities are infinite. Your futures are now in your hands.

“And to your families, please join us in welcoming our newest seventh-year class, and our newest Novice’s. Welcome!”

People had just started clapping when Yaric heard ‘now’ whispered in his ear. The reactions from those around him indicated that they’d heard the same. Raising his rod into the air, Yaric started to channel arcana through it. He watched with interest, unsure what it would do.

Pop!

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Pop! Pop!

Balls of light erupted all around him, whistling into the grey sky. Soon fireworks began to bloom high above, detonating in multicolored explosions of sparks and light. The depressing sky turned into a fantastic background that highlighted the brilliant colors.

Seeing Li Na with her eyes crunched in concentration and her rod popping off faster than anyone else’s, Yaric shook her to get her attention, at the same moment as Sven.

“Hey, you’ll miss the show if you keep your eyes closed.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Li Na joined the others in watching the mesmerizing show high above their heads. No one looked away for a moment, not even when Li Na’s arm dropped slightly to angle a shot of the stands where the sponsors sat.

“We’re proper students now,” Sven whispered, slightly louder than normal to be heard over the still clapping family members.

“Yeah, we’re gonna learn magic.”

“And we’re going to have new subjects,” Lauren added quietly, still staring up at the sky with the others.

“It will be the same as with the competition,” Yaric sighed, his eyes still fixed on the fireworks high above them.

Everyone dropped their heads to stare inquisitively at Yaric.

“We’re going to break more records and kick more ass.”

“Yeah!”