Dante stared at the cold, silver like substance at his feet. It weaved through his legs like a curious animal, sliding along happily, casually brushing up against his skin like a cat looking for attention. A giggle escaped his lips at the ridiculous thought. The odd puddle stopped and looked up at the sound. Dante laughed. “Definetly like a cat!” He thought to himself. He reached down and the silvery substance rubbed against his hand. Dante smiled wider as he crouched down to give the creature a scratch.

After the puddle received enough attention, a small amount of silvery liquid separated and slid onto Dante’s hand. The boy stood, watching as the liquid danced about on his palms. He watched as his reflection turned and twisted on the surface of the odd creature. His plain brown eyes stared back at him, as his lightly tanned skin and mop of black hair contorted into odd and hilarious shapes.

“Hello, my name's Dante. What's your name?” The boy asked his new friend. The puddle calmed significantly, staring back at Dante. He was greeted be a quiet, almost shy like feminine voice resonating from the creature.

“Hello Dante, I am Essence.”

Dante’s smile faltered as he felt a sudden current pulling at his waist. He looked down and saw the silver substance rushing by. He looked around and realized he was standing in the middle of a silver river, and the current was getting stronger.

Dante threw his hands out for balance, sudden fear striking the boy. Like many people born inside the Tower of Metris, Dante didn’t know how to swim.

The river climbed higher and fear had all but paralyzed the boy. When the river reached his shoulders, his feet began to slip and a moment later, he was being dragged under the current.

Dante was swept along and the muffled roar of the river surrounded him. His thoughts raced and he kicked his legs desperately, trying to reach the surface. The speed of the currents soon slowed, the roar of the currents fading away and Dante found himself slowly sinking in a sea of silver. His arms and legs were tired and he realized that he would drown if someone didn’t help him.

“Help me!” Dante pleaded.

“I am helping you.” Answered Essence.

“I’m drowning. I can’t swim.” Dante thought.

“Breathe Dante. I won’t hurt you.” Essence replied kindly.

Dante wanted to believe but was too scared. As he sank, the sea of silver became darker and darker. He could feel his lungs burning from lack of air.

“…Dante…”

A voice called out to him. It was different than Essence’s voice but still familiar.

“…Dante…”

The voice echoed and Dante tried to force his eyes open but they were heavy and Dante was so very tired.

“DANTE!”

Dante snapped awake to the sounds of fourteen laughing classmates and one irate teacher. Sitting up, he noticed a puddle of drool on his desk and quickly wiped his forearm across his mouth. Miss Telis stood at the front of the classroom, rubbing her temples. She brushed her blonde curls from her face and looked at Dante with her vivid pink irises.

“Dante, I swear I could set my watch by your naps.” She said tiredly.

Dante felt his cheeks heat up as the class was thrown into another giggling fit. Dante had been falling asleep in class for the past month. He had no idea as to why he was suddenly so tired in the mornings.

Ferris, one of Dante’s closest friends and his roommate, decided to try and help him out.

“It’s not his fault Miss Telis.” Ferris said. “Dante even skipped dinner last night to go to bed early.” Dante scowled at him. He would have sounded a lot more convincing if he wasn’t trying to hold back his own laughter.

“Alright, settle down students.” Miss Telis called out. “Now that Dante has joined us, we can continue. The Tower of Metris is one of fifty-six towers across Kahlea. They average between five to ten miles in diameter and rise up to over a mile in height. How many people live in our tower?”

Hands rose and Miss Telis pointed towards the front.

“Kelsi, go ahead and answer.” Miss Telis said.

Kelsi, Dante’s other close friend, stood at her desk.

“Approximately one point two million, Miss Telis.” Kelsi answered before sitting back down.

Miss Telis nodded. “Correct. Now, how does the tower support that many people?” Hands raised again. Miss Telis pointed to Ferris and he stood to answer.

“The dungeons under each tower provide us with a number of valuable resources. Essence crystals from the dungeons provide us with energy to sustain the tower, enchant armor and provide us light.” Ferris pointed at the essence crystal lamps that hung from the ceiling. “We also gather a number of items from the dungeons such as rare ores, plants and components from the monsters and beast that grow there.” Ferris sat back down.

“Very good Ferris, but you missed one important detail.” Miss Telis said.

The class looked around confused. Dante was confused as well. Ferris had given a word-perfect answer. He quickly raised his hand.

“Miss Telis, what detail?” Dante asked.

Miss Telis smiled. She always did this when teaching the students something new. Like she was holding a secret. Luckily, she didn’t make the students wait too long.

“Essence density.” Miss Telis said. After a few moments of silence, she continued. “Essence density is a natural product of being near a dungeon. The closer you are to a dungeon, the more saturated the surrounding area is. All towers are built on top of these dungeons, meaning that there are several times more essence density in the towers than anywhere else on Kahlea.”

Miss Telis turned to the crystal board set into the wall. The clear crystal took up most of the wall and was surround by enchantments etched in steel and filled in with gold. The crystal board lit up showing a map of Kahlea, marking each tower across the expanse of the world.

“Here are the fifty-six towers across Kahlea.” Miss Telis said. “And here,” She pressed the screen. “are the Kingdoms of our ancestors from before the towers were built.”

The map filled with several different kingdoms spanning across the map. Where there was nothing but wild forests, rivers and mountains, now stood kingdoms branching out across all of Kahlea.

“Now,” Miss Telis said turning to face the class. “why do we live in the Towers instead of out on the land like our ancestors did?”

The class remained silent. Miss Telis look turned serious.

“To survive.” She said simply. The students still looked confused so she tried to explain. “Why are all children sent to the Academy?” She pointed to another boy towards the front.

“To train and become Adventurers.” He said.

“And why must every student become an Adventurer?” She asked pointing to another student.

“It’s the law. Every citizen has to spend a number of years being an Adventurers in order to cull the dungeons so it’s safe.” She said.

Miss Telis nodded. “And what would happen if the people of Kahlea were spread out still, like our ancestors?” Silence filled the room. “We would die. With no one to continuously cull the dungeons, monsters and beasts would grow in power and leave the dungeon, sweeping over the land and destroying everything they found.”

Kelsi quickly raised her hand. “But what about the Adventurers? They had to have had them during those times.”

“Yes, there were Adventures back then, but not nearly enough.” Miss Telis answered. Seeing the stares her students gave her, she pressed on. “Essence density provides us with another resource. A resource more valuable than essence crystals or rare plants. It provides us with Mages.

“During our ancestor’s times, Mages accounted for one out of every one thousand people. Living in an Essence dense area, as we do now, makes it so everyone becomes a Mage. Mage and non-Mage Adventures would travel across Kahlea, fighting in dungeons, gaining wealth and fame, but there were simply not enough Adventurers to properly cull the dungeons. When the relationship between essence density and new mages being born was discovered, the towers were built, ensuring our survival. A Mage Adventurer is more powerful than a non-Mage Adventurer and still it is a dangerous profession.”

That was one detail that the students understood all too well. Another product of Adventuring is death and dead Adventurers created a lot of orphans, which is what these students were. Orphanages were common in every tower. The law stated that any child under the age of thirteen was to be stripped of their home, possessions and family name in the event of their parent’s death. It was a harsh rule, but it could ensure the survival of these children.

It is an unpleasant truth that a child of a wealthy family could be taken advantage of if their parents died or that many children would end up living homeless, dying in the streets. The tower’s solution was to provide protection. They would be cared for, clothed, fed and then sent to the Academy where they could make a new name for themselves.

Dante had never known his parents. He was given to the orphanage as a babe so he didn’t feel quite so bad about being an orphan, but as he looked at the class, he noticed the tears that were shed. Not every student came to the orphanage never knowing their parents.

Miss Telis let the children have a moment. It could be thought of as cruel to dredge up these memories but as a former Adventurer, she knew well that her students needed to face those feelings now instead of one day in a dungeon where they could die at a moment of hesitation.

“Alright, moving on.” Miss Telis said, snapping the children out of their thoughts. “Essence Farms. Each farm in the tower provides enough food to feed three hundred thousand people every cycle. This is because Life Mages are essential for quickly growing the crops. How many Life Mages need to be employed by each farm?”

Slowly, hands started to raise and Miss Telis was able to pull the children back to their usual selves.

“Gods dammit, stew again!” Ferris moaned overdramatically as he sat next to Dante and Kelsi. “Look, I’ve eaten so much stew, I’m turning the same color.” Ferris pointed to his dark brown skin.

Dante looked at his friend in amusement. Ferris was darker skinned than most people in the orphanage but it wasn’t actually odd. The tower held a mix of different looking people. Something to do with many people from different lands coming together. Ferris was also larger than any boy of twelve had the right to be. He stood a foot taller than Dante and Dante was slightly taller than everyone else in their class. Ferris threw a quick smirk at his friends. Dante shook his head while Kelsi rolled her eyes, but they still smiled at Ferris’ attempt at humor. Dante turned back to his lunch, hungry from skipping dinner and missing breakfast.

Ferris laughed. “Dante, I don’t think you can actually breathe stew. If you pass out, I’ll have to ask Jasmi to give you mouth to mouth.”

Dante coughed as his meal went down the wrong pipe. Ferris laughed again and slapped him on the back. Dante could only manage a weak scowl at his friend.

“You know, I think she does like you.” Kelsi said teasingly. “Why don’t you ask her to go for a walk around the gardens.”

Dante rolled his eyes. Jasmi was one of the newest arrivals at the orphanage. For some reason, she continued to compete with him during their field training. At first, Dante didn’t mind the attention. Jasmi was athletic, almost as tall as him and had dark red hair, which according to Kelsi, was rare. But her competitive streak tended to cause problems, such as when she bumped into Dante, knocking him off the obstacle course. He had almost broken his leg and then Jasmi got mad at him for falling. No, Dante would not ask her for a walk in the gardens. She might push him into a rose bush.

It wasn’t hard to avoid her though as most of their field training consisted of three man teamed mock battles. Kelsi, Dante and Ferris had been on the same team for three years, ever since Kelsi first showed up at the orphanage. She had immediately taken charge of the group and was a natural leader. Ferris, due to his size, had been their Tank, fighting at the front. Although Kelsi continuously complained, Ferris would never use a shield, instead preferring a large, two-handed sword. That left Dante as the main attacker. He found out early on that he was exceptionally good with weapons. He normally used a staff in order to stay safely out of range of Ferris’ wide swings, but he could use any of the training weapons at the orphanage and occasionally tried new combinations of weapons just to see what would happen.

“So,” Ferris began, as he tore a bite out of his bread. “What affinities are you both hoping for?

Dante and Kelsi both snorted. It was Ferris’ favorite question. He was absolutely ecstatic about magic and the fact that their affinity test was drawing near made him insufferable. Oddly enough, he would change his answers from week to week, citing effective uses for each affinity.

Kelsi eyed her friend, casually brushing her long, black hair from her porcelain like skin. “The real question is, what are you hoping for this week?”

Ferris smiled. “I have been reading up on Metal affinities. Not only can they make their weapons sharper than normal, they can also decrease the weight, making even plate armor feel like leather. There’s also a Metal Mage in the Tower of Cohlest that can turn part of their body into steel!”

Dante pushed his tray away with a satisfied sigh and looked to his friend. “Why wouldn’t you just wear armor since it’s lighter anyways? No use turning your body to steel.”

Ferris opened and closed his mouth, trying to find a retort. Dante just grinned at his friend, thinking he was doing a good impression of a fish.

“What about you Kelsi?” Dante asked. “Still hoping for the Water affinity?”

Kelsi nodded. “Pretty much. Although Life or Enchanting would be amazing as well. As long as it’s not Death.”

Dante’s smile faltered a little when she had brought up the Death affinity. Death Mages work their magic through memories. He didn’t think Kelsi could handle having to be constantly reminded of her late parents. Life Mage or Water Mage would be perfect for her though. She wasn’t a natural leader because she was bossy or mean. She was a natural leader because of her situational awareness. She could move their team through fights like pieces on a chess board. A ranged ability would fit her perfectly.

Ferris elbowed Dante in the side. “And what about you?”

Dante winced. He had thought about it for awhile now and decided that he really did know what he wanted. He was just worried his friends would laugh at him.

“I want the Essence affinity.” Dante answered quietly.

Ferris and Kelsi just stared at him in shock. Essence Mages weren’t bad, they were just really rare. Every Essence Mage in history had accomplished some amazing feat. The fact that there hadn’t been an Essence Mage in a few hundred years didn’t help either.

Dante knew how affinities were gifted. Every affinity was chosen to match the traits of the Mage. If you were passionate, you had a good chance at becoming a Fire Mage. If you enjoyed attention, you had a chance of becoming a Song or Light Mage. If you liked to make things explode or didn’t like your eyebrows, you had a good chance to become an Alchemist. But no one, including Dante, knew what you needed to become an Essence Mage.

“Dante.” Ferris said with suspicious concern. “I don’t think you can become and Essence Mage. You are far too short.”

Dante sighed. “Ferris, I’m the second tallest kid in our class. Exactly what height requirement would be needed?”

Ferris grinned. “Well if you go by the stories, apparently all Essence Mages were ten feet tall and rode around on dragons.”

Dante snorted.

“How would you even become an Essence Mage?” Kelsi asked.

“I don’t know.” Dante said with a shrug. “I have been having constant dreams about Essence. Maybe that could mean something.”

The excuse felt weak to Dante. Every child dreamed about becoming an Essence Mage. They were Heroes of legend. There was no chance an orphan would become one.

RING!

The bell rang announcing the end of lunch and all three of them had to hurry towards field training or they would be late. They put away their trays and raced for the field, the prior conversation already forgotten.

Miss Telis quietly fidgeted outside of the Directors office. She had requested the transfer months ago but the risk of her being discovered was still there. It wasn’t unheard of for teachers to transfer to the Academy, but if they dug deeply enough, it might raise questions she would rather avoid.

She paced back and forth, thinking on the promise she had made. Surrounded by the bodies of her fallen teammates, holding her dying friend in her arms, she had listened to her friends last words. “Watch over him.” Her friend had begged.

Telis didn’t care about the Tower’s Laws at that moment. Nothing could keep her from fulfilling that promise. She had planned for years and bribed many people in order to keep that promise, but there was still a chance she could be discovered. She had been very careful, but no amount of planning was infallible.

The door opened and a short, portly man in a black and gold robe smiled as he waved the teacher in.

“Stephanie! Good to see you. I trust you’re here about your transfer?” Director Jessen asked.

Stephanie Telis smiled at the Director. He was a good man, a hard worker and utterly incorruptible. She couldn’t bribe her way into the Academy. Even if it was planned and timed perfectly, she could fail to be granted the transfer. She felt sick to her stomach.

“Yes, Director Jessen.” She said politely. “Were there any problems?”

“Problems?” Jessen asked confused. “Why would there be a problem?”

Stephanie Telis felt a quick stab of fear. She was nervous and had asked a stupid question that could potentially unravel years of work. She could feel her stomach tying in knots but she quickly smiled and rolled her eyes playfully.

“Well, I am younger than most transfers and I only handled a single class.” Miss Telis said. “So, I thought they might not except a transfer.”

Director Jessen gave a laugh and waved away her worries. She took a relieved breath but hid it well.

“Oh, that’s not a problem at all.” The Director said. “You are more than qualified to teach at the Academy and staying in the same class for seven years is not for everyone.”

The director handed over a file sitting on his desk.

“Here are your transcript papers. They will expect you on sixth day to get up to speed before the new year starts up. I hope you enjoy the Academy Stephanie, but you are always welcome to come back.”

She shook his hand, thanking him and headed back to her room to get packed. Under her confident walk and easy smile, her heart was beating a mile a minute. “That was too close.” she thought to herself.