Ferris concentrated on his hand as wisps of air started forming into a sphere. His brow beaded with sweat as the small sphere became more coherent. He had tuned out the other students. Their voices fading in the backdrop of his mind. He watched the swirling vortex solidify as he struggled to remain in control. With a slight shimmering flash, the sphere of wind was complete. The small force was brought under his control and he smiled in satisfaction.

“Well done Ferris!” Shouted Ferris’s Wind Instructor. Instructor Alec Lightfoot was an excitably old mage who had more energy than most of the students present. His weathered olive skin and thinning black hair just led to a comical view as he literally flew around his students like a featherless humming bird. Instructor Lightfoot moved in abrupt patterns as he attempted to study Ferris’s Wind Sphere from all angles.

“Thank you, Instructor!” Ferris said as he smiled from ear to ear. He had successfully completed the sphere, though it had taken him a month to do so.

The Instructor landed in front of Ferris and appraised the youth. “Are you ready to try more, my boy?”

Ferris let the Wind Sphere dissipate. “Absolutely Sir!”

Instructor Lightfoot nodded and before Ferris knew it, the Instructor had a large Wind Sphere covering his body.

“The next step is more like a huge leap. Now you must construct the Wind Sphere around your entire body. The trick is that the sphere is actually a shell or barrier if you will. There is no use conjuring a bubble of protection if you only end up dizzy and sick on the inside.” The Instructor cackled.

Ferris chuckled in response to his Instructors attitude and went back to work.

Kelsi finished the chapter she was reading. She jotted down a few notes and then looked towards the potted plant in front of her. It was a simple daisy but the simplicity of it also added to the beauty of the small flower. Kelsi reached out with her senses, feeling the structure of the plant. She could feel the roots surrounded by cold, wet soil and the process in which they gathered the water and nutrients. As simple as this flower was, the structure was complex. Still, she extended her life magic into the plant, willing it to grow stronger, taller and more vibrant. The changes were subtle but Kelsi was able to watch the change before her very eyes as the plant grew an inch in height. The stem thickened and the petals had grown slightly more vibrant.

She slowly sighed, rubbing her temples as Instructor Hendy spoke up.

“That is very good Kelsi.” Instructor Hendy said in her kind and matronly voice. Instructor Hendy was in her mid-thirties with smooth tan skin and dark brown hair. Her kind face and larger figure made everyone think of her as a mother hen. Kelsi smiled as she looked up to her Instructor.

“Thank you, Instructor, but that little bit of magic already has me drained.” Kelsi said, a little disappointment in her voice.

Instructor Hendy tsked at her student’s self-scrutiny.

“Growing will always take more effort than destroying. A Life Mage’s greatest asset is ability to use large stores of Life magic. This exercise is about growing your limits. Only through constant strain can it grow, just like the muscles in your body when you physically train. Keep at it and put that self-doubt out of your mind.” Instructor Hendy said with a wink and moved on to check on her other students.

Kelsi focused on the daisy again.

Gretta held the violin firmly against her neck. With a long pull of the bow, the strings produced a high-pitched sound that bounced off the walls of the soundproof room. Over and over, her fingers pressed down on the strings and she slowly hummed along with the tune she was playing.

Her fingers were sore from the constant playing, her calluses hadn’t properly been built up yet. Her neck and chin had slight bruises from where her pale skin held the violin. The sound that was produced was constantly out of tune and her rhythm was slow but she pushed forward undeterred.

Song Mages or Bards if they used an instrument, could do a number of amazing things to support their team. They could counter spells that affected the mind, put terror into the enemy’s hearts as well as confuse or incapacitate them. She could bolster her allies and even lull someone to sleep. All of those skills could save a team from certain death if the Mage was capable and as of now, she was not very capable, but she would be.

She started the song over again and focused on her magic instead of the notes. Slowly, the song started to come together. Not perfectly, but better than her previous attempts. The notes blended together and her magic flowed through the strings and into the air.

A sharp sting hit her as a string cut through her finger. Being torn out of her trance, she ripped the bow across the strings in pain and the high pitch screech mixed with her magic flew forth and into the wall creating a deep gash across the marble. Gretta stared in shock at the three-foot-long diagonal cut. She was pulled out of her stupor when a thin mage in light purple robes rushed into the room.

“Are you alright Gretta? What happened?” Instructor Pasali said.

Gretta nodded at her instructor and then pointed at the wall.

Instructor Pasali looked at the wall and then back at his student.

“Well, this is certainly surprising.” He said with interest.

Jasmi laid on the couch, staring at the marbled ceiling. Her sessions with Instructor Hasan had given her an amazing way to see things. They had covered many of her bad habits and while they were not all completely gone, she was at least aware of them. In this session however, her Instructor was delving into a painful memory of her past.

Instructor Hasan was a beautiful woman. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun as stray black hairs fell against her ebony skin. Her high cheek bones and long neck accentuated her poise but all of this paled in comparison with her intelligence and compassion. Her deep understanding of the human psyche was second to none and Death Mages often went mad when past issues were left unresolved. Usually the law of separating orphans from their past was to protect the children. However, in a Death Mages case, those laws were bent in order to give young mages the proper instruction. She took her duty as a serious charge. It took a strong mind to be able to master the magic of remembrance.

“Are you ready, Jasmi?” Instructor Hasan asked.

Jasmi hesitated for a moment but gave a single, determined nod.

“What were your parents’ names?” She asked.

Jasmi breathed in deep. “Julianna and Davis.”

“When was the last time you saw them?”

Jasmi choked up a moment but settled quickly, focusing on her breathing exercises.

“The night before they died. Eating dinner together in the kitchen. We had a large ornate dining room but we preferred the kitchen when we didn’t host guests.” Jasmi quietly answered.

“Did you have many guests?” Instructor Hasan asked.

“Sometimes. Grandfather made them come by to introduce them to me. Mother and Father didn’t care for them, said that they were all snakes, but he and Mother heeded Grandfather since I was to take his place.” Jasmi answered.

Now the hard questions. Instructor Hasan would attempt to break through Jasmi’s mental barriers.

“Do you think that’s why your parents died? To make sure you were not the next heir.” Instructor Hasan asked.

Jasmi felt the tears fall down her cheeks as her breath caught in her chest. The pain flowed into her heart as if being gripped by a vice.

“Yes.” Jasmi said.

“Is it your fault that your parents are dead.” Instructor Hasan asked.

Jasmi breathing became short and abrupt. She tried to pull in air but it was pushed out of her. Her panicked eyes searched for something to hold onto. Something to shield her from the pain that she felt. She immediately felt for her magic to could protect her.

The memories still fresh in her mind were filled with her death magic. Suddenly, a thin fog erupted above her, swirling together. Her mind held her focus but she was close to falling apart from the anguish she felt. Her heart almost stopped as the image of her mother and father came into view. They smiled lovingly and for a moment, she was nine years old again. They scooped her up into their arms and she clung to them, promising to never let go. Her father’s hands were strong and kind. Her mother’s hair was dark red like hers and smelled of lilac. They embraced her, protected her and loved her. There was no malice or judgement. Just adoration for the treasure that they held.

As soon as it had happened, Jasmi was suddenly lying on the couch again. She hadn’t moved, it was all just a vision. She stared at Instructor Hasan as the Instructor gave her a warm smile.

“No. It’s not my fault.” Jasmi said, shocked that she believed it.

Instructor Hasan smiled as a tear fell down her cheek.

Dante pulled himself back to feet, still a little dizzy. This was the third time he had passed out and it hadn’t yet been an hour. Historian Louis had him sitting under a tree, near the central building of the Academy. The first time Dante had been here, was during his affinity test where he also had passed out. He wasn’t enjoying the trend.

Hundreds of people walked through this area every hour. Whether students or Instructors heading to class or the many visitors of the Academy that met to do business. It had also been where he trained to control his Empath abilities for the past month.

At first, Dante thought he would die of embarrassment from having to go through episode after episode in public. Students would laugh at him and the visitors would look at him warily as if he was suffering from an illness. Historian Louis wasn’t very helpful either. Every time he passed out, she would wake him up by tossing magically conjured water on him and yelling at him to focus. He wondered what he had done to deserve being given an Instructor who was a Water Mage. He spent the end of every lesson walking to his dorm soaking wet.

He no longer felt embarrassed but depressed. Depressed that he wasn’t moving forward in controlling his magic. He sat back down against the tree. He had ceased caring about the growing puddle of water underneath him. He stabilized his mind as much as he could and then opened his senses fully. Again, he was hit with a cluster of different feelings. The man in the black business suit was worried about his deal with the Academy falling through. The third-year student liked her classmate but he had rejected her. The fourth-year student was excited that he had a good first meeting with the Adventures guild.

Dante was well aware that he had been advancing in his magic, but without control, it was useless. He could identify what individuals were feeling and even the reasons why they were feeling it. He would actually be ecstatic if he could just learn to block some of it out. The emotions flooded through him and his senses would overload causing the world to spin and his eyes to roll back in his head as he passed out again.

“We will need to reevaluate your training. You will be free this weekend while I work on this problem. Now go.” Historian Louis said as she wrote down her notes.

Dante walked back to the dorms, taking an out of the way path that didn’t have too many people nearby, his wet shoes squishing with ever step. When he had arrived in the common room, he saw his friends sitting together, arguing.

“That is a ridiculous idea Ferris.” Kelsi growled. “How would that help the team?”

Ferris just scowled at her from across the table. “How is flying not helpful?”

“Well let’s see.” Jasmi said sarcastically. “If our only Tank is flying around, how would he be protecting his teammates?”

“And how exactly does flying in a dungeon work? How many instances will you even have enough room to get off the ground?” Kelsi asked with equal sarcasm.

“Most Mages have ranged abilities as well Ferris, so if we came across a flying monster, it wouldn’t be that much of an issue.” Gretta said apologetically.

Ferris was fuming at their arguments. They were all valid and that made it worse, but who didn’t want to fly?

Dante took a seat next to his friend and patted him on the back. “So, why not compromise?”

The group looked at Dante.

“Flying probably wouldn’t help the team all that much, but what if you needed to adjust your position quickly? Say we were suddenly flanked. Instead of running over, I’m sure being able jump with the wind accelerating you would help with the speed and you wouldn’t have to worry about tripping over the terrain.” Dante explained.

The group had settled down and Ferris considered the possibilities. A smile came to his lips.

“I’m going to call it Dashing Wind!” Ferris exclaimed.

The group groaned at the terrible name.

“What? Okay, how about Sprinting Wind?” Ferris asked.

Gretta perked up. “What about Dash? It’s not flowery but simple names tend to catch on.”

Ferris frowned at the simple word but it could work and Gretta was usually right about these types of things. “Okay, Dash it is.”

Since the argument had ended, the group started discussing their training and if anyone had found their specialty yet. Sadly, no one had an exact idea of what their specialty was but they all felt they were getting close. All except Dante that was.

“So, now that I finally have the weekend free, what did you guys want to do?” Dante asked.

“We could train more on the field. We have been doing well but the other teams are starting to catch up to us considering all the extra laps they have been doing.” Kelsi said.

“Could we start that tomorrow?” Ferris whined. “Dungeon Arena is going to be on the viewing crystal tonight.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” Kelsi said. “Watching actual Adventurers in action might help us with our own abilities.”

They agreed to an early dinner first so that Dante would miss most of the crowd. By the time they had returned, the common room had a good number of students in it. Apparently, Dungeon Arena was very popular. Dante still hadn’t been able to see it and was excited to see Adventurer’s actually use their abilities but now he was worried he wouldn’t be able to stay since there was a crowd here, albeit a small crowd.

He was about to excuse himself when Jasmi grabbed his arm. “No Dante, this is good.”

Dante looked at her, confused.

“Just listen.” Jasmi said. “You are not good in crowds but your able to at least handle the field training every day.”

“That’s different though.” Ferris cut in. “He isn’t in close proximity to the rest of the class.”

“True.” Jasmi replied. “But there are less people here than in our class and he knows most of them since we were all at the orphanage together.”

“I like it.” Kelsi said. “It’s like a test within a controlled environment.”

“I don’t know.” Dante said. “What if I can’t handle it and pass out?”

Ferris chuckled. “Then I carry you to your room which is fifty feet away at best. Besides, you are the only one of us that hasn’t been filling out. Missing lunch everyday can’t be healthy.”

Dante nodded and followed his friends to the far couches.

The viewing crystal lit up and the image showed a large colosseum. As the image scanned the colosseum, Dante saw thousands of people seated around the enormous arena floor. To Dante’s surprise, he could hear the cheering of the audience and a loud voice echoed through the colosseum.

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” The voice exclaimed. “Welcome to the Dungeon Arena!” The cheers doubled in volume. Even the students in the common room cheered which Dante found amusing, especially when Ferris lifted his arms as he cheered.

“Tonight, we have many dungeons teams ready to show their strength and prove their courage! The first team are regulars to the Arena! Welcome, the Tower Guards!” Cheers again erupted through the viewing crystal.

Dante gave a questioning glance to Ferris but Gretta quickly answered.

“When a team decides to fight in the Dungeon Arena, they are expected to have a name for the team. Just saying, Team One and Team Two wouldn’t be very entertaining.”

Dante nodded. “So, dungeon teams do not normally have names?”

“Actually, most dungeon teams have names. The Academy holds tournaments for students but instead of fighting monsters, you fight other teams. Usually names from the teams here tend to carry over to when they become Adventurers.” Gretta explained.

“Once we have a decent understanding of our team’s full abilities, we should come up with a name.” Jasmi chimed in.

As they turned their attention back the viewing crystal, five men in heavy plate armor walked onto the arena floor. Aside from the Essence Crystals placed in their armor, they didn’t have it colored like the plate mail Dante had seen when they first came to the Academy. Each of them carried a tower shield that reached chest height. The amount of strength it would take just to carry the shield was impressive. Each of them also held a long sword and moved slowly into the arena.

“How are they even standing with that much armor on?” Dante asked.

“They are most likely Metal Mages. Their magic will allow them to carry that weight as if it was halved.” Ferris explained.

“It is also a horrible tactic.” Kelsi added. “Even with the weight of the metal reduced, they will still be slower than their opponents. They have maximum defense against physical threats but none against magical. There is also no diversity among their team.”

They rest of the group nodded and watched as a large portcullis was raised at the opposite end of the arena. A loud roar erupted from the darkness and a beast stalked out. The animal was taller than the Adventurers by at least three feet and was covered in tanned fur. Its head held two large tan eyes and its short muzzle opened revealing sharp teeth and four oversized canines. The tail was as thick as Dante’s leg and moved back and forth in irritation.

“That is a big cat.” Dante mumbled.

Ferris snorted. “That is a Lion. Must have been living in a highly Essence dense area to grow that big.”

Dante didn’t realize how large animals could get just by Essence density alone. Lions should only range around five to six feet in length and weigh around three hundred pounds. This animal must be at least three or four times that size.

The animal suddenly rushed the Tower Guard. The team stopped moving forward and hunched behind their shields. Just as Dante thought they would be run over, the team split down the middle, allowing the lion to pass between them. As it passed, the team struck its flanks. Lines of red appeared on the sides of the beast and it growled in protest as it turned around and headed towards the team again.

The team preformed the same move as before, but the lion was apparently wise to the trick. As the lion was about to enter the killing ground, it immediately shifted its large frame and attacked the left side of the flank. The first Mage was knocked to the ground but his teammates responded quickly, moving in towards the lion to cover him. The lion slashed its huge claws at the shield wall in front of it, but the team was set and positioned well. The sharp claws failed to penetrate the well-made steal armor and the team hacked at the lion’s legs, limiting the animal’s mobility. After a few moments, the beast lay dead and only one Adventurer had serious injuries. The crowd cheered as the floor was set for the next match.

“Where’s the essence crystal?” Gretta asked. “Isn’t that were they get them?”

“Inside the beast.” Ferris said. “They have to cut it out but will probably do that later.” Gretta grimaced at the thought.

Dante thought it was a good match but was a little disappointed at not seeing any magical abilities. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, those Mages definitely moved faster than most others could in that gear and their weapons easily cut through the lions hide, meaning their swords were magically honed to be sharper than any normal sword. It was a good match but Dante could see why Kelsi had said they lacked diversity.

The next match came quickly as another team entered the arena by the name of Taurus. This group seemed much more diverse than the first group. At the front was an Earth Mage in full plate mail but unlike the previous team, he carried a kite shield and short sword. Standing behind and to the side of him were two melee Mages. One was a Metal Mage that carried a two-handed axe and wore chainmail. The other was a Life Mage that wore heavy leathers studded with metal and a long wooden staff. The last two Mages were wearing traditional robes. The first was a Fire Mage in a crimson colored robe and had a long dagger belted on their hip. The last was a Water Mage in dark blue robes and carried an ornate staff topped with an essence crystal. They faced a swarm of oversized beetles. Usually beetles wouldn’t seem that threatening but these beetles were the size of a large dog and could fly for a short amount of time and their shells were harder than rock. The beetles would take flight and then dive down at their prey, crashing into them.

“Are those breaker beetles?” Dante asked. Breaker beetle was a simple name, they usually broke whatever they hit.

Ferris nodded. “I don’t see how they are going to handle them easily. They have a good team build but depending on their abilities, they might not fare so well.”

As Ferris finished his sentence, a breaker beetle had flown off to the side and dived down at the Fire Mage. Before it struck the Mage, a wall of stone lifted from the ground and the beetle slammed into it. While the beetle was recovering, the Metal Mage swung down with his axe, slicing it in two.

“Wow.” Kelsi said. “Their Tank is strong! He didn’t even look when he put up that wall!”

Dante heartily agreed. The Earth Mage’s magic control was amazing.

The Life Mage was dodging the beetle’s attacks but he looked hard pressed. A beetle flew into the air and dove at the Mage’s back but before it could gain momentum, the Mage pushed out his staff and the staff grew! The staff lengthened and a sharp point formed at the end, skewering the beetle through its soft, exposed abdomen.

The Water Mage threw bolt of water which froze upon contact, freezing the beetle’s wings and keeping it grounded. The Fire Mage then slammed their dagger through the shell and fire started pouring through the dagger and into the beetle, bypassing the hard, flame-resistant shell.

The team finished off the beetles quickly with an impressive display of magic and the crowd cheered enthusiastically. None of the team even appeared to be injured.

“That was amazing!” Jasmi yelled. The students laughed at her outburst and she quickly blushed but it was clear that everyone thought so as well.

Kelsi, Jasmi, Gretta, Ferris and Dante continued to talk as the fights went on. The specialties and abilities displayed were impressive but the way they used them was even more so. Ferris was able to get a good look at a Wind Mage who created a mini tornado that knocked beasts to the ground. Gretta saw a Song Mage, not technically a Bard since she didn’t use an instrument, that confused her enemies into attacking each other. Kelsi saw several Life Mages that didn’t need to just heal to be helpful to their teammates. One Life Mage had used unarmed combat and destroyed the animals from the inside. He had ruptured organs and shattered bone while instantly healing himself when he was hit.

Jasmi didn’t see any Death Mages since they were rare and Dante wasn’t expecting to see any Essence Mages. Still, the group had learned a lot and Kelsi took fastidious notes of the abilities that could help them all grow as a team.

What excited Dante the most though was that he wasn’t overwhelmed while watching. He didn’t know if it was because his focus was on the matches or if it was due to the small size of the crowd in the common room but he felt he needed to tell Historian Louis when he saw her next.