They were tired and sore, but they only had one opponent and they had yet to land a strike. Circling around, they cut off any escape and closed in slowly, cautiously. They had learned that rushing in would lead to a quick defeat. As one, they struck. Ferris’ sword went high. Dante’s swords went low. Gretta and Jasmi used their dagger to strike from behind and Kelsi stabbed her staff towards the chest. They attack was in sync, perfectly timed, and in one counter, they were all knocked back into the sand.

Senior Instructor Williams watched as the students flew away from him. He had been working on their martial skills and found them lacking. They were learning though, soaking up their training like a dry sponge. He still had seven months before the Advancement Trials. He was certain they could be turned into decent Adventurer’s…as long as they survived the training.

“Your timing was decent but your slow movements allowed me to prepare.” Williams said sternly as the students climbed to their feet. “Dante will be working with Head Historian Louis. Gretta and Jasmi will be working with Instructor Perez. And Ferris and Kelsi will be with me. For now, none of you will be using your magic.” He looked at Dante. “That includes you, make sure to grab two short swords from the weapons racks.” Dante nodded.

“If you want to be able to survive, you need to be able to prepare for every situation.” Williams continued. “When your magic runs out, you will only have your weapons to fall back on. Most young Adventurers are arrogant and they eventually die in the dungeons. Smart Adventurers switch back and forth from using their weapons to using their magic. It lets them fight for longer and doesn’t leave them drained if another fight breaks out soon after. This will be your training until we are all satisfied with your martial skills. Begin.”

The team ran off to their respective trainers. Dante, once again found himself training alone. He understood that his circumstances made his training unique but he was beginning to envy his friends and their growing comradery.

He walked up to Historian Louis. She was sitting at a table reading over a thin book and making notes when she noticed him.

“Alright, go stand in the middle of those training dummies there.” She said, pointing to a group of wooden mannequins. He nodded and stood in the middle about five feet away from the closest dummy. Large ice spheres formed around him and started slowly spinning around him.

“Hit all the spheres without hitting the dummies.” She yelled as she went back to reading her book.

Dante watched the spheres circling him. She hadn’t told him not to move so he quickly moved to his right and slashed at a high sphere. He was suddenly hit from behind with a sphere moving in the opposite direction. He moved back to the center while rubbing the growing knot on the back of his head.

The Historian cackled at him. “You are going to have to be a lot faster than that!”

Dante grunted and started again. He tried stabbing at the sphere in front of him and his sword glanced off, doing little damage to it.

“You think a little hit like that will go through armor?” The Historian yelled. “You have to break the spheres boy!”

Dante shook his head, ignoring his embarrassment. He didn’t have time to deal with those thoughts.

Gretta was throwing her daggers at small moving targets. The wooden disks were suspended in mid air and rotating like a clock. She had only hit one target out of the ten daggers she had thrown.

“You won’t pass until you have hit every target without missing once.” Perez said from behind. She jumped at the suddenness of his voice but nodded and retrieved the daggers lying in the sand.

Jamsi was standing on wooden poles sticking out of the sand. She was only a foot high but she had already fallen once and a pole had slammed into her side. She had to attack floating targets the size of a plate that were moving around the course. Every jab and swing showed her how weak her footing was, causing her to stumble.

Kelsi stood between three poles close to seven feet in height. Sections of the poles would light up and she had only a moment to strike before the light faded out. She was already sweating and out of breath but never stopped striking, learning how to avoid wasteful movements to increase her speed and lower her energy consumption.

Ferris stood opposite of Senior Instructor Williams. He looked at the Veteran Adventurer with the smallest hint of worry. The man could easily slice the boy in half. Before he was ready, the Senior Instructor advanced, carrying a shield and sword. Ferris swung on his opponent’s sword side, using the range of his weapon to its advantage. With a sudden burst of speed, Williams was standing toe to toe with Ferris, safely out of the swords path. Ferris felt the shield slam into his chest and knock him back.

“You need to learn how to fight in close. The two-handed sword provides reach but can be wielded in a way to strike someone just as close as I was to you.” Williams said. Ferris quickly moved back into position, readying himself.

They worked like that all afternoon. By the end of training, the students were worn out, barely able to lift their weapons. They walked as quick as able to the mess hall and then to bed, too tired for anything else.

He was cold, hungry and whoever was holding him was running. His screams attracted the monsters like a dinner bell. “Where was the person from before? She was nice.” He felt a connection with her. Warm, loving, everything he had ever wanted and now she was gone. Handed over to this person who kept jostling him about and wouldn’t feed him. “Why are they in such a rush?” He thought.

The person holding him looked at him for a brief moment. It was still dark but her pink eyes were glowing. “She looks sad.” He thought again. “Me too. That lovely person is gone and I’m cold and hungry.” She didn’t seem to understand him which frustrated him even further. She had finally stopped running and the darkness lifted, turning into soft blue light, he fell asleep soon after. When he awoke, he felt himself being set down on a cold, hard surface. He startled awake to see the person who had been carrying him. Her pink eyes still glowed and her blonde curls were swept aside as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“I will protect you. I promise.” She said. He didn’t understand why she wouldn’t just give him back to the woman he had seen before but he was too tired to voice his complaints. He fell asleep once more.

Dante woke quickly. His body wasn’t cold like in his dream and he felt the Essence respond to his worry, surrounding him, keeping him safe. He smiled at the silver mist, but the dream was still fresh in his mind and the details hadn’t faded yet.

“Miss Telis?” Dante asked.

He was sure it was her. Younger, but definitely her. He sat in his room, trying to commit the dream to memory but it faded quickly. He wasn’t sure if he should ask Miss Telis about the dream. Was it real? A memory? Or just fanciful thinking? He soon made his decision and quickly prepared for training.

After training, he headed for Miss Telis’ office. He had decided that knowing was better than not. His steps slowed as he realized what that could mean. If he was wrong, then he would be a little embarrassed but if he was right, would that get her into trouble? Dante pressed onwards. He didn’t intend to tell anyone else anyways and she might have answers that he desperately wanted to know.

With a few knocks, Miss Telis opened her office door. She smiled seeing Dante for the first time in months, his training had been taking all of his free time.

“Well, it looks like you haven’t forgotten your old teacher after all.” She said smiling.

Dante blushed, rubbing the back of his head. “Miss Telis, I need to ask you something but it is…sensitive.”

Her smile fell turning into a frown and she ushered him in, locking the door and taking a seat behind her desk.

“What did you need Dante?” She asked. He looked around questioningly. “This office is safe from prying eyes and ears. No need to worry.” She said to him, alleviating him some.

“Miss Telis, I had a dream. It was cold and dark and there was a woman there with red eyes.” Dante paused but Miss Telis hadn’t deigned to interrupt. “She gave me to another woman, told her to promise to protect me. Then she ran and left me. I couldn’t see her well at first but before she left me, I saw her clearly. It was you. Did that…did that happen?”

Dante didn’t know it but tears had welled up and his throat became tight. Miss Telis had slowly lost her composure and ran around the desk to hug the boy. Their tears fell freely and Dante felt a weight he hadn’t known was there, lift off of him.

She sat in the chair next to him, smiling sadly.

“Your mother, father and I were in the same team.” She said. “Your mother, Anna and your father, Hiro, were quite the pair.” Her eyes looked up, remembering her friends. “She was an amazing Fire Mage. Passionate and stubborn to boot. Your father was Metal Mage, loud and inflexible. It was a wonder that they ever married. In school they would fight all the time. Back and forth and I was always stuck in the middle, acting the adult.” She laughed lightly.

“Your mother was pregnant. Only five months but she wanted to go on one more run through the dungeons before you were born.” Her smile fell away. “It was supposed to be a quick run, a few days at most. But we fell through a pit fall, several floors down. We were lost for weeks, slowly trying to find our was out.”

Dante was confused and interrupted her. “But I couldn’t have been born then Miss Telis. Even at six months that has to be risky.”

“Essence affects all things, Dante.” She answered. “Being that deep in the dungeons for that long can change people. The essence density down there is far heavier than up here in the tower. It progressed your mother’s pregnancy.”

“So, I was…” He couldn’t find the strength to say the words but Miss Telis nodded.

“You were born in the dungeon.” Miss Telis continued. “The biggest problem was the that the monsters could sense you. Like irresistible prey. We ran and ran but slowly, we were cut down one at a time until it was your mother, father, me and you.” She took a deep breath, settling the stir of emotions within her before continuing. “When your father and mother fell, she made me promise to protect you. So, I did.”

“But the law…” Dante protested.

Miss Telis shook her head. “The law did not matter to me then nor does it now. My friend asked me to protect you and that’s what I have tried to do. Yes, I could be caught and arrested but until then, I will keep my promise.” She said it firmly and Dante knew that she had meant it.

“I understand.” Dante said quietly. “I won’t tell anyone.”

She smiled and nodded her head.

“Miss Telis, do you know that our Instructors are going to have us try for the Advancement Trials?” Dante asked.

Her brows shot up in surprise. “They are training you early if they want you to try that next year.”

Dante shook his head. “No, they are having us try this year.”

She jumped from her chair looking down at him. “WHAT!?”

He quickly told her what they had been told and then of their training. By the end, she had her head in her hands.

“Dante, I swear if I didn’t love your mother and father like my own family…Do you have any idea how much trouble you get into?”

Dante winced but said nothing.

“The Advancement Trials are proof that you are ready to become an Adventurer and the only way to do that is to take you into the dungeons and be evaluated.”

Dante stared at her with his mouth open. He was pretty sure his brain had lost all functionality.

She sighed. “You and your team go into the smallest dungeon and are followed by three instructors. If they don’t have to intervene, you pass and if they do, at least you have a better chance of survival. It’s still dangerous and ridiculous that they even attempt to put you through it at your age.” Miss Telis looked like she wanted to start hitting someone, hard. At least Dante was pretty sure she didn’t want to hit him, most likely.

“So, what do we do?” Dante asked.

She looked at him for a moment and nodded her head. “There’s not much you can do but train. Train as if your life depends on it because it does. The Academy is right. It isn’t safe here. You need to put everything into this. Make sure Ferris, Gretta, Jasmi and Kelsi all understand.”

Dante nodded. “What happens to you if we pass. I mean, you can’t follow us, it would be too suspicious.”

Miss Telis sat back in her seat. “I’m sure I will figure something out. You are a handful but you wouldn’t be your parent’s child if you weren’t.” She smirked at the boy who was quickly becoming a young man.

Teron moved quickly around the training dummies. He was slashing and thrusting each, aiming for the vital areas that would disable and kill his opponents. He had worked himself into a frenzy of flashing blades and stopped only when his strength gave out.

The training room was too small for a full team to practice in and he preferred it that way. His team was training hard but they didn’t understand his needs, so he trained afterwards, late into the evenings.

At the beginning of the year, he hadn’t seen Jasmi or the rest of her team. It wasn’t until he was brought news that they were being trained separately that he had even known they were at the school. That drove him to train even harder.

After his grandfather’s…instruction, he was focused on only one goal, to surpass Serist De. They had taken him out with cheap tricks, goading him to lose his temper, which to his embarrassment, worked far too well. He needed to shed those desires and his training was helping him maintain focus.

He pulled off his sweat soaked shirt and slowly felt his back, feeling only smooth skin. His grandfather had made sure his healers tended to the wounds, leaving not a scar to be seen, but he still felt the stings of the whip in his mind. He shuddered thinking of the cold, calculating look his grandfather had given him.

He felt his anger rising again and threw the shirt aside, heading back to the training dummies.

Dante had explained to his friends what Miss Telis had told him about the Advancement Trials. They were as shocked as he had been, but after several questions and a little planning, they agreed that it was their only shot at survival. They needed to become Adventurer’s.

They pushed themselves past their limits. Each one of them trying to become more than what they were. There was no more time for doubt. No time to complain. They just pushed themselves for the results they needed in order to survive.

The weeks had flown by and their improvement was obvious. They had passed the standards of martial skill and were now fighting each other in one on one duels. The point wasn’t to win, it was to know your teammates abilities.

“Knowing each other will make you stronger when fighting together.” Williams had said. They all wore the Academy’s specialized armor now and Dante slowly circled Jasmi.

Dante kept moving, never staying still for too long. Jasmi on the other hand, watched him closely, she hadn’t sent her spirits after him yet since it took time to cast. She needed to trap him with Death’s Grip first.

Dante pushed in close but Jasmi saw the feint for what it was and closed with him. Surprised, he jumped back giving her just enough time to throw her trap behind him. The arms exploded from the sand but Dante wasn’t there. His jump was another feint and he pushed forward, pressing Jasmi.

She cursed and used her speed and balance to dance away from Dante. He couldn’t match her speed but his reach was longer. He clipped her shoulder, throwing her off balance and she spun to the ground. She cast her magical flames in front of her to give her time to get to her feet but a spear flashed through the fire, hitting her in the chest. She groaned as the red flare from the armor’s enchantment came to life.

“Jasmi’s out!” Yelled Perez. “Dante, good use of the spear. Jasmi, you gave him too much time to work with. You should be constantly trying to cast your spirits. It doesn’t take away from your magical energy stores if it’s not cast and it makes him move in.”

Jasmi sat up and nodded and gripped Dante’s outstretched hand. She looked up at him, seeing the change in him. He was filling out into a proper man now. His arms were stronger, his chest thicker and his jaw was squarer than before. That didn’t stop her from scowling at him however.

“Next time.” She whispered to him. He smiled and gave her a wink which sent butterflies into her stomach but she gave nothing away. They walked back to their group as they called out the next to fight.

“Gretta and Ferris.” Perez yelled.

Ferris and Gretta walked forward and set themselves up for the match. Ferris had kept growing, standing almost six and a half feet tall and had switched out his two-handed sword for a larger claymore. The blade was impressive and if it wasn’t for his size, he would have to be a Metal Mage just to lift it. He settled into his stance looking at his opponent.

Gretta was still short, shorter still when compared to Ferris but she had changed as well. Her hair had changed from reddish orange to bright red and her freckles had slowly faded, leaving behind pale, smooth skin. Her muscles were showing as well. Her constant work with the violin and her need to dodge incoming attacks had toned her body. She stood waiting with her violin at the ready and her throwing daggers strapped to each thigh.

“Begin!” Perez shouted.

Ferris immediately cast Dash, closing the distance quickly. Gretta had thrown out Dancing Blades, meeting Ferris head on. The Wind Armor deflected most of the damage but forced Ferris to stop short, still several feet away from his opponent. He cast Wind’s Call and a cyclone of air erupted from his chest, aimed for Gretta but her strong legs pushed to the side as she played Tristen’s Echo, which hit Ferris’ armor causing it to reverberate the sound. He grunted at the pain and swayed on his feet but kept standing. Gretta threw several daggers which he deflected even though he was still staggering. It was an amazing example of Ferris’ control of the weapon but it kept him occupied as Gretta moved forward and hit him again with Dancing Blades, this time much closer. His Wind Armor couldn’t block them so close and he ended up flying backwards and landing on the sand hard. The enchantment gave the red flare of defeat.

“Ferris is out!” Called Perez. “Gretta, good job distracting him. If it was any other student, you would have beaten them with the first spell. Ferris, you have come a long way with your martial skill but you need to keep trying to pressure a ranged opponent. Another Dash and you would have had her dead to rights.”

Gretta beamed happily while Ferris nodded. They both went to find Kelsi tending to Dante and Jasmi.

Kelsi looked up from her work, smiling at a defeated looking Ferris. “Well?”

Ferris glared at her. “Well what?”

She rolled her eyes. “How do you plan to close the distance?”

He gingerly sat down next to her. “I need to be able to control Dash more but the only way I can do that is if I have more energy to store.”

Gretta nodded. “I actually used a lot more of my energy than I would have liked. At this rate we won’t be able to take two hard fights in a row.”

The Historians voice caused them to jump. “Well, I might have a solution to that.”

The team looked up to see Historian Louis and Senior Instructor Williams looking down at them.

“There were a few devices that were used to help increase the storage of magical energy in Mages.” The Historian said.

“The problem was,” Williams added. “they were put away when too many Mages tried to exponentially increase their energy reserves by going through the process far more than was advised.”

“What happened to them?” Ferris asked.

“The exploded.” The Historian said in all seriousness. The group looked at each other wide eyed.

“Oh, you won’t explode!” The Historian said. “We will monitor your progress closely. It does tend to hurt something fierce though.”

Ferris scowled at Dante. “This is all your fault.” Dante groaned, falling back to the sand.