(Jason, 13)

"Jason!" Papa Jared exclaims when he enters the forge. "What are you doing up and working already?"

"I had an idea!" I tell him. "I know I missed the second deadline Papa Samuel gave me, but I thought I knew what we were missing!"

"You did?" He asks.

"Yeah," I sigh, then gesture to my model train, whose walls and roofs are sitting to the side. "Sadly, it didn't work. The mana engine didn't explode like some of the others, but it did draw in mana from the mana battery and dissipated any excess when I added some in myself. However, it just won't make the train move. I can't get it to spin the wheels."

I've been working on this problem for a year now, and it's just stumping me. There's something I'm just not understanding about how trains work, and Papa Harold won't bring me any books on trains, claiming they're too difficult for even him to acquire.

Inspecting the runic formation and the miniature mana engine and battery, I try to figure out what's wrong, not for the first time.

"Jason," Papa Jared says. "Come into the house. Today's your thirteenth birthday, you're officially a man today, and we're celebrating all day."

"I really want to figure this out," I tell him.

"Your Uncle Zachary arrived half an hour ago to celebrate with us."

Uncle Zach can't come out often because of whatever his job is. He's a very busy man, and even with Papa Samuel able to make a gate to wherever Uncle Zach lives, his ability to visit us hasn't increased by much. He does still stay for a few days most of the time, though.

"I guess I can put this on rest," I nod. "Let's go say hi to Uncle Zach."

Papa Jared smiles, and we head into the house, where everyone is sitting at the table, food and dishes already set out. Uncle Zach has two people with him, a soldier and a magician. It used to be that he left them behind when he joined Papa Harold for the trip, but I guess something happened, because for the last few months, they've been joining him for the trip.

They're his bodyguards. Even though I know they aren't related, I call them my cousins. David and William. I think they're brothers, but they might just be childhood friends.

"Hello, Uncle Zach," I give him a hug, which used to make his guards uncomfortable. Then, I take a seat. "Hello, David, William. Did you guys ride here? I can sense three more horses."

"No," Uncle Zach smiles. "Your Papa Samuel created a gate, and we came through it. The horses came with us. Grena and Vadi are old, after all, and soon to be retired. They're a gift from me to your family, for all the help they've given over the years. They're young, but strong, and they will last many years."

Yeah, Grena and Vadi are getting old. I've been riding them since I was little, and it was easy to tell that they need to go slower and more gently now, and take longer breaks than they used to. Papa Harold mentioned a few months ago that he was probably going to look into purchasing successors for them this summer. The reason for waiting until summer is because even though horse prices increase, it's easier to find quality horses that are both strong and healthy.

"So you gave them three horses?" I ask. "We only had two."

He just smiles in response.

"Let's dig in to your birthday breakfast," Papa Samuel tells me. "We made your favorite foods."

Biscuits and gravy with bits of sausage in them, sausages, eggs, and pancakes with lots of syrup! We also have milk from the goats that Papa Harold bought last fall, and butter made from the cow he bought in the spring. I think Papa Harold needs to just make a farm, since he didn't consult anyone on the livestock purchases, just showed up with them.

Mama Elena's face when she saw the cow was hilarious. I like transmuting its poop into silver and gold to make into jewelry. Papa Samuel told me to never do that around others unless it's an emergency, since being able to transmute rare materials can cause problems. I didn't tell him I can transmute Bessie's poop into jewels, too. He probably suspects, since our supply doesn't decrease by as much as I use, but no one's commented on it yet.

Uncle Zach talks about his kids. They're twins, and they're going to start at the academy in the fall. His son wants to be a warrior, and has already been practicing and studying, while his daughter wants to use magic. She hasn't begun using it, though – for the first year of training at the academy, they'll only learn theory and the basics behind magic. Once they reach their second year, they'll start learning spells.

That doesn't mean some students won't start practicing earlier, but the academies won't teach magic directly until their second year.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Have you heard of subconscious casting?" William asks, and I nod. "Even though they might be adults, we prefer to give them an extra year of maturation to help decrease odds of them performing volatile subconscious casting if they get into a petty fight at the academy. By the time they can apply to university, the chances of them performing subconscious casting are almost nonexistent."

"Oh," I say. "How come I've never done subconscious casting?"

"You have," Papa Samuel chuckles. "It's just never something big or obvious. Often, it's as simple as moving your boots with force magic so they're in your reach when you're wanting to put them on. It happens more when you're tired than anything. Any time you go to light a flame, only to find it already lit, that's because you subconsciously cast it, not forgot when you lit it."

"Oh," I say. "Heh. I didn't realize I'd been casting magics subconsciously. At least I'm not a moody kid, right?"

"You have your moments," Mama Elena says. "I remember how grumpy you were when you failed to make the mana engine for the train… both times."

"Okay, I got grumpy then," I say, causing everyone else to laugh.

"How is that project of yours coming along?" Uncle Zach asks.

"Badly," I answer. "I can't figure out how to make the mana engine get the wheels to move. The one time I succeeded, it wasn't every efficient and actually broke the wheels. Attempts to correct that preventing it from working."

"I'm sure you'll succeed one day," he smiles.

"Maybe," I shrug. "Once I have access to libraries outside of here, I might be able to figure it out. I wish I could inspect a train so I saw how they work."

Everyone looks at each other uncomfortably, but Papa Samuel suggests we finish breakfast so Uncle Zach can give me my present.

"Okay!" I start shoving food into my mouth, causing the others to laugh.

We finish breakfast, then Uncle Zach takes me outside, everyone else following us to the stables, where three beautiful horses are standing. They're all young, and two of them are females. Based on the drawings I've seen in the books that Papa Harold brought me, these are iveko palominos. Their golden coats are amazing, and their white manes and tails look so soft. They're tall and strong, and if they are iveko palominos, then they'll live a long time and perform well for both riding and work. They're also good in all terrains, due to the way they were bred, and by the muscles, I'd say they might even have been trained for various terrains, too.

The mares are in the stalls, while the stallion is tied to a post. We only have two horse stalls.

"Whoa!" I gasp. "Are those iveko palominos?"

"They are," Uncle Zach smiles.

"And you're giving Papa Harold three of them? Aren't they, like, two or three hundred thousand Varil varru each?"

"The two mares cost three hundred and twenty thousand," Uncle Zach says. "And the stallion cost me four hundred and seventy thousand."

"Holy horses!" I exclaim. "That's a lot of money, Uncle Zach!"

"Maybe," he smiles. "But your family is one I'm close to, and they've done quite a lot for Varil and the world at large. I treat my friends well, and when I heard Harold was looking for new horses, I knew he was getting the best."

"So where's my present?" I look around. "I don't see any gifts in here."

"Yes, you do," he puts a hand on my shoulder and guides me so I'm looking at the horses again. "One of these horses is for you. Pick the one you want, and the other two go to your papas and mamas."

"I get my own horse?" I look up at him.

"Yes," he smiles. "Pick one of them, Jason, and it's yours."

"We'll build another stable for you," Mama Alyssa tells me. "We're already going to be building a corral, and possibly a barn."

Why a barn? Who cares! I get a horse of my own!

I look at the three horses, then settle my gaze on the stallion.

"Him!" I approach, pulling an apple from my spatial storage and holding it out. The horse takes it from me. "Do you have a name?"

"No," Uncle Zach answers. "The breeder who raised and trained them let their owners pick their names."

"How about Aurum?" I ask. "It's an old language for 'gold'."

I know that from my weird memories. That place isn't anywhere on this continent, so it must be across the ocean. Definitely.

"Alright, then," Papa Harold says. "Aurum is all yours. Do you know what a stallion is?"

"It means he can still have babies, unlike you old people."

"Yes," he chuckles. "And we have two female horses here. Chances are, both will get into heat. Aurum will impregnate them. Any offspring of his will either be kept here with us, or sold. If they're sold, you'll receive half of what's made. And Jason? We can still have babies in our old age. Men aren't completely incapable of it."

"My mamas are," I stick my tongue out at him.

"Don't think your coming-of-age day protects you from everything," Mama Elena says.

"Protect me from the Mad Witch!" I hide behind William, causing everyone to laugh again.

Mama Elena chases me out of the stables, and we run around for a few minutes before Papa Samuel tells me it's time to do more presents. I'll get some here in the morning, and more in the afternoon. I doubt anything will be as cool as a horse, and I want to get to work with Mama Alyssa in clearing more trees to build a stable and a pen for them.

"It's time for my gift," Mama Elizabeth approaches, pulling a bundle out of her spatial storage. "I wove this for you."

I open up the bundle, finding a beautiful, soft cloak of purple and black threads with a deep cowl in the hood. When I pull it on, I discover it's just the right size for me.

"I made it," she said. "To match your current state, but as you're a little tall for thirteen, we believe you may be finished with your growths. Most as active as you don't grow much more after this age."

"Thanks," I smile. "It's comfortable, and the enchantments are cool."

Protections against the weather, the sun, and water, in addition to magic and damage and dirt and fungus and all that other stuff that can ruin a good piece of clothing. I can make a robe like this, myself, but there's nothing like a gift someone else put their heart into, and I can tell she put her heart into this one.

"And from me," Papa Michael pulls an item out of his spatial storage.

A dagger forged out of mithril, the white-gold metal glimmering lightly in the spring sun. The blade is slender and six inches long, the grip of the hilt spiraled. The crosspiece is simple, with an amethyst set into either side, and there's another set into the pommel.

He put a lot of effort into this weapon. I know, because it's enchanted for sharpness and durability, and as Papa Jared's told me many times, enchanting mithril is not easy to do. The strength of the sharpness enchantment makes the edge four times as sharp, so it's a strong one, too. There's a leather sheath for it, imprinted with dragons. He must have had help from Papa Jared to do the enchantments, but he said it's from him. Does that mean Papa Jared has a different gift for me?

"I did dragons," he tells me as I fix the sheath to my hip. "Because you're always talking about them and wanting to hear stories of warriors and magicians felling them."

Which apparently doesn't happen. According to Papa Samuel and Papa Michael, only a few magicians have ever had enough power to hurt a dragon, and even fewer with the power to kill them. I remember stories of warriors killing dragons, though, and seeing it, too. My memories are all weird. Are the dragons in that land weaker? Or the warriors stronger?

I definitely remember the dreams of Magus Nolan killing a dragon. A giant, black dragon that terrorized the land and demanded a steep monthly and a steep yearly tribute to avoid greater suffering. It was a long, tiring battle, but in the end, he managed to kill it.

And then the other Magi showed up. Had they worked together, the Black Dragon King Velmathi would have died in minutes rather than hours.

Considering the Magi were the most powerful warriors and mages in known – and secret – history, it's no surprise they had the power to kill dragons.

William's gift to me was hidden in a cabinet in the kitchen, so we return inside. He gives me my gift, which is a crystal chess set with black and green pieces on one side and black and purple on the other. All of the pieces are dragons, and it's awesome.

"I'm not talented in crafting like your parents," he tells me as I set up the board. "But I wanted to get you something special, even though we've only known each other less than a year. You're like a little brother to me. I had a glass worker craft this for you."

"It's so cool," I say. "Let's play!"

He laughs, then sits on the other side of the board as we start a game. After the first game of chess, David gives me his present, a stuffed black dragon.

"I noticed," he says. "That while you have several repeats in your collection, you didn't have a single dragon. My sister makes stuffed animals, and I had her make this for you."

"I'm going to enchant that," Mama Elizabeth takes it from me. "So that it has the same enchantments put on all of his other stuffed animals."

I giggle. They started doing that because of how much love my toys get, and the fact that they sometimes end up getting wet or dirty from me playing with them or taking them somewhere.

I play chess with everyone, then we eat the big meal of chicken and rice and roasted veggies and salads that Mama Elena and Papa Samuel made, before Mama Alyssa tells me that her gift to me is the stable for Aurum, which hasn't actually been built yet and that I am definitely going to help her build.

She didn't say the last part, but it's true. I am not going to let her make a stable for my horse without my help. Mama Elena's gift to me is a recipe for a powerful panacea, an elixir that can cure almost anything.

Papa Harold's present is a rare coin from the ancient days that he found on one of his trips. He's been giving me the rare, ancient coins that he finds, mostly through selling them to me, but the last few years, he's also gifted me one on my birthdays. This one's rarer than the others, though, and I run up to my room to add it to the enchanted box I store them in, carefully setting it into a slot before returning downstairs to the others.

Next, Papa Samuel hands me a book I've never seen before, even though I managed to figure out how to get around their special lock, which he never took off the library. It's old and well-loved, but will probably last for many more years, based on the enchantments. It's a book of stories and spells.

"This," he tells me. "Is a book used to teach children magic while also giving them a story. Our predecessors weren't as wise as us and would teach children young, resulting in great use of subconscious magic when their children threw fits. This book was used to teach talented children advanced spells. I'm sure you could figure them out given time, but know you would enjoy the stories within."

"Cool," I grin at him, before sending it into my spatial storage.

"And for my gift," Papa Jared pulls a chunk of star iron out of his spatial storage. It's the ore, which I know before I even see it because of how it affects the natural magics around us. "You've helped me work this in the past, but only the pure material. This is my present for your coming of age, Jason. Smelt it and forge it into whatever you wish."

I accept the star iron, very carefully handling it before I send it into my spatial storage, only relaxing once it's in.

"Thank you all," I smile at my family, even the extended part of it. "Even before the big dinner, which I'm curious what it is since nothing's been cooking all day but people keep disappearing for half an hour to an hour at a time, today's been a great day. Thank you all for your gifts."

"We have one more," Papa Jared tells me. "A present from all of us."

"A present from everyone?" I ask, and they nod, except for Uncle Zach, David, and William. "So from all of my papas and mamas? One more? Everything you've gotten me is already more than enough. I love them all."

"We know," Mama Alyssa says, then nods to Papa Samuel. "Open the gate."

"We have to travel for it?"

"Yes," she smiles as Papa Samuel opens a gate. "Let's go."

They let me through the gate first, and when I step through, we're at the training house. There's a boar on a spit, slowly turning due to an enchantment that was cast on it. Definitely Papa Samuel's spell. There's also the smell of bread, which means someone's baking, too. Mama Elena was the last one to disappear, and she returned only for the last batch of presents. The bread must have been put in right before she returned.

"This is our present to you," Mama Elena tells me, gesturing to the house.

"What?" I ask.

"The house," Papa Samuel informs me. "You helped Mama Alyssa build it, but our plan was for it to be yours from the start."

"You were getting the master bedroom from the start," Mama Alyssa tells me. "I only made up that you'd get it if you did your best to help build it."

"I knew it!" I tell her. "I knew you had an ulterior motive! Wait, I get my own house?"

Everyone laughs, and I frown.

"But I live with all of you," I say. "Even though I'm an adult, isn't it normal to keep living with the family, especially as the heir?"

"Maybe," Papa Samuel says. "But one day, you'll want a family of your own and space of your own. Before we continue with everything, we want you to know something, and it doesn't change how much we love you. You call us all 'papa' or 'mama', but none of us-"

"Are my birth parents, I know," I nod. "But you're all still my papas and mamas anyway."

"You know?" He asks.

"Yeah," I nod. "I overheard you guys talking about telling me a few times. Plus, you're all too old to be having kids. Unless Papa Harold wasn't careful while he was out?"

Everyone laughs at my poke at him, and my papas and mamas all give me a hug. Then, Uncle Zach, David, and William join in, turning it into a massive group hug with me unable to breathe until they release me.

"But what if I don't want to move out?" I ask.

"You don't have to," Mama Alyssa ruffles my hair. "But the house is yours anyway, Jason. You and I can build a stable, barn, and couple of pens for your horse and any future horses you acquire, too."

"Alright!" I say. "I just need to pick up some stuff from the other house, and we can get started tomorrow!"

That makes everyone laugh again, then Papa Samuel tells me to go get changed, that he put the outfit in my room. There's a ritual of passage for when someone becomes a man. Even though we aren't Varilan, living several days from its border, they still want me to do the passage because of Uncle Zach being Varilan.

I don't mind, it'll just make us closer.

In my room, I strip naked and examine the outfit Papa Samuel left for me. A pair of leather pants as black as the night, a white mantle, and a twelve-pointed, stained-glass star with three red legs, three clearish legs, three blue legs, and three brown legs, the center as purple as the magical power I can manifest. It hangs from a black leather cord.

I pull on the pants first, and there's no tunic or shirt, so I pull on the mantle, which feels weird to wear without something under it. Over that goes the amulet.

This is considered the ceremonial outfit for coming of age for boys, according to Uncle Zach. He said that he wore it, and David and William both wore it, and my papas all wore it, before they left Varil to live alone.

They don't know why the outfit is what it is, but civilizations as old as history have worn it and performed the ceremony.

I make my way out of my room and find Mama Elena pulling the bread out of the oven. She looks at me, and for the first time in ever, I see tears in the Mad Witch's eyes.

"Our boy is finally a man," she says with a small smile. "It feels like these thirteen years have gone by too fast."

"In some cultures," I tell her, thinking about that other land I sometimes dream of. My papas and mamas think I have some sort of second sight, even if they don't say it. I haven't been able to force it to happen on its own yet, though it seems to grow stronger during certain times of year. "I'd still be considered another boy for three to five more years."

"Come on," she fusses with my hair. "Let's go do the ceremony."

I nod, then follow her outside. My papas and mamas are standing in front of the fire, which has been built up for added height. Papa Samuel holds a clear crystal with strange golden energies, a small table sitting in front of Mama Elena, who stands to the left of him, several bowls of paint resting atop it. A crystal token of the same material and energies as the large crystal in Papa Samuel's hand rests on the table as well.

"Since times beyond history," Papa Samuel steps forward, holding out the crystal as the sun drop beneath the horizon, the last remnants of day gone. "Every person has been assigned an element. It is not a representation of their magic, but of what the gods think of them and their lives. Though those of us here know the gods are no longer capable of communicating with us or influencing our world directly, relics of ancient times remain. When you take this crystal and imbue your magical power into it, it will reveal to us your divine element of fire, water, earth, or air. Though the meanings have been lost, the tradition remains."

He holds out the crystal, and I accept it.

"Imbue your magical power into it," he tells me, and I do. At first, just my violet power appears, flowing around and through it. Then, I watch as the golden energies within the crystal begins to move, to reshape, and a crimson light begins to glow from within. "Your divine element is fire, Jason."

He takes the crystal from me and sets it on the table as the glow fades away. Then he picks up a bowl with red paint and dips a finger into it, before marking my forehead, speaking in the ancient tongue.

"By the flames that flow through you," he says. His accent sounds weird to me, maybe because of the dreams? "My the spark of life stand strong within."

Then, he pokes a dot to the right of whatever he marked. After that, he creates a swirl on my right breast on the mantle and a mark on the right thigh of my pants, before setting the bowl down and wiping his finger off on a cloth. Then, he picks up the bowl of white paint.

"Air," he says in the ancient tongue as he makes a dot to the right of the mark on my forehead. "The closest ally to fire, fuels its power."

He creates a swirl on the mantle my left breast and another mark on the left thigh of my pants, then sets the bowl down and cleans off his finger, before picking up the bowl of blue paint.

"Water," he creates a dot next to my dot of air. "The enemy of fire, yet also its balance, to keep it from growing far too strong."

He creates a swirl under the swirl of air and a mark on the left lower leg of my pants, then sets the bowl down and cleans his finger before picking up the final bowl, which has brown paint within it.

"And finally, earth," he dots beside my fire dot. "To strengthen the water, so that the balance between it and your flames of life remain stable."

He creates a final swirl beneath the flame swirl and a final mark on the right lower leg of my pants, then sets the bowl down and cleans off his finger.

"The four elements," he says in Varil Common. "Exist in balance together. Though the meaning of the white mantle and the black pants has been lost, they, too, remain strong. Whatever they once meant, they represent the life you have," he touches the mantle. "And the end that will claim us all," he touches my pants, then places both hands on my shoulders. "Remember the cycle, Jason, for it flows within all of us."

He steps back and picks up the crystal token, then hands it to me.

"Imbue it with your magic," he says. "And it will become your Crystal Crest. You can only generate one, and until the day you die, it will remain clear, turning black with your death. It will tell us your spirit beast, the creature which the heavens deem you most like of the twelve spirit beasts. Though we know not why, the generators of these continue to produce the crests three thousand years after the sealing of the heavens. Once the crest is claimed as yours, you may always summon it, no matter how far apart you two are."

I take the token and place it between my hands and imbue it with my magic, and when I pull my hands apart, a crimson dragon with violet eyes looks at me from the crest. I turn it over and find the dragon there as well, mirroring the other. The are golden runes around it, which I recognize as words of the ancient tongue. There are three on the right, and three on the left, of each dragon.

Magus. Slayer. Hero. Those are the three on the left of the dragons. Nolan. Lucas. Jason. Those are the three on the right. Why does it have those on it?

"The dragon," Papa Samuel takes the crest from me. "The meaning of the runes imprinted on them has long-since been lost, but they are always unique. No two crests are alike. Remove your mantle."

I remove my mantle, feeling the chilly mountain summer air against my torso. Mama Elena takes the mantle and carefully folds it over one arm, and Papa Samuel begins painting swirls, lines, and dots onto my chest, arms, and back. He starts with the paint for fire, then the paint for air, then the paint for water, then the paint for earth.

As he works, he speaks in the ancient tongue, and I have to do my best to not laugh at him. His accent sounds really funny to me, even though I don't know why. I have to avoid squirming, too. I'm not used to being touched so much and I'm ticklish on my sides, which receives marks as well.

"The dragon," he says. "Is the mightiest of all beasts. It possesses flames stronger than any fire elemental, strength greater than any phoenix. Though it is not the embodiment of flames nor a creature with nigh-infinite regeneration, the dragon rules above all beasts. All bow to it, all fear it, all live in awe of it and envy at its might, dreaming of the power to be half as great."

He finishes speaking, but still has plenty more marks to make, the only sounds after that the sounds of the fire crackling behind my mamas and papas and when he sets a bowl down or picks one up. When he finishes, I am given back the mantle, which I pull on, then Papa Samuel places both hands on my head.

"Once a boy, now a man."

He steps back, and one-by-one, each of my papas and mamas puts their hands on my head and says that.

With they finish, he ceremony is finished. So is dinner, so we all sit at the table and eat, chatting as we do, moving inside hours later for bed. I remove the mantle, but leave the paint. It's tradition to sleep with the ceremonial paint on, and I'm taking the token to bed with me, changing into a nightshirt before I climb into my bed.

When I lie down, I find myself quickly asleep and soon dreaming.

I'm Nolan again, only younger. He stands in front of a man and a woman in front of a blazing fire built to burn tall and bright. He's thirteen. I'm thirteen. This is so confusing, it's like it's a memory, even though it's a vision of the past.

"Imbue the Divine Crystal with your magic," the man holds out a crystal that matches the one Papa Samuel gave me. "To learn the divine element resting within."

I take the crystal and imbue my power into it, and the crystal turns red. I possess the divine flames within me. The man, Nolan's papa, takes the crystal back, then performs the same ritual on me that Papa Samuel performed.

"The four elements," he finishes the first part of the ceremony. "Exist in balance together. The white of your mantle represents the heavens, while the black of your pants represent the underworld. You are Midlaris, the mortal world, and hold it in check and balance. Remember the cycle, son, for it flows within all of us."

He hands me the crystal token and instructs me to discover my Crystal Crest, so I do. A dragon forms on it, identical to the one my real crest bears. It possesses four runes. Above the dragon is Nolan, to its right is Magus, to the left is Slayer, and beneath it is Hero.

"The dragon," Papa says. "Your name, and the destinies of a Slayer and a Hero, and it seems, a Magus, whose meaning is unknown. No two crests are alike, as they are a representative of who you are and who you have the potential to be. Remove your mantle."

I do, and Mama takes it from me, then Papa performs the same ritual that Papa Samuel did. When he finishes, he has me pull the mantle back on.

"Once a boy, now a man."

Mama steps forward as he steps back and she places her hands on my head.

"Once a boy, now a man."

With that, the ceremony is complete.

The rest of the night, I dream of Nolan, of what it was like to be the High Magus, and when I wake, I stare at the Crystal Crest in my hand. Why does it have his name on it? And Lucas? That's the name of the other person who I seem to draw on the memories of.

Only time will tell, if that vision of the past is true. The crest shows my name at the top of the right, with my potential destinies to the right.

Does that mean I can become a Magus, too?