12. A New Friend

“Now let’s thank Manera Magic School for this spectacular presentation! Thank you all for being here!” boomed the presenter, stepping back and raising an arm to the crowd.

Thunderous applause filled the air as the performers bowed, taking in the cheers of their audience. Meanwhile, Ardan was struggling to push his way through the dispersing crowd. He had to find out more.

Thud.

In his haste, Ardan knocked over an elf. The familiar name ‘Shiloh’ appeared on a screen next to his head.

“I-I’m so sorry!” exclaimed Ardan as he helped him up, holding out an arm for support.

“Hey! A- Uh- Oh, it’s you!” he stuttered in surprise. “Knocking people over again, I see.” He said, dusting himself off.

Glancing at the stage, Ardan began to worry. The performers were leaving.

“Hey, do you need to be somewhere? You look like you’re in a hurry.” He asked.

“‘Yeah, sorry, I’ve really got to go.” replied Ardan,already moving.

He didn’t look back, already preoccupied with pushing through the crowd.

“Excuse me! Sorry- Coming through- Watch out!” Ardan apologized.

He was a tall boy, carrying bursting shopping bags, who probably trampled more than a few small children going the opposite direction- not a good first impression on elf society. Finally, he reached the group of students from Manera Magic School, each busy discussing enrollment with their own horde of eager teenage elves. Ardan stood to the side, wondering who to approach.

“Want to go to magic school, do ya?” A voice asked from behind.

Jumping in surprise, Ardan turned around, swiveling to face Shiloh.

“So? Do ya?” He questioned.

Ardan bit his lip and replied hesitantly. “I mean, I do, but…”

“But what?”

“I’ll have to ask my guardian first.”

“Ask your guardian what?”

Spinning around to where he was facing before, Ardan was surprised by the two familiar faces- Pat and Sandria, both holding ice-creams.

“How did you guys find me so fast?” He asked.

“We could see your head from a mile away,” said Sandria.“You’re so tall.”

“Who’s your friend here?” Pat asked, gesturing toward Shiloh.

“I just met him...” Ardan murmured awkwardly.

“I’m Shiloh. Pleasure to meet you.” He said, holding out his hand. Pat who shook it firmly. “Is this your son? He seems very keen to join the magic school.” He continued.

Pat gave Ardan a surprised look that melted into a smile moments after. “That’s right, Ardan is my son.”

“Manera Magic School’s application forms close today, so if you’re planning to enrol Ardan, you should get a form from one of the representatives over there.” he gestured towards the group of students.

“Thanks for the help, young man. Are you a student of this magic school?” Pat asked.

Shiloh shook his head. “Actually, I’m just about to apply for it. From what I’ve heard, there are many beginners starting this year, so they’ve scheduled a magical aptitude workshop on Monday.”

“That sounds like a great opportunity.” Pat turned towards Ardan. “Do you want to go get the form with Shiloh?”

Ardan muttered an ‘ok’ and trudged awkwardly towards the representatives, Shiloh beside him.

“Why did you talk to him like that?” Ardan asked, looking at Shiloh.

“To who? Like what?”

“To Pat. Like you were my best friend. And you were so polite.”

Shiloh rolled his eyes and laughed. “Come on bro! I mean, we can be friends, right? You’re going to be my schoolmate, after all.” He paused. “You’re right though, it took an incredible amount of concentration to speak like that.”

Ardan raised an eyebrow. “Let’s just… get the forms already.”

The representative wearing white beamed when the two approached her. “Hey, guys! Are you looking to enrol in Manera Magic School?”

“What does it look like?” Shiloh asked rudely..

“Ok… Take these,” She gave each of them a white sheet. “These are information sheets with important dates. There’s also a website link at the bottom to register. I’ll see you there!”

She turned towards another group of young elves, leaving Shiloh and Ardan to walk awkwardly away.

“Hey, do you know any magic already?” Shiloh questioned, once again breaking the awkward silence.

“I know a bit…”

“Cool! What element? Or are you going for a path in common magic?”

“I’ve learnt the basics of water manipulation. I’m level two-” Ardan stopped himself. What am I doing, telling a stranger about levels? He’ll start asking questions and… this can’t end well.

“Level?”

He sighed before replying. “Nevermind. Do you know how to do elemental magic?”

“I do know how to do elemental magic.”

“What element?” Ardan asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Earth.”

The pair had returned to their original spot, where Pat and Sandria were waiting. Ardan wanted to leave immediately, but Shiloh had other ideas.

“Say… Do you want to meet at Maple Park later today to hang out?” He asked loudly, right in front of Pat.

“I think that’s a great idea!” said Pat. “Ardan, you’ve been cooped up at home for two days already, so you should get some fresh air.” He smiled at Ardan, who forced one back.. “In fact, why don’t you boys head there now? Greixol’s not a large town and Maple Park’s quite close, so you can walk back by yourself.”

Shiloh smiled triumphantly, while Ardan looked up in shock. “But… but…” He trailed off. I just met this guy! He wanted to shout.

“What is it? Do you not want to go?”

I just met him, Ardan wanted to say. But he remained silent.

The look of question on Pat’s face was blatant.

“Nevermind.”

+ - + - + - +

Pat walked home with Sandria after that, leaving Ardan with Shiloh. The park was a fifteen minute walk away, during which the pair walked in uncomfortable silence.

“Where are your parents?” Ardan asked, kicking a rolling stone down the path.

“Don’t have any. The director of an orphanage adopted me. He lets me do whatever I want though. ” Shiloh shot back.

“Oh, same. That’s cool? What orphanage?”

“ECO-” Shiloh said impulsively.

Ardan stopped in his tracks, the rock tumbling off the path and onto the road.

Shiloh’s expression flickered to one of alarm, but changed back so quickly that Ardan didn’t notice. “Oh look! We’re at the park.” He said, running across the road.

“Hey wait up!” Ardan called, chasing after Shiloh.

The park came into view, and Ardan gasped.

Leaning over a railing, Ardan looked out at the park below him. A large wooden staircase led down the valley to a grassy open area, so populated by yellow flowers that it had a golden sheen from where Ardan watched it from above. Children ran around the oval playing ball games while their parents chatted. Maple hedges surrounded a glossy-looking marble fountain in the middle of the park. To the right of the oval was a fancy playground and a sandpit which older children hung out at. Out of all of this, a small, rusted sign caught his attention.

No Magic Allowed.

Shiloh had already made his way halfway down the staircase and was waving to Ardan from the other side when he called; “Hurry up, Ardan!”

Ardan sighed at Shiloh’s liveliness and shook his head, not bothering to shout back.He wondered why Shiloh had chosen this spot if magic wasn’t allowed. Also, why did he change the subject just now? The rhythm of his footsteps thudding down the stairway did little to constrain the questions bouncing around in his head.

“Ar-dan!” Shiloh said in a sing-song voice. “Come on, you’re so slow. The day is ending!” He teased.

“Why did you even bring me here anyways? You don’t even know me! What are we doing here?”

Shiloh smiled mischievously. “All your questions will be answered in due time…” he whispered, feigning an air of mystery.

Ardan rolled his eyes, only to be whisked away by Shiloh who grabbed his arm.

“Chill out, dude!” He said, laughing. Then he looked down sadly. “You just seemed like a cool guy and I wanted to hang out with you.”

For the second time in two days, Ardan had learnt an important life lesson. The first had been the embarrassing moment with Sandria, where he learnt that what seemed cool to him might not be cool to others. Now, Ardan became aware that the world didn’t revolve around himself.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so mean or short tempered. I’m new to this ‘friends’ thing, that’s all.” He said, averting eye contact.

Thankfully, Shiloh was quick to change the topic. “So do you want to go first? My magic is a little bit… destructive.”

That brought up another question. “I saw a sign saying magic wasn’t allowed just now, outside the park…”

“So what?” Shiloh questioned.

“Well, why are we doing magic here if it isn’t allowed?”

Shiloh flicked his hand dismissively and crossed over to the fountain. “Oh who cares! Let’s just have some fun. It's not like we’re hurting anyone, right?”

This Shiloh character… Ardan shook his head and sighed before sitting down next to him.

“Hey! Tell you what, I’ve got an idea.” Shiloh said suddenly. “Let’s play a game.”

“Ok?” Ardan replied, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

He turned and faced the fountain. “If you can remove the fountain’s water with your magic, I’ll owe you a favour. Anything you want. If you want me to leave you alone, so be it.”

However, before Ardan could even think about replying, a screen appeared in front of him, obstructing his vision.

- Alert! -

You have recieved the quest [Shiloh's Challenge].

Ardan couldn’t help but feel startled at the unexpected notification. So excited about the trip to the mall, that he almost forgot L.O.P existed. However, his attempt to hide the surprise didn’t slip by Shlioh.

“What’s wrong? Do you not want to do it?”

Ardan shook his head. “No... Just give me a moment?”

“Sure.” Shiloh responded, as he turned and stepped away from him.

“Menu. Quests.” whispered Ardan. He realised that this was his first ever quest apart from the daily requirements. Speaking of daily requirements, I haven’t completed them yet.

Active Quests

Daily Requirements (7:42:51)

- 0/1 hour spent practicing [Water Manipulation]

Rewards: 560 EXP, 10§

Shiloh's Challenge (Until you decide to leave)

- Remove water from the fountain in Maple Park

Rewards: Shiloh's favour

Oh? There are no EXP rewards for completing the quest? How did Shiloh even set that for me anyways? Ardan wondered, dismissing the screen. He could search for answers when he got back home. Maybe even ask Sandria. But right now, he was exposed and in the open, with a very shady person standing in front of him.

“Alright, I’m good now.” He called.

Shiloh turned, but instead of looking at Ardan strangely, his facial expression showed nothing but concern.

“Hey, just let me know if anything’s wrong, kay? I know I can come off as a bit annoying sometimes, but I’m a good listener.” He proposed.

Just who is this guy? It’s like his emotions are on a rollercoaster. Is what Ardan thought. However, all he said was just a simple ‘thanks’.

Shiloh’s excitement returned and he was ready to move on with the challenge. “So are you going to try it?”

The fountain wasn’t especially large, the radius about his body length. Having said that, it was split into three layers, all of which contained more water. Ardan bit his lip and looked hesitantly at the water.

“I mean, I can try…”

That was all he needed to say to set Shiloh off. “Hell yea! Tell you what, I’ll even throw in an ice-cream on the way back if you manage to do it.”

Ardan closed the notification and cracked his knuckles before facing the water. Never had he attempted to lift such a large portion before, and he doubted that it was possible at his current level.

But he had to try.

“Could you give me some space? I need to concentrate for this to work.” Ardan asked politely.

Shiloh stepped away silently once more.

Spreading open his arms, Ardan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Since the surface area of the fountain was so large, he’d need to increase the amount of water bent. Oh, yes. He was going to attempt to bend the entire fountain.

- Alert! -

You have activated [Element Sense].

The cords of Ardan’s hoodie dangled into the water below, creating ripples that disrupted his reflection. No. I need to focus. He shut his eyes tightly and spread his palms open, creating a connection with the water.

As he pushed the last of the breath out of his lungs, Ardan tensed his arms. The water churned and he felt the water bubble reluctantly. Nonetheless, he persisted, gritting his teeth and willing the liquid to rise with his hands. Within moments, he felt his body turn from warm to burning hot. Still, he desperately tried to move the water.

“Ardan! Stop!” Shiloh shouted, pulling him away from the fountain.

Energy drained from Ardan’s body and he sagged against Shiloh’s small frame, panting heavily.

“Why did you do that? I was so close!” Ardan demanded. He was annoyed and frustrated at not being able to bend the water.

“Look at yourself.” Shiloh whispered softly.

Glancing down, Ardan frowned in confusion as blurry black dots obstructed his vision. Thankfully, they disappeared within a few seconds, exposing an even stranger sight. His arms had turned scarlet, the veins popping out from under his skin.

“How did this even happen?”

Ardan was shaken and didn’t know how to respond. “I… don’t know. I think I was trying too hard?”

Shiloh shook his head. “I think we should try something different.”

“No.”

“What?” Shiloh was taken aback. “Why? Look at yourself!”

Now it was Ardan’s turn to shake his head. “No. Let me try one more time.”

An idea had taken root inside his head. Since I couldn’t bend the water, what if I make it burst? Shiloh’s challenge was only to ‘drain’ the water, meaning remove the entirety of the fountain’s water. He didn’t say how... Honestly, the quest wasn’t all that important to Ardan. He just needed to prove to himself that he could overcome boundaries.

Shiloh gripped Ardan’s shoulders and stared him dead in the eyes. “Hey. Are you sure about this?”

Instead of replying, he opted for a simple nod. Ardan trodded towards the fountain again, shaking his hands out in anticipation. This time, he would make sure not to go overboard.

The surface of the water undulated in time with his slow breathing. Shutting his eyes, Ardan made his entire body go rigid and stretched out his arms in anticipation. As his hands dipped into the water, Ardan thought of one word, loud and clear.

Burst.

In an instant, the water coalesced into a single point within his palm, swirling with energy. Power flowed from his palms into the element and the vortex swelled outwards as quickly as it had formed. The rest of the water joined the shockwave, propelled out of the fountain and into the air, raining down onto the pair below. Ardan pumped his fist in delight and exhilaration while onlookers stared in concern at the two boys, drawn by the sound of the explosion.

Shiloh was shocked, but didn’t show it. “Wooh! Now that’s some serious power you’ve got there, bro!” He smiled. “I guess I owe you a favour and an ice-cream now, eh?”

A rainbow formed in the mist above Ardan’s head as he returned the grin, using one of the new phrases he had picked up from Shiloh. “Hell yea!”

- Alert! -

You have completed [Shiloh's Challenge] (Quest)