Chapter: 03

The next day, Ken was up early feasting on more breakfast than normal. He flipped through some vague survival guides on the internet trying to remember some useful plants and herbs to use in the future. Hopefully the vegetation over the barrier was similar to Earths was.

His parent’s explained it had all the same and more, so he used his fast reading speed to power through some manuals during the early hours. Evidently, you were allowed very little in the trials. His parents couldn’t really tell him much, since it was against the rules and they liked living. But he knew the conditions would be rough, and random positions would spawn any number of useful items. These were called treasure points, and they were highly valuable if you wanted to survive. Another reason to take over one of these locations was for rank.

The more you found, accomplished or killed, the higher your rank in the end.

His parents also talked minimally about their own powers since, they could do few spells at their level. His father could manipulate water slightly, while his mother could barely mold the earth. He also learned that, even though everyone had a specific affinity, anyone could manipulate any element with enough force and control.

They didn’t bother with an example, but he did find out simple manipulation was basically up to the wielders imagination and control. It took a great mental fortitude or power to achieve results.

He tested his original ability in private, pushing and pulling a pencil across his desk. After the third or fourth time his head started aching, but he persevered for a couple dozen times until he had a full headache. Of course, practice made perfect though, and the more exercise his power got, the more it improved.

That evening, he was playing tug of war using a scarf with Lapillus, when the house literally shook. Jumping to his feet, they raced to the living room to observe something from a fiction.

The opposite wall was warping and shimmering in a haze, like heat on tarmac. Then a semi-square shape materialized outlined by a purple haze. When it became solid enough, a deafening thunderclap enveloped the room and a dark void materialized in the door frame now on the wall. A moment of eerie silence ensued before a black boot plunged from the darkness followed by a leg and body. When the persons form materialized in the room, a middle aged man stood before them in a casual attire.

He held a twisting wand in one hand, and a metallic square in the other. Then he spoke in a gravelly voice, making his stomach clench.

“Is this the residence of one Ken Reyes?” My parents standing beside me nodded solemnly, and I just gaped. Nodding he looked me up and down pausing at the bulging hoodie pocket. I seemed to pass some sort of criteria, because he nodded in understanding.

“Well then, close your mouth boy. You look like this is the first time you’ve seen any magic haha. If you’re ready, then please come with me. You go through first, I’ll close the portal behind us.”

My teeth made an audible clack as my mouth shut so fast. Still amazed at the spectacle, I went to take a step when my parents hugged me from behind. “You come back now, you hear! We’ll be rooting for you, over the projections. Remember, when you get there you run. Run as hard and far as you can, because they will not hesitate to cut you down. The mana signature from the teleport will be a dead giveaway.” Tears soaked my neck as my mother blabbered on for the hundredth time that morning.

“Hey, we don’t have all day kid. Let’s get going before I tire too much.” I hugged my parents one last time, and took a step away from them smiling encouragingly for them.

When I hesitated to step into the void, by the man, he gave me a not so subtle shove in the back. My feet moved on their own to catch me and a moment later I was feeling sick on a cold hard surface. A glaring light blinded me as I dry heaved.

A hand grasped my arm and hauled me to my swaying feet. His head felt like the time a horse bucked him off and he ended up with a concussion. “Get moving, your lines over there.” Eyes still swimming, I stumbled in the direction of a long line to my left where he pointed.

Regaining my faculties, I glanced around after lining up behind a tall athletic kid. The room was massive, vaulted at least fifty feet up the ceiling was intricately painted. Battle scenes of massive conflict covered a ceiling gilded in layers of intricate metalwork.

Most awe inspiring for him were the statues of men and woman made of gold and silver. The room was easily around the size of a football stadium, and it was packed. The line he was in wrapped back and forth along a green velvet rope strung up on posts. At the end, a larger room could be seen passed a huge archway. Tall desks with black robed figures behind them signed the students in, before they were guided to a huge circular platform in the other room.

Notably, at least half of the kids in the room had a familiar present. They were all covered in grey robes, over decent looking clothes. It was like a competition to see who could dress the finest although there were obvious limits on the attire. I didn’t even have a robe, but I had on a few layers to be safe.

My base layer was a white skin tight under armor brand, then I had a dark green long sleeve shirt under my usual black hoody. One of the only extra things I carried was my keychain out of habit, hanging at my waist. The only other item was my iPod and earbuds. I was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a decent pair of tall hiking boots.

This was my average attire, except the boots. They were just a precaution for grip. Funny enough, he was the only person in normal clothes. He looked like a beggar amongst pretty much everyone. There were even some mystical races present in other lines, including dwarves and elves in the lines on either side of him.

Unwittingly, he eyed their outfits in disdain, imagining wearing something so thin outside. To distract his mind from the skin showing on some of the skimpier woman, he pulled out the headphones and started jamming out to some Linkin Park.

Just when my playlist was about to end, I finally reached the end of the line. It took a good hour of standing on the granite floor, so I was happy to be done.

The woman sitting above me, put her hand on a stone with engravings over the surface. It started glowing a light pink before she started speaking. “Name, birth-date, affinity, familiar if you have one and language please.”

“Ken Reyes, December tenth two thousand and thirty, Earth affinity, Earth dragon, and I know these languages.” He pulled out a prewritten list of languages he knew, since his parents told him it was required to tell them all this beforehand. The page was lengthy with multiple examples of proof beneath them, to show he could write fluently.

When he handed her the list she frowned, glaring down at him. Her writing hand stopped what it was doing in her ledger. “Don’t take me for a fool boy, your too young to know all that.” I frowned crossing my arms like she was being stubborn. She added on after seeing my response. “Fine, if you won’t rescind your statement, you must prove here and now that you can speak each language fluently. If you fail, I have half a mind to smite you here.” She smiled expecting him to give in, as if he was about to grovel at her feet for forgiveness.

Instead he proceeded to speak a few lines in each language, telling her a few facts about the language itself and its origins. The longer he went on, the wider her eyes became. It took half an hour to go over all the languages and then he proceeded to talk about the unspoken languages he knew. Pictograms and the like for example.

When he finished the rows beside his were gawking, at the same time they were doing their own lines paperwork. “And that is how we know how to decipher the ancient Sumerian language. So… can I go now?”

She simply nodded, after scribbling for half a minute franticly copying his paper onto hers. The translation stone beside her was practically overheating from switching between languages so often.

A man wearing light armor came forward, guiding him to the raised platform, with a person in each square allotted to them randomly. The ceiling hung high above, with crystals jutting out in an angular masterpiece of craftsmanship. A main spire pointed down at the platform, with a blinding purple light at its core.

Inscriptions were everywhere, too numerous to understand anything. Some kids were given bigger squares to hold themselves and their respective familiar. His jealousy soared upon seeing some of the larger beasts like tigers or giant eagles.

The most common beast were bird type, although there were plenty of large animals. One kid even had a young griffin! I looked at my pocket, hiding the dragon for a moment… then gave up on complaining as her head poked out. Her cute powers took over, and I was petting her.

For some reason, the judges didn’t take his keychain or the iPod from him. The Egyptian cross could pass as religious, but the iPod? If he knew they’d be this lenient he’d of brought a knife or something!

Some of the others looked jealous at his items, but after analyzing his appearance snorted before turning away. Most of them had a wand or staff, but that was the extent of their items. Heck, some of them were vain enough to wear sandals and shorts. Others carried a change of clothes under their cloaks.

Everyone passed through the arch, before being searched. Some were caught smuggling weapons or tools under their cloaks, some had bags of herbs or food. I simply kept my head down, ignoring the bustling room around me. There had to be a couple thousand kids in the room. The rest of the room was built into layers of shops and restaurants. Large holographic screens sat ready to view the trials, in front of small stands.

Parents waved at children, beastmen howled encouragements, and everyone looked decidedly happier than himself. Especially when some kids were showing off magic tricks like light balls or making small flames appear on staffs.

I fidgeted for a good two hours until a mega screen flashed to life above them all. A group of ancient looking men sat at a long table with small holograms. The one at the head looked at them, and in a solemn voice started to speak.

His voice sounded like rocks grinding across each other, squeaky hinges and a lot of built of phlegm, but I listened. “You are all gathered here for the annual trials. In one month exactly, you will be retrieved from wherever you are to begin your time at the mages academy. Now, I wanna see a good fight this year. The rules are simple, there are no rules in the trials. Your achievements will be noted as you go, and in the end we will judge who will receive what rewards this year. Good luck, and may you bring honor to your families. Start the countdown.”

He directed the last comment to a man at his side, and overhead a giant flashing sign counted down from ten. It glowed pink, signaling an active deciphering spell so all could read it.

Guards stood at the ready, in case anyone tried something suspicious. The crowd excitedly awaited the end of the countdown in quiet, as a buzzing sound caused the air to tremble.

The crystals overhead became active, and a beam shot down at a clear space of floor. Purple energy flooded in every direction following the symbols and curving past all the students.

When the countdown reached two a mist rose up over everyone, blocking my vision. Moments later the surrounding fog pulsed and everything turned dark. Seconds ticked by as my vision slowly returned.

The same vertigo greeted him as the first time, although not quite as bad. He was kneeling on a circular stone slab, five feet high. A small brown bag sat at his feet, inside was a leather belt, a bolo knife with sheathe, and that was it.

Strapping the bolo knife onto his own belt, he tied the small gallon sized bag to his waist using the thin belt provided.

Not a moment too soon too, because he could already see movement in the treeline. Stretching to his left and right, he could barely make out white stone pedestals like his own stretching off into the distance.

What gave away a lot of the kids were the ones grouping up, or the ones fighting using great plumes of fire. Some kids conjured lengths of water as whips, cutting their peers down like tall grass.

He paused in disbelief at what he saw until his mother’s words echoed inside his head. ‘Run, run as fast and far as you can!’ He was off, like a leaf on the breeze. Into the woods he trod, avoiding large logs or fallen branches.

He may have been short, but his strength wasn’t lacking. He vaulted over a stream marking the water source mentally, and continued on an uphill jog. The best ground is usually the high ground, and the others will go downhill to get as far away as fast as possible. The same applied for animals when you were hunting them, they always took the path of least resistance.

The forest they were in was temperate, but the trees were huge. Some had to be redwood, while others were obviously indigenous to the magical world only. The ground shook as magic flashed in the valley behind him. The ridge of the hill came and then he was off even faster, running down the slope.

The underbrush whipped past his face, and at multiple times he felt others nearby running as well, despite his reasoning. It was about noon, and the sun shone down through the canopy. Short craggy mountains flashed in and out of sight as his journey brought him closer to their rocky faces.

After an hour of easy going, he was starting to feel ok about himself, when the trees simply stopped. He crouched low, approaching the clearing. It wasn’t a clearing, not one bit. It was a plain, stretching for a good mile between the mountains and the treeline. Marshes dotted the space, indicating springs under the surface.

His breathe stopped in his ragged throat as countless competitors ran for the foothills. Some were cut down, others fell through the ground, swallowed by the earth. It was a grassland, basically floating on water with unknown depths.

He wanted to turn back, but the sounds of others approaching made decisions for him. He joined the fools running in the open, but he didn’t run. Instead, he crouched low in the tall grass moving slowly. He tested the ground every twenty yards for wet soil. Whenever he reached a dubious spot, he skirted the watery deathtraps, and continued unnoticed for the most part.

At one point, he had to run across a short grassy area where animals had grazed. He came face to face with a slender woman. An elf, by the looks of it. She was sneaking just like himself, but unlike him she held the bolo like a weapon, not a tool.

They were both surprised, and for five seconds they stared at each other. Then, as if coming to a mutual understanding they both bolted for the tall grasses as one. The mountains loomed close now, and five minutes later he entered a small ravine near the base of the mountains. A small stream ran down the draw, so he knelt for a quick drink and before running up-hill.

There’d be ambushes along the draw no doubt, so he circled up higher and higher. Another mile of slow hiking through thick vegetation later, and he was exhausted. He felt like flopping over unconscious. Thankfully he didn’t, because a short while later he found something direly needed.

A narrow cave entrance in the mountain not too high up a steep hillside. He trudged up the hill and after gathering a few large branches, entered the cave. He needed shelter, food, and water. Not only that, he needed heat and a place to fortify before winter struck. It was the beginning of fall here judging by the leaves he could recognize.

The first thing he needed was a door. He didn’t want others to spot the entrance, and an animal could wander in during the night. Investigating the cave, showed it ended after just under ten meters. It was more of a pocket than anything, possibly a mineral deposit eroded out over time.

The ravine he arrived in was some sort of jungle this time, full of bamboo and looming, twisting trees. Going back outside, he jogged back the way he came to reach a copse of bamboo. The shoots were thicker than normal, but it was still hollow and light enough to drag. He hacked down a dozen or so and used the extra belt to tie them together.

Carrying them over his shoulder, he went back to the cave and brought them inside. Using the bolo, the first thing he did was strip away any limbs or leaves. After that, he cut them to length sticking three in the soil on either side of the doorway to make a sturdy frame. Then, he measured the lengths for the doorway to make it fit the hill better.

He used the thin branches he stripped and started splitting them to tie together in thin cords. The sun was about to meet the horizon when he finished weaving the door together. Finished, he put a layer of leaves and twigs over the door to create a camouflage layer. When he put in the doorframe, at a distance it blended into the hillside decently.

Finally done working for the day, he went inside to lay on the small cot made of leftover bamboo covered in large leaves. The cave was mostly dark, except the shafts of light flowing from the gaps in the door.

Exhaustion overwhelmed them and they were both asleep almost immediately after laying down.

---

The morning sun rose over the horizon in fractal colors and rays of light, blocking out an abyss of stars, replaced by a dark blue sky. The clouds in the sky only added more contrast to the mix, supplying shadows to the land.

It was a chilly affair, similar to sleeping in a desert. It was decidedly hot yesterday evening, yet now it was distinctly chilly. There wasn’t any frost yet, but it couldn’t be too long coming.

From his vantage point, he had a decent view out into the plains and beyond. It was weird how the landscape was sculpted, almost impossibly at that. It was obvious how artificial the land was, while also giving an ethereal vibe to the scene. Nonetheless, he doubted the weather would differ much from each area.

Grabbing his things, they headed back down the hill taking a different path so they didn’t create an obvious path to track back to their camp. Lapillus hopped along leading the way, talking about her times living in the forest.

“I’m so glad we found a decent cave so fast. When I was growing up, my parents would carve great chambers to live in. Unlike other breeds of dragons, we don’t really have hibernation tendencies. My mother always made great underground stores of food, for the winter months.”

“Oh, how’d you do that? I mean, you’re dragons, it couldn’t be that easy to handle the food.” Lapillus just gave me a weird look as if I grew another head, before responding like I was a two year old.

“We can use magic too you know. Plus, we are a smaller breed of dragon. Our claws and forepaws can function similar to a hand to a certain extent, unlike larger variants. My mother could make better pottery than any human I bet.”

“Huh… so did you ever learn how to do anything like that?”

She hopped over a tall log and waited for him to climb over. “Oh, I know some of the basics I suppose. I’ll have to relearn with this body though, since my powers are restricted until I grow more.”

“What about teaching me? I mean, I can move things telepathically already, so I know a little.”

“… are you sure that’s a good idea, learning from a dragon? I’m not sure our powers even work the same.”

“Oh, from what I know so far human magic is highly imagination intensive. I did see some people using wands and staffs, but I’m not sure how to use one or what their even made of. The magus school is for general knowledge and safety precautions, besides learning about professions and what-not. I’m not totally sure though, considering my parents couldn’t tell me much.”

Lapillus hopped along flapping her wings trying to get them to do more work for her small body. Maybe she was building muscle? “Hmm, well dragons use parts of our bodies as mediums for power transfer. Our claws are especially magically conductive, along with our teeth, horns and bones. We don’t have meridians, the power flows through our bones. Our power is also located at our heart, where as I can tell yours originates somewhere in your head.”

“So how do you cast magic then?”

“Well, a lot of offensive spells are pretty instinctive. We just have to grow until our body tells us we can use them. Similar to growing a new tooth. Other spells, we use draconic circles to help us move and or mold stone pieces. I do know some simple growth circles, for plants. We used them whenever we wanted fruit.”

“That’s great, I’d like to learn that first if possible. I saw some medicinal plants along the way. We just need to transplant them, then we’ll be good. Ah, here we are. How many bamboo poles should we take back to build with?”

“Do I look like a carpenter? Figure it out yourself.”

“Well that’s helpful… alright I’ll just take as much as possible. We can always find more uses. Keep an eye out while I work.” He started chopping the largest bamboo poles they could find, as well as a few smaller pieces. When he finished, they also dug up a few fresh chute’s brushing up past the surface, so they could transplant some bamboo nearer.

“Alright, let’s get back. Gives me the chills standing out here.” He grunted under the full load on both shoulders using both belts as straps to hold the bushels together, as they started walking back to camp.

The hike back was a nightmare, as he skinned half his shins bumping into unseen stumps or stumbling. They had to take two breaks from exhaustion, since they hadn’t eaten anything yet either.

Finally stumbling into the cave, they locked the door and slumped down for a rest. Lapillus was still the equivalent of a newborn, so she was tired from walking as well.

After waiting for his energy to come back, Ken started sharpening bamboo sticks to create pronged spears. Then he planted the bamboo chutes outside, to either side of the entrance.

“Alright, what does this circle look like? I’m not familiar with draconic yet, so pardon my foolishness.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Here’s the symbols for speed, regenerate, pollinate, growth, energy and increase. These markings in the corners are to indicate the numerical values.” The numbers were very different, but there was a pattern to them and it was based on the decimal system or base ten numbers. “The sentence structure typically runs up and down, but in a circle it runs counter clockwise.”

She drew rough shapes and letters in the dirt for me to memorize, and I eventually started copying them side by side to compare. Then I had to turn around and compare afterward, noting my mistakes. In all seriousness the language was very odd, resembling a bunch of random scratches in a wall. If a normal person explored a dragons cave, they’d probably mistake them for just that.

In the end we went outside to the entrance so we could test the spell out. “Ok, you can either draw on the object, or carve it into items surrounding the focus point. Try carving a piece of bamboo, then circle it around the plant of choice.”

He did so, before lashing the ends together using smaller fibrous sticks. “Alright, now for the hard part. At least for dragons it is. Activate your power, and bring it out of your core. Imagine the spells effect for each letter, and as you go imagine the runes filling with power. As if a latent power were being stored, so the spell will last longer. Now, take that and imagine a slow trickle of power feeding the designated plant or fruit. It’s very simple, but you have to multitask your thoughts.”

He felt the buzzing in his head and it immediately amplified resonating throughout his bodies meridians. Doing as she said, he imagined the power as a smoke gathering from his fingertips, flowing over the runes. It took a good ten minutes of intense concentration before anything happened. But when it did, it went far easier, as if his mind was reassured that what it was doing, was even plausible.

Strands of curling greenish smoke gathered around his fingertips, growing to the size of a golf ball. When he was satisfied, he sent the ball of energy towards the first rune. At first, his rune rejected the power until he put the right meaning behind the powers intent.

When that was successful, the rune absorbed the power and he saw a faint green glowing from the letter. Feeling the power, he stretched a thread inside the bamboo and sent it to the next letter, then the next and so on. When he reached the end, he tied off the power to the beginning. The entire set of runes suddenly flared and a moment later the wood fused together where the letters met.

When he set the circle of glowing wood over top of the planted sprout, the energy dimmed in the circle as a chunk of green mist swirled around the inside like a whirlpool. Grass started growing exponentially and the bamboo sprout sprung to life. The opaque pool of power at its base was being absorbed fast, but in moments the sprout had already risen ten feet high, and branches were sticking out here and there.

They watched more sprouts pop up nearby as the root base spread and grew. When the energy finally died out, the hillside in front of the cave was full of short bamboo stalks at chest height and the original stalk was wider than his arm, over fifteen feet tall.

They both gawked at the scene for a full minute, before turning their eyes to each other. Then at once they both cheered in excitement. “Yes! We did it, I didn’t think a human could have this much talent for draconic runes! Haha, let’s go back to the creek, I saw some wild stranglberries. Their out of season now, but we can get some if the plant hasn’t wilted too far yet.”

Lapillus hopped up and down, doing small circles around him. “Ya haha, that worked better than I thought. But what’s a strangle berry?”

“Ah, they’re very good. They are like long blue strawberries, but the plant crawls upwards. Kind of like a bean plant, but it bushes out with woody limbs. They don’t get big though, so there is usually very little fruit per season. Hurry, it’s almost evening and we need to find it before dark.”

She made her little speech in front of him, before hopping onto his shoulder and pointing forward with one of her small arms.

Feeling his stomach rumble, he acquiesced easily, and headed back down to the bottom of the little ravine. When they reached the water, they drank their fill and washed off as best they could.

After that we walked back the way they came until Lapillus pointed out an inconspicuous plant growing up the creeks bank. No wonder it didn’t bare much fruit, if the current ever got too high it would lose most of its buds.

The branchy plant was old and poky, but in the end they had a knarly bush with a few feet of root base. The soft riverbank soil made things easier, and it came out with minimal damage.

Noticing the suns position, they ran back up the hill to their base of operations. When they got back, Ken planted the bush behind the bamboo out of sight, and set to carving another bamboo limb before they ran out of light. He ended up finishing the carvings in the first rays of moonlight. (There was actually two moons. One split in half surrounded by a belt of debris, the second was small and rusty colored.)

Taking his time to imbue extra power into the circle, he used a softball sized chunk of energy. He felt light headed afterwards, and almost lost consciousness. The same process occurred, but the energy pool wasn’t opaque at all. Instead it looked like a rippling piece of green sapphire, as the energy condensed around the stem and absorbed into the old plant.

The plant was already leafless this time of year, but as they watched, leaves sprouted everywhere. Bright yellow in color, and as large as his hand the leaves unfurled in the moonlight. Then, little red buds appeared and a swirl of green mist seeped from them, mingling between the flowers like little bees pollinating the plant without any wind or insects.

When that finished, they thought he failed when no fruit appeared for a full minute. They were proven wrong soon enough though, when the plant started wriggling slightll. The buds all closed slowly and expanded slowly as they condensed and the petals welded to each other. In seconds the plant was so heavy baring fruit, the spell literally forced the bush to thicken its branches almost to three inches in diameter so they wouldn’t break.

The dark red petals suddenly faded rapidly and the fruits turned a deep shade of blur like blueberries. We stared in astonishment, then he filled his little sack with fruit and grabbed one to eat. It tasted really tart, but an underlying sweetness balanced it out kind of like an apple. The flavor was like a strawberry mixed with ripe huckleberries, and it was possibly the best thing he’d ever tasted.

The best part was the center. Since it grew too fast the water hadn’t evaporated off the fruit, and like strawberries they were hollow. Instead of light condensation inside, it was full of a light juice, where vessels in the fruit broke and mixed creating a sweet concoction.

He bit the top off his and tapped his with Lapillus’ own fruit like he was saying cheers. “Haha, earth magic rocks! Get it, rocks? Hahaha, I wonder what those others are eating right now? I bet they’re eating charred rabbit or some crap without any seasoning. This is like a resort drink and food in one!”

“I told you us earth dragons are the best. Why grow big if you can eat like this all the time? You know, *slurp this isn’t so bad.”

---

???-POV

“*Ack* what the hell is that, you call that cooking? Tastes like fricking feet to me!” Currently a group of mages sat in a circle, gnawing on pieces of tough black meat.

“Hey, it’s not my fault. The cook died remember, head wounds like that don’t heal you know? That halfling was dang good at finding herbs too, not to mention Kelvin keeps burning the meat.” Another girl was sitting across from her crunching on the bones trying to eat the marrow since it didn’t taste as bad.

A boy stood up to protest, and possibly try to fight the air mage when an older girl stood between them holding up her hands. “All right, stop fighting. We can’t afford to lose anyone else. This is better than starving, and you know how they purposefully bred the animals to taste worse. It’s obviously part of the trials, we just have to persevere. Just look at the meat, its grey not red or white. We need to find a different monster to butcher for food, the cosils aren’t made for eating obviously.”

A large squirrel like creature sat half eaten on a fire spit. The crackling fire glinted off a second ones uncooked black fur off to the side. Fangs jutted from its bottom jaw under which a white stripe went down its neck, belly and tail. It was a second cosil, of which nobody was volunteering to eat, even in hunger.

Suddenly a whiff of a sweet fruity scent blew through camp from an unknown origin. The courage everyone had just built up in preparation to finish their meal suddenly fled them and some even flopped over like they were punched. The contrasting smell accentuated the terrible taste in everyone’s mouths and suddenly half the kids ran to the side throwing up.

---

Kens Parents’-POV

Staring at their son gorging on fruits after almost two full days without food, made Mrs. Reyes smile in relief. Her husband sat beside her watching the projection above the little stone.

“I didn’t even know dragons used runes, did you?” her husband sat quietly, transfixed wishing he would’ve had earth magic when he was young.

“I-I don’t know what to say… but is it enough? He can’t live off one fruit for long. He’ll need protein, and that camp downstream, while funny to watch, just smelled his experiment.” Mr. Reyes responded.

“Oh don’t be so pessimistic! He survived the first day, and he already found shelter and a source of food. Can you say we had that much when we were there on the second day? No? Then shut it, that’s my baby down there. He won’t die, I just know it.”

Mr. Reyes sat quietly, nervous his wife would come uncorked on him. Her familiar, a small green mouse sat on her shoulder haughtily since she summoned it again. His own familiar a blue bird nested in his hair, digging its talons into his scalp feeling its master’s nervousness.

Gulping, he looked at the picture and prayed his son survived. If he didn’t, his wife might become inconsolable. ‘Please don’t die Ken!’ he eyed his wife nervously before heading off to find some coffee for his nerves.

They were at the summoning center at the capital, where they watched their son teleport away with the rest of the kids. Some adults cried, others cheered at random around the vast room. They were on a balcony, watching the show unfold, tracking the trials as they commenced. Surprisingly, the judges gave Ken some points for his little stunt with the fruit. Many still had no points, so he was lucky for a loner.

His score along with the others was depicted on a leaderboard scrolling past constantly in the middle of the room. He was still in the lower quarter, but the important part was he was still alive.