After sending him to be cleaned and dressed, Val sat down to test him. Like the dragon before her, she was a little disappointed. He didn’t know where he was on the map, or even the types of coins in use. He could at least read and write, but there was an awful lot of work to do.

Morning run. Food. Tests, then lunch, lectures, reading time, food, test, more exercise. Day-in, Day out.

He wasn’t entirely useless, he could draw, sew, stich. He’d picked up several hobbies during his confinement, but it was obvious how isolated he’d been.

Val had taken it upon herself to train him mercilessly. She’d taught him titles, introductions, rules. He still didn’t know much of the world around him, but at least he wouldn’t be rude, or ignorant.

“Kis, when you finish your laps, come back, I have news”, asked Val

“Val, I already finished. I’m just winding down, I can come over now”, Kis replied

“I wrote to the church, they finally got back to me. Take a seat, Kis. This is weird”

“What’s up?”

“Kis, nothing you’ve said adds up”

“I know, but it’s what they told me.”, he lamented

Val coughed, “You told me you’d been isolated as the offering”

“Yeah...”

“The church wrote back with your containment procedures. Yes, the church was trying to keep you a little isolated, pure of mind and spirit, but they had other reasons. It says here that you could drain someone’s mana from prolonged exposure. The barriers and spells weren’t to keep you isolated, but to keep you from devouring all the nearby mana.”

“What?”, Kis was slightly unnerved.

“It said not only were you born at the time of the summoning, you were afflicted with mana devouring. In auntie’s words ‘A bottomless pit’.”

“Whaaaa”, Kis was stunned. It did make some sense. The precautions, the never quite explained reasons. The seals that kept eroding.

“There’s an apology for not telling you things earlier too, and a note from your parents too”

He looked down at his feet. It had been a few years since he’d seen their faces. “I hope they’re ok”

“They should be fine. Cheer up lad, this is good news.”, Val smirked

“How?”

“It explains everything! Almost, but it does explain how you survived. Humans shouldn’t be able to take on dragon’s mana, well, not as much as you did. Humans shouldn’t be able to speak dragon either. I wouldn’t have believed it without seeing it myself”

He grimaced. She’d made him practice his name until his lips cracked apart and his tongue began to bleed.

“... Anyway, I’m sure your parents will be happy to know you’re free, unsealed too. So, Emissary...“

Officially, he was “The chosen Emissary of the most honorable dragon who blesses our most serene empire”. The length, she’d explained, was the humans copying the dragon’s naming style.

He stuck his tongue out. “Yes, Grand Mage of Althas”. Kis wasn’t the only one with a title.

“Kis, How are you finding it, one month in?”

“Val, I’m exhausted. I’ve gone from a decade of boredom to weeks of intense training. Even the rush of the flight here is starting to wear off.”

“I’m still jealous, Kis. I’ve asked auntie for years on end and she tells me she’s too old for it”

“Sorry Val”, he mumbled again.

“Psssh. There’s probably a real reason. Auntie tends to let me down gently”, she sighed, “still, I guess that means it’s time to move onto the real stuff”

His eyes lit up, “Magic? But I thought?”

“Auntie isn’t here *and* she put me in charge. It’s about time we see what you can do”

He started to bob up and down on the spot in excitement.

“Calm down little man. It’s going to be light spells until I’m happy. No elementals, no summoning, and ... you’re not even listening, are you?”

“I am. You said [Light], see?”, he grinned.

“Don’t show off little man. Human magic is nothing like that. We do have some chants, butchered versions of the dragon’s words, but they’re focussing aids, no more”

She lifted her hand out and without a word, cast a small fireball above her hand.

“Human magic is above movement, grace, motion. Nudging the mana around you to get the fullest effect. Now you’ve *finally* got your aura under control, you should be ready to learn”

She dispelled the fireball. “Do you want to fetch the book?”

“I remember it”, He’d gone over the basic spells countless times already.

A light spell was the simplest incantation. Gently activating the surrounding mana to glow. A bit like throwing a rock into a pond and ripples spreading across it.

He held out his hand and began the gesture, synchronising his movement with the flow of mana inside of him. With the gentlest touch, he pushed mana out of his system focussing it into a point.

A single blinding spot of light emerged just above his hand.

“Ugh, dispell it Kis, I’m trying and my mana isn’t enough”, Val wasn’t happy.

“How”, he was confused.

“Stop putting mana into it”

“I’m not putting mana into it”

It was slowly gaining in size, shining brighter and brighter.

“Did you read up on moving the light?” she asked

“Yes”.

“Do that before you burn through my eyelids already”, Val commanded, “Move it, fast!”

He wobbled back and forward on his feet, trying to feel the currents around him. He poured mana into his hand, forcing the ball of light to rise into the sky, accelerating and growing in size

“Stop, Stop!”, Val grabbed his hand, “It’s away now don’t make it worse”

The courtyard was lit up like a bright summer’s day. Kis opened his eyes to see a furious Val, lifting him off the floor by his arms, “Sorry Val”

She looked up and winced. Still too bright.

“Auntie wasn’t joking about the mana, huh. ... Sorry Kis”, she gently put him back on the ground.

“Are you Ok?” he asked

“Fine, just a little surprised, that’s all.”

“No more magic?”, he asked quietly

“Why? Wasn’t it fun?”, Val chirped, “but no, we will be continuing with magic...”, she began mumbling to herself

“What? Really?”

“... maybe if I can... Kis, with the right wand, anything is possible”

He grinned. Every decent mage had a wand, a focussing tool to make spell casting easier. For a moment he daydreamed about being a mage, waving his wand, impressing everyone.

“... Tell you what Kis. I’ll go find you a wand, and, given it won’t get dark for a few more hours, why don’t you go for a run”

He sighed, “Ok Val”. The dream could wait until after practice.

More running, more textbooks, and countless focusing exercises.

Kis wanted to complain, to whine about the endless lessons, but he found himself enjoying it. Not being left to his own devices for hours on end, feedback on where he was going wrong.

The practice sessions had helped: The wooziness from his mana had long since passed. He felt in control of his life.

It would also be a bit rude to complain.

Val was meant to be on holiday at a relaxing mountain spa, not working as a teacher. She was the head of a nearby mage academy. A job she’d grudgingly accepted instead of a few decades of retirement.

The last two months of practice passed quickly.

Val did insist on taking a few days off, and making sure Kis got a haircut too. She felt confident that Auntie would be happy with his progress, although his attempts at human magic were still a little unstable. She had a few more ideas to try out, too.

It would have to wait.

The new term was starting, and one of the few duties she couldn’t avoid was the opening ceremony. Auntie hadn’t returned, and Val couldn’t wait any longer.

She decided to take Kis with her, a few extra months of study wouldn’t hurt. He could use the practice. She felt that the academy, with it’s wards and barriers, might be a safer place for him to experiment.

Outside the resort, Val stared up at Kis’ first attempt at a light spell. It was still going strong. It had been two months of perpetual daylight.

“Val, are you sure we can just leave it? I’m pretty sure I could dispel it now?”

“No point. I explained it to the spa owners. They’re pitching it as an all-day summer, and I tip heavily. It’s fine.”, she replied

“I guess if they’re ok with it... what about Auntie?”, asked Kis.

“I did give it an extra week. She knows where we’ll be going, I’m late, and I’m already pushing it. Hop in”, she pointed to the carriage, “... and don’t mess up your uniform”

He was dressed in the standard robes of a student mage. A simple white robe, itchy a little around the waist, but it looked good on him. His hair was neat too, cut to shoulder length. A glossy bright blue that had been brushed through numerous times by the resort staff.

“When we get to the academy, I will put you into a class, get you around other students, especially ones your age.”

He nodded eagerly

“But don’t tell people who you are. It will attract more trouble than it is worth, and undermines the whole point of smuggling you into the school”

He nodded slowly

“... and never, under no circumstances, use magic without your wand”

“I understand Val”

He lifted the round thick metallic pole. It was more fair to call it a staff, being a little taller than him. Val had hastily inscribed something around a piece of scaffold, or perhaps a thick curtain rod. Kis wasn’t sure where she’d procured it from.

“You’ll have to start calling me Mage, Kis. Not everyone is as informal as Auntie, sadly”

“I understand, Mage”

“Don’t giggle”

“Yes Mage”, he was giggling.

“I’m serious. The only thing worse than people finding out you’re the Emissary, is the student body finding out you’re friends with me”

“Really?”

She nodded. “I keep up a strict, no-nonsense appearance there. Everyone, I mean, *Everyone* would come to me with problems if I didn’t. I’m not that popular”

“Oh... but you were quite strict on me”

“You barely broke a sweat”

It was true. He didn’t find himself short of breath, small wounds would close overnight. Even lumbering around a heavy metal pole all day wasn’t a problem for him now.

“... but I am serious. Most of the time spent learning magic is rest, and recovery–I could find a handful of wizards to teach you personally, and we’d be done in a few months. I’m taking you to the academy so you can be a normal seventeen year old, well, normal mage at least”

After hearing his story, and finding out the truth, she felt a little pity for the young man. Locked up, not much company, and unceremonially dumped in front of a dragon.

“Yes Teacher”, he nodded solemnly.

“Good. Make yourself comfortable, because this is a non-stop carriage. We’re sleeping in here”. She sprawled across one side of the carriage, encouraging Kis to do the same.

He got up and began to feel around the bench he had been sitting on, leaning underneath to scramble for a latch. “Aha!”

With a click, the top part of the bench popped up. He slid out two panels underneath, and unfolded the bench to form a larger surface. He started to unpack his bedding when Val interruped him

“Kis”, she asked, “can you do the same for my bench?”

There wasn’t a switch to be found.

“Move over”, Val instructed.

She clambered over him, grabbed the blanket, and wrapped herself up. “Thank you Kis”

He didn’t mind, he was a bit too excited to sleep. An ordinary life. School! Maybe even friends!

He by the carriage window, riveted to the world outside. As the carriage pulled away from the resort, it got darker and darker outside. In the end, he fell asleep against the window, unable to tear himself away.

Val crashed out, sleeping soundly until they arrived outside the city. She let Kis sleep as she handled the guards, waking him up as the carriage pulled up outside the assembly hall.

“Hey dragon breath... Hey.... Kis...”, Val gave him a friendly shove

“What, ugh. Hello Val. Mage. Mage Val. Are we here?”

She nodded. “Come on”, Grabbing his hand, she dragged him out of the carriage, into a side entrance, and through a series of narrow corridors.

“This is a maintenance route, I should be able to sneak you in. You remember everything?”

“No magic without the staff. I don’t know you, I don’t know Auntie. I mean the Empress I mean...”

“That should do, no more time”, she pushed him through a set of doors, leaving him to fend for himself as she bolted down the corridor.

The door slammed behind him with a loud bang, attracting the attention of everyone around him. A few glanced his way, but the conversations quickly resumed.

He could see see hundreds of people, all distinct. Eye catching hair. Weird piercings. Cat ears. A few elves like Val too. All in the same white robe as him, standing around, waiting for the ceremony to start.

Unsure what to do with himself, he walked towards the back of the hall, hoping to blend in, without attracting any more attention.