Liv trudged along on the road, stopping to eat some of her food. She stared at the sky, wondering how far away Maanterin was. Liv also thought about the previous stretch of road. Why was it so desolate and bereft of people? Leaning back, Liv fell to lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. It was a few hours till noon. She sighed. Time to walk. Massaging some feeling back into her legs, Liv got up and walked down the road once again. Then, she had an idea.

"This is incredibly dumb," Liv muttered, her mind going through with the idea anyways.

Liv called a spirit to her and Whispered what she wanted. The spirit seemed to look at her and go from side to side uncertainly, it's light dimming and brightening in the same manner. Liv poked it.

"I know this is dumb, but I want to try anyways."

The spirit finally agreed, forming the shape Liv wanted. As she put energy into it, Liv wondered why she was like this. As the object took shape, Liv got into the barrel as the compressed wind energy at the bottom lay ready to explode. An improvised cannon. The spirit seemed to want to see where this would lead her, so it flew into Liv's pocket. It had no weight, a property of all spirits, so it wasn't a hindrance. With the last part of her energy, Liv reinforced her body as much as possible. Then she released the wind energy at the bottom of the cannon.

She exploded out, flying down the road. Soon, she saw a traveler staring up into the sky at her figure, launched at a height barely below the clouds. Her arms weren't strong enough to move against the wind and wave to him, so she refrained. Flying further through the clouds, Liv spotted a grey object. Maanterin!

Liv gradually drew closer to the city, flying directly towards it. As she got closer, Liv realized that she wouldn't land on the ground. She would hit the wall.

Liv braced herself, hoping that she wouldn't get hurt too badly. Then the spirit flew out of her pocket and threw some magic in front of her, then disappearing in the rushing wind. Liv hit the magic, her flight suddenly cushioned. Liv relaxed, her new trajectory straight down towards the hard earth. Wait.

Liv's reinforced body helped her survive as she fell into the ground, almost her entire body swallowed by the dirt. Only her head stuck out. Wearily, Liv slowly pulled herself out. It still beat walking!

Liv oriented herself and strode towards Maanterin, dusting off her clothes. Then she took in the city. Flying towards a wall narrowed her vision, and Liv just now experienced the full version. The wall around The Gate of Wind stood high enough that it went through the clouds. The gates themselves were coated in magic, not to mention the incredible amount of Runes inscribed on the walls themselves. A set of guards stood at the gates, where a massive line of people stood to get in. Joining the line, Liv walked forward, the guards admitting people fast enough that they never stopped walking. Soon, she got to the front of the line and was let in without question, though one of the guards did raise an eyebrow.

Joining the crowd, Liv looked for signs of her destination within the city. The cultivation school that was supposed to be here. She quickly stepped aside, walking up to a merchant. "Where can I find the Maanterin School for young cultivators?"

The merchant quickly pointed in a direction, attempting to tell her about his wares. Ignoring him, Liv left in the given direction, the crowd once again consuming her. Soon, the buildings started to get more expensive, noble-like. Liv started to feel nervous, wondering if this was the wrong direction. However, she quickly spotted a sign with the words 'School for Young Cultivators' written in fancy cursive on it. Liv pushed through the crowd, getting to the sign. Behind it was a path between two buildings, leading to an open field in front of the building. Entering the building, Liv walked straight to the only person within the room; an old man holding a staff. There was no furniture and the only other exit was a door directly behind the old man.

The old man startled. "Pardon me, but who are you?"

"I would like to join this school," Liv replied, anticipation growing within her.

"Has someone bound a spirit to a cultivation focus in a way that it cannot withstand your will? This is necessary for cultivation, you see. Any other method is impossible and only results in madness, and is so outlawed for the good of the people."

A seed of rage suddenly sprouted within Liv's mind. Enslaving spirits, the innocent elemental beings which pervaded the world? She quickly calmed down. Even though they did so, Liv could still learn how to cast better from this place, even without a bound spirit. "Er... yes."

The old man nodded. "What type? That determines what you can do. Someone with a wind spirit can't control fire."

Liv gave him a quick answer. "Wind."

She didn't have experience with any other spirits, probably because she hadn't tried. The old man spoke once more. "Show me."

Liv pulled out her sword, assuming that it was one of the objects one could consider a 'cultivation focus'. She Whispered to a nearby wind spirit, creating an orb of air. Grabbing it, she tossed it at the old man, who felt a light impact from the invisible ball.

"That works. Come with me."

The man strode away, and Liv followed him. He opened the door behind him and continued down a hall until he reached a room labeled 'testing'. Liv followed him in and watched him set up some instruments, which he promptly hid behind a stack of books. "Drain your energy into here," the man said, handing her a vial.

Liv pushed energy through her hand, not expecting anything, but blue liquid started to fill up the vial. She filled up the vial using barely any of her energy and handed it to the old man, who nearly fell over in surprise. "You... You filled the vial?"

Liv nodded. The man actually fell out of his chair this time. He dragged her out of the room and into another, labeled 'Principal'. As soon as he opened the door, the man started shouting. "This girl filled the vial!"

The man behind the desk turned, his eyes locking on Liv.

"Well, we have a user of forbidden arts here, do we not?"