Roisin woke up to the sound of a light knock, black half-moons under her eyes. Even with all the preparation she had done, nerves had kept her awake most of the night. Yesterday, it had been an easy decision to move up her Trials date so that she could go on the expedition. Today, she hated her yesterday self.

There was only one likely candidate to be here so early. “Yes, Master Samer?” She asked groggily.

Samer entered her dorm room, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, I thought you would be awake by now. You’re uh, not looking so great.”

Roisin groaned. “Why are you here?”

“Let me treat you to breakfast and let’s talk strategy one more time.”

Roisin quickly changed into her robes and ran a brush through her unruly red hair, and the two made their way to the cafeteria. Roisin loaded up her tray with everything she could find; French toast, congee, an omelet, you name it. It was one of the biggest days her in life, she might as well eat to her heart’s desire. Samer smirked but knew better than to comment.

“So, I realize you already know this backwards and forwards, but it can’t hurt to review again, right?” Roisin gave a nod of encouragement in between two huge bites. “You’ll be scored on three qualities: power, resourcefulness and wisdom. The last is the most important. It doesn’t matter how much power you can tap into, or how many spells you’ve mastered, the biggest challenge is knowing to how to apply your magic in a way that best fits the situation. When you’re on a quest, you’ll need to make split-second decisions, all while you’re being pulled in a multitude of different directions. You have limited stamina, your friends will be fighting alongside you and will need your help, you’re trying to fulfill the objectives of the quest and hey, it’d be nice to stay alive. Choosing the right spells and applying the appropriate level of power can make all the difference.”

Roisin nodded slowly. Samer had a certain way with words that helped clarify her thoughts.

“You’ll also need to show mastery of your chosen class. For most, this involves showing off some powerful spells in a particularly creative way. But as an Evoker, you’ll have your work cut out for you. You’ll need to use a variety of spells from each of the elemental schools.”

Roisin nodded, her excitement rising at the possibility of soon being able to officially call herself an Evoker. In her opinion, Evokers kicked butt. They had access to all four elemental schools, Water, Fire, Earth and Air, which provided an incredible number of spells to choose from and a high ceiling on the level of power she could one day attain. In addition, Evokers could channel their emotions to supercharge their spells. Each element had a corresponding emotion that one could use to augment it; it was passion for fire, determination for water, compassion for earth, and detachment for air. The downside of the class though, was that the opposite emotions would diminish the potency of her spells or keep her from casting them altogether. In that sense, Evokers’ power was less limited by skill or knowledge than mastering control of one’s feelings.

For Roisin, this once would have been an insurmountable challenge. The circumstances of her life back on Earth had been bleak. Diagnosed with a particularly grim form of childhood cancer just as she entered her teenage years, her family had moved her from hospital to hospital, desperate to find a cure. Spending her life being shuttled around, confined to beds, or receiving radiation treatment gave Roisin seemingly endless time to consider the circumstances of her life. At first, she felt only fear, knowing that death was an ever-present threat. But as the shock of her prognosis wore off, fear was soon superseded by confusion. She asked her nurses dozens of questions: What caused cancer? Why her? Why are some people cured and not others? The nurses smiled patiently and offered timeworn platitudes. Roisin moved on to interrogating her fellow patients, attempting to detect any type of pattern in their responses that would explain their collective stroke of terrible luck. Unable to come to any satisfying conclusions, she grew depressed and withdrawn. The circumstances of her life made no sense, she could detect neither rhyme nor reason, and worst of all, she was completely powerless to change it.

Eventually, Roisin’s disease progressed to the point of no return. She was placed on the list to transfer to Arcadia, and her parents pulled as many strings as they could and managed to secure her a capsule. Roisin, not only deathly sick but devoid of thought or emotion, made no protest. She barely noticed as she was gently laid down inside the capsule and a soft whirr started up underneath her. The faces of her parents swam above before slowly fading away.

Then, she woke up. Gone was the ever-present hospital white. The people greeting her betrayed no anxiety or exhaustion; instead, they were smiling joyfully and welcoming. And for the first time in as long as she could remember, she did not suffer from throbbing pain, headaches or nausea. A wave of exhilaration washed over her.

Roisin’s early years in Arcadia had been a blur of discovery and wonder, as she explored new interests seemingly daily. From rediscovering the taste of food to throwing herself in her studies at the Academy, she welcomed all that life in Arcadia had to offer. When considering which class to pick, Evoker had seemed a natural fit. With her newfound power, she would never again be subject to the whims of outside forces.

The two chatted a bit longer before finishing their meals. Roisin gave Samer a quick hug and began the trek over to the Trials room, housed at the end of a hallway deep within the Academy. As she approached, the lights flickered on and off, and she noticed at least three spiderwebs, unheard of in the normally immaculate Academy. Reaching the room, she tried to open it, but found it lodged in place. She pulled and pulled and nothing happened. There was no lock, and the hinges weren’t rusted. She stared at the door dubiously, hands on her hips. I need to let Tal know this area requires some maintenance. Bewildered but growing impatient, she cast a Gust spell and managed to yank the door open with a loud whomp.

Stepping inside, Roisin was surprised to see how small the room was, occupied by only a marble pedestal standing in the center and a chair beside it. The logical part of her brain reminded her that the Trial would take place fully within her in mind, while she was temporarily transferred to a sandbox system outside of the main Arcadia server. Still, she had been picturing something grander. At the very least, there would be a viewing box of some sort, where Samer and Dayo could witness her feats and cheer her on.

She tried not to sulk and hurriedly walked up to the pedestal, on which sat an object. She cautiously picked it up and recognizing it as a scroll, unfolded it.

Mage Trials

Subject: Roisin Quinn

Class: Evoker

Scenario: A terrible dictator has consolidated power, laying waste to all those who oppose him. His country is in ruins, as famine and disease run rampant. Driven to desperation, the people make plans to take to the streets and depose him. In response, the dictator will deploy his army and give them only one instruction: take no prisoners. To prevent this brewing atrocity requires a woman of unique capabilities. You wait in the wings, ready to spring to action. Your mission: infiltrate the dictator’s palace and put an end to the situation, one way or another.

Roisin stared at the scroll, her mouth agape. Rather than the stock fantasy scenario she had been told to expect, rescue the princess and so forth, this one seemed more in line with some sort of crazy spy thriller movie. Yet, there was no way Amara or Samer wouldn’t have mentioned that new potential scenarios had been introduced, especially one that was so reminiscent of Earth and its penchant for high-tech violence. Something is definitely off.

Roisin turned to leave but found the door fusing into the wall. She contemplated blasting her way through before remembering the Academy walls were close to indestructible. Also, Headmaster Amara was terrifying, and she had no desire to attract her ire. Sighing in resignation, she sat down in the chair and scrunched up her eyes. At least this won’t be real. Except what exactly is the definition of real when you live in a virtual world? Her mind preoccupied by metaphysical musings, she barely noticed a soft tug on the edge of her consciousness. The world around her dissolved.