It is a very dim room, barely even lit with only four small Moonlamp illuminating an area double the size of their lighting capabilities. At the center of the room is Kayrus, the former thief. Facing him at the corner of the room is the Fire Archmagus Charleone, standing behind a tall marble altar holding a black crystal ball. Charleone brought the young man here, at one of the inner decks of Laura, among the hidden corners of the Academic District.

“Step forward, Kayrus.” ordered Charleone with a very serious tone, almost mystical.

The young man did as he was told. This ritual-like process is the Elemental Trial, a process that every Magus-in-training must complete to find out the Elemental Affinity that they possess. Usually, it’s not done as secretly as this, but due to their circumstances, Kayrus must do it with only Charleone as the officiate and witness.

Kayrus now came face to face with the Archmagus, the altar is the only thing that separates the two.

“Listen carefully, I will not repeat this for the second time.” the blonde man says. “This is a very important ritual, one that will influence you for the rest of your life and possibly even beyond. You have to do exactly as I say or things you wouldn’t want to happen, happen. Understood?”

“Yeah…”

“Good.”

Charleone made several gestures with his two hands, like drawing signs in the air, before ending it with a single clap. With hands still clapped, he then whispered something, almost like chanting, of words too undistinguishable for Kayrus’ ears.

“The Maker blesses.” he ended his chant.

And immediately a jolt of energy emanates from the Archmagus and reverberates through the entire walls, floors, and the airs of the room; unseen for the young man Kayrus, but felt immensely as it passes through his body.

“Now put your hands on the crystal.” orders the Archmagus, heads looking down with eyes so solemn and focused. “Close your eyes and don’t open it until I say so,” he orders again after Kayrus did his last order, “Follow my instructions...”

“Conjure inside of your mind, a moment, an object, a symbol, of what you consider as power. What you thought of as strength. What you think is life. What you feel as emotion. What you believe is your own self. Anything…”

With eyes frowning, Kayrus thinks hard to come up with the answer. That is not something he has an easy answer to. What does he really think of as power, strength, or even himself? He couldn’t immediately think of the answer, for he himself had never thought of that very question.

But as his logic and mind tried to form an answer, his own heart and memory came up with what he needed. Immediately he thought of the moment of meeting the people who would become his family, the moment he pulled a job with people who would become his close confidantes and colleagues, the moment he truly felt more than just friendship for Kara. Those warm feelings of peace and joy…

So he finally found it, what he truly believed as power are friends, comrades, and families that he would give his life for, and would also do the same for him. Those are the answers.

And in that moment, he felt something coursing from inside of him, an energy that flows little by little through his entire body and into the crystal ball that he touches. He felt it, and heard it, the hums of energy that flows ever so strongly.

And then, everything turns into silence.

He waited and waited for another instruction, but he didn’t receive it, nor could he even hear or feel anything inside that room. Even the feeling of touching the crystal is gone now. Only silence and nothingness remains. And so he decided to open his eyes, disobeying Charleone's command, and what he saw was something that could not be easily explained with words alone.

As if floating in the center of darkness, the young man is face to face not with the Archmagus or even any humans at all. Instead, in front of him, floats amid the empty darkness a gargantuan glowing sphere. As if composed of nothing but shining pure energy, the ball’s surface is nothing but flowing colors of myriad variety, size, and shapes; moving freely and erratically. The sigh terrifies him, and yet at the same time, it compels him to come closer, to touch it, to feel and accept its energy.

“-rus!” he began to hear a distant voice that slowly grew closer and louder. “-rus!”

“Kayrus! Wake up! Open your eyes!”

And as if jolted awake, the young man opens his eyes.

He found himself already lying on the cold floor, several feet from the altar and crystal he thought he was touching. When he tries to get up, he finally sees something amiss, or rather, something new inside the room. Circling him are eight large humanoid figures of transparent bodies, almost like ghosts or wraiths, each looking different than the others composed of one unique color: red, blue, brown, orange, deep green, silver, purple, and golden. Those figures, menacingly, are looking down on him, their faces are covered by masks of different designs and shapes.

“Kayrus, get down!” shouted Charleone.

The Archmagus, inexplicably now with an axe on his hand, slams the weapon into the floor with one swift but powerful swing. The moment the blade of that weapon hits the floor, a wave of red light flashes through the entire room, lights that cross into the eight mysterious figures. That spell surrounds them, binds them, and finally pulls them into the crystal ball again before disappearing along with those figures it captured.

“W-What the hell happened?!” yelled Kayrus, half-shocked half-confused.

“That is my question!” Charleone raises his voice, the first time the young man has heard it. “What did you do there?! I told you to follow my instructions!”

“But I did! I follow your instructions! You told me to think of something and I did! And then, and then…”

“And then?”

“I-I can’t really explain.” Kayrus gets up, he tries to remember the sight that he saw a few moments ago. “It was weird. I was surrounded by darkness and then…I saw something, like a huge sphere of energy, a very colorful energy.”

“What do you mean colorful?”

“It’s like, It’s like it has every color in the world…”

“That’s…that’s impossible.” muttered the Archmagus. Even in the dim light, Kayrus can see colors drained from Charleone’s face. “But then that means…”

“What is it? What does that mean?”

“That’s impossible!” The blonde man threw his axe to the floor, the sheer force and the sharpness of the blade splitted the tile of the floor as the axe struck to the ground. That display of rage was too much for even the former thief. Kayrus took a few steps back subconsciously, his instinct told him not to get closer to that man

“Get out….” Charleone’s voice sounds weary. “Get out, go back to the house.”

“But, the trial-”

“I said get out!” the Archmagus roared. “Return to the house, but forget everything that you saw happened here. Under no circumstance you could ever tell any living soul. Everything that happened here will remain only between the two of us, understood?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Good…” Charleone picked up his axe on the floor. Even after it hits the floor with such force, the blade still remains sharp and straight. “About your trial, I’ll…handle it. Just go now, I need some time to think.” he turned his back to the young man, head down like a distraught soul.

Kayrus decided that the wisest action is to follow his order, and so he did, stepping away from the room. WIth each step he tried to clear his mind from what happened, but it proved futile for it only made him think about it more and more.

“What was that..” he muttered. “Those things. The sphere, the figures, everything…”

He remembered the moment after it happened, when Charleone seemed to be shocked over the turn of events. Kayrus can still hear his voices back then, his words. Do the Archmagus actually know what happened? And then he remembered Emma’s words before he took the Trial. What else Charleone hides from him? Was following him to this school turns out to be a mistake? He keeps thinking of that very question, over and over again, muttering to himself like a madman.

The young man keeps on walking, and before he realizes it, he has returned to the Top Deck of the ships. A breeze suddenly hit his face, and as he turned towards where the wind was blowing, he noticed it. On the sideroad near a square hang eight different flags, each with unique colors and design. But Kayrus recognizes that one of them, the red one, is the same with one in front of Charleone’s residence house.

And then it hit him like a brick. The colors of those flags are the very same colors that the mysterious ghost figures have, each and every one of them. And with those numbers, eight, he finally figures it out. Eight different flags, eight different colors, eight different figures, eight different Elements.

"Are you alright kid?" Asked a voice from behind, startling Kayrus. When the young man turned his head, someone was already standing behind him.

He is an eastern old man with back slightly hunched, his short hair and stubbles on his chin are colored in nothing but grey white color, with his face and skin is full with wrinkles. A metal-grey robe with long orange sleeves is draped over his shoulders, almost like a cape. Both of his hands are rested on a walking cane with a hilt the shape of a pair of intertwined snakes.

"Are you alright? Your face is very pale there." Said the old man with a voice of genuine concern.

"O-Oh, really? I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you sure? Your face is as white as paper there? Did you just see a ghost or something? Hahaha." He let out a small chuckle. "Although, there are some whispers among the youth about some apparitions in this square. Quite a chilling rumour, wouldn't you agree?" He chuckled again.

"I-I'm fine, I just...have some problem, that's all.”

“Ah….is it a youth problem? Love, perhaps? Ah…to be youth, enviable indeed.”

If only it were that simple, thought Kayrus.

“Ah, forgive this old man’s memory, young man, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Toshizo Yaguchi, pleased to meet you.”

“Kayrus Neumann, likewise.”

“You are a new student here, I presume?”

“Yeah, how do you know?”

Like a wise old man, the man gave a warm smile as an answer. “Call it an elder’s intuition,” he says. “Have you accustomed yourself to this place yet?”

“Not really. There are…some things that I just can’t get used to yet...”

“Such as?”

“Many things…I can’t start where.” the young man's eyes looked down.

“Too many to count then. I understand your feeling, young man. This place is like a separate world of its own, no matter how many years I’ve lived here, you just can’t get used to it.” the old man then reached for a pocket inside of his robe. “You know what, as a gift to welcome you to this institution, and to take your minds off your trouble, I shall give you this.”

He handed him a round item the size of a palm, a pocket watch. Though it shows its wear due to age, the colors of the pearl-white shell and gold trim are still spotless and shiny. Inside, the clock is still working as intended, the gears and arrow clicking with each passing second. On the opposite side of the inside shell is engraved the emblem of an eight-pointed flower, the same one as the one on Kayrus' blazer, the logo of this very Magic School.

“Wait, this is-”

“Don’t worry, young man, it’s an inexpensive gift. It meant nothing to me to give it to you except entertaining an old man’s whim. Please, accept it.”

Kayrus took one last look at the watch before pocketing it.

“Then I shall accept it, thank you very much.”

The old man gave a wide smile as a reply.

“Thank you, young man, it pleased this old man’s heart talking with you. I shall take my leave now, I hope the best of luck for you with your trouble. Excuse me…”

The man took his leave, walking away leaving Kayrus behind with heart and mind now feeling a bit at ease.

“Ah!’ said Kayrus when the old man disappeared in the distance. “I forgot to ask who he actually is….”