It is in the twenty first century where this story begins, beyond and amongst the seven seas and mountains where nations prosper and thrive. Where humanity far exceeded the expectations of all, with technology we would think unthinkable. Picture a futuristic airship, centre for command or first-aid stations capable of healing grave wounds.

However, futuristic technology is not all this world can boast of, with mages leaving fairy tales and joining reality under the title of Magus. Unlike fairy tales though, these exceptional humans had to live in their own secluded communities, as they represent what humans fear the most. Difference, the unknown, abnormality.

But in this story, we will focus only on one specific village in which the vaunted Magus lived in, located in the United Kingdom in England. It is here where a grand tale begins, one filled with tragedy and beauty. But before one can see grandeur, one must see the prelude.

As we arrive before the gates of this village, we can see a boy and a girl conversing.

"How do you fare?" asked the boy.

"Wonderful!" replied the girl. "But there's something I want to show you, follow me!"

The girl then grabbed the boy's arm and led him away from the village towards a nearby hill. Once they reached it, the girl pointed to the skies.

"Look, from here I saw countless stars on the—" the girl froze. "Ah! They're gone!"

The boy shook his head.

"The stars? It would be no wonder since they only appear during night-time."

"Really? But I wanted to show them to you... There were so many colours and sizes of them to see!" said the girl with a disappointed look on her face.

Not wanting to see the girl sad, the boy came up with an idea. "Then how about we come during night-time? Even though it's forbidden for us to do that, we could... Wait, you snuck out to see them, didn't you?" said the boy with a sharp expression.

"Maybe... Okay, I did, but please don't tell anyone! After all, can you blame me for wanting to bear witness to such beauty?"

Perplexed by the girl's words, the boy could only muster to say a few words. "I suppose not..."

***

At night-time of the same day, the boy sneaks out of his home after his parents check to confirm he's asleep. Under the cloak of darkness, he makes his way to the girl's home. However, she's nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she? I hope she didn't forget about our meeting..."

Suddenly, a figure comes out of the shadows and jumps at the boy.

"Boo! Ha-ha, got you!" it's the girl wearing a mischievous grin on her face. However, the boy has barely flinched at this point.

"Yes, yes you have... Shall we get going now?" responded the boy.

"Of course! Let's go!" said the girl while smiling.

"Just don't let the villagers catch you..." muttered the boy before they set off.

Through the sheer agility of youth, the two made it out of the village and unto the hill, from which they watched the countless stars on the night sky.

"Aren't they just so beautiful?" said the girl in awe.

"There are so many..." responded the boy, he too in awe at the sheer amount of the stars.

A while passed before the girl started talking again.

"Mom and dad said you're almost ready for the Magus trials... You're almost an adult!

"My parents told me that too. However, I don't see the catch with this whole adult thing..."

"Me too... It sounds like a lot of responsibility!" said the girl with worry on her face.

"But if we could be as great as our elders... Anyway, have you truly never seen the stars before tonight?" asked the boy, clearly curious.

"Of course I saw the stars before, silly! I just haven't seen this many at once," responded the girl.

The boy looked at her perplexed but restrained himself from further questioning her.

"Is it just me, or do I see stars over there too?" asked the boy.

"Huh?" responded the girl, turning to see what the boy means.

These were not stars, but some sort of light sources coming from somewhere in the forest nearby their village, and there were a lot of them.

"Maybe we should go back..." said the girl and stood up ready to leave.

"What do you think is emanating that light?" asked the boy, seemingly unfazed.

"Eh? I don't know, a lot of people perhaps... But these lights spell out danger!"

"All right, then let's head back," finally agreed the boy who also stood up.

***

A usual morning approached once again, and the boy woke up as usual. As he got dressed and walked down to the kitchen, his parents greet him a good morning.

"Good morning, dear!" said his mother. "Good morning, Ike," said his father.

"You're looking livelier than usual... Is something the matter?" asked the boy, whom we shall refer to as Ike from this point.

"Of course! It's a special day today, dear!" responded Ike's mother.

Ike remained perplexed by what's happening.

"All right, hint... what do you celebrate once in a year?" asked his father.

Suddenly, Ike knew.

"Ah, birthday! My birthday!" he said with a smile on his face.

"Happy birthday, Ike!" congratulated him his mother.

"Happy birthday, young adult," also congratulated him his father.

"Young adult? Does this mean...?" Ike thought out loud.

"Yes, now that you're an adult, you can finally take part in the magus trials!" said his mother proudly. And in a moment's notice, Ike's eyes lit up. He was waiting for this moment for his entire life.

"Yes! I...I won't fail you, my dear parents! I'll train hard and pass the magus trials... No, I'll do more than pass them! I'll accomplish them to perfection! I need to tell Ellen and Elliot about this!"

And without a moment to spare, he ran out of his home, saying goodbye to his parents before they were no longer in sight.

The magus trials are perhaps the most important trials in the life of a magus. But who is a magus? Simply, a magus is someone who can naturally harness and channel the mana which flows in everything and everyone. Differing amounts of mana can be found in various sources, and it's difficult to store. A magus can use this mana to do many things, mainly depending on his skill level. This includes mainly simple spells but could potentially be used to cast very powerful spells too if enough mana is concentrated in one place and the magus is skilled enough in his art.

After a few minutes, Ike finally reached his friends to tell them the news.

"Guys! It's my birthday today, and I'm finally old enough to take on the trials!" said Ike with excitement written all over his face.

Suddenly, the girls face lit up too.

"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" said the girl, presumably Ellen as there were only three of them conversing with each other.

"So it's that time at last. Congratulations, Ike," said the other boy, whom we can out as Elliot.

Out of these three, Ellen was the youngest, and Elliot was the oldest, with Ike in-between.

"Do you plan on dedicating your time to the trials now, Ike? I can see the fire in your eyes," said Elliot.

"Of course! And I know, I know... Don't forget school, right? But what free time I have, I can dedicate to actual training!" said Ike.

"Hahaha, just make sure you make some time for us too, all right?" replied Elliot with a grin.

"Duly noted. And Elliot, since you already passed the trials... Could you help me out a bit?" asked Ike.

"I can give you some tips, sure... But for the actual stuff, you'll have to ask the elders. And I'm still a young magus, so there's not much I can teach you right now," replied Elliot.

"That's okay, thank you. Ellen, ready to walk to school?" asked Ike.

"I am! Let's go, Ike!" said Ellen in excitement.

"Ah, how can she be so excited for something like school? Anyway, I'll see you guys later. Good luck, Ike," said Elliot.

"All right, and thank you once again," said Ike before leaving to catch up with Ellen who started walking off.

***

After school, Ike went to visit the magus elders. They were in the village's centre, surrounded with several pillars with mysterious engravings on them. Once Ike entered the elder's building, he was greeted by three elderly figures in front of him.

"Good day, elders," said Ike.

"Greetings, youngling," said the first elder.

"May you be blessed," said the second elder.

The third elder remained silent.

"What brings you here, Ike Westcott?" said the first elder.

"I've come to inquire about the magus trials, since I just turned the appropriate age."

"We guessed as much. Then come forward Ike born Westcott," said the second elder.

Ike then stepped forward closer to the elders. They too stood up and faced him. Remarkably, he didn't seem nervous at all, even with the greatest of his village in front of him. The first elder took a careful look at Ike, the second elder looked where the first elder looked, and the third elder merely glanced over him.

"Do you know why this trial is necessary to become a magus? Why do we not just train every school age child to harness the power of a magus?" sternly said the third elder, surprising the other two elders.

"Tradition, morality, and..." Ike stops himself before finishing his sentence. "And freedom, right? You want to give everyone an option instead of forcing them."

The third elder points at a piece of very old art.

"This village is a haven for people like us for centuries... Ever since the witch hunts, we had to live in fear just because we possess something we didn't ask for. Yes, the times have eased our suffering, but even now we must live in fear. And fear is what we wish to avoid placing our fellows under. But listen closely, Ike. We always had a choice, to live in isolation from society or to channel our hatred into a weapon of pure destruction. And even though most would choose the former, some have gone down the path of the latter. But what has all that conflict done for us? It has only created more conflict, more hatred. That is why our ancestors swore we would protect humanity from ourselves, and we locked our powers behind the magus trials. No magus could ever harness such power as they could in the past unless they broke the oath. By undergoing these trials, you will have to grow, learn, and understand. Only then can you swear the oath every magus has sworn to keep, which will unlock your powers to a limited extent. That is why we serve as watchful owls, making sure this tradition is kept and maintained. If you wish to truly undergo the magus trials still... Then your training shall begin.

***

That same day in the evening, Ike ponders in bed about what the third elder told him.

"I do not understand... why would they limit our kind in potential? Wars will always be fought; life will always be sown, and death will always reap. This decision only hinders us and puts us at the mercy of those who would see us on our knees. If it were between me and my enemy, I wouldn't wish death upon myself, would I?"

As the sun slowly sets, Ike flipped between some books.

"But I had to pretend to understand, or they wouldn't let me train to become a magus. Only by telling them what they want to hear will they allow me. Yes, of course..."

Ike sighs before he stops flipping between the pages.

"Wait, this page... It contains information about mana itself. And the book, it looks so different from all my other books... Just where did this thing come from?"

Ike begins reading the page titled Mana.

"Mana is a near limitless source present in all begins, animate or inanimate, mortal, or dead, that could be called the life source of all that stands. With enough mana concentrated or drawn in one place, destruction of unthinkable strength can be summoned forth given the caster possesses... This part's illegible... Can be stored in a talisman or... Illegible as well... Can potentially summon a being of godlike strength called... Illegible... Illegible... What is this?! The good parts are ruined! Am I getting set up by someone? Maybe the elders are behind this..."

Ike then closes the book and puts it back on one of the shelves.

"If only I knew what this 'mana' is capable of and could invoke its true potential... We could propel ourselves out of this tiny village and take our rightful place amongst other nations!"

Having dreamed enough, Ike rests his head on a pillow and closes his eyes.

"I suppose it's just not meant to be. Maybe I'm just not destined for this. At the very least... I can make those close to me proud.

***

The following day, Ike meets up with his friends, Ellen, and Elliot. He wants to talk to them about something on he had on his mind since the last day.

"Hey, guys. Nice to see you both."

"Hello, Ike," said Elliot.

"Hello! Nice to see you too!" said Ellen.

"So I met up with the elders yesterday, and I meant to ask... Elliot, did they question you too?" asked Ike.

"What do you mean, question?" replied Elliot, confused.

"One of them asked me why I think the magus trials exist... And why only adults can undergo them. But I haven't spoken a word about either topic beforehand," explained Ike.

"Then no, no they haven't. However, I was asked a different question by one of them," answered Elliot.

"What was it?" asked Ike who seemed very interested.

"I was asked what good and evil meant to me," answered Elliot.

Ike thought to himself why they didn't ask him that. After all, he considered it a way easier question.

"So what did you answer?" asked Ike.

"I was not sure what to answer, so I just said what came to my mind. That good is what I strive to follow in its footsteps, so I don't fall prey to evil. And I know well, and evil are subjective terms, but to me... Good is about protecting the innocent, the defenceless, those who cannot fend off against evil. Good is also about showing benevolence, mercy, sympathy to your enemies. Evil preys and tempts the hearts of good men and women to harm those whom they care about, people who care about them... It is often an embodiment of absolute power gone astray, against whom all good fights. And in the end, I believe it is good that perseveres," answered Elliot.

"I understand. Maybe... maybe it's not as easy as it sounds. The answer to that question, that is." Said Ike.

"I overdid it, sorry for rambling. Anyway, did the elders approve your training as magus?" asked Elliot.

"Yes, yes! They have. But now I must accomplish these so-called magus trials..." replied Ike.

"I remember them. Problem is, I couldn't give you information about them if I wanted to. They're tailored specifically for the individual taking them," said Elliot.

"I suspected that would be the case..." muttered Ike to himself.

"Anyway, me and Ellen should get going. School's starting soon."

"May I come with you two? That is, if you're both okay with it..." said Elliot.

"Of course! The more the merrier!" smiled Ellen.

"All right, then let's go," said Ike, whose mind was already in another place.

***

End of chapter.