Renee was a prosperous city. The poverty rate was low, and the people were well taken care of. Crimes were rare, and debauchery even rarer, but no city was without a slum. Slums existed for beggars, orphans, thieves, murderers, and refugees, and even Renee had a slum. Crime might be rare in Renee, but no city is truly free from the hands of the underworld. Renee was no exception and had its own sprinkling of illicit institutions.

In a certain unsavory place, there was a large, grotesque woman covered from head to toe in all kinds of tacky jewelry. It was a rather, poor attempt on her part to look noble. A group of small children in rags stood before her, each with their head bowed. She fanned herself with an ornate folding fan while directing children to clean the rooms in her institution. The mornings were the best time to clean, as there were few new customers.

"Clean the room well, and you'll have food to eat. Fail to clean the room well, and well... there are more consequences than not eating a meal! Huuhuuhu!" She pointed her fan at a small girl as she laughed a grotesque laugh. Attractive would be the last word in the dictionary you could use to describe her. Whether that was her appearance or her character only; ugly could be used effectively.

"Yes! Madam!"

The girl almost panicked and ran into the foul-smelling room. She removed the sheets with practiced hands before replacing them with new ones. She then opened the windows to rid the air of the foul stench of body odor and let some fresh air replace it. Bundling the sheets and linen, she left to take them to the washroom before the large woman blocked her in the doorway and looked at her. She caressed her waxy black hair and looked into her eyes, "What was your name again, street rat?"

The girl's heart nearly lept to her mouth as she forced out her answer, "Talia, madam!"

"If we cleaned you up, you could be quite pretty. Maybe in a year or two, if you grow up nicely, I can put you to work. Real work."

Talia's heart beat wildly in her chest as a feeling of nausea, and sickness overcame her. She had to answer, or she'd be beaten. She quickly managed, "Ye-yes, madam!"

The large woman narrowed her eyes as she looked at the girl before saying, "Would you prefer not to work for me?"

"N-no! Madam, I love working for you! I'm just worried I'd do a bad job an-and hurt madams reputation!"

"Huhuhu! Very good. You know the right words! Don't worry, rat girl. We get some customers who like them young. We'll have to move you to an establishment in another city though. It's too risky to do that sort of thing in Renee."

If she wanted to avoid a beating, the young girl had learned long ago that the best thing to do was to agree quickly with the madam. Once you groveled low enough, you would easily appease the madam.

"Yes, madam!"

"Ok, street rat, that's enough wasting my time! Finish your work, or I'll deprive you of food for more than just a day!"

Talia ran as fast as she could with the linens before tripping. She feared the consequences of getting seen on the floor and immediately rose to her feet in a sprint.

The slums of Renee were small compared to most cities. The war had barely touched Elion, but it had affected it. There were all kinds of atrocities going on just below the surface, especially in the territories of the nobles. More than a hundred years of weak monarchs had made Elion's nobles particularly bad. King James had managed to combat the noble's growing powers and their horrible treatment of the common citizens with the help of the Red Tower. Powerful neutral noble families had shifted their support for James and were able to criminalize many of the activities the nobles took enjoyment in. Slavery, prostitution, drugs, and killing were some of the most common. Renee's slum was guilty of the same sins. It was impossible to end the underworld unless one was willing to go to war with the noble families.

One day that war could happen, but with the current war and political climate, it was unlikely.

Linda was chosen as a test administrator partly because of her relationship with Darius. She was trustworthy, and talented and saw Darius as a younger brother, so she was a natural choice when it came to finding a squire candidate for Darius.

Linda chose to look for her candidates in the slums of Renee. She had been recruited from the slums when she was younger and knew the suffering that came from it more than most. Even though she didn't grow up in the slums of Renee, she had grown up in the slums of Elion, and a deep part of herself wanted to give back somehow.

Linda walked up to a street urchin and said, "Tell everyone a mage has come to test children ages 4-6. Whoever is chosen will be trained as a mage, and taken from the slums."

The boy excitedly nodded before running away. Children of all shapes and sizes began lining up in front of her table within minutes.

"Ca-can I t-try?" Small, feeble, with matted hair, a child went up and placed their hand on the crystal. Praying that a miracle would happen, the boy watched as the crystal lit up with a dull brown color. Her eyes betrayed her reaction as Linda marked down his results in a small notebook. He knew exactly what she was going to say before she said it.

"I'm sorry."

He looked disappointed but didn't linger long. The boy disappeared through the crowd as though he never existed at all. Soon hundreds filled the line, and word spread to every part of the slums.

Talia watched the children getting tested with jealousy from an open window. One of the other children had managed to get word that the magic lady outside was testing children for magic. One of the children she tested would be taken from the slums and would be taught magic.

It was like hearing that one of the kids would become a noble overnight. It was hard to believe, but at the same time, children without hope often clung to the smallest kernels they could find. Talia wanted nothing more than to sneak out and get tested. Maybe, just maybe, she could be set free. When she finished cleaning, she reluctantly looked out the window at the line of waiting children before going back to her room. It was good she hadn't lingered much longer as a knock came at her closet space, not a minute after she arrived.

The madam walked through the children's sleeping chambers which was no more than a multifaceted bunk bed in a closet, and yelled, "Not one of you is to go outside and get tested by that vile thing! If even one of you goes outside, I'll punish all of you severely! I'll make an example of whoever is dumb enough to leave!" The children nodded reluctantly but knew when to be quiet.

The madam left just as quickly as she had arrived, and the children were left to listen; to the ghastly sounds coming from upstairs. In between the noise of the screaming and grunting the children spoke amongst each other with soft raspy voices, "If I were chosen, I'd eat all the steaks and cookies I can! Then I'd blow up the madam and free us!"

Another one of the kids nodded and said, "I wonder what it's like to learn magics. To be all shiny and cool?"

Talia longingly looked at the closet door and said, "It'd just be nice to eat a warm meal. I-... Anywhere else, doing anything would be better than being here."

The children all nodded in agreement at Talia's statement, "Ya, it'd be nice to be someplace else."

One of the children's stomachs began rumbling, and they all looked at her. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be quiet."

They all looked at her and said, "It's ok, Tilly. We don't mind."

Talia bit down on her lips while looking at the starving kids around her before saying, "Let's go!"

"Go?Where?"

"Let's go outside and get tested! All of us! We will all get beaten and starved anyway. It's not like madam won't punish us for small things or whenever she's moody. We should all go."

One of the smaller girls whimpered and said, "I don't want to be hit anymore. I'm s-scared."

"We are going to get hit anyway! But-b-but if we go there's a chance.. a very small chance that we can leave! I hate it here! I hate my future. I'd rather get beaten, starved, or even die than stay here! Look at Tilly starving like a street dog, and we all look like her. We all are starving here!"

"I don't know big sister. That seems bad."

"Of course, it's bad, but what do we have to lose? I'm scared. I don't want to stay with madam anymore. I don't like getting hit. It hurts. I want to eat warm food. I hate the stinky stuff upstairs. I hate the scary noises and the scary adults. I don't want to find out; why all the grown-ups scream like they hurt!"

Talia was practically in tears by the end, and all of the other kids started sobbing with her before they stifled themselves. Afraid of being found or heard.

All of the girls nodded at one another after quietly sobbing for a few minutes. They came to a conclusion, "Let's go tomorrow morning before madam comes to get us. I heard a kid say that the mage lady will be here for four days, so we can go out to see her tomorrow!"

A new mission filled the hearts of the children as they readied themselves.

When the early morning came, Talia woke up all of the girls. She chose to stay awake the whole night because she was afraid they wouldn't wake up early enough. All of the girls made their way quietly through the halls connecting to the closet.

Slowly they passed by rooms where sleeping adults rested. The wooden floor creaked as they walked, a testament to how old the building was. The smell was atrocious, but they were used to it by now. They held their breaths tiptoeing as quietly as they could terrified of being found. One of the doors opened with a squeak, and before they could be seen, all of the girls ran down the hall and down the stairs. One of the girls fell face-first down the stairs but was quickly helped to her feet. They made it out the front door, but one of the adults was awake downstairs. He sat on a lounge chair while reading a book. Talia met his eyes and saw a terrifying gaze that brought chills to her neck.

He stood up with a smile and asked, "Who are you?"

She ran with the other girls with all her might to where the mage lady set up her booth. Unfortunately, the mage lady hadn't set up yet. Talia was terrified as every second that passed felt like an eternity. The girls all felt the same way and started sobbing while desperately looking around, hoping they'd spot the mage lady.

Two minutes after they started looking for her, they heard a terrifying shriek, "Girls!!"

Talia and the girls lost grew pale as they looked at the demonic madam running toward them. With one last frantic shout, Talia cried, "Mage lady! Please! Mage lady, test us!"

The madam was rushing at them now while holding her dress up to prevent it from getting dusty. "When I get my hands on you! You won't believe what I'll do! You'll beg for a beating when I'm done!"

The girls huddled together while shrinking their bodies in fear of the pain to come. Talia stood in front of the other girls and glared at the madam. "I made them come! I told them they'd get c-candy if they came! Don't hurt them."

Talia was grabbed by the ear and tugged hard by the madam as she walked up to them with a crazed look. Talia lost her balance and was painfully dragged across the mud before she heard a shout, "What the hell are you doing! " The lady mage walked out of a building and stood in front of the madam.

I had been testing kids well into the night, but I hadn't found even a single child with even a decent talent for magic. It was what was expected from places like this. There was a reason no one wanted to recruit in the slums or small villages. It wasn't just because of how dirty they were. The children in the slums were often malnourished and without proper food. They would be hard-pressed to develop any natural talents lacking the food to grow. If you could find a child with a decent talent in the slums, they'd be a prodigy.

Places like this were the reason mages could decide if someone was talented based on multiple factors. You couldn't judge someone solely off the mana they possessed; otherwise, you'd miss out on all kinds of talented people.

You could lower the standard by one level in the slums, but even then, if children are starved, they just won't have the nutrition to develop their mana hearts properly.

Still, I was a living example of someone who escaped the slums based on talent alone. I stretched as I rose from the itchy bed I had slept in for the night.

I usually woke up in the early morning to begin my practice routines, but I couldn't really practice my magic in the inn. I grabbed my notebook from the floor next to my bed and picked it up. Reading my reports from yesterday, I searched for anyone that might be of interest to me. I went through five pages before I heard a voice outside, "Mage lady! Please! Mage lady, test us!"

The voice was a bit stifled, and I wasn't entirely sure I heard it properly, but I decided to look out my window anyway. There was a small group of girls standing in the spot I had tested children yesterday, all of which; were huddled together in fear. A large ogre-like woman walked up to them while screaming. I had seen enough, so I moved.

By the time I got down the stairs, the woman was already dragging one of them through the dirt. My mind blanked for a second before anger took over, "What the hell are you doing!" The woman saw me and quickly let go of the girl. "Oh, miss mage, I'm sorry! I was just taking my granddaughter back inside. She's not supposed to talk to strangers!" I looked at the woman from head to toe. She wore a gaudy red dress while holding an expensive-looking folding fan. Looking at the condition of all the girls a certain picture came into my mind, and it wasn't one I liked. "Granddaughter, huh?" I looked at the girl, painfully rubbing her ear, and asked, "Is this your grandmother?"

The hag looked at the girl with a smile that read if you don't say yes, I'll kill you. "Y-yes, she is."

I looked straight into the girl's eyes and said, "Would you like to be tested?"

The girl was about to say yes but then looked up at the hag. She looked down at the ground a second later, "No. I was just misbehaving. I'm sorry, grandma."

"It's ok, girls. Let's go back inside."

The girls started following the bitch and something came over me. "Stop."

I narrowed my eyes as I said, "Girls tell me the truth, is she your grandmother? I have magic eyes and can tell when someone is lying. If you lie to me, I won't accept you even if you have the talent." I didn't have magic eyes, but it didn't take a genius to know the kids were lying. They clearly hesitated, and the girl with the hurt ear said, "Can you really test us?"

"Talia! Not another word! I don't give permission for you girls to go to some dangerous place like the Tower. Who knows what horrible things they have in store for you precious things!"

I almost spat in disgust, "Yes, I can test you. I want all of you to wait right here while I get my things from my room." I looked at the hag and said, "Miss.."

"It's Miss Linda."

The old hag carried my name. The hag was a shame to all Lindas everywhere. "What a coincidence, my name is Linda as well. Well, Miss, if the kids aren't here when I get back, I'll drag you out into the streets and light you on fire. Then there will be one less Linda in the world."

She gasped and said, "You wouldn't dare! I'm a citizen of Renee!"

"If you antagonize a mage, you can expect to be lit on fire at best. I can definitely do worse if you'd like."

The hag quickly shut up before nodding. I looked at the girls and counted, 1..2..3..4..5. "Five of them. I'll take a finger for every girl that's missing when I come back." The gaudy hag bit her lips in frustration before replying, "If I could tell the Tower Master, of what you're doing, I'm sure he'd be pleased."

Linda barked, "Your sarcasm is not appreciated. Go ahead, keep it up, why don't you contact the Tower Master and see what happens? I'll have him kill you himself."

I walked away quickly to get afraid if I stayed a moment longer I'd burn the woman alive. My instincts screamed at me that she was a bad woman, but I had no solid proof. It only took a minute to get my notebook and crystal before I returned and set up my booth. I looked at the girls next to the hag, and all of them had their heads down. Looking at the smallest one, I said, "Come here, little one, you'll be first." She stood still before shaking her head, "I-I don't want to."

I looked at the kids one by one and said, "It's not a suggestion. It's an order. If Miss Linda over there does anything to you while I'm here, there won't be a Miss Linda anymore. Understood."

The small thing nodded her head and slowly walked over to me as though she were on the verge of crying. I asked, "What's your name and age?"

"I'm Tilly. I think I'm four years old."

"Place your hand on the crystal."

I had to make stairs out of the earth for the poor thing. She was too short to reach the crystal otherwise. She watched me cast a simple spell, and her eyes filled with wonder. When she reached the top of the stairs she placed her hand on the crystal cautiously. It glowed brighter than any I'd seen so far, which caused me to be pleasantly surprised, but it still wasn't enough. Mistaking my expression for acceptance, the girl looked at me with large eyes full of anticipation and hope. My heart fell, "I'm sorry little one. It's not enough. Don't lose hope, little one. In a few years, you can apply at the knight's academy in Renee. You might be able to pass the test if you take it." She almost cried, but she squeaked out, "Ok." my heart hurt looking at her.

I tested the rest of the girls in less than five minutes. None glowed enough to get my attention, even with the lower standards set. Then the last girl came up slowly. All of the other girls seemed to look up to her. Among the group, she was the tallest and had the most fire in her eyes. She had obsidian black hair and black eyes. Her skin was a pale, sickly yellow, a picture of her malnourishment. "You can come up now. What's your name and age?"

"Talia. Five."

"Place your hand on the crystal. Focus on it and imagine it lighting it up in your mind."

The girl placed her palm on the crystal with confidence. The crystal didn't react for a few seconds before she looked desperate and closed her eyes. I waited patiently. Seconds turned into a minute. "Take your hand off of it."

"No, please wait. Just a second longer!"

"Talia, I'm going to change crystals."

She looked confused. I sighed before saying, "It's strange that there was no reaction. Usually, that means either you have no mana at all or the crystals are bad. I'll probably be testing all of you again. Faulty crystals require retests."

I changed the crystal and instructed her to place her palm on the crystal once again. It was a slow buildup, but it lit up. Slowly, and with each passing second, the dull blue light grew brighter and brighter. Blue light began shining brightly like a star in the sky. It blinded everyone's eyes for a few seconds before the blue light vanished.

I grew serious. I wrote as much as I could in my notebook describing the phenomenon. The girl opened her eyes all of a sudden and looked at me once again expectantly. I didn't say a word.

"Everyone else. I'm going to test you all again, starting with Tilly."

All of the children had the same results except for the last two I tested. I wrote in my notebook all of the details I could remember before closing it. Looking at the tallest girl, I said, "Talia."

She hesitated but answered," Y-yes?"

"Would you like to come with me?"

Her eyes grew so wide they almost popped out of her head. She barely managed to open her mouth when I heard, "You wish to take away my granddaughter? Kidnapping my children right before my eyes? Go right ahead, but I'll let the magistrate know of this!"

This raving hag was starting to confuse me. How could someone be so stupid? "Did my warnings mean nothing to you? Would you like me to investigate your establishment right now? Go through all the rooms in your building and cast judgment myself?"

"Go ahead! If you dare violate my rights like that!"

A made an earth spike erupt from underneath her and penetrate her leg. She screamed, and I walked over to her, "If you don't shut up. I'll make you permanently quiet."

Her mouth quickly closed. "Talia, are you coming with me or not?"

The girl looked at the other girls and hesitated, "Are they coming with me?"

"No. But if any of them are hurt after this I'll kill the hag and any accomplices. Sorry, you don't know what that means. I'll get rid of all the bad people if they hurt any of the girls."

The other girls encouraged her, and she finally said, "Yes."

I looked at the hag and said, "I'll be back. If any of those girls tell me they are mistreated. I'll end you. Do you want to speak with the magistrate? Go ahead. I know him personally. I'd suggest not giving me any reasons to hunt you down. I'll be here whenever I feel like it, and If I don't like what I see. I'll be your judge and executioner."

The hag barely nodded her head in agreement before I looked at Talia and said, "You can call me Mage Linda. Hopefully, you'll know me as the nice Linda from now on. I'll get you some warm food and some clothes right now, but we won't be leaving today. I need to give everyone here a chance. We'll be testing more people for three more days."

There were all kinds of emotions written on her face. Happiness, anger, guilt, and sadness, but the emotion that was most clear of all was hope. Talia looked at Linda with a beautiful smile and said, "Yes, thank you, Nice Linda."