I left the house on a bright warm day of summer. The sun was scorching hot. With little wind blowing, the atmosphere was dry. I hadn't made many friends but the fun of exploration was good enough for me. I headed south to the forest which oftentimes had low tier ents that made for fun target practice. About half way there, I began hearing ominous laughter just beyond the hill to my right. Curiosity took over, and I walked over the peak of the hill catching sight of a group of boys who were playing a game. At first glance they seemed to just be playing harmlessly, but upon closer look it was apparent that they were ganging up on another boy. "Hahaha! You think you're all high and mighty don't ya!" The boys were throwing insults at him while shoving him to the ground. The boy seemed scared and tried to back away but he was already surrounded once again. "Oi! Cut it out will ya!" I ran down the hill, clenching my fists. The boys' postures stiffened. The biggest one stepped up and said, "Mind your business. You're just a baby so don't act like a hero." That word… hero. It made my heart race with joy. Perhaps if I saved this kid, he'd think me a hero. "Alright then!" I said, "Step away from that boy and scramble back to whichever cave you came out of!" They didn't seem to like that very much. The boy closest to me took a step forward and swung at my face. Swordplay had made my senses heightened so this boy's punch wasn't too much trouble to dodge. I weaved to his left and threw a right hook to his temple. As the boy fell, his compatriots had already started coming at me. I took a step back, using my right leg as support. Sticking out my hand and focusing mana into it. I released a water ball about twice the size of myself. It was big enough to catch each other boy, pushing them back, crashing into the ground and getting swept away down the hill. "Gwaah!" "You littl-!" They were swept out of sight. I walked toward the boy who had been getting bullied and stuck out my hand. He looked up at me with large, blue eyes. He had short, black hair which seemed a bit dirty. I guess those bullies had been pelting him with dirt and mud. He stood up and said, "T-thank you. I'm sorry about the commotion, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." His eyes were gazing across the ground with shame. "Don't worry about it. Those guys are weak so it really wasn't a problem for me. Oh by the way, my names' Kiliano, it's nice to meet ya." I stuck out my hand as a gesture of friendship, "Uh, yeah it's nice to meet you. My name's Nazeem." He said, accepting my gesture with a smile. "Hey, I'm headed to the forest for some magic practice, wanna come with me?" His head tilted to the side. "That sounds fun but, I don't know magic." He said with a small frown. "Don't worry about it. I'm able to teach you some novice level spells with my grimoire that I brought." I had left my water grimoire on the side of the main path to the forest. We walked back to the main path, I picked up my grimoire, and we headed to the forest.
Nazeem's talent for magic was clear. He was immediately able to understand the flow of mana and create a water ball larger than his own head. I wanted to continue teaching him but I know his talents would be wasted on me. After a few more weeks of practice I asked father if he could teach the two of us. "Well kiddo, if Nazeem really does want a qualified teacher then I should hire someone. I know a fair bit about magic but don't forget, I'm a swordsman." Just like that, we had hired a magic tutor for me and Nazeem. Only a few days after the suggestion, we heard a knock on the door. Nazeem and I were in the living room playing when father opened the door and let inside a young man. "Hello there! Are these two my new pupils?" The man seemed just a bit older than my father. His hair was a deep blue which stretched down just past his midsection. He wore a beige robe which covered his entire body, down to his ankles. He held a staff made of a solid black material which split in two at its tip. Father chimed in, "Yup! This here's Kiliano," Pointing to me, "and this one's Nazeem. Kiliano is currently in the Advanced tier and Nazeem is pretty close. Do as you please with 'em." Father held a smile and left the house. "Okay then, it's nice to meet the two of you. My name is Fuijin. I, am a Lord tier mage. I suggest we get started right away, yes?" I looked at Nazeem and we nodded in sync. Nazeem spoke up, "Yeah, if that's what you suggest then we'll get started now." The three of us headed outside. We continued walking until reaching a clearing where we won't be disturbing anyone. "Okay now, I trust that both of you know how to conjure a water ball? If so, demonstrate your abilities please." Nazeem started first. He took a few steps forward and let out his arm. "Uhh. With this offering I ask you to… uhh grant me strength and set forth a flowing water ball." He had absolutely no idea what the incantation was. Even so, mana began forming by his arm and a water ball was formed. "Huh!? Wow! You can manage that spell even though your chant was completely off? That's some impressive work there." Next it was my turn. I stood, legs wide apart and held out my arm. I spoke no words, but instead channeled mana to my hand, visualizing water at my fingertips. "Water ball!" I shouted. Mana concentrated, creating a gigantic water ball. I relaxed my hand and the mana dissipated on cue. "Whaaaaat!? H-how are you children able to conjure spells without an incantation!? That shouldn't be possible at your age." I walked up to Fuijin with a slight grin, "What do ya mean?" "Well… magic is used with either incantations or hand signs. But high ranked mages are sometimes able to conjure spells with their sixth sense alone. Although, it's extremely rare." He began mumbling to himself. I overheard a little bit, but one word caught my attention. I heard the word god pop up. To me, this word was intriguing. Perhaps he was comparing us to godlike powers? Or maybe we had the potential to rival the gods themselves? Whatever the case, it was clear our magic talent was especially exceptional, even for prodigies.
We continued practicing with Fuijin for half a year before our next test. At this point, Nazeem was able to use Advanced tier magic with ease. I had nearly mastered Advanced magic and my mana pool was nearly twice the size it was prior to meeting Master Fuijin.
The weather outside hadn't changed in nearly seven months. If anything, it had gotten hotter. Crops around the town hadn't been doing well. On Fuijin's spare time, he would often use water magic to help grow crops but it wasn't enough to compensate for the entire climates harsh conditions.
Nazeem and I finally had our next test. We met up after lunch and followed Fuijin to the same clearing we always went to. "Alright. Today is a very special day. Once you begin to learn Knight tier magic, everything begins to ramp up. These spells are no joke so don't go around sending Knight tier spells at anyone that looks at you the wrong way." I immediately glanced over at Nazeem to see what his reaction would be. He was smiling wide, with his large blue eyes gleaming with delight. "So what spell are you going to teach us?" He said. "Today you will both learn the Knight tier magic spell, Typhoon. This spell requires you to use water magic while maintaining a tornado spell at the same time. Once you conjure up both spells, try to match the tornado's whirl speed with your water magic and combine the two. Here, let me show you." He took a few large steps forward and raised his right arm to the sky. "With this offering of mana, I call forth the power of nature. Blow away my targets with the power of wind and water, bless me with power. Typhoon!" A large gust of wind began picking up. The atmosphere around me felt cold and moist. Huge amounts of mana began collecting by Fuijin's hand. First a tornado was formed, no larger than my own. But right after, water began picking up around the tornado's swirl. They began to combine, creating a tornado of water. I could barely keep my eyes open, as he lowered his arm, pointing it to a clear field. The typhoon was released and sent across the field with surprising speed. After it began gathering large amounts of grass and dirt Fuijin closed his hand and the typhoon dissipated immediately. "Once you send out the spell, make sure to relax your sixth sense and close your hand simultaneously. After that, it should stop the spell completely." Nazeem, you first. "Uh alright." He raised his arm in the air and began chanting, "With this offering of mana, I call forth the power of nature. Blow away my targets with the power of wind and water. Bless me with power! Typhoon!" He released a perfect tornado which was quickly combined with water surrounding it. He lowered his arm, shot out the typhoon and released it shortly after. "Wow, good job. I knew you'd do it but I didn't think you'd manage this easily. Alright Kiliano. It's your turn." I stepped up and began the chant. "With this offering of mana, I call forth the power of nature! Blow away my targets with the power of wind and water, bless me with power! Typhoo-!" Before I could finish the incantation a huge amount of mana came pouring out of my body. Water and wind flew everywhere, covering the atmosphere with thick winds and rain. This force was easily twice the intensity of Fuijin's example. My arm remained above my head, still gathering mana. The tornado ended up growing around my body rather than the palm of my hand. I was submerged in the eye of the storm and water had begun surrounding me. My vision was foggy and my heart began racing. "Uh oh! Seems you got a bit carried away." I heard Master Fuijin's words from behind me. "Master! Help me please!" I screamed out. "Don't worry Kiliano, you're fine! Absolute cancel!" In an instant, all the mana I had been generating dissipated. The atmosphere cleared up too. "Kil, are you okay?" Nazeem ran over to me with worry in his eyes. "Y-yeah I'm alright, how about you?" Nazeem smiled, "Luckily, I wasn't in range, so no harm was done to me or Master Fuijin." Fuijin walked up to me, "Oh boy. That was intense, wasn't it? Your mana control is kinda crappy but you were able to form the spell so I'll allow you to pass. Nazeem, Kiliano, congratulations, you are both Knight tier mages!"