Ariel and Caelin travelled very light. All they had were a backpack, and a couple satchels each. The backpack only had various supplies and food, so it left me wondering how they were able to get more since there weren't an abundance of towns. Caelin had his large sword strapped to his back, and Ariel carried her wand in a little holster on her hip. I obviously didn't have much other than my book.

  We'd only been on the road for a couple hours, but in that span of chatting, I'd learned that I was in the land of Elemora, known for its abundance of magical energies. Apparently Elemora was very central to all of the other regions, hence why it had such an amazing array of magical environments. Terra Grix was located somewhere within Elemora, and could only be accessed after passing the entrance exam.

  On the other hand Glacium, where Ariel and Caelin were from, was located farther north and was known for its wide stretches of snow and ice. They both were royalty, with Ariel being the firstborn and Caelin being the second. Apparently they had more siblings as well, but they were significantly younger. We all ended up being around the same age though, with Ariel and I both being twenty one and Caelin being nineteen. Ariel was only an inch taller than me, and I was saddened to find that Caelin was the same height that I used to be. It put my height loss in perspective.

  I'd learned that Ariel was on her way to Terra Grix to further her study of magic, and Caelin was more of a fighter who wanted to train his martial prowess. That brought my attention back to myself...what the heck was I good at? I was only ever 'okay' at sports and academics before, so I was a little worried if I could even make it past the entrance exam if it was as brutal as they said.

  "So uhh...is there a way to tell if I'm good at magic or fighting? They both sound fascinating, but I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to do once I get to the test," I said, breaking the silence that had started a little while ago. "The last thing I want is to get there and die."

  "Well that's easy!" Caelin said. "It's quite simple to tell if you're good at fighting."

  I didn't like the way he said that. I watched him put down his bag and sword, and break off a couple branches from a nearby tree. Caelin tossed one of the branches to me, and used his hand to brush off the excess leaves on his. I tried to do the same, but it was actually quite hard. He made it look like he was just wiping away water.

  * UGH! STUPID SMALL HANDS! *

  Ariel smiled as she stopped to watch. I hadn't realized how beautiful her smile was until just now. She caught me staring, so I quickly looked away.

  "I love sparring!" Caelin said, bringing my attention back to him and taking a stance. "It really gets the blood flowing. Sadly, Ari doesn't like it as much. She'd rather read books."

  "I'll have you know that books can be just as thrilling!" Ariel said with huff.

  "Just take it easy on me! I've never done anything like this before!"

  "Oh please, you don't strike me as someone who likes it easy," Caelin said with a grin, "Ready?"

  "Go!" Caelin shouted before I could even nod.

  We were nearly fifteen feet apart, but he cleared that distance in an instant. I barely managed to get my branch up before he knocked it to the side, and then maneuvered to where he was standing behind me with the branch at my neck.

  "That's one for me," he said smugly.

  "OH COME ON, I WASN'T ACTUALLY READY!"

  "Sorry...I just got a little excited. It's been a while since I got to spar. Let's try again, I'll let you start this time."

  He took a couple steps back again and faced me, getting into a stance as he waited. I took a breath and paused for a moment before I lunged at him. He easily parried my strike, and then poked me in the shoulder with his stick.

  "Ow!" I yelped. "I swear, by the end of this I'll get you at least once!"

  We went at it for several more rounds. Each time he easily defended against me, leaving me a new bruise each time I lost. I attempted one more time and accidentally overextended. He quickly blocked me again, though this time Caelin's branch smacked me right in the breast. I saw Ariel wince, likely understanding the pain I felt. It hurt so bad! Not as bad as getting kicked in the balls, but it was definitely really painful. I dropped my branch as I cupped my chest. The squish was still very unfamiliar.

  My eyes watered and I bit my lip. "Mother of-that hurt!" I cried.

  "Just cause you're a lady doesn't mean I'm gonna take it easy on you," he said, though I could tell he was slightly embarrassed.

  Frustrated, I reached down and grabbed my branch again. "Good, cause you're right, easy is boring! Easy-peasy...lemon squeezy!" I shouted as I feinted an attack.

  I let loose a four part combo, trying to imitate a move I'd seen on screen once. To my amazement, I actually managed to get past his guard and tap him on the leg.

  "Ha! What do you think of them apples?" I said, puffing out my chest a little. The small victory didn't make the pain go away, but it helped. I felt so proud that I managed to land a hit, even if it was a little one.

  "Wow Mae, what the otherworld was that attack? That was a sick combo," He said with a proud laugh. "And what the heck is an apple? Or a lemon squeezy??"

  "Oh uhh... I made it up?" I said with a nervous laugh.

  Ariel smiled and clapped from the sidelines then said, "Indeed, that was rather impressive. Lemon Squeezy is an odd name for an attack though. You really are an interesting one, Mae."

  "Well, I wouldn't say swordplay is your strong suit, but then again I probably have a lot more experience than you. Maybe you could take some sword fighting classes once you make it to Terra Grix," Caelin said.

  "Perhaps," Ariel said as she stood up and walked over, "Or maybe magic might be more of your strong suit?"

  "I don't really know, sadly," I said.

  "Well, we can do a little test to see if you have an affinity to any elements. Do you remember anything about magic or spells?" Ariel asked.

  "No...," I sighed. "I'm as noob as they come."

  "Noob?"

  "Uh-no I don't know anything really. I'm definitely a beginner."

  The thought of being able to perform real magic was exciting though. I began to imagine all the things I'd seen in TV and anime. To think that I might be able to do cool stuff like that made this world seem a little less awful. Then I remembered Rose and how she'd performed healing magic on me, and then said I wouldn't be able to do it. That kind of took the wind out of my sails.

  "You know...when Rose healed me she made it seem like I wouldn't be able to learn how to use magic. She kept looking around me as if she was checking something though. I do miss her..." I said with a sigh, "She was my first friend after all."

  "Curious...you said she was looking around you, not at you?" Ariel asked.

  I nodded.

  "Well, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't use magic. She may have been looking at your manaura." With my blank stare she continued, "Our mana aura, or manaura, is how we are able to use magic. Mana flows throughout the world, and it accumulates around living things. Its shape, color, and size can change based on your innate ability for magic. Some of the greatest heroes throughout history have had large, colorful manaura pools. In order to cast spells, creatures have to tap into their manaura."

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  "That's actually really cool," I said in awe.

  "It's also possible to see manaura, though humans struggle more than most other creatures. Some creatures, like fairies, are very perceptive of it."

  I could tell she was getting a bit excited, this must be an area of passion for her. She presented herself as a very studious and refined princess, so for her to open up and nerd out a little was rather nice.

  "So," she said with an enthusiastic clap, "Shall we get back to the affinity test?"

  I was getting a little nervous...what if I couldn't use magic at all? At that point what would I even be good for? I nodded again, ready to get this over with. Excitedly, Ariel reached into her backpack and pulled out a couple of small items. One of them was a candle, and the others were two small bowls. She placed the candle down before filling one bowl with some water and setting it next to the candle. In the other bowl, she scooped up some sand, then placed a rock in the center and set it down. Then she looked around for a moment before walking over and grabbing a feather that was lying on the side of the path. She placed it next to the other objects, then lit the candle with a flint from her pouch.

  "There," She said cheerfully. "Now, the test is pretty simple. All you have to do is focus on each of these and say the elemental core word."

  "A 'core' word?" I asked nervously, "maybe you could give me a little demonstration first?"

  "Oh, alright, if you insist," Ariel said with a big smile, no convincing necessary.

  She was trying to act bored, but I could easily tell she wanted to show off a little. She walked over to the candle first and then looked back.

  "Oh right, I almost forgot, It's harder to control elements you do not have an affinity for. You can train yourself a lot, but it will never be as easy as ones that you're in tune with. Most people can usually control maybe one or two well. You don't need material for most spells, but having the element nearby when you cast can boost its power. My strongest affinity is with water, followed by wind, then earth. Caelin is strongest with water then earth, followed by wind. Fire still gives us both a bit of trouble."

  * Wow, three elements? Sounds pretty OP. *

  Caelin crossed his arms and nodded an 'uh-huh' nod as he agreed.

  She turned back to the test, and then back to me third time.

  "Oh! One more thing. There are two other elements that we can't test for at the moment: shadow and light. Those two are much more uncommon. Not many people are able to use them, and even fewer can use them well."

  "That's wild, how do you test for those?" I asked.

  "Unfortunately all I know is that they require some special preparations, and to be honest I've never actually seen someone test for them, so I'm not too sure."

  "That's too bad," I said.

  "Agreed. Anyway, let's focus on the ones we can do," Ariel said as she extended her hand towards the candle. For a moment a hush fell over us as she focused, the candle flickering with the subtle breeze. "Thryx," she finally whispered. It almost seemed as if nothing happened, but just barely, I saw the candle glow brighter for a second. "I figured, fire is still a challenge," She sighed with a tinge of disappointment.

  Next she held her hand out to the bowl of sand with the rock, "Darrun," she whispered.

  The word had a subtle thrum to it when she said it. I watched in amazement as the sand vibrated, causing the rock to sink a little deeper into the sand.

  "Wooah! That's awesome!" I exclaimed.

  "That's nothing," Ariel said, "I've seen people completely shatter the rock before."

  "Yeah, when I do it, the whole bowl will vibrate," Caelin bragged. "I'm not as good at spellcrafting, I prefer to use magic to supplement my fighting style."

  "Yeah, yeah," Ariel huffed, "You still can't beat this though." She reached towards the feather, "Elva."

  The word resonated in the air. Suddenly a gust of wind swirled around the feather, lifting it up into the air. It almost seemed to hover for a moment before fluttering back to the ground.

  "Unbelievable!" I cheered. "Agh, wow I hope I can do that!"

  "And last but not least," Ariel smirked as she reached for the water.

  "You might want to stand back a little," Caelin said to me while pulling on my shoulder.

  "Quira," Ariel commanded.

  The word reverberated as it left her lips. The bowl of water sprang to life, seeming to instantly fill to the brim before overflowing and violently splashing about. The water then erupted, almost like a geyser, creating a slight mist with a little rainbow.

  "Holy cow," I stammered. "So I guess that's what it looks like when you have a strong affinity to an element then?"

  "Indeed, though the effect can differ from person to person. Magic is truly remarkable, there is so much more to be discovered about it! When Caelin does it, the water almost turns into a vortex. Magic can be extremely dangerous though, so you have to be careful when using it. The magic language almost seems alive, like it can feel your intent in the spell. If you're not focused or you misspeak, it could bring harm to yourself, or people around you."

  "Well now I'm all fired up," I said, winding up my arms as I stepped over to the tests.

  Ariel replenished the water, and reset the rock and the feather, "Alright, you're good to go."

  I looked at the stations for a moment, trying to decide which one I should try first. I was starting to overthink it, so I just decided to start with earth.

  I held out my hand like I saw Ariel do, and tried to remember what the word was. "Darrun!" I said excitedly. To my disappointment, nothing happened. "Darrun!" I said again. Still nothing.

  "Focus," Ariel instructed. "Try and feel the manaura around you. Imagine a field of energy around you. Direct it toward the bowl and envision what you want to happen."

  I took a deep breath and held it for a couple seconds. I tried to imagine sand rippling and the rock sinking down. "Darrun," I whispered. Seconds passed, and still nothing. "I guess earth isn't my thing," I said sadly.

  "It's alright," Ariel said. "It's just something you'll have to work at. Try the next one."

  I nodded and shifted to the water test. I held out my hand once again. I was slightly distracted because of my failure with the earth test. I tried to focus again, imagining the water rippling in the bowl, though I couldn't quite recall the word for water. "Quera," I said. For a brief second nothing happened, and then all of a sudden the water bowl vibrated and the water sprayed out of the bowl, soaking me and my dress.

  "Awww! Come on! Can't I even do that one?" I said with sadness creeping in.

  "Hey, hey, it's okay, Mae. Nobody gets it right the first time they try," Caelin said as he walked over to comfort me. He reassuringly put his big hands on my shoulders, which surprisingly calmed me down a little. "Ariel is right though, magic requires focus and strong knowledge of the words. Try it again, no pressure! Just focus on the water, 'Quira' is what you meant to say."

  "He's right, want to tell her what happened the first time you tried fire?" Ariel said jokingly. She then filled the bowl once again.

  "Let's...save that one for another day," Caelin said with a nervous chuckle.

  "Okay, let's try this again," I said.

  Taking a moment to calm myself, I took another breath. I tried to sense the manaura around me, but had no idea what I was searching for. All I could feel was a faint static in the air. I tried to imagine a drop of water rising up and splashing back down into the bowl.

  "Quira," I mumbled.

  The air around me pulsed, I could feel it. Sure enough, the water in the bowl stirred. A small bead of water rose an inch in the air before plopping back into the bowl.

  I let out the breath that I was holding. "I did it...I actually did it!"

  "Not the worst I've seen," Caelin said, smiling as he rubbed his jaw.

  "Marvelous!" Ariel added. "See! You just have to believe in yourself!"

  Barely able to contain my excitement, I turned around and hugged Caelin. I must have caught him off guard because he raised his arms in the air like a prisoner.

  "You sure did, Mae. Good job!" Caelin said as he cleared his throat.

  As soon as I realized what I was doing, I quickly spun back around. My heart was pounding and my face must have been tomato red.

  * What the heck did I go and do that for!? *

  I was mentally face-palming, so I tried to shift the focus back to the test. "Alright, here goes the fire one." I refocused myself and recalled the word for fire. I imagined the flame of the candle growing brighter. "Thryx."

  The word hummed as I said it. Suddenly the flame sparked and flared, releasing a wave of heat.

  "Woah, that was kind of cool!" Caelin said.

  "Yeah, I agree, I don't think I've seen that effect happen before." Ariel nodded.

  I was very happy I managed to get another one to react, but it didn't do what I wanted. "I was trying to make it grow brighter."

  "Well technically it did, for a moment anyway." Ariel said. "Magic takes a lot of practice to get the effect you want. Try the last test, I'm dying to see what happens."

  "That makes two of us," I replied. I turned to the last test and looked at the feather. I imagined it lifting up and doing a little twirl in the air. "Elva."

  I felt a surge in the air around me, the word resonating as I said it. The air swirled at my feet, causing my hair and dress to flap wildly as the feather was caught in the small twister that had formed. It sailed up high into the sky. Suddenly, the swirl of air by my legs dropped to my feet and dispersed outward, knocking over the other bowls and the candle. My dress and Ariel's skirt started to lift up. Both of us quickly reached down to pin it from rising further. A couple seconds later, all was calm again. We all looked at each in silence for a minute.

  "Unbelievable!" Ariel exclaimed after dusting off her skirt, "I think we can safely say that wind is your best element!"

  "That was epic!" Caelin cheered. "With a little practice you might be able to become one of the strongest wind sages Elemora has ever seen!"

  I could hardly believe it myself, and judging by their reactions it seemed like that was a rather impressive test result. I could feel my heart still racing as Ariel quickly walked over and gathered the bowls and candle, returning them to her bag.

  "Well then, now that we got that out of the way, shall we carry on? The next town is about a half day away. If you'd like, I'd be happy to tell you more about some of the basics of magic?" Ariel said with a smile.

  "Of course I don't mind! Now that I know I can actually use it, I'd like to know what else I can do!"

  "Careful Mae, once you get her going it's hard to get her to stop." Caelin teased with a little wink.

  Ariel just frowned at him, but starting walking anyway.

  "That's fine...believe it or not, I can be quite the nerd too. Let's get going before it gets dark again," I said with a grin.

  I finally had something I could look forward to.