“Ignite!” The ten-year-old boy wrinkled his nose, staring intensely with forest-green eyes at the pile of tinder at his feet. He held his open palm a few inches above the pile for a few more seconds, hoping, just hoping that he would see a flame. Not even a wisp of smoke appeared.
“Why will this not work,” the boy ran his hand through his messy brown hair after a long sigh. He sat down on a nearby rock and pulled a piece of worn parchment paper out of his raggedy tunic, adding to his scribbled notes with a charcoal stick. Another unsuccessful attempt.
His gaze turned to the tiny village he called home. A tour would take mere seconds as the entire village consisted of a few small fields of crops, a pasturage, and a few shoddy wooden buildings. Amazingly, the village was self-sustaining. With the snow-capped mountains just overhead delivering a stream of fresh water, all fiftythree residents were clothed, fed, and hydrated, though their lives lacked any other sort of convenience or luxury. Despite the breathtaking views and abundance of open space, the village still managed to make him feel claustrophobic. The lack of trees at their altitude added to the feeling of solitude and isolation.
“Two years. Two years to the day, and I still can’t make a simple flame,” he clenched his fist, trying to suppress the overwhelming feeling of frustration. He had learned to feel the lumi within him, but he couldn't figure out how to control that energy.
“Guess I have to do it the old-fashioned way.” He regathered the tinder that the wind had blown away back onto the piece of firewood. Taking a thin stick, he began rolling it back and forth between his palms, using the friction to generate heat. Before the tinder could catch flame, his ears picked up the sound of a group of people approaching. The familiar dirty faces of the village boys were no welcome sight to him. Fresh soil adorned their ripped and stained clothing, indicating they had just come from working in the fields.
“Oh hey, look. It’s Talynn, wearing that same dorky hat as always,” said the leader of the group, a tall and bulky teenager. His eyebrows had a natural high arch which made it look like he was always upset about something, which he usually was.
“It’s not a dorky hat. This is the traditional garb of a mage,” Talynn proudly adjusted the wide-brimmed hat with a conical top that was a bit too large for his head.
“Oh, the little bookworm still fancies himself to be a mage?”
“Were you practicing ‘magic’ again?” The boys said with mocking hand gestures.
“It’s not ‘magic’, you just call it that because you don’t understand it. There’s nothing mystical or supernatural about being a mage. It can all be explained scientifically. Oh sorry, maybe that’s too big of a word for you to understand,” Talynn went on and mocked them in return.
“Whatever,” Aken scrunched up his nose and stuck out his tongue. “You’re just a weak little bookworm with his head in the clouds.”
“Stop calling me that!” Talynn raised his voice sharply.
“What are you going to do about it, use your ‘magic powers’ against us? Oooh, I’m so scared.”
“Oh yeah? Fine! I’ll show you what a mage can do!” Talynn extended his arm and started channeling the lumi within him into his hand. A faint yellow aura began to form above his palm, distorting light like the heat off of a fire. It surprised him. He had never been able to control this much lumi before. He was sure this was it, this would be the moment where he cast his first spell. The village boys stepped back uneasily as the sleeve of Talynn’s coat began to whip about, the air around it beginning to stir.
“Ignite!” Talynn shouted. The yellow aura coalesced into a single point, creating a small flash of light before completely vanishing. The wind grew still, accentuating the silence as they all waited for something to happen. Nothing did.
“Come on, ignite!” Talynn looked down, desperately trying to force more lumi into his hand, but he had expended too much in his last attempt. After a few seconds of silence, Aken gave a derisive snort.
“That’s it? And you say you’re a mage? Pathetic. You really have no talent in anything.”
“No, you’re wrong! I will be a great fire mage someday, and I’ll go out and explore the world while you nitwits are stuck in this stupid little village!”
“Who are you calling nitwit?” Aken rushed forward and grabbed Talynn by the torn collar of his coat.
“Enough!” Called out a young, but strong voice. A dark-blonde haired, blue-eyed boy approached the group, his height and build that of someone several years older than his actual age.
“Lucky you. Mavence is here to save you again,” Aken muttered as he slowly lowered Talynn to the ground.
“You two, stop bickering,” Mavence forcibly separated them.
“Get off me. It’s not my fault your friend is such a talentless loser,” Aken used his minuscule height advantage to glare down at Mavence.
“I’m warning you, Aken. Stop talking,” Mavence replied, his voice calm and reasonable.
“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, Mavence?” Aken narrowed his eyes, trying to look intimidating.
“Probably punch you in the face if you keep talking,” Mavence replied matter-of-factly.
“You’re just gonna defend this worthless worm your whole life, huh?”
Quite finished, Mavence made good on his word and slammed his fist into Aken’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. His group of lackeys winced as the side of Aken’s head smacked the dirt.
“Sure, if I need to,” Mavence shrugged. “Now get out of here.”
“Thanks. Sorry you had to save me again,” Talynn said with a sigh as he and Mavence watched the group of boys depart.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re my friend, I’ll beat up as many people as I have to. Just try not to start so many fights.”
“To be fair, I didn’t start that one. I was just sitting here practicing lumi transformation when those jerks walked up and started picking on me.”
“Still obsessed with magic, huh?”
“Yep. I still want to be a great fire mage someday. I can channel lumi pretty well, but I can’t actually transform it into an element. Ugh, I don’t know what I’m missing,” Talynn kicked the dirt aimlessly. “I’ve read every single book in the village library but I still can’t figure it out.”
“You read all three books?”
“All three of them. I don’t know, Mav. Maybe they’re right. Maybe I don’t have the talent to become a mage. All I have are three books in a tiny village with no school. Sometimes I feel like my life wasn’t meant for much.”
“I think life is whatever you make it. And I think we need to make it out of this place. Think about it Talynn, there’s probably a huge world out there past these mountains that we’d never get to see unless we left.”
“I wish it weren’t nearly impossible to leave this place. But from how brutal people say the path down to the valley is and how few visitors we have, I don’t think it’s something we can do just yet. When we’re older, maybe.”
“Don’t give me that ‘maybe’,” Mavence elbowed him playfully. “When we’re older for sure. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be at old man Kerrick’s pasture right now?”
“Oh shoot, I forgot. Again. Gotta go, later Mav,” Talynn waved goodbye with one hand while using the other to hold his hat in place as he ran up the winding dirt path a short distance from the village square.
“Talynn! You’re late again,” yelled an aged voice as he reached the top of the mesa overlooking the village. Despite being nearly a century old, the shepherd was surprisingly spry, hobbling about with the assistance of his walking staff with impressive speed.
“Sorry sir! Got caught up in an... altercation with the other village boys.”
“Did they beat you up again?”
“What? No, of course not. I can defend my-”
“Mavence stopped them, didn’t he?” Kerrick went on.
“Yeah, he did,” Talynn grumbled.
“At least you have one good friend. But you’re still in trouble with me! You came to me asking if you can herd my novis for coin. I’m not going to pay you if you don’t actually herd them.”
“I know, I know. I’ll guard them with my life, I swear.”
“Especially watch that purple one, you hear? In all my years, I’ve only seen a few purple novis. Do you know how much natural purple cotton is worth these days? It’d sell for a pretty penny in the capitol. Those noble folk are crazy for it.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on them. Nothing’s going to happen to them. Nothing ever happens around here anyways.”
“Don’t be too sure of yourself. Back in my day, Aedonia was at war with every kingdom near and far. Always a fight happening. Imps assassinating noblemen. Belcanis slaughtering folk like the beasts they are. Raiders pillaging little villages just like ours. You could hardly go a month without losing livestock back then,” Kerrick said while stroking his long wispy beard.
“Yeah, but that was all ages ago,” Talynn waved his hand dismissively. “Now everything is one big empire. No more monsters and marauders roaming about.”
“Well, I still expect you to show up on time. Might not be a war, but I still have to pay taxes to the emperor. Speaking of which, I hear they’re having a festival for the inauguration of the emperor’s daughter tomorrow. Big ceremony and all that. Didn’t you say you wanted to visit the capitol?”
“I do! I’ve never been to Albustone. I’ll bet they have tons of books there. Maybe I could finally find a book that’ll help me figure out how to transform lumi into the fire element. Then I’ll be one step closer to throwing fireballs,” Talynn said with a mischievous grin.
“Why don’t you go tomorrow?”
“Isn’t the path down the mountain incredibly dangerous? Almost impossible?”
“Oh, you kids,” Kerrick said with a hearty laugh. “Of course it’s not impossible. That’s just what the parents tell the children so they don’t try to sneak out on their own. If you stick to the path, it’s mildly dangerous at best.”
“Well, either way, I don’t have enough silver for a journey yet,” Talynn shrugged. “I’m saving up. That’s why I asked you for this job.”
“I figured as much. Here, I’ve been saving this for you. This should cover your food and a stack of books,” Kerrick handed Talynn a pouch full of silver coins. “And bring Mavence with you. The road is long. Safety in numbers.”
“What? Really? Are you sure? What about your novis?” Talynn looked in the pouch incredulously, never having seen that much silver in his life.
“I’ve been watching novis for almost a century, I can do it one more day. You’re a good lad. Go have fun with your friend. See the city and enjoy the festival. Take it from an old man; you’re only young once. Make sure you have plenty of adventures before you get old and gray. ”
“You got it, sir. You’re the best!” Talynn gave Kerrick a hug and then ran off to tell his best friend the exciting news.
“Tomorrow, your adventure begins. But don’t forget, you’re watching my novis as soon as you get back!” Kerrick shouted after him.
The next morning, Talynn and Mavence woke up early and met at the edge of the village before the sun rose. They looked back upon their home, their little village cradled high in the mountains. Neither of them would miss it anytime soon. Equipped with a knapsack filled with wheat loaves and skin bottles filled with stream water, the pair set off.
The path leaving the village took them up and over a snowy mountain pass, the air so cold that they could see their breath despite it being late summer. The pair shuffled through the snow as fast as they could, their worn sandals providing little protection from the freezing snow. Finally, the path began to descend down the rocky slope of the mountain. At least, Talynn thought that was the path. He had lost confidence in the exact location of the path during their trek through the snow. After several hours of intense hiking, they finally reached the foot of the mountain range and looked back on their progress.
“Talynn, you took us the wrong way, didn’t you,” Mavence gave him a pointed look.
“No. Maybe. How could you tell?”
“From here, I can see this nice and easy trail down the mountain, and I noticed that we did not walk down this trail. You had one job, Talynn. I hate you,” Mavence threw a fistful of grass at his friend. The pair sat down on top of a small hill and ate some of their provisions.
“Hey, you know I’m bad at directions. At least it’s all flat from here. We should get there before noon,” Talynn said between large bites of his stale wheat bread. After finishing his mid-morning snack, he enthusiastically hopped onto his feet and shouted “Onward!”
He attempted to march forward, but was so preoccupied with stuffing his leftovers into his backpack that he forgot they were on a hill. His foot felt only air where he expected the ground to be, leading to a long tumble down the hill. His remaining food flew out of his bag and onto the grass. Mavence had a knee-slapping laugh from his seat on the top of the hill.
“Thanks for the help,” Talynn waved while lying on his back at the bottom of the hill.
“Anytime,” Mavence got up and walked past him, over-exaggerating his footsteps to poke fun at him.
The rest of their journey went by uneventfully as they walked along the straight dirt path for roughly ten miles through the wide and spacious valley. Eventually, they spotted a bright spot on the horizon. As they drew closer, the spot began to take shape as the grand capitol of Aedonia. Sixty-foot tall walls made of light-tan stone with an accompanying moat encircled the vast area of the city. Guards in magnificent polished iron armor armed with halberds were evenly stationed on the battlements and towers. The wide dirt path led them to one of the large main gates of the city, with more guards stationed at even intervals throughout the entrance. A jovial man with a curled mustache welcomed the pair as they crossed over the lowered drawbridge.
“Welcome to Albustone city, capitol of the Aedonian empire!”
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