Chapter 1: Chapter 1

I was 10 years old, and every Tuesday I watched big brother Lazar practice magic casting on our family's training grounds. Big brother was the kindest of all my siblings and the only one who encouraged my passion for learning magic.

 

The head guard came to inform us of Professor Rosewall's arrival at the gate.

 

"Today is your day Fae. Are you excited?" asked Lazar.

 

"Nervous." I let out a slight frown.

 

Brother drank his recovery elixir. He stood there and looked at me with the empty bottle in his hand for a second thinking carefully of his response.

 

"Don't sweat it."

 

"Whatever happens today won't change anything. If you want to pursue magic then I’ll make sure of it! Not even mother can stop me." He grinned.

 

I smiled. His words relieved me and I was about to say thanks until Rosewall entered to greet us.

 

"Did I interrupt the boy genius's training?"

 

"No ma'am." Lazar laughed. "Just about finished."

 

Professor Rosewall was a good friend of my father. She was great at evaluating the potential of magicians and although my father could perform similar tests, they would not be as accurate as hers.

 

Father also used to be a professor at the academy but caught the wrath of the headmaster who harbored personal grudges against him. Upon his forced resignation, the other professors swore that they would stand up if the headmaster were to treat father’s children unfairly.

 

Mother and father: Beatrice and Otto Lockhart had arrived to personally witness my aptitude test. It was normal for my siblings and me to barely see our own parents during the day but they check in on us during moments like these to gauge our potential.

 

Although aptitude tests were to be done at the age of 14 upon entering the Imperial Mage Academy, we the Lockhart family could afford to perform it years before that. 

 

Since aptitude tests reveal your strength and weaknesses, fortunate children can build on their weaknesses years in advance before entering the academy. Thus becoming well-rounded respected students.

 

Lazar did his test when he was 9 and despite lacking strengths in any of the elements, he was blessed with raw analytical talent and most importantly an extremely efficient high-capacity mana heart. A true genius that understood the foundations of magic deeper than most and had enough mana to experiment with his heart's desire. Father said that magicians like Lazar can fully master any element on their own given time.

 

The professor sat me down and although faint, I could see my father's face of hope and excitement for me. 

 

My stomach began to turn as I felt the pressure of expectations nailing me down. No child ever wants to disappoint their parents.

 

Sensing my anxiety, Rosewall put her hand on my shoulder and I could then remember my brother's earlier words again.

 

"Ready?"

 

"Ready."

 

It was a long relaxing process. She placed her hand on my head with my eyes closed and I could sense mana being shifted to her palms, it made me feel numb. I then had to repeat magic prompts and visualize various imagery that she described.

 

"You're doing good Fae. Let's take a quick break."

 

 She looked concerned while jotting down the details in her notebook. Murmuring to herself as if she was redoing calculations that don't add up.

 

"I'm sorry Fae but we have to restart from scratch."

 

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

 

"It’s nothing. I just made an error."

 

"Oh, come on!" Mother broke her silence impatiently.

 

"Otto, it's been 2 hours. We don’t have the time to wait any longer!"

 

Her behavior was surprising as mother was the type to care the most about her and our family's image. I'm sure she was well aware of how ill-mannered her words could be interpreted. 

 

But thinking back, the Rosewall family had been stripped of nobility so it could be that she didn’t care due to her status.

 

Father desperately walked mother out of the room to discuss further. Embarrassed about having an argument with his wife in front of Rosewall, he wanted as few people to hear as possible. We still could, but were unable to make out any words.

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Rosewall paced back and forth patiently holding her notebook, respectfully waiting for the pair.

 

They returned, and while mother's face was upset, father was determined to see it through. 

 

"Okay, once more. Ready?" Rosewall asked.

 

"Ready."

 

This time she went through the process much more thoroughly and it took longer than the previous attempt.

 

Time felt a lot slower.

 

"The test has now been concluded."

 

Rosewall takes a moment to jot down notes with a slightly concerned look on her face.

 

"Well?" Father asked.

 

"I mistook it for human error at first, but now I am sure of it."

 

Rosewall took a deep breath and then continued.

 

"Fae has an affinity for controlling heat energy. This could roughly be interpreted as a specialization in the fire element."

 

"However... I have never seen a mana heart so inefficient and with such small capacity as hers."

 

"How can this be?!" my father asked in total disbelief.

 

"While a child inherits magical qualities closely to their parents, there are rare cases where they turn out to be unique. Not likely, but possible."

 

"Otto, these results might not be ideal for Fae but your daughter can still have a bright future in magic studies if she wishes. If you spend some time putting her through efficiency training I'm sure she will-"

 

Mother interrupted: "That's enough Professor. We just need the facts, not your opinions."

 

“Mother, we should at least listen to what Professor Rosewall thinks-”

 

“Lazar. Enough.”

 

Mother turns to half-heartedly comfort my father who is still in disbelief.

 

"Honey, please look on the bright side. Fae still has plenty of other paths to walk in life."

 

Father looked extremely disappointed. He was a powerful magician and a member of the Magicians' Council. All my older siblings were also very strong magicians.

 

On the other hand, I'm sure Mother was delighted to hear about my ineptitude for magic. In her eyes, I would be better off in a political marriage. This was because while my father was a renowned scholar, our family's nobility standing was lacking as we did not have many connections with the other families.

 

Father looked down, defeated. His mind wandered away for a good minute until snapping back to reality.

 

"Professor, we are very grateful for your time."

 

"Of course, Otto. I wish Fae all the best in her future endeavors."

 

With that, she left the room, and my mother immediately followed.

 

Lazar came over and placed his hand on my shoulder.

 

"Don't worry Fae. Remember what I said?"

 

I nodded.

 

Although I was disappointed, I was not going to give up that easily.

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