Five months went by. Xavier went through his new training course every day. After a month he was finally able to finish the obstacle course in the fifteen minutes. His mother let him go early that day. The next day Xavier whistled his way to the obstacle course. He was utterly distraught when he realized that the traps on the course had all been changed.
Every time he would figure the course out enough to complete it in time he would come back the next day to find it had been completely changed. Xavier was dismayed at first until he realized that each time the course was changed it took him less time to figure it out. His lessons in academia were progressing as well. All his teachers praised his progress.
Mr. Mortenson was particularly pleased. Thus far Xavier had memorized more than four thousand individual sigils. Two months after he had begun learning he was able to set the most basic of formations the elemental gathering formation. It was a formation that could be used to gather the elemental energy in the nearby area into one point. A month later he could set the amplification formation.
Today was the day before Xavier's birthday. He walked into the study with Mr. Mortenson in a fine mood. "Mr. Mortenson do we have any good formations to learn today?"
Mr. Mortenson smiled. "I have something special for your birthday. Today we'll begin learning the sleep formation. It's a trap type formation that can be used to put enemies to sleep."
Xavier seemed to be particularly well focused today. He had the sleep formation down in half an hour. Mr. Mortenson was impressed. "I suppose I can go ahead and teach you the awakening formation as well."
At the end of the lesson Xavier asked a question that had been nagging at him. "Mr. Mortenson is there a sigil for magic itself?"
Mr. Mortenson was surprised. It was the sort of idea that was a bit hard for most students to grasp. "There isn't a sigil for magic. There is however a formation for magic. Formations can be combined to create new formations."
Xavier looked at Mr. Mortenson with anticipation. "Can you show it to me?"
Mr. Mortenson considered Xavier for a moment. "I suppose that I can." Mr. Mortenson drew the formation for magic on the whiteboard. Xavier had been furiously working on his memory over the last five months. He was able to memorize the entire formation perfectly just by looking at it for a few moments.
Mr. Mortenson frowned when he noticed the look on Xavier's face. Xavier looked up and noticed his expression. "Mr. Mortenson is there something wrong?"
"Xavier we haven't had this conversation yet. You need to be careful with some formations. They can run away from the person who set them. Sometimes accidents have happened that have resulted in the formation injuring or even killing the person who set them." Mr. Mortenson gazed gravely at Xavier, "Please be careful."
Xavier nodded his head eagerly. "Of course, Mr. Mortenson. I would never try something dangerous."
Xavier left his lesson feeling both elated and guilty. Ever since he had been studying formations, he had started to do extensive reading. Formations were used in many things including the guided awakening of intermediate mages. When a mage advanced to the next level many of them would go to professionals who guided their next awakening in an effort to direct which element they got.
This information had led to an interesting idea. People didn't awaken until they were eighteen. It was just something that had started in the age of magic research, when researchers realized awakening early actually hurt the souls of mages. They would often die as a result. In his research though Xavier had uncovered a formation that would strengthen the soul.
Its effect was minimal so not many people would use it. Xavier had been using it for the last four and a half months straight. He saved the extra materials that he was given to practice to set it. Ever since he began strengthening his soul his memory had also been improving. Now he had the awakening formation he was ready to begin his plan.
There were cases where people had awakened their elements early. It was discovered that these people had unusually strong souls and were put in high pressure situations. After learning that and about the existence of the soul strengthening formation he had created a plan to make a formation that would force the primary awakening of a mage early.
At the end of the day Xavier hurried out to a secluded spot in the small patch of woods on the grounds. Here he had prepared the area to set the awakening formation. Xavier had practiced the awakening formations several time over the course of the last three months. It didn't take him long to set it up.
The last piece he had needed was the sigil for magic. By modifying the formation to awaken people from sleep and then integrating the sigil for magic Xavier hoped to awaken his primary element years ahead of schedule. He knew it was a risk but the knowledge of formations wasn't able to satisfy his thirst for magic anymore. Lately he had been feeling like there was something missing. The only thing that came to mind was the absence of magic.
Xavier set the final sigil in his formation and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and imagined the formation working several times before he opened them and then poured the last material into the formation. Silver light began to emit from the formation.
The light began to get stronger and stronger. Space began to distort. Finally, a spacial rend opened up. It wasn't long, just a few inches long. The rend disappeared and all the spacial energy in the formation turned into silver energy. The energy began to bounce around the formation. Xavier took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. Then he stepped into the formation.
An excruciating pain welled up in him as the energy passed into him. As the pain increased doubt began to creep in. Was his soul not strong enough? Had his plan failed?
The pain began to intensify. Xavier's vision began to blur and he started to lose consciousness. He was dying. As he came to that realization panic began to set in. His heart rate shot up and he began to breath heavily. Just as he thought he was doomed the spacial energy found a space in his soul and began to swirl there.
The pain finally began to fade and he found himself panting on his back on the ground. He peered inward to his spiritual world. There he found the silver energy still swirling around. Elation began to replace the panic that he had felt. He had succeeded! He had awoken his magic.