In a quiet leafy forest in the eastern part of the kingdom, a young girl dashed through the undergrowth, fleeing from an imaginary enemy.

"Ha-ha-ha," she gasped, stopping behind a tree to check if anyone was pursuing her. "Thank goodness, no one noticed me."

The rays of the rising sun played in the tangled golden hair of the girl. She appeared to be just a little over ten years old, and her richly adorned dress revealed her noble status. In principle, she shouldn't have any enemies chasing her, but she had just done something wrong, and she feared punishment.

She was afraid to approach the village, but she saw a young girl being judged in the square. The girl was clearly distraught and admitted to all the accusations against her. They had already tied her to a post in the center of the bonfire and were preparing to burn her, but the young noblewoman intervened.

She couldn't bear to watch this farce and struck the executioner carrying a torch with lightning. This caused panic in the crowd, but no one noticed where the lightning had come from. The young sorceress's powers were enough to strike from the edge of the forest at the village's outskirts.

"I hope I was able to help her," the girl sighed heavily, leaning against the trunk of a large tree.

"You definitely did," unexpectedly, someone patted her shoulder in a friendly manner.

Startled, the girl jumped to the side and rolled into the grass. Just moments ago, where she was standing, there stood a young lad of her age with dark hair and a satisfied grin.

"Who are you?" the girl trembled with fear, trying to hide in the tall grass.

"Don't be afraid of me like that. I was just passing through the village. Thanks for stopping those murderers."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the girl awkwardly tried to avert her gaze, but her trembling betrayed her unsuccessful attempt at lying.

"Oh, come on, you were just running around for fun?"

"Uh, y-yes, I just wanted to stretch my legs."

"Yeah, in such a dress," the boy pointed at the expensive gown, which was torn in several places due to her sprint through the dense forest. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. At least someone dared to help that poor girl."

"Mmm, I just couldn't bear to watch that execution. What could a person do to deserve such a fate?"

"Nothing. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After an illness, her mind got a little clouded, so it wasn't difficult for the inquisitor to pin all the mysterious affairs in the region on her and expose her to public shame."

"But that's outrageous!"

"Alas, nowadays the inquisition sometimes replaces the courts due to their considerable influence on the king. But your lightning stopped them all. As it is known, lightning serves only the pure spirits, so they took your magic as a divine sign, and the elder demanded the release of the poor girl."

"Phew... I'm glad it worked," the girl got up from the grass and sat under the nearest tree. "No one else saw me, right?"

The sorceress narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but the boy just waved his hands.

"Well, of course not, or there would already be guards all over the place," he said nonchalantly, sitting under a tree next to the girl, who instinctively tried to move away. "I didn't think nobles cared about common peasants, but still, thank you for your help."

"Hey! Why are you saying that? Nobles are bestowed with power to protect their subjects, and spirits grant them the gift of magic to fight monsters and defend people."

"Hmm, sounds more like a memorized phrase from a book."

The girl choked and turned away. "Then what else is this power for?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe for power and money... I've seen a bit, but not many nobles care about the lives of simple peasants. Laws are enforced either by local authorities or by this inquisition. Monsters are usually exterminated by hired guilds. And they collect the money from the people themselves. Perhaps only those whose lands can be ridden in a couple of hours care about their subjects, because nothing else brings them income."

"How dare you!" The girl jumped up and angrily stomped on the ground, causing lightning flashes to ripple through the grass. "Maybe there are nobles like that, but that doesn't mean you should lump everyone together. I'll use my power only to protect people!"

"Heh, it's good if you keep that fervor when you grow up. It seems you don't go out much, given how you've preserved such ideals."

"Yes," the girl lowered her eyes and plopped back down. "My father doesn't let me leave the estate after my mother's death. So, besides teachers, I don't see anyone."

"Maybe... it's for the best," the boy leaned against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. "Usually, young nobles, when they enter high society, start reveling and spend all their days at fancy balls and expensive shops, preparing for the next encounter, and completely forget the true purpose of the power given to them."

"Sigh, you wouldn't understand. It's not easy to be a mage. We also have many expectations in childhood, and if we don't live up to our parents' expectations... they treat us like useless appendages of noble families."

"But still, you will never know what it's like to live in a poor family freezing in a tiny house and starving when there's a bad harvest. And if monsters attack, no one will help them. Unfortunately, the noble deeds of modern nobles usually end with pretty speeches."

"But in the Academy, both noble children and commoners study! And they help people fight monsters and bandits."

"But only because they want to earn money. After completing the Academy, not many remain in the guilds, and mostly only warrior guilds survive. Nobles usually forget about their martial duties as soon as they graduate from the Academy. If mage guilds stay together after graduation, they mostly engage in inventing magical gadgets or new spells and rarely care about anyone else."

"That's all nonsense. I'll join the Academy and create my own guild that will help people!"

"Heh, big words for a little girl," the boy smirked.

"Just you wait! I'll gather the best guild in the Academy," the girl jumped to her feet and pointed at the grinning boy. "And I bet you've never even stepped out of your hometown!"

"Perhaps so. This is the first time I've left my hometown, but we have a port where many ships from the north and south pass through. So, I've heard more about the outside world than some, heh-heh," and once again, the smug smirk sparked outrage in the young noblewoman.

"Oh, you! Just wait and see. I'll gather the best guild in the Academy," the girl jumped to her feet and pointed at the smirking boy. "And if you have the courage and talent, try to enter the Academy yourself and prove that you're worth something! Heh-hee."

The girl giggled happily, but a sudden handshake interrupted her laughter. The boy took her hand and promptly stood up as well.

"Well, fine. Of course, it'll be tough for me without magical abilities to get in, but if it's to put a conceited girl in her place, I'll gladly do it," the boy let go of the girl's hand and turned towards the village. "Well, I have to go now. Maybe we'll meet again. And don't forget, next time, I'll definitely show you who's boss."

With that, the boy dashed away along the same hidden path. The girl watched him go for a long time.

"What a cheeky guy," the girl blushed as she shyly looked at her hand that the spirited boy had held moments ago. "And my magic didn't work on him... Maybe he has talents he doesn't even know about."

Through the canopy of trees, sunlight sparkled on the girl's hand.

"It's almost noon, they must have started looking for me," the girl rushed back to her castle, where she had been held captive all these years. And beyond that, like in a terrible dream, she remembered the moment she fell, and her best friend died because of her foolishness.

In cold sweat, the girl woke up in her room in the clock tower.

"Why do I always have this dream at this time of the year..." The girl glanced at the golden uniform hanging on the side. "Oh, I almost forgot why I stayed back then... But still, I kept my promise."

The beautiful girl with long golden hair put on her lightning mage uniform. Now she was studying at the academy and, within the first year of training, had already formed a close-knit guild of the strongest fighters and mages in the first course.

"Hmm, and still, something is missing," the girl looked at the date on the big clock atop the tower. "Magda usually bakes me a cake on this day..."

The girl stepped outside and headed towards the four-story mansion that had become her home along with her friends. They rightfully considered themselves the most formidable guild in the Academy, but had the girl achieved everything she desired?

Cracking the door open, the sorceress peacefully stepped inside, still in a half-sleepy state.

"Oh... she's here already," a dissatisfied voice echoed from the hall. "Who was supposed to keep an eye on the entrance? Come on, do something!"

"Huh? What's going on in there?" The girl casually glanced out of the corner of her eye and noticed her comrades decorating the hall. But in the next second, she was thrown out by a gust of wind. "Hey!"

The girl futilely knocked on the door, but from inside came only hurried footsteps, shrieks, and rustling of paper.

"Well, let me in, what are you hiding in there?!" The girl stood behind the door for another ten minutes until the click of the lock finally announced her admission. "Pff, about time."

Annoyed and with her arms crossed, the sorceress entered her residence. Colorful posters and toys adorned the walls, a table stood in the center of the room with various treats, and her friends greeted her with satisfied smiles.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" The friends congratulated the young girl in unison and rushed to hug her.

"Wha-at? How did you know??" Of course, the birthday girl herself was in bewilderment.

"Oh, it's simple. When we were in the capital, I asked Victoria," the resourceful party organizer grinned. "I know you didn't celebrate it often before, but that's no reason to skip such an important occasion."

A warm smile spread across the girl's face. "Thank you all," tears of gratitude gathered in the corners of her eyes, "I haven't celebrated this day for a long time. It was associated only with bad memories for me... But thank you for everything."

The girl hugged her companions, now she no longer had to fear that someone would suffer because of her power, and now she finally had people with whom she could celebrate this day.