Every person with magic had a pair. This pair was a magical creature, they ranged from dragons to unicorns to phoenixes to bunnies that could grant wishes. It was simply the creature that matched the power and capabilities of the magical user. A year prior, Theo found his pair to be a giant, water Phoenix that matched and enhanced his ability to manipulate water and ice. To find their pairs, the students had to venture through the forests, trying to reach the Fountain of Peace, a giant water spring that was bigger than the entire academy, where a spirit would match them.
Most students would not make it to the Fountain of Peace, those that didn't had to try again the next year. Theo was one of three students to achieve the trip last year, the other two were two years older than him and considered extremely skilled. However, considering that the Prince, Princesses and Duke Windeburg were participating in the trip, there were expectations set upon Isla's cohort to succeed.
Isla and Penny did not know about these realities, they had largely been shielded from them, so they set upon the task with vigour. The forest was guarded by giant trees, they stood tall with leaves larger than the children. Augustus immediately burned a giant hole into a tree to walk through, however no one else could pass through this whole as the tree immediately recovered once he stepped through. Penny used winds to raise her high above the trees, it took her no time to reach the top even though it was higher than any child could imagine, but she also managed to sneak a view of everything to come. She saw Isla's power move a tree aside as she passed through, which led to a passage for everyone since the trees had nothing to recover from, they weren't damaged.
She landed next to Isla who greeted her warmly before letting her know what she had seen. "There are giant tornadoes, it seems, and the land seems to be alive and moving. I think we're going to have challenges sent our way." Isla grinned before cracking her knuckles.
"Let's get into this!" They giggled before hiking through the terrain, which became intensely humid suddenly. Penny created a breeze around the pair to ensure they were free from the dense air, however many of their classmates collapsed behind them, exhausted from the intense air and dehydrated. As they passed out or collapsed, they were instantly sent back to their room, where if they were a noble a maid would care for them, the commoners were greeted with water they were told to prepare before the ordeal.
The girls quickly caught up to Augustus, who had used his ice and fire to cool his body and clear the air, he was able to find peace in Penny's wind. They soon came across a cliff, beyond the cliff was an ice-filled landscape, with what looked like a blizzard occurring. Isla groaned, hating the cold, before creating a bridge made from dark matter. Augustus used his fire to keep them warm by combining it with Isla's dark magic. They were all exhausted by the time they reached the first checkpoint, a hut that crossed into more neutral weather, with no snow or crazy humidity. Here they could rest for up to 8 hours, there was also food for them all so that they could fuel up. They each had a bed where they immediately passed out, with an alarm being set for 7 hours after they finished eating - which took less than 30 minutes considering how hungry they were.
Once their slumber was over, they packed their backpacks with as many supplies as they could, with some of Penny's wind helping them hold up their bags. They travelled through the forest, hyper-aware of any movement around them. Suddenly, they felt a growl that shook through their bones. They turned to see a white tiger.
"Guys, what do we do?" Augustus whispered.
"I thought we would face wolves or something... not THIS." Penny hissed, her fingers shaking.
"Should I kill it?" Augustus asked, ready to shoot fire at the creature.
"That's illegal, it's a mythical creature," Penny replied, her hands on her head.
"Okay, a white tiger. Well, it shouldn't be in a forest, right? They're usually found in... colder places. How about we show it the way there?" Isla suggested, fear wracking her bones. She created a golden pathway, attracting the attention of the tiger, and leading it to the snow. As it left, they all collapsed, shaking from fear.
"Good thinking Isla! I thought were DONE." Penny gasped as she hugged her friend. Augustus joined the hug before they all stood up. "I want this to be over already!" Penny whined before enchanting their bags again.
They carried on before reaching their final challenge, a dessert filled with tornadoes. "This is so dumb," Isla commented, "can I just cheat and shift the land so we have a path?"
"I'm sorry, you want to do what?" Augustus spluttered. "How is that cheating if you're using your powers?" He asked.
"Because my movement ability is new for this forest, it'll create a path for everyone else." She answered. "Miss Elia wouldn't shut up about it before all of this, I was only allowed to use it for the trees. Otherwise, I would have just created a direct path to the Fountain. Why go through all of this drama?"
"We did everything else, what's some wind?" Penny cut in, a sneaky expression on her face. The other two shared a look and groaned before travelling on.
They began meandering their way through the sand on a glass device created using fire and darkness, cooled by ice, that floated through the canyons. With Penny guiding their vehicle, they avoided the tornadoes before finally arriving at a new scenery. It was the fountain, but it seemed to be inside a bubble.
They each stood, three meters away from each other, as they had been instructed, and touched the bubble. Isla stared at the lake, wondering what would happen when she heard a voice in her head.
"Isla Ronin, I am Meredith. Thank you for guiding me home, unfortunately, I am not the being for you, but your friend who has fire and ice. However, I grant you my blessing, you were the first to not attack me in more than 100 years." She felt warmth fill her body as she entered the bubble and sat by the beautiful fountain.
It had a natural geyser that had not stopped pouring water since it had been founded, it stood 100 meters tall, and the water around it shimmered cleanly, glowing. Inside swam golden fish and plants of all colours, birds chirped with joy, bathing their wings in the water from the geyser, coming out magical, but being unable to escape the clutches of the water. She touched the water with the tip of her finger and felt it pull her in, like all the animals she wanted to lose herself in the power, but she concentrated and let it flow through her before pulling her finger out.
She knew it was against the rules to do so, she knew that no one could ever find out what she had done, but she needed her soul and magic to be pure. She needed to be the purest soul and do good, she would prefer to lose herself than be able to cause harm.
She stepped away, and let her magic free, waiting for a creature to respond. Soon, Penny and Augustus entered the realm, it took them longer since she had touched the bubble first and time worked differently. Hours in this realm were seconds in the real world. Augustus quickly met with Meredith, who greeted not only him but Isla and Penny too. All three waited, and Penny met her match next. A pegasus with a horn flew to her, it touched her forehead with its horn and they formed a bond immediately. His name was Cedric, and he was truly magnificent.
Finally, a golden dragon flew down, its scales had a black edge, and it stood in front of Isla's small figure. "I am Alexander, the first Dragon. I have not met a worthy human in 10,000 years. Are you worthy?" His words boomed through her chest.
"How do you determine that?" She replied.
He lowered his giant head so he could stare into the small creature's eyes. She heard his voice in her head. "You have touched the fountain's water, only one other person in history has ever done so. My last companion, the first person to ever find magic. What do you want to do with the purity you have found?" It questioned.
"I want to do good, I never want to cause pain to anyone again. I have cleansed my soul."
"Child, your soul was always pure, your actions as an infant are not in your memories or on your soul. All you have done is gain unimaginable power. However, I will accept you." He extending a claw out and she touched it with her hand, she felt him and he felt her, their bond was created. They were a pair.