When it started, it was a day just like any other.

At thirteen years old, Talia didn't have any responsibilities. She was free to wander to her heart's content, her path was as clear as it was simple.

She would help her family run their small fruit stand and be the good, kind, reasonable girl she had always been. When she turned fifteen, she would go and get a job in Lestine City, only 15 minutes away from home. Probably end up being some kind of maid or attendant to a wealthy family in the area. Maybe she would even get a job helping a shopkeeper or a seamstress. One of those jobs where you didn't need to be a mage. Although perhaps they would prefer a mage regardless. That was her plan. A simple life for a simple girl.

If there was one thing she could dare to dream about, it would be to move her family out of Acrine Village and somewhere safer. They live inside the protective barrier called a Sanctuary. It keeps most magical beasts out of the cities, especially the major cities that are deep within the Sanctuary but living in a family of nonmages is dangerous. Any magic beast that makes its way into the village poses a significant threat.

Talia's family is in the minority here. While only the rare geniuses in the outskirts of the village were particularly strong, most people awakened magic. However, there are some people who never awakened. Their wrists remain unblemished, lacking the telltale sign of a mage – a marking known as a Glyph. Talia is from one of those families. Or at least she thought she was.

"Talia, don't go too far." The kind voice of her mother resounded behind her. Talia paused her stride, bouncing on her toes to wait for her mom to catch up. Her eyes stuck on the sight that had caught her attention just moments ago.

Talia decided to join her mother on her weekly trip to Lestine City for groceries and whatever else they needed. For Talia, it was just an excuse to see the city. Exciting things were always happening in the city, after all.

Talia glanced back at her mother who reached her side, before turning her attention back to the show up ahead. It was nothing special, just two mages displaying their magic, one was a water mage, and the other a wind mage.

The two of them stood on a stage, glowing lights around them. The water mage – a girl with flowy brown hair tied up in two ponytails on the sides of her head – sang a beautiful song as she traced the air in a heart shape. Everywhere her hand went, a snake of water followed, creating a hollow heart that then grew in size and popped, showering the crowd with fine mist.

Talia applauded with the rest of the crowd. Magic always captivated her. She could only dream of being able to create something so beautiful. Of course, there was always the practical side of it, if Talia had magic, she wouldn't hesitate to use it to her advantage, to make money and help her family.

It was a dream she didn't like to linger on.

"Her control is pretty good, isn't it?" A tall boy, maybe five years older than Talia, spoke to the younger girl at his side. They were easily recognized as siblings with their matching golden blond hair, and sharp features.

"Don't quiz me like this, I'm not stupid. He was obviously helping her." The girl at his side scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Smart girl."

Talia turned her attention back to the duo on the stage. Even if the mage couldn't control the shape of her magic alone, it was still a gift to have that power. The siblings near her probably wouldn't understand that because they seemed like they were from one of the wealthy families in the area, blessed with magic. The mages on stage took their final bow and stepped of the stage. It looked like Talia only made it in time to see the finale.

Most of the crowd dispersed after the cute girl left the stage. Talia's mother grabbed her hand and began to head toward the potter. That's another reason Talia was on this trip, she felt bad for breaking a plate, so she had come to help her mother pick out a nice replacement.

She's not usually clumsy, but the night before, as she was walking toward the dinner table, she felt a sudden flash of pain throughout her entire body, most of the pain centered around her right hand. It was largely the surprise that made her drop the plate. Regardless, the plate shattered, and Talia felt so bad she could feel the tears well up in her eyes – which her brothers promptly made fun of her for.

"Geez, Talia, it's just a plate. Stop being such a crybaby!" Her older brother David teased her lightheartedly. He was the one to clean it up, which made her guilt worse. As the youngest in the family, it seemed she had never really grown out of that whole crying-over-everything phase.

She thought about that as her and her mother approached the potter's door. When am I going to grow up?

Hand on the door, Talia suddenly felt her body seize up with a flash of pain. She reflexively squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes, time seemed to freeze. She was surrounded by a glowing light that was rapidly dimming. She frantically whipped her head around trying to find the source of that light, only to find a sea of faces staring at her judgmentally.

"That girl… what a fuss she's making."

"We all awakened, but we did it in the privacy of our homes."

"How rude."

"She clearly lacks control if she's trying to blind us all."

"She's obviously someone without proper training."

Talia blinked. The pain had all but subsided when she felt a burning sensation of her wrist. That wrist again..! It was gone in just a few seconds.

"Mom- I- what?" Talia's words came out fragmented and scrambled, which didn't match the tranquility of her brain. She was undeniably confused but she felt a sense of peace and belonging that she had never felt before. It was like some piece she didn't know was missing just clicked into place. Albeit painfully.

Her mother just stared back at her with a deer-in-headlights look on her face. She wordlessly grabbed her hand and turned it over to see her wrist.

Close to the heel of her hand, seeping onto her wrist were thin black lines. Those same black lines making up a Glyph the unmistakable sign of a mage.