The remaining day passed fairly quickly. The elf returned to his hideout in the slums and ate the last of his food reserves that he had been saving for a rainy day. There was no point in keeping them now, right? For this reason, he savored his best meal: a whole piece of bread and a slice of cheese, which was akin to treasure in the slums. Few could afford such luxury. Only the leaders of various small gangs might occasionally indulge in the cheapest of booze.
As he ate the delicious cheese, which brought him only positive feelings, the elf glanced around his hideout once more. It was located next to an abandoned building where there were usually no people. Overall, the place he had chosen for his refuge was quiet and peaceful. His furnishings consisted of a pile of torn clothes he used as a pillow and a large amount of straw he had stolen from a farmer's stable.
He couldn't help but look at the nearby road next to his hideout, which was hidden from sight by the evening darkness. The dirty streets of the slums, where hunger was his constant companion, always weighed on him. They tried to steal his hopes, but now, feeling something entirely new coursing through his blood, it gave him strength. He glanced at the straw again and smirked.
The most valuable thing in his hideout, as he considered it, was not the reserve of food, but what lay beneath the straw. He reached underneath it, feeling an unpleasant prickling, and pulled out a small dagger. Its blade was in worn-out scabbards, which was what the elf had grabbed. Holding onto the scabbard, old memories immediately surged into his mind.
He had found this weapon when he was just eleven years old. A drunken wanderer who had stumbled into the slums had greatly regretted his decision when surrounded by the slum rats. At that time, Ragryno was very young, and he was taken in by one of the gangs. That was his first mission: to rob a random person.
There was no great battle or anything like that. It was six against one drunkard. It ended quickly. They didn't kill the man, but they stole everything he had. This very dagger that Ragryno now held was his prize—well, he had quietly snatched it, considering it his personal trophy.
The gang never found out, but soon Ragryno decided to leave them because to be fully accepted into their ranks, he needed to do something he didn't want to do. Kill an entirely innocent person. It might seem naïve of him, as everyone living in the slums eventually commits such crimes. But the elf wanted to delay this moment as long as possible because many who did it ended up becoming cold-blooded bastards.
With a light movement, he grabbed the dagger's hilt and drew it out. The blade was in quite good condition. He saw his pale, gaunt face reflected in it and his two different-colored eyes.
'Well, I think that's enough sentimentality. I can't wait to get out of this hole.'
The elf's chest itched with anticipation; he had been waiting for this moment his whole life. He decided not to try interacting with his magic and simply lay down on his straw bed, covering it with a piece of torn clothing to make it a bit more comfortable. Slowly, his eyelids closed, and he drifted into sleep.
In the morning, he woke up fully rested. He had fallen asleep almost immediately, possibly due to the stress he had experienced yesterday. It didn't matter much right now.
He got up and stretched, feeling his muscles slowly wake up. He didn't want to linger any longer than necessary, so taking his knife, he took a final look at his small hideout and smiled.
'I hope I never have to return to this hell.'
Then the elf was about to leave but stopped, wanting to do something.
He drew his knife from its sheath and scratched a large letter "R" on the wall of the abandoned building before moving on. The journey to the church didn't take long, but halfway there, he noticed a huge column of carriages and a large number of people. On the way, he recognized some of those who had been in the ritual hall yesterday, so it became clear that many were heading on this distant journey.
Not everyone was going to the Royal Academy of Magic, but to the capital of the kingdom, where they would be taken as students of ordinary academies. Ragryno smiled, realizing that his future lay much higher since he would be studying at the Royal Academy itself! This gave him a boost of confidence that allowed him to enjoy the moment.
After a while, he finally arrived at the church, where there weren't many people. Everyone had gathered around the best carriage, adorned with gold and other precious gems. In front of the carriage sat a coachman, smoking a pipe.
'So… where exactly am I supposed to go?'
This question should have been asked earlier. But to the elf's relief, a girl in a robe noticed him. She was currently talking to church officials and armed guards, who were likely the convoy's security. He had noticed them earlier when he was just passing by other carriages, but these looked far more competent. At least their gear was much better.
The girl in the robe turned her attention to the elf and, after saying something to the guards, approached him.
"I see you slept well, young man. How's your mood?" she asked in a rather cheerful tone.
Ryryno smiled slightly.
"I'm good," the elf replied tersely.
Since the girl's face was hidden in darkness, he couldn't read her expression. At first, she stood awkwardly in front of the young mage, but then, as if coming to her senses, she produced three envelopes with a small flash of her hand.
"I forgot to give these to you yesterday. Here, these are your recommendation letters. Don't worry that there are only three instead of five. You're not as talented a monster as that girl, but damn, she's an aristocrat, and you're from the slums!" said the girl, trying to encourage him, while handing Ragryno the three tied-together envelopes.
The elf took them immediately but then seemed slightly confused about where to put them. Of course, he could do the same as with the knife, tuck them under his shirt, but that risked losing them, which would be very, very bad. Noticing the elf's confusion, the girl looked him over and then, as if realizing something, spoke again.
"Right! You need clothes and gear. We have a bit of time, so follow me," the girl said, inviting him to follow her with a hand gesture.
Ragryno decided not to delay and followed her. She led him into the church and, entering a small room, handed him very expensive-looking clothes that left the elf slightly stunned. Noticing his reaction, the girl chuckled softly.
"What did you expect? You're traveling in the carriage for the most special and elite, so it's quite normal. Although, I think due to your past, you might feel a bit uncomfortable in such clothes since they're very tight and mostly made for… showing off and other nonsense. Don't worry, during the journey, you'll definitely get a change of clothes that will be more comfortable and won't squeeze where it shouldn't."
Ragryno listened to her non-official speech and quickly changed into the new outfit. He wasn't shy about being in the same room with the girl, so no issues arose. The girl did glance at his knife a couple of times but didn't comment on it.
Finally, fully dressed, the elf received a pouch to put the envelopes and knife in. The last gift from the church was a short sword of medium quality, which Ragryno strapped to his waist.
Soon they exited the church, and Ragryno stood by the gilded carriage, waiting for everything to be ready for departure. Initially, there were no incidents until some people started noticing the elf.
They looked at him with a sort of disdain, which the elf had long since grown used to, so he didn't react. Despite the fancy black clothes with incredibly high-quality fabric, he was still viewed as a slum dweller, which he couldn't fault them for. It was even better for him, as he understood that he stood on par at least with extraordinary talents since he would be traveling in the main carriage.
'Ha, it must be unpleasant to realize that even someone like me made it, while many didn't.'
He comforted himself with these thoughts, but he was still slightly uncomfortable. Mostly because people were frequently staring at him, rather than the nature of their looks.
After about ten minutes, three more people approached the carriage. Ragryno recognized two of them almost immediately—the silver-haired girl and the time mage. The third was a mystery to him, but it turned out he wouldn't be traveling with them. At least his clothing stood out. He hovered around the girl, constantly saying something to her, which she nodded to. Eventually, he detached, and Ragryno saw the time mage approaching him.
"Yo! Didn't expect to see you here after yesterday, buddy! Looks like we're traveling together?" the mage said, looking at the carriage with a wide smile, quickly shifting his gaze between it and the elf.
Ragryno looked at him and nodded silently, to which the mage just shrugged and entered the carriage. Following him was the girl dressed in similar clothes to his but entirely white. She threw a brief glance at the elf but just walked past him into the carriage.
"All aboard!" shouted a guard at the front of the column, and Ragryno promptly entered the carriage.
From the inside, the carriage looked very luxurious and showy, but most importantly, it was quite spacious. To his right sat a young man who had positioned himself closer to the exit, so they immediately made eye contact. Ragryno nodded silently. To his left, closer to the window, sat a girl. Ragryno, without much thought, moved forward and took a seat across from her, as he also wanted to look out the window.
The door of the carriage was soon closed by the coachman, and everything shook slightly. The departure from the city took a little while. Ragryno glanced at the receding silhouette of the city. His heart was a storm of emotions—fear of the unknown, joy at having escaped, and determination to face the new challenges on the horizon.
Images of his childhood, where he had to survive every day, flashed through his mind. Under his new clothes, his body bore a few scars, which would always remind him of the past he had left behind.
Meanwhile, in the city, four people and one elemental stood by the church. The relatives of many of the children were slowly dispersing—some going home, others going to work.
"A very promising generation, don't you think?" said the Elemental, watching the departing column of carriages.
"There's no denying that. They're sure to make waves in the capital," said the armored man, his face set in a stern expression.
The others remained silent for a while, watching the carriages disappear over the horizon. Suddenly, the silent figure who hadn't spoken during the ritual or afterward decided to speak. He was an assassin of rank three, the strongest among those present.
"They'll be passing through the Shadow Forest. I have a bad feeling about it," he said and seemed to vanish. In reality, he just used his illusion magic to quickly leave, as he was tired of spending time there.
The others merely shrugged, and finally, the girl with the staff spoke.
"The forest has been dormant for centuries. Although the history says that according to prophecy, it will awaken when the world starts to slowly approach its end, I doubt it will happen anytime soon."
The others nodded silently and soon went about their business.
****
"Dude, come on, summon it already!"
Just a few hours had passed, but the Time Mage had already managed to annoy Ragryno considerably. He kept pestering him with questions about his magic. At first, he tried to bother the girl, but she quickly silenced him, saying that if he didn't stop, she'd deal with him. In Ragryno's case, he thought the curious kid would lose his nerve and stop nagging eventually.
Well, it turned out Ragryno was wrong.
'How annoying can he get!'
His face showed clear irritation, but he finally decided to comply with the request, on the condition that the kid would shut up and not talk to him anymore. He was already uncomfortable with what he had learned. They'd have to travel nearly a month to the capital. Yes, it was relatively short, but for Ragryno, who cherished solitude, it felt like a sentence.
Stretching his hand forward, he intended to summon the mana sphere he had created last time but was surprised to find… that it wouldn't come. After several more attempts, Ragryno mentally begged for it to appear. He didn't need his magic to disappear.
Noticing his struggle, the Time Mage quieted down a bit, then leaned back on the soft sofa he was sitting on.
"I suppose it's not surprising that you're struggling now," he said with a slight sigh.
Ragryno raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
"What do you mean?" he finally spoke.
"That's exactly what I mean. Didn't they tell you that you have poor control over your magic? So, you probably just need more practice to summon that sphere again. For example, look here."
The Time Mage raised his hand, and a very faint, transparent violet cloud appeared on it, lasting no more than a few seconds.
"Even though I was told my control over magic was quite good, I can barely hold it for even a second."
Ragryno nodded and made a few more unsuccessful attempts to summon the mana sphere into his hand, but as expected, no miracle happened. He sighed and leaned back on the carriage seat, closing his eyes and contemplating.
Not five minutes later, the kid spoke up again, and a vein popped on Ragryno's forehead.
"Hey, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Zack! Let's go clockwise… Next is you, lady…?"
The girl looked at him silently for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Livia."
Ragryno opened his eyes and looked at her. He noticed she was looking at him as well. For a while, he sat silently until he realized it was his turn to introduce himself. Clearing his throat slightly, he spoke.
"Ragryno."
And that's how they introduced themselves. For the next few hours, Zack talked about himself. It turned out he came from an ordinary craftsman family that made clocks. Zack enjoyed his father's work, so he often wondered about time and what he knew about it. Thus, mana recognized him as a Time Mage purely because of his interest, which seemed amusing to Ragryno. According to him, the girl should also have loved iron, since she had mentioned that her family was known for possessing metal magic, whatever that meant.
Eventually, Zack fell silent, giving Ragryno time to enjoy the silence. The first day passed with two stops for lunch. The food they were served was incredible.
At least for Ragryno, since Zack wasn't particularly impressed. It was very fresh loaves of bread with sweet water, called apple juice. Ragryno really liked the apple juice and made a note to get plenty of it in the capital.
During free time at the stops, Ragryno continued to try summoning the mana sphere.
And so the days went by. The path was lined with gigantic mountains that seemed colossal to the boy. He had never seen anything like it before. They passed villages where people went about their business and waved at the passing convoy. All of this gave him a warm feeling in his chest. He saw people's smiling faces, children being led by the hand by their parents, and couldn't help but smile.
Along the way, he also saw many different migrating animals—large boars with crystalline tusks menacingly jutting from their mouths, birds whose feathers changed color with every flap, enhanced by wind magic, and large long-necked creatures with beige skin and numerous horns on their heads.
He even occasionally spotted groups of adventurers in full gear heading out to hunt. Ragryno imagined them battling various monsters, traveling the world, and earning good money for it.
The convoy moved slowly, like a lazy snake winding its way along a winding path. They climbed hills and descended deep valleys. Each step of the many horses created a pleasant symphony in Ragryno's ears, making him admire the outside world even more.
Each day was mostly repetitive, with nothing particularly special. During the stops, Zack began to join Ragryno and constantly talked to him about magic. This was the only topic that interested Ragryno, so he even asked him questions about it sometimes.
It turned out Zack had a book in his childhood. It was an incredibly expensive item, but his parents gave it to him for his 10th birthday. The book talked a lot about time but also touched on magic in general.
He didn't learn any particularly new information, but rather reinforced his previous knowledge. On the 7th day, Livia also began to join them, though she usually sat apart from everyone. She spoke very little, and Ragryno realized they had something in common. They both loved solitude. But apparently, her interest in Zack's stories about magic even piqued her curiosity.
Regarding his sphere… He made a bit of progress in summoning it. Now he could roughly feel a tingling in his right hand when he tried to summon it. He acted on an instinctive level, so through trial and error, everything was moving towards success.
Also, there were frequent instances during the stops when other kids wanted to join them and get to know them. Mostly, they talked to Zack, as Livia and Ragryno simply ignored them.
Despite Zack's irritating persistence, he knew when to stop and could leave Ragryno alone if he needed solitude. He also helped Ragryno considerably by guiding him on how to properly sense mana in his body or how to best release it, which helped him make quite good progress.
Overall, Ragryno developed a more positive impression of Zack than a negative one. It was clear he was a very smart and talented guy who simply wanted to befriend the Elf.
Seeing how Ragryno practiced magic, the girl also began to mimic the action, just like Zack. Thus, they silently started their first magic training in their lives. Each of them helped the others and gave advice in various areas, though mostly it was Zack who did so.
Everything was going well until the 15th day of their journey. It was night behind the carriage, but some things were still visible.
"A rather huge forest, I don't like it…" Livia said, looking out the window. By this time, she even began to initiate conversations herself, which was a success for Zack, who apparently was aiming for that with his constant verbal flow.
"Never seen anything like it," commented Ragryno, looking out the window while trying to summon the mana sphere. Despite the night, he could clearly see the trees swaying in the wind, and honestly, they made a big impression on him.
"Ah. That's the Shadow Forest, the oldest thing that exists on our continent, at least that's what my father told me," Zack said, while teasing Ragryno with the fact that the violet mist in his hand could already hold for more than 5 seconds.
But their successes paled in comparison to Livia's talent, who could hold a metal drop over her hand for more than a minute.
Ragryno was intrigued by the mention that this forest was something very ancient.
"Do you know anything else about it, besides the fact that it's very ancient?"
Zack was silent for a while, pressing his finger to his chin, thinking of an answer, until he finally said.
"Well, it's very huge. At least, it's almost as big as our entire kingdom, according to my father. Also, it serves as a barrier to another… What was it called…"
And then Livia suddenly spoke.
"The Steel Kingdom."
Ragryno noticed a sudden contempt, even anger, in her voice. Zack also noticed this and just remained silent for a while before shrugging and staring at the Elf, then spoke again, deciding to slightly change the topic of conversation.
"Listen, what do you want to achieve at the academy? I'll start with myself! I want to master all the depths of time magic and learn to control it. It might sound childish… But I want to control time!" Zack said, lifting his head proudly. This made Ragryno snort and decide to speak next.
"I want to eat a lot of tasty food and drink that delicious water, what's it called… Apple juice, I think? And also have a lot of money, do nothing, and spend that money on trinkets, like aristocrats and rich people do, right?" Ragryno said in a mocking tone, trying to tease Livia, who was the only one from an aristocratic family.
"Yes, yes, and they're smart and talented too, so I'm afraid you're out of luck, street kid," the girl decided to retort. Suddenly, everyone fell silent and stared at Ragryno, who was still trying to summon his magic. The Elf noticed Zack staring at him intently.
Ragryno met his gaze and looked back until Zack's face broke into a smile.
"Don't pretend you're not excited," said the boy, his smile growing wider.
Ragryno looked at him in confusion until Livia spoke up.
"Congratulations."
What are they talking about?
Finally, he looked down and saw a turquoise orb glowing in his hand, with energy swirling inside it. He felt the mana flowing from his hand into the orb, a sensation completely new and unlike anything he had felt before. For a moment, he was silent, then he opened his mouth, but before he could speak, something unexpected happened.
The mana inside the orb started to move faster. It was like a hurricane inside.
Ragryno frowned deeply as panic began to well up in his heart. He tried to stabilize the flow, but realized he wasn't succeeding.
The orb began to slowly change shape, and holes seemed to appear in it, from which mana started to leak. Ragryno felt his hand beginning to go numb, and then—
The orb exploded.
A burst of mana shook the carriage slightly. A wave of mana shot out from the carriage and spread across the area like an arc, visible to many. The driver immediately stopped the carriage, and the guards opened the door to find three frightened children and the source of the explosion.
Ragryno's hand still had turquoise remnants of mana, flowing in lines from his hand. It was easy to guess what had happened—he failed to control the mana flow into the orb, and without taking a solid form, it simply exploded.
Ragryno felt a slight numbness in his entire hand and felt somewhat drained. Fortunately, the mana had been harmless, although everything around shook slightly. Despite the large amount of mana, its density was quite insignificant. But inside, he felt panic and frustration. He had tried so hard to stabilize his magic, but it hadn't worked. Still, there was a hint of joy that he had managed to summon the orb at all.
'I hope this doesn't cause any trouble'
Despite everything, the guard's face shifted from surprise to irritation.
"Young people, what on earth are you doing?!"
The guard's voice started off soft but became loud and irritable by the end. Ragryno gave an awkward smile and realized he was about to get a full reprimand.
But just as the guard was about to scold the Elf, he suddenly stopped. Ragryno noticed fear filling the guard's eyes.
*****
The bright arc of mana, it turned out, had not dissipated and continued to fly around. It circled everything nearby until it finally entered the Forest of Shadows. At first, nothing happened, but after a few seconds, all the trees in the forest seemed to shift slightly. The nighttime darkness grew even darker and more ominous. Two orange eyes appeared in it. These were the eyes of a hunter who was now planning to track its new prey.