After meeting a group of students, Leo felt a rush of excitement about the upcoming test. He longed to join them in class, to fit in and belong. As he stepped into the test hall, he noticed Ms. Raven and the other instructors had returned. Mr. Thorne was in conversation with the group, and as Leo approached, he was greeted warmly.
"You're back! Hopefully, you've had enough rest. How was the meal?" Ms. Raven asked with a calm smile.
"It was great! I'm ready, and I met some students—they were really nice. I hope I get to see them again," Leo replied, the eagerness in his voice palpable.
Ms. Raven was pleased to hear that the students were getting along. There had been some recent incidents that caused tension between different groups, and she made a mental note to ask Leo who the students were once his test was over.
Professor Graham stepped forward, his eyes locking on Leo with an intensity that made the boy stand up straighter. "I'll be the one running your simulation. It'll only take a few minutes, but the threat is very real. You will be put into a stressful situation, where thinking quickly and taking decisive action will be the only way to pass. Remember, any action is better than none," Graham said firmly.
He placed a hand on Leo's shoulder and whispered an incantation. A thin white aura enveloped Leo, shimmering around him. "This will protect you from any fatal harm. You will feel pain, and you can take damage, but the moment you would be considered dead or defeated, the field will shut down immediately," Graham explained, his tone grave.
Leo nodded, but inside, his heart pounded. He wasn't afraid—he'd faced danger before—but the memories stirred in him. The village... the screams... He blinked, trying to focus on Graham's words.
Stepping back, Professor Graham closed his eyes, his voice deepening as he began to chant words Leo had never heard. In an instant, the hall vanished, and Leo found himself back in his village. But something was wrong. The air was thick with smoke and fear, the same suffocating sense of dread that filled him the day his world had shattered.
The village was under siege again. The beastmen were attacking, just like before. Leo looked around, panic rising in his chest. He remembered the screams of his neighbors, the sight of homes burning to the ground, the helplessness he had felt as he had fled into the woods. The memory of his parents flashed before him—the last moment he had seen them, standing against the onslaught.
No, he thought, shaking his head. Not this time.
He instinctively looked for the trail to the forest, the path he had used to escape last time. But then he stopped himself. I can't run. Not again. I have to fight. I've killed one before—I can do it again.
But as these thoughts filled his mind, a sudden, crushing blow sent him tumbling across the dirt. His body crashed into a wall, the impact rattling his bones. Get up. Get up! his mind screamed. Wincing, Leo pushed himself off the ground, his eyes locking onto the towering figure of a beastman. It stood over him, its muscular frame imposing, a mace in one hand and the lifeless body of a villager in the other.
The sight paralyzed him for a moment. Just like that day... He had seen people torn apart, their blood staining the earth. He had been too weak then. Too scared.
But not today.
He scrambled to his feet, adrenaline pumping through him as he gathered his energy. The beastman dropped the body and charged at him, but Leo's fear transformed into raw determination. He yelled in defiance, thrusting his hands forward, and unleashed a barrage of fireballs. One after another, they exploded against the beastman's body. The creature roared in agony as flames consumed its fur and flesh. Four fireballs later, its charred form collapsed in a heap.
Leo breathed heavily, his heart racing. "I have to keep fighting... I can do this. I'm strong enough." But the voice in his head trembled with uncertainty.
As he ran toward the center of town, more beastmen came into view. They were laughing—barking guttural sounds that barely resembled language. They think I'm just a kid... just a scared boy who ran last time.
But Leo wasn't that boy anymore.
Without hesitation, he began stomping the ground, chanting an incantation his mother had taught him. The earth trembled beneath his feet. The beastmen turned, confused, only to see the ground cracking and sinking. One of them leapt clear, but the other three fell into the pit that opened beneath them, swallowed by the collapsing earth.
Leo watched as dirt filled the pit, burying the beasts alive. But there was no time to celebrate. The beastman that had escaped now charged at him, moving with terrifying speed. Before Leo could react, it slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs. The creature's massive hand closed around his neck, lifting him off the ground.
The pressure on his throat intensified. The world around him blurred, and Leo's vision began to darken. The beastman screamed in his face, its foul breath choking him further.
This is it, Leo thought. I'm going to die...
But then, through the haze of his fading consciousness, a memory flickered. His father's voice echoed in his mind: "Never give up, son. Even in the darkest moment, there is always a spark."
And Leo felt it—a spark. A tingling sensation in his hands, then his arms, spreading through his entire body. I can't die here. Not like this.
Desperation gave way to instinct as he channeled every ounce of energy he had left. Looking down, he saw the lightning gathering in his palms, growing into a large, crackling orb. He grinned weakly, knowing what was coming. With a roar, he unleashed it.
The blast sent both him and the beastman flying in opposite directions. Leo hit the ground hard but quickly scrambled to his feet, his hands already glowing with healing energy as he mended his bruises. He scanned the area, his vision still blurred. In the distance, he saw the beastman rising again.
No... Leo thought, his body aching, his energy nearly spent. But he knew this was his last chance.
Gritting his teeth, he called upon the wisps, summoning every last bit of power from the land. Fifteen wisps swirled around him, not all of them elemental—some carried the dark, haunting energy of death and sorrow. They whispered in his ear, but he pushed the fear away.
With the last of his strength, a massive fire bow materialized in his hands. The arrow that formed was nearly as tall as he was. He drew it back, his arms trembling, and muttered the incantation, "Electric Burning Serpent."
As Leo released the arrow, it morphed into a fiery serpent of pure lightning. It streaked toward the beastman, wrapping around its body. The creature roared, trying to fight back, but the serpent tightened its grip, constricting, crushing.
The beastman charged toward Leo, determined to kill him before it fell. But just as it got within fifteen feet, the arrow exploded in a blinding flash of light. Leo was thrown back, his body limp, as darkness consumed him.
---
When Leo awoke, he was back in the testing hall. His body ached, but he was alive. The instructors stood nearby, their expressions a mixture of shock and awe.
"Who is this boy?" Ms. Raven asked quietly, her eyes never leaving Leo.
"I don't fully know," Mr. Thorne replied. "But his name is Leo Wildehart, and he comes from Eldergrove."
The name meant nothing to the instructors, but the boy's power had spoken volumes.
"Well, I think it's safe to say he passed... with flying colors," Professor Graham said, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Indeed," agreed Professor Yara. "But where should we place him? He's well into the third year of the intermediate level, maybe beyond. We can't put him with the lower years—he'll stand out too much."
"We'll decide after he rests," Ms. Raven said softly. "He's only ten, after all. He'll stand out no matter where he goes."
Mr. Thorne gently lifted Leo and carried him toward the infirmary, leaving the instructors behind to ponder the incredible power of the boy who had just faced his darkest memories—and emerged victorious.