After dinner, the group split up, each heading back to their rooms to prepare for the first day of classes. Leo, unsure of what to expect from his first session with Mr. Brookfall, hoped it would help him improve. Lying in bed, he opened one of the books he'd picked up earlier, absorbing what he could about magical theory. Just as he started to settle into the text, he felt a sudden shift in the room's temperature.
Looking around, Leo saw nothing unusual. But then, just beside his ear, he heard a faint whisper. Turning, he saw it—the black wisp was back, drifting in the dim light. Its whispers were garbled, sounding like a room full of people talking all at once. The noise echoed in his mind, and he realized it was trying to communicate with him again.
Leo concentrated, letting his mind slip into a focused state, and suddenly he was in a dark space—an endless black room. Standing before him was what he assumed was the wisp, though it looked more human now, a vague outline with soft, undefined features. A gentle voice, neither distinctly male nor female, resonated through the silence.
"Leo," it spoke, reaching out with a faint hand. "You must be ready. The beastmen are searching for you; they don't yet know where you are, but they're coming closer. Every day, I make it harder for them to find you, but you must grow stronger. I don't know how long I can keep them at bay."
Leo's heart raced. Last time, the wisp hadn't spoken, and now it was warning him. "Who are you? How do you know me? And why are these beastmen after me?" Leo demanded, his voice filled with urgency. "Are my parents okay? Do you know where they are?"
The wisp said nothing, but it waved its hand, and a vision filled Leo's mind. He saw a pair of hands tending to people, healing them, and sensed a calmness and strength emanating from the figure. The eyes he was seeing through turned toward a sign on the wall: Willowreach Infirmary. Leo recognized the name. Willowreach was a small, distant town—a month's travel by foot.
The vision continued as the person looked toward a door. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the door burst open, and four beastmen stormed in, grabbing people at random. The healer fought back, but as they did, a sword glinted in the dark, rushing toward them. The vision cut off just as the blade neared their neck, and Leo was abruptly back in his room, the wisp gone, leaving only a chilling silence.
A sense of dread settled over him. Had he seen something happening in real-time, or was it a warning of what was yet to come? His mind spun with questions, worries, and plans, but he knew one thing for sure—he had to get stronger, and fast.
With thoughts weighing heavily on him, more than any child should bear, Leo finally drifted into a restless sleep, his mind filled with images of his family, the threat of the beastmen, and the mysteries surrounding the wisp's warning.
Morning came after a restless night, but Leo's determination outweighed his fatigue. He couldn't shake the vision he'd seen—Willowreach Infirmary, the healer's hands, the sudden attack. His mind raced with questions he hoped Mr. Brookfall could answer.
After dressing quickly, Leo made his way to the cafeteria, where his friends were already seated, chatting and laughing over breakfast. Darian spotted him first, waving him over with a grin. "Morning, Leo! How'd you sleep? You ready for your first day?"
Leo gave a small nod, grabbing a tray and settling in. "Yeah, I think so. Mr. Brookfall's starting me on some basics this morning, and…well, we'll see where it goes from there."
Sera leaned forward, eyes bright with curiosity. "I'm excited to see what you'll be learning! And if you need help with anything, just let us know."
Leo smiled "thank you I will and do all of you share the same classes".
Darian nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Mostly the same, except for your first class with Mr. Brookfall. The rest of us have different mentors for our specialized training, so we're in separate groups here and there. But we'll all have hand-to-hand training together later!"
Sera added with a grin, "Which means I get to see Darian and Alaric try to outdo each other."
Alaric rolled his eyes but smirked. "Hey, it's called friendly competition. Besides, it keeps things interesting."
Mira chuckled. "Just try not to break anything, alright?"
Leo felt a surge of excitement. Knowing his friends would be in some of his classes made the first-day jitters easier to handle. "I'm looking forward to training with you all. And I'm curious to see what Mr. Brookfall has in store for me."
Darian gave him a thumbs-up. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll crush it. Just remember, if you need help catching up, we've got your back."
Leo's smile grew. "Thanks, everyone. I'll make sure to return the favor."
With the last bites of breakfast finished, the group gathered their things and headed off, ready to face whatever the day would bring. Leo, however, felt the weight of his questions about Willowreach, hoping Mr. Brookfall might shed some light on the mystery when they met.
Leo arrived at the location marked on his map and opened the door. It was a medium-sized room, about 60 by 50 feet. As he stepped inside, he noticed a small office in the corner where Mr. Brookfall was seated. Mr. Brookfall looked up and waved him over. Leo took a seat in front of the desk, watching as Mr. Brookfall finished some paperwork before finally looking up.
"Good morning! I was just finishing up some paperwork, but we're ready to start." Mr. Brookfall smiled.
Leo, feeling both excited and curious, decided to ask a question that had been on his mind. "Do you know of a town called Willowreach?"
Mr. Brookfall looked up, mildly surprised. "Yes, it's a smaller town about a month's travel north from here. Why do you ask?"
Not sure how else to put it, Leo decided to be honest. "The black wisp came back to me. It told me that the beastmen are after me and that they don't know my location yet, but they're getting closer every day. It said I need to get stronger, and then it showed me a vision through the eyes of someone in that town. I saw people being healed, and then the door was broken in, and beastmen started attacking. I noticed a sign with the town's name, Willowreach. I'm not sure if I saw the future, or if it was happening live."
Mr. Brookfall leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "Well, I haven't heard of any attacks yet, but if it happened last night, it might not have been reported. I'll send a message to Ms. Raven; she knows people there and might be able to get answers quickly."
After sending the message, Mr. Brookfall shifted his focus back to Leo's training. "Alright, let's begin. First, you need to work on resistance. I'm going to send small fireballs your way. I don't want you to block them—I want you to catch them. As you succeed, I'll make them stronger. To catch them, you need to sense the spell's energy and match its power. Otherwise, if you put in too much, it'll go out; if too little, it'll blow up. Do you understand?"
Leo nodded, ready to start.
A small fireball came at him, and as Leo tried to catch it, he put in too much energy, causing it to fizzle out. Mr. Brookfall shook his head. "That was too much. Let's try again."
Another small fireball shot toward Leo. This time, he focused closely. He could see the magic rotating inside it, almost like a liquid gas. Magic wasn't solid; it moved and pulsed. Leo watched the speed of the rotation, trying to match it with his own energy. But as he caught it, the fireball exploded, sending him back a few feet.
Rubbing his arm, Leo groaned, "That hurt! Why did you use such a strong spell?"
Mr. Brookfall chuckled. "Leo, that was only a level one spell. It hit hard because you were a little under the spell's level. It consumed your energy and intensified by two. You were very close, though. Keep practicing and try to feel the energy rather than just watching it."