Aryn walked along the edge of the pond behind the manor. The water was clear enough to see the fish dancing around inside. They were a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, each looking more unique than the last.
Focusing, Aryn enveloped a medium-sized blue one that was reminiscent of an eel in a layer of telekinesis and lifted it out of the water as his dad watched from a bench a little further back from the pond's edge.
He willed the floating fish through the air in a manner that made it seem as though it was still swimming through the water. The fish struggled against the invisible grasp, but it was to no avail.
*Sploosh*
Letting the fish back into the embrace of the water, Aryn turned around to the observing Maros. He had been watching closely with both his eyes and his mana-sense.
"Good control. I can tell you haven't been slacking on your manipulation practice in favor of saturating your Crystal Heart." A slight upturn graced Aryn's lips at the praise.
He actually had been slacking a bit, but the time he had practiced before he learned Gleryn made up for it and then some.
Maros reached a hand into his pants pocket and pulled out a few copper coins with a spiral horn pattern on each side before tossing them up into the air without warning.
Caught by surprise, Aryn quickly used telekinesis to catch as many as possible. This wasn't the first time he had been tested in this way, but he wanted it to be the last. If he caught them all in the air with telekinesis, he would get a reward he had been asking for.
Twelve coins had been tossed through the air in an arc. Of these 12, he managed to catch nine without trouble.
This exercise was much more difficult than just lifting a fish in a fancy-looking way, that was just a good warm-up. Splitting his attention in so many different ways was certainly a skill that required both talent and practice. One or the other wouldn't cut it.
He managed to catch two more at roughly the same time when they reached about half way to the ground. This was a good improvement, last time he had only caught the tenth about a foot above the ground, leaving the other two to fall.
A vein popped out on Aryn's forehead as he spread his focus thin across all the coins, trying to catch the last coin before it hit the ground. His head started to throb from the strain on his mental faculties.
As the last coin was about to touch the ground, Aryn got an idea. He wasn't sure if this would count, but it was worth a shot. Even if his dad didn't count it, he would only need to try harder next time.
With a motion from his right hand, one of the coins he already had control of shot through the air and set itself under the still falling coin just an inch from the grass, catching it.
Aryn, now sweating a little and with the beginning of a headache kept his control over the coins and looked back up at his dad.
"Huh... I guess you did technically catch all the coins..." Aryn was about to let out a little dance of celebration when Maros continued. "But you moved your hand, so I won't count it this time. It's a habit that could get you killed someday. It gives an enemy the chance to predict your next move."
Aryn's face froze in disappointment before he faintly shook his head to get his thoughts back in order and floated the coins back to his dad's outstretched hand. He had been so focused on catching the coins that he had momentarily forgotten about the second part of the test.
"But it helps with using magic..." Aryn knew he was being childish, but he really wanted the reward for passing the test.
"I know. But the boost in power and control isn't worth telegraphing your intentions to your opponent unless you are going for a finishing move." Maros made sure the lesson reached his son. It wouldn't do if he got himself killed because of a preventable bad habit.
"Alright..." Aryn moped for a moment before walking over and taking a seat next to his dad. "Did you have to do this when you were an apprentice?" He asked to change the subject.
"Yeah. Though I was a bit older than you. I was already attending Moonshard Academy by then." A nostalgic look crossed Maros' face as he answered the question.
The subject brought another question to mind. One that Aryn had been tossing around in his mind since his parents had told him about the offer from Priscilla Iris, the Headmistress of Dawnthread Academy.
"Which school do you think I should go to? How are they different?" He wouldn't be going for another couple years, but it was an important question to ask.
Maros thought for a moment, collecting his thoughts before answering. "Well, they honestly aren't all that different. They are both pretty similar in terms of quality, but there is a difference in some of their facilities. I'd say that the better option between the two would depend on the trait you choose."
"What do you mean?"
"There are three main reasons anyone goes to an academy. To get an idea of where they stand in comparison to other mages their age, to take advantage of the higher density of ambient mana, and to use their facilities to help understand and attune to their trait." Maros expanded.
"Then what traits does each academy specialize in?" Aryn was admittedly somewhat excited to go to a magic school in a fantasy world.
"Well the names pretty much give you a picture, but don't choose a trait aligning to Dawnthread just because you can get in for free. Choose something that calls to you and if that aligns with Moonshard, your mother and I will pay for you to get in."
Aryn wasn't going to, but he appreciated the concern.
The slight headache he had worked himself into had faded by now, so Aryn got up from the bench and stretched before telling his dad he was ready for another go.
Soon, Aryn stood still in front of 12 floating coins. He had caught 10 with telekinesis and used those to catch the last two. As he didn't use his hands this time, Maros finally gave a nod.
"Alright, I can consider this a pass. We can go to town tomorrow after breakfast." His dad said with a smile, Aryn knew he was more proud than he was willing to show. He just didn't want Aryn to get a big head.
It was far too late. But Aryn wouldn't tell him that.
"Yes!" He pumped his fist in the air, now much less thin than when he woke up from his coma a couple of weeks ago.
'If all goes according to plan, I might be able to finagle my way into the Adventurers' Guild.' His plan was definitely anything but sure-fire, but that was no reason not to try.
And sticking to character, it was a bit risky. Though Aryn would argue it wasn't nearly as risky as shattering his Conduit in an ignorant attempt at doing something widely considered impossible.
Maros got up from the bench and motioned for Aryn to follow. "Come on, dinner should be ready soon. And your mother wanted to play some cards too."
Aryn followed just behind. He had never beat his mother — and he was pretty sure she was cheating somehow — but it was still fun to play and spend time with them.
***
The next day Aryn woke up and did his morning stretches before heading straight to the dining room with a pep in his step. This would be his first time heading into town with the ability to speak to and understand others, so he figured it would be a rather interesting day.
He sat down at the table and kept himself entertained by twirling a fork around above his hand with telekinesis. He was the first here, so it would be awhile.
While he was spinning the fork, Erica walked in and started cleaning one of the windows. "Hey Aryn!" She said looking over her shoulder, her shoulder-length brown hair waving back and forth as she wiped it down. "I heard you're going into town today. Are you excited?"
Not stopping the fork's spinning, Aryn turned to her and replied, "A bit, I don't know if there is much to be excited about though."
"Sure there is! Did you know a famous sculptor is in town right now? Apparently he got hired to make something for some rich lady in Dawn-Ilyn and is on his way over there." From the shine in her innocent blue eyes, she seemed to be a fan of said sculptor.
"You should come with me and dad then." Aryn suggested.
Her shoulders sagged a bit, "No, I've still got a lot of work to do around the manor."
"We'll only be in town for an hour or so, I'm sure Mom and Dad won't mind you delaying your work for a bit." It was clear she wanted to meet this sculptor.
Right on time, his parents walked into the room together and his dad spoke as he sat in his chair. "Yeah, Erica. As long as you finish your work later, you can tag along with me and Aryn."
"Really? Thanks!" Erica's eyes lit up and she went back to work on the window with a vengeance.
Breakfast was brought out soon after, the trio digging in without hesitation. Aryn in particular shoveled down his food with gusto, it was apparent to all those in the room that he couldn't bring himself to wait any longer.
Maros set down his fork on an empty plate and stood up. "Alright Aryn, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, just a second!" Aryn shot up from his seat and ran up the stairs to his room, taking a piece of paper that was folded in half from his desk and put it in his pocket before meeting his dad and Erica at the front door.
"Ready."
***
Aryn walked just behind his dad as he led him down a well-maintained road towards town, Erica trailing respectfully just behind. The manor was only a ten minute walk from town, so Aryn wouldn't need to wait long.
As they approached the town, Aryn made notice of the walls surrounding it. They were about three meters tall and half a meter wide. They were made of stone and were meant to keep some of the more aggressive beasts out.
The two guards at the gate let them right on through. They only wore light leather armor and stood rather relaxed. They didn't often deal with trouble it seemed.
Just past the gate, the group came to a stop. Turning back to look at the other two, Maros asked, "Where do you want to go first? The blacksmith, or the town square?"
Aryn locked eyes with Erica before answering. She didn't seem to mind waiting a bit longer to meet the sculptor she was talking about.
"The blacksmith." He decided.
With a nod, Maros led them down a street to a smithy closer to the edge of town. The sounds of metal meeting metal rung through the air and the earthy smell of iron and other metals drifted through the air.
Walking through the open door and ignoring the heat, Maros let Aryn take the lead at the counter, where a young man in his late teens was standing patiently. He had black hair, black eyes, light facial hair, and wore a blacksmith's apron.
"Hello, what can I get for you all today?" He gave a friendly smile.
Walking up to the young man, Aryn dug into his pocket and fished out the paper he brought before handing it to what he assumed was either the blacksmith or his apprentice.
"I want to have these made. I don't know much about metal, so use whatever material you think would work best." Aryn set his hands on the edge of the counter as he peered over.
Unfolding the paper and taking a look at the contents, the young man beheld a sketch of a set of six objects similar in size and shape to a spear-head, but more streamlined.
"Are these throwing weapons?" The young man asked Aryn, who nodded.
"Something like that."
The young man thought for a moment. "Well it'll have to be on the lighter side of things then..." He turned around and shouted into the smithy, "Do we have any of that alloy left from the order of arrowheads?"
The sound of colliding metal paused and after a few seconds, another voice came from the smithy. "Yeah, we got plenty!" The sounds of hammering continuing soon after. Aryn was now pretty sure this was the apprentice then.
With a nod, the young man looked back at the trio. "Yeah, we can get these done by about this time next week." He looked at Maros for the next part, "It'll cost you two small gold."
Maros didn't bat an eye at the price, only nodding and handing it over. Aryn wasn't sure how much two small gold coins could buy, but he assumed it wasn't anything crazy expensive.
Satisfied with that, Aryn, Maros, and Erica left the smithy and started on their way to see this famous sculptor at the town square. If Erica was such a fan, his work should be rather impressive. She struck Aryn as someone with good taste after all.