It has been about four months since my magic incident, and my parents had sent out a request for a tutor for me. I did not expect anyone to answer them until I was older. But I was proven wrong when an old man showed up at the mansion with a letter of introduction for my father. Jim, the head butler, answered the door and led the man to a side room as I was playing with Jethro in the main foyer. The old man had a haze about him, one that made it very difficult for me to describe him.

I watched this just before Jethro tackled me onto the floor and started licking me wildly. I managed to get him off of me as Ellen came up and lifted me into her arms. “Young master, please do not get your clothes dirty. Your father requests you in the parlor for a few minutes.” She stated as she walked off towards the room the parlor. Ellen sat me down on the couch next to my father and mother who were talking to the man before we entered.

“Alex, this is Mage Sam Wardwall. He was sent by your uncle to test your magic affinities.” My father stated to me as I examined the old man, feeling as if something was off about the man. “How do you do milord. You can just call me Sam.” The man spoke in a softer tone then what I expected for a man who looked to stand about six and a half feet tall.

“There is something odd about you. Why are you so hazy?” I asked, genuinely curious about it as I had never seen anyone like that before. I examined him closer for a few seconds before he chuckled and started to shift. I nearly fell out of my seat, but my mother who was starting to become used to my behavior grabbed me and sat me back down.

After a few seconds he finished shifting and before me was a young woman who looked about fifteen. She wore a pair of brown travel pants and a grey shirt that showed a bit of cleavage, not that I was looking or anything. Her eyes were a navy blue with a tinge of gray in the iris. Her hair was a dirty blond with blue tips.

“Sorry for that. I was ordered to test you by his majesty. That was a disguising spell meant to alter other’s perception of the user. I am Mage Samantha Wardwall. Pleasure to meet you Alexander.” She smiled brightly as she extended her hand towards me. I grabbed it and shook it more out of habit than actually meaning to. “Will I be able to do that?” I asked rather inquisitively. To which the reply was not the one I was expecting.

“Depends on your affinities. If you don’t have the proper affinity with the right elements, then likely no. You might be able to eventually, but it would be a weak copy of it.” Sam spoke with a technical precision that seemed to have been military in style. She pulled out a crystal ball from her bag and set in on the table.

“His majesty, your uncle, has ordered me to test your affinities and report back to him with the results.” Sam told me as she turned to my parents. “He also asked me to tell you both to visit more often, and that he will cover expenses for teaching Alex. He also said he would send the best mage for whatever his affinity is to teach him.” Sam smiled as she spoke in a cheery tone. “If I didn’t know any better, his majesty must be excited to have another mage in the family.”

“Another mage?” My mother asked as she looked at Sam with curiosity. “Oh, you didn’t hear yet? Princess Lucille got her hands on a testing apparatus during the annual test a month ago during the harvest festival. She was not supposed to be tested for another four years, but well she may have been sneaking into places she was not supposed to. She has affinities in air, ice, and light.” Sam answered with a smirk.

“Ah, so Lucille has magic as well, and light as an affinity to boot. Manny must be very happy.” My mother spoke and then covered her mouth. “Oh, I mean his majesty.” She chuckled at the nickname she had for her younger brother. Sam and my father joined in and laughed a bit at my uncle’s expense.

“So, I believe we need to test Alex now, don’t we?” My father chimed in after the short burst of laughter at his friend. He reached out and picked me up before speaking to me. “All you need to do is put your hand on the crystal ball and push with your mind. The device will do the rest.” My father spoke as if he had experienced it himself. To which I looked at him with a question on my face.

“Everyone in the kingdom is tested during the month of Harvestcrown as they come of age. Even nobles. If you had waited until you were eight you would have been tested in the town. Just like everyone else.” He spoke to me with my unasked question.

“Ok, so I just put my hand on the orb, right?” I asked looking at Sam, who gave me a nod explained. “Yes, and push your will into it. After you do that it will display to me a kind of value for each one of the ten affinities. Lightning, which we are sure you have. Air, Ice, Water, Wood, Earth, Metal, Fire, Light, and of course Darkness.”

“What happens if I have Darkness as an affinity? Will I be seen as evil?” I asked a little afraid of finding out now. The last thing I really need it to be declared evil or something. I am only a kid damn it! I don’t want to die again! I’m enjoying this life!

“No, you will be seen as no more then you are now. A mage. You just will have power over shadows and spells most do not have access to. To have an affinity in either Light or Darkness is seen as a blessing of the gods. Currently, besides Princess Lucille, there are only a couple hundred Light affinity mages. And as for Darkness, we only have three in the kingdom that we know of. Mage-Captain Skylar Wallis, Mage-General James Kelthos, and the current head of the academy, Archmage Thalia Kelthos. Skylar is Thalia’s and James’ grandson.” Sam explained to me. “Well, let’s get this test over with. His majesty wants me to report to him as soon as I have your affinities down.”

I nodded and moved closer to the crystal ball. As I put my hand on the smooth surface of it, I could feel my mana being pulled into the orb. I didn’t even try and push anything into it. Soon it glowed with a beautiful multicolored light. I looked up at Sam’s face and became a bit worried with her reaction. She quickly moved to jot down my affinities before I removed my hand from the crystal ball. “Um, did I do something wrong?” I asked uncertain of her reaction. I really knew I had done it again when she replied.

“Wrong? No, this is unbelievable. Please place your hand on the apparatus again. I need to make one-hundred percent sure this is correct.” She ordered as she nearly yelled at me. I could tell she was alarmed. And I sighed as I repeated the process, again the multicolored light appeared and again she jotted down my affinities.

“Um, miss? What is the matter exactly?” My mother asked, somewhat used to me doing things that would be considered a miracle by this point. My father looked at me and shook his head before sighing and asking Sam to tell us my affinities.

“I have never heard of a hexa-elemental. I’m not sure this thing is working right.” Sam said as she placed her hand on the crystal ball and a three colored light appeared. She twitched her eye as she looked at me again. “It is working right. You saw the colors, right? Azure is for Ice, Dark Blue is Water, and the Yellowish one is for Air. Each of my affinities. Water is at B-rank, Ice, is at A-rank, and Air is at C-rank.”

“Alexander’s affinities are as follows: Metal at D-rank, Ice at C-rank, Air at B-rank, Fire at A-rank, Lightning at S-Rank, and Darkness is also at S-rank.” Sam sighed as she read off my affinities, then turned to my parents and spoke again. “There are only enough S-rank mages to count on one hand, and he had two elements at S-rank. Not even Archmage Thalia has an element at S-rank. She has three A-rank elements...”

“Um, does that mean I am weird?” I asked Sam. Looking at her, I knew she could see the worry on my face as she replied to me with a tired expression. “Well, weird is definitely what I would call it. But that is from a mage’s viewpoint. Honestly, I would say you are weird, but not in a bad way. More unique then anything. As I said before, there are only about four or five S-rank mages in the known world. One of them is Mage-Captain Wallis. He tested at a S-rank in Earth. He is only B-rank in his other element which is Darkness.”

My mother and father looked at me with the same look I had been getting since I started playing with my magic outside. They sighed together and shook their heads as they turned to each other. “So, looks like he has done something shocking again.” My mother said to my father, who replied with a simple, “At least he didn’t set the tree on fire again.”

I may be a bit of a terror, I’ll admit. But it's not like I meant to be. I just wanted to know what I could do with my magic. Besides, that tree was old and withered anyway. “I’m sorry.” I uttered as I looked between my parents. I looked at Sam and opened my mouth to ask her a question before she spoke to me. “I remember being a terror too. But I didn’t come into my magic until I was seven. I froze the family cat by accident. My mother still reminds me of it every time I go home.”

I looked at her and shook my head. “Sam, what are the ranks exactly? And is there one higher than S-rank?”

“Well, let me explain them to you. First, you need to know anyone in the world who doesn’t have at least a D-rank in an affinity, can’t use magic. However, everyone has at least F or E ranks in all elements. As for the ranks themselves, they go from F to SSS-rank. But no human has ever been found to process anything higher than an S-rank. Similarly, creatures have ranks of magic as well. Take that Shadow Wolf pup you were playing with earlier, for example. Normal Shadow Wolves have an A-rank in darkness and F-ranks in everything but earth, which is usually at E-rank.”

“Normally I would love to stay and chat with Alex, and learn what he likes, considering his affinities, but I am afraid I need to deliver these results to his majesty and the archmage. I have a feeling you will see me again Alex. Please do not practice your magic until you have a tutor or are older. Okay?” Sam spoke to me like I was going to be a handful. Which I have already proven to be.

Sam stood up and my parents followed suit, my mother lifting me up as she nodded to Sam. “Please give my brother my regards Samantha. I know you are not a messenger, but please inform him we will visit as soon as winter is over.” My mother requested as my father extended his hand towards Sam. “May the gods watch over you Sam.” Sam shook his hand and nodded towards my mother as she moved to leave.