Ugh, this sucks, I thought as I writhed beneath the covers of my bed.

The thatched roof above me, saturated from the rain earlier in the day, hung lower than usual, and the distinct drip-drop from it was helping me keep track of the sleep I’d lost.

I closed my eyes once more, and held them shut for a few minutes before giving up and smacking the cold, stone wall behind me. It had hundreds of individual scratchings on it. Names, dates, and drawings of all sorts had turned the plain granite wall into a canvas by the ones who came before to express themselves however they saw fit.

Doesn’t look like I’m going to be getting much sleep tonight anyway. I should probably use this time to review my spell, just in case… I thought.

It was one of the most mana-demanding spells I had created, and I knew it would be devastating if used correctly, to say the least. I lay there, calculating and recalculating every movement to the single-digit degree, the amount of mana needed to condense the spell, how it would react with the ring's ward and whether the ward would hold. As time passed, I continued tossing and turning, probably more times than a dung-beetle would roll a turd-ball back to his home.

I absolutely hate having to wait to try this out. Although, if I go out and test it now, my energy levels for tomorrow will be severely drained, and I'm certain the Master will pick up on the mana it will disperse because of it, I thought.

I decided against going outside and tugged on the woolen blanket I was using to keep warm in the cold night.

Gods above and below, this new blanket is a bit itchier than I thought it was going to be. I can’t seem to find a comfortable spot around my neck for it, I huffed, nearly giving up on the idea of sleep entirely.

Since it had rained all day long, the ground was saturated with near freezing water, which made the air even colder and more difficult to stave off. The gray, cotton pajamas I wore to sleep did little to keep the cold off my skin, and what little hair I had on my limbs stood up on their ends as gooseflesh riddled my skin, causing me to shiver.

It's absolutely freezing in here, he said . I wonder if I can use that spell I had seen Roburn cast earlier this morning, I pondered.

Roburn was another one of the synners who had graduated some years before that fateful night. He often liked to show off his abilities with mana-cloaks and masterful sword-casting techniques. Although I had never used a mana cloak before, I had read about them in the dark hours of the night, and decided to try one for myself.

What’s the worst that can happen? I thought as I reached into my memories of past late-night adventures, and chose the Pyrus spell.

There. This should do the trick. I remember Roburn using it to keep warm during winter training last year. Now, if I can just condense the mana properly around me…My thoughts trailed as I began to focus on the next steps

My eyes darkened once more, coating my sclera in the black as I stretched out my hand once again to draw from the sphere in the sky. I knew I only needed a little and used my will to control the flow from the spiraling rings of light above me, even though I wasn’t fully attuned for just how much was actually needed. The mana tendrils wrapped around the tip of my finger, down my arm, and onto the rest of my body, encapsulating me in a cloud of mana. I severed my connection to the realm, and my consciousness of the world around me lurched as it returned.

I could still feel the pulsating cloud of mana around me, warming the air around my entire body like the heat of a small hearth.

Hmm, It’s still not hot enough. It’s helping, but not quite there yet, I thought, smiling warmly with the small amount of newfound warmth.

In truth, I was entirely unsure of exactly what I was doing, but whatever it was seemed to be working and, thus, thought it would be alright.

Oh, how wrong I was.

I condensed the mana that was lining my entire body and creating a small barrier between myself and the blanket. I, stupidly, flicked my index finger against my thumb, as though I were lighting a flint and tinder kit. The result, as one might have already guessed, sent sparks of mana from the inside of my palm towards the barrier.

As soon as the sparks touched the barrier, it began to burn like the coals at the end of a wood-fire’s life. However, instead of dying out, it quickly gained copious amounts of heat in such a short period of time that I could feel the heat coming through my pajamas.

Ah, there it is! The Fuckening has begun, I thought, accepting my inevitable death.

The heat from the barrier rapidly set the blanket ablaze, forcing the protective coating to disappear about as quickly as it was formed.

Shit, it was too hot! I can’t just lay here and die! I have to do something! I thought, knowing I wouldn’t withstand the heat for much longer.

My eyes darkened once more, as I drew more mana to shield myself from the ever intensifying heat. The mana surrounded me once more and acted as a shield between myself and the blanket. I tried to swat out the newborn flame with my hand, but to no avail. The fire engulfed the blanket and I threw it to the floor beside my bed.

Shit, shit, shit! That was too close for comfort, he thought.

The fire spread onto my bed and he began to panic even more so than before, given the fact that he had just lit something on fire at an hour when he should not even have been awake. The fire continued to spread, as he desperately searched for a way to extinguish the flame.

This is probably the second worst idea I’ve had today, I thought as I noticed a piss bucket next to one of the other boys’ beds. I raced over to it, proceeding to throw the musky liquid onto the fire. A pungent steam immediately filled the air, and I began to choke on the stench I'd just created.

Well, that was dumb. Ten points to the dumbass of the day for thinking that would work! If I can't stop the fire itself, I can at least prevent others from getting burned, I thought.

“Fire!” I shouted. The three other young synners in the same dorm abruptly woke up and, after having noticed my mistake, displayed little more than pure, unadulterated panic. The flame that had now spread to the bases of their beds. The three were just as - if not less experienced - than I, and they all mimicked my shout sporadically.

The fear in their eyes was real enough, for none of the three had ever seen a fire-based spell in such close proximity, as they would only begin to meddle in such matters the following year. Meanwhile I, now heavily influenced by the panicking trio, felt my stomach churn.

Oooooh, this is bad. This is really bad. Bernar will have my head on a platter, and there’s no telling what Master will do, I thought.

The three youngsters desperately attempted to douse the flames with their blankets, however, since the flame had been mana-borne, it spread to their blankets as well.

You're a fool, Thoma Fayren. You could probably have a more intelligent conversation with a rock than with me, I thought as I shook my head. The three boys were wailing, but through their desperate cries, I heard a distinctive command. "Keep away from the door!" the voice shouted.

It was the Master.