Several days had passed since Xavier’s awakening. From the fated day on, his family treated him differently; the village treated him differently; the girls looked at him with gazes full of lust; the boys looked at him with envy and a hint of hate; Xavier and Trina got together in secret: kisses and caresses; however, the girl never allowed him to go further. As Xavier became increasingly impatient and desperate, the girl seemed to him more beautiful and seductive than ever.

Then the sixteenth day of the eighth month finally came. As soon as the sun began to shine upon the world, a carriage arrived at the door of the De Vonder’s household. Under the gaze of envy of all the village people, Xavier, dressed in his noble attire, climbed into the carriage. The bronze ring with the family crest on his neck, his well-groomed hair, and those bags under his eyes that made him look like a racoon; he was so nervous he couldn’t sleep at all. His father, mother, and brothers looked at him proudly as he departed. It was a pity; none of them could accompany him; they did not have the clothes to appear in the citadel, much less the royal city, another of the blessings of being poor.

It took several hours to reach a citadel called Mennor, to the north of Humol. The stay was very short; they did not even enter the citadel. Xavier had to change to another carriage; however, it was not drawn by horses. Semi-transparent humanoid creatures, covered with a veil and about two meters tall, were chained to the carriage.

‘What are these things?’ asked Xavier with some fear.

‘These are Tumulos,’ replied the coachman. ‘They are a variety of monsters; some say they are the ghosts of the priests of an ancient civilization, but nobody really knows. Better not approach them; if you touch them, they will drain your magic, and you will be sick for at least a week’.

The door of the carriage opened, and a bearded knight, about fifty years old and a bit too fat, came out.

‘Are you perharps the honorable Mr. Xavier de Vonder?’ asked the knight. By his clothes, he knew that Xavier was not a rich nobleman; however, a magician who came to the tower in the eighth month had awakened in the seventh month or earlier; therefore, the knight knew that one day he could become a powerful magician. He preferred to be careful and treat him with respect.

Xavier nodded with his head.

“I am Elcir, a knight of the citadel of Farpas. I have been assigned to accompany you to the guard tower and to be your guide,” informed Elcir, inviting him to board the carriage.

Xavier went in without delay. When the door had closed, as he sat down, he felt a slight movement of the carriage. Then everything remained calm for a few minutes.

‘Are we waiting for someone else?’ asked Xavier.

‘Excuse me?’ replied Elcir with a doubtful face.

‘We have been here for a few minutes, and the carriage is not moving,’ explained Xavier. He knew that the royal city was far away, and he didn’t want to be late on the most important day of his life.

’Oh, that! Have you never traveled with Tumulos before?” asked Elcir, Xavier denied with his head.

The knight simply opened the curtain of the wagon. Through the glass, something seemed to move. When Xavier understood what was going on, his eyes opened with astonishment as his jaw hung loose, opening his mouth. Trees, animals, maybe monsters, people, walls, and a myriad of objects passed before his eyes quickly.

’Tumulos are an excellent means of transport. Their ghost shape is transmitted to the whole carriage, and we travel at an impossible speed for any solid thing. The Tumulos, simply go through everything and keep on going. They are perfect for traveling long distances, for as long as they do not collide with a cloud of miasma,” Elcir explained.

‘What if they collide with miasma?’ said Xavier.

‘I don’t want to know, but it is enough to say that no one has ever survived,’ replied Elcir. ‘By the way, if you stay looking out, you’ll get dizzy and probably vomit. That’s why the curtains were closed from the beginning. It happens to everyone unless they travel aboard this type of carriage very often’.

Xavier closed the curtain and remained silent. Many ideas passed through his head. At this speed, they would reach the Guard tower very quickly. The thought that his fate would soon be decided made him even more nervous. What element has destiny saved for him? What range of affinity would you have for that element? These questions arose in his mind, no matter how much he tried to suppress them. In the worst case, he would be a shadow mage. That was bad, but still, it was better than being a regular farmer. Even shadow magicians were considered nobility. Although he could only work on subjugation missions, walking between the miasma and putting his life at risk, it was worth it. He could earn a lot more money on one of those missions than in years of work in the field. Although the miasma would probably kill him quite young, in his mind, it was better to die young and rich than live to grow old and be miserable.

A normal carriage would take almost a week to get from Humol to Telasa, the royal city; however, the tumulos arrived in a couple of hours. Two knocks from the coachman at the door of the carriage were an indication to its passengers that they had arrived.

As he got off the wagon, Xavier saw a pair of knights. They stood in front of the south gate of the city wall; their armor was much more spectacular and imposing than that of Elcir, Renor, or any other knight he had seen before.

‘This is the royal city. Identify yourself!’ ordered the knight on the right.

‘Elcir, a fellow knight of the citadel of Farpas, serving as a guide for his honor, the talent Xavier de Vonder,’ explained Elcir, showing some documents.

‘Welcome to the royal city of Telasa,’ said the guard knight after checking the information and allowing them to pass.

‘Good luck with your elemental affinity, sir,’ said one of the knights as he opened the door.

Telasa was northwest of Humol, a few kilometers from the sea. It was a large walled city, and in the center was the royal palace, where the royalty of the dynasty, the great nobility, and the magicians of the court gathered. Hundreds of guards and knights enforced order and peace; the city streets were made out of stone; carriages were constantly passing by; stores, shops, restaurants... it was the cradle of the civilization of the Poem Dynasty.

Elcir entered the city with Xavier behind him and walked through the stone streets. A few meters from them, people lived their busy lives without paying attention to them. The people moved in all directions, noise, voices, all sorts of people walked through the streets and alleys; simple wagons passed frequently, some drawn by horses, others dragged by “carriers,” men who performed the function of a horse pulling the wagons or carriages. Xavier was impressed by what he saw: several buildings with more than one floor; all the buildings were made of stone, with doors painted in vivid colors and adorned with the crests of noble families. The streets and alleys were made of stone, cleaner, and more organized than Humol would ever be; there wasn’t even that much horse crap around.

‘There are a lot of people around today; usually there is not so much movement on this side. Only the North and West gates have a lot of movement; it is where most of the shops, markets, access to the port, and other important businesses are’ commented Elcir.

‘The north and west gates have more shops, more people, and more movement? No way.’ Xavier had never seen so many people moving around in his life. Everyone was in a rush.

Xavier and Elcir continued walking until they arrived at their destination. The Guard Tower, as its name indicated, was a tower. In Xavier’s eyes, it looked like a huge, imposing building that should be more than five floors high. He had never seen a building so high in his life.

Again, two knights were guarding the entrance to the tower. Xavier saw more people coming in their direction, nobles in striking clothes and jewelry; he had never seen such a deployment of glamour and wealth: tall and slim boys, beautiful girls with rossy colored cheeks and long, clean, silky hair. Meanwhile, he was dressed in a simple suit that any ordinary citizen he had seen on the streets was wearing. A little shame invaded his mind when he realized the high class that surrounded him and to which he did not belong. Even Elcir felt something similar; although he was using his basic armor, which identified him as a knight, he felt like a fly among lions. It was not his first time in Telasa, but he could not remove that feeling of being inadequate from his mind.

The tower guards looked at Xavier and Elcir with disbelief, but after confirming the documents, they allowed them to pass.

When they entered the tower, they caught everyone’s attention. A knight in simple armor and a brown-skinned, thin boy in very simple clothes did not fit in with the current glamour and riches that had gathered in the Guard Tower. However, that only meant that the boy was a talent, a future magician. Some nobles from lower families had attended the event, and when they saw Xavier in his simple suit, they analyzed him in detail. He was undoubtedly a poor devil of the lower strata of society; they saw in him the possibility of assimilating a powerful magician for their families. Some had already thrown themselves as hyenas on an easy prey.

‘Good morning, young man. I imagine you are coming to identify your element and measure your magical affinity,’ asked a fat, white, bald man, about fifty years old.

Xavier was extremely nervous and could not articulate a word, so he merely assented with his head. The man in front of him was a nobleman, probably someone important, while he was alone and away from his home. It was not the same as when he met Efrir, the lord of Humol. He knew who Efrir was and had seen him a few times, but this nobleman was a total stranger.

‘Excellent; don’t be nervous,’ assured the nobleman. ‘My name is Lugo, Lugo van Osi. Just call me Lugo. If you have any doubts, you can ask me; you are among friends here’ Lugo reaffirmed with a big smile.

‘Thank you,’ said Xavier. Instead of feeling more relaxed, he was even more nervous. Living in misery had taught him to doubt the kindness of the nobles. Many people had their eyes on him; he felt like a sheep among wolves.

‘Wow, Lugo, you certainly don’t waste your time,’ said a very tall, blonde woman. Her long and silky hair reached to her hips, and her blue eyes looked like two gems. She was over forty years old, but despite her age, she still retained great appeal. Her clothes were extravagant and accentuated her figure; the fitting dress highlighted her curves and her abundant bossom.

Lugo’s face made a small gesture of being annoyed, which immediately turned into a smile. ‘Oh, leader Van Felpo. I see nothing wrong with showing hospitality to a promising young man,’ Lugo argued.

‘Of course, hospitality is very important,’ repeated the woman, and then she looked at Xavier from head to toe. ‘And what’s your name, young man?’

Xavier swallowed dry and then answered.

’Xavier de Vonder. I come from the border village of Humol, Madam Leader. He bowed with a rigid, almost ridiculous reverence; his nerves betrayed him.

‘Please call me Samantha. As Lugo said, Here you are among friends,’ Samantha stressed with a smile.

Like sharks to the flesh, other nobles began to approach Xavier; however, an announcement interrupted their plans. A tall man, thin and pale, of milk-white skin, was standing on a small stage. The color of his skin contrasted with that of his hair, which was an intense black color. Behind him, curtains covered the rest of the stage. Having caught the attention of those present, he began his speech.

‘Ladies and gentlemen; magicians, nobles, citizens, talents. My name is Heigdal van Degar. Today, we are gathered here to celebrate this wonderful act. Today, future magicians will know to what element their magical energy is inclined and what their degree of affinity is. Today’s events will forever mark the future of these promising young and talented men and women. A joyous day; we have so many promising talents today,’ Heigdal announced as his eyes looked around the hall and evaluated the young people.

**** Again long chapter, got to cut it down to size.