It started with an unnoticed crack in the ground, then two, then three, then six, and so on. Atlas turned around to face Elidi, his eyebrows furrowed. "Do you hear that?" He asked, his eyes fixated on hers. "No?" She responded, shaking her head in confusion. Atlas stood completely still, letting an eerie silence grow between them. A rumbling grew in his ears, louder and louder, until he came to a realization. "Get back!" He yelled to Elidi as the piece of land he was standing on had completely severed itself from the mountainside. Atlas felt himself suspended in the air as he lost his balance, Elidi running towards him. Her hand reached out to him, but he knew he could not reach her. Instead, he smiled, closing his eyes and accepting his fate.

His eyes shot open as a warm pair of arms wrapped around him, squeezing tightly. Elidi had flung herself towards him, both of them about to enter a free fall. "I won't let you die like this," She whispered into his ear.

"What the hell is wrong with the two of you. First the fighting and now this? It's like you two are asking to get hurt." Soleil quickly stepped in, grabbing the two with one swift motion. He tossed them to the ground, Atlas grunting as the pain of his wounds had just returned to him. Tears stung in his eyes, and he quickly wiped them away, looking at Elidi. "Why did you do that? You could've..." He couldn't find the breath to continue. Elidi hung her head in guilt. "I'm the reason you came up here, and if I let you fall, I never would've gotten the chance to tell you that you're... my closest friend and I...." She averted her eyes, unsure how to continue. "She likes you," Soleil teased with a smug look on his face. Elidi threw her fists at Soleil. "That's not what I- don't say that!" She squealed. Atlas calmed himself down, understanding where she was coming from.

"So do I get a thank you or what?" Soleil said, hitting the two on the head, with a focus on hitting Elidi with a little extra strength. "Thank you. But how did you know we were up here?" Atlas asked, standing himself up. Soleil shrugged. "I just wanted to get some fresh air, honestly, then I heard something odd, so I came to check it out. I didn't expect to find the two of you jumping to your deaths." he crossed his arms. "I've decided, I'm going to enroll you two into Aurelia. I may have overreacted initially, but as you two are getting older, it's clear you need somewhere to get all this energy out. It's going to take us about a year to get there on foot, but I'm going to make you two train as hard as you can. Elmaris won't know what hit em" Soleil smirked. Elidi perked up, a certain determination gleaming in her eye. "Yes, Sir!" She saluted, a bright smile on her face. "Wait, me too?" Atlas pointed to himself. Soleil nodded. "Yes, you too, Atlas," Soleil spoke, crouching down to the boy's level. "But I don't have powers like the two of you. I can't go to a school for magic." Atlas stared at the ground, worried about the potential of the only family he knew leaving him.

Soleil sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "If I didn't believe you could get in, I wouldn't be bringing you along with us. Plus, when we get there, they're going to test your magical ability anyway, so then we'll really see if you don't have any. Just because they haven't manifested yet doesn't mean you don't have them at all." Soleil rested a hand on Atlas's shoulder, the sun beginning to rise behind him. Atlas embraced the warmth of the sun's rays peaking through. "It doesn't matter what you have or don't have; we aren't leaving you behind." Elidi chimed in, her energy through the roof.

Atlas couldn't find the words to express the surge of emotions he was feeling, so instead he stood there with a smile, tears streaming down his face.