The sun rose on the horizon, and if it weren’t for today, it would be just another ordinary day in the small town. But in a leap year, it was as if the air in Kirel had changed. A buzz took hold early on, no matter where you went. Families felt a mixture of anticipation and excitement; after all, today was the day when powers were awakened and classes revealed. And such a revelation was very important in the town.

“Hey there, kiddo… Excited for the ceremony?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Oh, shit, uncle. Look at how happy I am!”, she grumbled, attacking her bowl of cereal. “Why did it have to be today?”, she complained from the kitchen counter, staring at her parents, who were busy talking in the living room. “You could have postponed my birth, but no… what a great idea to let me be born on a day that only comes around every four years…”

“Stop complaining, Noah!”, her uncle hit her on the head with a rolled-up magazine. “Finish that so I can take you there. I have other things to do…”

“Ouch!”. she cried out.

She deliberately dropped the spoon and bowl in the sink loudly, wanting to make her dissatisfaction clear, and stomped upstairs to her room. Her parents laughed.

“Aren’t you worried, Judith?”

“Hm?”, the woman asked, not understanding. “Damon, why would I be concerned? Elemental parents give birth to elemental children… I’m sure my children are too.”

“But Noah-"

“I know my daughter. She is an elemental. Just as Max will be one day.”

“Of course. Mothers know better than anyone…”

Damon smiled at his sister-in-law, but glanced sideways at his brother, who kept his eyes on the book he was reading – or pretending to read. It didn’t take long for Noah to come downstairs, visibly offended by the outfit she was wearing: a white dress required for the ceremony.

“See you later, my dear.”, Judith said, focusing on the red yarn she was knitting.

Noah replied curtly, but kissed her father on the head before walking out the front door. She had always been closer to him, ever since she was little. Damon watched everything as a mere spectator, powerless over what was unfolding before him. He had a lot to say, but it wasn’t the right time.

The cold wind blew gently at the entrance to Irrimont Forest, the largest in the country, located far to the north. The forest floor was covered with snow, making it difficult for anyone to access the most important and sacred area: the clearing, where all rituals were performed.

“Hey, brat…”

Noah turned and faced her uncle, saying nothing but waiting for what he had to say.

“You know I got you no matter what, right?”

“You know it, right?”

Damon twisted his face in confusion. “Know what?”

“I’m not an elemental.”, Noah sighed. “I don’t know what I am, but I know I’m different from Mom… She’s going to freak out…”

“If that happens, my couch is waiting for you…”

“Wow, a couch. Old, broken, and smelling like a dog. Thanks.”

Damon raised his hand and patted the girl on the forehead. “Better than nothing, brat. Go on. If you’re late, Miss Claire will make my eardrums bleed… Go on. I’ll pick you up in about two hours, okay?”

Noah nodded.

She followed the trail alongside schoolmates and other teenagers she didn’t know. Many walked in pairs or threes, chatting happily. Noah walked alone. She had no friends.

She tried to remember her mother’s words about what the ceremony was. The test, as it was known, was a simple ritual performed in the clearing. The elders drew sigils in the middle of it, enhancing the power of the place, and placed not only one of each element but also a small cauldron.

If the teenager revealed himself to be an elemental or a conjurer, the sigils or the cauldron would be activated. For an incognito, the power engraved in the floor beneath them would cause them to transform into an animal; and for a divine, some kind of specter would form around them. But if the child turned out to be an eximius, a storm would form. And that was something beyond the will or power of the elders. The storm was caused by the gods, as a warning to everyone that an eximius had been discovered.

One by one, the teenagers were called up, all a little nervous and anxious.

“Dear Elle… it seems you have been blessed by nature just like your parents…”, a woman in her sixties said softly to the girl, her blonde ponytail swaying from side to side. “Now…”, the woman held her hand gently as a greenish light, like a thread, enveloped their intertwined hands and drew a symbol on the girl’s wrist. “I believe your distressed mother is waiting for you at the foot of the mountain. Go tell her that you are also an elemental, child. Go.”

She jumped with excitement, hugging the woman and nodding her head rapidly as she thanked the older woman repeatedly. After another fifteen or so teenagers, a mix of elementals and conjurers, and a couple of divine beings, came the last test of the year – a much-anticipated one. A person who came from a long and pure line of strong elementals: the Bexley family was known to all witches and wizards. The name itself exuded power.

Noah waited calmly for her turn, staring at her own clasped hands, eagerly anticipating the outcome.

“So, Noah, are you ready?”

Noah placed her hand on the necklace she was wearing, a gift from her late grandmother, and held it tightly as she shook his head.

“Have I told you how beautiful your name is?”

“Many times, Miss Claire.”

Claire let out a low laugh, stroking the girl’s hair, black as night. “Yes, I always tell you that. Now, go stand in the center.”

Noah walked fearfully, each step taken with caution; she stopped right in front of the circle of stones. Somehow, her slow movements made all the elders present anticipate her outcome. Although she could certainly be an elemental, deep down, it seemed that she could be something else. And she felt it too.

As soon as her first foot touched the ground, thunder echoed through the forest, along with the sound of crows flying above them. When her other foot did the same, not only thunder, but lightning lit up the sky, now completely dark with heavy clouds.

Noah’s fears were not mere anxiety. She had always known, deep down in her soul, that she was not like her mother. She was not an elemental.

She was supposed to be evil. She was supposed to be chaos. It was her nature, predetermined.

As unfortunate as it seemed, Noah was an eximius.

Just like her late grandmother.

And her existence was abhorred. Just as her grandmother had been.

When the first raindrop fell, Noah’s eyes turned red. She understood the excruciating silence of the elders in the clearing: her fate was sealed, right there.

Claire looked at her with a mixture of pity and disappointment. She had always paid attention to Noah, because she was part of the Bexley family, and had never seen anything but signs of an elemental in her. Although the girl was always isolated and had a sharp tongue, she had never hurt anyone, nor had she ever had a disagreement with anyone. But the ritual had to be performed. Claire couldn’t stop wondering what signs she had missed…

“Noah, please follow me.”, Claire’s voice now sounded cold and distant, devoid of any sweetness it had possessed before. She couldn’t give in to her own emotions; as a leader, she had a duty to fulfill. “We need to inform your parents of your result.”

Noah silently followed the older witch through the forest and toward the valley.

The storm that was brewing was a clear sign of what was to come. Questions were unnecessary. But the looks… they followed her like children afraid of the monster under the bed.

The walk was silent and quick; it didn’t take long to reach Claire’s car. In the past, she would have sat in the front; today, the back door opened for her to get in. Claire didn’t bother to turn on the radio. The silence, despite its weight, was comfortable.

The eldest knocked three times on the heavy wooden door of the Bexley house before being welcomed by the matriarch. Judith proudly welcomed them, hugging her daughter tightly, as she was certain that Noah was an elemental.

She created and shaped her all this time for this result.

The storm had nothing to do with her daughter. She was sure of that.

“Good morning, Judith. Is Elijah home? I’d like to talk to both of you. About Noah.”

Judith seemed confused at first, but promptly walked toward the back door of the house and called her husband, who was covered in dirt from head to toe; gardening was a hobby he pursued religiously.

In the small, cozy living room, scattered among sofas and armchairs, Noah sat down with her parents, while Claire remained standing. Judith insisted that the woman also sit down and have a cup of tea if she wanted. But the refusal was clear.

“Don’t bother, Judith. I’ll be leaving soon.”, Claire clasped her hands together. “I’ll be direct with you both, given our long friendship. The ritual revealed that Noah…”, she sighed. It hurt to have to reveal it. “Noah is an eximius. As you both are aware of the rules of our city, no eximius are allowed in our territory. From this moment on, Noah is exiled from here. You can go with her, since she is your daughter, or send her to Macondo, the nearest city. I have contacts there who can take care of Noah until she comes of age.”

"What?”, Judith’s shoulders slumped. Shock was written all over her face. She couldn’t believe that all her efforts up to that point had been in vain. “Eximius?”

Elijah’s eyes shifted from Claire to his daughter, unable to form a sentence. Millions of thoughts raced through his mind, but one thing was certain. He would keep his daughter safe, even if it meant being far away from her.

“You two have until tomorrow morning, ten o’clock sharp, to make a decision. Two guards will be here at your door to escort you out of Kirel.”, Claire approached, holding Judith’s hands. “I’m sorry, Judith. This outcome was certainly a surprise to all of us. But rules are rules, and we must abide by them if we want this place to remain the same.”

Claire left without looking at Noah, but clearly saddened by the situation. The possible departure of the Bexley family would be a great loss for the town.

Noah didn’t cry, didn’t say a word, didn’t show any reaction. At least now she knew how to define herself. The idea of sleeping on her uncle’s old couch didn’t seem so bad anymore.

“Noah…”, Judith called out, her voice trembling. “You…”

“You don’t need to say anything else.”, she said, standing up and placing her hand on her mother’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I’ll do whatever you say…”

For a few moments, from inside her bedroom upstairs, all she heard was silence. A bitter warning of what was to come. Her parents spoke in whispers, soon escalating to shouting on both sides.

Without a definitive answer, but with her intuition screaming at her, Noah began packing her bags.