I rose, walking to them silently and with Aerit following behind. "I think so." I said, despite my limp.

I remained by Yuna, leaning upon her with my hand clutching her wrist. Aerit had wandered off after a short bow. "What did the blond man want?" I asked with a soft tug.

"He was asking if you were available for adoption." She answered, quietly, clipped and I hugged her arm. "Come, come, Hawkins is going to start his speech." I let go of her, and stood near the shadows, Aerit joined my side with a larger boy with a Creek Wing sigil upon his chest.

"Good evening," Hawkings began, "thank you for coming recruits and family, to the annual Gala for Youthful Guards and Shields," his voice carried through the hall, the crowd reverent as they stood. "I would like to first thank the donation given by the Blue Rose family. Thank you for your generosity and providing our youth with the necessary funding." There was a loud applause echoing off the walls. Hawkins looked tired, his shoulders were sagging and his voice deep with a low rumble. He cleared his throat before he continued. "For the parents in the crowd, I cannot express how much honour you carry with your name to allow your children to continue the legacy of this kingdom. You truly have made this occasion a wonder and I would like to provide another applause for your willingness to avail to your youth's dreams."

He paused, grinning through the clapping. "And finally, Recruits. You are our future, you have worked hard to stand here before me. But I must warn you, this program will be difficult, it will bring the worst of yourself before you and force you to decide if your capabilities are meeting expectations.

"I say to you, with confidence, that every single one of you is capable of exceeding your fears." He swallowed, "you will face demons in this program, as a group, you will face your peers and wonder who is company or estranged. You will face days where you cannot help but wonder why you chose this path because your magic will be strained to its limits. If you do not think you are capable, you are able to leave now. Otherwise, welcome, High Shields to your future." I stared at Hawkins the entire time, the furrow in his brow and hard line of lips when he finished seemingly echoed through the room. My heart was beating rapidly against my ribs, and Yuna glanced at me. "But for now, enjoy the buffet, enjoy the company of new-found friendships. I will see all of you at the training ground in a month's time." He bowed deeply, and with Yuna, left the stage.

The band only started to play when he was wholly off, the excited chatter from the room was growing steadily. Until my ears hurt and I hooked onto Yuna's arm again.

"Recruits, did you need something?" Hawkins asked Aerit and her friend.

"Not particularity, I just wanted to introduce my friend Mattie to Raymond." Aerit said, I looked up at the young man, possibly the same age as me—he was tall, stocky and wide, with bright brown eyes and chubbier cheeks, spotted with red and a bright smile. His brown hair was neatly shaved beside a little strip running from hairline to his neck, with pointed ears wiggling slightly when he bowed at me.

"You…want to be my friends?" I asked, trying to raise my voice over the crowd.

"If that's okay! If we're going to be in the same cabin; I wanted to make sure that you knew who you could go to." I grinned slightly.

"Thank you." I said, startling when Hawkins placed a hand against my shoulder.

He leaned in closer, asking in my ear. "Would you like to stay longer?" I shook my head.

"My leg really hurts, and I'm tired."

Hawkins nodded once and pulled away. "Thank you, Recruits, I look forward to your care. For now though, we will retire. It has been a long day." Aerit and Mattie bowed deeply.

"Of course, Baron Anshel!" Aerit gasped, Mattie stumbled over his words, electing to remain bowed until we had left them and exited through a side-door leading towards the private wing.

My lessons with magic and fighting were expanded for the next month. I was given a whole culture to memorise while sparring with Yuna. She was borderline brutal, she was fair, and repeated anything I didn't understand but it was difficult to keep up after hours of sparring. Every bruise that was healed in seconds reminded me of Aerit's words.

The magic was easiest, but my leg was a constant pain even with the insert. It would twitch when I was testing and I couldn't concentrate with how sharp it felt. But I knew their exceptions were higher and I felt like I was failing them when I stumbled to the floor, panting through a heavy wheeze and ringing ears. I didn't stop though, I forced myself through until dinner then slept heavily.

By the end of the month, I felt barely ready to join the guard test. But Yuna and Hawkins had disagreed and mentioned that I was far above the normal expectations of the recruits my age. I hadn't refuted them either, knowing I would just receive the same encouragements, after all, it was my leg that prevented me from fluidly fighting. Especially with the horrible ache that bit through my side.

I stared out at the window when the day to leave finally arrived. I was intrigued by the old ruins and the wall of bright light a few hundred miles away. The barrier was grand, and made my chest buzz with apprehension. The books I had found about the Forgotten Forest were short, avoidant, or speculative and every, single, one left me frustrated by the lack of answers. But no one could see through the barrier, it would create a film as soon as someone stopped in front of it.

At least we had the ruins, which were from the Old World, a grand-technologically advanced society that might have razed the plant to extinction. But there were hardly any fossils and the people who once inhabited the grand, tall buildings had long since vanished, their belongings were claimed by nature, and left by the people of the kingdom due to the possibility of carrying a demon.

I adjusted my elbow on the window, looking out at the deep, quiet, teal of the morning. I had been given a bag full of my necessitates, and luckily, Hawkins and Yuna had allowed me one book and my journal. They had told me about a button, which every recruit was mandated to have and without question would be escorted home and fail the test if they were to press it.

When we arrived, it was well into the morning, my exhaustion for the day already felt tenfold when I realised the amount of recruits had doubled from the gala. "See the stand over there?" Yuna asked when we stopped, "go check-in and grab something to eat if you'd like. We can't join you from here on, will you be okay?"

"Yes. I will see if Aerit and Mattie are in the crowd." I said and waited for the door to open upwards.

"Oh, Raymond, don't use your weapons during this." Hawkins' tone was steady, final, and he twisted in his seat to look at me with a lifted brow.

"Okay." I said, stepping out, Yuna waved at me momentarily before turning to say something to Hawkins. My heart was in my throat, and made the pain in my hip trifle with my patience as I held the strap of my bag tightly in both fists, its weight upon my shoulder was bearable while I tore nervously at my lips.

I waited in line, keeping my gaze upon the back of the boots of the person in front of me. I startled and looked up from my lashes at the older woman in a blue button-down.

"Name and date-of-birth."

"Raymond Arthur Nada, Dechem, ninth, fourteen-forty-three."

She handed me a crystal-clear button, heavy in my palm and humming with magic. "Press this at any time you are injured, or at your limit with the test, if you quit you are unable to retake the text until a year later. The meeting and delegation of cabins will commence in an hour. Good luck." She waved me inside, not caring for my bow when I passed.

It was overwhelming how many people were present. Every recruit wore a variation of the same, loose, but comfortable uniform. A grey shirt was offered with our hometown embroidered into the fabric. Jackets were worn or tied around waists with a long bag strapped over shoulders or chests, and black pants were tucked into thick-soled shoes. I wore a sleeveless top with long black cuffs up my arm. I could feel the stares, my height and limp made my cheeks, neck, and palms burn hot as I circled the edge of the crowd and found a tree to settle beside.

The training ground was an open dirt field, a tall auditorium was closed and curtained far from the gathered crowd. I crossed my arms over my chest when I eventually plopped my bag down by my feet, leaning on the rough bark. The morning was chill, the coming fall a few months away felt like a warning for a harsh winter, but at least for now it was a nice breeze that fluffed my hair. I did eventually find Aerit and Mattie in the sea of people. I was hoping for their company but gathering my nerves to approach seemed as daunting as enduring Yuna's sparring.

So I stared, studying their features while they sat and ate. Their conversation was lost in the loud murmur of excitement, nervousness, dread, all conversing into a want to succeed. I shared the sentiments, but the way my heart beat and my left foot wiggled over my right ankle made this whole ordeal feel almost impossible to exceed. Especially with the expectations Hawkins and Yuna had on me. I looked away from the two to scrape my foot into the dirt, mesmerising myself with boredom before my anxiety was capable of swallowing me whole.

I startled harshly when my name was shouted above the crowd, Aerit was waving at me from the trash with Mattie tossing away the paper before following the bouncing curls. "I thought you weren't going to make it."

I blinked briefly, "I've been here for a couple of minutes or so."

"Did you eat?" I nodded.

"I ate before coming, and Hawkins told me I have snacks in my bag."

Aerit grinned, "good, good, we're going to need it. Apparently we have to hike to the cabins."

"With or without a guide?"

"Without!" Aerit cried out enthusiastically, dropping her shoulders and raising her chin into the air. "I hate it, but I'm also excited. Mattie and I are sticking together, would you like to join?"

"Why do you want to have me?"

"Because you're neat." Mattie shrugged, "you have cool hair."

"That's not all—I've been assigned to you; even unofficially—as your High Shield, I'm obligated to stay beside you."

I grinned, "I think that was for one night, you really don't have to."

"But what if I want to?" She countered.

"Then…I suppose I cannot stop you?" I said with a slow shrug, I appreciated the warmth she seemed to bring to me. It was an easy static that felt welcoming compared to the odd glances I obtained from the crowd.

"Raymond." Mattie said, settling down beside me, Aerit stood with her arms crossed behind her back. "I know we're not supposed to ask. But if I offered my magic to you, would you say yours?"

Aerit bit at her smile, "I would say mine, but my sigil is a dead give-away." She said with a breathy chuckle.

"Sure." I glanced back towards the people, blessedly ignoring us.

Mattie glanced up towards the crowd before covering his mouth. "I'm water."

"Fire." I whispered. Both of them had degrees of shock slowing their capability to reply.

"You must be lying—" Mattie said while I slid down the bough and massaged my hip.

I offered my hand to him. Which he hesitated to take, but eventually gripped and shook it. He looked over to Aerit, nodding softly. "Holy Setria has guided me to the coolest person on the planet!" She gasped.

"I think you are overly exaggerating me for the benefit of bragging rights." I said with a huff, I found myself grinning nevertheless.

"I think you're selling yourself short." Aerit tutted, "no pun intended." She added with a wink.

"I wouldn't know where to reach, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." Aerit giggled, her smile shared with Mattie's scoff.

"Raymond?" I turned my attention to Aerit as she finally sat down, angling herself towards us. "Did you say you were seventeen?"

"Sixteen, I'll be seventeen in Dechem."

Mattie leaned on his knees that were crossed in front of him. "Oh neat, I'm the eldest, I'm seventeen, nearly eighteen." He grinned, "do you have any siblings?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, I wasn't in a particularly good environment until I was twelve, wait, no, thirteen. I have bad amnesia so I can't tell you anything."

"Do you know your parents at least?" Aerit asked.

I shook my head. "Hawkins and Yuna take care of me now."

"They seem nice."

"They're wonderful." I smiled, "are your families nice?"

"Mine is huge…" Aerit sighed, "long guard-line. Lots of opinions, lots of expectations, but overall, a good place."

"I only have my kid-brother, my Da, and grandparents, Ma died during childbirth."

+"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, it's fucked up. Their magic's clashed, and the healer couldn't keep up, but what do you do? Grey is a good kid though, and we helped Dad." Mattie said, "I'm here to support them, and Da has my back."

"Oh what, I thought your Dad hated that you were becoming a High Shield." Aerit said, reaching to pluck at fallen leaf. She folded and broke it with a rune until a little golem appeared on her palm which she set upon the earth, then traced her finger for it to follow.

"I think he was scared 'cause of the demons. I told him you were coming and then calmed down. He's going to be livid learning that I made friends with a fire mage though." Mattie smirked.

"I won't burn you." I said.

"Oh, I know. Imbeciles who think that touching a fire mage burns you are dumbasses. It's like saying you'll get wet when touching a water mage."

"Phrasing." Aerit said.

"You're such a child!" Mattie scoffed while she laughed, sending the leaf-man to rage against Mattie's pants leg. I hesitated before I leaned and with an open palm then situated a small terror of fire.

"A foe!" Aerit gasped, sitting up, and preparing the leaf-man for a proper attack. Mattie was leaning upon his knees, a grand smile looking down at us.

The leaf-man was quick, and lunged drastically. Even with my fire's heat dwindled to a warm breath; the leaf-man proved weaker and was split from shoulder to hip in a poof of fire.

"What! How did you move so fast!" Aerit gasped.

"Is it difficult for you to move your golems?"

She shook her head, "they don't listen to me," Aerit cringed briefly, "well—they do, but it's hard."

I hummed then looked up at Mattie when he spoke. "It's not that difficult," Aerit sneered petulantly, looking up at the loud whistle blared from the building with someone shouting to gather.

We stood and Aerit continued to speak with Mattie. "Of course, it's not hard for you! You're not a healer!"

"Or—it's because I practise magic." He said, "and so does Raymond."

"I'm kept on a strict lesson plan." I agreed, "but I do find it admirable that you're a healer."

Aerit grinned brightly, "see Mattie, Raymond is a nice friend. You are not a nice friend."