I sat with my pencil twirling over my knuckles, brushing the pad of my thumb over the soft braid with my other hand, it had grown to stop at my mid stomach. Wrapped by a strand of thread and clasp of metal, Yuna had braided it for me before we left.

I pressed the clasp free, letting it loose to settle around my arms and back. With a few tugs I brushed the knots and pulled the strands into a loose fold, storing the clasp in one of my bag pockets.

As the night continued we were told to rest for lights-out. I had changed into something more comfortable, brushed my teeth with a group of boys still laughing mundanely. I was the last to settle into bed, and I listened to the silence with a strained heartbeat, my jaw was grinding nervously; the darkness around wasn't absolute. The fire in the middle of the cabin flickered its reach against the far corners behind me, its depth barely illuminating the vacancy.

I was slow to lay down, still focusing my hearing for anything suspicious, and even despite my exhaustion; I couldn't fall asleep until late into the night. It made waking in the morning difficult, Mattie's switch in comfort made my eyes snap open, wide awake and focused on the movement of the recruits around me. They were quiet, in a sense, but my heart leapt into a steadied startle.

I inhaled slowly, calming the hard thud at the back of my throat as I sat up and gathered my things to shower. I returned dressed in a black sleeveless top, embroidered by Anshel Keep's sigil as well as long sleeves hooked around my middle fingers and tight around my wrist. I adjusted my right cuff so the brand was hidden, then fixed my boots again and tightened the belt around my hips before joining Mattie for breakfast.

The awkwardness between us was strained, primarily eating in silence while we waited for Aerit to join us. Who set down the tray with a gentle clatter and wild hair. "Good morning." She said, moving a piece of fluffy bang from her eye.

"Good morning." I replied while Mattie waved his fork from an assorted mash of potatoes, eggs, and vegetables.

Afterwards, we gathered in the common area, meandering for instruction. We were eventually ushered outside and told to seat ourselves in the grass while High Shield Luno spoke broadly. "Good morning, recruits." We repeated the sentiments. "Today's agenda will be rather tame compared to what we have planned. Over these two weeks we will focus entirely on your capabilities as a mage, with a lean towards casting, stamina, and how to work with separate magics. I will start calling your names, come fetch your plaque, remember the number given to you as well." We started to separate into our assigned groups. I adjusted and looked into the small bag of pins, surprised that there were red ones. "Please sit down and place your plaque in front of you. Once your group is given a blindfold you will be given the go ahead, you have fifteen minutes to finish."

I was paired off with a group of girls, possibly my age, they smiled sweetly at me as we sat down. One of them was a short-haired brunette with yellow eyes and pale skin, she nodded politely towards everyone. The second had a brilliant smile, greeting us with an uplifted tone. Her dark eyes crinkled while she checked if her hair was still held back by a long bandana, while the rest of her voluminous hair bobbed as she moved her head, it was rather cute. The final girl was sandy-skinned, soft dirty-blonde hair was cut short around her shoulders with a black clip holding back half of her bangs, and blue eyes nervously regarding us and continuously flipping her board in her hands.

I had looked at them through my bangs, tucking one of them briefly behind my ear, before I grabbed my pony-tail over my shoulder and brushed my fingers through. I startled when someone approached behind me, but then reached my blindfold and immediately tied it around my eyes.

"Everyone has their blindfold. You may commence."

It was subtle, the different hum of magic. It wasn't common or easy to determine wholly blind; but it always had a tell. How Yuna was a cool presence washing away anxiety, when Hawkins laughed the earth giggled below him, and Prince Sigurd always smelled like pine. The static could be concentrated into something and appearances always followed patterns of how magic felt.

The girl with the bandana smiled easily like a wake ebbing upon sand, sitting at my right. The girl with yellow eyes was a mellow foundation, but the earth vibrated slightly with her anxiety in front of me. Finally, the girl with the clip kept her hair from fluffing out while the pressure of air upon her face soothed her.

I plucked at my clothed eyes and stuck the pins inside immediately. Shield Luno was wandering between groups, and nodded at me, my fingers rested in the grass, the water mage finished, then the air, and earth. No one had guessed fire, I was water once and earth twice.

"Do not affirm if your magic is correct. Move your plaques to middle." I breathed as evenly as I could; I had been right about everyone, the water mage was right about the other two girls, the earth mage only guessed the water mage, and the air mage was wrong about everyone.

"Next, each person will shake the hand of everyone in the group." The water magic leaned towards me, and I took her hand, she didn't flinch, but her brow furrowed, same with the other two. "Now, change your pins if you feel differently from your choice." I didn't but the air mage had changed me into an air mage. "Now, in the empty slot, put your actual magic into it. Do not admit this aloud." I ground down my jaw while I rolled the pin in my hand, I slotted it last, tugging at the cuff over my right wrist, and when I pulled away I didn't look at the girls. I could feel their shock and it made me sick. I wanted to go back to Mattie and Aerit.

"Raymond Nada, you are the only person to correctly determine your fellow mage's magic. Would you be comfortable sharing your observations?" I stood slowly, resting my hands behind me.

"Every person is physically influenced by magic, from eye colour, to body language, and physical attributes. While blindfolded, I recognised that the magical energies of my fellow recruits offered comparisons to the casting elements."

"Correct, can anyone guess Recruit Nada's magic from his examples?" A few raised their hands.

Most of them guessed earth, a few air, with one water. "Recruit Nada, would you affirm or deny?"

"All of you are wrong, I am a fire mage." Every single expression, beside two, were wide with awe, shock, and disbelief.

I lowered my gaze to the grass, the silence shifted when Shield Luno came to stand beside me. "Often, fire mages will wear sleeveless clothes, this allows the heat from their core to escape, Nada's hair floats barely from his back due to the heat exuded from his body but not as high as an air mage," Shield Luno gently turned me to show what she meant, "his palms and skin will be warm above what is considered normal and his breath will be hot. Thank you, Recruit Nada for this example, you may sit." Shield Luno walked between the other groups. Swallowing before she spoke, "I do not say this to narrow specifically onto Recruit Nada; we naturally adopt these traits regardless of gender or identity. Humans will exhibit these characteristics as well, but only if their magic is strong enough to support it. Any questions?"

"Can't being around a fire mage burn someone?" Irritation picked against my palms.

"Recruit Orwo, critically think about the previous demonstration. Then write me a page long essay why you think you are wrong or right, this is due tonight. Any more questions?" No one had any, "very well. Recruits, since this exercise is the most difficult exercise, I will automatically give you a passing grade, consider this a buffer. I will not be so kind in the long term, please follow Instructor Ve for drills after you have been given your capes."

Aerit and Mattie found me immediately. "Dude, I missed only one." Mattie huffed.

"I got all three wrong—how did ya recognise it, Raymond?"

I shrugged, "it feels like a static, but people…feel different? It's like how you know if someone is worth your time or not."

"That's not helpful," Aerit sighed.

Mattie scoffed, "Raymond has a point, you know I'm horrid and still stick around."

Aerit tried to hide her smile. "I won't heal your next paper cut."

"Cruel." Mattie tutted reaching for his cape.

It was a soft fabric and smelled like Yuna and Hawkins. I clasped it around my shoulder, glancing at Mattie who swatted away Aerit's hands and clicked her metal clasp in place. "There! Now you're a tulip!"

"Am I pretty?" She gasped, flipping her hair.

"No, you're wilted and moulding." Mattie sneered sarcastically, I listened with a grin.

"Raymond, do ya think I'm a pretty tulip?"

"You look like a marigold." I said, stopping in front of the Instructor Ve.

"You're too sweet Raymond! Ya should be more like Raymond, Mattie!"

He scoffed, crossing his arm, "so I'm not cool enough?"

"Nope, best friend spot rescinded!"

Mattie hummed, "oh, the horror." I was still being stared at, I didn't raise my attention towards them and was glad when Aerit stepped closer to me, and gently leaned on me and towards Mattie who stood at my other shoulder.

We were ordered to run two laps. The pain began to flare half-way through the first, I tried to keep up with Mattie and Aerit but fell to the back of the group until I was the last person to finish on a pained limp. I stumbled into Aerit's palm, shuddering audibly when magic soothed the ache momentarily.

"Is that better?" I nodded, standing to attention through my annoyed twitch. For the next hour we were given various forms of exercise, becoming more difficult until we finished and more than half the group was barely standing, myself and Mattie included.

"Break! Come to the cabin for food, afterwards we will be working on runes." There were a few groans but we trudged back into the common area.

Various flat-bread wraps were offered in cloth napkins. I took two and some fruit juice then sat down with Mattie and Aerit. "Does anyone like spicy chicken? I grabbed the wrong one…"

Mattie exchanged it immediately, offering it to me momentarily; with a sneer, I shook my head. Turning towards the full lettuce, juicy tomato, mayonnaise, and crisp, battered chicken wrapped neatly in thick bread. The hunger had jabbed deeply into my back almost flaring immediately when I took a large, mouth-aching bite.

"Chips would go wonders with this." Aerit mumbled. "Raymond, are ya going to be stationed at Anshel Keep again? Or Elwood?"

I finished my bite before answering, "Anshel Keep, Hawkins and Yuna want to train me more before sending me off."

"It seems like a good gig, you should see what it's like working under the Prince." Mattie said, "I can't imagine he would be that bad." I shrugged.

"It might be good pay, but I like the idea of travelling between houses better. I could recommend you if you'd like to work with him?"

Mattie huffed, "I don't think I'm qualified. Especially with someone as god-touched as the Sigurd family."

"They're normal people, frustratingly so." I shrugged. "Offer still stands." I concluded awkwardly, finished off the rest of my wrap and sipped at my drink.

We were given a few hours of break after a few more exercises, where I joined Aerit and Mattie in the common room to read and journal. Aerit had managed to bring in yarn which she knit into something, Mattie laid beside us, caging the twisted textile ball in his hands while it unravelled lazy with each knot plucked by Aerit's needles.

The other recruits were staring, Shield Luno and Instructor Ve primarily wandered, checking up on the others. They were given cards, and when we were addressed we were handed a blank white plaque.

"Tomorrow at noon, after exercises, we request you stay in the common room." Aerit and Mattie nodded, I placed the slate against my book and noticed that it could be opened. Two faces were painted into the surface, neither were Mattie or Aerit to my disappointment. They were strangers, an earth and water mage, the latter was the same boy who complimented my hair last night. I glanced up at either of them, adjusting my leg and putting the visual summons at the front of my book.

"Raymond what are you reading?" Mattie asked, closing his piece.

"Dynamic Mathematics and its Effect on Aircrafts, Magic, and Gravity." I closed the book to show them the mundane cover, soft in its leather bound spine.

Aerit snorted, "right…why, by the Roots of Hell, would ya read that?"

"It's rather interesting, apparently the Old World had far more advanced airships."

"Do you think we'll have airships?" Mattie mumbled.

I nodded, "oh definitely, it's a matter of testing them and not killing anyone."

"I rather ride a horse fer months than board an aircraft." Aerit shuddered. I glanced up towards someone staring at me—the water mage from my booklet and his friend leaned for gossip.

Mattie shifted on his back. "I think it would be fun if it was safe. Also why the hell are you learning about this?"

"It's fun?" I shrugged. "I didn't grow up with an education, so I'm making up for it."

"By reading the most advanced shit unnecessarily? Impressive." Mattie paused, "that sounds mean. I genuinely mean it—not a lot of people can confidentially understand that shit. I sure can't."

"And yer not interested in it!" Aerit said, yanking a good few tugs from her spool, she glanced up at me briefly before continuing a few more knots. "Are ya ever going to use this vast wizened knowledge, Raymond?"

"Possibly not, but I appreciate it."

"Wild." Mattie yawned again, his throat croaking. "I'm gonna go to bed." He said, standing then tossing me the bundle. Aerit waved and scooted closer to me.

"What else do ya like to read, Raymond?"

"Everything, I do lean more towards non-fiction though." I said with a shrug.

"My sister loves fiction, she's always tryin' to get me to read the silly Old World books with no magic, but I get so bored." I hummed, amused.

"I have to agree. Are there any other hobbies you enjoy, Aerit? Beside knitting?" I asked, closing the book to set it against my lap and adjust back against the seat.

"I picked up drawing recently, but I'm not that good. What about you?" She finished her row before setting down her needles, I returned the small ball to her.

"Drawing and reading are my primary interests." I answered, chuckling softly.

She leaned with her hands clasped to her shins while rocking side-to-side. "Do you have any I can look at?" She asked. I reached for my journal, and showed her a few pictures of my favourite flowers.

"This is a Heliotrope, it's pretty and apparently smells like vanilla."

She nodded through her yawn, "they're very pretty!" Aerit said through her gasp. I nodded, "I'm honestly incredibly tired, sorry Raymond. Yer not a bore, I promise."

"Nonsense, go and rest." She nodded through another yawn, which I shared as I stood and went to my bunk.