The wait until noon was tedious. We were forced through mundane exercises, and the two boys had kept glancing through their gossip the whole while. After the break I waved at Mattie and Aerit, breathing in the crisp, morning air which eased into the room through the open windows before I approached.

They were hardly subtle with their last sentence about my hair and eyes being the ashen remnants of my burn victims. I swallowed down the subtle ache in my throat as I crossed my arms and stopped just outside their circle, quietly hoping that they would eventually include me.

"Excuse me," I raised my eyes up at the water mage. "Are you sure you're supposed to be here?"

"Yes." I answered, my attention focusing on their subtle lean away.

I tried to hide my grimace when I heard pure apprehension lift the earth mage's tone. "Great, don't burn us and we won't have a problem." I tried not to raise my brow with shock.

"I'll do my utmost."

The water mage heaved a short sigh. "I really don't want to babysit the fire mage."

I ignored him, breathing evenly to calm the anger broiling in my chest. I had followed the two to sit with them, five minutes before noon pretty much everyone was gathered. A paper had been set down in-between us and before I could reach for it the water mage had plucked it towards them. I pulled back, popping my knuckles to keep my mind away from the growing frustration.

The other groups were working together, happily tapping or gesturing while they discussed the solution. "Would you allow me to see it, please?" I offered my hand to them.

"You don't need to see it." The earth mage said, scooting farther back with a sneer.

Pettiness, ground my jaw down. I pulled away and sat with my hands clasped in my lap, when they stood, I followed. They tried to out pace me, which wasn't difficult since the pain in my hip wallowed beside me with a frustrated pulse.

I stayed back from them when they fetched a box from underneath a rock that the earth mage had dug up. I kept my realisation quiet once I saw the metal bands, it wasn't unheard of an earth mages being able to manipulate metal, but I knew from Hawkins it was extremely difficult.

Their attempt was met with utter failure, repeatedly. The shimmering silver didn't move, the metal bands were black, matte and even plucking at it did little to loose it. I favoured my right leg, eventually sitting on a rock to watch them attempt to batter their magic through. I took a breath from sheer frustration, keeping entirely to myself in hopes they would eventually realise the purpose of this assignment.

Their stubbornness after half-an-hour was starting to wear my patience even thinner. With a yawn I scratched at my forehead, leaning forward on my fist then crossing my ankles. Boredom forced me to look around the forest for anything worth my attention. The plain quiet was chirped at by song birds, the warm sun bathed my arms and back comfortably, it eased my eyes closed and I relied on my hearing until an abrupt snap behind made a hard flinch force me to stand. I had annoyed the two boys who turned to look at me.

The water mage scoffed loudly. "Could you leave?"

"Setria's tits, I forgot he was even here."

I growled low, my frustration finally winning while I turned to wander back to the cabin. Instructor Ve was standing alongside other recruits who had already finished opening their boxes. "Recruit Nada." He bowed his head, then looked behind me into the forest.

"My teammates have elected to work without me, Sir." I said, "I have not been included in any of the exercises, and now they're struggling to open the box." Instructor Ve grunted with acknowledgement.

"Please go sit inside and join a group." I bowed briefly. Mattie and Aerit were sitting at one of the tables, working with an air mage. With minor hesitation I sat beside Mattie, grinning up at the girl working on the cards around them.

"What happened to your group?" Mattie said, looking out to where I came from.

I grimaced, "they found it more progressive to be jerks." I cleared my throat and leaned upon my palm.

"That's stupid." Aerit scoffed. "Well, we're having issues figuring out what ta' do next. Want to help?"

"Won't that get us in trouble?" The girl asked.

Mattie shrugged, "probably not. The two recruits are going to be in far more trouble since they broke one of the silent rules. Fuckin' idiots." I opened my eyes, nodding in agreement.

The girl suddenly raised her hand, and I stared at it briefly before taking it. "Cass." Cass was a pale girl, slightly heavier, her eyes were blue and her black hair pulled into a simple, long, ponytail.

"Raymond."

"You're—wow, you're very warm." She laughed shakily, wiping her palm on her pants.

I grinned tightly while she leaned away to get a better look at me, tilting her head to study my ears and expression after she let go of my hand. "Are all fire mages so…" she rolled her wrist.

A sharp shrug lifted my shoulders, "I've never met another fire mage before." I said.

Aerit suddenly tapped at the table, "we can chat later, friends—we really need ta' figure this out." I leaned over the table, the three pictures were placed beside each other. It was a crystal, a scribble structured to seem missing something, and another scribble.

"Do we stack 'em?" Mattie asked, leaning up on his palms.

"They're opaque." I reached for one and flipped it over, the back seemed marked, with hum I lifted it up to the light.

"I think I see something?" I plucked at the corner, but there was nothing to peel.

I watched Aerit hop from her seat and lean over my shoulder while I angled it up again. She reached to rub the material. "Raymond's right, there's something there." Cass lifted another up, gasping excitedly.

"Mattie, can you drop some water on it? Then Raymond, make a fire, something bright." Cass said. Moving the cards in the middle of the table while Mattie stood to gather a cup of water and Aerit had made a bowl then propped the cards up. A palm of water passed over each card, the material sloughing off into clarity. With a soft snap I created three small fires below the lifted hints. Words had been imprinted into the clay, "oh that's neat!" Cass added.

Mattie huffed, "Find crystal under rock, summon circle, golem of element, give to us."

"Circle magic!" Aerit gasped, clapping with a broad smile, Cass took the cards as we stepped out into the warmth, Mattie was looking around us to find anything that seemed familiar while Cass raised the card away from us. The crystal had an outline around it.

"It's a rock," she tutted, immediately looking around us to see anything familiar.

"Can we try and poke a hole in it?" I offered.

"Nah, it might make the lines impossible to see." I stumbled back slightly so Cass could turn, Aerit was far by the edge of the field. Her arms crossed while she stalked the perimeter for the certain rock. Other recruits began to figure out the cards as they joined the individual search for their crystals.

The two boys who were part of my group were running, their expressions dour while they glared at me when they could. "I think I found it, but I didn't memorise what the rock looked like." Aerit said, leaning a hand upon Cass' shoulder.

She pursed her lips into a frustrated scrunch with a squeak hissing past her expression. "We can always check it out, I think I also found the rock but let's see yours first since mine doesn't feel like magic."

"They might have put it in a magic-null box." Cass said, showing Aerit towards the rock. It wasn't the same rock I had seen, but I didn't mention it. I scanned the horizon, eventually finding it by the stairs leading down into the forest.

Mattie was looking down at me, he raised his brow and nudged me slightly. "Find it?" he whispered, I nodded but didn't point.

"It's not fair though, we have more people."

"You could give us a hint?" I moved my hair over my shoulder to pull my fingers through.

The girls had checked the second rock before I pointed. "That way."

I startled when Mattie cleared his throat. "Girls! It's over here! Raymond found it but won't tell us where!" Cass and Aerit turned, raising their hands in emphasis.

"What! Why?"

"We have an extra person, girlie!" Mattie raised his hands in emphasis, meeting them half-way and walking back. I joined them and leaned upon the wall over the railing, they passed it a few times, comparing the card for a few minutes, until Cass triumphantly raised it. I grinned when they ran away from the steps, Aerit cheered taking the rock into the air while Mattie laughed loudly, keeping me company while I jogged back.

They were already trying to break it open on the field. I sat down with Mattie laying on his stomach. "Okay, Raymond, ya should teach us how to do golems properly." Aerit said.

"I don't think we need to make a big one, maybe up to our chests. Even I can't maintain a large golem."

"But ya defeated mine so easily." Aerit whined sarcastically.

"Fire mage golem, fire mage golem!" Cass chanted quietly." I raised my hands, chuckling lightly.

"I think this might be a group exercise though, so we do it together. Remember, a golem is a want manifested. We need it to hold an object and give it to the instructors; all the while taking magic from the crystal. We need to do this together, don't get excited or think you have to do more than the others." The girls nodded.

"What object?" Cass asked.

"Let's go with a cup of water." Aerit said, Mattie heaved a sigh walking back into the cabin.

Mattie held onto the cup, while Aerit, Cass, and myself sat in the field.

"Are you two comfortable with circle magic?" I asked.

"Never tried it, but I passed the written test." Cass said.

"Same." Aerit said, opening her hand towards us. "We'll be fine." Her serious grin was reassuring.

"Give me raw magic, don't cast." I said and closed my eyes. The static was a defined comfort, it wasn't heavy but a presence that welcomed me and my wishes.

I focused on the want for it to exist, then wanting it to hold the cup. Aerit and Cass were feeding it, making casting easier while the crystal took the brunt of the primary rune in the middle and the circling definition of what it was. It was a major relief taking from it, the dusty-white of its banal power felt like less of a strain of having to remember the stove and more of knowing someone else will catch it in the case I stepped away.

I opened my eyes slowly, smiling broadly when it knelt towards Mattie and opened its allusion of hands. Mattie hesitated briefly, the warmth possibly too hot combined by late-midday summer, my neck prickled as the cabin heads approached and with an approved nod. They watched while the wooden cup was plopped into waiting hands. It held, it acknowledged, and carefully our golem walked through me and towards the Shield Luno's open hand.

Aerit was breathing harder, and Cass was humming with her exertion. "Back off, I can finish the rest." I said quietly, squeezing their hands, I gave back what I took, easing my own actual attunement to magic rather than the excited flicker of fire I was used to casting with. It was difficult to do while keeping the golem up and I felt my own weakness shiver up my spine.

But I kept it up, the sun bearing down my back kept my magic steady until the cup was in Shield Luno's hands and the golem could be let go without hurting anyone. We all collapsed to the ground, a heavy pant coughed up Aerit's throat, while I shook, and Cass blinked hard.

I sat back to lean on my wrists, trying to focus the exhaustion before I fainted because of it. "Watch them carefully." I heard and then watched the two leave. I closed my eyes momentarily. Centreing myself until my heartbeat was calm and ears stopped ringing. Mattie was by Aerit rubbing her back while Cass had laid down.

There was a quiet acceptance between us, triumphant and solidified by that pride and after an hour I was the first to bounce back. The dizziness had subsided and I was able to stand to help up Cass.

We sat around the common room, Aerit and Cass falling asleep to catch up on their reserves. "That was impressive, Raymond." Mattie whispered, watching a group of air mages try to conjure a golem.

"Thank you."

"Are fire mages always this powerful, or is it just you?" His question made me shrug.

"I don't know, possibly?" The half-truth didn't settle how I wanted, but Hawkins' warning was something I couldn't ignore. "I wish there were more fire mages to compare with."

Mattie nodded, "agreed, I was scared the cup was going to fall through the flames."

"Glad it didn't, I would've hated forcing the girls to recast the circle."

A group was successful, but after a step towards Instructor Ve the earth golem shattered. "Aw, that's sad." Mattie said, leaning back and folding his fingers over his lap.

"They'll get it." I yawned, "I need to practise circle magic more. It's exhausting."

"Tedious too, makes me wonder why we're being tested for it."

I rubbed at my hip and shuffled away from the pain. "Probably for group casting entirely. The older recruits have to fight a whole demon. That's terrifying."

"Have you ever encountered a demon?" Mattie asked.

"A Ghoul. I have no idea who gave it to me or how it attached itself to me but it was there."

"Who killed it?" Mattie sat up with a gasp. 'That's—that's insane."

"I did. It was an accident actually." Mattie was staring at me with a wide expression dropping his mouth open.

"You can't just 'accidentally' kill a fuckin' Ghoul, Raymond." I shrugged. "I can't tell if you're lying or bragging. Do you have any scars?" I shook my head.

"None." I pulled down my cuffs to my wrists to show him the tops of my hands and neck. "And I'm not bragging either, I nearly started a fire in the Servant's Wing."

"At least it was killed." Mattie cleared his throat as he settled back.

"Have you encountered a demon?"

He shook his head, "not yet. Thank Setria." Mattie had pointed at a successful group, who had given a stone to Shield Luno. Only one other group was successful, two were able to summon the golem but the action couldn't be maintained. The cabin settled with the downtime, the two boys were forced to do the rest of the dishes and I saw them writing an essay after more exercises. I tried not to feel satisfaction, but it was difficult not to.

The cabin's waking terror forced me from my bed. An abrupt slam of the front door and air magic charging up my spine made me scrambled off the bed. Mattie had jumped down, and crouched beside me, shirtless and yanking me up with little effort.

"What’s happening?" I gaped.

"I don't know!" His grip on my arm was too tight on my arm. The harsh beating of my heart, forcing me to take his wrist. "The door just slammed open."

"Senka!" His voice carried, the walls seemed to vibrate loudly with his absolute demand. "Come here, now!" I looked up at Mattie against the darkness, the parental rebuke made the teens around me pause, searching each other for the unclaimed name. "I know you're here! I see you hiding, and my patience is thin!"