The morning began like any other.
With Keal dramatically face-down in a pile of moss.
"Nylessa…" he groaned. "The grass betrayed me again."
"You tripped on a rock."
"That rock had it out for me. I felt its intent. It was jealous of my face."
Nylessa, seated with a steaming cup of berry-leaf tea, didn't even blink. "You say that every time you trip."
"And I'm right. Every time."
Keal sat up, brushing imaginary dirt off his tunic. "Anyway. Today's the day."
Nylessa raised an eyebrow. "The day you eat breakfast without falling out of your chair?"
"No. Today… I become…" He struck a dramatic pose. "A Mage."
"…You can't even lift the practice wand yet."
"Shhh! I'm manifesting." He closed his eyes. "Mystic forces, I summon thee! Grant me arcane power! Grant me smooth skin and a perfect jawline!"
Nylessa sighed. "You're eight. Your skin is already smooth."
"Still! Prevent early forehead wrinkles. It's a precaution!"
---
Keal stood in front of the glowing rune Nylessa had carved into the training stump. The spell was simple: Light Spark. The beginner's warm-up. Every child who eventually attended magic academy knew it.
Keal, however, had something extra: style.
"Okay, okay," he whispered to himself. "Keal Veyr. Soon-to-be Battle Mage. Soon-to-be husband of a beautiful princess. Or five."
"Focus," Nylessa warned, sitting cross-legged under a tree with a spellbook in her lap.
"Right." He held up the wand Nylessa had given him. It looked more like a carved stick with glitter on it.
Because it was.
But it was his.
He whispered the incantation slowly.
"Luxi… flamma…"
The stump sparkled.
"Did it! HA!" he cheered, twirling once. "Mark that down in the historical scrolls! First spell: a smashing, glittering success!"
The stump then promptly caught fire.
"…Oh." Keal paused. "Is that… supposed to happen?"
Nylessa didn't even move. "No."
"Cool. My legacy begins in flames."
She sighed, waved her hand, and doused the stump with a water thread.
---
After four more stumps were mildly ignited and one nearly exploded into acorns (don't ask), Keal slumped against a log.
"This is hard."
"Magic is discipline," Nylessa said. "Not wishful thinking and flirtation."
Keal pouted. "Flirtation is essential to good spellcraft. You have to seduce the magic."
"You cannot flirt with fire."
"I did and it blushed."
"You lit your hair on fire."
"…Romantically."
---
Later that afternoon, Keal wandered toward a nearby clearing where several older kids were sitting with thick books open, practicing runes and murmuring to themselves.
Four girls. Probably twelve or thirteen. Giggling. Writing things in journals. Casting soft glow spells and looking smug.
Keal approached with maximum confidence.
He cleared his throat.
"Good afternoon, dazzling ladies of arcane beauty."
They didn't look up.
"I'm Keal," he said, with the world's biggest grin. "Apprentice battle mage. Future academy legend. Professional cloud singer."
Still nothing.
One of them yawned.
Another summoned a tiny water orb and let it splash on Keal's shoes. Accidentally. Maybe.
Keal slowly walked away.
---
Nylessa watched from the tree line.
"You saw that, didn't you?" Keal muttered when he returned.
"Every moment."
He flopped beside her. "That's why I don't talk to girls my age."
"You do."
"I mean I try. But they have no taste. No vision. No appreciation for pure eight-year-old charm."
Nylessa held back a laugh. "You'll live."
"Will I, Nylessa? Will I live… without love?"
"Yes."
"…Tough but fair."
---
Keal opened his new spellbook later that night. The pages were crinkly and smelled like old dreams and fresh paper cuts.
He ran his fingers along a rune for "force."
Then one for "levitate."
And finally, one labeled:
> "Romance-enhanced charms: Forbidden Section"
Nylessa snatched the book. "NO."
"Awww, come on! Just let me read one heart-thumping hex!"
"Bed. Now."
"Fine. But I'll dream of roses. Exploding roses. On fire. In the shape of a princess."
---