CHAPTER 7: GOOD JOB

“Sit down” my father calmly said after he summoned me to his office. I know what he wants to talk about. “I heard that you used your money to provide shelter for the less fortunate trainees”. His elbows are on the table and his fingers are intertwined while looking at me. I tried my hardest to look straight back at him. I need to stand with my decision, helping is the only thing I am free to do. I must stand firm.

“GOOD JOB” although father said that monotonously, I can’t help but be surprise. Good job? He’s not mad? I mean, I’m happy that he’s not mad. I just didn’t expect him not to be mad. “I am honestly displeased that you wasted a few mags on those low-lives who mostly did not make it to the exam, but I admit that what you have done puts you into a better place. If you were to be the next leader of this kingdom, you must have your people’s reliance. You’ll benefit from this. Good job” its about me being the next leader again. I thought that he was proud that I am growing to become a helpful mage. Father disappoints me sometimes too.

“Yes father”

“You just came home from training, right?”

“Yes, father”

“Go to your room and rest. You can’t fail. You need all the rest you can get”

“Yes father”

“You may now leave”

“Yes father”

As my father instructed, I went to my room to rest. He did not even congratulate me for making it through the hard training.

After a few hours of sleeping, I decided to walk around the castle. I am currently wearing a simple long-sleeved pastel pink dress and a white flat shoes. I wandered to our backyard, full of threes and all that greenery. Nature is really beautiful. Its calm and peaceful—

“Hey!” – or not.

I was in the middle of the forest, pass our grass full backyard when I heard someone caught my attention. I looked to where the voice came from.

“What are you doing here?” I asked the guy. Come to think of it, I still don’t know his name.

“You look like a princess” I looked at the clothes I’m wearing. This is what I usually wear when I’m here. My parents do not totally disprove my clothes preference but they prefer it when I wear clothes like this. All feminine and innocent.

“Yeah? So, what are you doing here? Ahh… there are apple trees in here. Are you picking a few apples for Flavius?”

“Maybe” he shrugged.

“Where’s Flavius?” I asked, referring to his horse. I looked round but I couldn’t see his horse. Its probably eating apples somewhere. Maybe the horse’s favorite food is apple.

“Somewhere. Why are you wandering off?”

“Can’t I?” We own the land.

“This is your land anyway” Exactly. Its only natural to see me on our land.

But what about him? Is he one of our workers?

“Who are you?” I asked. Curious about who he is. I kept seeing him everywhere but I don’t know who he is and what he does.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit late to ask me that?” I know, I know.

“My name is Aiden, Princess Eleina” Aiden? I heard that name before.

“Name. Age. Magic".  “Aiden. 20. Fire.”

I suddenly had a flashback. He was that Aiden? The one from the registration?

“You’re the one who was in front of me during the registration?”

“Yes. That was me. I jumped in front since you were still busy chatting with you royal friends so I went first”

“Well, you did not do anything wrong. But you sounded cold.”

“Just nonchalant” he does seem unbothered by anything but no, he sounded really cold that time.

“Nope, I know you are nonchalant but you definitely sounded cold and a bit annoyed during that time”

He did not respond and started walking away. Okay? That was rude. He suddenly ended the conversation without notice. Tss!

I followed where he was going and saw him coming towards the falls that we own. My mother is a water mage, she come here when she wants to replenish her magic. I’ve seen her a few times. What is he doing there?

“Young Miss! You have a visitor. Young Lord, Esco paid you a visit” I laughed after hearing one of our servants calling me. If my parents hear her, she’ll lose her job. I quickly went towards the servant without looking back, afraid that she will see Aiden. I’m still not sure if he’s just sneaking out or he’s working here. If ever that he’s just sneaking out, its best if he’s not seen by anyone in the house.

“There you are! Young Miss, what were you doing out here? Your father asks you to head back and meet with the Young Lord” I smiled at the servant and followed her to back to the house. A lot of people call it a castle but, it’s a house to me. A house is a house, no matter how small or big it is.

“Hi!” Esco greeted me shyly. This is my first time meeting him outside training. If I did not go to the capital to train, I’ll probably wouldn’t meet him, ever.

He is sitting in one of our sofas in the receiving area. I sat on the same sofa and faced him before greeting back.

“Hello! What brings you here? This is my first time meeting you after we met at the registration” I’m not sure if this is really the first time we met. But if this isn’t the first time, I already forgot it.

“Yes, it is. I’m here to congratulate you for making it through the training” Its funny how I seek my father’s congratulatory remark but I am receiving it from some I just met ten days ago. I gave him a genuine smile. Esco is a friend.

“Really? Then let me congratulate you as well. Congratulations, Esco!” He did well on the training as well. I wonder if his parents congratulated him.

Silence filled the air after that. The genuine smile I was flashing turned into an awkward one.

“This is awkward” it sure is.

“So… what brought you here? The real reason” I’m not sure if his house is near our or not but to go here despite not spending a lot of time together, its probably not his own act. Someone must have told him to go here, someone like his parents.

“My parents found out that we got a bit close during training. I’m embarrassed to say this but I’m going to say it anyway—”

“Yes, please do so”

“—you are aware that your family is the most powerful and influential among all the royal families. Everyone would want to associate with you. My parents are no exception”

“Cruel reality. Even my parents are like that”. My parents never told me to meet anyone, even with Aeolous. Aeolous and his family was the one who insisted for us to meet. My parents only agreed since they considered Aeolous as their plan B. So, I never experienced going to someone else’s place because my parents told me to do so. But I think that if our family is not the most powerful one, they would have done the same thing.

“How about you? You want to associate yourself to me because I am my parents only child?”

“Yes and No”

“Yes, and No?”

“Yes, I mean, I don’t mind being associated with you but no, not because you are your parents’ child but because you seem intelligent and fun to be with?” I laughed. He looks so shy when he said that. Esco is so cute. If I would have a brother, I wouldn’t mind if it was Esco.

Esco left after we ate a few delicious foods made by our chefs. Our house’s spatial mage made a portal to his home so he could go home in an instant. I don’t know why father did not let me and Aeolous travel trough spatial, he made us ride our hoses for half a day when we can literally go to the capital in a matter of seconds.

The day finally arrived. Its seven in the morning when the spatial mage arrive to our home. Good thing thew butler woke me up two hours before that’s why I was ready when the spatial mage arrived. Before I want to the portal, I asked the mage if I was the only one that he needs to take to take back to the capital. I remembered that Aiden was here too. I’ve never seen him after our encounter to the forest, maybe he already left.

We were summoned back, a few hours before the exam starts. The exam is always open to other mages. They can watch the exam and the examinees needs to prepare a few hours before it starts. That’s why my parents are not yet going. They promised to watch later. I know they would come, they’ve been waiting for this day. They wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“Welcome back mages. I am curious to what you have been doing these days. Some might have practiced more, some might have conditioned their body and some might have rested. Which one are you?” I am definitely one of those who rested all three days.

“I summoned here this early since there are a few things we need to prepare before the exam starts. Now that you’ll all here, please group according to your magic” the exam master pointed placed to where we will stand. I went to where he pointed all the light mages should stand. Someone stood there before me. I positioned my self behind her, on our left is the wind mages. Aeolous and Esco greeted me and I greeted them back. On our right was the fire mages. I saw Aiden beside me. I looked at him and he returned a smirk. I sneered at him before looking front. The girl standing in front of me was the same girl that was flexing during the training. She was bragging that she was a light mage. All throughout the training she was acting like she was the strongest mage out of all the trainees. My parents are ambitious but they aren’t as arrogant as this girl. Good thing I’m not as petty as her. She is strong alright but I don’t think she’s stronger than me. I am not swaggering, when mages got a hang of their magic, they can feel when other’s magic is stronger than theirs or not. I can feel that she is strong but not stronger than me. She was always annoyed at me even though I don’t even know her. I know why she was annoyed, its because our magic is alike. People hate thing that are different from theirs but they also hate things that are similar. That’s ironic. She hates me not only because we are both light mages but because she can feel that my magic is stronger than hers.

“I’m sure you all know that there are two parts of the exam. First. You’ll have a duel or a battle against a mage with the same magic as you are. I will decide who will go against each other but like our light mages here…” everyone looked at us. I felt uncomfortable.

“… there are only two of them. So, by default, they will go against each other. And with our water mages, there are 7. There will be two duels and a battle against three mages. There are twenty-six mages in total. 2 light, 7 water, 2 fire, 4 winds, 2 earth, 3 lightning, 2 spatial, 2 ice, 2 silver, 2 sound. There are different types of magics but only these magics stood out” he’s right. Some magic is really not meant to be used for battling. Although they could still be used on the battle ground, their magic usually can’t keep up to those who have primary magics like me. That’s how unfair magic is. Like snow magic, it can be use to attack enemies but it does not stand a chance against water and fire which is a primary magic.

“Now, the second part of the exam. Everyone who won the first round will participate on the second part of the exam. This time you’ll have to go against everyone who won. There would be a time limit, whoever remains standing after the timer stops, automatically becomes part of the Knights. The rest, well, it will depend if the spirits choose you or the Knight Leader. Now to the Spirits, not every spirit comes down, last year there are three light mages but the light spirit did not choose anyone worthy of its magic. Those who are chosen by the light, water, earth, air, and fire spirit will be the candidate for the next Magic Leader that will be announced a year after. Some of you might be asking why are there no spirits of other magic, remember that a secondary magic came from the primary magics, for example mirror magic, the spirit for mirror magic is the light and water spirit since mirror magic is a compound of light and water magic. You might think that its unfair, but let me tell you this, that’s how the world works. Is there any question?”

“I have a question” it was someone from the water mages.

“What is it?”

“About 20 years ago, the former King which is a light mage, I heard that he was the only light mage during his year of examination? How does things work when you’re the only one in your line of magic?” I am  a hundred percent definite that he was asking about my father.

“Simple, you have to fight everyone. He took the exam after everyone, to be able to continue on the second part of the exam, he has to win against everyone that lost in the first part of the exam. Then after that, he will battle against everyone who one. Simple but wearisome” my father did all that? I know he was really powerful but he did not tell me his exam experience. I never knew.

“Wow! Your father is really strong” I did not look to the wind mage that tried to talk to me.

“Yes, he was. Did you know, during the second part of the exam, he defeated everyone? He was so strong that the Knight Leader hesitated to pick the other mages after they hopelessly lost against him” What a pressure. Now I feel pressured, I better give it my all or else, father would be disappointed. Why is he so powerful anyway? It builds a high expectation of me. Since my father is that great and powerful, people would expect me to be the same. Sometimes, its burdensome to be my parents’ child.

After announcing who’s up against who, the exam master told us to warm up however we would want. We all went on our own. Some was warming up their magic and some are literally warming up, the fire mages were causing things to warm. Aiden walked towards me as I stood in the middle of the field. I was just looking at thing that I need to see. I was observing them and trying to figure way out of things.

“Hey there Miss Daughter-of-a-former-king-who-defeated-everyone-during-the-exam”

“You’re a nuisance Mister Son-of-whoever-your-parents-are. Don’t call me irritating names. Get lost!”

“Care to give me some advice Miss Brownies-and-muffins?”

“My advice for you is to stay away from me Mister Ungrateful Thief!”

“Whatever. I’ll be in a duel with your fire friend. Any tips”

“What fire friend—” I remembered that he is up against a royal mage who has fire attribute. He’s up against the coldest and ruthless-looking guy among the three.

“I don’t even know him”

“Then you wouldn’t mind if I burn him to crisp?”

“If you can. It seems to me that he is a strong fire mage.”

“Really? We’ll see about that”

“Good luck with your fight Miss”

“Hope you don’t die Mister”

“For you, I’ll live”