Arran awoke before dawn, his body stiff from sleeping on the cold grass. There had been an inn a few miles back, but three months of travel had drained most of the coin he had inherited from his father. Now, spending several coppers for a warm bed seemed like a luxury he could ill afford.Yet despite his sore body, this morning found Arran filled with excitement. Today, after three months, he would finally arrive in Fulai City. Today, he would finally have a chance to join the Academy and become a mage.When the first light of dawn appeared Arran broke camp in a hurry, eating a tough hunk of stale bread as he packed his bag. After months of travel the time to eat breakfast properly would not make much of a difference, but with the end of his journey in sight, his patience had long since worn thin.Heart filled with excitement, he set off.By late morning the cottages and farms along the road grew more frequent, and Arran knew he must be nearing the city. Each new hill he climbed saw h

Arran sat in the common room of the Blue Angel, playing a game of stones with one of the girls, a cute brunette with a freckled face."I win again," she said with a giggle.He handed her a copper. "Another game?" he asked, and she nodded eagerly. Few of the girls at the Blue Angel would object to earning an easy copper or two.The first day he had spent in his room, afraid that being seen would allow the Academy to find him more easily. Caught between fear and boredom, he had spent the day filled with fear and worry, and before long the small room had felt like a prison cell.Eventually, boredom had won out over fear, and he had headed down to the common room of the inn.The next few days he had spent playing games of stones and cards with the girls. He lost all but a few of the games, but he welcomed the distraction — not having to think about the danger he was in was easily worth a few handfuls of coppers.It had been three days since his visit to the Academy, and Master Zhao had st

Arran suppressed a yawn as he walked.He had barely slept a wink the previous night, instead lying awake as he thought about the many things Master Zhao had told him. When he fell asleep it was near dawn, and true to his word, Master Zhao had come knocking on his door right at the break of dawn, once more wearing the disguise of Arran's 'uncle' Derrin.Somewhere, the man had acquired a large cart drawn by two horses, filled with who-knows-what. Not long after sunrise they had left, Master Zhao riding the cart while Arran walked beside it.He cast an annoyed glance at Master Zhao. When he had asked if he could ride on the cart instead of having to walk next to it, the man had refused, telling him that physical exercise was crucial to being a mage.Apparently, that did not extend to Master Zhao himself. Comfortably sitting in the driver's seat of the cart, he showed no sign of wanting to trade places with Arran."How much farther before we rest to eat?" Arran asked. It was near midday,

Several days had gone by since their encounter with the bandits, and despite his earlier words, Master Zhao had still not begun teaching Arran magic.Each time he asked Master Zhao when they would begin training, the answer was the same: "Soon."After a week, Arran was beginning to lose hope.Then, one morning, as Arran was starting his morning practice with the sword, Master Zhao unexpectedly stopped him."Not today," the man said. "Today, you set your first step on the path to becoming a mage"Arran immediately felt an eager grin appear on his face. "When do we start?" he asked, barely able to contain his excitement."Right now," Master Zhao answered. He produced two scrolls from his robe, which he handed them over to Arran. "First, study these."Arran sat down, then picked one of the scrolls and unrolled it.Immediately, his face went sour. The scroll was filled with writing, but it used peculiar symbols he had never seen before."I don't know how to read this," he said. He half ex

Arran stifled a yawn. He had not slept at all the previous night, instead practicing his use of Fire Essence until the break of dawn.By now he could form a flame in his hand almost instantly, and each time he did, a big grin appeared on his face.To Arran's surprise, Master Zhao did not chastise him for his overeagerness. Instead, he merely looked on in approval."The more you practice your magic, the stronger you will get," Master Zhao had said, and Arran was only too happy to follow the man's advice.Halfway through the morning, Arran was once more waiting for his Fire Essence to replenish. As he walked beside the cart, he looked at their surroundings.It had been several days since he had last seen any sign of other people, and not a single farm or cottage could be seen amid the low hills that surrounded them.Arran did not know which part of the Empire they were in — nor, truth be told, did he know what parts the Empire even had — but it was clear that this region was more sparse