The sun of Exilia was now high, filtering through the colossal canopies of the trees like swords of golden light cleaving the morning mist. Hayjin and Zhilian walked along a path lined with giant ferns that glowed with a bluish luminescence, a natural residue of the mana that permeated that area of the forest. The silence was broken only by the metallic rustle of leaves and the rhythmic sound of their steps on the carpet of pine needles.
Hayjin proceeded with his hands deep in his pockets, observing the princess from the corner of his eye. His mind, accustomed to the rigid academic structures of London, was trying to process the fragmentary information he had received about magic. For him, knowledge had always been linked to titles, degrees, and scientific publications. Discovering that even in this "wild" world there existed a bureaucracy of power fascinated him and, at the same time, unsettled him.
"So, Zhilian," Hayjin began, breaking the silence. "Explain this license business to me better. Wren talked about it as if it were a game, but you seem to consider it a matter of life or death. How exactly does the World Association of Mages work? Isn't knowing how to throw a fireball enough to be called a mage?"
Zhilian stopped for a moment, brushing aside a flowering branch with an elegant gesture of her hand. She turned toward him, and the morning light accentuated the seriousness of her regal profile.
"If only it were that simple, Hayjin. Knowing how to manipulate mana is only the beginning. The Association license is what separates an amateur from a professional, a protected citizen from a living weapon of the State. To even consider the idea of taking the Association exam, you must first complete the mandatory training path: the three years of the Magic Academy."
They walked on as Zhilian went into technical detail, a subject she seemed to know inside out.
"The first year of the Academy serves to stabilize the core. The second to define elemental affinity. The third is dedicated to combat and magical ethics. Only after passing the final exam of the third year do you obtain your Academic Diploma. But beware: that diploma only allows you to use magic within the walls of your city or for civil purposes. It's a local license, so to speak."
Hayjin nodded, visualizing the structure. "So the Academy is like a bachelor's degree. But to become a 'professional,' you need state certification."
"Exactly," Zhilian continued, her amber eyes glowing with an intense light. "Once you have obtained the Academy diploma, you have the right to enroll in the World Association Exam. This is where things get brutal. The Association belongs to no kingdom; it is a neutral entity that governs the magical flow throughout the entire planet of Alius. Every year the exam changes radically. One time it might be a survival test in a magical desert, the next year a duel against arcane constructs or the resolution of riddles that would drive a sage mad. You never know what awaits you. It can be a formality for a prodigy, or a lethal nightmare for those who aren't prepared."
They stopped in front of a clearing where the air seemed thinner. Zhilian sat on a protruding root, inviting Hayjin to do the same.
"The fundamental point, Hayjin, is the Rank. Once you pass the exam, the Association assigns you a license based on your performance. Ranks go from F, the lowest, up to S, the pinnacle of human power."
Hayjin arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess. If you get Rank F, you spend your life lighting streetlamps?"
Zhilian chuckled bitterly. "Almost. With a Rank F or E license, the missions you can accept are ridiculous. Looking for lost cats, irrigating fields during a drought, cleaning basements infested by low-level magic parasites. Nonsense. Stupid stuff that brings neither honor nor real profit. But if you move up... if you get a Rank C or B, you start escorting caravans through wild lands or hunting magical beasts."
"And Rank A?" Hayjin asked, feeling a strange excitement growing in his chest.
"Rank A is for veterans. Their missions are dangerous, often lethal. Infiltrations into enemy territories, suppression of dark magic outbreaks, exploration of forgotten ruins. They are the ones who uphold the order of Exilia. But I…" Zhilian clenched her fists, her voice becoming firm and vibrant. "I will not settle. I want to obtain Rank S immediately. On my first exam. I want my license to declare to the world that the Princess of Opes is a sovereign force without equal."
Hayjin looked at her with a mix of skepticism and admiration. "Rank S on the first try? Doesn't that seem a bit too complicated, or perhaps arrogant? From what you say, it sounds like a hierarchy designed to require years of experience. It seems absurd that the system allows a debutante to skip all the steps."
"It is almost impossible, but not forbidden," she retorted. "The Association rewards pure power and absolute competence. If you prove you are worth as much as an army, they will give you Rank S even if you are twelve years old. But you're right, it's an immense burden."
Hayjin scratched the back of his neck, pensive. "And if someone fails? Or rather, if someone gets a low rank and then improves? Once you get the license, are you branded with that rank forever? It seems like a life sentence if you start poorly."
Zhilian shook her head, her black hair swaying like silk. "No, fortunately not. This is where the system gets interesting. You can retake the Association exam whenever you want, or participate in specific advancement exams. If a Rank D mage consistently proves they can handle Rank B missions, the Association invites them to a promotion trial. It's a path of continuous growth. You can always increase your rank, improve your license, and access ever darker and more profitable secrets and missions."
She stood up, stretching with an elegance that highlighted her determination. "You see, Hayjin, the world beyond Exilia is vast and ruthless. Without a high-rank license, you are just fodder. I want to be the one who wields the sword, not the one who is protected. I want the freedom to fly beyond this continent and see what truly lies in the Lands beyond Exilia."
Hayjin remained silent, watching her. That structure Academy, License, Ranks, Missions painfully reminded him of the academic world he had left behind: Degree, Certification, Career, Research. But here, failure didn't just mean a ruined career; it meant death in a God-forgotten forest or oblivion in a dirty alley.
"I understand," Hayjin finally said, standing up as well. "It's a meritocratic system based on survival. Brutal, but logical. I like it."
Zhilian smiled, a gesture that lit up her face more than any light magic. "I knew you would understand. You have a particular look... the look of one who doesn't accept being a nobody. Now, let's stop talking about bureaucracy. We have a magical affinity to find, and I don't think Rank S is obtained by sitting around chatting."
They walked toward the center of the clearing, where the mana seemed to pulse rhythmically with the heart of the forest. Hayjin felt the invisible Mark on his neck; for the first time, he didn't feel it as a curse, but as a challenge. If he had to live in this world, he wouldn't do it as a Rank F. If he had to be a mage, he would be the one who rewrote the rules of the Association.
"Alright, Princess," Hayjin said, a cynical smirk curling his lips. "Show me how to start. But know that if I end up being a Rank F, I'll blame your teaching method."
Zhilian laughed, a clear melody that chased away the lingering morning shadows. "Oh, don't worry. With me as your guide, Rank F isn't even a contemplated option."
Together, under the daylight moons of Alius, they began their first true lesson of power, while the shadow of a destiny much greater than the kingdoms of Exilia began to stretch over them.
The path that wound beyond the clearing was wrapped in an almost reverent silence, broken only by the rhythmic rustle of Zhilian's robes and Hayjin's uncertain tramping over gnarled roots. The morning light, filtered by the colossal branches, created a mosaic of gold and emerald on the ground, but the atmosphere between the two was charged with a subtle tension.
Zhilian stopped suddenly, turning toward Hayjin with an expression that oscillated between regal authority and a slight uncertainty.
"Listen, Hayjin," she began, crossing her arms over her chest. "There's a small drawback. To teach magic academically, I would need my grimoire. The exact flowcharts and rune sequences are transcribed there. Without it, guiding someone who has never manipulated mana is... complicated. It's like trying to explain the structure of a star without having an astronomical map."
Hayjin arched an eyebrow, skepticism written on his face like an open book. "Fantastic. So you're telling me that the great Princess of Opes, the future Rank S mage, doesn't know how to move without her instruction manual? Maybe we should forget it and go back to eating Elara's potatoes."
Zhilian blushed slightly, but did not let herself be rattled. "Don't be impertinent! Theory is fundamental. However, I will try to help you based on memory. Everything will be fine, you just have to trust me. First, you must concentrate your mana. Close your eyes. Put your hands forward, palms facing outward, as if you were trying to feel the heat of an invisible fire."
Hayjin snorted but complied. He closed his eyes, trying to isolate the noises of the forest. He felt the weight of his own body, the heartbeat, and that strange vibration that the invisible Mark on his neck continued to emit, though stifled by Wren's veil.
"Now," Zhilian's melodic voice continued, "don't think of formulas. Think of an element of the land of Alius. Feel its essence. The fire that burns, the water that flows, the earth that resists, or the wind that travels. Visualize it in the void of your mind and try to draw it toward the center of your chest."
Hayjin concentrated with surgical precision. His analytical mind began to scan the elemental concepts, trying to "hook" something. He felt pressure growing in his temples, a heat beginning to flow from his shoulders down his arms. It was a perfect execution of the theory she was explaining.
"Very well... I see your flow is stabilizing," Zhilian murmured, observing the small sparks of air vibrating around the boy's fingers. "Now, to manifest it physically, you must recite the trigger sequence. It's... it's…"
The silence stretched on. Hayjin opened one eye, seeing the princess with a hand on her forehead and a desperate look.
"...I don't remember it," she whispered, mortified. "I have a terrible memory for pure formulas if I don't have them written in front of me hahaha... haha... ha... I absolutely need the grimoire for specific elemental trigger instructions."
Hayjin lowered his hands, his gaze icy. "So we just wasted time. You had me do breathing exercises for nothing while I could have been sleeping at home without any problems."
"No! It's not wasted time!" she retorted, trying to recover her dignity. "The mana is already there. If I can't give you the formula, try using observation. Look at the environment around you. Don't just see—analyze. Feel how nature moves energy."
Hayjin grew annoyed. The idea of "observing nature" seemed like vague advice from a low-value meditation manual. He looked around: trees, stones, moss. He didn't see the point. What was he supposed to see? Chlorophyll photosynthesis in a magical version?
He was about to give up and return to the cabin when his eyes fell on a single silver maple leaf. It had detached from a high branch and was drifting lazily toward the ground.
Suddenly, his scientist brain took over. He stopped looking for "magic" and started looking at physics. He analyzed the rising air currents, the leaf's axis shift, the angular velocity of its rotation. He saw how the wind from the north deflected against a trunk and created a small vortex right in front of him.
There.
He concentrated like never before. As the leaf approached his range of action, Hayjin didn't think about "wanting" it to move. He thought about becoming that air current.
From his right hand, a puff was released. It wasn't an explosion, but a faint, almost imperceptible gust of wind. The leaf, which was about to touch the ground, received a sudden push and flew two meters forward, clearing a bush.
Hayjin remained motionless, not even realizing at first that he had done it.
"Uh... did something happen by any chance?"
"Hayjin!" Zhilian exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I saw it! You emitted a kinetic pulse! The leaf flew away! Do it again, right now!"
He startled, caught by surprise. "Really? I... alright, I'll try again."
He got back into position, trying to replicate the feeling from before, but this time his brain was too conscious. The spontaneity was gone, replaced by the desire to please the observer. Nothing happened. No matter how hard he tried, not even a breath of air came out.
"I don't understand... why can't I do it again?" he asked, frustrated, as the heat in his arms faded.
"Calm down, it's normal," Zhilian reassured him, though her voice betrayed a hint of concern. "You had a flicker of affinity with Air, but without constant guidance, your mana disperses again. But don't be discouraged, I saw something authentic there."
"Come on, let's try again!" said an enthusiastic Zhilian, as if she had been the one to cast the spell.
"Alright... though I don't know whether to believe you or not..." said Hayjin, still too doubtful of his abilities.
Just as they were about to resume the conversation, the forest changed its tone. The birds stopped singing and a smell of wet fur and sulfur invaded the clearing.
From the shadows between the trunks emerged six, seven, ten massive silhouettes. They were the Giant Wolves of Alius: creatures as tall as a man, with three scarlet eyes and fangs that shone with a metallic reflection. The pack began to surround them, emitting low growls that made the ground vibrate.
Immediately, the two youths spun around, realizing they were in real trouble this time.
"Uh... Zhilian! Do something or we're finished!" Hayjin shouted, instinctively backing away.
"Stay behind me!" the princess ordered. In an instant, the air of uncertainty she had shown earlier vanished. Zhilian extended her arms and her body began to emanate a white light so blinding that even the sun seemed pale in comparison.
The wolves attacked en masse. Two leaped toward them with superhuman speed, but Zhilian was faster. With a fluid movement of her hand, she fired two bolts of pure light. There were no screams, only the sound of flesh being vaporized. The wolves fell to the ground, lifeless, before even touching the earth.
Hayjin, not wanting to just watch, tried to call upon the water magic Wren had taught him. "Water Bubble!" he yelled, throwing a formless mass of liquid at a wolf that was about to flank her.
The water hit the beast's snout, but instead of stunning it, it only served to wet its fur and make it even angrier. The wolf growled, preparing to maul the boy.
"Hayjin, no!" Zhilian appeared almost instantaneously in front of him. With a palm strike, she emitted a luminous shockwave that slammed the wolf against a tree, snapping its spine instantly.
In a few seconds, the clearing was strewn with smoking carcasses. The rest of the pack, realizing that this girl was not prey but a High-Rank predator, howled in terror and fled into the depths of the forest.
"Are you alright?" Zhilian asked, extinguishing the light around her and turning toward Hayjin with her breath only slightly accelerated.
"Yes... thanks for the help," Hayjin replied, but his voice was dull. He looked at the carcasses, then at his hands. He felt a huge weight in his stomach: the weight of his own uselessness. What for her had been "child's play," for him had been a moment of pure terror where he hadn't managed to do anything but annoy a monster with a bit of water.
"Don't thank me, Hayjin. Those weren't such difficult beasts to kill for someone like me," she said, trying to be modest but unintentionally digging an even deeper furrow in the boy's morale.
"That's enough for today," Hayjin said, turning and starting to walk toward home. "I want to go back to the cabin."
"Eh... why? We still have so much to do here, we have to find your magical affinity, did you forget?" said Zhilian, surprised by Hayjin's behavior.
"Thank you, but I think that's enough for today. As soon as we get back to the cabin, we'll rest a bit until Rhaegalur comes to take you away. I've lost the urge anyway." Hayjin, though not showing it, made all his sadness about not being useful palpable.
"But... but... but..." Zhilian couldn't believe it and didn't understand the reason for his behavior.
Hayjin began walking away without her anyway, and Zhilian, though reluctant, was forced to follow him.
During the journey back, the silence was heavy. Zhilian walked a step behind him, observing the boy's slumped shoulders. She knew what he was feeling; she had seen that look many times in Academy students who couldn't keep up.
"Hayjin," she said softly, stopping him under a large weeping willow whose leaves fell like threads of blue rain. "Listen to me. I know what you're thinking and I understand why you're angry. You feel useless because you saw my light and compared it to your small water bubble or that puff of wind."
Hayjin didn't answer, staring at an indefinite point on the ground.
"It's normal to feel that way," she continued, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But remember: I spent years closed in the Academy, under the guidance of the best masters in Opes. You've been in Exilia for what? A few days? It doesn't matter if it went poorly today. It doesn't matter if you didn't manage to kill a wolf. What counts is that you tried to fight despite the fear. Magic is not just power, Hayjin; it is determination. It will go better next time, I'm certain of it. You just have to keep trying and trying, to train even harder. Even the Dragon God had to learn to fly, once."
Hayjin looked up. The sincerity in Zhilian's few words finally managed to pierce his armor of bitterness at least a little. He felt slightly better, as if at least a small weight had been lifted from his chest.
"Thanks, Zhilian," he said with a half-smile. "You're a real wonder. Not just with light, but with words too. I hope I can return the favor one day... maybe when I'm the one saving you from a pack of wolves with a hurricane."
Zhilian smiled radiantly. "I'm counting on it, Hayjin. Now let's go home. Elara will be waiting for us with potatoes and, I hope, something stronger to drink."
As they resumed their walk, Hayjin felt that his path toward magic had only just begun, and that perhaps, with teachers like those two so-different sisters, Rank S was not such a distant dream after all.