"I'm finally here." After walking for over an hour, he had arrived. "My new beginning starts here. I will get the power to not let destiny decide for me anymore." Rayen looked at the city of Reius. It was a walled city, with walls that reached 5 meters of height. The ground and lower half of the walls were covered with large spikes. On top of the walls, there was a metal roof, with slit windows that allowed the mages and archers to fire. The idea was that the beasts will have trouble closing in because of the spikes, during that time, the mages will bombard them with powerful spells, while being protected from flying beasts by the metal roof. Of course, if a powerful enough beast came, it wouldn't be that useful, but you didn't see those often. The fact that the city was still standing after many beast attacks, wars and invasions was proof of how powerful it was.

Rayen walked the path where there were no spikes. It led to a huge door. It was open, like always during day. Since he didn't live there, he had to give the guards one small crystal to pass. There was another huge door, just like this one, at the other side of the city. Normal beasts weren't intelligent enough to attack both at the same time, so if worse came to happen, they could always escape.

The mage initiation test was at the main plaza, but he first went to the shopping area. There was a shop with many elegant clothes. He came many times before and looked from the outside. Always thinking that some day, he will buy clothes from here. Now was the day.

Rayen went into the clothes shop. He looked at one, then the next. Their prices were between 100 and 300 small crystals.

A blue haired woman approached him, looking at him with disgust. "We don't accept beggars here, kid."

"I'm not a beggar. I came to buy clothes."

"Really? Where are you parents?"

"... Dead."

The woman sighed. "This isn't charity, kid. The clothes are expensive."

"I have the money..."

The woman made a signal. "Show it."

Rayen took out six crystals worth fifty small crystals each.

"Who did you steal it from?"

"No one. They're mine."

Two city guards appeared at the entrance and looked at Rayen.

"This guy is a thief," the woman said. "There is no way a beggar kid can have that much money on him otherwise."

"I didn't steal anything."

"You will have to come with us..."

Rayen stepped back. 'I should go with them and solve it... No, I have to change. I cannot let destiny decide. If I go with them, I may miss the last day of the test. I won't let them. I can't let anyone get in my way. I have to escape.' Rayen touched the hilt of the dagger hidden in his clothes.

"He is telling the truth." A tall old man with silver hair appeared. He had an uniform of the Astradid kingdom with a silver and red claw badge.

'The Claw attacks, the Shell protects, the Light sees, the Darkness kills.' Claw, one of the four organizations of the Astradid kingdom, was in control of the kingdom's army. It always attacked openly. Its members were the only ones who always showed their badges. It was their pride to have their badges on. Shell sometimes showed them as well. While Darkness and Light never showed them to anyone.

"Do you have a report of a kid stealing?"

"There is a thief kid, but..." One guard said.

The other guard completed the phrase. "The descriptions don't match and he stole an item, not money."

"See, it's not him. Come with me, kid." The old man said.

Rayen went with him, he had just saved him, so he trusted him.

"Are you retarded?" He slapped him on the back of his head. "If you took out the dagger, your head will be flying one second later."

"If I went with them, I wouldn't been able to get into the mage initiation test on time."

"If you are dead you can't go either."

"I may not be able to defeat them, but I can escape."

"If you escaped, do you think they will let you take the test with all the guards behind you?"

"I... I wasn't thinking that far ahead."

"You really are retarded. Anyway, that store is no good. You want to be a mage, right?"

"Are you retarded? What other reason could I have to go to the mage initiation test?"

He slapped him again. "If you want to be a mage, then buy mage clothes, not clothes for nobles. They look nice, but are useless. Understand?"

"Yes." Rayen nodded.

"Do you know what mage clothes are?"

"... No."

The old man put his hand on his face. "Here we are."

They stopped in front of a shop that was falling apart. Its sign was broken, it read 'Smiling Turtle'. There was a broken statue of a tortoise on the ground.

"That's a tortoise, not a turtle." Rayen said.

The old man slapped him again. "This is the only good store in all the city."

"It looks like home... Uh? There's even a corpse here."

The old man kicked the corpse. "Hey, wake up."

The corpse got up. "What do you want?"

"I've brought you a client."

"Waah. The corpse talked."

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"I'm not yet a corpse." He cracked his neck. "A claw? The client you bring me is a beggar?"

"I'm not a beggar."

"Okay, okay. And? What do you want?"

"Mage clothes."

The guy observed Rayen for a few seconds and took out a set of clothes from a bag. They looked like ordinary clothes. "This one is 500 small crystals. It's the only one I have at your size."

"What? That's a scam."

"Scam? It's a bargain. It's only at that price because it's used."

"If it's so good, why did the previous owner sold it?"

"He didn't sold it. He thought he could fight a darazy alone. Hahaha."

"What's a darazy?"

"You don't know the name of beasts?"

"Some." Very few of the Elder's books had descriptions of beasts, much less their names.

"I have this bestiary. 200 small crystals. And this map of the kingdom. 100 small crystals." The guy took out a book and a map.

"What about 600 crystals for all three?"

"No."

"700?"

"If you aren't going to buy anything, leave."

"Fine..." Rayen took out a golden crystal.

"Thanks." He smiled as he took it and gave him his change. "Now leave. I'm busy." He threw himself on the floor.

"What makes these clothes so special?" They looked common to Rayen.

"They have a small cut resistance and they're easy to clean."

"So it was a scam."

"You don't know anything kid. Easy to clean is by far the most important property on clothing."

"How so?"

"If the clothes you have right now were easy to clean, you could clean all that blood in a second and wouldn't need to buy a new one."

"That makes sense, but they look bad. The other shop had much better clothes."

"How stupid can you get... If you wear something fancy, you are asking to be robbed. And kid, remember to always reject lower academies. No matter what they offer you."

"I know. I'm not an idiot."

"Whatever you say, mister ICanEscapeFromAllTheGuardsOnTheCity. I have things to do. Goodbye and good luck." He left.

"I'm not dumb." Rayen said while alone. "The Elder told me I was the most intelligent kid on the village... Well, it was only Takuya and me."

There was a big tent with a magic symbol drawn on it in the middle of the plaza.

"Everything will be decided here..." Rayen entered.

A dozen academy professors were waiting for the results. Some more eager than others. The ground had hundreds of strange symbols forming a magic formation. Rayen was fascinated by them and tried to memorize as many of them as possible.

"Hello boy. Arriving at the last minute, eh?"

"Sorry."

"Are you twelve?"

"Yes."

"Step on the circle."

*Pzzt* Once he put a step in, a green light shined from the formation and covered his body. Rayen felt some energy flowing inside his veins, but those weren't his veins, and that wasn't his power. He could feel an energy on the air. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the feeling.

"Magic capability... six." The mage said.

Rayen smiled. A six wasn't that bad. He could get into a good academy. Ten would've been ideal. In the legends people got eleven and sometimes even twelve, but realistically, ten was the highest.

Once they heard the results, seven of the academy professors got up. Five of them were really desperate, while two were calm.

"Son, come join us, Three Skeletons Academy, the fee is only 200 small crystals."

"No, no, join us! The Dark Cat Academy, only 100 per month, and 50 for the inscription."

The two calmer ones spoke first.

"I... My academy's fee is only 20 small crystals!"

"Don't listen to them! I will give you a special offer, just 10 crystals, come come."

"No no, join us. It's... free. Yes, free."

"I-If you join us... Not only it will be free, I will give you a hat!"

"I will give you two hats!" Another one tried to up him.

"Tsk. Fine, I've decided. I will make you the academy's director personal disciple!"

"Three hats. I will give you three hats!"

Clearly, those five were from lower academies. Such offers were too weird and suspicious. They didn't even want to say the name of their academies.

"I will join the Dark Cat Academy." Rayen moved closer to the Dark Cat representative. Three Skeletons sounded too creepy.

"Wait... Five hats then!!!"

"Come." The professor smiled and put an emblem of a black cat on Rayen's chest.

"Seven hats!!!"

After receiving the money and filling a form, the professor took Rayen to the third floor of a big inn. There were a lot of people there, all of them from the many academies that were recruiting. He looked around and saw a group with the cat emblem. They were three girls and two guys.

"Come." The professor went to the group. Everyone was doing their own thing and not paying attention. He snapped his fingers. Rayen and all those with the cat emblem instantly turned to look at him. It was strange, as if they must do it. Yet, it only affected those with the cat emblem, and not the others around. "He is the last member. He will share the room with Yune."

"Hi, nice to meet you." A little girl with glasses said.

"Tsk." Another girl touched her. "I will change rooms with you. I cannot let you be alone with a guy." She looked at Rayen as if she wanted to skin him alive.

'Hey, I didn't choose this either.' Rayen thought.

Electricity run through her hand. "Ahhh!" She quickly removed it.

"You cannot change rooms without my permission, and no, I won't give you my permission. Next time you want something, talk to me first." The professor said and left.

"You, what's your name?" She glared at Rayen.

"I'm Rayen. I come from..."

"It doesn't matter where you come from. I'm Saya and I will remember your name. Don't you dare do anything to Yune. Do you hear me?" She kept glaring at Rayen while she took the third girl from her clothes and dragged her to their room.

"Hiiii, I'm Kris." The girl waved while being dragged. "See you later." Saya threw her inside and shut the door.

"Name Stone." A muscular guy that must be 18 years old said.

'I thought only 12 years old were allowed. He must be an awakened.'

"Your celestial eyes illuminate my harsh path." A blond guy with obviously expensive clothes said. He was the last one of the group. "The privilege of viewing your outworldly face is the whole reason for which I breathe and feed myself each day."

"Uh... Thanks?"

"I wasn't talking to you, you filthy beast." He jealously glared at Rayen and got in the middle of him and Yune. "It's such a terrible, dreadful thing that destiny didn't allow us to sleep close to one another, but I'm sure our fate will adjust at how it has to be once we reach the academy."

'Using elegant clothes... Tsk, tsk, tsk. You must be retarded. Hum.' Rayen nodded.

"Time sleep." Stone said as he entered his room.

"I need to retire myself, my princess. I can't wait for tomorrow to bathe upon the light of your presence once again. I will contemplate your glorious existence in my dreams. But dreams are just illusions that will never match your unparalleled beauty." He smiled and winked. Then he went behind Stone.

"He's Vesh," Yune said. "Just ignore him." They went to their room.

"Please, forgive Saya," Yune said. "She was just trying to protect me, I'm sure she meant no harm."

"Don't worry, she didn't do anything bad." 'At least not yet...' "But shouldn't she worry more about that guy? Vesh?"

"Uh? Why?"

'Didn't she notice?' "Eh... Nothing, just saying."

"Hehehe. You are weird."

'How am I weird?!' "Where do you know Saya from?"

"We are from the same village. She was always like an older sister to me."

"Aren't you two the same age?" After seeing Stone, Rayen didn't knew anymore.

"I'm actually one month older than her, but that doesn't matter, she is my older sis." She nodded.

'And then I'm the weird one...' Rayen sat crosslegged and closed his eyes. He tried to feel the energy around him, just like when the test happened.

Yune interrupted him. "Uh? What are you doing, Ray?"

'It seems I got a new nickname.' "I'm trying to feel the mana, just like I felt during the testing."

She looked baffled at Rayen, then laughed. "Hahaha. Little Ray, your breathing is all wrong, and what is with that weird posture. You are really weird."

'Now I'm little Ray?' "What's weird about it? I'm just trying to remember it."

"Didn't you learn all this at home?"

"No. The Elder knows some magic, but he never taught me. He said it was dangerous and I should let the academy teach me."

"Oh, I see. It's true that you should never practice until you are at age, but you can still learn what to do and you are already at age anyway. Let me teach you." She took out a tablet with some strange carving on it. "Visualize this. Keep it in your mind. Then put your fingers like this and match your breathing with the mana around you." She put two fingers on her head and three on her stomach. She inhaled and exhaled with her eyes closed. "Got it?"

Rayen sat at her side and tried to imitate her, but he had no idea what matching his breathing meant.

She shook her head. "Well, it's okay for a weird guy, I guess..."

"It's my first time." Rayen felt observed. He looked toward the window and saw Saya hanging outside, glaring at him. She was moving her lips, but no sound could be heard. She seemed to be saying "Get away from her or I will kill you".

Making sure Yune didn't notice, he quickly closed the curtains. 'If she sees her, she may even tell her to come in... Wait, wasn't this the third floor? That girl is crazy...'

"Uh? Why are you closing the curtains?"

"Oh, there was too much... moonlight and it wasn't going to let us sleep."

"It's too soon to sleep anyway."

*Bam bam* Saya hit the window.

"What's that?"

"It must be a bird."

*Bam bam* She kept punching it.

"A very annoying bird..."