"What do you know about the Laen?" the Eldest asks.

"Nothing much. You are a group determined to protect the world from the Fasurus... And you have magic."

He nods."That is true. But that is just a small part of our true goal."

"What is your true goal?" I ask.

"I want to monopolize all the magic in the world and create an army with power the world has never seen before." He says with a mischievous smile, "How does that sound?"

For a brief moment, I am speechless. To be honest, what he just said sounded like something an evil villain would aspire to, but at the same time, there seems to be something more that he isn't saying. It almost seems like his words are a test.

"You want to monopolize magic to fight the Fasurus?" I ask.

He shakes his head."No boy. We don't just fight the Fasuru, we Laen. We fight all the evil the world has to offer, amongst other things. Now, there's something I want to ask you."

"What?"

"Do you want to join us?"

I had not expected a question like that. I hesitate for a moment, then slowly nod my head, wondering if I am doing the right thing.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asks with an unexpected intensity. "The Laen life is one full of danger and hardship, and it is not something you can easily abandon once you join. If you want, I can send you home and make you forget all this ever happened, you can go back to your normal happy life with no memory of what has happened. Is this really what you want?"

For a moment I am terrified by the way he spoke. Are things really that bad as a Laen, would I be risking my life by joining them? Unconsciously, I glance towards where Drew was standing, frozen. And I begin to think.

If things were as bad as the Eldest said, would he be so happy? I remember the day I saw him with his group, all of them smiling, joking with each other, and happy. If things were so bad, there's no way he could be so happy. Sure, I might have to put myself at risk when fighting Fasurus like Drew and his team when they fought 'Taur, but I will probably do it with a team who will watch my back. This is probably another test. But strangely I feel as if the Eldest is giving me a final chance to escape from something.

I turn to the Eldest and, hoping I am doing the right thing, nod. For the briefest of seconds, an expression of profound sorrow appears on his face, then it is gone.

The next thing I know I am standing in the middle of a large room, surrounded by the Masters and with the Eldest in front of me. On the ground is a strange symbol, which I am standing in the center of, in which strange characters are inscribed. At each edge of the symbols float glowing blue orbs.

I try to remember what happened to me before I came here, but my memory is nothing but a haze.

"Let's get started," the Eldest says a solemn look on his face."Kneel."

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I do so slowly. After that, he walks up to me and tells me to close my eyes. He then proceed to put two fingers on my closed eyes and one hand on my chest.

I am beginning to wonder what is meant to happen when I feel it. A strange kind of heat flowed from his fingers and hand to my eyes and chest. Strangely, while the heat flows easily through my eyes, the one in my chest seems to reach a barrier.

The energies gather around the barrier in my chest and pressure it gently. While the barrier is stiff, it still bends a little, though that is not enough. The heat retreats and keeps on gathering, slowly building up power.

When the heat has built up formidable power it gathers again around the barrier. Once again, it pushes against the barrier, still, it doesn't seem to be enough. The heat doesn't relent, slowly increasing its power as it presses against the barrier. It does so until it cannot push the barrier anymore.

The heat relents, retreating from the barrier, and then, unleashing power I hadn't known it had, slams against the barrier.

I let out a gasp of pain as the barrier shattered. My heart constricts painfully as my eyes roll up the back of my head, my consciousness becoming hazy.

Before I lose consciousness, the heat flows through me, calming my heart, returning my consciousness, and rebuilding the barrier.

The pain fades as once again the heat pushes against the barrier. The barrier once again resists, though it is weaker than before.

I wonder what the Eldest is going to do when again my chest explodes in pain as the heat destroys it. Once again the heat stops me from going unconscious, calms my heart, relieves the pain, and rebuilds.

The process repeats itself again and again until I slowly find myself fearfully anticipating the pain, wishing I had said no when asked if I truly wanted to join the Laen. Some part of me wonders if all the members of the Laen have to undergo this, and why Drew didn't warn me about this.

It takes some time, but I realize the pain is becoming less and less. There are also some changes in the barrier, which has become far more flexible than before, and strangely porous. Absorbing some of the heat each time the Eldest tries to break it. Each time it absorbs the heat I feel myself grow a little stronger and the pain lessens. It gives me a euphoric feeling that I begin to crave. Without thinking, I try to take in more of the heat, opening myself up to it.

The barrier becomes something of a black hole, swallowing up the Eldest's heat before extending to my surroundings, attracting the heat in them. As the energies flow into me, the euphoria grows stronger and stronger and a smile forms on my lips.

Suddenly, the Eldest takes back his hands and energy, leaving me gasping. The barrier continues to absorb the energy around me, but it is not as satisfying as the Eldest's rich energy.

My eyes snap open and for the first time in my life, I truly see. The sign below me is pulsing with light, the air around me seems alive but all that is nothing compared to the Masters and the Eldest. The Masters are surrounded by flames of power, their eyes glowing and releasing the power that mixes with the flames around them. Each of them looks regal as they stand there, exuding power like no other. But their flames are nothing to the Eldest's sun. He is surrounded by power so bright I cannot even see him behind it.

I stare at him reverently as his magic pulses with life and one word comes out of my awed self. "Beautiful!"

That is the last thing I say before I lose consciousness.

* * * * * *

Eldest

The boy lies sprawled on the ground, where he passed out, overwhelmed by the amount of power he had been absorbing. The first thing we will probably need to teach him will be to not be so greedy when absorbing magic. If I hadn't withdrawn my magic in time while he was greedily absorbing it, things could have been worse. Thankfully nothing too bad happened.

"We've really caught a big one haven't we?" Zarel says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "He doesn't even know when he's had enough."

I shoot him a look and he shuts up. I haven't forgotten his disobedience yet. Of all the Masters, he is the only one who willfully disobeys me whenever I do something he doesn't like, never-minding if it's the right thing. Sometimes I wonder why I ever chose him, and other times I am glad I did. But this time I can't just let him go, there are some things that are not supposed to be done.

With barely a thought, Ian begins to float beside me. I wave my hand and the air around us ripples, blurring the surrounding world. When it clears we are back in the Master's Hall where Drew is waiting for us.

I smile fondly at the boy as we appear and he bows to me. I have grown attached to him over these years and he likewise has proven himself time and time again.

"Your task is complete," I say to him."I am truly thankful for that, but you are still going to be punished."

He nods in understanding. I can tell he harbors no ill feelings and that soothes the part of me that assumed he would hate me for it.

"Take the boy home, and give this to Master Charles and Master Tare. The boy will begin his training tomorrow." I say handing Drew two letters I had pre-written.

He frowns, looking confused."Why can't he start with the rest?"

"Someone like Ian won't be able to control himself. Can you tell why he passed out?"

Drew studies him for a moment, then he says sounding amused, "He absorbed too much magic."

"Good, now what do you think he's going to do when he wakes up knowing he has magic?"

Drew's eyes widen in realization."He's going to try to use it."

I nod at him."The best way to protect people like him will be to teach them how not to hurt themselves. Besides, waiting for school to start will give the others too much of an edge over him, it's bad enough that he'll be the oldest there not to talk of them being much stronger than him."

He nods, doubts assuaged, and motions for Ian. I release Ian to him and he takes him out of the room.

With Drew gone my expression hardens as I get ready for what comes next.

I turn to Zarel.