As Quinus was about to turn eight years old, he had a visit from the Mages Guild. The guild sent three mages to test him and Percy.

One came from the capital city, one from the north, and one from the west. Each of them was there to see if the young prince or Percy were possible candidates for becoming mages.

"Your majesty, please allow us to test these boys," the leader of the mages, a human male named Darius said to the King and Queen.

The King looked at the Queen and then looked back at Darius, "We thought you were going to come by sooner."

"Well, we had a few issues with a few of the candidates from our kingdom, Your Majesty. So we had to delay testing them. It is not my place to say. But we are here now and it would be an honor to have these two young lads take the test," Darius bowed his head and the two mages beside him followed suit.

The one mage to Darius's left was the Mage from the North and she is one of the instructors as well as the Headmaster of the Fairchild's Arcane Institute of Magic. She goes by the name, Saffron.

The mage to Darius's right was the Mage from the West and he was the head of the Mages Guild from Ironside. It's the only city that has Dwarves, and Humans living together peacefully. He's the dwarven mage who goes by the name, Hajdah.

Hajdah stepped forward and spoke, "Your Majesty, we must warn you that there's a high likelihood that neither of the boys will possibly pass the test. But it's our duty to check and make sure they do have any magical potential."

Darius looked at the Dwarf in a disapproving manner, "I'm sure his Highness will pass with flying colors, Sir."

Hajdah turned towards the human and looked up at him, "I don't want a noble threatening us just because they didn't pass. So, we should let them know what to expect."

Darius shook his head, "They are of the royal family, Sir Hajdah. They would not threaten the guild or us. And the Prince's cousin passed the test and is one of our finest Wind Mages. It's highly unlikely he'll fail. His bloodline has a history of being excellent magicians."

"What history? That Viscount is the only one who's passed the test from the royal bloodline in the past 100 years," Hajdah said while glaring up at the human.

Darius gritted his teeth while Saffron was trying to hide her laughter.

"Gentlemen, this is getting out of hand. You are supposed to be our finest Mages in all the kingdom. But you are acting like children," the King said.

Darius and Hajdah calmed down and bowed their heads, "Sorry, Your Majesty."

"I don't know, Cyndre. Our son acts more mature than these two," the Queen commented.

Cyndre smirked for a moment before regaining his composure, "Well, he isn't like other children, my dear."

"Yeah, that's because he has my wit," Rianna said with a smirk while patting her husband's shoulder. Cyndre couldn't deny how much smarter his son was compared to him when he was a similar age.

"Your Majesty, we promise that we will give the Prince every chance to see if he is a Mage. If not I'm sure he will be an amazing Maja," Saffron said with a bit of amusement in her tone.

Darius wanted to argue but he didn't want to ruin his reputation. So, he held his tongue and waited.

"Yes, and the other young lad will be given a chance too. Right, Master Darius?" Hajdah said with a smirk.

Darius nodded and sighed.

"Well, we shall summon my son and his friend. You can start with them, Master Darius. I'm sure the prince will be glad to see you," King Cyndre said.

"Ah, yes. That would be nice to finally meet him."

"I'll go and get them," Lord Brice said and quickly left the room.

***

Quinus and Percy were on the training grounds sparring against each other. Under the watchful eyes of Sir Mathew, Lady Wina, Lady Nelumbo, and Sir George.

Sir George was officially knighted a year after the assassination attempt on the prince's life. After recovering from his injuries, he went on to become one of the strongest knights in the Kingdom, after his exploits culling a few monster hordes that threatened the southern region of the kingdom.

He also was one of the stand-out knights in the battle of the Red Mountain. Where a Marn Noble was using hired bandits to attack the kingdom's towns and surrounding villages.

Sir George and Sir Mathew fought off the main bandit leader who was a half-Orc, half-human. Sir Mathew killed the Orcs while Sir George fought and slayed the bandit leader. His feats were known by many, and the King had made him one of the Knights that was stationed near the castle. Sir Mathew thought he would be a perfect candidate to be the Prince's retainer and started bringing him to Quinus's training sessions, about a year ago.

Percy and Quinus were sparring with wooden swords. Percy was using a basic sword style and was fighting defensively. While Quinus was using his usual aggressive style as he found it easier to control the flow of the battle.

Percy had improved his swordsmanship over the past few years, as he trained hard, trying to catch up to the rest of the young nobles.

Once the sparring session started Quinus would deflect Percy's sword then bash his left shoulder to push into Percy's chest so he would lose his balance and would swing his sword at him like he was chopping wood.

"Oof! Whoa! Ha!" Percy grunted as he defended himself.

"Ugh. Ha!"

Quinus tried to land a hit but Percy's defense was flawless once he regained his footing. Percy would try to counterattack but Quinus was like a bull charging in with such force that he would stop Percy's momentum and force him to go on the defensive mode waiting for the prince to make a mistake.

Percy was two years younger than Quinus but he was proving to be his equal in swordsmanship. He was a natural talent with the sword and was praised by all the knights. The Knights thought he might have a Grand Master mana vein and it was confirmed by his mother, Lady Wina. She would bring him out to the eastern forests to slay monsters in secret. She did this so her son could catch up with the Prince in order to protect him. She also secretly taught him assassin's techniques to her son. Percy didn't know that they were assassin's skills per se, but under her guidance, she taught him how to move quietly and stealthily as well as when to strike an opponent when their guard was down. She wanted him to be the Prince's shadow, while Sir Mathew wanted him to be the Prince's Shield. After two years of training, Mathew had to admit that his son was better as a rogue than as a knight. He also had the mindset of a rogue thanks to his mother's influence.

Sir Mathew was proud of his son. But he was a bit disappointed. He hoped he would be able to make his son a Knight but being a retainer to the Prince was just as good.

***

Back to the battle Percy was about to use his skill 'Fatal Rush', and would charge forward and strike rapidly. Quinus was finally forced to go on the defensive now that Percy was coming at him with an unorthodox attack which made Percy's movement more like he had cartilage instead of bones. Quinus had to step back while he blocked and dodged 15 strikes before he was able to counter-attack him.

Just as Quinus was about to hit Percy's torso. He used his skill 'Wind's Embrace' from a magical ring his mother gave him, which slowed the Prince's sword and gave Percy another opening to strike.

Quinus was able to use his mana to enhance his skill, 'Stalwart Stance' which Sir George taught him to stop the effects of Percy's skill and would go for a riposte.

*Clack! Clack!* Went the sound of the wooden swords coming in contact with each other.

'Damn! Percy has been getting better... I guess I've been getting complacent over the last year. I better end this.' Quinus thought and then shouted, "'Sword Aura'!"

Mana surged through his wooden sword and created a yellow aura that covered his blade.

Percy jumped back and got a nervous look on his face, "Oh shi-"

Before Percy could finish his sentence, Quinus swung his sword horizontally and the aura extended his sword's reach and hit him in the chest.

"AH!"

*Clack!*

The force behind the strike sent him flying. He dropped his sword as he crashed onto the dirt ground and slid a few feet before coming to a halt.

"Ow..." Percy mumbled as he lay there on the ground sweating and breathing heavily while the dust settled.

Quinus looked down at his wooden sword and smiled, "You're getting better, Percy."

"You cheated, Your Highness. You used mana to enhance your sword."

"And you use your magical ring... So, I say we are even." Quinus smirked. But the prince's victory was short-lived when he heard Sir Mathew cut in. "Your footwork needs to be quicker. And stop using such wide swings. You're not chopping down a tree," Mathew said with a frown.

Quinus stood at attention and saluted him, "Yes, sir!"

Quinus then ran over to Percy and helped him up. Percy groaned as he got back onto his feet.

"Your Highness. You are getting lazy with your form. You have become too reliant on your mana to save you." Mathew scolded.

Quinus frowned and looked at his feet, "Yes, sir. It won't happen again."

The Prince knew he was getting lazy and shouldn't be relying on his mana all the time. He needed to take this criticism to heart or he would end up dying if he was not careful.

Sir Mathew sighed, "Now, you and Percy are going to run twenty laps around the outer-"

Mathew was interrupted when Lord Brice arrived.

"My Lords and Ladies. My apologies for the interruption. But, the King and Queen have summoned you. The Mages Guild is here. They are ready to test the boys."

Mathew's eyebrows raised and Lady Nelumbo was the first to speak.

"So the Mages finally made the time to come by and see the boys. I thought they would never come."

"Well, I wonder if the boys will pass the test? It would be a shame if they no longer need to work on their swordsmanship," Wina said.

'I don't understand why being a mage means that I have to stop learning the sword. It's like their pride prevents them from using tools to help them. Why use a power drill if you can use a screw-driving, and muscle the damn thing. Sure it's possible but it uses more energy and it seems so stupid to me,' Quinus thought to himself as he put away his equipment.

Percy whispered to Quinus, "It would be so amazing if I'm a Fire Mage. Or maybe an Earth Mage."

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"I don't know Percy... I kinda like using a sword. Plus you're really good with a bow. I have no idea how you can hit bullseyes from fifty paces while running. It's like you could be an assassin or something."

Percy smiled and chuckled, "You give me too much credit, my Lord. The dummies don't move so it's simple to hit. But there's something about casting magic that seems so epic, that I wish to be one of them, my Lord."

'Christ, Percy? I know there's mana in this world, but he still was running full speed while notching an arrow before hitting the target dead center. It is amazing. Why does he think otherwise?' Quinus thought to himself as he shook his head, "Well, whatever happens, I'll be glad you're with me."

Percy grinned, "Same here, my Lord."

They walked together with the Knights and Lady Wina into the Throne room where the Mages were waiting.

***

The Mage's Guild has always been a group of scholars. They are the ones who study and research the magical arts and create new spells, and new uses for mana. There are a few Mage's Guilds spread throughout the kingdom and each of them has their own rules and traditions in hopes of making a new breakthrough in the magical arts and then they meet up in the capital once a year to exchange their findings.

The Fiafyr Kingdom's Mage's Guild was led by Grand Master Darius. He was one of the rare multi-elemental mages in all the world as he was able to control both Wind and Water. And the guild has been flourishing ever since he's been the Grand Master. Hajdah was the strongest Fire Mage in the kingdom, and he had been looking for a disciple for some time now. He's a gruff Dwarf and is known to be a bit blunt, even towards the nobility. Then there was Saffron L. Fairchild. She was one of the only few human mages to come from a noble family and was the younger sister of Baroness Ysandra Fairchild. She was the Headmaster of the Arcane Institute of Magic, and she was an accomplished Earth Mage.

There were some other people in the room, that were either a part of King Cyndre's council or a servant.

When the boys entered the room, Darius stepped forward, "Crown Prince Quinus. It's an honor to finally meet you. I am the leader of the Fiafyr's Mages Guild. We are here today to test you, to see if you have any potential of being a mage."

Quinus knew of Grand Master Darius thanks to reading about him in one of the books about the Mages Guild. He's a well-known and powerful mage who helped thwart a griffin attack that occurred about twenty years ago in the northern plains. He was also an advisor to his father when there were strange magical phenomena that couldn't be explained by the Council.

Quinus smiled, "Grand Master Darius. It is an honor to meet you, sir. But are you not going to test Percy as well? I would like him to take the test alongside me."

Darius blinked and glanced at the boy. Then back at the Prince. He was only being polite about testing this son of a knight. But he thought the prince would have left this matter alone and didn't think the prince would bring up the other boy.

"Of course, I shall. If he's a royal squire, I guess he's a prime candidate for the test as well." Darius said with a raised eyebrow.

Hajdah smirked as he liked the Prince's moxie, "Aye, lad. We'll test your friend first to see if he has what it takes."

Percy's excitement shot through the roof when the Dwarf talked about him.

"Ah, um. Thank you, Sir. I promise I'll do my best."

"Relax, young one. These tests are simple and will only take a few minutes," Saffron said.

"But remember, there's no shame in failing these tests. Having the gift of being a mage isn't something that everyone has. Do you understand?" Hajdah asked while walking closer to Percy.

Percy took a breath before nodding his head, "I understand, sir."

"Then step forward, and we'll begin," Darius said.

The four walked up to the center of the room. Hajdah looked at Percy and held out his hands palms up.

"Now lad, all you need to do is see if you can manipulate one of the four elements. If your mana can interact with these simple spells then you will have the potential of being a mage," Hajdah said with a soft tone in his voice.

"You may feel a connection with one of the elements. Don't force it, let your instincts guide you." Saffron said.

"I'll do my best, ma'am," Percy said with a nervous expression.

"Good. Now, place your hands on top of mine," Hajdah ordered and Percy followed.

Hajdah then said a chant and conjured a ball of fire no bigger than a flame from a candle and moved it closer to Percy's hands.

Percy watched and tried to focus his mana into his hands. He so wanted to be a fire mage like in the history books, that Quinus read to him.

"Alright, lad. Channel your mana and let's see if you have the gift with flame," Hajdah said with his deep Dwarven accent.

"Okay, Sir," Percy said and closed his eyes.

The flames moved closer and Percy could feel the heat from the fire as it warmed his hands. And just when he thought he had it, the heat left and the flame died.

"Sorry, lad. No luck," Hajdah said as he withdrew his hands and the flame disappeared.

Percy sighed, "I'm sorry. I thought I could feel the connection but... I failed."

"It's not because you lack mana, young one. It's just luck. Here let's see if you have the gift of earth," Saffron said with a comforting tone as she walked towards him.

Percy smiled and nodded his head.

"Good. Now, close your eyes and relax," Saffron said as she conjured a ball of earth no bigger than a pebble and hovered it next to his hands.

"Focus your mana. Feel the connection between you and the earth," Saffron coached.

Percy relaxed his shoulders and tried to feel the earth. Saffron cut off her mana to see if Percy could connect with the spell. But the spell died a few seconds later from her mana expiring and Saffron gave him a sad smile.

"The earth hasn't chosen you, Percy."

"Thank you for the opportunity, ma'am. I am honored to be considered." Percy bowed.

"It's quite alright, young one. We'll go through the water, then wind elements." Saffron said.

"Alright. I'll give these two a chance," Percy said in a disheartened tone because he didn't care for water or wind.

Darius took over the next test and he was using his 'Water Manipulation' spell to show Percy the water. He hovered a ball of water in front of him and instructed him to channel his mana. Again Percy failed this test as well as the wind test.

"Sorry boy, you are just a Maja. Now, shall we test the prince?" Darius asked as he brushed off Percy like he wasn't worthy of his time.

'Who the fuck does this guy think he is?' Quinus thought as he gave a side glare to Darius. 'I'll deal with him later. I need to comfort Percy first.'

Quinus was standing there next to his mother and he could tell his friend was down about the results. "It's okay Percy. I probably won't pass these tests either."

Percy didn't say anything but he gave Quinus a nod.

"Don't say such nonsense, your Highness. You have at least an Elite-level mana vein, Maybe even a Demi-god-leveled vein. You will pass the test. You are destined for great things, and you must not worry about this boy. Now, stand there, and I'll conduct the test," Darius ordered as he stepped in front of him.

'Does this guy think that I'm a fucking child? I mean I am in this child's body but who does he think he is? He has no right to talk to me like that,' Quinus thought with a frown.

The Queen stepped forward, "Excuse me, Grand Master. I believe my son wishes to see if he's a Fire or Earth Mage first."

"Well, if he wishes to try those elements first, I guess I can humor him," Darius said.

'This guy is getting worse by the second. If he keeps this up I'll have to deal with him... But for now, I will try my best,' Quinus thought and stood there with his hands open in front of the dwarf mage.

Hajdah walked closer and looked up at him, "Alright, Prince. You ready?"

Quinus nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Alright, let's see if you're a fire mage."

Quinus failed the test.

Hajdah was expecting to see the Prince throw a fit. But to his surprise, Quinus just shrugged. "I guess it's not in the cards for me to be a fire mage."

Hajdah's eyebrows shot up. He's never seen a noble take rejection so well. "It's a shame, your Highness. Better luck with your other elements."

Quinus smiled, "Thanks, sir. Let's get this over with."

Quinus tried Earth and failed.

"Welp, thanks for giving me a chance, Lady Saffron... I guess I have two more to go."

Saffron had a pleasant expression as she smiled and nodded her head.

Darius had a happy expression. He was hoping that the Prince wasn't in tune with fire or earth because he wouldn't get the chance to train him and he was hoping he could get an exclusive contract with the Prince. If Quinus was as powerful as the rumors say he is then he is the perfect candidate for him to mentor and he could have him test out spells that he doesn't have enough mana to perform.

'What's up with that asshole's face? I feel like he's looking at me like I'm a piece of meat. Does he not care about what I want?'

"Your Highness, just relax and concentrate," Darius said.

And to his dismay, the water spell expired a few seconds later.

"That was quick," Quinus said as the water evaporated.

Darius brushed it off and moved on to the last test. "Don't worry about it, Your Highness. The odds are that you are going to be a wind mage like your cousin Marcus. So, don't get discouraged."

'Pfft! Like I care that Marcus is a wind mage. I don't want to be near that two-faced prick after that crap he pulled five months ago.'

"If you say so. But, what are the odds of that happening? What kind of percentages are we talking about here? Because I've been doing the math in my head and I believe I have a 1% chance of being a wind mage. Am I right?" Quinus asked.

Darius's lips curved downward, "No. You have to have a higher chance of being a wind mage. Just really try this time, Your Highness."

Quinus raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "So you are saying that I wasn't trying the first three times?"

"I'm saying that you can't get discouraged, Your Highness," Darius said in frustration.

This didn't go unnoticed. Everyone in the throne room looked at Darius in surprise.

'Oh, that's some bullshit if I've ever heard it. He seems more desperate for me to become a mage than myself. I don't know if I really want to become one at this rate.'

Quinus took a breath and calmed himself down, "Whatever, can we just do this test and get this over with."

"Alright, Your Highness. Just focus on the wind element," Darius said as he conjured a small ball of wind in front of Quinus.

The Prince channeled his mana and tried to connect with the wind ball. But he never felt any connection with it.

"Are you channeling your mana?" Darius asked.

"Yes. But I don't feel the connection," Quinus replied back.

"Just relax, and concentrate," Darius instructed and tried to ignore the Prince's response.

A minute went by, "Are you sure you know how to channel your mana? I mean, do you even care about becoming a mage?" Darius asked with an impatient tone.

The King and Queen took offense as well as the rest of the court. Hajdah and Saffron didn't know what was wrong with Darius.

"That's a bold statement, Grand Master Darius. What would make you say something like that?" Cyndre asked with an edge in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. But it seems like he's too young to understand how serious this is," Darius explained.

'Okay, I'm starting to hate this guy.' Quinus thought as he decided to grab Darius's right hand with his then in an instant Quinus channeled his mana through the mage's body.

"What the-" Darius's eyes widened.

"You know, Grand Master. You keep saying that I'm not taking this seriously. But I feel like you aren't taking me seriously either," Quinus said as he continued to channel his mana into the mage to make a point.

Darius was able to counter Quinus's mana just by the fact that his vein was bigger due to all the monsters he slayed over the decades, but he was struggling to push back the Prince's mana and he was feeling the pain up to his bicep.

"Ah! What the!? Argh! Y-You dare- Agh! H-How can this be!?" Darius shouted in pain as he slowly pushed back Quinus's mana past his elbow.

Darius couldn't believe that he was struggling to keep his arm from being broken. While Quinus was starting to understand what Sir Mathew meant by this technique only working on those with weaker mana veins.

"What are you doing?" Darius shouted.

Quinus smirked, "Oh, I just wanted to say that I appreciate your time... But I'm fine with being a Maja. So, don't question my efforts, Grand Master Darius."

With one last push, Darius was able to repel Quinus's mana from his body and staggered back a couple of steps.

"You—You are just a damn Maja and you won't amount to anything," Darius said in anger as he clutched his throbbing right arm.

"And you are an asshole. But it seems that we have to deal with what we have," Quinus quipped back and the rest of the throne room chuckled

"I'm not the one who wasn't giving you a chance—"

"Darius!" Saffron snapped.

The Grand Master's eyes widened, and he looked at her and saw Hajdah shaking his head.

"How dare you say such things to a member of the Royal Family. Apologize!"

Darius clenched his jaw and gave Quinus a cold stare. He turned to the King and apologized, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my disrespect."

The King gave him a cold look, "Apology accepted. But know this, if you say something like that again, I will not be as forgiving."

'What the fuck? Is he only going to apologize to my father?' Quinus thought with an annoyed expression.

"Well, your Highness. It looks like you won't be able to be a mage. It's a shame, you have a high potential," Saffron said with a smile and a sympathetic look.

Hajdah threw a verbal jab at Darius, "And here I was worried about the young lad making a big stink. But, I think I have to give the Prince his props."

"That's enough... We must leave now. Goodbye, your Majesty. Goodbye, your Highness," Darius said and walked out the door in a huff.

Saffron followed suit and bowed to the royal family. At the same time, the dwarf gave Quinus a nod of respect before leaving the throne room.

"Well, that was something else, huh, son?" Cyndre said with a smile.

"Indeed, father. I'm glad that it's over."

"I don't understand why he was acting like that. That was quite disrespectful. Especially to a member of the Royal Family," the Queen said.

"I don't know if this will justify things. But I've heard that Grand Master Darius has been seeking an apprentice. Maybe he was putting all his hopes into His Highness," Lord Brice explained.

"Well, I don't want to be a mage if it means I'm going to have him as my master," Quinus said with an upset look.

"Agreed, son. I don't think anyone would want him," Cyndre said. "Anyway we should wrap up and have dinner."

Everyone nodded their heads and began to disperse from the throne room. Quinus and Percy went to clean up and get ready for dinner.