**Azekiel**

Why does mother always scold me?

Today, I took my first test at the Academy that is located near the center of the city. Apparently it is free to anyone that shows great potential in magic. After the incident when I killed a man with magic when he tried to abduct me, the city patrol alerted the Academy that I would be someone to look out for when I reached the proper age of 10.

I believe mother’s harsh treatment of me started around that time at the age of five. She started looking at me with worried looks as she explains that I need to have more regard for other people’s lives. And again today she practically screamed at me for no reason at all when I returned from school.

At the academy there are tests at the end of every semester to allow the students to demonstrate their mastery of the magic principles that were taught during the year they studied. The students are matched up against another student of similar skill level to test themselves. My opponent was four years older than me at 15, and was apparently top of his class in the 14-16 age group.

As the test started I prepared myself to show my mastery of the magic I was taught. I immediately put a small amount of mana into my body to allow me to react quicker to whatever the opponent decided to do. Not too much, I intend to make this a long fight so that I can show my ability and if I put too much mana into my body I will exhaust it too quickly. A strategy like that is only good if you intend to take out your opponent very fast, and it is much more risky if you do not know the strength of your foe.

I charge at the boy and engage him in hand to hand combat which I accel at. I do this first to test him much more safely than if I were to start a magical battle. It is very hard to use magic when you are constantly being pressured from a close range by an aggressive melee attacker. We each batter each other with punches and kicks, but his are unrefined and are easy to dodge or block. Mine on the other hand are crisp and in perfect form. I have put most of my study into my body and enhancements to it that can increase its power. I am very large for my age and so I am just about as tall as the boy I am fighting.

After I judge his physical attributes I back off and give him some space as I plan my attack. Then I put my hand out and fire a simple fireball, holding back so I can judge his defenses and lower his guard. He swings his hand a few feet away from the fireball and a gust of wind blows it away completely. Satisfied, I decide there is no reason to hold back any more.

I put up a mana barrier around myself to prevent most types of magic attacks from hitting me. This type of defense uses a lot of mana very quickly, but according to my teacher I have a very large pool of mana for someone my age.

I widen my stance and bend my knees as I aim both my palms at the boy and prepare my attack. With my shield up I am confident that the boy doesn’t have the ability to break through quick enough to interrupt my cast time.

I see the teachers around me widen their eyes in disbelief as they see the position I am in. But I don’t give them time to stop me as the boys legs break at his knees and he slams into the ground with the sound of two collapsing lungs and crunching bones.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The boy is dead on impact. I increased the gravity to about 150x normal in a 3 foot area around the boy. He saw my position and did not move, it's his fault. This attack is generally used to take out buildings and other fortifications in warfare. It is a much higher level technique and shows exceptional magic control along with mental capacities as it is very hard to aim on a moving target. Well the boy was standing still, so I guess that's not the case here.

After that I was escorted out of testing hall and was taken back to my cabin, where the escorts even waited outside for my mother to arrive. My mother started crying while they talked outside.

And that was when she yelled at me. I just don’t understand. What is wrong with hurting another person? We both agreed to fight each other and we were demonstrating our skills. I showed my best skill which is very hard to aim and he didn’t even try to stop me, so I feel nothing for him.

---- 2 years later ----

Azekiel was suspended for 5 days until a decision was made on what to do with the young boy. Eventually it was decided that Azekiel would be expelled. The Academy did not want to train such a powerful magician at the young age of 10, that showed signs that he may fall onto the path of darkness. Azekiel went back to his work in the fields that he had stopped when he started attending the Academy. He works long hours in the hot sun now just like his mother.

At night Azekiel reads anything he can get his hands on and trains his control of his magic. He likes to go out to the river a few miles east of his house on the outskirts of town where no one will see him.

**Azekiel**

I fire another black laser into the river and a large wave of water splashes up. Just then, I hear voices at the clearing of the forest behind me.

“Over here! Do you hear that? It sounds like magic.”

Five men on horses ride out of the forest and spot me standing near the river. One of them is wearing expensive looking clothes and the other four are wearing heavy leather armor and carry swords.

They all start to smile as I look at them.

“What’s a boy like you doing out here all by yourself?” The man in the expensive clothes asks me.

“Training.” I say calmly. “Can I help you?”

“Yes actually, you can. You’re going to be coming with us.”

Immediately I hear a rustle of grass behind me and try to turn around but it's too late.

I black out.