Elyndra woke up to the soft morning light streaming through the wagon’s small window. The day before had been exciting, but she knew today would be even better. The Driver had mentioned that other children would be joining her on the journey to the adventurer’s school. She was nervous but mostly excited, maybe she would make some new friends.

Quickly getting dressed, Elyndra folded her blankets neatly and stepped outside. Her heart fluttered as she saw three children already playing outside the wagon. Two boys were tossing a ball back and forth, laughing loudly, while a girl stood off to the side, watching them with a quiet smile. The boys looked like they were having a great time, running and shouting as they kicked the ball between them and at times at each other.

Elyndra hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked toward them. One of the boys noticed her immediately and ran over, his face lit up with excitement.

“Hi!” the boy said, bouncing on his feet. “I’m Aiden! That’s my brother, Dorian.” He pointed to the other boy, who waved shyly. Aiden had messy brown hair, and his clothes were a little ragged from all the running around, but he didn’t seem to care. Dorian, his brother, had the same brown hair but was quieter, holding the ball and eyeing Elyndra curiously.

“And that’s our sister, Lyra,” Aiden added, pointing to the girl standing nearby. She smiled at Elyndra, her long dark hair neatly braided, and her deep blue eyes seemed calm and observant. Unlike her brothers, her clothes were neat, and she carried herself with a quiet grace.

“I’m Elyndra,” she said with a small smile. “Are you all going to the adventurer’s school too?”

“Yeah!” Aiden said, puffing out his chest. “Dorian and I are gonna be warriors. I’m a Sword Warrior, and Dorian’s a Shield Warrior. We’re gonna be the best adventurers ever.”

Dorian stepped forward, grinning now. “We’re gonna make a team. I’ll handle all the protecting, and Aiden will run around slashing everything.”

“Wow,” Elyndra said, genuinely impressed that they even had a plan, it was more than she had done with her class. “That sounds really fun. I’m a Pebblemancer. I can use magic with pebbles and other small stones.”

“Whoa, that’s awesome!” Aiden’s eyes widened. “You can magically throw rocks at the monsters while we fight them! That’d be so cool.”

Elyndra giggled at Aiden’s enthusiasm, but she couldn’t help but notice that Lyra hadn’t said much yet. She seemed content just watching the boys talk. Curious, Elyndra turned to her. “What about you, Lyra? What’s your class?”

Lyra blushed slightly, realizing she was now part of the conversation. “I’m a Hydromancer,” she said softly, her voice calm but gaining momentum as she continued. “I can control water to attack, but it’s more than that. I can heal people with it too. I read in a book that water can be used to heal wounds, fix bruises, and even help with fevers, I just need to advance to get there.”

“Wow, you can heal people?” Elyndra asked, her eyes widening in admiration.

Lyra nodded, her cheeks still a bit pink. “Yeah, that’s why I want to get really good at it. I wanted to be a doctor before I found out I was a Hydromancer, so I figured I could learn how to heal with water magic. Plus, my brothers always get into trouble. If they’re going to be adventurers, I’ll probably have to keep fixing them up.”

Aiden laughed, nudging Dorian. “She’s probably right. Dorian’s always getting hurt.”

Dorian rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who fell out of the tree last week.”

Lyra sighed, though there was a fondness in her voice. “See? They’re always hurting themselves. That’s why I have to get really good at healing magic.”

Aiden grinned at her. “You’ll be the best water healer in the world, Lyra, no problem! You’ll keep us safe.”

Lyra’s face turned even redder, and she looked down, embarrassed. “I’ll try,” she mumbled.

Elyndra couldn’t help but admire how determined Lyra was, even if her brothers teased her. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted to do with her magic. Elyndra, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.

“What about you, Elyndra?” Dorian asked, looking at her curiously. “What do you want to do when you grow up?”

Elyndra hesitated, biting her lip. “I... I’m not really sure. I like magic, but all I know how to do is fire off pebbles right now. I don’t really know what else Pebblemancers can do, unlike Lyra and her Hydromancy.”

Aiden gave her an encouraging smile. “That’s okay! You can figure it out as we go. You can join our adventuring party when we graduate! We’ll all fight monsters together, and you can practice your magic.”

“Yeah,” Dorian added, nodding. “You don’t have to know everything right now. We’ll figure it out together at school.”

Elyndra’s heart warmed at the invitation. She had been so worried about not knowing what her future would hold, but the idea of being part of their team, even one made so suddenly, made her feel like she belonged. “I’d like that,” she said, smiling. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” Aiden said brightly. “It’ll be fun. We’re gonna be the best adventurers ever! We’ll fight monsters, find treasure, and save villages!”

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Dorian grinned at Aiden’s excitement. “And Lyra will be there to patch us up when we get hurt.”

Lyra huffed playfully, crossing her arms. “You two better not get hurt too much. I’m not a miracle worker.”

Elyndra giggled, feeling more relaxed now that they were all talking like friends. “Do you think we’ll fight dragons?” she asked, her imagination running wild.

Dorian's eyes lit up. “Oh, definitely! We’ll fight a big, scary dragon, and I’ll block its fire breath with my shield while Aiden slices it with his sword!”

Aiden nodded eagerly. “And you can throw stones at it from far away! break a few scales off for me in advance!”

Elyndra smiled at the image in her head. “Maybe I’ll learn how to control bigger stones. Like... boulders!”

“Boulders? That’d be awesome!” Aiden said, jumping up and down. “We’ll be unstoppable.”

"All right kids, time to get going, you can plot your Dragon slaying adventures in the wagon!" the Driver said, choking a laugh at how quickly kids become friends.

The kids all clambered onto the wagon, Elyndra quickly noticing that the interior space was just like it had been before the spatial magic. They all took their seats, with the boys throwing their heads out the window, eager to see the scenery outside of their town, Lyra decided to sit next to Elyndra, to avoid the balls of energy her brothers would no doubt throw her way in the long ride.

As the wagon continued down the road, the children’s imaginations ran wild with stories of what they would do at the adventurer’s school. Aiden kept talking about all the monsters they would fight, while Dorian chimed in with ideas about how they could improve their teamwork. Lyra, despite her initial shyness, began chatting more and more, offering interesting facts she’d read about different creatures and how to heal different kinds of injuries with and without water. Elyndra couldn’t believe how much Lyra knew.

“I didn’t know water could be used for all that,” Elyndra said, genuinely impressed.

Lyra blushed again but smiled. “I just like reading about medicine. And it helps when you have brothers who keep getting into trouble. You learn what works pretty fast.”

The boys laughed, but it was clear they appreciated Lyra’s knowledge, even if they teased her for it.

The wagon rolled on for what felt like hours, the conversation flowing from dragons to treasure hunts to what kind of teachers they might have at the school. Elyndra felt more at ease with every passing minute. The boys were playful and fun, while Lyra’s quiet smarts made her feel like she’d always have someone to talk to about magic.

Just as Aiden started explaining how they were going to find a secret treasure map hidden in the school’s library, the wagon slowed to a stop.

The driver turned around, smiling. “Alright, kids, time for a quick break. Stretch your legs before we head off again, we are going to make a sprint to the finish after the horses rest up, get you all to your dorm rooms for tonight.”

The four of them scrambled out of the wagon, giggling as they stretched and looked around the peaceful clearing where they had stopped. Aiden immediately started running around, challenging Dorian to a race, while Elyndra and Lyra walked more slowly, chatting quietly about the types of spells they wanted to learn.

Lyra watched her brothers run in circles, laughing and calling out to each other as they chased the ball. She sighed and turned to Elyndra, her voice a little quieter. "I’ve been thinking about a spell," she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Something really cool with water."

Elyndra’s curiosity perked up right away. "What kind of spell?"

Lyra hesitated for a moment, as if trying to picture it. "Well, you know how water can heal people, right? I was thinking… what if I could cover someone with water, like all over them, and it would heal them and keep them safe at the same time."

Elyndra’s eyes grew wide. "All the way around them? So they’re inside the water?" She threw her arms out, trying to imagine it. "That sounds awesome! It’d be soft but, like, really strong too."

Lyra nodded, excited that Elyndra understood. "Yeah! It could stop stuff from hurting them, and if they were already hurt, it would fix them up. The water could even get harder if it needed to, like when something hits it."

Elyndra thought for a moment, then her face brightened. "That’s so smart! It’s like… a water shield and a healer all in one! You could protect people and make them better at the same time!"

Lyra smiled shyly, twirling a bit of her braid between her fingers. "I just don’t know if I can do it at all, I haven't learned about Hydromancer skills much.."

"You’ll figure it out," Elyndra said, giving her a confident nod. "You’re already really good at water magic, and you’re only gonna get better. I bet there's spell for it and you'll be able to cast it!."

Lyra smiled, but before she could say more, Elyndra’s eyes lit up with a new idea. "Hey! What if I could make armor out of pebbles? Like, I could make all the little stones stick together and cover me up. It wouldn’t heal like water, but it would be super tough!"

Lyra blinked, clearly impressed. "Pebble armor? That’s so cool! You could be covered in rocks, and nothing would be able to hurt you. And if one falls off, you just stick a new pebble there."

Elyndra nodded eagerly. "Exactly! And I could still move around, 'cause the stones would follow me. I wouldn’t be stuck like a statue."

Lyra’s excitement grew as she thought about it more. "You’d be like a rock warrior! And maybe one day, we could mix our magic. I've heard there are skills for that."

Elyndra grinned wide. "Yeah! Water and Earth together? Nothing could get through that!"

Their imaginations were running wild now, bouncing ideas back and forth about what else they could do with their magic.

In the background, Aiden and Dorian were still yelling, "Come play with us!" every few minutes, but the girls barely noticed, too focused on their magical ideas.

The Driver, busy with the horses, glanced over at the children with a knowing smile. He enjoyed hearing them chatter about magic and adventures, their bright voices filling the peaceful clearing. It made his job all the more pleasant, listening to their boundless excitement. Kids became so much more realistic the older they got, best to let them dream.

Meanwhile, Elyndra was imagining even more things she could do with her pebbles. "What if I could make the pebbles turn into different shapes?" she wondered aloud. "Like, instead of just armor, I could make them into a big shield or even a weapon or a house! We would be able to make a comfy camp anywhere that stones are!"

Lyra nodded, her eyes sparkling with new thoughts. "That’d be so nice!"

"Yeah!" Elyndra agreed. "Or we could eve-"

Aiden’s voice called out again, "Hey, are you guys ever gonna play with us?"

But Elyndra and Lyra were too wrapped up in their conversation to even hear him. They were busy picturing themselves as powerful adventurers, combining their magic to create unbeatable spells.

Finally, after what felt like hours of chatting, the Driver stood up and brushed off his hands. "Alright, kiddos," he said, his voice warm and patient, "the horses are well rested, it's time to get a move on."

The girls shared one last grin, their heads still buzzing with ideas, before they joined the more sullen boys in the wagon.