As soon as Michael stepped foot into the first year magic teacher’s office, he found himself inside a purple bubble the size of half a stadium. Pieces of land floated in mid-air, forming miniature islands no bigger than three feet in diameter.

Among these small, floating islands, there were similarly sized dark clouds from which rain and lightning poured at random. Miniature trees were flying around too, spinning midair as walnut sized apples dropped from their canopies. There was even a small, wild pig, jumping from platform to platform while chasing these apples.

‘Did Finn somehow hit me in the head?’

It was not the islands, or the clouds, or even the pig that Michael found so shocking. It was the 18 bodies at the bottom of the bubble. Some of them had burn marks, others looked like they had drowned. One of them was cut clean in half by something sharp and hot.

Michael looked up and saw Annie standing on one of the floating islands near the top. She was holding a 19th victim by the throat who was rapidly losing consciousness. There were so many burn marks on the man’s skinny body, it was like he had been thrown inside an oven. Annie punched him in the gut for good measure, before letting him go.

The body dropped from island to island until the very bottom. At the same time, someone announced: “Winner: Annie Thompson!"

A woman in her mid twenties, dressed in a black suit and holding a large staff could be seen on the other side of the bubble. Her hair was purple, her eyes were sharp, and her posture was proper.

“Unfortunately, nobody else qualifies for this batch. Feel free to try again next year.”

The woman snapped her fingers and the rookies at the bottom disappeared.

“Hmm? Looks like we have a new challenger already. What brings you here, young man?”

Feeling her gaze, Michael jumped from platform to platform until he was high enough to look her in the eyes. He then bowed respectfully and said: “I want to take the third exam.”

These words made Annie stare, and even the woman raised an eyebrow. With his broad shoulders and huge knuckles, the boy looked nothing like your typical mage.

Bella White, teacher of the first year magic class, looked him up and down. While tapping her shoulder with the basketball-sized orange crystal at the top of her staff, she said:

“What an unusual day. Boy, what is your name and why are you actually here?”

“Michael Patel. I’m here because I want to get stronger.”

Bella let out a chuckle. “Then you came to the right place. Although it’s unlikely another group will form anytime soon… But if you want to test your luck, then I’m not going to stop you. This girl is Annie Thompson. She has already passed my exam and is now a full fledged first year student. Defeat her in combat, and you may join my class.”

It was a preposterous request. 19 mages had just failed to do what she was now asking of a single teen. Annie looked conflicted but kept her tongue.

‘If she knows we’re friends, she will make it harder.’ If there was one thing she had learned during her exam, it was ‘Miss Bella is strict… and ruthless.’

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“Do you accept, young man? Since you do not have a wand or a ring, you can use those gauntlets instead.”

Michael looked up and saw Annie holding a round, fist sized orange crystal. She had bought half of it with 20 gold coins and merged it with the crystal she had earned from Trident’s armory.

“I accept.” The boy clenched his fists. “I will defeat her.”

A chuckle escaped Miss Bella’s lips. “If you say so. You may begin.”

Michael rushed through the floating debris, jumping from platform to platform on his way to Annie. The girl shot several fireballs while jumping backwards, but he punched them midair and closed the distance.

As soon as he was in range, he tried to grab her wrist, but the girl pulled back. He tried to trip her several times, but she escaped by a razor’s edge. Island after island, step after step, they eventually reached the end of the bubble.

With the dimensional wall to her back and the teacher watching from the side, Annie kicked the boy to make distance, but Michael grabbed her leg and slammed her into one of the nearby floating trees.

“You look hungry.”

Annie recovered quickly and sent a fireball flying, however Michael ducked and went to grab her legs. The girl slammed her crystal into his back. A burst of wind was released which sent him flying towards the bottom of the bubble, but not before grabbing Annie’s leg and dragging her with him.

“Give up,” he whispered as he slammed the girl into one floating island after another. Eventually, Annie pushed her crystal’s mana into one of the islands and sent it flying into Michael, forcing him to let go.

They both found their footing on the very last islands before the bottom of the purple bubble and started breathing heavily. A few moments later, Michael jumped to attack her again.

“Stop!” The teacher raised an arm. “Do you two know each other?” Michael froze on the spot and Annie looked shocked, which Miss Bella noticed immediately.

“Annie Thompson, allowing your friend to pass through cheating is dishonorable to him, to me, to you, and to this prestigious academy. If you do not cease this disrespectful behavior at once, not only will I fail him, but I will revoke your win and ban you from ever taking my exam again!”

The teacher waved her staff, and the floating islands changed positions, forcing the combatants further apart.

“This is your one and only warning. Begin!”

Annie’s lips quivered and her fingers trembled as she clenched her crystal. Seeing her like this, Michael clenched his teeth.

“You’ve been holding back… Do you think I need your pity? Huh!? If you hold back again, then we are no longer friends!”

Annie took a step back. 'Focus.' She slapped her cheeks and shook her head. ‘I need to do my best.’

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Upon opening them, 10 fireballs, 10 small tornadoes, 10 fist sized rocks, and 10 water balls materialized out of her crystal.

The balls of magic rotated around her body like a tornado before splitting off in all directions and converging on Michael’s body. The teen ran, but it was like 40 archers were shooting at him from close range, all at the same time.

A fireball struck his right shoulder, and several rocks smashed into his back. The boy lost his balance, fell off the spinning tree he was trying to jump off of and was hit by several more projectiles before smashing into a piece of land. The tiny tornadoes ripped through his chainmail while the water balls felt like sledgehammers that only broke apart after impact.

“You should surrender,” said Annie. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Miss Thompson!”

“I'm not holding back.” Annie matched eyes with her teacher. “I have my own pride as a mage.”

Suddenly, Michael burst into laughter. “Pride? Of course you’re proud. You were born special after all, a Goddamn prodigy, an archmage in the making.”

Annie frowned.

“You think your fancy tricks make you tough?” Michael clapped his palms, and the crystals on his gauntlets shone bright. “Think again.”

The boy ran and the girl released another volley of projectiles. Lightning poured out of the tiny clouds, and Miss Bella’s lips curled up.