The room buzzed with emotions and anticipation, a charged atmosphere that crackled with energy. The old man's gaze remained fixed on the tablet, now dormant after its brilliant display moments ago. Beads of sweat trickled down Ruen's forehead as he continued to pour his entire being into trying to 'sense' the tablet.
With a gentle pat on Ruen's shoulder, the old man broke the tension. "You can stop now, young man. The test is finished," he said, his voice carrying a mix of relief and shock. Ruen opened his eyes and looked around the room. Tears streamed down his parents' faces, mirroring the complex expression on the old man's face.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ruen asked cautiously, his voice trembling with uncertainty. The old man sighed softly. "No, quite the opposite actually," he responded. "You passed the test with flying colors."
A radiant smile illuminated Ruen's face, bursting forth like a sunbeam breaking through the clouds. He leaped out of the chair, sprinting toward his parents to join in their heartfelt embrace. "I did it!" he exclaimed, brimming with pure excitement. "I have magic!"
Ruen's heart danced with joy, dreams of the future pumping through his body with every heartbeat. Though he didn’t fully realize the importance of this revelation, his heart was racing just thinking about what he could do with his magic. However, there was one question that plagued his young mind; ‘How do I use magic?’.
He started waving around his hands, trying to force the magic out of his fingertips. He jumped around, did weird dances, and chanted spell incantations he remembered from bedtime stories. No matter how hard he tried though, nothing happened. There was no brilliant light, no ball of fire, no sparks. Not even a gust of wind would appear.
Ruen looked at his hands with a perplexed look on his face. He looked at the old man. “Why won’t something happen? I thought you said I had magic!”. He asked the man.
The man shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn’t know, I’m not a mage.”, He said. “Why do you think I’m sitting here instead of swimming around in my heaps of gold?”, The old man sighed.
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Ruen paid little attention to the man’s sarcastic remark though. Instead, he continued to plague the man with questions; ‘What can I do with my magic?’, ‘Where do you learn magic?’, ‘Am I special?’. The man’s patience waned as the excited boy showered him with questions and he cut Ruen off before he could ask another. “You can do a lot of good things for this world, you learn magic at the Academy, and yes you are very special, young man.” The man said while rubbing his temples.
“I wanna go to the academy!” Ruen said, looking at his parents, full of anticipation. His enthusiasm wasn’t shared by Marvick and Elina. On the contrary, they shared some concerned looks. “How expensive is the academy?” Marvick asked the old man, his voice trembling in fear of the answer.
The old man leaned back in his chair, his face contorted into a thoughtful expression. He took a deep breath before responding to Marvick's question. "The Academy is known to be quite costly," he admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of sympathy. "They offer scholarships and financial aid to talented students, but it's a competitive process. There are also other expenses like books, materials, and living arrangements to consider."
Marvick let his head down and sighed deeply, his worries becoming more evident. Elina placed a comforting hand on his arm, offering silent support. Ruen, sensing his parents' concern, took a step closer to them, his eyes tearing up upon hearing of the possibility that he might not be able to learn magic.
"We'll find a way, won't we, Mom? Dad?" Ruen said, his voice shaky and soft from all the emotions boiling inside of him. "I want to learn magic and make you proud. I'll work hard and do whatever it takes!". Though his words were strong, his body language betrayed his despair. His legs were shaking, his breath was heavy and he struggled to hold back his tears.
The room fell silent. One could only hear the soft ticking of the clock and the dampened noises of the busy market outside.
Elina and Marvick exchanged another glance, a silent conversation passing between them. Despite the uncertainties and challenges, they saw a glimmer of hope behind the hint of despair in their young son's eyes. In that moment, they knew they had to find a way to support him, to ensure a good life for their child.
Marvick reached out and rubbed Ruen's hair affectionately. "We'll do everything we can, son," he said, his voice filled with determination. "We'll explore all the options, seek out scholarships, and make sacrifices if we have to. Your future matters to us, Ruen.".
Ruen embraced his parents tightly, his hope renewed by the words of his parents. With his hope came his growing resolve of getting a scholarship. ‘I’ll definitely get in!’