CALLO

Callo Goldrose of Frostholm found himself walking along the corridors of Spire in awe. Callo was an eighteen-year-old Cryomancer, the son of a wealthy warmage turned merchant. His father, Mellow Goldrose, was one of the richest men in Frostholm. His father may have been wealthy, but Callo knew he worked hard to get to Spire—thousands of hours with his tutor, practicing runes until his mind felt numb, and sparring with his father until he was weak and bloody. If anyone belonged here, Callo knew he had earned it.

Callo was one of the richest freshmen of Spire, but despite his wealth, he wore modest silver robes that didn’t even bear his house’s heraldry. He kept his white hair messy but more than made up for it with his toned body and kind face. Callo was effortlessly handsome.

He had just made his way through the tour for first-day students.

The Cafeteria smelled of foods from many different cultures. Undoubtedly, master chefs and Culinomancers were in the kitchen preparing for the welcome feast in just a few hours.

The Fighting Cells were immaculate—no easy feat considering the powerhouses that must have trained there regularly. Callo admired the tiles within the fighting cells, where he would be able to prove himself.

Then, he was in the men's dorms. The shared room had activities for students to do together. He watched as a pair of young men were engaged in a heated game of Aero. Aero was one of the six versions of a table game meant to help students hone their skills with each element through camaraderie and competition.

Deciding to wait until the feast to begin making introductions, Callo went to his room to offload his stuff before continuing the tour.

Next, Callo went through the lecture halls. There were teachers for each element—heat, cold, water, electricity, earth, and air. Callo lingered in the classroom belonging to the Cryomancer, and he hoped to get instruction from a great Cryomancer. Sheets of ice and frost coated the walls, and Callo could feel the cool water running beneath. He wanted to reach into the ice and begin casting, but he knew this was not his playroom–yet. Excitedly, he bounded into the hall and promptly felt his heart jump in his chest in surprise.

He almost ran headfirst into a lovely woman whose class pin identified her as Aellaria. She was in the blue class, the same as him.

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“I, um…hi! I am so very sorry!” Callo said, momentarily forgetting how to give proper greetings. He shuffled some belongings to offer his hand, but her expression almost made him jump back. She looked at him in anger.

The woman shoved past him and continued onward toward the dorms. “I hope my other classmates have a bit more class…” He thought to himself. However, as he watched her leave, he saw the hat on her head. Something clicked in Callo’s head and told him this was a person to watch closely. ‘That hat-’ Callo thought, but then shooed the thought away as quickly as it appeared.

The final portion of the tour was when he would meet his teacher. As Callo entered the banquet hall, he saw the table with his teacher, and that was an Aquamancer if he had ever seen one.

Callo and Niall locked eyes, and a bond formed instantly. Callo knew this man would help lead him to greatness.

Niall launched to his feet as Callo walked toward his table. Without a word, Niall threw a cantrip at Callo, sending a dozen water bullets shooting straight for Callo’s chest.

Callo responded quickly, casting a quick cantrip of his own, and the water bullets hit a cold barrier. Callo owned the pebble-sized droplets when they made contact with his wall of cold. The dozen water projectiles simultaneously hit the barrier and bloomed into a bouquet of frozen roses. Callo plucked the roses from the air and dropped the spell.

“Ice man! You are no slouch. Well done!” praised Callo’s new instructor. “My name is Niall. I am an Aquamancer and look forward to helping you through your journey to mastery.”

“Hi, sir. That was so quick; thank you for giving me time to respond. My name is Callo Goldrose of Frostholm.” Callo frosted the ice roses and set them down on the table. Callo’s excitement grew at the opportunity to learn under an aquamancer. None of these four teachers were Cryomancers, so this was the next best possible option, and he was delighted.

Callo noticed that his teacher, Niall, had tears in his eyes. “Professor, are you okay?”

Niall cast a small cantrip to dry his tears, sniffled, and responded. “I’m just happy to have another normal one...”