Rime and Cyra made sure to take their time eating as they watched the once empty room become a trainers paradise and a trainees worst nightmare. When they were finished they got up to go change but the Arch mage simply clicked his fingers and they had switched from their normal clothes to their training clothes.

The Arch Mage walked over to where they were and took a seat folding one of his legs over the other allowing the rest of his cloak to fall where it may "The original intention was to have you come here and test your core affinity, to see if you've grown your ability to control it or if I would have to add a bit more training to your regimen.

But then I decided that instead of travelling all the way here just to have you test how bright or dark you can make this room, I would make this into your personal training. So from now on you won't be training in the arena unless it has something to do with your schooling and to be honest most of what you're going through has nothing to do with that.

I don't know if you picked up on it but the only reason you're going through all of this trouble instead of going about your days as if the day that started this mess never happened, is because of one simple four letter word, that no matter how "advanced" the human race became they couldn't shake it and that word is fear.

I know I probably shouldn't be saying this to a four year old and in normal circumstances I wouldn't. But unfortunately for you little one, you are as much as involved in this as Rime and you need to know this because I promise you the more the two of you know is the longer you'll be able to live, it's your only chance."

The arch Mage sighed and played with a lock of his hair before throwing it over his shoulder "Do you know what happens when ignorant people feel fear?" he asked as he looked from Rime to Cyra making sure to look straight into their eyes "no, well I'll tell you, when they feel fear one of three things can happen.

They either give into it and hope that nothing happens to them. Two they try to control it and if they aren't able to control it, they seek to destroy it, no matter if they get that fear from an animal or a fellow human being.

Now for the first option that hasn't happened in a very long time, since the human race decided they would unite under one emperor and band together to destroy or control those things they feared. A good example would be the beast people, a very long time ago, a time before we humans discovered that we had the ability to control the elements, we were slaves to their kind because at that time they were seen as the strongest on this planet and we were the weakest.

So it's only natural for the strongest to take control of the weak, until we found out that we weren't as weak as we were made to think we were and do you know who was the first of us to make the discovery?" Rime and Cyra shook their head and the Arch Mage hummed "it wasn't one of our oldest who had had the mentality of a slave beaten into them, no it was one of our youngest, one's who's mind was free and had not yet been altered to suit her masters, but that's a story I'll tell you another time."

The Arch Mage shifted and hummed "let's see the second option was what came after our minds had been freed, we fought back and turned the tables, we were no longer slaves or followers, no we were the masters and the leaders and we used everything we had been taught and turned it on them.

We learned to control and that has been the way of life for us for a very long time, but of course even a fool would know that we do not have the ability to control everything we feared. No when that one thing comes along and we feel that they are a danger to us, our children and our way of life there is only one thing that will come to mind. Destroy.

And if the people that seek to control you find that they do not have that ability they will seek to destroy you and then everyone you thought would be there to protect you when you needed them will turn their back on you and the only thing you could do at that point is defend yourself, you'll have to take another human's life if it comes to that and I have a feeling it will.

So I'm going to help you get everything you need to protect yourself, because when the day comes that the powers that be want to destroy you I may not be able to help you, because believe it or not, as powerful as I am there are things that I fear." he stood up and took off his cloak tossing it on the platform "so let us begin."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

^^

Rime found himself standing in a ring that was encircled by bricks as he stood across from a wooden man. The Arch Mage sat on the wall watching him "it is not very often that this happens and to be honest it hasn't happened to me since I had graduated from the royal college, but there comes a time when you will not be able to use your ability and unfortunately sometimes you will not have a weapon on hand, so you will have to use what you were born with to defend yourself.

This is a test to see if I will find you alive, barely hanging on to life or as dead as a door nail. I will simply pour some of my magic in the dummy to bring him to life, I will not be fighting you, the dummy will be out for blood and will use anyway it knows to get it, it is for you to destroy it before it destroys you and don't worry if things get out of hand I won't let it kill you... this time."

A single whistle could be heard before Rime found himself dodging back and flicking out of the way as the wooden man dashed forward and reached for Rimes head, barely missing his head. In that moment Rime was thankful he had decided to cut his hair, he dashed, curled, flicked, drop to the ground and ran in a circle all in the name of getting away from the wooden man.

"Rime, don't be foolish it is nothing but a piece of wood, it will not grow tired of going for your blood but you soon will, so fight back!" The Arch Mage yelled out growing frustrated with the young magicians antics "Rime listen to me and picture what I say, because this may be the only way you fight back.

Rime didn't react but the Mage knew he was listening "you and Cyra have been on the run for days, she is injured and needs help, you're on your way to get it when a large man attacks you, you're holding onto Cyra and you're dodging but the man is still coming after you and Cyra is running out of time, the only way you can help her is if you defeat this man, that dummy is that man, so kill him!"

That was all it took and the next thing Rime knew the dummy had thrown a punch at him, he quickly dodged it and grabbed it's wrist, he threw his body and used the momentum to throw the dummy across the ring. The thing landed on its back and Rime dashed forward he used his left foot to propel himself into the air.

The dummy was now trying to get up when Rime landed on it his foot coming down so hard that there was a loud cracking sound that echoed through the room before Rime retreated and he could hear cheering "do that again, you've got no time to waste because you just pissed it off!"

Rime knew the Arch Mage was telling the truth because the dummy started to move faster, the thing dashed forward and Rime came up with an idea he didn't think would work but it was all he could come up with in such a short time.

Rime let out a cry as he dashed towards the dummy and just as it was about to grab him he dropped onto his back, the dummy ran past him and Rime used his hands to push himself into the air, his feet going first, just as it turned to face him his feet made contact with the crack and the impact caused the front of the dummy to shatter.

Rime wasn't going to take any chances, with the dummy coming back to hit him so when he landed on the floor he jumped and spun a kick straight into the dummy's head causing the side of it to crack. When Rime landed he swung his other foot into the dummy's side and set it flying sideways, it flew into the brick wall and when it's head made contact with the surface it shattered and Rime let out a sigh of relief as the thing stopped moving.

He heard loud clapping and looked to see Cyra, the trainer and the Arch Mage clapping for him "beautifully acted out, I wish I could play it back but I don't want you to break something, I'm sure your feet are already hurting as it is." the mage looked down and Rime followed his gaze hissing at the sight as the pain finally caught up with him.

The trainer lead him to the platform to heal his feet while the Arch Mage lead Cyra into the ring. Rime nearly jumped up to go get his sister when he saw the mage reforming the dummy. The trainer held him and put him to sit back "don't act so worried, he won't let her get hurt, he cares for her too much, so have some confidence that your sister will be safe, okay?"

Rime grit his teeth and watched on as the Arch Mage left the ring and Cyra stooped down causing Rime to give her a strange look just before the dummy came to life and he was back to freaking out. The pain in his leg was no longer on his mind as he watched his little sister shoot into the air and went flying into the dummy.

Rime almost screamed until it hit him what Cyra was trying to do, if he was guessing right then it could work for her, because of her size and amount of strength it would be the only way she could defeat the thing that was seven times her size.

Cyra landed on it's face and just as it threw it's hand to knock her off, she jumped up into the air, and the dummy's hand connected with it's own face causing it to fall back. Rime watched as Cyra pulled her feet to her thighs while she was still in the air and dropped down on the dummy, her knees making contact with it's chest.

It wasn't enough to cause a break in the wood but it was enough to send the dummy's head falling down onto the brick that formed the ring and that broke the back of his head, Cyra jumped off at the last minute to avoid causing more damage to her knees and landed on her feet, cheering as the Dummy stopped moving and she turned to him with a big smile on her face, one he returned.