My mother led Lorelai and I through the cracked stone path that paved the way toward our house. Our home was situated at the outskirt of our town, Willsden, surrounded by green pastures, canopies of trees, and blooming flora of all kinds and colors.

The path to our house connected to the path that led across the outskirts, leading to the forest from one side, and to other settlements on the other side.

Bordering the path, stone rods that looked like torches glowed with faint golden light, but no flames could be seen. I asked my mom about them some time before. Apparently, they served to repel monster. Whether they shielded us from them or if they were repelled them, I did not know.

On our way to town, we passed by lumberjacks, hunters, millhands, and other types of people while on their way to work. They bade us a good morning and continued walking to their destination.

Our community was peaceful from what I've seen. We did what we had to survive and refrained from cursing our lot. We weren't exactly poor, but we weren't rich either. We just kind of… lived.

Our house was only five minutes away from town, so it didn't take long to walk there.

Willsden was a relatively small town, pretty much a cluster of stone and brick buildings that were reinforced with wood. Paths streaked through the different quadrants of the town. People milled about, shops and stands began opening up, and small birds roosted on buildings, unbothered.

A crowd was beginning to converge near the middle of town. They consisted of mostly children—all about my age—followed by their parents. At the front of the center, there was a modest wooden stage. People wearing robes were standing on it, speaking amongst themselves quietly.

Excited conversations were happening when we got there, the people waiting for the ceremonies to start. There were set dates for each Spirit Summoning Ceremony, but this one happened to be on our birthday.

"Nervous?" Mom asked my sister and I.

"A bit," Lorelai admitted. "What if I don't get a good Spirit?"

"A strong Spirit doesn't necessarily mean a strong Mage, Lorelai," our mother said gently.

"Besides, we have powerful Mages as parents, so it's not likely you'll end up weak," I said to my sister, shrugging.

"You don't have to be so matter-of-factly," Lorelai pouted.

"What? I'm just telling the truth."

"Loosen up, dear." My mother hugged me from behind, stroking my hair. "You're a child. You should be excited. Enjoy your life a little more."

"What makes you think I'm not?" I lightly smiled, enjoying Mom's embrace. There's nothing that relaxes you quite like a mother's hug.

"Stop being so gloomy." Mom kissed my head. "There might be cute girls here, you know."

I flushed slightly. "Mom, I'm seven!"

"There's the childishness I'm looking for." She grinned and released me.

I looked at Lorelai, who was trying not to laugh. I glared at her, daring her to.

She stuck her tongue out. "It's fun to mess with you."

"Shut up."

Our mother giggled and rubbed our heads.

We spoke for a few more minutes, before a burst of wind coming from the stage interrupted us.

As the gale subsided, I spotted a glimpse of two figures. It cleared completely a moment later, revealing my father and a man I'd never seen before.

My father was a well-built man with light-brown hair, kind of like caramel, that was tied back into a ponytail. But features were so sharp that you could not confuse him for a woman at all. His eyes, though, were the only features that radiated any sort of warmth. They were gray-silver, like mine. He wore a gray coat that only reached to his hips. His lips were quirked up into a smile.

The man beside him was noticeably thinner than him, but not skinny—he was leaner, I would say. But he was taller than my dad. His hair was shorter and a darker shade of brown, while his eyes were a sharp blue, like aquamarine. He wore a black coat that draped past his knee. The man was more giving with his smile, lips forming a wide, amused grin.

All eyes were on them, marveling by their display of power.

My father motioned everyone to quite down before speaking. "Welcome, aspiring Mages. My name is Darius Trixem. You may all know me was the Windwalker, due to my prowess with Wind Essence."

The crowd began to gasp in recognition, murmuring to each other. Dad motioned for everyone to be quiet.

"In case you didn't know," he began again, "I am amplifying my voice by using Essence to extend the sound waves coming from my mouth. This is most likely your first taste of Essence, which you will learn later on."

Dad looked at the man beside him, raising one eyebrow.

The man gave him a lazy pat on the shoulder and smirked. "A bit dramatic, don't you think?" He chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you all know who I am. But I'll introduce myself anyway. The name's Enzo."

The crowd made more excited gasps, recognizing the guy, too. I didn't know who this guy was, but he seemed to be well-known.

"Who is he?" I wondered.

"You seriously don't know who he is?" Lorelai asked, supposedly bewildered by my ignorance. "He's one of the strongest Mages in the kingdom! He was the one who killed the Wolf King when it and its spawn attacked us years ago."

"So he's that strong, huh?" I muttered.

I've read about the Wolf King in a book a while ago. It was, as the name suggested, a wolf monster that was supposedly strong enough to be a threat to the kingdom as a whole. It brought an entire army of wolf monsters and ravaged legions of Mages before one in particular singlehandedly slew it.

"Enzo is one of your father's closest friends," Mom chimed in. "They're like brothers."

"Is he as strong as him?" Lorelai wondered.

Mom shrugged. "I don't really know. All I know is that Enzo teaches at one of the academies in this kingdom."

Once a person reached the age of seventeen, they were permitted to enroll in one of the academies that train Essence Mages. The fact that such a renowned Mage teaches at an academy leads me to believe that powerful Mages are produced at that academy.

After the crowd settled down, Enzo began to speak again. "Mage Trixem and I will be the ones overseeing the ceremonies. One by one, us and our team will be summoning your Spirits. Keep in mind we don't know what Spirit will answer your call, so some will be weaker than others. But who cares about that. I'm sure you just want to learn Essence, am I right?" He grinned at the crowd.

The children all began to cheer, voicing their excitement to finally be able to summon their Spirit. I had to say, his ability to sway the crowd was impressive. He practically stripped away all forms of nervousness from the other children. Even Lorelai was laughing gleefully alongside everyone else.

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My father stepped forward as Enzo took a step backward. "Before we get to the summoning ceremony, Mage Enzo and I have something planned. Tell me, have you ever seen an Essence battle?"

The crowd gasped once again as they realized the implications of this.

Dad grinned. "Enzo and I will have a little exhibit battle to get you all even more excited."

Everyone cheered in delight at the prospect of being able to watch two powerful Mages duke it out with Essence. I had to be honest, I was a little intrigued myself, but I wouldn't show it.

Lorelai tugged my arm excitedly. "We get to see them fight!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I grumbled, pulling away from her.

"At least act more excited!"

Dad and Enzo walked off stage. "Clear a bit of space for us, would you?" Enzo made shooing motions, getting us all to back away from them as they headed to the middle of the center. "Don't worry, the other Mages will make a barrier so that we don't accidentally hit all of you.

The hooded Mages all circled around the two, raising their hands. Lights began to flicker out of them, wrapping around the makeshift arena until it formed a dome. My father and Enzo both backed away until they were at opposite ends of the barrier.

A Mage stepped up to the side of a barrier and raised his hand for everyone's attention. "This exhibition match will begin when I put my hand down. This fight will only last a minute."

I frowned and turned to my mother. "Why?"

Mom stroked my hair and smiled wryly. "If they fought for longer they would get too excited and blow up the entire center."

"But there's a barrier," Lorelai pointed out.

"When has that ever stopped your father?"

She had a point. We stopped questioning it after that logical piece of information.

"On my mark," the Mage shouted, then lowered his hand. "Begin."

Immediately after the Mage uttered those words, the two combatants blurred toward each other at nigh on imperceptible speeds. The two clashed fists, creating a shockwave so powerful, the earth around them ruptured as if an earthquake streaked through it. The subsequent gale phased through the barrier, nearly throwing us away. I heard surprised gasps from the Mages' sheer might.

My father and Enzo both stepped away from each other, grinning manically.

"How long has it been since we sparred?" Enzo asked excitedly.

"Far too long," Dad responded with the same vigor.

My father closed his fist, and the wind around him began to stir, rotating around him. It engulfed him in a flickering white aura, and his silvery-gray eyes began to glow. He pounced at Enzo, the wind speeding him up even more.

Enzo stood still, merely grinning as Dad threw a wind-coated punch at him. The air around Enzo visibly warped, stopping my father's blow, as if a force blocked him.

"Your Gravity Essence has always been annoying!" my father exclaimed, but his eyes still twinkled with humor. He punched with his other fist, and a booming sound reverberated from the impact. Suddenly, his attack broke through the defense.

Enzo's grin widened and he took the blow on his arm, skidding backward from the force. My dad took this as an opportunity to punch the man again, generating another shockwave as Enzo was knocked backward.

Enzo flew toward the end of the barrier, but before he struck it… he disappeared. He materialized behind my father, throwing a swift kick at him.

My father reacted instantly, blocking the attack with a burst of wind. In the same motion, he threw an uppercut at Enzo, who twisted his body to the side, circumventing the blow.

He threw his elbow at Dad in retaliation, catching him in the jaw. Blood flew out of his mouth, but his grin did not waver. Wind burst out of Dad, blasting Enzo away with overwhelming force. The man rolled, using the momentum to right himself before he could skid too far away.

My father didn't let up, waving his hand around as a violent gale sweeped through the air. Wicked blades made out of the wind formed around him. Without warning, they all launched themselves at Enzo.

Enzo's eyes flickered toward every individual projectile, then, without any hesitation, he shot toward my father.

He weaved through the hail of blades, laughing as each blade came dangerously close to piercing through him. One almost stabbed him in the throat, but he waved his hand, and the blade was blasted away by an invisible force. Enzo rolled through the last wave of blades, then used that propulsion to launch himself at my dad.

My father deftly sidestepped, allowing Enzo to continue his course toward the barrier. But the man merely kicked off the barrier, jumping toward Dad. He wrapped his legs around his neck, then flipped them both over, slamming my father into the ground.

My dad visibly struggled to lift himself up, but it was obvious he couldn't overpower Enzo, who had him in a triangle hold. I noticed that the air around him rippled like mist. It pulsed erratically, and my father seemed to be fighting against it, as if it was pushing him down.

"Enzo is using gravity to push Dad down, isn't he?" I asked my mother.

"I'm surprised you noticed," Mom said thoughtfully. "You're right, he is. Enzo's control over gravity is what made him such an accomplished Mage."

Gravity manipulation was a truly overpowered ability to have. But I was sure Enzo was holding back tremendously.

My father's grin did not weaken whatsoever despite his obvious disadvantage. He stopped struggling and brought his hands together. "Gotta put on a good show for the kids."

He clapped his hands together. The sound was piercing, like a thunderbolt that struck the ground. The screech rang through my ear violently. A shockwave erupted from between the two men, knocking Enzo away. He crashed into the barrier, but he looked relatively unharmed.

"Now you're using Sound Essence?" Enzo got back into a fighting stance. "I've been wondering when you would!"

"Dad is vibrating the air to control sound, right? That's how he amplified his voice in the first place." I asked Mom.

"Aren't you intelligent?" She giggled and ruffled my hair. "Your father isn't called the Windwalker for nothing, now is he?"

"No, I guess not."

"Pay attention!" Lorelai glared at me.

I rolled my eyes but complied.

My father's eyes glowed, and the ground in front of him was upheaved as a screeching sound reverberated through the area. The violent force desolated the earth it trailed, making its way toward Enzo.

The man pointed his palm. The shadows all coalesced, forming tendrils of darkness that wrapped around his hand. At the same time, rippling air surrounded him, merging with the darkness to form a swirling mass of clear energy that was bordered with dark power.

"He can use Dark Essence, too?" I gasped.

"Spirits can have more than one ability, dear" my mother explained.

Huh, I didn't know that. I guess I just assumed every Spirit only had one element. But to think of it, Condemner of Sinners had other abilities other than that strange darkness it was cloaked in.

A raging blast was launched out of Enzo's palm, ravaging through the ground. It collided with the wave of sound, erupting with an explosion as they met. Wind began rotating around the barrier, as if centrifugal force was swirling in it. A tremulous screech tore through our ears, forcing us to cover them with our palms.

The barrier faltered before the strain of the two attacks. Cracks began to spiderweb around it, white light filling them in. Before we could take another breath, the barrier broke apart, releasing the explosion inside.

It did not hit us directly, but a raging gale nearly blew us away, covering our screams in its rumbling wake.

I held Lorelai in my arms, planting my foot to the ground to avoid being flung away from the gale's sheer force.

Then, suddenly, it subsided.

My dad and Enzo stood in the center, completely unharmed, their hands in their coat pockets. The ground around them was smashed into a crater, as if a meteor had struck the ground. But when the two Mages stepped outside of the damaged ground, Enzo waved his hand and used gravity to manipulate it and cover the hole as if nothing happened.

At the sight of this, Lorelai and the whole crowd of seven-year-olds all began to clap, cheering with deafening intensity.

Enzo smirked at us, waving his hand. My dad chuckled and grinned.

Meanwhile, my mother sighed irritably. "Your father got a little bit too excited. I'm going to have a little chat about potentially endangering the children over a pointless bout."

Uh oh, Mama Bear is pissed with Papa Bear. It took a huge amount of effort to not burst out laughing at my father's expense.

"You have to admit, Vali," Lorelai said, "that was an exciting battle."

"it was cool," I admitted, "but it's going to take a long time to get to that level."

"You're right, but it's still an exciting thought," Lorelai said with such infectious excitement I couldn't help but smile.

She frowned at my expression. "You're smiling?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You barely ever smile."

"I do!" I glared at her.

"Yeah, but it's always one of those fake half-smiles." She crossed her arms.

I shrugged. "It's easy to smile when you're around."

Lorelai's gaze softened. "Normally, guys are meaner to their sisters than this."

"I guess I'm just weird," I said nonchalantly.

"You need to work on your emotions, though." She flicked me on the forehead.

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the Mages.

"Settle down," my father was saying, now back on the stage. He looked embarrassed after the Mages scolded him and Enzo for their irresponsible Essence usage. "Now that you've seen an Essence battle, I imagine you're all excited to summon your Spirits. So, I want you to come on up and form a line in front of the stage."

The thunderclap that was the cheers of a hundred seven-year-olds erupted from that. They excitedly left their parents and formed a line in front of the stage as indicated. The mages formed a strange circle on the ground using Essence, engraving it with weird symbols I couldn't see clearly.

Lorelai and I were the last ones in the line, which I didn't mind. But Lorelai was frowning, clearly impatient.

It didn't matter whether I was at the front of the line or the back. I knew a Spirit wouldn't come to me. But I did need to work on my surprised face in case I needed to pretend to be befuddled when the Mages said that I had no Essence or couldn't summon a Spirit.

This was going to be a drag.

Enzo put his hands back in his coat pockets. "The first person, come on up." He grinned. "Let's see what Spirits you all get."