OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD! What just—? Gellius, GELLIUS! Why would he—? No time, focus! I’m falling. I’M FALLING! The ground—it’s coming up so fast. Think, Jake, THINK! Is this a test? A trick? Is there magic I should use? But I don’t know any magic! My body—can I spread it out somehow? Slow my fall? STOP! SLOW DOWN! FLOAT! Anything! No, that’s useless. I’m just going to die. I’m actually going to die here.

  As the ground rushed towards him at a terrifying speed, his panic reached its crescendo. In that moment of desperation, his mind grasped at every scrap of knowledge he had learned from his night at the library, but nothing came to him.

  “Close your eyes.”

  Ella…

  Her soft voice, “Channel your aura.”

  This is all I have.

  Jake’s eyes closed. It started a warmth in his core, racing through his veins like liquid fire, from the tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet. Time seemed to slow. He could feel the energy coursing through him and every molecule rushing past him. The air thickened around him, slowing his fall by a fraction.

  As he focused more and more, Esterrosa’s ground loomed ever closer. A chill of dread washed over him as he came to a bleak realization.

  It’s not enough. There’s nothing I can do.

  “Failure,” said a voice.

  He found himself suspended, hovering just inches above the ground that had so nearly claimed his life. Jake turned his head against the unseen grip. There stood Gellius, staff outstretched and pulsing with a light that almost felt palpable.

  With a dismissive flick of his staff, Gellius released his magical hold. Jake dropped those last few inches, his face meeting the earth with a soft thud. He let out a quiet grunt as a small, particularly audacious pebble attempted to lodge itself into his forehead.

  Despite the discomfort, relief washed over Jake. He was alive—a state he had recently grown quite fond of.

  Failure huh.

  If it meant that Jake could avoid having to go through such an ordeal on the basis of ‘learning magic’, then failure was just fine by him, a reason to rejoice even.

  Gellius interfered with his solace however. “Although you failed to survive on your own, you did technically pass the test.” He said, his tone devoid of either praise or disappointment. “Had you managed to survive, I would have been forced to kill you. It would have been impossible to survive such a height without having mastered any form of magic.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Before Jake could even express his confusion or indignation, Gellius sighed and gestured for Jake to follow. “Come. We’re taking a detour.”

  They made their way out of the city and into a nearby forest, Gellius leading him to a suitable clearing. Once there, he instructed Jake to gather over a hundred leaves from various trees, all to be placed in a singular spot in the clearing.

  “I observed your aura channeling abilities while you were free falling,” Gellius explained. “It was, for a lack of better word, mediocre, but not bad. However, to improve you must learn how to output that aura as well.”

  To demonstrate, Gellius levitated a leaf towards himself, letting it settle on his palm. Jake watched intently as the leaf was sliced into several pieces by an invisible force.

  “Of course, I do not expect such level of proficiency from you,” Gellius added. “A straight cut down the middle will do just fine. You are forbidden to leave until you’ve done it with every single leaf you’ve gathered.” With that command and no further instructions on how to actually output his aura, the Warden departed, leaving Jake alone in the clearing.

  “Wait! You wont even supervise me?”

  “Unlike you, I am employed and have matters to attend.”

  ***

  Jake sat there, cross-legged and shirtless as the hours passed by in the scorching heat, sweat dripping across his face. In a grueling cycle of concentration and frustration, he focused on every leaf, attempting to slice them with the output of his aura. And to his own surprise, he did actually manage to get quite far, but not before the extreme exhaustion and hunger started to torment him.

  His resolve began to waver, thoughts of the manor’s lavish comforts crossed his mind — a hot meal prepared by skilled chefs, accompanied with an equally hot shower, and a soft bed promising the best sleep of his life. His fingers itched to simply tear the leaves and be done with it.

  What am I doing this for?

  “‘You are forbidden to leave until you’ve done it with every single leaf you’ve gathered.’”

  He was confident this wasn’t another test. Gellius had simply left without bothering to mentor, nor supervise him. Whether Jake stayed or left the forest before completing the task at hand, Gellius couldn’t care less, he had nothing to gain.

  “AHHHHH! TO HELL WITH IT!” He said, rising to his feet.

  Jake hesitated however, one foot already on the path home. Gellius’ face flashed in his mind, and with it came a feeling of defiance.

  “AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Like hell I’d give him the satisfaction of seeing me fail.” With a huff, he marched back to his spot, snatching another leaf. He might’ve been exhausted, hungry, and frustrated, but he’d be damned if he’d let Gellius think he was weak.

  ***

  Jake’s eyes closed. The sun began to set and with that, he had finally completed the task. He lay back on the patch of grass, his body aching. A small sparrow, which had grown quite comfortable near him over the past hour, hopped closer, seemingly curious about Jake.

  I should probably be on my way now. Asariel would be quite disappointed to not have a sparring partner tonight.

  His eyes opened to find Gellius standing over him. The Grand Warden’s appearance did not startle him, Jake was much too tired to react with anything but a sneer.

  “Your training commences tomorrow. Once you return to the Snowhart Manor tonight, savor it. You won’t be returning before the Trial.”

  Without waiting for a response, Gellius strode away, disappearing as quickly as he appeared.

  “I guess you do care after all, eh old man?”

  As Jake lay there, watching the last rays of sunlight filter through the leaves above, he felt somewhat anxious about the trial.

  Jake turned his head slightly, meeting the sparrow’s gaze. A tired smile played on his lips as he murmured, “Let’s go for some beer.”