Raien awoke again to an unknown, unfamiliar situation. She was now riding in an open carriage. Happy to see different scenery she went to stretch her arms out and relax, but her arms didn’t seem to want to stretch, she then looked down at her hands. By this time she realized she was not alone.

“What did you do to me? What are these?” she frantically asked Kayleen as she tried to free herself.

“Try all you want, no one has ever gotten out of the seals before,” explained Kayleen. “They absorb all magic power. We had to use them, you attacked us, but don’t worry you’ll be trained at the castle. You’ll get those off when you learn to trust us.”

“Trust you! You kidnapped me! I won’t be used as a weapon.”

“Kidnapped? I don’t think you fully understand the weight of the situation you were in,” lectured Kayleen. “Before we showed up your mayor was about to sign your death sentence. We saved your life.”

“I wish they did kill me,” said Raien in a depressed tone.

“Now don’t say that, you’re going to help to pave a unified tomorrow.”
Raien didn’t answer. She just looked out the side of the carriage as the world she once knew passed her by.

“Break the target with fire,” said a disembodied voice. Raien was standing in an open field of grass and wild flowers, but there were solid walls on all four sides of the field on all sides, it even had a ceiling high up ahead, but despite that fact the light that resonated within the room made it seem like she was outside in a bright sunny day. It was one of the field training rooms of the magic institute, well at least they called it a magic training institute, to Raien it felt more like a Prison.

Raien itched at a circlet they had placed on her head when she entered the institute. She thought the voice must be coming from there. She however was certain something else came from it though.

“You know what happens if you touch that Raien,” said the detached voice sternly. A small jolt ran through her body.

Must be another one of their toys to control me, thought Raien as she rubbed her wrists. I guess this is what they call training in their army? At least this circlet doesn’t stop me from using my magic. Raien formed a fireball and hurled it at one of the targets hanging in the room. The target shattered and fell to the ground in flames. Almost instantaneously the rod the target hung from receded into the ceiling and out popped another one with a new target.

“Good, now, try and make a larger one,” asked the voice. Raien formed a fireball of an even greater size and hurled it at the new target. “Wind,” called out the voice. Raien destroyed one with wind. “Lightning.” Bolts of lightning flew from her fingers and smashed another target. It continued like this for what seemed like hours. Raien was physically exhausted.

Behind Raien, and behind ten solid feet of layers of concrete and steel sat Kayleen within a small room monitoring the training session, beside her was one of her subordinates taking notes and tallying calculations.

“Very good Raien,” praised Kayleen, who was wearing a circlet similar to Raien’s, but completely different in it’s functionality. While she wore her circlet she was able to see all the Raien saw as well as magically control the various apparatuses hidden within the walls. “You seem to have no trouble weaving black magic, just as I thought.” Kayleen then took the circlet off and turned to her subordinate. “What do the readings say so far?” asked Kayleen.

“Well,” said her subordinate, thumbing through her notes. “She is quite skilled. Our reports showed that she was capable of producing fire, which most likely points to Black Magic, ma’am. As a part of the tests we just conducted she has an uncanny, near intuitive ability to manifest the four primary elements in black magic, as well as how to weave fire and air to make lightning and well as water and air to make ice. In my honest opinion she has the skills of someone who has trained for quite some time, she may in fact one day be the strongest magic user we’ve ever recorded, that is except for you Lady Kayleen,” she added, hoping not to lose favor with her.

She is that powerful, and red eyes, thought Kayleen. It seems too early, but could she be the Black? Kayleen shook her head and cleared her thoughts. “I want to test her for the other five classes.”

“Now?” asked the subordinate. “But she’s so exhausted, shouldn’t we wait until tomorrow?”

“Who is the one in charge here?” Kayleen said sternly.

“Forgive me my Lady, I spoke out of place. Perhaps we could start with Geomancy,” she suggested. “That is a simple enough test.”

“Very well,” said Kayleen. “Prepare to send out a flower.” Kayleen then put the circlet back on, reestablishing her connection to Raien.

Back inside the room it had been quite some time since Raien had heard the voice, but after for what seemed like an eternity the voice returned.

“We are sending you another test,” was all it said. Suddenly a square patch of ground ten feet from Raien opened up and out came a new square of grass that seamlessly merged up with the rest of the floor, but this square had a rather large unusual flower bud that looked like it was just at the point of blossoming growing in it. “I want you to concentrate on the flower and try to make it bloom.”

She wants me to do what? Raien though. How am I supposed to do that? Raien then approached the situation like she did all her other commands, she closed her eyes, concentrated and pictured in her mind the flower blooming. She opened her eyes and stopped as she saw flames begin to develop in her hands. Let me try this again. Again Raien closed her eyes and concentrated, envisioned the flower blooming. When she opened her eyes a stream of water began to flow from the tip of her finger, it hit the flower, but ultimately it did nothing.

“I can’t do it,” said Raien almost sobbing as she prepared herself for another shock.

Back in the other room Kayleen heard Raien through her circlet. Kayleen then took it off and sighed, “She failed.”

“I see my Lady, what shall we now?”

“Send in a coral viper,” answered Kayleen.

“Send in a coral viper! Are you trying to kill her?”

“If we send in a coral viper into the room and it bites her, the poison will quickly spread through out her body,” said Kayleen.

“Yes exactly, and it will kill her.”

“Unless,” started Kayleen, beginning to lose her patience. “Unless she has latent beastmastery within her as well, in that case her body will begin to neutralize and consume the poison. You’re the one who wanted to go easy on her, this is the fastest way to determine if she has Blue magic.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call that going easy on her ma’am.”

“If anything goes wrong during this test I will take care of it. Now I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you, just do what you are told!”

“Yes ma’am, forgive me my Lady.”

Back in the training room another eternity passed, but no shock had come. Is this some new form of torture? Thought Raien and she saw the flower leave the room in the same manner in which it appeared. Suddenly the voice returned.

“New test,” the voice began to say as a section of the left wall opened up and out slithered a large snake. “You’re going to let this coral viper bite you.”

“What!” shouted Raien. “Are you kidding me?” Raien instinctively began to form fire in the palms of her hand, but before she could form a ball the flames suddenly went out like someone snuffing a candle. What did she just do? I can’t use my magic, I can‘t even sense it! Raien began to sweat as panic set in. She slowly backed into the corner, putting as much space between her and the snake as possible. Suddenly Raien felt a tingle run throughout her entire body, but not a shock, it was different from the other ones. There was no pain this time, just numbness. She soon fell to the ground, completely unable to move. Panic overran her senses as the snake inched its way closer towards her. Raien gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable.

Kayleen tossed the circlet to the table, she could still hear Raien’s screams echoing in her head, hesitantly she picked up the circlet and placed it back on her head, there was no screams this time, there was nothing.

“Oh hell!” remarked Kayleen. She suddenly stood up and tossed the circlet to the ground. “Open the wall.” She ordered her subordinate. The wall quickly opened and Kayleen rushed into the training room as soon as the wall opened up enough for her to slip through. Instantly a ball of black fire shot from her palm, hitting the snake, still latched onto Raien’s hand, incinerating the snake, but leaving Raien untouched, the snake had already done enough damage.

A white glow quickly engulfed Kayleen as she made her way towards Raien. She placed both her hands on Raien’s chest and poured the white light into Raien’s body. It took some time but Raien began breathing again. Kayleen slumped over, having to plant her palms to the ground to keep herself from collapsing on top of Raien. She slowly regained her composure and turned towards her subordinate.

“You can cross Beastmastery of the list.”

Raien awoke to a cold and dark room. Her eyes took time to adjust to the little amount of light that flowed in through a small barred window near the top of one of the walls. Another magic proof cell. Raien sat up as best as she could. Raien summoned what little energy she had left and made a small flame, enough to give her some light to see by. Two puncture wounds were beginning to scab over on her right hand. Slowly memories of what happened earlier that day began to come back to her. She should have pain all over. She shouldn’t even be breathing, but she was. The only side effect was pure exhaustion. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice from outside the cell and she quickly doused the flame.

“This is the room she is in sire,” said Kayleen.

“I see, the one we saved from execution?” said a second voice.

He must be King Shean, thought Raien. Who else would Kayleen speak so formally towards?

“How are the assessments coming?”

“Well my liege as reported she has good command over black magic, better than we expected. She’s able to conjure all the primary elements as well as a few complex ones.”

“So she’s a fast learner.”

“No, not exactly,” explained Kayleen. “She did all this simply be being told to, as if she’s always know how to do these things.”

“So she’s self taught?”

“Yes, they’re a bit of a loose cannon, but they have tremendous potential.”

“I see, so what do you plan to do next?”

“Tomorrow I’ll test if she has potential in Grey, Red and White magic, once that is done we’ll know for sure the total range of her abilities, once we have that I can start to train her magical stamina.

“Very well then,” said the King and he began to leave. “Keep me posted.”

“I will, sire.”

* * *

The night passed, or at least sleep came, and when Raien awoke there was a quick meal, a chance to wash up, immediately followed by being led into the training room once again. Sealed and isolated in the strange room Raien wondered and feared what they had in store for her today.

“Hello Raien,” said the familiar voice through her circlet. “Today will be the last day of testing, starting tomorrow we will start on stamina, but for now let us start the first test.”

The wall began to open once again like the other day and Raien feared the worst, but when the wall fully opened what she saw wasn’t a snake or any such beast, but a small boy wearing a circlet just like the one Raien wore, but something was a bit off about his appearance.

“Hi,” said the boy who looked at Raien with eyes full of curiosity. “You’re pretty.” The boy then suddenly twitched a bit, Raien instantly knew that he had been shocked. This was followed by a quick message from the circlet saying, “do not talk to the other test subject.” The room than began to shift again and two sets of long metal poles rose from the ground and locked into place.

“We’re going to have a race,” said the voice. “Each set of poles is fifty yards apart. Raien take the right side and when I say ‘go’ I want you to run to the other pole and touch it as fast as you can.”

What is this going to prove? Thought Raien as she made her way to the first pole and the boy made his way to the pole on the left hand side. Seeing the boy closer Raien noticed what was different about him. Pointed ears, is he an elf? But she couldn’t give it much though as she heard a loud, “Go!” in the back of her head. Instantly the boy was off and though a bit delayed Raien caught up to the boy and beat him to her pole by over three strides.

“Good Raien,” said the voice. “But the test isn’t over yet, this time I’ve told the boy to hold nothing back, so get ready. Go!” Raien burst into a full run but stopped only about five steps in, as she didn’t believe what she saw, the boy had already made it to the other side, fifty yards away.

“How did he do that?” asked Raien aloud to no one in particular.

“With Magic,” said the voice. “He can increase his speed at will, a skill that you so far have not led us to believe you possess. Now head back to the other pole and let’s try this again.”

Raien began to walk back to her original pole and thought over how the boy could possible have ran that fast. Is it wind? she thought. Maybe if I create a wind at my back I can propel myself faster. Raien began to harness magical energy and focus it behind her and readied for the start of the next race. “Go!” shouted the voice and instantly the boy was off in a flash and Raien released the energy that she had stored up as a gust of wind but she quickly lost control of the wind and was thrown into the air. Raien instinctively made a cushion of air to fall on, but her landing was still a hard one, thankfully without injury.

“That is not how it’s done,” scolded the voice. “It is a power separate from conjuring the elements. One more race, and this time if you fail expect to get one of these.” Suddenly a paralyzing jolt ran down Raien’s body. “Remember that feeling, perhaps you can use that as motivation to succeed this time.”

Raien and the boy lined up for one last race and as Raien looked down at the boy his once cheerful eyes now had a twinge of sadness in them. “Go!” commanded the voice one last time and Raien and the boy both took off. Raien quickly saw the boy break away from her, she tried to run faster, forcing her muscles to stretch, trying to find some power she hadn’t tapped into before, but there was nothing, she felt nothing, nothing but the quick jolting pain that was slowly become a constant in her life.

“Hey!” cried out the boy. “You didn’t say you were going to do that.” The boy than quickly ran towards Raien and reached to take off her circlet, but before he could get a single finger on it a fierce jolt rocked his body and he fell completely limp, weakly uttering, “Sorry.”

“A failure,” said Kayleen, taking off her circlet.

“Grey Magic is a hard form to test my lady, said her subordinate.

“I know,” said Kayleen. “If she had the ability to learn Grey Magic she would have used it during that test.”

“Should we have them run once more?”

“No, I don’t want them spending anymore time together. That sprite child is going to be a trouble maker, he almost got her control circlet off.”

“Very well then, what shall we do next?” asked the subordinate.

“Send the sprite to the water field, I want to test his speed while swimming, as for Raien, prepare the Summoning test.

“Raien opened her eyes and blinked a few times as her sight cleared, she looked around to find that she was still in the training room, now just a normal field, and the boy was no where to be seen.

“Welcome back Raien,” said the voice. “It’s time for another test.” The ground by Raien began to shift and opened to reveal a tray the contained a knife and a sheet of paper with odd symbols written on it in what seemed to be blood.

“I want you to take that knife and slice the tip of your index finger,” explained the voice. “Then with your blood sign you name onto the center of that sheet of paper. After that put the knife and the paper back on the tray.”

Raien thought the instructions were weird, but then again everything that was happening was beyond what she would have called normal a few days ago. She sliced her finger and blood began to seep in between the slit she had made and then signed her name as best she could. She then placed the knife and paper back on the tray as she was instructed and the tray receded into the ground. After some time the voice returned, “Very good, we will now begin the next test.” The wall of the room began to open once again. This time it was a tethered wolf that had entered the room, and attached with a bandage to its front left leg was the paper Raien had sealed. The wolf seemed somehow different, it was much larger than an ordinary wolf and its eyes seemed to glow with an eerie red light.

“I want you the fight this demon,” said the voice.

“What?” questioned Raien.

“I want you to defeat this demon, you can use magic. In fact I encourage it.”

“I’m not going to kill this wolf even if it is a demon!” stated Raien.

“I think you’ll change your mind when you two get to know each other better, cause you’ll soon see the demon has no qualms about killing you,” explained the voice. “Begin the test.” With those words the tether released and the demon made it’s way towards Raien and pounced upon her. Raien quickly found herself on her back keeping the wolf’s snapping jaws from her face as her crossed fore arms pressed against the demon’s neck and forced it away. Raien could feel the demon’s hot stale breath as its teeth drew ever closer. Raien then suddenly let forth a burst of wind and tossed the demon aside, putting some distance between her and the wolf she waved her arm creating an arc of fire to barricade her from the beast, but Raien quickly learned that this demon had no fear of fire and it leapt through the flames, completely over Raien’s head, landed on all fours and turned as it bared its teeth. Raien thought it was odd that though she could clearly smell singed hair the paper attached to the wolf’s leg remained intact, but she didn’t have much time to process that as the wolf quickly lunged once more. This time Raien was ready though, She caught the demon in midair with a gust of wind, followed by a burst of flame propelling the wolf well over her head and the wall of flame, then the wolf fell to the ground with a large crack and quick yelp. Raien turned and dissipated the wall of flame to see that the wolf had snapped its neck upon landing. Raien hesitantly walked closer to the wolf but before she could get close to it, it turned into a pile of ash and the paper tied to its leg combusted and added itself to the pile.

“Very good Raien,” said the voice. “You failed the test, but you did prove yourself to be very capable and quick to think on your feet in a fight.”

“You, you made me kill!” Raien furiously shouted.

“It was merely a demon wolf.”

“It was still a life, and you made me kill it!”

“What do you think existence is?” lectured the voice. “It is a struggle of life and death, kill or be killed. Your will to live greatly out weighs your fear to use your magic.”

“I’m not like that,” Raien pleaded to the unseen voice.

“This isn’t the first time you taken a life when it was absolutely necessary to save your own, you should be proud it is a very admirable quality to have in a soldier.”

“What are you talking about?” shouted Raien. Suddenly memories of the other day back home flashed in her head and she instantly knew what the voice meant. “Oh God I killed them.”

“Yes you did, but you did it to save yourself, you chose to live.”

“Don’t lecture me as if you know who I am!” shouted Raien. “You know nothing about me!” A circle of fire radiated from her feet quickly decimating the grass growing on the field. Raien then quickly collapsed to the ground. It was just like the paralyzing tingle from yesterday’s test Raien soon found that she was unable to move.

“You need to calm down, your going to hurt yourself,” said the voice. “We still have one more test to run today, but for now you’ll just stay where you are. We’ll conclude today’s testing once you have settled down.”

With that the voice was gone. Raien was alone, unable to use magic, unable to move. She was alone, with nothing but her grief.