I’m dropped in a not-so-gentle manner just outside of the arena on a large clearing. After solving my descent with wind magic and getting my hair out of my face I finally have the chance to check on the lunatic who took me for a flight.

  The fairly young-looking elf with a cocky smile on his face is still mid-air with two sizeable eagle-like wings of fire flapping behind him. We flew too fast for me to notice it before but looking at it right now… the thing looks really damn cool.

  “You may drop your jaws, it’s understandable.” He says with a cocky grin I know oh so well. It’s in our blood after all.

  Maybe because I had a long day or just due to the abundance of cool stuff around, nevertheless, I fail to display any honest excitement and just nod.

  Wings are cool and useful for many more things in combat other than just flying. It’s basically a big fiery limb in this case that could both shield the wielder or roast any opponent up close. With that said I don’t like wings, They’re large and easy to hit, and although damage to them is simple to repair, any holes and tear would greatly destabilize the flight.

  They’re still cool though.

  “I don’t have all day child, fly!” He demands.

  Uhhh, this man is already pissing me off and it hasn’t even been a minute yet.

  [Warrior lvl ???]

  “My name is Elyssia, a pleasure.” I start off with an attitude. He’ll understand as this is an elf-to-elf conversation. “Was it really necessary for all the teachers to throw their weight around? I mean, I would’ve followed if you just asked.”

  “No, it wasn’t, but that uncouth woman insisted on it.” He shrugs. “She wanted to shake you up and set your spirit ablaze. To show what exactly you’ll be working towards.” I swear his wings got bigger and flashier as he said that. “And we don’t have all day for chitchat. Now, make your own wings of whatever element to use and get to it.”

  Wings… After observing countless birds and their effortless glide, flying with them seems awfully simple. Just flap and flap and whoosh and done. Although Savant did its job and patched up the holes regarding shape, speed, and air pressure. Another major win for my finicky Blessing.

  With that said, merely pushing myself upwards with some wind magic could also achieve flight. Perhaps an armor of wind to stabilize and strong gusts to do all the propelling…

  Only one problem with that, it sounds really damn slow. I might as well paint a target on my back and stand out in the open instead of flying without cover and at walking speed. Sure, winds can blow fast, but without a proper Skill, you can only have two of the speed-stability-cost trio.

  I haven’t heard of anyone ever flying without a dedicated Skill since splitting your concentration between staying airborne and fighting does sound like a bad idea. Then again, I doubt Nature’s Partner in the Dance will ever offer me a Skill this specific because the class itself is too broad, too universal.

  This leaves doing things the hard way.

  I often use an element in close combat that has plenty of kick and gets things done instantly. Explosions. Well, it’s actually fire but that’s beside the point. It’s all about things expanding and generating pressure and thus thrust.

  Wind is still on the table but I already have something in mind. I’ve been brooding over this for years now after all. It seems it's finally time to do some experimenting.

  I’m an advocate of learning through experience, mostly because that’s how I was taught by everyone since my birth. Baby steps.

  I tuck my arms in, and hold them close to my body, open my palm, and try to focus the heat right at the center…and BOOM.

  The results are… controversial. I do move upwards quite a bit and with next to no control.

  My arms feel like they’re about to fall off from the sudden force and just a second later I’m back on the ground on my bum.

  I wouldn’t even call this a baby step.

  “What damnation was that?” The elf finally lands and hoists me up by my uniform. “Stop fooling around and make a wing already!”

  Oh, dear Gods above… is this how people feel when dealing with me? Thank everything that’s good Mom managed to tame Dad before I was born…

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The old me would lose her cool here but that would lead nowhere. “It’s fine, I appreciate the guidance,” I say as sarcastically as possible because I’m still me. “but I’ll do things my way. Some pointers might help though.” I add.

  The man’s eyes narrow and he shakes his head. “Girly, better leave that pride of yours behind right now. Trust me, I’ve been there. Wings are the most reliable and versatile tool for flight and they’d complement your style greatly.”

  That’s… wait, he used his head? I’m speechless…

  “Heh, my bad I guess.” I mutter, unwilling to speak a full apology for looking down on him. “But I need all my Skill slots. Flight is great but if there’s an option to save a slot for something much more potent…”

  “That’s a crooked path you’ve chosen for yourself. Many before you tried walking it and few have succeeded.” I receive a fair warning. He glances back to the arena still loud with the echoes of vigorous activity. “Definitely not what I’m being paid for… but let’s see it.” He stares back at me, a thin smile stretching on his face. “Easier said than done, but if you fail-”

  “Nope.” I cut him off. “I might be young but I’m not stupid, no bets. I have nothing to win.” Because at the end of the day, the decision is mine. “But I’ll say this…” I mirror his expression. “One day I’ll fly past you faster than you can comprehend while you just flap those wings like a chicken on fire.”

  “Heh… hahaha. You’re on, kid.” He merely laughs me off instead of the scolding I’ve been half-expecting.

  I hate it when he calls me kid. I know he might as well be three times Dad’s age because of how weirdly pure elves age but I’m not that young. And even then I don’t age that much slower, I’m only half.

  Now, let’s see… I need more power, but my arms can’t exactly handle it. Some wind to rotate and carry me would also come in handy and…

  ***

  “Let’s stop here.” Says the elf who stayed mostly silent and observed me as I threw myself at the problem over and over again.

  He also dropped a small Hadron crystal in my hand just when I needed it. Some pointers regarding my balance and stance were all he offered and I could not have asked for more.

  “Just a little…” I grumble, frustrated at the amount of difficulty this seemingly simple task proves to be.

  I even took off that stupid necklace to bring my A-game.

  Successfully lifting off the ground is the easiest part of the whole ‘flying’ concept. Staying stable in the air… that’s where my problems start. And let’s not even go into maneuvering in any direction.

  Or landing.

  Despite my best efforts to create a uniform and continuous output and form cone-shaped walls of air beneath my feat to concentrate the thrust, I’m still wobbly in my flight and oftentimes overcompensate for every little irregularity.

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Solution A was to, again, use wind magic to hold me like some guiding hands. The only problem is that the shell completely thrashed aerodynamics and made my flight path erratic.

  Option B was to go all out on output, blast flames to the max, and hope for the best. This honestly yielded the most promising results in both the stability and speed departments.

  But if not for my temporary mentor catching me it could’ve ended badly. I had zero control over where I few.

  Option C… That’s what I’m currently working on. It requires precise control over both wind and fire so the amount of mana and concentration it requires is ridiculous. Working it out will take some time, however, I either fly or fight, and my stats won’t allow for anything else.

  “If only I could just make a few small bursts of-” I growl as my mana is about to run dry again and I’m starting to feel dizzy.

  “Enough!” The elf declares firmly just as I’m contemplating setting myself on fire and using my entire body as thrusters. The clothes would not survive for sure but it’d work. “Return the crystal, now!”

  “I’m not done, I can fly-” I protest.

  “It took me weeks to earn the Skill and you’re obviously attempting it through pure control, you stubborn fool. I’m beginning to believe my eyes deceive me and you’re as pureblooded an elf as one can be.” He takes back the precious rock from my hand and a moment later we soar through the sky back towards the arena.

  I barely even noticed him grabbing me and taking off but I most definitely don’t like it.

  The fading light of Solaire is already slowly dipping below the horizon, painting the sea around us orange. Only now that my absolute focus on the task has been broken do I understand just how much this entire day took out of me.

  It’s frustrating… I gave it an honest effort, everything this day threw at me because I truly wanted to bring the most out of it.

  And yet it feels like I barely moved forward anything…

  I also expected a little… more from this place. Like, all that happened today was me listening to some old hags trying to stuff our heads with hardly useful knowledge and convoluted questions.

  It totally drained me. And now this… I might as well have done it all alone.

  “There’s no need to get so worked up.” The elf slows down and we lazily glide through the air. “I’ll give you another decade to show me what being a chicken on fire feels like. And I’m being generous.” He adds. “There’s no shame in giving up on a foolish venture if you were to give up. It might sound comical coming from me but pride is-”

  “Oh shut it already.” I grumble. “You just wasted your entire afternoon with me.”

  “If I remember correctly it was you who asked for none of my expertise. I’ve been tasked with keeping an eye on you and that’s exactly what I did.” He huffs, likely reaching his limit as well. This whole training had been sort of a failure. “Although I have to admit you lasted remarkably long. What ridiculous method you have in mind to achieve flight I don’t know and honestly, I won’t be around to find out either.”

  “Good.” I answer curtly. I don’t like this one. “ Now drop me!”

  I feel the hands gripping me by the shoulders tighten. “Don’t be stupid, I’ll bring you back and-”

  “What, you’re not fast enough to catch me if I fail-”

  Before I can finish my taunt the elf lets go of me.

  I asked for it – mostly because I feel like the inner dark Eli is about to break out any second – and thus I’m now hurtling toward the ground at terminal velocity. But I don’t panic, much.

  This is far from my first time falling and nothing more than practice.

  Around halfway to turning into mush on the grass, I sprawl out and start spewing fire from my palms, helping me get my feet underneath me. Some more Might would make this ordeal a whole lot easier but at last, fires ignite under my feet, roaring with my own fury and scorching the earth.

  My landing is more aggressive and destructive than graceful but it’s a success.

  I throw the elf, my good-for-nothing mentor hovering in the air, a ridiculing look before making my way back to the dorms.

  ***

  Upon returning to my room I just hit the bed and fell asleep. No shower, no lunch not even getting up when Val returned and asked me if everything was okay. Although after waking up and feeling much better I finally realized what might've caused my outburst. Why I was so... unbearable.

  Mana poisoning. A mild version, merely the first symptoms compared to the sickness that hit me like a mammoth after I blew myself up four years ago.

  Four years… that’s a lot of time.

  It made me feel like when one has a bad cold, with a runny nose and throbbing headache sprinkled with the feeble feeling of a fiber. It’s awful and I brought it upon myself, although I’m still not entirely clear about my limits.

  The abundant mana around Sereban makes falling asleep a chore even to this day.

  However, I can’t exactly blame it all on mana. I felt a bit let down, and not because of the lectures and the lack of achievements… Well, not only those things. I gotta admit they’re more exhausting than surviving in the forest.

  No, it the lack of free time, the time I hold dear, and the time I need to digest things.

  Yesterday I went from one lecture to a quick mediocre lunch, to another lecture, then the workshop, and then, only after that to combat practice. It ate up all my time. I was up and running for as long as Solaire was watching over us and it was fucking tiring.

  One would expect the hundreds of attribute points and whatnot to pull their weight but that had clearly been calculated into our timetable.

  So, I’ll do things differently today, if possible. It all depends on how interesting the material and professor are really. If I’m bored it’ll feel like a waste of time and I’ll be grumpy again the next lecture will feel even worse and so on and so on… An infinite downward spiral.

  So next lecture, Law of Nature, do your best.

  The classroom for this specific lesson could be considered small, just like the number of students present. I guess most people are content with the magic just working as it should instead of looking at the world and asking ‘Why?’.

  They don’t really need to in the first place. Magic Theory provides most of the answers for a Mage frankly and that fulfills the bare minimum. Knowledge does supplement our powers but invested energy does not always equal results.

  An elf who could be twenty or two hundred years old just by his looks walks in after the last student takes her place, arriving almost late. His lighter brown skin, brown hair, and brown eyes almost make him look like a living tree. Which all elves sort of are, considering the World Tree is the mother of all elves.

  “Soon to be scholars and intellectuals of Eborden. I greet thee to my lesson where we glance into the mysteries of the world. My humble name is Eliot and we’ve gathered here to dismantle us and gain a more profound understanding of the world around us.” He walks up to the wall at the podium and starts writing on it with his hand.

  Letters of light are left in his finger’s wake, maybe his own magic or another wonder of the Academy… it's cool nonetheless.

  “Today’s topic will be something undemanding to shake us into form… Let us examine water.” He pulls out a glass of water from seemingly nowhere. “One of the fundamental components of life. We use it every day yet what you see as water is just a tiny portion of it.” He pulls out another glass of… the same water. It’s just water. “This is saltwater. Contrary to the water in rivers and lakes drinking this does not end well.” Then a cube of ice lands on the podium. “Still water, just frozen.”

  I’m getting bored. So far this lesson feels like a parent showing interesting stuff to their five-year-old child and those things have been rocks and grass so far.

  “Now we will take a look at a more interesting variant.” Again a glass of water appears, this time with a bit of an orangish hue and filled with many tiny bubbles.

  Okay, the material might be a bit on the boring end but the way he does that pulling-things-out-of-thin-air trick… He should talk more about that. There are no rings on his fingers and even if it's a spatial Class he’s doing it way smoother than Martha.

  The water is cool too I guess.

  “This,” He takes a sip out of the newest glass and then puts it down beside the others. “Is combustion water.” He grabs a small metal stick, an igniter, this time from his pocket.

  One of the basic tools according to Mom.

  He injects some mana and the igniter sputters some weak flames. Instantly the water catches on fire and burns with a wild purplish light.

  Now hold the fuck up! Either that is not water or something is seriously messed up by magic. Water doesn’t burn, it makes fire not burn. Water burnsn’t.

  Savant tingles again and some messy information about oxygen, hydrogen, water, and high-temperature drills itself into my head. If the things making up water split then it's no longer water, if it is still water then it is not meant to burn.

  That leaves mana as the culprit.

  “Around volcanos or underwater geysers, the fire mana stemming from the heat seeps into the water. That fire mana is what can be burned while turning the water into steam. Next,” I’m not even surprised anymore when another glass appears with purplish water. “Umbral water.”

  He picks up the glass and pours the content onto his own shadow’s arm. The water disappears in the darkness and instead, his arm gets wet.

  “As you can see the water can traverse between ours and the shadow realm. It is…”

  I’m completely tuned in by now. Compared to the early lackluster demonstration the stuff he shows right now is like fairy tales come to life.

  “A last one, but after that we’ll discuss our observations about the interactions of nature and magic.” He chuckles and a new glass emerges, its content buzzing purple from time to time in an irregular way. “Can anyone guess what this is?”