I stared into the great expanse of the Towering Wilds, taking a deep breath to steady myself. Our mark to start was a loud whistle on the wind, but what spurred me to move forward was a squeeze on my shoulder, and the whispered words of good luck.
I committed to a steady pace while most of the class rushed into the forest. I was well aware of my ability. If I didn’t take things slowly, I’d not make it halfway before I set off one of Felydrin’s traps. While I had little confidence in being crowned victor, I didn’t want to perform so poorly it’d be another embarrassment.
Easing my way through the dense wood, I scanned the ground with each step, hoping I’d recognize some telltale sign of magic by sight alone. I lost track of time, carefully avoiding anythingthat appeared unnatural. Given the position of the sun, I was likely less than halfway to the end. To my knowledge, I’d not triggered any traps, but I wasn’t certain it would be obvious if I had. With a bit of regained confidence, I picked up my pace.
Something akin to a hum, yet somehow darker, began to buzz softly in my ears. With every step I took, the sound grew louder, and my body reacted as though I were being pricked with pins. I was slick with cold sweat, shivering despite the mild temperature.
“Hello?” I called out hesitantly.
The only answer was the sound of the forest.
I was paranoid, then. “I really, really hate this.”
But I didn’t dare stop. The only thing worse than being left alone in the Wilds was being left alone in the dark. I shifted my route, veering off course for some time before adjusting myself back to my original path. The humming had ceased after I’d gotten farther away, and the tightness in my muscles instantly relaxed.
The sun was gradually growing closer to the horizon. There were a few hours left before it set, so I maintained my pace, not rushed for time. I felt similar awful sensations as I progressed, but was now using them as a guide. Was this part of the magic?
As I approached another area where the humming began, I sought a way out, but each direction, even back the way I’d come, led to the sound growing louder. With no other option, I pushed forward until the feeling grew almost unbearable. Gasping for breath, I dropped into a squat and clutched the sides of my head.
“Stop!” I shouted to the wind. “Please stop.”
The forest floor became shattering glass beneath my feet. I could feel my magic curling around me in a protective cocoon while shadowy claws ripped into the ground. They were pushing against some force I was only vaguely aware of. The more magicI used, the more trails of inky black stained my hands, raw with the pain of a burn.
But it stopped. The humming stopped, and with it disappeared my shadows.
When my vision came back into focus, all was exactly as it had been. Sunlight creeping through a canopy of trees, painting the ground beneath me in a golden glow. The only evidence that anything had occurred at all was the disturbed detritus looking torn apart by a rabid animal.
I stood, my knees wobbling, and caught my balance against a rough tree trunk. Loud footsteps caught my attention, and I swiveled my head to see Arch Magus Felydrin barreling towards me, arms flailing about.
He skirted to a stop in front of me, leaned over, and steadied his panting breath. His voice was surprisingly clear and calm by the time he asked, “what happened? Are you hurt?”
I looked down at my hands before diverting my eyes. “I think… I don’t know exactly.”
He yanked my hand forth, leaving me no time to react, and turned my palm over in his grip. “Peculiar. You’ve utilized particularly potent magic, but it seems to take a hefty toll.”
Pulling my hand back, I replied, “I didn’t utilize anything. Whatever my magic did, it did on its own to protect me from whatever that trap was.”
Felydrin blinked slowly. “Nairu, the trap was nothing. Once the runes activated, you should have felt a slight tingling sensation which would dissipate a moment later. It was intended to record your magical signatures, so I would know if anyone lied about stepping on one,” he paused, “but in your case, it’s a bit different.”
His lingering gaze on my hands, as if I were a specimen for study, made my voice tremble. “What does that mean?”
“Well, you ripped the magic of my trap to pieces. It didn’t dissipate it, you destroyed it. It recorded nothing. I only knew to run here because I felt it shatter.” He paced around the area, examining the chaos I’d caused. “It’s one thing to dismantle a trap. You need finesse, knowledge, and patience. It’s another thing entirely to do… what you did. Impressive, though strange for a Mage of your caliber.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, Arch Magus, but if it’s fine with you, I’d rather resign from this contest of yours.” I looked up to meet his gaze to find his eyes had narrowed, and the emotion in them was flickering somewhere between curiosity and caution. “Would you be willing to show me the way to the end?”
“Indeed. It wouldn’t be safe for you to continue. Follow me; my steps exactly. We need to pick up the pace to make it to the end before the others.”
If I knew one thing for certain, it was that word of what I’d done would make its way back to Alandris. I’d accomplished nothing today except making the Mage I was suspicious of suspect me instead. Though his impersonal assessment of me made me uncomfortable, Felydrin didn’t give any indication of being a bad person. He was simply… awkward. A fountain of knowledge much like Luelle, but without the social graces and innate cheerful disposition.
Following Felydrin’s footsteps was easy enough, though he kept a quick pace and refused to stop for breaks. I was so winded by the time we reached the coastline, I’d committed myself to setting up a physical training regimen. When I saw him standing there with not a hair out of place, nor a bead of sweat on his skin, that’s when I decided; I was seriously out of shape.
Initially, I doubted we would return before anyone else, but Felydrin’s knowledge of where he’d hidden the traps saved usa significant amount of time. Even so, we weren’t waiting long before we came face to face with the winner: Quinn.
“How did you get here first?” he spat in my direction.
“I forfeited.”
His resulting sneer nearly made me lunge for him. “Not surprising in the slightest.”
