Year 782 Octavus, 32th of the eighth-month Balkraus

Akana walked down the corridor with Vis. It had been a month since the conversation with Sidastir and the leaves on the trees had gone from deep green to beautiful autumn colors. He noticed that people have watched him with disbelief as he did not bore thicker garments. He didn't see any reason for it when he didn't need it. The cold did not affect him at all.

Vis had a month ago reluctantly agreed to assign him to the Experioren or the Trial which was the translation from Relevian. But Akana was only allowed to join if he had mastered at least the foundations of elementalism. It was a hard criterion to cope with but after a month of giving Vis burns and once burned off a pupil's eyebrows, Akana has barely been approved by the Vis.

Akana would not call his control for mastery as he could more or less just target his fire in one direction and hope that the fire will not be too strong and spread. However, he has learned to extinguish his fire completely, which Vis thanked the gods for , as the lessons began to be expensive. Akana solved the situation by sending the bill to Sidastir.

Akana was about to meet his team. They had gathered in a special hall with protective barriers so they could practise without worrying about burning down the school. A practical solution to a problem that was bound to occur when a group of Fire mages gathered. Vis opened the door and they stepped into the room.

Akana was amazed at how vast the hall was. The hall was at least as massive as the dining room but without the tables that covered up the floor surface.The high stellar vault ceiling was decorated in paintings of gold and blue, the colors of the school, while the walls were adorned with columns. Columns were customary in the Relevium and in this case they looked like they held up the roof even though they were built into the walls and were not essential to the structure of the building. They were only there as decoration. The floor and walls were in traditional grey stone, as Akana has learned was from Dailain.

Marble benches were in the corners and he saw some students sit on them to rest. A student looked to sleep on one of the benches and Akana couldn't help but stare at him.

He look at a woman who came closer. Her steps echoed in the room that had been silenced when the student’s turned their attention to the new arrivals.

She wore a student's neutral tunic but must have read elementalism later in her studies when she was most likely at least twenty-five years. The woman's posture suggested that she was noble so Akana was surprised that she did not bore the Releviums and Patricalums traditional toga over the tunic. Vis had probably told her not to wear it because it wasn't really allowed for student’s to wear toga. For all students had the same status. Few, however, followed this rule.

The woman gave Vis a respectful bow, which Vis merely dismissed with a wave, before she turned to Akana.

"Is this the last member?" she asked and examined Akana while trying to put up a display of mild interest. All stared at him, except for the young man who slept, and it was evident that they all knew who he was even if this woman gave the guise of being unaware.

"Greetings! My name is Akana the Rifabeinn. I heard that you started to practice a few weeks ago and apologize for my late arrival," said Akana and hoped that he sounded both polite and respectful at the same time.

A snort was heard from the man who slept on the bench. He rose and stretched with a yawn.

"It's impressive that you're here at all. From what I have been able to distinguish, you did not know about your powers and do not have control over them. I am not surprised. Dragonfire must be a nightmare to possess."

The man had risen from the bench and walked up to them, and the woman had frown upon her nose in condemnation as if she were feeling the smell of something disgusting in the room.

"My name is Cessare Pectoris and this lovely scarecrow is my cousin Tenera Pectoris", the man said and made a gesture towards the woman who is huffed at the inadequate presentation.

Akana could see a certain similarity between them, both having the same eagle nose and the same dark eyes. They were the same medium length and the same slender figure that was common among Patricalis and Relevis. The difference between them was that Cessare had a Relevis bronzed skin and dark brown hair while Tenera had a Patricalis pale skin but raven hair.

"Patricali," Cessare whispered bluntly and pointed discretely towards the Tenera who glared at him with a disgruntled look on her face.

Cessare grinned but were almost thrown to the floor by a third actor. Akana stared at the marvelous sight while the Cessare grimaced against the intruder who hung against his arm. A young man, who looked like he was only nineteen years, stared at Akana while he had his arms around Cessare like he wanted to protect him.

The sight was comical as the young man who was apparently younger than the Cessare, but he was still two heads higher than him. Cessare went to the nose of Akana but Cessare merely went to the chest of this young man and Akana barely went to his chin.

He was either from Domor or Dailain but the light blond, unruly hair implied on a Domorian origin. Domorans and Dailainier are the tallest of all races in the nine kingdoms and many whispers that they have giant blood in the veins although it must be a long time ago. Giants have not set foot in the nine kingdoms since the time of the Vans.

The boy's green eyes did not release Akana with his gaze and he almost lifted Cessare up like a puppy when the Cessare tried to wiggle himself free.

"I can't breathe, Ceren!" gasped Cessare and pounded on the boy's arm that was nowhere near to full-grown as both Domorans and Dailainians were as wide as they were tall. Pure mountains of muscle so to speak. This was a boy who hasn't grown in his physique yet.

Akana snorted when he tried to hold back a laugh. Ceren means sweet in the Moranian and was usually a maiden name. Ceren glared at Akana from under his bangs but relieved on the grip he had on the Cessare who inhaled deeply to regain air in his lungs.

"And there vanished the last of my dignity," sighed Cessare while Akana just stared.

"You need to have a dignity before you lose it," sizzled Tenera who had not released Akana with her eyes.

Ceren’s eyes had more been in defense of Cessare against strangers. The gaze of Tenera’s was something else. She apparently had a Patricalis's disgust against other races but there was something deeper. As if she had anticipated the arrival of Akana.

"The man without dignity is the Head this year," said Vis who was probably accustomed to this scene because he had not reacted beyond having rolled his eyes at the youths.

"Head?" said Akana with an inquisitive voice.

“Leader. I am the one who will take care of the younger participants and decide who will do what in the Trial," said Cessare and shrugged while the Ceren looked enthusiastic.

"Cessare won the Trial already during his first year," explained Vis.

"I won it along with my team. However, I stood as the winner in The Race and The Fray. I am one of the few who have won two events. Usually you only participate in one of them because it is difficult to recover your mana but we were so few that year so I had to participate in two events," said Cessare with a laugh even though Akana did not understand what was funny.

If anything, it was impressive as the events take place the day after each other. It was almost impossible to recover and to win because of this. Cessare had either a huge mana supply, or he was incredibly skilled at preserving his mana.

"The idiot didn't have enough credit to pass the course so he was forced to participate. Without it, he would have failed," Vis said and crossed his arms over the chest while staring with a dissatisfied look at Cessare who merely answered with a laugh.

"How can the winner in two events almost fail the course? He must be almost a master of elementalism to cope with such feat," said Akana who frowned and inspected Cessare as if he were a foreign phenomenon.

"To pass, you have to get enough credits on the course and it can only be done if you actually show up to the lessons," said Cessare who more or less beamed with bliss.

"What, if I may ask, did you do instead?" asked Akana and glared at Cessare with eyes that said that he began to understand Vis perception of him.

"I slept! It was a well-spent year. I've never been so well rested in my entire life. It was probably the reason because I had enough mana for two events," laughed Cessare and Akana tried to understand the reasoning of Cessare but it had to be put into the pile along with all the other marvelous things that Akana would never comprehend.

"So... Are you here as a Head because you won two events or because you are missing credits this year as well " Akana asked but he had a premonition about what the answer would be.

"This time I slept in the classroom but apparently you have to participate in the lessons to get credits. Not only be present," Cessare said with a light-hearted smile. Akana had a feeling that Cessare rarely took something seriously.

Vis sighed as he seemed to yield to his fate and scratched his beard stubble while he watched them.

"He may not be a role model but he knows what he is doing. Take care of Akana, Cessare!" he said before leaving them to their fate.

"Don't worry. He will be safe under my watchful eyes," Cessare shouted after Vis before they started battle training.