Cold, piercing rain fell from the sky.

It was late in the afternoon, and I stood at the entrance to the stables of Codrean waiting for someone, who was supposed to present me with a gift for my eighteenth birthday. After about an hour of waiting, I finally saw who I had been waiting for: Bernar, my older brother. He was wading through the newly-muddled and horse-shit caked path towards me, with a wry grin on his chiseled face.

Bernar and I have an age difference of about five years, give or take a few months, but he is much stronger and fleshed out than I am. Granted black hair like a raven’s feathers, golden glowing eyes, and a generally athletic build, he also wore a pendant around his neck which he often kept tucked away. The black, leather jerkin, with hose and boots to match, were shrouded by a rain repellant cloak.

The heavy downpour made it a little difficult to see whatever it was he had behind him, but as he approached, it became evident that it was, in fact, a very large horse. I would be lying if I said I didn’t immediately become ecstatic with the horse. “Gods above and below, this thing is massive,” I said, not bothering to hide the excitement in my voice.

“Yes, he is! I figured it would probably be a good gift to have for your horse-caster certification today. By the way, what kind of psychotic turd decides to do something like this on their birthday, huh?” he asked, his voice sounded a lot like mine, if not a little higher in pitch, making us rather difficult to tell apart by just hearing our voices.

“Haha, well, about that…” I trailed off as I rubbed the back of my neck. “He also cost me three months’ worth of my salary, so I’m glad you like it,” he chimed in, cutting me off slightly. Seeing as I was a little too short to get my foot in the stirrup, Bernar dragged a nearby shodding stool my way. I crawled up onto the horse's back with difficulty, as the size of the damned creature was much larger than the one I was previously used to. This, in turn, also meant I struggled to get my right foot to the other side.

Bernar let out more of a maniacal cackle than a regular laugh while watching me fumble-fuck my way about the giant quadriped. Infinite mocking was his prerogative as the older brother, after all. “I should have thought this was a possibility. It’s true that you’re a fine sword-caster, but if mom had seen you struggle like this, there is absolutely no way she would have let you try to become a horse-caster,” he said, between laughs.

I felt my mouth grimace and squinted my green eyes. “Oh, just lay it on thicker, you derisive thundercunt. It's my first time trying to mount a horse this large. My old horse was much shorter than this one, and that’s not even mentioning you put the stirrups a little too high,” I replied with a sardonic sneer.

Bernar shook his head, still chuckling a little to himself. “That's because our rotund father had used this saddle for decades until it was passed down to me. I’m not sure if you remember much about him, but he used this saddle often, and ended up tearing through the leather straps that were used to buckle it in the right spot,” he replied.

“After having kept it in storage for so long, I had forgotten about the tear. I’ve since had to compromise with them being a little higher until I can get them repaired properly, as the horse alone already drained a lot of my savings,” my brother continued, giving me a shrug as he ended his sentence.

I recognized that my brother did, in fact, spend a lot on this present; it was a beautiful horse, after all. “I’m not saying that I’m ungrateful, brother,” I began. “I do appreciate the gift a lot. I’m just trying to figure out how to get into it smoothly. So, give me a minute, will you?” I continued. Bernar merely shrugged in response, continuing to watch me struggle a little longer before finally getting into the saddle.

After I finally settled in, and readjusted the stirrups as close as I could to his liking, I patted the horse’s nape. “There, that’s much better,” I stated proudly, pushing a lock of mid-length walnut hair away from my eye. “Is it comfortable at least?” Bernar asked, eying the stirrups to make sure his younger brother hadn’t made his situation worse.

“Well, Father, being the oversized shit-nugget that he is, has definitely broken this saddle in,” I spat. Bernar let out a snort, but immediately cleared his throat. “Good. I hope you’re ready for your horse-caster certification. If worse goes to shit, at least you'll have a horse that could belong to a god. Just, uh… make sure your spell doesn’t backfire, okay? That would suck,” he said with a grin.

A spell was the simplest form of magic used by the Synners - a group of warriors who gained improved mana-based abilities through the consumption of a plant known as Gwynnleaf. While this wasn’t the only reason they could control mana, it certainly aided the process. They’d earned their moniker of synner due to the Church of Mideia branding them such, as they opposed the natural order between gods and men, or so the priests and leaders of that cult said.

“And what if I do pass this certification? Do you think the Master will finally train me to become an all-caster?” I asked, openly displaying my hopes and dreams for the future. “Well, you’re still missing your spear and bow-casting certifications, and that’s not to mention reaching the next stages of mana manipulation, so I can't say for sure. But, in the event he does accept you for all-caster training, I would suggest you dig deep and dedicate yourself to succeed,” my brother began.

“All-casters are rare enough as it is, and we synners are likely to become a dying breed. Some have even become outcasts of society for having done some ill deed that would hinder the betterment of humanity. However, we must always do our best to avoid following in their footsteps, because when all is said and done, we were created for ridding the world of evil, or so the Master says, anyway,” he continued, giving his best impression of the Master he could. 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the impersonation, but I also knew the depth of what my brother meant from his history lessons over the years. Tales of synners turning their backs and betraying their own kinsmen over conflicting ideals or other such reasons had reached the far corners of the Continent - deeming them outcasts and traitors to their own kind. 

“In any case, let’s begin,” Bernar said with a wave of his hand. I nodded and stuck my heels into the horse's side. Hoof-fall like rolling thunder whipped up a splash of mud, and I could feel the strands of my hair flowing in the wind. I held onto the reins as tight as I could, focusing on breathing in rhythm with the horse's gallop, relaxing my mind to focus on the challenge ahead.

Casting from a solid stance is relatively simple, but this is a whole new devil I'll have to manage, I thought. 

I was closing the distance between himself and the target quickly, and knew I had to begin gathering mana. The enchanted ring - which all synners wore - served as a magical ward, which helped stave off, but not entirely block the heat produced by the condensed mana just before casting a spell. I focused on the one I had to produce, and reviewed the training I'd had since I was only five years old. 

First decide, transfer, then conduct, and finally, release! Never mix the order up or the spell won't work, the Master’s words echoed in my head.

I, for whatever gods-forsaken reason, decided it would be fun to try to impress my brother with a bolt of lightning that could be cast from one’s fingertips in any direction desired. The target was well within striking range for the spell’s effect, and I took a deep breath before the channeling process. It required the one who wished to use a spell to draw mana from the Ethereal. The invisible realm surrounded all things – both living and inanimate – which was the origin of their mana itself. I began to focus as intensely as I could manage, while still maintaining my posture in the saddle.

I forcefully closed my eyes for an instant, using all of my willpower to divide my attention, sending my consciousness into the other realm. My eyes reopened, as the familiar feeling of my dilating pupils covered the olive green irises and the whites of my eyes as my consciousness went from the Between into the immaterial world.

A realm of pure and plentiful power where bright, colorful shafts of light circled a bright sphere of pure power in the sky, while stars of all sizes wheeled overhead and meshed together with the shafts. The merging of a star with a streak of power, which was a magnificent sight in and of itself since it released a blue and orange flare whenever they merged.

I looked around me and observed the ongoings above me as I did every time I wished to draw from the realm. I never had any need to rush this process, as time was not something the realm took into consideration - the only one of its kind to have such a characteristic. It was filled with life forms that roamed the vast forest of magnificent trees. The shimmering lake that was a stone’s throw away shimmered and reflected the light produced from the sphere above it.

The river that flowed from it constantly changed its shape and color, according to the merging stars with the tendrils of power. I outstretched my right hand towards the sphere, spreading my fingers as wide as I could. The mana began to flow in tendrils towards my hand, warming the air around it wherever it went.

They wrapped around my fingers, and the connection began harnessing the shafts of light and transforming them into a nebula of raw mana that encased my body like a flowing, gaseous cocoon, which began to show itself in the Between.

I exerted my will, absorbing the mana into my body and mind quickly, where it could be shaped and molded into the spells I'd already learned. I condensed what I had gathered into my hands, proceeding to cast the spell out just in front of me. 

The mana cloud surrounding my body suddenly condensed, and moved with the fluidity of a river towards my right hand, warming what little armor I was wearing and making the hairs on my arm stand on end as it went. The warmth gathered into an indigo, opaque sphere that glowed in the palm of my hand. The heat it generated grew rapidly, and was beginning to seep through the small ward from the ring on his hand.

Time to cast. Otherwise my ward will fail and my hand will melt from the heat, I thought, feeling the heat begin to seep through my measly protection measures.

I locked onto my target and whirled my arm the same way I’d practiced so often in the late hours of the night - a clockwise circle with the casting hand, followed by a pull-push motion with my arm. I made quick work of it and released the spell, its heat going along with it like removing my hand from a campfire. It all happened in a fraction of a second as the bolt of indigo lightning shot out from the fingertips of my glove.

The mana-bolt, now traveling through the air and any falling drop from the sky, vaporized anything and everything as it went. With the massive differential in temperature between the bolt and the air around it being as drastic as it was, the resulting boom from the rapid compression and decompression of the air was so great, it sounded as though the hammer of the thunder god had struck a mountain.

It quickly met its target, leaving it in little more than shards and splinters with an explosive reaction. Charred bits flew everywhere – a few of them passing him by a little too closely for comfort. The unfortunate chicken who pecked at the ground behind the target, was, unsurprisingly, turned into little more than a pink, feathery mist.

Bernar's jaw dropped as he looked on in astonishment. “Haha! You've done it, you lanky, little bastard! Well done!” he shouted in excitement. I looked over my shoulder as I turned the horse. “Did you have some kind of wager with Roburn as to whether I would’ve fucked it up?” I asked sarcastically. “N-no, why would I have that?” Bernar chuckled nervously. “On the contrary, I was actually hoping you would be able to do it. Some of the others, however…” Bernar replied, his words trailing off with a shrug.

I rode up to my brother's side and dismounted with more grace than I’d had when I tried to mount the large horse. Bernar embraced me, and patted him firmly on the back. “Finest use of the Kyr spell I've seen in awhile,” he began, smiling brightly. “Well executed, but dangerous,” he warned. “Horses get spooked easily, and most horse-casters recommend using quieter spells while riding. Luckily, this one’s well-trained and kept his composure,” he continued.

“So I've heard,” I muttered under my breath. “Although I'm sure that the Master will be surprised once he hears what I've accomplished,” I said, hopefully. "I don’t doubt it, little brother," Bernar replied, patting my shoulder. “I know for a fact I wasn’t pulling these kinds of stunts at your age. Hell, he might train you to be the best all-caster of all of us. After all, he does sense that you have much more power than most of the other boys here.”

“I really hope you’re not just saying that to make me happy, brother. You know damn well I would do my best to be the best he’s ever seen,” I said with ironically little self-confidence. My brother smiled and put a gloved hand atop my shoulder, tilting his head down a bit and looking at me from beneath his dark eyebrows. “I'm sure you will be, and I'll help you in that endeavor wherever I can,” he said warmly. “Does that mean you’ll let me kick your ass during sword training?” I asked.

Bernar laughed heartily. “You're more than welcome to try, but I guarantee you won't land a blow if you don't pack on some muscle and learn a few new tricks. Your arrogance far outweighs your flagpole build as it is,” he said. “I might not have your strength, but I'm at least twice as fast as you,” I replied.

“Sure, sure,” Bernar said sarcastically. “But what is speed when your legs are sore, arms are tired, breathing heavy and all that after only 10 minutes of having it out with one of those damned-ugly creatures outside?” he asked. “No, little brother. You'll need both to survive out there. Being good with mana manipulation will only get you so far,” Bernar said with a seriousness that, until this point, I had never seen in him. I began to think about the reality of the world outside the fortress’ walls I was yet to explore.

He never did explain why I haven’t been allowed to go on expeditions yet, has he? I thought, trying to remember any conversation we’d ever had about the topic.