To make a good impression, the baron kept his promise and brought Adriel and Aira in front of the two assessors. Aiden and Elian were waiting patiently for more individuals to arrive.

“Welcome, Baron Windbloom! We did not expect to see you so soon. Thank you for making our job easier,” Aiden said.

Only when Aira showed up from behind Adriel and the baron did Aiden freeze, speechless at the sight of the girl, going through a carousel of emotions, as if he saw a ghost.

“Aiden!” Elian whispered, shaking him slightly but shocked himself.

“Are these your children, Baron Windbloom?” Aiden asked, his voice trembling.

“Indeed!” the baron replied. “This is Aira, my late brother’s daughter, whom I adopted. And this is my first son, Adriel. I brought them as you requested.”

“Very well! We will start the assessment right away then.”

Aiden took a deep breath and then explained the procedure to each of the children. A stone in the shape of a diamond, the size of an ostrich egg, was displayed on a table in front of them. Aira was the first to touch it.

“Please keep your hand on the stone until we ask you to remove it. If you are gifted, it will start shining,” Elian added while Aiden could not keep himself from staring at her.

The stone did not shine, to Aira’s disappointment and the baron’s satisfaction.

Adriel, on the contrary, made the stone glow a strong green light, which indicated a high level of mana of healing type.

The baron’s face turned purple as soon as he realized that Adriel was far more gifted than Noah, who only managed to make the stone shine a dim red light of flame type. Aira’s disappointed face was immediately painted with a large smile and her heart was full of hope and excitement, unable to keep herself from jumping into Adriel’s arms.

“Congratulations, Lord Windbloom! I did not know there were still talented people in this area. Your sons have brought you honor.”, Aiden said, still throwing short, curious glances at Aira.

“Do not get discouraged, Miss Windbloom. A lot of talents bloom late. You might have other chances in the years that follow,” he added in a softer voice, feeling the need to encourage her a little.

“Ha-ha! Do not worry! She will be more fulfilled after she marries. Female mages are not that powerful anyways.”

“It seems that you are underestimating women, Baron. Please do not forget that it was a woman who defended against an entire army of demons during the second dark war eighteen years ago, all while bearing a child. Women can become powerful mages if allowed to,” Aiden decisively voiced his opinion.

“I meant no offense but let us be honest. Your mother, Duchess Vesta, is the only exception. Besides her, there are no women with the same talent as her. Someone like her is born once in a thousand years,” the baron shamelessly replied.

Aiden wished to continue, but Elian intervened, afraid that the discussion might escalate. The baron excused himself along with the two children. The angry man started throwing objects around the living room as soon as he charged through the door of his mansion.

“How many times have I told you to control your powers?” he yelled, punching Adriel twice. He then started kicking him in the stomach without mercy. “How is your brother supposed to get noticed at the academy after what you just did?”

“I’m sorry, father. I can’t control my powers well yet. I did not have anyone to teach me,” Adriel replied, knowing that he would make matters worse, but did not fret.

“Are you blaming me now?”

“Who should he blame then?” Aira yelled harder. “You asked him to control his powers, but you did not even provide him with the means to learn how to do it. Are you not ashamed of yourself, heartless scum?”

“You wench! I see you did not inherit that mouth of yours from your useless father. It must be from who knows who he had you with. That woman must have been a classless, lowly whore.”

The baron left the room not caring a bit for his son’s wounds.

There were still two weeks left until the assessment ended. Aira realized that even after Adriel joined the academy, the baron might still try to hurt him as revenge.

The following day, Aira snuck out and then rushed to the assessment site where Aiden and Elian were waiting for the next potential mages. Aiden was taken by surprise.

“Miss Windbloom! What brings you here?” he asked.

“Among the awards a mage can receive…,” she said in one breath. “A title! A mage and his family can receive and share a title. Is that true?” she asked.

“That… That is true but…”

“What are the requirements?”

Aiden and Elian looked at each other, then at Aira’s desperate face.

“A title can be received only if a mage has great achievements on the battlefield, but that can take more than three years. Not many mages can last that long on the battlefield.”, Elian replied.

Aira sighed in defeat. “I can’t wait that long,” she mumbled between gritted teeth.

The two young mages had previously heard about the baron’s two wives and realized during their stay that they displayed a fake harmonious family. The clothes Aira and Adriel wore were plain and of low quality, while the third son wore golden-buttoned shirts everywhere he went.

They noticed solid traces of healing mana on Adriel and Aira’s bodies, which hinted that they were often hurt, bearing old wounds that could be easily detected by gifted mages like them.

“Thank you! I understand now,” Aira said, then left, her head drooping.

“What do you understand?” Aiden thought to himself.

“Have you received any letters from Master?” Elian asked.

 “Not yet! But there should be an answer soon.”

 “I still cannot get used to it. The resemblance is striking. Do you think she wears a disguise or if she knows something?”

“She does not seem to know. And I checked already. The skin on her face is real. She did not use any spells or skin mask.”

Aira threw herself on her bed as soon as she entered her room, various thoughts flooding her mind. She did not move from there until midnight when her stomach roared in hunger. She lazily got up and went straight to the kitchen, but did not yet enter. She heard voices behind the slightly open door.

“Ah! I have so much bad luck. This is the fourth time and there is still no trace of mana. I hoped to leave this town forever.”, a servant spoke.

“You’re not the only one. I’ve been trying everything to awaken and nothing worked. All those methods were useless.”, another replied.

“As expected, only a natural awakening is possible. Those who spread such rumors should be punished. They even say that if you eat the roots of an Acarasa, you will be awakened and be gifted with a high-grade element. Who would even climb that mountain sowed with monsters just to get that stupid weed without losing their lives?”

“We tried all methods except that one. Who would believe it could work if the others failed? I’m not that stupid to risk my life.”

Acarasa, a rare plant that only bloomed once a year during summer, was known to possess great powers and whoever ate its root would grow a mana core and awaken magic powers within a day. Aira was doubtful at first but still could not give up hope, even if she would be perceived as stupid.

“I will become a mage, you scumbags! Just wait!” she yelled from the bottom of her heart but only in her mind because she was afraid to wake the baron up.

Author notes:

QUIZ:

What would you do if you came upon a plant that could grant you magic powers?

A. Use it as a magic wand.

B. Throw it away because you are already a mage.

C. Double it and give it to the next person.