A test of magic

Dear Diary,
 
The next thing I knew, I awoke in my room at Wolf’s Rest with my head pounding with the worst headache. The events of the past few days swam just out of reach – the Feywild, the monstrous creatures, the perilous journey. I vaguely remembered the tower, a majestic structure that loomed over the landscape. I also remembered a fey queen, a deal with Lady Vivienne, perhaps even two. And Gael… Gael had somehow stumbled himself into a live-in girlfriend.
 
The comfort of my own bed was a welcome relief. The treacherous journey through the Lorewood, the encounters with the undead Cornu, the constant fear of the unknown – it all seemed like a distant memory. I was home, safe within the walls of Wolf's Rest. I took a few deep breaths and then joined my companions in the kitchen downstairs.
 
As we enjoyed a hearty breakfast, we noticed a message left by the guards on the kitchen table. A summons from the Academy! The headmaster had finally responded to my request for a trial. I was to report to the Hall of Conjuration immediately. I was allowed to bring hirelings to aid me in my upcoming tasks.
 
So I "hired" my friends, of course, offering them a round of ale in exchange for their assistance. We arrived at the Academy, the familiar halls filling me with a mixture of dread and anticipation. A note on the door of the Hall of Conjuration indicated that classes had been moved for the day, likely to free up the use of the room for whatever strange test the Academy had come up with for me.
 
After we entered, an assistant with a bored expression led us to the table. Eight items lay before us: a sword, a shield, a skull, a crystal ball, an iron pentagram, a mirror, a strange looking scale, and a flute. The task, he explained, was to identify the item that was different from the others.
My friends and I debated the matter. Each item, we realized, represented a school of magic: Evocation (sword), Abjuration (shield), Necromancy (skull), Divination (crystal ball), Conjuration (pentagram), Illusion (mirror), Transmutation (scale), and Enchantment (flute). Yet, each item belonged to its respective school.
 
Hayley, her mind sharper than ever, pointed towards the table itself. "The table," she declared. "It doesn't belong to a school of magic."
 
The assistant, visibly surprised, confirmed that we were correct. I shook my head, muttering under my breath, "This is exactly the kind of nonsense I expected from the academy."
 
The assistant led us to the next phase of the trial. A small room, dominated by a shimmering teleportation circle, awaited us. The assistant activated the circle, and in an instant, we were transported to a new location.
We found ourselves in a circular chamber, the air thick with the scent of ozone. The assistant stated that we were simply to escape from the room. With a curt nod, he then stepped back through the portal, the portal closing behind him.
 
A narrow corridor led deeper into the chamber. Dadroz volunteered to scout ahead, his senses alert for any hidden traps. He returned, his expression grave. The ground, he reported, vibrated with an unsettling energy.
We cautiously entered the next chamber, a large room dominated by four statues, each representing an element: fire, water, air, and earth. As we approached, an earth elemental, a grotesque amalgamation of rock and muscle, emerged from the ground. Its eyes filled with rage as it turned towards us. The trial had begun.
 
The earth elemental charged towards us. Gael, unleashed a volley of arrows, but they bounced harmlessly off the creature's rocky hide.
I, caught off guard, was engulfed in a torrent of flames. A fire elemental, a creature of pure energy, had joined the fray. I struggled to absorb the flames, my magic disrupted by the sudden onslaught. Alistan, with a swift movement, pulled me away from the inferno, shielding me from the worst of the heat.
An air elemental then snatched me up, hurling me across the room.I struck the ground with a sickening thud, the world fading to black.
 
It seemed like the elementals had a particular focus on me, likely at the direction of the instructors of the academy. I wouldn’t be surprised if this entire test was a way to get rid of me as I have been a blemish on their record from the day I first came here. None of the teachers had ever taken a liking to me, and my fellow students had always seen me more as an outsider at best, or a target for vicious mockery at worst. It was only thanks to Emily that I probably made it through the first few weeks, and of course that didn’t end well either once the tournament rolled around.
 
I had been worried to return here, to confront what had transpired here. I didn’t want to relive the memories, the torments and dismissals. Even the moments of escape with Emily have now been twisted in my mind, and I can only think back at them with sadness. And as I lay there, bleeding out in the middle of a room being battered on all sides by the forces of elements that I aimed to claim as my own, I wondered if they hadn’t all been right. Perhaps I wasn’t worthy of calling myself as a mage. Maybe I was just a kid from Tarn with illusions of grandeur. For all my hubris, this test seemed to be proving too much for me. The elementals easily overwhelmed my defences, every inch of magic and fate manipulation hadn’t been enough to stop them.
 
But of course, unlikely the first time I had come to the Academy, this time I wasn’t alone.
 
I awoke with a start and Fiachna, my sister's faithful raven, pecking at my face. My sister, her face etched with concern, had directed the raven to heal my wounds. I scrambled to my feet as my senses were reeling.
The battle had raged on while I had been unconscious. The water and fire elementals, weakened by my friends’ attacks, lay defeated. I attempted to use my limited necromantic magic on the air and earth elementals, but my spells had little effect. They had some kind of built-in resistance that could only be overcome with the right kind of elemental magic. Another little surprise by the instructors, given that they knew full well that other than fire magic, my elemental repertoire was very limited.
 
Hayley, her voice urgent, shouted, "Go! Investigate! See if you can find something to use against them!" Then she teleported me into a side chamber. Amidst the debris, I discovered a cluster of strange flowers, their petals dripping with a viscous, acidic fluid. I quickly collected some of the acid in a small vial.
 
Returning to the main chamber, I found myself face-to-face with the air elemental. It unleashed a torrent of wind, its attacks swift and unpredictable. I dodged the onslaught, my magic a shield against the elemental's fury.
Remembering the acidic fluid, I hurled it at the air elemental. The acid, eating away at its magical protection, weakened the creature significantly. Gael, seizing the opportunity, unleashed a barrage of arrows, finally bringing the creature down.
 
Meanwhile, Liliana had transformed the earth elemental into a small, helpless turtle. We found a small chamber, its walls vibrating with a constant hum. Placing the turtle within the chamber, we watched as the thundering magic crashed into the small creature, tearing away the magical protection that had remained even in this form. But that was also the end of the transformation spell as it returned to its massive earth elemental form. The creature with its magical protection finally succumbed to our combined assault and its form dissolved into dust.
 
As we surveyed the fallen elementals, a peculiar detail caught our eye. A gem, shimmering with an otherworldly light, had materialized from each fallen creature. We surmised that these gems, imbued with the essence of the elementals, held the key to unlocking the secrets of the chamber.
 
We returned to the first chamber, placing the gems in their respective positions: fire in the brazier, water in the fountain, air in the sail, and earth in the planter. The chamber, once dormant, now hummed with energy. The gate, previously inactive, shimmered to life.
 
We passed through the gate. The assistant was there waiting for us and took us straight to the headmaster. His expression, a mixture of surprise and annoyance, revealed his initial skepticism. "You passed," he acknowledged, his voice devoid of enthusiasm. He pointedly remarked on the assistance I had received from my friends.
 
As a reward, he presented me with a small box. Inside, nestled on a bed of velvet, lay my degree, a testament to my newfound status as a Mage of Keralon. However, the headmaster quickly dampened my enthusiasm. "A common occurrence," he muttered, dismissing my achievement with a wave of his hand. "Many graduate each year." He granted me access to the library, a privilege I had long awaited.
 
With a dismissive wave, the headmaster urged us to leave. Alistan and Liliana, ever the pranksters, picked me up and carried me out of the office, their laughter echoing through the halls. Despite the headmaster's less than enthusiastic endorsement, I was elated. My journey had just begun.
 
Later that day, I found myself immersed in the vast expanse of the library, eager to explore the hidden knowledge that awaited. The future, once uncertain, now held the promise of endless possibilities.