It is a heavy burden we place upon your shoulders, mortal. Do not think we are unaware of this fact. Your mission will likely fail, but you must try nonetheless. I assure you, the punishment for dereliction would be far worse a fate. Ah, fate!

  A small sailboat cut across an orange sky on approach to the lumbering island of Aldea. At the center of the island rose a towering mountain, dividing the land in two. A walled city sat peacefully in a protective inlet at its base. Farmland covered much of the eastern hills, enough to support the island’s modest population. In the west, untamed forests and misty marshlands provided fertile ground of a different sort.

  Protecting the city proper from the western wilderness stood a mighty castle complex, home of the Aldean Magic Academy. Aldea held a unique reputation among the magic schools of the world. It famously prepared its students using a wide variety of field exercises. To that end, nearly a third of its island was set aside as a monster preserve. Students ventured out into the preserve under the watchful guidance of their teachers. There, they would put their knowledge and skills to the test in actual combat with monsters. Because of this methodology, Aldea produced many of the finest mages in the lower bands.

  Lerrum wove his craft between the various ships of various sizes, coming and going from the port city. The harbor itself lay above an ancient lake bed deep enough below the float line to accommodate both the slums of Lowtown and the massive cargo freighters sailing overhead.

  He deactivated the windstone and spun the steering wheel. The massive rudder turned inward, and so did the ship. With one last magical gust of wind, Lerrum piloted the ship with his practiced hands toward a large boathouse emblazoned with the winged crest of the Aldean Magic Academy. It slowly drifted into the catch, which secured the ship with a light thud.

  “Wake up, we’re here!” shouted Lerrum.

  Inside the boathouse, Evran’s snoring grew louder, no longer obscured by the wind. Lerrum nudged a sleeping Evran lying uncomfortably on the stern bench. An ornately decorated marble flowerpot lay on the deck underneath, its precious treasure protected from the wind. Evran slowly opened his eyes to the dim light of the boathouse. The musky smell of aged wood filled his nose. He looked up to find Lerrum looming over him.

  “Ugh, I guess our little adventure took a lot out of me,” Evran mused.

  “You had fun though. Right?”

  “Sure did! I wouldn’t mind doing something like that again sometime.”

  Evran lifted his head off his satchel. Its poor service as a makeshift pillow left him with quite a sore neck. He sat up and swung the satchel over his shoulder. The guilty antlers clinked inside as he bent over and retrieved his flowerpot from beneath him.

  “So…” Lerrum started. “Have you given any thought to what you’ll do after we graduate?”

  “My plan was always to return to my family home on Haskelon, but…” Evran paused. He stared at the deck of the ship, trying not to remember all the reasons he’d left in the first place. “There isn’t much there for me other than bad memories and a little sister who despises me. Still, I couldn’t face my parents in the afterlife if I didn’t at least check in on her. And who knows, maybe she’s forgiven me.”

  “A lot can happen in five years.” Lerrum put a hand on Evran’s shoulder and smiled. “Besides, it’s hard to stay mad at you.”

  Five years. Had it really been so long ago? The time he’d spent on Aldea had been so amazing, he’d nearly forgotten all he’d left behind on Haskelon. There was Bailey, his younger sister by two years, and his last surviving relative. He’d left her in the care of Ms. Telson, their longtime family maid. Evran wondered how all his old friends were doing, and how they must have changed in the years he’d been gone. He doubted they even remembered him. Thoughts of Nia crept to mind, but Evran pushed them aside. It was probably best to forget about her.

  “Anyway, what will you do after that?” Lerrum asked as he began pulling up the sails and securing the ship.

  “Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought,” Evran replied. “Ideally, I could get a job as a court mage on an established island, but those are hard to come by. I suppose I could become an enchanter or alchemist. I’ve always had good enough grades in those classes. What about you?”

  “My family wants me to return home, too, but I don’t plan on it. I’m going to become an adventurer!”

  “Oh? Are you going to join up with one of the major guilds?” Evran asked, surprised. Lerrum was at the top of their class and came from a respected family. He’d have no problem finding a position as a court mage. And with looks like his, he might even catch the eye of a princess. Why throw all that away?

  Lerrum shook his head. “No, I want to form my own party. And Evran… I want you to join it!”

  “What!?” Evran went from surprised to shocked. “I don’t know, isn’t that a bit dangerous? One mistake out there can cost you everything.”

  “I know what you’ve been through, and you’re right. There’s plenty of risk involved. But we’re strong, Evran. I mean, we just took down a terra stag! We’ll manage. Besides, we can just do the safe and easy jobs. It’s not like I’ll force you into any labyrinths. That, I promise.”

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  Labyrinths… That’s where adventuring parties made most of their money, and Evran swore on his mother’s grave to never again set foot inside another. Most were only worth looting if you were the first to do so, and you’re only likely to find an uncleared labyrinth in the first few weeks after a Tempest. All that to say, one could make a living as an adventurer that doesn’t delve, but it wasn’t nearly as safe or lucrative as Evran’s other prospects in life. Even so, it was tempting.

  “To be honest, I also wanted to be an adventurer when I was younger. I was really into the idea, even. But that was a long time ago, before…” Evran paused. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  Having finished with the sails, Lerrum jumped down from the mast and landed next to Evran. “Do consider it. It’s nice having you around.”

  After securing the ship to the dock, they reported in with the school’s dockmaster before exiting the boathouse. Neither wanted to be responsible for a search party being dispatched on their behalf, simply because they forgot to check in.

  They walked along the cobblestone docks, taking in the fresh air and enjoying the final moments of the sun setting across the bay. The usual route took them past the Temple of Ascension, where a large crowd was gathering in front of an outdoor pulpit. Evran saw a pregnant woman resting on a bench nearby, looking distressed as she listened to a sermon from the Risen Priest. She was doubtless worried about having her child during the Tempest. The stormborn did not lead easy lives, after all.

  Not wanting to push their way through, the boys took a slight detour nearer to Lowtown. Evran walked quietly down the gently sloped path until one of his steps failed to reach the ground beneath his foot. He felt the tug of his float harness lift him back above the float line as he drifted inches above the cobblestone path. The sudden fright of the missed step nearly made him lose his grip on the flowerpot.

  Lerrum struggled to contain his laughter. “Damn, haven’t seen you do a walk-off in a while. Nice one!”

  Lerrum pulled Evran back to solid ground where he could safely deactivate his float harness. A group of nearby dockworkers enjoyed a good laugh at his expense, but Evran paid them no mind. It happened to everyone once in a while, or so he assured himself. “I won’t let going up get me down!” he quipped, before strutting off with Lerrum. Eventually, their detour led them back up to another section of the docks.

  Down one of the many wooden piers jutting into the harbor, Evran saw a party of adventurers standing next to a docked ship. They were arguing with a man descending the ship’s gangplank, wearing a traditional captain’s hat. Evran listened in on their discussion as he and Lerrum passed by.

  “What do you mean you won’t take us to Orenth? There’s still time!” shouted the man at the front of the party. Pieces of steel armor peaked out of a hastily packed rucksack, and a longsword swayed at his side. He stood at eye level with the captain, though the captain stood partway up the gangplank.

  “The second stormsign has been observed!” said the captain from his perch. “There’s no way we can make it there and get home in time.”

  A tall woman, still wearing her armor and carrying an ornate pole-arm, stepped forward. “Is there truly no one left who can take us? Perhaps someone based out of Orenth, one who has yet to return home?”

  “The last ship I knew of left hours ago. I doubt you shall find another,” replied the captain. One adventurer, a priest as evident from his robes, cursed in response. This earned a raised eyebrow from the captain. “Still, you may have luck with one of the itinerant merchants…”

  Lerrum and Evran continued walking, no longer able to make out the conclusion of the conversation. Evran kicked a loose stone down the road.

  “Hear that?” asked Lerrum. “The second stormsign! One week left. I wonder what duty they’ll put us on this Tempest. I doubt we’ll be on barriers again.”

  “Yeah,” said Evran. “Us fifth-years will probably be on monster guard. Heck, they might put some of us on the crystal.”

  Lerrum stopped and looked at Evran with a confused expression. “About that… you don’t like labyrinths, but won’t being a court mage put you in the crystal chamber of one from time to time?”

  “Huh, I guess it is, technically. But monsters don’t go there, so it’s alright,” Evran retorted. He’d specifically vowed not to risk his life in a labyrinth ever again. But even if the crystal chamber was technically part of the labyrinth, attending to the crystal wasn’t a risk to his life. At least, that is how Evran rationalized it.

  The gangplank of another nearby ship crashed down onto the nearby pier with a loud thud. One by one, its many passengers began descending. Among them walked a young man with slick black hair, tan skin, and a few day’s worth of stubble. A smirk crept across his face as he caught sight of the two boys in a familiar uniform, though one he could no longer wear. “Well, look who it is!”

  “Narro!” Evran shouted. “Long time!”

  “I thought it was way too quiet around here lately. How’ve you been?” asked Lerrum.

  Narro jogged over to Lerrum, threw down his luggage, and pulled his friend into a vicious bear hug. “Good to see you, Lerrum! You, too, Ev!” Narro released his vice grip on Lerrum and attacked Evran next.

  “Your work study was on New Pellant, right?” Lerrum asked. “You didn’t happen to run into Kestie there, did you?”

  “Kestie? I tried to find her when I first got there, but she was already gone. No one I talked to knew where she went.”

  Lerrum deflated. Kestie had broken things off with Lerrum when she’d graduated last summer, leaving him heartbroken. He’d still hoped to win her back, but she left for New Pellant the day after her graduation ceremony. Now, her trail had gone cold. Any hope he’d have of tracking her down would vanish with the coming of the Tempest. It was truly over.

  “So how was your work study?” Evran interjected. “What all did they have you doing?”

  “Nothing fun. Lots of boring guard duty and the occasional monster culling. It’s a young colony that’s still trying to get established, but it’s not going well. They’ve had a lot of trouble attracting people to live there because their dumb queen keeps levying taxes to fund stupid projects for the nobles. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets deposed soon.”

  “It must be nice to finally say that sort of thing out loud, now that you’re safely on another island,” Lerrum noted.

  Narro snorted. “Even I know when to keep my mouth shut, but that’s just it! I heard a lot of people saying that sort of stuff in pubs the guards were known to frequent. It’s pretty bad there. By the way, Ev, what’s with the flower?”

  “Speaking of,” said Lerrum. “Ev, you should hurry back before the dining hall closes. You might miss her, otherwise. I’ll fill Narro in on the details!”

  “Right! Hey, can you take care of these?” Evran threw his satchel at Lerrum, not giving him a chance to decline.

  He grabbed hold of Evran’s satchel and threw it over his other shoulder. “Sure. Good luck, Ev!”

  “Thanks! See you later, Narro!”

  With a deep breath, Evran took off toward the school. Lerrum and Narro waved him on, but Evran didn’t bother looking back. His destiny awaited.