"No, no, no, no and no!"

I gave a long, exasperated sigh before just leaning back against the wall behind me- arms folded and eyes closed.

"Yasari, stop pouting."

I could hear the annoyance in his voice but I couldn't help it. He had been lecturing me on frostfire bolt for almost a week now and I just wasn't getting the hang of it. It seemed no matter how hard I tried or how much will I put behind this spell, it just refused to work. "Maybe I'm just not meant to be a mage," I mumbled as my eyes started to well with tears. I opened them quickly and tried to focus on a tree a few yards away. 'Don't cry. You don't cry. You won't.'

"Sari, look at me."

I swallowed and dropped my eyes to Kelrath. He stood next to the training dummy, hands on hips and watching me closely. His dark blonde hair hung over his shoulder in a loose ponytail over the front of his dazzling blue robes. "What?" I asked him.

He walked up to me and put a hand on my face. "You've never been a quitter and now's not the time to start," he said staring into my eyes.

"I know but..." I paused. I wasn't a quitter but never have I taken so long to learn something before. As much as I hated to admit that I wasn't good enough for something, I simply couldn't deny this. Why keep trying to pursue a dream when I can't even do a relatively simple spell? This wasn't even the more advanced magic. He didn't understand how bad I felt about this. I know it seemed silly to give up but if I couldn't get this spell down, I would never be able to master the ways of a mage.

"No. Please try it some more. I know you can do it if you keep trying. I mean...you've come this far haven't you?" He gave a small smile and slid his hand onto my shoulder. "No point in turning back now is there?"

It took every ounce of self control I had to not just break down into tears right then and there. I hated how much he expected from me. I hated how he was so determined to turn me into a mage just because he was one. I hated how he tried to take the place of my father. I hated everything. I just wanted it all to go up in flames around me right now. To just blow up. To disappear. Something.

"So, what do you say?" he asked removing his hand from my shoulder and walking back towards the training dummy.

Before I could answer I saw a small glimmer of light in a bush nearby. I tilted my head a bit-confused and distracted. What was that? I crept over to the bush ignoring Kel for the time being. As I stepped up to it, I didn't notice anything different and there was nothing in it or on the ground that was relatively shiny. I pursed my lips as I drug my hand over the leaves trying to recall exactly where it had been. My thoughts were interrupted though.

"Sari? What in the name of Sin'dorei are you doing?" he grumbled impatiently.

I turned back towards him, my cheeks turning a light shade of scarlet. "I...I thought I saw something." I said and quickly walked back to my starting position.

"What did you see? A ghoul?" he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes at him before positioning my hands once again. I cleared my mind and focused solely on the frostfire bolt- every aspect of it and I began to pull energy inside me. I waved my hands delicately on the side of my head before throwing my arms out in front of me- producing what I hoped would be a frostfire bolt.

"Another frostbolt." he sighed and gazed at me absentmindedly. "Maybe we should continue tomorrow."

I watched him turn around and walk back towards Silvermoon City and when he was out of sight I fell to the ground and my eyes began filling with tears. I put my head inside my hands and sobbed quietly. I felt so awful. I felt...like a failure. I've let him down before but never with something so important. I know he wanted me to follow in his foot steps. I know he wanted me to become a famous mage but I...I don't have it in me! I cried harder as I thought about this- the tears pouring down my face now. Then, I felt my ears give a small twitch and shoot up. I could feel a presence. I was not alone. I dropped my hands from my face quickly- turning to look behind me and was face to face with with what had caught my eye earlier. A sharp, intricately decorated dagger stared back at me-glinting in the sunlight.