Chapter Two: The Exam

The next morning, I woke up on the floor next to a bed that I didn't recognise. It wasn't my bed… which meant… yesterday wasn't a dream. I sat up and rubbed at my face, letting out my groan of confusion. How the hell is this real? Though it wasn't my room, it did feel rather homey… like it was made for me. The bed sheets and carpet were blue, which contrasted the light maple wood of the bed frame and desk. There were shelves with books hanging along the wall, all of which were either magic related or seemed quite similar to books I had in my flat. There was even a copy of Magpie Murders, which I had acquired recently from a shabby bookstore near campus. That's odd…

I got dressed, though, I really only had the clothes I'd shown up in, so I suppose there wasn't much to change. I tentatively opened the door, looking for my new roommate, but she didn't appear to be there. She had left a note on the coffee table… it told me that she'd gone ahead to breakfast and that I should follow. With a deep breath and a slight slap on the cheek, I stumbled out of my dorm and into the campus dining hall. The whole walk there, I couldn't get the image of that creepy shadow out of my mind.

When I entered the hall, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the mass of students rushing around from table to table. There was a buffet line against the far wall. That seemed like the place to start. I trudged tiredly over to the table. As I eyed the table, I noticed that the food didn't look quite right… The eggs were blue, the sausages looked like they were on fire, and what looked like it might have been milk was fizzing in the pitcher. Another thing that was odd, the food replaced itself as portions were taken by the students ahead of me.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to this place," I mumbled, scratching at the back of my neck. I got in line and noticed Shreya a few places in front of me. The student in front of her was a tall, pink haired guy with tiny horns erupting from his temples.

"Oh, hey!" Shreya noticed me and flagged me over. I felt bad for cutting the line, but nobody seemed to care. "Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you feeling after… you know?"

I let out a forced laugh. "Well, discoverin' that this whole time I've actually been a magician… wizard? Witch?"

"Attuned, actually," she giggled.

"Okay, Attuned," I corrected myself. "I'm basically feelin' all the emotions at once. Weird, excited, confused, scared," I explained. "I mean… what was that shadow thing that attacked us last night?"

Shreya gave me a sharp look when she noticed that a few of the students had turned their heads toward us. "Maybe don't tell the whole school about it!" she whispered with a hint of irritation on her voice. "We don't know for sure what that thing was… or what any of this means."

"Keep quiet? Fine… I guess we can table it for now," I reluctantly agreed, suddenly noticing how uncomfortable the stares were. "I'm just," I lowered my voice. "Honestly, I'm freakin' out a bit."

She frowned at me. "And I totally get that, but for now, let's keep this between us while we figure it out. Besides, I don't actually know what that thing was. I tried doing some research last night, but I came up utterly short."

The line moved forward quicker than I thought it would, which only made me remember how tired I was. "Ugh, I'm knackered. I basically passed out after… the thing last night, which means I got, what? Two hundred hours of sleep… So why does it feel like I've been hit by a bus?" I groaned. "And I'm so hungry. I could eat an entire pizza shop by myself."

She snickered. "You are so Tuneless, it's adorable."

"Why does that feel like an insult?" I retorted.

"Magic uses up a ton of energy. Especially when you cast whatever crazy powerful spell that was last night," she explained. "To be perfectly honest, I've never in my life seen casting that looked like that."

"What are you sayin'?" I asked, completely puzzled.

She grinned. "I'm saying that whatever spell you shot off last night was packing some insane energies, Mr. 'Woe is me, I have no magic,'" she mocked. "So you're starving because that blast sucked all of the food out of you, essentially." Her face suddenly got serious. "This is probably the only time you'll hear me say this… but… you should…," she grimaced, "carboload." She whispered the last word like it was sacrilege, then immediately covered her mouth with both hands.

I cracked. "Good to know. Thanks, Shreya." I was barely able to contain my smile as we finally reached the table. My eyes couldn't take in how much grub there was. There were crystal fruits, tarts shaped like cats and toads, and a whole roasted pig, which honestly made me a little uneasy. Those fruit did look good, though.

"Behold!" Shreya lifted her arms like she was presenting the feast to me. "The miracle of a magic breakfast! Covers the entire food pyramid, and everything in between."

Right in front of me was something that looked like alphabet cereal, but the letters rearranged themselves frequently and whatever liquid they were in was green. "What… is this?"

"Prophecy O's," she told me. "They're more like fortune cookie fortunes than actual prophecies, but they're still a lot of fun." Next to that was a tray of blue fried eggs that looked like they had eyeballs in the yolk. "These are Yorba eggs," she picked up a plate and added it to her tray. "They're my favourite. They scream when you eat them, but you get over it once you taste the rich, gooey deliciousness," she gave me a huge smile, like it was the only thing worth trying. Just passed the eggs sat a tray of sausage links that were still on fire, though there was no burner under them. "These are dragon links, sausages cooked over dragon flame. Be careful. They're very spicy."

I picked up a plate of the links, thinking that they seemed like the only food there that looked remotely normal. "All this food looks so… interestin'," I chose my words carefully as I added what looked like a glass kiwi to my tray. We found an empty round table with three chairs over in the corner. I took a minute to watch Shreya eat her screaming eggs before gathering up the courage to eat anything… not that I needed the motivation… I was starving. I stabbed one of the links with my fork and was about to take a bite out of it when Shreya held her hand out to stop me.

"Wait! Seriously, Percy, maybe you should start with a nibble!" she said urgently.

I smirked. "I was born to eat spicy food. I can take it," I said cockily, shoving almost half of the link into my mouth. I felt the tingles immediately, wondering for just a split second if maybe I should have taken her advice. It felt like I'd just emptied a shaker of ground scorpion pepper into my throat. I could see the steam coming out of my nose and tried to breathe through it, like one would normally do, but my throat was literally on fire. I let out what I thought was going to be a belch, but turned into actual fire escaping my lips.

Shreya was in tears laughing at me. "That's why they're called Dragon links," she said, trying to compose herself.

I swallowed hard. "It's not… so bad… once you've burned off the top layer of your tongue," I panted. It didn't stop me, though. I ate the next two and a half links with ease before desperately digging into that kiwi, which was sickeningly sweet.

"Percy! So we meet again!" the kid from yesterday slid into our empty seat. "You look like you're settling in well."

"Zeph, right?" I asked. When he nodded, I replied, "Tryin' my best."

He turned to Shreya with a shameless grin. "And you must be one of the infamous Mistry sisters," he wiggled his eyebrows. "I was expecting someone wearing expensive clothes, covered head to toe in diamonds. I'm Zeph, by the way. It's short for Zephyr."

Shreya rolled her eyes with a smile. "Nice to meet you, and sorry to disappoint. I left my diamond-encrusted onesie at home."

When they got their giggles out and my throat wasn't dying anymore, I leaned in and said, "Okay, there's no-one else around. So, about the thing last night…"

"Percy! Do you really think we should be talking about this here?" she whispered, shooting a side glance at Zeph.

He rolled his eyes. "I can go if you want…" I squinted at him, giving him a thorough lookover to see if he seemed trustworthy. "Listen, I know we don't know each other that well, but I am great at keeping secrets," he put his palm flat on the table.

I looked at Shreya. "He might have some insight that could help… The more heads the better, right?"

She let out a sigh. "Still, I'd feel more comfortable if we discussed it away from prying ears."

"Why don't we go back to the dorm then?" I suggested. "The exam's not supposed to start for nearly an hour anyway." She shook her head and the three of us headed back to our room.

We actually ended up in my room somehow, but I didn't mind since I hadn't settled in at all. It's not like it was my flat, which was a bit of a mess all the time. I sat at the desk and looked around, still utterly stunned that this was apparently my room. "I don't know if I'll ever get over how cool this place is."

Shreya was snooping around in a matter of seconds. "I guess it's not too shabby. Though, the closet space is abysmal," she scoffed as she slid the door to my closet closed.

"You could always use the desk for extra storage space. What else would you use it for?" Zeph plopped onto the bed.

"Um… studyin'?" I suggested, thinking that was quite obvious.

Shreya rolled her eyes and sat next to Zeph. "Please. It's 2018. You're telling me you don't study on your bed?"

I shook my head. "No. I've always made it a habit to have a clear study station." They both looked at me like I'd lost my head.

Zeph leaned back on his elbows to look around Shreya. "Okay, enough idle chatter. What's going on that's oh-so-secret?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Shreya turned to me, biting her lip and giving me an eye. "I spent half the night researching the creature that attacked you, but I couldn't find anything!" she grunted.

"Hold on, you were attacked?" Zeph shot up. "Are you okay? That must've been terrifying!"

I shrugged. "I handled it pretty well. All things considered, I kept my cool… even though that thing was super weird… like a small angry ball of smoke…," I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms.

"Hmm. It kind of sounds like a Follower," Zeph said. "They're basically harmless little wisps of smoke sent to terrorize people as a prank."

"This was no prank," I narrowed my eyes as I stared down the desk drawers, "or if it was, it was a pretty shitty one."

"Actually, I-," Shreya started, but she bit her lip to stop herself. "Never mind. You're probably right."

Zeph smiled at me. "I don't suppose you've made any enemies in the last, oh, twenty-four hours or so, Percy?"

I shrugged again. "I've only been here for the last twenty-four hours or so, but I haven't had any undesirable encounters…," I trailed off, thinking of the day before. There was only one person who even gave me a bad look, but I hadn't done anything to him… "Maybe one?"

"Well, there you have it. That's probably your prankster," he grinned, completely satisfied with himself, though I didn't think that guy… Beckett… gave off the prankster vibe… then again, I was new to this world, so maybe things were different here. "But since that case is closed for now, onto a more important topic! Our first day!"

I sat up straight. "Oh yeah, do I, um, need an owl or a wand or somethin'? I feel under equipped."

Shreya covered her eyes with her hands. "I am so embarrassed to be near you right now."

Zeph laughed. "You don't need anything. Today you're going to take your Attunement placement test and you'll get to go to your first class."

Shreya stood up and straightened her skirt. "I personally can't wait to learn some transmutation spells. Percy, why don't you get dressed so we can head down?"

I looked down at myself and back up at her, shaking my head. "You know my situation. These are literally the only clothes I have." I didn't think I looked bad. Maybe I wasn't as pressed as I would have liked to have been, but it wasn't bad. I had on my favourite red plaid long-sleeve, my boy-band jeans (as my mum liked to call them), and a black t. I always wore two necklaces, a long black string with a bronze feather that I'd found at a fair and really liked, and a sun pendant on a silver chain that my mum told me I'd had when I was adopted.

Shreya looked like she'd have a fit. "Nope. No. Absolutely not. I've held my tongue for as long as I can, but I just can't let you make a fool of yourself any longer."

"Hey," I objected.

"Your outfit is… fine… I suppose… for the Attuneless world, but you're at Penderghast now," she continued. "You must allow me to style you. It's your first day. Your societal debut, if you want to get technical!" she was pacing a bit, but stopped by the door. "I saw the perfect outfit at Maison D'Yew yesterday, and it's traditional black!" she slammed her fist into her open hand. "It was the signature Attuned colour back in the day. You'll definitely make quite the splash in it," she turned to glare at me. "You're lucky I bought it." She stormed out and came back about a minute later with an armful of clothes. "Put this on!" she threw it at me. I held it up to look it over before setting it down on the desk and pulling my shirts off over my head. "Ugh! Wait for me to leave first!" she blushed and stormed back out. Zeph chuckled and followed after her.

It really was a dapper outfit, black slacks, black blazer, but the coolest thing was the broach. Instead of a tie, it had two golden scarab pins connected by two thin golden chains. I looked sick.

When I stepped out into the living area, Shreya stood instantly. "Yes! I'm glad you value the importance of a first impression! Especially because I already bought the outfit. You can just pay be back later."

"I guess that means I look good?" I laughed.

"Black is definitely your colour," Zeph nodded.

"As I knew it would be," Shreya circled me, inspecting every crease to make sure I was wearing it right. "You're going to be the second most stylish first year at Penderghast. After myself, of course."

Before I could thank them, a voice rung in my ears. "First years! Attention, please! We're ready to start the Attunement placement exams. Come down to the foyer to be assigned your examiner!" It was like a personal PSA.

"Uh, did you guys hear that, too?" I asked to make sure I wasn't mad.

"It's just a school-wide announcement. Not reason to fret," Shreya grabbed her handbag and started through the door to the hallway.

"Yes! I'm so pumped for this! Come on, Percy, let's go!" Zeph bounded after her, waving for me to follow.

Zeph was so far ahead of us when we got outside that we could take a minute to talk. Shreya put her hand on my shoulder and leaned closely to me. "Look, Percy. I know you're worried about whatever that thing was, so I'll tell you," she started in a low whisper. "I don't think it was a Follower. I did a ton of research last night. Like, seriously, more than I do for class, and that was one of my potential options. In the end I had to rule it out. It just didn't fit what we saw last night."

"So that means…," I stopped and looked her in the eyes.

"Whatever attacked us is something… obscure. Something that's not easy to find," she said ominously.

"Hey! Are you guys coming or what?" Zeph yelled back up the hill at us. I put up my hand to tell him we'd be right there.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Whatever it is," she gave me a kind smile and started down the hill again.

After a bit of a walk down and back up to the main building, we ended up in the entry hall, where Dean Goeffe stood at the top of the first set of stairs and looked down upon the students below her.

"Does she ever smile?" I asked Zeph. "You'd think she hates her job or somethin'."

He smirked. "Uh, her job is keeping a bunch of post-adolescent magic-using youths alive. I am one and I still don't want that job."

"That's fair," I agreed, turning back to the main focus of the event. There were several long papers tacked to the far wall. Everyone was waiting in line to see which staff member they'd been paired with. I found my name under Professor Kontos' list, to meet in the greenhouse near that pond I arrived in.

"You got Kontos, too? Nice! And mine is right before yours. Walk over together?" Zeph's arm was around my shoulders and his voice was higher when he was excited.

"Sure," I agreed, trying to fight my way back through the crowd of kids that hadn't seen their names yet.

"I have to trudge all the way across campus to the clock tower for mine," Shreya appeared again and stood with a hand on her hip. "I'll catch up with you later, Percy, Zephyr," she said before strutting away the way she did.

We were right behind her, ready to head out to the field. I saw Griffin and gave him a brief wave before ducking out through the large front doors. I could here his voice behind me. "Good luck, freshy!" I snorted.

"Hey, about earlier," Zeph started as we walked back down the hill. "Sorry if it felt like I was prying."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Shreya was just bein' cautious, but I know I can trust you. I just have a feelin' about it, and she knows she can trust you now, too."

"Still," he said, "I wish I could have been more help. It seems like you're going through a lot."

I laughed unintentionally. "You could say that… But I've got you and the famous Shreya Mistry in my corner now, so I think I'll be alright."

He beamed. "Shreya's something else, isn't she? Sharp as a knife, great sense of humour, and a stellar fashion sense. She's my kind of person."

"Sounds like someone's got a crush," I teased.

He waved his hand in front of his face. "Nah, it's not like that. I'm aro-ace, actually." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Aromantic and asexual," he explained. "Basically, I'm just not really into people romantically or sexually. I guess the best way to say it is, I'm just into people… friendically."

"Huh, I see. That's interestin'," I said. "I hope you didn't feel pressured into sharin' that."

He shook his head. "Not at all. I wanted to tell you. I'm done with being afraid of showing people who I really am. That's so high school Zeph," he said confidently. "Besides, I wanted you to know this little factoid about me, since it's obvious we're going to be the best of friends."

I raised a brow at him again. "What if I don't want to be your friend?" I teased.

He gasped playfully. "You should be honoured to be my friend," he put a hand to his chest in mock shock.

"Well, I guess you seem cool," I smirked. He beamed. As we walked across the lawn, he high-fived and waved to some people. "How do you know so many people?"

He was still all smiles. "Another one of my great, magical talents. I'm a total people person. Everyone wants a piece of this action!" he gestured to himself and did a little twirl.

I laughed. "It must be your otherworldly charm and man-of-mystery vibe."

He stopped and nodded. "I like the sound of that." His excitement returned quicker than it had faded. "Oh! I just thought of a fun game. It'll take us a while to cross campus, so… How 'bout this? You can ask me any question you want, and I'll answer with complete honesty, but only until we reach the greenhouse, kay?"

"I'm in, but be prepared. I am a killer with complicated questions," I joked.

"Hit me with your best shot. I'm an open book," he postured as we walked.

I thought for a second. "I hope you're ready, because I've got a real zinger." He did a come-at-me action. "What's your reason for comin' to Penderghast?"

Without hesitation, he answered, "Because they offered me a scholarship." I chortled. "It was kind of crazy. I'd never really gotten good grades in high school, so my grandma was pretty resigned to me going somewhere local, but then I guess I totally nailed the interview because here I am!" he gestured to the campus.

"Have you given any thought as to what you want to do after?"

He shrugged, still smiling. "Sure, plenty. I'm just... not quite sure yet how Penderghast ties into that stuff, you know? I think I'd really like to spend time traveling. We went on a lot of vacations over the years and I always loved those. My grandma's pretty tight with her wallet, but she always saves up to take my sister and me on vacation every couple of years. She says it's important for young people to see what they can of the world while their knees still work," he laughed at himself.

"Anyone who appreciates the importance of a regular holiday schedule is a true hero," I said. "Your gran sounds ace."

"That's and understatement," he beamed. "She's incredible! She basically raised me and Ziomara when we were little."

"Your family is really into Z-names, huh?" I teased.

"Yeah, it's kind of a family tradition on my dad's side going all the way back to my great grandfather, Zeke," he informed me without any sense of holding back. He really was being completely honest. "After my great grandmother died, he remarried a water nymph and moved out to an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. Needless to say, none of us are quite sure what happened to him after that. What about your family?"

"I thought I was the one askin' the questions," I deflected. When he wouldn't stop staring at me, I sighed. "It's pretty small, really. Just me and my mum… and Aunt Rhonda, but she's crazy and I don't see her much," I forced a laugh. Thinking about my mum was hard.

"Don't worry. Having a big family isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes," his voice seemed calmer now, but I was too busy looking at my feet to check on his expression.

"I don't know about that. I'd love to have a siblin'," I said. "Sharin' that bond with someone? Seein' them go through all of life's biggest moments? I can't even imagine a relationship like that." I bit the inside of my cheek. All the family talk was making me remember how alone I was.

Zeph huffed. "It sounds great when you put it that way. Mostly, having a younger sibling is them threatening to tell on you and plotting how they're going to re-do your room when you go to college." As he spoke, I tried to imagine what it would be like to have a brother or sister. It seemed fun, even if they just bothered you all the time. "I wouldn't change a thing. My grandma and my sister got me through some pretty tough times."

After a pause I was able to get my selfish thoughts out of the forefront of my mind. I smiled up at him. "They must be pretty proud that you got accepted here."

He lit up. "You bet! My grandma has always had these grand ideas for my life, you know? She wants me to become a Tide Specialist like my grandpa."

"Like… ocean tides? Or like the laundry soap?"

He laughed. "Ocean tides. My grandpa was a real hero. Once, he saved a whole coastal village from extinction!" Suddenly, his chipper demeanour fell through. "I don't want to disappoint my grandma, but… I don't think I'll ever be a good enough Attuned to do something like that."

"Isn't that what school is for?" I asked. "Aren't we all here to learn how to be the best Attuned we can be? This is exactly the time to put in the work to achieve your goals, whatever those are."

He smiled again, making me feel accomplished. "Yeah, I guess you're right. For now, I'm just glad to be here, figuring it all out."

I noticed the greenhouse just ahead and tried to squeeze in one more question. "So, I noticed that you and Griffin are American, Shreya is from some high-class French family, and at least three other people I've met here and myself are English. Where are we?"

He cocked his head. "What does that even mean? We're at Penderghast, obviously."

"But-," I started, then realised that the door to the greenhouse was right in front of us.

"Looks like your time is up," he chuckled. "I only wish I had more time to ask you some things. You seem chalked full of juicy secrets."

I let out a long breath. "Trust me, you couldn't handle all my secrets," I joked. "Maybe there's a reason there are things I'm not tellin'."

That answer didn't break his spirit at all. "Everyone's got stuff they feel they can't share, but all that matters to me is that you know you can come to me if you want."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Uh… well…," I hesitated. "Zeph, if I tell you somethin', you can't tell anyone, alright?"

His brows pinched. "Yeah, of course, but you're kind of worrying me a little, Percy."

I pulled him away from the door to the other side of the pathway. After taking a deep breath, I told him about everything that had happened since I'd left the university the morning before. "I was in Bristol yesterday mornin' and now I'm here, and I'm goin' off my trolley because I can't do magic, but then, guess what? Turns out I can!" I felt my shoulders fall. It felt good to get that off my chest, but his reaction was a little less than favourable at first.

His jaw was dropped from the quick overload of information. "Woah, but… how did you get here? Someone has to know there's been a mistake or something, right?"

"That's what I've been wonderin', but I have a room here that's linked to my genetic make-up or somethin' and I can suddenly do magic. I'm startin' to think it wasn't a mistake after all and that somebody wanted me here," I babbled.

"That's super spooky!" his jaw was still on the ground. "I can't believe all of that happened in the last twenty-four hours."

I took another big breath. "Talkin' about this is such a relief. Shreya was way too casual when I told her about this. I was bloody bonkers yesterday."

"Rightly so!" he agreed. "Even in the magical world, that's a pretty weird origin story, but don't worry. I'll help you figure this out," he patted my shoulder.

"Thanks. I'm goin' to need all the help I can get. But," I paused and looked around before looking him square in the eyes, "you won't tell anyone, right?"

He did an X motion across his chest. "Cross my heart and really, really hope not to die, because I'm too young, gorgeous, and witty." His smile made me laugh. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go get told that I'm a Water-Att." He held up a finger, like this would only take a minute, and it really didn't take long at all. Within twenty minutes, he was skipping out of the door with a wide grin. "Well, surprise, surprise. I passed with flying colours! By which I mean I'm a Water-Att." He patted my shoulder again. "You're up!"

I froze. "Oh… thanks…" My stomach was in knots. I took a deep breath and stepped into the greenhouse. The entire room was filled with plants. Even the tables were covered. The glass was misted over and, in some places, cracked by vines growing up through the roof in the corners. Most of the plants were brightly coloured, some even gold or silver. "Woah… we have classes in here?"

"You most certainly will," a deep voice from the far side said. I looked to see the satyr man, Professor Kontos, standing next to a desk, well covered in vines. "Please, sit. Don't worry, this test will come as naturally to you as magic itself," he gestured towards the seat in front of him as he took his own. Brilliant… because that's easy. As soon as I sat down, he leaned in quite close to examine my features, like he was searching my face for some clue of my existence. "Your presence is certainly strong. The strongest I've felt in… quite a long while," he thought for a moment before sitting back up with a smile. "Yes, your potential must be fairly high." He clapped his large hands together, which startled me. "Now, just relax."

"I'm doin' my best, sir," I said tensely.

He laughed with a slight bleat, which made me smile a bit. "Pardon me," he cleared his throat. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. Close your eyes and answer as honestly as you can."

I closed my eyes and listened to his voice as he spoke. He asked a series of seemingly irrelevant questions. It was clearly a personality test styled exam. After about six or seven questions, he asked one more, sounding a bit shocked by my results. When I opened my eyes, he was resting his head on his knuckles and staring passed my head, deep in thought.

"Hmm… This is quite interesting. Very interesting indeed," he spoke lowly to himself. "But if that's the case…," his brows shot up over his round glasses.

"Um… Sir?" I asked, trying to remind him that I was still there and proper confused.

"Hm? Ah, yes. I just need a moment to…," he stood abruptly and turned to dig through the books on the shelves behind him. He flung open a few books, rustled through some drawers, and sniffed a random potion before… "Aha!"

I jumped again. "Is… is somethin' wrong?"

He beamed down at me. "No, no. Certainly not. Just a bit unusual. Give me a second to check," he pulled out a small golden book from a shelf then slammed it open on his desk, running his fingers down a page. Finally, he looked up at me, a sparkle in his eyes. "I have a suspicion about you, Perseus," he said with a grin. "I'll just need one last test to be sure. Is that alright?"

"I guess so," I shrugged nervously.

He turned to the shelves again, this time pulling down an old, roughly-carved wooden staff. He held it out for me to grab. "Stand, please," he said, ushering me up as I took the staff. It was heavy, but it fit perfectly in my hand. "Now, tap the staff on the ground, please, with as much force as you can muster," he instructed before taking a few steps back. I looked at the wood in my hand, a bit warry that it might break, but I did as he asked. With one arm, I slammed the staff into the dirt floor. A vibration from the tip of the staff rippled through the ground beneath me.

"Woah!" I took a step back myself as grass began to sprout up as if it were in a BBC documentary. It was thick, bright green grass, dotted with wildflowers. In the corners, vines began to crawl up from the ground and tangle around chairs and tables. I felt a warmth inside of me that I hadn't felt in… well ever, I think.

"As expected," Professor Kontos beamed as he looked upon my creation, gently kicking a vine away from his hoof. He took the staff from me and twirled it in his hand, the grass and vines receding with every spin. "Perfect. Marvellous, actually. Absolutely astounding," he muttered to himself as he put the staff away. I took my seat again, completely in awe of what I'd just done.

"Professor… what just happened?" I asked.

"It's just… well, you have no idea, do you?" he chuckled to himself.

"About what?" I pleaded. "Please, sir. You're startin' to freak me out a bit…"

He sat back into his chair and stared at me, that sparkle still in his eyes and an excited smile curling up under his moustache. "You, my dear boy, are Sun-Attuned."

"And that's good?" I assumed, sensing his glee.

He laughed again, the bleat heavier than the first time. "Yes, very good! And that's not all. You're also Attuned to Wood. It truly is astounding. Your potential is so high that it was difficult for me to get a clear reading."

"What do you mean by my 'potential'?" I tried to concentrate on his words, soaking in as much knowledge as I could.

He pointed to a poster behind him on the wall. It had various sizes of teacups. "Imagine that inside of you is a teacup, and imagine that the tea inside is magic," he began. "Some have a small teacup, 'less capacity' is the official term, while those with a larger capacity have a bigger cup, like the one here," he pointed between the two sizes, the latter looking more like a coffee mug than a teacup.

"So… you're sayin' I have a larger teacup," I simplified, trying to understand.

He beamed again. "Something like that. By my estimation, your 'teacup' looks something closer to this," he stood up and walked to the sink. When he came back, he slammed a large ale tankard onto the desk. This mug looked like it was made for a small giant, but with him being large in stature, it didn't surprise me that this was his glass size.

"So… I have a ton of potential and two Attunements? What does that mean?" I asked.

He sat back down he leaned towards me. "It means, Mr. Miller, that you might be one of the most powerful Attuned persons to ever grace these halls," he said bluntly.