At least his letter assured me that I won't have to wait so long for a response. I can expect a reply within the same week now. So does that mean he's eager to hear from me? Ooh, I hope so. But that is for another time, I need to head back downstairs and talk to Papa.

"Papa?"

He meets me at the foot of the stairs.

"What did your letter say?" Russet asks from atop his head.

"They are informed of the process, and I mentioned the wisps to them. A lot of study is being undergone, but I've been told not to worry about it. It's a rare experience, and nothing more according to them. It's not like it's a bad omen. *Sigh* but there is one piece of bad news."

They alarm.

"The Headmistress wants to observe me. So upon my return to Iris, I am prohibited from spellcasting unless I use a catalyst. And it's not negotiable."

Russet gasps. "Petunia must be concerned if she would order something drastic like that."

"Hmm. Zis is troublesome." Papa says while scratching his chin.

I frown. "There's nothing we can do about it. I'll just have to try my best. The worse part yet is that any failures on my part are still held accountable."

"Vat?! How can zey allow sometink like zat? Zat is like punischink a chicken for not beink able to fly!"

"Now, now, Verwildert. I'm sure Petunia has her reasons. Remember that she is a free-spirit herself, and she would never clip someone's wings for being different. She must be trying to put pressure on Lumie, hoping it will her awaken her hidden potential."

I can only hope so myself.

"Zen, vee vill use our time visely."

"What do you mean by that, Papa?"

He stands tall and straight. His eyes go hard, and his mouth tight.

Oh no. TUTOR-MODE.

"Missy, I told you before zat I planned on makink you my apprentice, and I vill."

My heart suddenly leaps.

"I wanted to give you an official apprenticeschip after you graduated, for zen you vould have my undivided attention. But zat doesn't mean vee cannot practice in zee meantime. I'll save teachink you my special techniques for ven you are older, as for now: Vee need to get you accustomed to usink catalysts!"

Instinctively I straighten myself and shut up. I nod in response.

"Change out of sose pajamas and brink your vands vith you. I vant you dressed, prepared, and outside in zee backyard no less zan in five minutes!"

Another curt nod and I'm rushing back upstairs again.

I fly out of my sleepwear and into stretch pants, sneakers, and a tank top. I pull my hair back into a ponytail, then rummage through my bag for my wiggle wand. A ludicrous-looking wand that more resembles an infant's rattle with a plush orange, polka-dotted octopus on top. It's incredibly cute, and unmentionably embarrassing. The star wand is slightly less childish, but as I recall I turned it into a pile of dust. I don't bother with the stairs, I slide down the railings and hop to my feet, then bolt out the back door into the yard.

I shut the door behind me only to be greeted by an enormous serge of power.

The blast pushes me back a little, and my senses overload with magick. Squinting, I see my grandfather appear in his signature mini-tornado, complete with sparks. He is dressed differently now, no longer in his robe and slippers. No. He is dressed sharply in a neat, yellow-striped buttoned shirt. Khaki slacks, light-brown loafers, with his imposing staff firmly grasped in his right hand, the other behind his back.

He looks me over, unfazed and emotionless. "I believe you own two vands." He says with a raise of his eyebrow.

I quickly untie my tongue. "I broke it, Papa."

"Bring it to me."

"Uh, I left it-"

"Sich beeilen!" He orders.

I run back upstairs, hoping I won't get penalized for not teleporting instead. I return with the remains of the wand in a little sack. He retrieves it from me, not commenting on my mode of transport.

He grips his cane and hums under his breath. His right hand glows faintly, and the sack wriggles and writhes as if something alive were in it. I can hear a cracking from within the bag, and when he hands it back to me, I can the feel the wand inside of it. But it's not poking out of the bag, how can that be? Full-sized it doesn't fit in here. I reach into it, and sure enough, I pull out the long, shiny star wand. My eyes go big.

"Blue magick, is zee alteration of essence. Everytink in zis vorld, can be changed. You only need to broaden your perception." Papa lectures, a sly grin on his face. "Behold." He slashes his cane across the air in front of me, it develops a blue and black glow. In that same instant it transforms into a sword.

I quickly step back and all the air in my lungs escape me.

The gleaming blade is pointed in my direction.

"Ahah! Good reaction, Missy. You're reflexes are scharp."

I hear Russet gasp from the safety of a nearby tree. "What on Earth is he doing?!"

"Beginnink today, you vill be learnink how to veild a veapon. Your vand is your veapon, but is it your veapon of choice?" He paces around, circling me, sword still pointed at my face. "In order for you to find your selective catalyst, vee must first train you in zee martial arts. Vands and staves are universal. But not to everyone… At least. Not to you. If you cannot adapt to your vands, zere are alvays oser options. Remember zat! I specialize in staves and swords." He raises the sword to his face, erect. He then slides his palm down the side of the blade, it glistens in the sun menacingly. "Let us see vat you can do." Papa says darkly.

With a shout and a lunge, he dives for me. I quickly leap out of the way.

"Ready your veapon!" He shouts.

I draw my wiggle wand, tossing the star wand to the side. With ferocity and speed he slashes his sword over and across me. I dodge, I leap, I spin on my toes.

"Excellent, you know how to dodge. But you vill still have to fight me!"

He's so swift and precise with the blade, I cannot even hear anything else besides the cutting of the wind. My heart is leaping out of my chest, my breath is still, I don't even think I've blinked yet. He lifts his sword up high, leaving me a clear opening. I try to cast a small spark in his direction, but all I get is an annoying jolt back into my hand.

"Ouch!" I cry out.

"You've missed your chance." He corrects.

I have to bend backwards, matrix-style, almost snapping my spine to avoid his heavy blade. He's so strong he wields a two-handed broadsword as if were a foil. He paces back, pushing out his blade horizontally, in a defensive manner.

"Come at me!"

I whip the wand around my head and flick it forward, urging a fireball to come forth.

But I get nothing but a comical sizzle.

"Hrah!" He grunts.

I have to bite my tongue from saying a foul word no girl should say in front of her grandpa, falling to the floor to avoid his blade. He plunges the sword down towards me, and I roll over on the grass to avoid it. With the short two seconds it takes for him to sheath his sword from the ground, I take his vulnerability to my advantage. I fling my arm forward, willing a gust of air to hit his face. Harmless, but if it works, its progress.

Nothing.

He points the sword at me once more, stomping in my direction.

"Don't try to free-cast Missy. Use your incantations. Follow zee rules."

He's right. I'm not even supposed to be on the level where I can mentally-cast yet. "Push!" I try again, pointing the wand at him.

The wand goes flying from my hand instead.

Papa runs towards me. "Retrieve your veapon!" He bellows.

The sword swipes downward, and I hop over it, running past him to quickly swipe up my wand. Accursed thing!

"Break it down, use zee basic mesods." He jogs towards me again.

I side-step and twirl to avoid him. When there is enough distance between us, it gives me about three seconds to cast. With my left hand I direct the wand, and with my right I draw out the symbols, summoning my mana. I feel it tingling in my fingertips.

"Slash!" I command.

Just as Papa is about to strike me, there is a cut in the air, followed by a surge of magick. Only it isn't as intended, because my octopus is sliced in half, and there is a stabbing pain down my arm.

"Aaah!" I cry in pain. I stumble backwards, down to my knees.

Papa stops his blade as I clutch my arm with my eyes shut. "Lumina!" "Lumie!" Papa and Russet shout.

Papa puts his blade to the ground, Russet scurries to the scene. "Let me see, Missy." Papa says, his voice gentle.

I'm shaking, my arm is burning, and I can feel something hot trickling out of it, the air against my wound makes me wince. I reveal my arm to him.

"*Gasp!* Verwildert!"

"I know, Russet. I'm goink to fix it." He takes my arm in with his large hands. There is a long, slanted gash that runs down from my palms to my forearm, blood is steadily pouring from it.

With one hand he holds my arm facing up, and with the other he retrieves his blade, it quickly transforms it back into a staff. Muttering, he traces the tip of it down the gash, and with a green light the wound is healed. I breathe out in relief.

"Here, her wand." Russet offers.

Papa taps the broken pieces in Russet's hands, and it is quickly fixed. He squeezes my hand and smiles at me. "You did goot, Missy. You even cast a spell."

I look at him, not nearly as pleased. "But it backfired again."

"Ve'll overcome zat eventually. Zee point is, you didn't break your vand on zee first try."

I realize what he just said and my face switches to surprise.

"Ho,ho. She did well Verwildert."

"Aye. She seems to do her best under pressure. Perhaps your schoolink von't be so difficult after all, not ven exam time comes. Of course, vee have to teach you how to react vithout adrenaline runnink srough your system." He brings me to my feet, and hands me back my wand. "Vatever you did back sere- it vorked. Zat sink zat you did vith your right hand. I have never seen it before."

Huh? The incantation? "I was drawing out the symbols, to summon mana for the incantation."

"Yes, but you're supposed to do zat vith your vand."

"Oh." I realize. I look down.

"But it worked a little bit." Russet encourages.

Papa scratches his stubble again. "Yes, it did. It looks like you are capable of vieldink a catalyst. Vee have vitnessed zat you can channel mana srough a vand, just not in zee right direction."

"Or perhaps, she can. But her mana is the one not going in the right direction."

We look at Russet, intrigued. "Think about it. Mana is the life source deriving from the soul. It is from our very souls that we control our magick. If Lumie's soul is wild and untamed, it would equally mean that her magick does not take constraint very well. It goes against her very nature."

Papa awakens. "Aaah. Zat makes sense. A free spirit is not easily contained."

Russet picks up from where he left off. "And her soul is a mature one at that. Not so easily swayed. She hasn't had the proper method instilled in her yet, and at this point it may already be too late."

"Let's not say it's too late yet. Alsough her soul is mature, her mind is young. And alsough it vill no doubt be difficult, it von't be impossible, vee have to approach zis differently."

"What are you planning Verwildert?"

Will it hurt?

"Hmph." He switches to his sword again. "On your feet. Vee are goink to try again."

I gulp, but stand.

"Missy, I can train you for zee next decade, but it von't make a difference if you do not vant to be trained. You have to vant zis. You must convince yourself zat zis mesod of spellcasting is as important to you as your orignal vay is."

"But, I thought… That controlled-casting doesn't need emotion."

He nods. "But for you- it does." He positions his blade.

I wield my tiny wand with both hands, confused. What could he mean? If I have to pour emotion and will into my wand, it isn't controlled-casting anymore.

"Ooohh. I get it now." Russet realizes.

I glance at em. "Vewildert is right, Lumie. Don't think of it as actual controlled-casting, just make it look like it!"

Aaaahh.

We try again, and this time the dual goes by much smoother. When he lunges at me, I shift to the side, when he dives, I duck. When I cannot avoid his hit, I swish my wand and shout "Teleport Self!" But instead of focusing on my wand, I merely wave it around as if it were a prop, and focus my magick the way I know how.

It works.

"Haha!" Russet cheers.

Papa swings and slashes, I leap and skip. When I find myself in another face-off, I put both of my hands on my wand and shout "Teleport Other!" And Papa is moved behind me, where he slashes at nothing.

We halt.

"Marvelous Missy. You're reflexes are spot on, I von't need to be teachink you how to dodge or escape." He grips the hilt. "However, you cannot rely on zat façade forever. Zee time vill come vere you vill have to showcase your skills, and if you cannot put on anysink oser zan a performance- you vill be discovered."

"Then why did you ask me to do it?" I pant.

"I vanted to see if you could do it convincinkly. And you can. I vill teach you more. To anyone else it looks like you know how to use a vand- but a trained eye vould see srough zis farce easily. You vill have to learn zee mesod one vay or anoser." He squints, as if something has just crossed his mind. "Put your vand avay."

"What?"

"You von't need it, toss it aside."

I toss it into the grass, Russet scurries over to retrieve it, safekeeping it like my other wand.

Papa bends his knees and tightens his grip, his sword perfectly erect. "I vant you to fight me. And zis time, no holdink back. No vands, just use your hands, like you alvays have. I vant to see vat you've learned vith my own eyes."

I ball my fists and stance myself diagonally.

"Lumina."

I perk up.

"Take zis as a real fight. I vill not hesitate to strike you. And if I do, my blade vill cut you."

This makes me panic a little, but I try to portray confidence.

"Go!" He yells, sprinting at me.

My eyes bulge incredibly. His long legs carry him over to me effortlessly, and his brute strength reverberates in the ground through heavy stomps. I fly away from him, legitimately terrified. A light tinkling draws my attention as I run. My pendant, oh yeah. It isn't glowing, so he doesn't intend to kill me- which is great!

A glimmer in my peripheral vision stops my train of thought. I have to thrust myself to the ground to avoid a close encounter with the tip of his sword. But that doesn't mean he won't HURT ME! I hear the sword whooshing in the air above me, I hop away, just in time. I spin around to face him. No more running away. Show him what you've got!

I harden myself, prepared for battle. With a whip of my arm, I cast Force Push.

Papa is violently shoved backwards, but remains on his feet, his sword shielding his body, his feet tearing the ground with deep skid marks. That was only a warning. When he rushes at me again, I cross my fist over my chest in a defensive manner, and when he gets close enough, I let out a blast of sound energy- a high pitched whistle.

It stuns him slightly, and I take this opportunity to kick in his lower direction and cast Sticky Feet. Papa composes himself, but he cannot move. He frowns and dispels himself, but not before I spin and thrust a powerful gust of wind at his face, carrying dirt and grass, it blinds him.

"Agh!" He cries out.

I rush up to him, knowing this is risky, I daringly put my hands on the blade, I try to cast Fracture- but a jolt of searing pain that rushes up my arms, stops me.

"Aaaah!" I scream.

He swats me back with the blunt of his sword, wiping his teary eyes. "Don't even think about touching my blade, Missy. It only obeys me!"

I fall on my behind, and he swipes his massive weapon downward. I cast Fracture again, just as it's about to hit me, in a propulsion of magick.

It hits!

There is the deafening sound of shattered metal and the shimmering of blade shards scattering in every direction.

Papa looks genuinely surprised.

"WAAH!" Russet shouts, in shock.

I tumble roll backwards and hop to my feet. When I stand, I see my grandfather looking at me with legitimate anger.

It makes my blood run cold.

With a downright evil grin, he slowly raises his arm, and the tiny fragments of blade gather and swirl, until they finally lock and reform the blade, good as new. …I'm in trouble.

"Huuuuaaah!" He roars.

This time I don't have an opportunity to flee. He flies at me with his blade in hand. He lunges forward, swipes left, then down, the right, then down, then up! He's so close I can't manage a teleport from this distance. He spins around and with a mighty swing he locks into my direction, I have to curve my fall, so his diagonal swing doesn't tear at me, it comes so close to my face I can swear he cut a few strands of hair off from my bangs. I jolt backwards, landing on one knee, he stays firm, not even panting like I am.

"Zat's my girl." He uncharacteristically chuckles.

I blink.

He suddenly bursts into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

"P-papa?"

He thrusts his sword into the ground, then he offers me a hand. "Come here, you marvelous girl." He smiles.

Warily, I get up and take his hand, he pulls me in for a spine-breaking hug. "ZAT'S MY GIRL! Did you see zat Russet? Did you see it?!" He laughs.

Russet hurries over. "I did! I saw it all! She was amazing!"

"What's so funny? What was amazing?" I ask them.

Papa steps back, a hand to his forehead. "No one... in my entire lifetime has been able to break my blade. But you- you Missy. You shatter it into a million pieces! Ahahahah! It's unbelievable! AHAHAHAHAH!" He seizes me by the shoulders, I flinch. "You vere brilliant!" He cheers.

Russet climbs up to his shoulder. "Indeed. You were spectacular. I cannot believe how agile you are!"

I smile sheepishly. "Ehehe…"

"Agile? Zee girl is like lightning! Her reflexes are animal. Her flexibility is phenomenal! Able to squeeze and shift into tight positions like zat. You're a natural varrior!"

Russet adds in. "You're not as fast as Verwildert, and most definitely not as strong, but you can at least keep up with him. And that is nothing to scoff at."

E's right... Papa sprints and swings a heavy sword around without losing his breath. I couldn't parry, but I can at least dodge him.

"Missy, you vere incredible. Do you have any idea how proud I am? Do you know how much skill it takes to avoid my sword? And you did it all vithout magickally enhancink yourself!"

Holy crap… I-I did. I didn't use Boost Strength and I was able to match-up to an experienced swordsman! A small smile creeps up on my face.

"Ready yourself again. And brace yourself, tough girl!" He warns.

I rush back to the other side of the yard, he situates himself. Russet climbs the tree behind me, watching from a safe distance. Papa takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. This time, there is no warning, there is no signal. I'm met with an indescribable surge of powerful magick. The very Earth itself seems to shake, the trees and bushes rattle, an ominous wind picks up. My body goes cold, instinctually sensing danger.

When I size up my opponent, my grandfather, I see someone unfamiliar. His brows are furrowed, his mouth is tight, his cheeks sucked in, his nose wrinkled, eyes wide open but unblinking. In those eyes I see discipline, bloodlust, and an unflinching determination.

I see his ego.

And it is terrifying.

I don't see someone who is trying to teach me a lesson, but I do see someone who is going to put me in my place.

The storm picks up, and I swear I hear thunder in the distance, the world that is our backyard silences itself in the true presence of The Tempest.

Papa barrages forward like a hurricane, dirt, grass and twigs are flown off of his path, sparks fly. I have enough time to skid my eyes down to notice that his feet aren't even touching the ground! With no more time to watch, I react. He lets out no battle cry, no smug expression, no obvious motion from his arms for me to determine his next move. I dare not attempt a teleport from this range, not when he could swing mid-teleport and splice me through the portal. So I release a blast of energy to at least slow his progress, but it does not deter him, and I meet his blade once more. I'm able to fling myself to the side upon the millisecond my spell shows failure, and I feel his blade graze my shoulder in one swift, short motion. So fast and sudden I didn't even feel it until I had already landed, and I would not have known it had struck me were it not for the sound of his whooshing blade. I haven't further time to process this information however, because as soon as I do land, I must get moving again. The rest is a blur.

I only hear the sound of a deadly blade cutting through the air, occasionally making that horrible slicing sound when it makes contact with flesh. My arm, my shoulder, against my knuckles and across my elbow. Through the barrage I catch glimpses of my opponent: focused, emotionless. Then a small stinging across my face brings me back to my predicament. How I am able to last this long I cannot say. All credit goes to my reflexive responses, my agility and flexibility.

He's too much!

I can only blink the speed of which his arms swing, his wrists rotate to slant the blade, but all I can do is evade, I cannot cast, I cannot escape. More parts of me are starting to sting now, as I am now starting a collection of cuts.

Think Lumie, think!

"Agh!"

Get out, get away!

"Ahh!"

He's too fast to teleport, too strong to overpower, too close for any sudden movements. "Yaaah!" That one went deep!

I'm shaking, my eyes are tearing, the wind and sparks and dirt are making my cuts burn.

DROP! I suddenly think, and in an unflattering fashion I throw myself flat on my back to the ground, then I grab the grass from beneath me and clench my fists. Grinding my teeth together and shutting my eyes so abruptly it gives me twinge of headache, I will the plants around me to spring forth. Entangle!

Mana surges through me, into the ground and back up into the air. YES! I see the glimmering of a blade fall in my direction, but a swarm of roots, sediment and grass blocks my vision. It reaches out for him like an arm, only to be cut down by his blade in that same instant.

But that was all I needed, I'm already rolling over to the right, more plant life sacrificing itself to save me. I manage to get on my knees and teleport to the other side of the yard. The plants go limp, I hastily heal my wounds. Then I rise and run head-on to the force of nature that is my opponent. I cast Wrong Way, but he already thought ahead and cast a spell to interrupt my own. I jump backwards, he comes at me. Using both hands, I cast Stagger first, and the second after, I cast Forewarned. He was ready for the Stagger, and reflects it back to me, I physically dodge the stream of magick heading my way. I'm up and about, but still cannot predict his movements like the spell should allow me to do! He must have Mind Wall up!

I run, simultaneously casting Boost Strength on myself to gain the upper hand. I am now faster and stronger. I fly away from him, letting my pumped legs carry me away from danger, but still he chases me, swinging the sword. He has a mind shield up, so I can't read his movements or use mental attacks to distract him. He's just as fast as I am when it comes to spellcasting, so even if I avoid white magick, his spell simply collides with my own and cancels it out. I can dodge him, but without my own weapon, or the ability to outcast him I'll never get any hits in. I zig zag, hop and skip, throwing behind me an onslaught of spells, all different affinities, hoping to not be predictable. Force Push, Freeze, Flames, Slow, Fear, Sleep dammit!

Glancing back, I realize something. Papa doesn't swing his sword to cast a spell back when my own goes his way, it looks like it's going to hit him, but bounces off his body instead. He's put up Shield! CRAP!

Okay, so he's got a mental shield and a magical shield, I cannot disrupt his mind, and now I have no spells that would affect him.

This whole time, I've just been wasting mana! And I've wasted a lot of mana. I don't have a weapon, I don't have armor, or a comrade, or even a trap set up to my advantage. There is no escape route either. In cases like this it would be wisest to withdraw, set-up and illusion and run way. But I live here! I cannot, it looks like all I can do is surrender.

No! Not yet, there must be another way. I side-slide on the ground, through his legs, which he didn't suspect, it buys me about four seconds of time. I look around my environment, my boost slowly beginning to wear off. What can use to compensate for what I don't have?!

There's the one big tree- Russet is in there, bushes, small rocks, flowers, a few lawn ornaments… I-I'm stuck! In a last effort of desperation, I cast Tap-the-Flow with my remaining mana, I'm not fully charged, but better off than where I was, at least half-filled. I don't bother recharging my boost, I know what I must do.

I skid to a stop, spin around to watch Papa zoom towards me, blade at the ready.

Then I shout. "I YIELD!"

Papa's eyes twitch slightly, and just when I think I'm in for a trip to the emergency room, there is a great rumbling, howling of wind and the sizzling of dirt. Papa halts right in front of me, blade to my throat, panting. I remain still, shaken.

He looks at me, or should I say, through me. I gulp loudly, but try to retain some honor. "I yield." I admit softly.

"You yield." He repeats.

The dust settles.

I blink a few times, some seconds pass, I have my arms up by the elbows, palms open. The blade stays in place. What does he want from me?

"And vat if, I don't vant you to yield? Vat if I vas a killer? How vould you react?!"

He's testing me.

"I would have never surrendered. I would've created a distraction, duplicated an illusion of myself and hastily escaped."

"Specify!" He demands, pressing the sword further against my throat. "How vould you create a distraction?!"

"I would create a massive cloud of dust, dirt, and plant material and used it to cover myself-"

"And?!"

"In that same moment, I would create the illusion of myself hiding behind the plant wall so that when you cut through or teleport to reach me, the real me would've already teleported far from the manor."

"If I gave chase?!"

"I would leave traps in my wake as I'm escaping, while repeatedly tapping the flow to have just enough to keep going, rinse and repeat. I would do it all while taking many routes, so if you attempted to track me, it would leave you going in circles, buying me time."

"…" He squints.

But he does finally let me go. I exhale in relief, falling to my knees. He kneels down beside me. Just as I think he's going to lecture me, or call it all off, he suddenly slashes his sword downward!

I respond with terror. I let out a blinding flash of light, and teleport. He misses, sheathing his blade into the ground. I'm standing about thirty feet away from him, panting, trembling. "Papa!" I wheeze.

"I know, I know." His familiar voice returns. "I vas just checkink to see how you vould handle such a situation." He leaves his sword in the earth, walks towards me and pinches my cheek.

The environment in our backyard is no longer hostile.

"It pleases me immensely to see zat you are not afraid to lay down your arms. A good varrior knows ven to fight and ven to retreat. You saw zat you vere outmatched, and raser zan engage in a suicide mission, you veighed your options. Your response vas acceptable, but for future reference, not all enemies vill be as kind as I am."

I nod, fatigue washing over me.

"Come. Your physical trainink is done for zee day, let us go inside and review." He retrieves his blade, transfigures it back into his staff and Russet clambers down from the tree to join us atop Papa's shoulder back into the house.