Mentor

For a while after that, Kalei felt as if he were walking on clouds, his head spinning. He could barely remember when the ceremony ended or how he had followed Lox out of the temple.

By the time he came to his senses, dawn had broken. Golden sunlight filtered through the red-and-purple branches of the giant trees, casting dazzling patches of light and shadow across his shoulders.

When Velina saw her son emerge from the temple, she hurried over and took hold of his arm. "Kalei, how do you feel? Did everything go smoothly?"

Squinting slightly against the glaring sunlight, Kalei said, "I feel great, Mother. I felt the goddess's radiance. She illuminated the path before me."

Hearing this, Velina finally let out the breath she had been holding. She immediately cupped her hands together and silently prayed, "Thank you, Goddess!"

Nearby, Evelyn began talking with Lox. The usually carefree Lox seemed to have received some kind of revelation during the ceremony; for once, a hint of seriousness crossed his face.

The four of them chatted quietly as they walked out of the temple grounds.

By then, it was broad daylight, and most of the people who had gathered in town had already gone home. Only a few vendors still had their shops open, waiting for their last customers.

The four of them had been busy all night, so they didn't linger. They bought some water and food from an eatery, then left Astranaar and flew back to Maestra on hippogryphs.

Although Night Elves were a nocturnal race, that didn't mean they couldn't be active during the day. On the contrary, their strong physiques meant they could usually stay active for several days and nights in a row.

When the four arrived in Maestra, Velina, Evelyn, and Lox decided not to rest. They planned to ride saber cats straight home.

Kalei still had things to do in Maestra, so he didn't go with them.

As they were parting, Kalei remembered the roar he'd heard on the way there. Worried that his mother and the others might run into danger, he reminded them once more to be careful.

Velina reassured him. "Don't worry, Kalei. We travel between Maestra Town and home all the time, so we know the area very well. What danger could we run into? Even if we did, we'd have our saber cats to help us handle it. What about you? How long will you be staying in Maestra this time, and when will you be coming home?"

Kalei thought for a moment before answering, "That depends on what my mentor assigns for the final exam. Under normal circumstances, it might take as little as half a month. If the exam is complicated, it could take two or three months."

Velina nodded. "I understand. Good luck with your exam, and give Mr. Hardwood my regards."

"I will, Mother. Have a safe trip, and when you get home, ask the village chief to write me a letter." Then he turned to the other two. "Aunt Evelyn, Lox, I hope you have a safe trip too."

Evelyn smiled. "We'll be fine, little Kalei. Finish your exam and come back soon. Don't keep your mother waiting."

Lox patted his shoulder and gave him an encouraging gesture without saying a word.

The three of them said goodbye to Kalei, mounted their saber cats, and rode away from Maestra along the mountain path.

Kalei watched them disappear into the forest and thought, I hope nothing happens to them.

Then he shook his head, deciding he was worrying too much. He'd be better off focusing on what he needed to do now.

His trip to the temple had not only allowed him to complete one of the major milestones of his life, but had also unexpectedly earned him the goddess's blessing. He was overjoyed.

But he knew it wasn't time to relax yet. Many more challenges lay ahead.

The first was the final exam set by his Druid mentor.

His Druid mentor was named Matt Hardwood. Anyone who had played a Night Elf Druid in the game would probably recognize the name—in the game, Matt Hardwood was a Druid trainer in Darnassus, the Night Elves' new capital.

But the Battle of Mount Hyjal, which would shape the fate of the Night Elves, had not yet begun. The World Tree, Nordrassil, had not been destroyed, and Darnassus had yet to be built, so the trainer was still in Maestra.

The main reason Kalei's father had been able to ask Matt Hardwood to take him on as a student was that Matt had been his father's classmate.

But that classmate was far more powerful than his father. Although they had both trained for over a thousand years, Matt Hardwood had long surpassed the level 40 threshold and reached level 46.

At that hour, the only people still active in town were the Sentinel Corps patrols, who continued to carry out their duties. Most residents had already turned in for the night.

Kalei made his way through town and soon reached his destination: Matt Hardwood's home.

Like the other Night Elves' homes, Matt's house was built beneath several large trees. It was a two-story wooden house with a spacious yard full of flowers and plants.

Kalei entered the yard and knocked on the front door. After a while, a sleepy-looking Night Elf girl opened it.

As the number of Night Elf Druids grew, the Night Elves had established quite a few schools to train them.

But the Night Elves were used to living freely, and few actually went to school to study the Druidic arts. Most preferred the one-on-one master-and-apprentice approach.

Matt's talent for Druidic training was nothing special, but his teaching ability was famous far and wide. As a result, many Night Elf families were willing to send their children to study under him.

Matt Hardwood had trained many students, including some who had made names for themselves and even surpassed him in skill. One such student was Mathrengyl Bearwalker, the future assistant to the legendary Druid Fandral Staghelm.

The girl in front of him was Matt's newest student after Kalei. Her name was Dinia Moonlight.

Dinia had been a little displeased to see a visitor at this hour, but when she realized it was Kalei, her frown turned into a smile. "Senior Brother Kalei, it's you! Come on in."

Kalei reached out and patted her on the head with a smile. "It's me. How have you been these past couple of days? Have you caused the teacher any trouble?"

Dinia pouted. "I haven't! I always finish the exercises the teacher assigns me on time."

Kalei took out two bare branches from behind his back and waved them at her, teasing, "Oh, really? Aren't these the props the teacher gave you to practice Healing on? Why did you leave them outside before you'd finished using them?"

Dinia's cheeks flushed. She quickly lowered her voice. "Shh, don't tell the teacher. It's just that I went to a dance at the neighbors' with my cousin yesterday, so I forgot."

Kalei shook his head. A flash of green light passed over his hand, and the two dead branches immediately sprang back to life, putting out fresh shoots and leaves.

He handed the now-lively branches to Dinia. "Here. Don't slack off like that again."

Dinia beamed as she took the branches, then skipped off into the house.

Kalei followed her and asked, "Where's the teacher now?"

Dinia found a vase and arranged the branches in it before turning to answer. "The teacher went out the day before yesterday and only came back during the day today. He's resting now. Should I go wake him?"

Kalei waved a hand. "No need. I just got back from Astranaar too. I've been busy all night and I'm a little tired, so I'll rest first and see the teacher tonight."

They chatted as they made their way into the living room.

Dinia asked eagerly, "You just got back from Astranaar? Do you want something to drink? I have Golden-skinned Apple Juice and chilled milk."

Kalei sat down in a wooden chair in the living room. "A glass of apple juice, please. Thanks."

Dinia quickly poured him a glass of apple juice and asked, "Senior Brother Kalei, did you go to Astranaar for your coming-of-age ceremony?"

Kalei took a few sips of the sweet, refreshing juice. "That's right."

Dinia looked wistful. "That's wonderful. Once you're an adult, you can go wherever you want. Unlike me—I can't go anywhere."

Kalei smiled. "Oh, Dinia, where do you want to go?"

Dinia rested her chin in her hands and said dreamily, "I want to visit Darkshore. I've been alive for thirty years, but I've never seen the sea. I've never even left Maestra. My father won't let me out of his sight."

Hearing the girl complain, Kalei could only think, You're so young. Aren't you afraid the Sea Monsters and Murlocs over in Darkshore will catch you?

As he remembered it, Darkshore wasn't safe in the game. But this was the real world, after all, so surely it couldn't be as dangerous as the game.

After complaining for a little while, the girl started yawning. She waved a hand and said, "Senior Brother Kalei, take your time. I'm going to rest." Then she dashed off to her room.

Without the little girl's chatter, Kalei started to feel sleepy too. He drained the juice from his wooden cup, washed up in the bathroom, and went to the bedroom where he usually rested.

But he didn't go to sleep right away. Lying on the bed, he calmly examined what he had gained that day for the first time.