Academy Life

The more Kaecilius thought about it, the more convinced he became that Ryan's future held limitless promise.

But seeing was believing. He decided to seek Ryan out again and see just how exceptional this boy who had only recently arrived at Kamar-Taj really was.

They met the next morning.

Mordo and Kaecilius entered Kamar-Taj's Training Ground together. It was still early.

Dawn had barely broken, and even the birds had yet to hop onto the branches and sing. Yet students were already at the Training Ground, tracing magical lines through the air with their fingers.

Kaecilius found the sight heartening. Magic could not be mastered overnight; the harvest depended on how much sweat one put in.

These disciplined, hardworking students would undoubtedly become the pillars of Kamar-Taj one day.

Whatever one was training for, there was no room for laziness.

Mordo walked beside Kaecilius in a tight black outfit. He admired the diligent students. "Looking at them is like looking at my younger self."

"Most people at Kamar-Taj came up the same way." Kaecilius agreed with Mordo, though he was more eager to see Ryan.

With that, he and Mordo headed for Ryan's room.

Ryan opened his eyes and sat up in the bed of his modest room.

He opened the window and could see the students training hard in the distance.

What a grind. This is getting ridiculous.

The sounds of their magic practice had woken Ryan early. He had tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall back asleep.

Their zeal for magic reminded Ryan of high school. Students without natural talent would work through practice questions until one in the morning.

Then the talented students would see how hard they were working, panic, and study until two.

It kept escalating until someone stayed up all night, then