Various races, including Safira and Aaron, were gathered in a field of vivid green. Rowan stood with them and began to speak:
"Alright, youngsters. Since you've decided to be the puppets of this guild and the kingdom, I will now show you the basics of how the Aetherian works. Although, as you saw in the exam, you already have some idea of its function."
Aaron, as always, looked at Rowan with bright, excited eyes.
"I didn't quite understand that part," said Safira.
"You won't get very far with that fish brain of yours," Aaron scoffed teasingly.
"Shut up!"
"As you know, few people manage to unlock the power of the Aetherian in their body and mind. History tells us that those who succeed in drawing out this magic are driven by powerful feelings, by trauma, or something similar. Some manipulate magic differently, but there are only two basic forms of doing so."
Aaron eagerly raised his hand. "The two types are Warrior and Mage, right?"
Rowan looked at Aaron, frowning slightly at the interruption. "Yes, those are the types of magic that exist."
Rowan pointed at a giant boulder. "I will give you a demonstration of how it's used."
When everyone was near the stone, Rowan prepared to launch his attack. An aura of green began to emanate from his right hand. With great speed, he managed to destroy the giant rock. Everyone stared in awe at such power.
"If you noticed, young ones, I concentrated the energy in my hand and expelled it with a punch. These are the attack forms of Warriors, as they concentrate their magic through their body and release it that way."
"That was incredible! Don't you think so, Safira?" Aaron asked excitedly.
"Yes, it was amazing to see him destroy that rock so easily," Safira also looked impacted by the scene.
Rowan addressed the youngsters again. "Now I will show you how a Mage uses magic."
Rowan raised two fingers, and a small ball of energy suddenly appeared from them. He moved his hand in a direction and launched the accumulated energy as a fine blast. Everyone around watched impressed.
"If you noticed again, I did not use my body to accumulate energy this time, but rather I used my mind to charge it in my finger and thus create magic. Depending on how strong your Aetherian is, you may be able to use between one technique, which is the most normal, and the talented ones who can use up to four techniques at most."
One of the attendees raised their hand and Rowan looked at him.
"Why can only four techniques be used at most?"
"That is because your body and mind cannot process more. If you use more than four techniques than you have learned, you will face severe consequences. For example, for a Warrior type, part of their body could become immobile or unusable. So be careful about using more than four techniques you have learned."
Everyone went quiet, attentive to what the instructor was saying. Aaron looked at Safira again.
"Someone as talented as me could use more than four techniques!"
Safira did not pay attention to Aaron and also raised her hand. Rowan looked at her.
"This depends on the user's creativity when using their magic, right?"
"Of course, human. This depends heavily on the user's creativity, but if you don't have much creativity, we will also give you a guide to very good techniques you can learn. Now we are going to practice the techniques, so I need the Mage types in one group and the Warrior types in another, to make it easier to teach you."
At the Guild
After a long while at the guild, Rowan headed to an office. He knocked on the door and a voice allowed him to enter. Rowan approached an Elf, well-dressed, with straight, shiny black hair, who looked about 30 in human years, sitting and reviewing papers.
"Good morning, sir. I have great news for you."
Rowan placed a paper with Safira's records on the table. The Elf looked at Rowan and the paper.
"A human named Safira is someone special. She has incredible power. The statistics say she is capable of using up to seven techniques," Rowan's voice conveyed excitement and euphoria, while still remaining formal.
The Elf looked at Rowan with a smile and laughed softly. "We have a diamond in the rough, Mr. Rowan."
In the guild cafeteria, Safira and Aaron were seated.
"Safira, I can't believe it, you are incredible!"
"Thanks, Aaron, but I don't think it's that big of a deal."
"What are you talking about, Safira! You showed incredible power, it's insane!" he practically yelled.
"Aaron, don't shout! Can't you see there are people here?"
Aaron quickly covered his mouth and looked around to see if he had bothered anyone. He chuckled for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, I'm just still impressed with the power you have."
"We must focus on finding another person. The minimum to create a team is three, but who? No one here wants to be with two humans they don't even know, and because of your idiocy, Aaron, they think we're hostile."
Aaron playfully stuck his tongue out at Safira. "The wolves were the hostile ones; I was just defending someone."
Freya appeared in front of the siblings, standing still and looking at them, her shyness and nervousness noticeable.
"H-hello again. Well, I just came to ask if you already have a group. I mean, could I join you? Since I couldn't get a team…"
"Freya, how are you?! Of course you can join us! Actually, we didn't even have a group yet, and thanks to you falling from the sky, we do now!" Aaron stood up from his seat and hugged Freya by the shoulders with his arm.
"Aaron, be more polite, please, you're making Freya uncomfortable."
"Ah, I'm sorry, Freya," Aaron quickly removed his arm.
"It's okay, Aaron," Freya replied with a slightly trembling voice. "So, can I really join you?"
"Of course, and as Aaron said, we still hadn't found anyone to team up with."
Aaron looked at Freya and frowned. "Hey, you didn't get a team? That's weird, you showed a high level in the tests."
"I'm not very good at making friends, I'm too shy," Freya looked down.
"I see… Don't worry, now we'll be your friends," Safira looked at Freya and offered a warm, kind smile.
"Thank you very much, Miss Safira."
The youngsters remained in the cafeteria, enjoying their food.
"Thanks again for inviting us to eat, Freya. You really are an angel fallen from heaven," Aaron said with his mouth still full of food.
"W-well, it's just that I felt a bit sorry for you. I noticed you hadn't eaten all day," Freya said, also eating delicately and slightly awkwardly.
"Are you calling us poor? I could buy you and your whole house if I wanted to!" Aaron's voice showed a hint of anger, although it was barely audible due to his full mouth.
"No, no, no, no, I didn't mean that, it's just…" Freya clearly looked embarrassed.
"You didn't mean it in a bad way, Freya. Thanks for the food," Safira took a bite of food.
"Thank you, Safira."
After a while, they finished eating.
"Again, thank you so much, Freya!" Aaron said with a satisfied voice and a joyful smile.
"You're welcome, Aaron, that's what friends do."
Suddenly, a Dwarf appeared, with long, curly brown hair and strong features, and approached the youngsters.
"You are Safira's team, aren't you?"
Aaron looked down at him. "Hello, little guy, want some candy?"
"What the hell are you saying! Show some respect to your mentor," the Dwarf said, gritting his teeth, slightly annoyed. "My name is Porco. It's time to continue with your exam."
Safira looked at him confused. "Practical exam?"
"Yes, it's time to see if you have the ability to take down monsters, but, hearing the rumors, you, Safira, are capable of that," the Dwarf smiled. "Well, we've wasted enough time, let's go."
Aaron, Safira, and Freya got up from the cafeteria and followed the Dwarf. They left the guild and, after walking, Porco led them to an abandoned house on the outskirts of the town.
"We've arrived," Porco said, approaching the house and entering.
The three did the same and entered the house.
"Why are we at this house? It's kind of scary," Aaron's eyes moved from side to side. The atmosphere was dark, and the dust and worn wood in the house were noticeable.
"There are reports that a monster lives here, and disappearances have been reported nearby," Porco said, as he opened a door.
Upon opening the door, everyone smelled a putrid odor. Aaron, Safira, and Freya grimaced in disgust and covered their noses. Porco noticed a body kneeling in the distance, making a noise as if it were eating meat and tearing bones.
"I see it," Porco quickly attacked, launching a large gust of wind, which destroyed the room, and the monster flew out of the house.
Everyone rushed out towards the monster, which had the shape of a bipedal pig.
"That thing is horrendous," Safira looked at the being attentively, as if analyzing it, while Aaron and Freya stood behind her.
"Good, show me what you are capable of," Porco stepped back a bit, leaving the three against the pig.
"Just accumulate energy in your hands and legs to attack and be faster. Freya, who is a Mage, try to attack from a distance, firing shots to provide long-range support."
The three quickly got into attack position. The pig sensed the danger and rushed toward the three in a blink. Just as it attacked, Safira's hand released an aura and she landed the first blow, which stunned the monster. At that moment, Freya fired a thin ray of energy; the pig barely dodged it, but it hit its arm.
"Go, Aaron!" Safira shouted. She lunged toward the monster, and Aaron did the same.
As they approached the wounded monster, it also accumulated energy in its hand, hitting Aaron in the face. Aaron fell, but Safira also attacked and hit it in the stomach. The monster writhed. Freya kept firing. The pig dodged the attacks of the three and retreated toward an area with many trees. Aaron and Safira chased it, while Freya stayed alert for them to emerge. But again, in a blink, the monster rushed toward Freya with a stake. It didn't injure her thanks to Porco launching the powerful wind again.
"Careful, Elf. Be more attentive to your surroundings," Porco said.
Freya fired wildly at the pig. It dodged, but the attack hit its other arm. Aaron and Safira emerged from the trees and lunged toward the pig again.
"Aaron, grab the stake, and finish it!" Porco threw the stake to Aaron, while Safira continued to fight the pig.
The monster managed to bite Safira's arm, but she also managed to give it a huge punch with monstrous force. The pig finally fell stunned to the floor. Aaron approached it with the stake in hand, raised the stake ready to deliver the final blow, but dark memories flooded his mind. He saw lifeless bodies lying in a room; we see from the perspective of a small Aaron, who is in the doorway watching with absolute terror, his legs shaking, making sounds of suffering, while a small Safira cries on her knees before the lifeless bodies, the moonlight reflects the crime of what happened that night.
"Aaron! What are you doing?!" Safira quickly approached, grabbed the stake, and plunged it into the pig, which finally died.
Aaron watched the act with a lost gaze, his hands trembling. Porco and Freya approached.
"Very good, but Aaron, what were you thinking? In these situations, you mustn't hesitate. If you hesitate, you are useless, you better resign from your guild," Porco said, his voice expressing annoyance and anger toward Aaron.
"I'm sorry, it's just…" Aaron's voice was still trembling.
Safira looked at him, worried about her brother's state.
Aaron and Freya were already home. It was night. After a long day, Aaron was in his bed staring at the ceiling, still confused and stunned by the battle, with a lost gaze.