Ragena Mara jumped over the boulder, using her earth magic to propel her through the air. Her brown hair was tied back in a long ponytail, which flew out behind her. She sailed cleanly over the giant rock, landing on the other side. She used her earth magic once more to make the ground softer for landing. As soon as her feet touched down, she was rooted to the spot.
"Hmm...that was decent, I suppose," one of the instructors at a nearby table said.
Ms. Mara looked up at them. The three instructors were judging her and several other Kaster teenagers from the Pointed Caves town. Two of the instructors were high masters, and the other was a grandmaster. After all, the students would have to be tested by the highest-level instructors available if they wanted to be instructors themselves.
The other two judges merely shrugged their shoulders, also unimpressed with her demonstration. Ms. Mara masked her disappointment and merely bowed to the three instructors, thanking them for observing her. She then stepped off to the side as another student stepped forward to demonstrate his earth magic.
She brushed off her white top, inspecting the two red badges on her torso. One badge represented Kaster Form, the harder martial art system of the Kaster Lands. The other badge represented Dragon Form, the softer art created by the dragons themselves. In order to become an instructor, she needed to gain three black stripes on each badge. She had to prove she had the qualities and knowledge an instructor would have, by demonstrating her magical abilities and in working with others. If a Kaster student with red badges wanted to remain a student—or was not allowed to become an instructor—that student could still gain three stripes and progress in both martial arts systems; it just wouldn't be shown on their uniform. Otherwise, those who wanted to become instructors had to pass three tests, one for each stripe; if they failed the tests and were removed from the training, they could try to become an instructor at a later point. However, Ms. Mara wanted to become an instructor on her first try.
Ms. Mara always dreamed of becoming an instructor, as most Kasters did. After all, every Kaster practiced martial arts almost daily, whether they were serious practitioners or hobbyists. Ms. Mara just did not know if she was good enough to be an instructor—especially after her poor demonstration. Though she was always enthusiastic and willing to help others, she did not seem to have the skills necessary to prove her martial arts knowledge. But it was harder for people with more than one magic to get a handle on all of their magics. Ms. Mara had earth and fire magics, and therefore had to dedicate more time to her training if she wanted to keep up with the other students.
She looked up just as the other student finished his show. The boy jumped much higher over the boulder, which was the last obstacle in the earth magic course. He landed more gracefully than Ms. Mara, sticking his landing and not even making the ground shake.
The judges nodded their approval, looking impressed. The boy grinned and went to stand back in line with the other students. Ms. Mara shot him a glare, jealousy springing into her at once. She tried to shake it off; she hated viewing others in a negative light. She shook herself and glanced back at the judges as they stood up from the table and walked over.
"The earth magic test is complete. Next, will be the fire test. Anyone with fire magic, please step forward," the grandmaster said.
Ms. Mara took a deep breath, then moved out of the line. Two other students followed her.
"For this next test, those with fire magic must make a huge fire in under three seconds, then dim it down within two seconds," the high master said. "Who would like to go first?"
Ms. Mara sighed and stepped forward again; she might as well get it over with. Her fire magic was nowhere near as good as her earth magic, and she doubted she could pull off what the judges wanted to see. But she would still try her best!
"Very well, Ms. Mara," the same high master said. He signaled to the large boulder she had jumped over minutes before. "Go on the other side of that boulder, so you do not burn anyone. Though, of course, if you are a true master of the basics, you will have total control of your fire."
Ms. Mara nodded dully. She brushed her hair out of her face and walked over to the boulder, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She couldn't allow herself to get aggravated, otherwise she'd have no control at all.
Once she was in position, she took several deep breaths to relax her tense body. Then, she sunk in a low horse stance. As soon as she felt ready, she rose into a high crane stance, shoving both arms upwards and causing fire to fly up with her. The flames soared into the air, but only for a brief moment. She sunk into a kneeling stance almost as quickly as she had risen. The fire died down, the flames vanishing on the light breeze.
She glanced over her shoulder hesitantly at the judges. Was that done in less than five seconds? It seemed like it had been really quick, but it also seemed to take a long time. Ms. Mara truly had no sense of time, her heart beating rapidly once again as she waited for her result.
The judges merely nodded at her, and she smiled at once. She had passed! It might have been an average display of fire magic, but it meant she was good to go.
She let out a sigh of relief and watched as the other two students demonstrated their fire magic no problem. After all, if she wasn't mistaken, each of the other teenagers there only had one magic; she was the only one with two.
"Finally, we have the water magic test," the grandmaster said after the other students stepped back in line with the rest of the group. "We will be going to Pool Valley for this test. Then, tomorrow, we will test your knowledge further by seeing if you can teach each other magic. Let's head out."
The group walked briskly towards a cliff overhang, where there were two large boards waiting for them. The wagon-like contraptions used magic to travel across all sorts of terrain, from stone to ice to even bodies of water. They also moved rapidly, covering miles within minutes.
As long as Ms. Mara passed whatever test tomorrow held, she would earn her first stripe and still be on track to becoming an instructor. If she didn't have fire magic, she had no doubt she would have already been dismissed for her poor display of earth magic. Then again, she'd probably be better with her magic if she had only the one.
She shrugged, deciding that she'd just have to wait for the next day to see what would happen. She glanced at the other quiet students. Most of them had already tested, apart from four students. Two of them were her friends; they were twins, though one had black skin and the other had red-tinted skin. Though most had already tested, nobody spoke and a nervous energy still buzzed inside.
Within another hour or so, they reached Pool Valley. The boards slowed to a stop just outside the settlement. Ms. Mara had been to the village before; there were plenty of cabins and caves where the Kasters lived. A giant waterfall lay beside the village, making it nearly impossible for any conversation to be possible outdoors. The large lake of water formed by the waterfall lay below the village quite a distance away, so the town would remain unharmed if it ever flooded. Ms. Mara jumped off the board and stretched, watching as the grandmaster greeted one of the nearby villagers.
"Those with water magic, your task will be stopping the waterfall! As this is a tremendous source of water, we do not expect you to do it alone. You will therefore go in pairs!" one of the high masters shouted over the booming of the nearby waterfall. "Follow me! The rest of you can stay here."
Ms. Mara hurried after her twin friends, both named Ms. Moon. Even though Ms. Mara was friends with them, she never called them by their first names—unless if the three were truly alone where nobody else could hear them. It was disrespectful to use a person's first name, especially without using their last name in the same sentence.
"Ms. Moon's!" she called, her voice sounding like a whisper on the wind.
They surprisingly heard her and glanced over their shoulders.
"Good luck!" Ms. Mara said, beaming at them.
They grinned in return and faced forward once more. Ms. Mara watched them go, then shrugged and went after them. If they were allowed to watch her tests, then she should be allowed to do the same. Observing a test was not prohibited, so long as the observer was also a part of the test or had relation to those taking the test.
She trailed after the twins until they all reached the waterfall. One of the high masters made a table and chairs with his earth magic. The three judges then took their place. Ms. Mara stood off to the side behind them, while the other four students moved forward.
Since it was now so deafening, being right next to the waterfall, the high master merely motioned for the Moon twins to go first. Ms. Mara watched eagerly, her blue eyes lit with excitement. The twin sisters were excellent water magicians. They'd often play with their magic, creating new techniques and even forms with the magic. If anyone could stop a huge waterfall's flow, it was definitely them.
The twins moved closer to the waterfall, then sunk low in their horse stances. They raised their hands, then lowered them quickly as they shifted into kneeling stances facing one another. The water slowed its flow, then was suspended in midair. The valley became much quieter, though the rumbling could still be heard above the floating water.
"You may release it," the grandmaster said, his tone pleased.
The twins did so, and the booming returned, seeming louder than before. Ms. Mara smiled at her friends and gave them the thumbs-up. They smiled over at her, then stepped off to the side to allow the other two students to try the test.
Ms. Mara wondered if she should return to the others now that she saw her friends test. However, thinking it might be rude to leave halfway through, she stayed in place. She watched as the other two Kasters sunk in their horse stances and raised their hands, copying the actions of the twins.
However, as they sunk in kneeling stances, the water went down with them. Instead of staying up in the air, it surged out of control. Water flowed everywhere! It struck down the nearby houses, it hit the judges' table, it sent the twins flying away. Before Ms. Mara could even comprehend what was happening, the water slammed into her.
She was shoved underneath with more force than a boulder. She gasped and lost her breath, her chest aching for more air. She glanced about, but she was so turned around that she could not see which way was up! Her arms flailed, her legs kicked, but she had no idea how to swim. A few more seconds passed, and the water continued to press in all around her, growing darker and darker...her vision was fading...
Then, something hard struck her. It sent her spinning through the water, until her head suddenly broke the surface. She gasped for air, her dull vision filled with color once more. In the next moment, the water was receding. She soon found herself sitting on the wet stone ground on the valley, watching as waves of water entered the pool of the waterfall below. She stared, dumbfounded, confused at what had happened so quickly.
Ms. Moon (the one with black skin) hurried over. "Are you okay?" she shrieked.
Ms. Mara couldn't bring herself to get to her feet; her entire body was quivering in shock and fear. "I-I dunno," she stammered.
"Take slow, deep breaths," Ms. Moon ordered. "I'm going to find my sister!"
Ms. Mara nodded numbly, doing as she was instructed. She closed her eyes and drank the air in greedily. Once she no longer felt light-headed, she opened her eyes and looked around. A few of the houses had been destroyed, but it looked like everyone was fine. The three judges were helping others to their feet, seeming unfazed by the incident. Ms. Mara staggered to her feet and limped towards them.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked as she approached.
"Do you know how to heal?" One of the high masters queried.
Ms. Mara nodded.
"Heal this child's leg," he ordered.
Ms. Mara crouched down beside a kid at his feet. The kid was crying, his head turned away from the long laceration on his leg. It looked like a piece of broken house had struck him. Ms. Mara placed her hands on the wound gently, causing the boy to flinch.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, "but it's going to be okay. Please, let me heal you."
The boy nodded as tears continued streaking down his cheeks. He shut his eyes tightly, his teeth gritted in pain as she reached for the wound again.
Ms. Mara took a deep breath, then brought her magic forth. Her hands glowed a pale purple as she imagined the wound being closed. The magic grew brighter as she urged it forward. Within minutes, the wound resembled a mere cut.
"That's the best I can do," Ms. Mara said apologetically, to both the boy and the high master beside her.
The high master nodded. "Magic can only do so much. But you healed him very well. That is probably the best healing I've seen from a teenager!"
Ms. Mara gaped up at him, shocked. She then glanced back towards the boy, to see him staring at his cut with wide eyes. The boy looked up at her, then smiled as he wiped away his tears.
The next hour flew by. The wounded sought help for their cuts, and the other villagers or judges would help out at once. Ms. Mara herself got to aid another two villagers. After that, she helped recreate new homes for some of the Kasters, using her earth magic to manipulate the stone at her feet. The grandmaster then apologized to the villagers and promised to leave at once. He rounded up the water magic students and led them all back to the boards on the other side of the town.
The sun was setting once they made it back to the boards. The students were waiting inside, their eyes wide. They had clearly seen what had happened with the waterfall, but none of them had come out to help. Ms. Mara frowned around at them, wondering why they would stay back when there was a disaster and people were injured.
The grandmaster seemed to be thinking the same thing. He gazed at the students solemnly, then said, "Each of you have failed. You should have come to help out. No matter if this is a different village, no matter if these people weren't even Kasters, you should have helped them. You have proved to me that none of you are meant to be instructors—not if you don't care enough to aid others."
He turned to the two students who caused the chaos, and his eyes narrowed further. "You two will not be allowed to train for the next month. You will stay here at this town, and help out with whatever they need you for. The high leader can decide your ultimate punishment."
The students hung their heads, shuffling their feet in humiliation. Ms. Mara frowned, feeling bad for them. No training for a month was a terrible punishment in itself!
"As for you three," the grandmaster said, turning to Ms. Mara and the twins, "you have just earned your first stripe. Congratulations. You are on your way to becoming instructors, the only three remaining in this course." He glanced over at the other students waiting in the boards. "The rest of you will have to wait for the next instructor training to open up in a few months."
Ms. Mara exchanged a shocked glance with her friends. She then looked over at the grandmaster as he walked over to them, taking black strips out of his pocket. He attached one stripe to both of Ms. Mara's badges, then proceeded to do the same to the twins. The grandmaster then stepped back and smiled at the three.
"We will continue testing the day after tomorrow. You deserve a break before we test your leadership abilities."
Ms. Mara and the Moon twins nodded quietly, each of them still too shocked to speak. They bowed to the grandmaster, then followed him into one of the boards.
Ms. Mara could hardly believe it! She was so worried that she wouldn't make it past the first test. She was so sure that she'd fail because of her sloppy display of magic. But she had redeemed herself with her healing magic and her worry for others. She would be an instructor!
She glanced over at the Moon twins again, and the three girls smiled. They would get through the remainder of the training together. They were all worthy. And they would all be instructors!