Most astonishing of what Siem had done, was not that she stood up to the bullies, but the magic she had instinctively used. The levitation spell was not taught to students. The knowledge of such a spell was reserved for two levels above her present company.
It was clear that she was a prodigy. Mages clamored to have her in their classes.
It was another decade until another girl joined the school. It was not so difficult for her and Siem to form some sort of bond between themselves.
More women joined the school onwards. Siem formed a guild for the new cohort of female mages. They looked after each other, they defended themselves.
And then, Siem was forced to leave the School of Magic.
“You have broken the rules binding your contract with this place,” the head mage told her. “You have a lead role in this place, more so among the female mages of whom you are the first. Your actions are reprehensible...”
The other mages in the council looked at Siem severely, as they pronounced her crime. “Dabbling into dark magic. What were you thinking Siem?”
Siem did not try to plead, or cry, or let any crack appear in her steely demeanor. She watched the council with cold eyes, and when they delivered their verdict, walked out without looking back. Knowledge is power, she had learned. So, she became knowledgeable in everything. Even in the knowledge that they thought was dangerous. She knew it will help her someday.
Eldana sat cross-legged, eyes closed, hands drooping by her side. She sat within a circle of lit candles, darkness pressing hard against the circumference of light, like a thirsty demon.
“You must take very deep breaths,” her teacher had said. “Each breath is a step that calms your mind, aids you in emptying every thought, so you can easily access that which you already have but don’t know.”
Her teacher had a clean-shaven head and a striking jaw, from the city of Tonar. Mosa was his name, one of the seven, and in concord with the agreement regarding the training of the child of Balance and Chaos, he was the one selected from the human race to train the being of Balance and Chaos. He was going to teach her not just the tradition of humans, but also how to use her psychic powers.
Mosa was calm, and fun to be around sometimes, but Eldana still preferred to be taught by Sinto. But in this, she had very little choice.
“You have much to contribute to the entire land of Toas. And the gods would have you be trained by every race in Toas. I am not abandoning you, Eldana. Just giving other people their rights to raise you.”
“Why is this so important?” Eldana had asked, a pout on her face.
“It is right that you be intimate with the ways and traditions of all the races, Eldana. You are the chosen one, given to the gods to restore balance for another hundred years. There is no bigger glory than that. As the stronger you are, as more beautiful the next hundred years will be for my children, and their children.” He smiled at her.
“What about me?” Eldana looked at him with a serious look. “What about you?” Mosa’s face resembled a huge question mark. “You will be with the gods. Luck is on your side!” He nearly danced in anticipation for this event, just being happy for Eldana.
She could not tell if she was the only one seeing the irony of everyone having a great life and her being dead or how they called it “with the gods”. This stupid mark was just on the wrong person, she thought. But she knew he was not the right person to talk about this.
Eldana reluctantly agreed to keep going with the lesson.
After a few historical lessons on the human race, an instructional guide through their society and practices, and theoretical drills on psychic magic, Mosa decided that it was time Eldana to do actual training.
So, here she was, quiet and still for the past five minutes, trying to calm her body, and empty her mind of every thought. She pulled up every instruction Mosa had given her about psychic magic, in detail. He had told her that some people, use a mental visualization of them lifting the desired object with their hands, he suggested a few more ways people used their psychic powers but insisted that there was no specific way of exercising the power.
“That is why meditation is important.” He had told her. “It gives you the chance to know yourself better. Only then, can you find unique ways to do certain things.”
“So, there is no guarantee meditation is going to work for me? Eldana had asked him.
“No.” Mosa had replied. “But it will help you find what will.”
Eldana began to get frustrated. She had emptied her mind, and yet she was still not feeling anything. Mosa had laid a metal rod in front of her. That was what she was going to be lifting with her mind.
“How would I know when I lift it?” she asked.
“You will know.” Mosa had replied. “You’ll feel a strain in your mind.”
Eldana was yet to feel anything of the sort. She was about to rise to her feet, and storm away when she remembered something that Sinto had said to her.
It was on one of those early days when she had failed to steer the air into forming a wall of energy. Eldana was sitting, hopeless, on the floor.
“You are a child of Toas, Eldana.” Sinto had told her. “You do well to remember that.”
“You say these things to make me feel better for my inadequacies.” Eldana had moaned.
Sinto chuckled. Then he gripped Eldana’s shoulders
