My training continued as normal, the only change being I spent much more time working on magic. It wasn't long before word traveled that my sister had indeed become engaged to Tomas, with their wedding scheduled for the spring months.

Soon, winter bled into spring as the snow melted from the mountain and filled our rivers and streams. The goats had their kids, and the trees budded again, as the whole mountain was alight with life. But I'd just received news, the kind that I'd knew was coming but had been dreading. Eldric wanted to leave the mountain.

"W-when?" I asked. Of course, I'd seen this coming for a very long time. As a former member of the Ten Archmages, he still had important duties that he had to tend to, duties he had not completed for over two years as he fostered my growth.

"After your sisters wedding, of course. You should have plenty of time to say goodbye," He said. "I know this will be hard for you, but know that this will not be the last time you see them again."

I nodded, but it didn't prevent tears from welling in my eyes at the news. "I understand." yet, at the same time, excitement rose in me, at the prospect of traveling and seeing the world outside of my remote village. Something I'd dreamed about since I was a child. "I'll make preparations."

Eldric shook his head. "I'm sorry, this is more ahead of schedule than I would have liked, but time is of the essence." For what? I wondered.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the capitol. There, you will meet the king," he added. My eyes were alight with wonder. The king? "And attend tutoring, from the best mages on the continent. There, I'm hoping you'll be able to break the next barrier." For the past several months, I'd reached a wall that I'd been unable to surpass. Having reached only the fourth seal, I had many more to unlock, as I was only able to control a small fraction of the power welled up within me, contained inside my bracelet. I wondered how many years it would take for me to grow strong enough to wear I didn't need the bracelet at all, but as always, patience is a virtue.

I left my master's shack with mixed feelings, dodging mud puddles on the road as I headed back to my own home. I was excited at the prospect of getting to travel and grow my knowledge, but sad with the fact that I would leave my family and beloved home behind. It was truly a hopeless paradox I was in, which I pondered all the way home.

My mother was on the porch, carding wool from the goats. Our villages goats were unique in their ability to be exceptional milkers and also produce wool which made us the finest of clothes to keep us safe from the elements. I thought briefly that I would definitely miss them when I'm gone, as I wasn't sure if they existed any place else.

"Carding wool?" I asked my mother. She was a little early, as we usually didn't start until later in the spring. "What for?"

"Ah, preparing gifts for your sisters wedding. And clothes for your journey, of course. Its best to get an early start."

"You knew?" I asked, surprised. I'd only just found out of my masters plans.

"Of course. Your father and I had known from the beginning, when we welcomed Elric into our village to mentor you. It had always been his plan from the start to take you to the capital, though he'd mentioned he would wait until you were at least eighteen or nineteen..." she sighed. "But, it can't be helped. My little baby has grown up to be an adult now."

I smiled, fighting back the sadness at the thought of leaving my mother behind. "At least you've got your other three children," I grinned.

"I am lucky," she smiled. "To have such beautiful, wonderful, and talented children. Why, I believe there are no better children in the kingdom, no, the entire continent!"

I laughed. "Mother, you exaggerate."

"It's true," she insisted.

"What's true?" My father asked, peeking out from around the corner.

"You're back!" I exclaimed.

"That we have the best children in all the world, don't you think, honey?" She affectionately held his hand.

"I agree, darling," He reached down to give her a peck on the lips, and I turned away, pretending to gag.

"How are the villagers today?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, same as always. Petty disputes, arguments, the like," He rolled his eyes. "But I'd rather deal with that than threats of beasts, or worse, war."

I nodded. We were lucky to live in as remote a place as we did, safe and protected, even from our own kingdom. As these mountains were an independent territory not ruled by a noble, there was little government interference as long as we paid our taxes. We were lucky to do as we pleased, and live out relatively peaceful lives.

"Elric told me today," I said. "We're leaving after Sereme's wedding."

My father nodded. "I figured as much." Again with the nonchalant answers! Will they even miss me? I wondered.

"Aren't you sad to see me go?" I asked.

"Of course I am, my daughter, but I'm not worried. I know you're perfectly strong, confident, and capable. And I believe you can change the world."

His words made me blush, flustered. "Father..." I said. "You both have too much confidence in me."

"That's because we know you, Aster, and we know you're capable of great things." My mother grabbed my hand. "Lorchen, how could we have given birth to such a wonderful, powerful child?"

It was the first time in a long time I'd pondered my origins. Neither of my parents had any affinity for magic, and yet they somehow created me. The math didn't add up... How did this... or, how did I... happen? I wondered. Perhaps it was a question that my master might have the answer to. No one had been born with powers like mine, at least not for a thousand years. It reaffirmed my resolve that I needed to do whatever I could to master this ability, so that I could continue to spread warmth and life and discover why I came to be. Perhaps my learning in the capital would give me insight.

The day of my sister's wedding was filled with a bright and joyful atmosphere. As it should, for it was a joyous occasion, the union between two individuals and the promise to support one another and carry on our village's legacy.

In much similar fashion as a sixteen birthday, my father gave the speech. It was on the grassy slope behind our house overlooking the vast valley with goats grazing, and a light wind blowing. My sister was beautiful, and her new husband was very lucky, as they faced each other and held one another's hands.

In front of the mass of people, my father told the famous tale of Arias and Valdi, two great lovers in our villages history. I knew the story well, as I'd often asked for it to be told to me before bed.

In a similar fashion to my sister and her lover, they grew up together and slowly began to realize their love for one another. Slowly, this love blossomed, despite the promise of war on the horizon  threatening to tear them apart.

Even when Arias was sent to fight, their love held strong, and transcended boundaries. After two years, the soldiers returned, but Arias was not with them. He was captured by the enemy, they said, and though the war had ended with our kingdom's victory,, he'd gone missing across enemy lines, assumed to be dead.

This set Valdi on a perilous journey alone as she set out to find her husband, or die trying. She fought countless adversaries on her search for him, unaware that he was doing the same thing searching for her, having broken out of prison.

He'd discovered valuable information of the country's plans to reinvade under the false pretense of surrender, information which caused him to be ruthlessly hunted down. Valdi and Arias were soon reunited, as she followed the clues and her intuition, guided by a little magic, to find her husband.

They were able to write the urgent message on a piece of paper and send it away on a horse, which would hopefully carry it across the border as the enemies closed in on them. Their reunion was short lived, as the enemy broke in and killed them.

They died holding each other in their arms, but they did not die in vain, as their news somehow reached the capital and saved the nation. The two heroes are said to continue watching over this village, their love everlasting.

The beautiful tale, no matter how many time I heard it, always brought my to tears. What would it take for a love like that, that transcended borders and wars and even death, a love that saved a nation? I watched my sister and her new husband as they embraced each other with a final kiss, wondering if I could ever meet somebody like that. Yet I was not envious of her, as I was likely the happiest of all to see my sister married that day, and her dreams come true.

After much celebration, we said our goodbyes and left the following morning. It was a treacherous journey to the base of the mountain and the town  that my master hoped to make it to, and we set out on foot despite my fathers offer to send with us horses.

I'd never left my home before, as my world until then had only been as big as the mountain I called my home, but that was about to change. My heart was full yet there was tears in my eyes as I waved my last goodbye to my family. They disappeared over the ridge, and I set my gaze forward, gripping my provisions which were strapped on my back. I carried most of it, as I didn't want to strain my elderly master. Though he still had plenty of vigor and life left in him.

"It feels... bittersweet," I said sadly, following behind my master. He moved at a surprisingly spry pace, using a walking stick to help himself along.

Elric nodded in understanding. "From here on, you will face many such goodbyes," he said. "But don't let it discourage you. Instead let it seize you and drive you, as each person you leave behind is someone you're moving forward to protect."

That left me food for thought as we continued walking through the forest. The trees were old and stretched high  above us, as the rocky mountainside was peppered with pines and spruce trees that grew thick and tall. I could see why we didn't bring horses, as my village was so remote that there was no set pathway.

"How far until this town?" I asked. We had discussed traveling plans two nights before, but  memory did not serve me well as I was too anxious for my sisters wedding.

"Two weeks or  so, I suppose, if we continue at this pace," he said. "It's at the base of the valley, over that next mountain. He pointed over at the peak of the next ridge of mountains, and my jaw almost dropped. We still had a long way to go.

I continued to train my mana circulation day and night. When we set up camps, I would light the fires, and spend time manipulating the flames. I'd grown proficient as to where I could use the tongues and embers to craft a story, as a shadow puppet master would do. When I was bored at night and my master was asleep, I would practice reimagining tales from my village in the flames.

I had neglected my sword training over our travels, partly because I hadn't brought a sword with me. Magnus had a mind to have one forged for my journey, but we both agreed that it would be too heavy and large. Instead, he settled on a small dagger as my parting gift which I tucked safely away behind my tunic.

It was useful for cutting strings and making fire starter,  but not much else. I hoped I'd never have to use it for its intended purpose.

There was not enough room for two weeks of provisions for food, though I felt we brought enough dried biscuits to last a lifetime.  My master and I knew this, but he knew where we could find food along the way. We'd spent a day at a river in the valley catching and smoking fish, which we stored and took with us.

Each day while we walked, my master would continue to share his knowledge and teach me between breaks of silence. He'd quiz me on topics I'd learned from him, and I asked him about his past.

There wasn't much written about him  in the books I'd read. The Ten Archmages were a legendary group of mages that served the king since the nations founding. To qualify, one must have reached elite status and made a name for themselves somehow, usually in battles and wars, but sometimes in research. Most all of them were over middle aged. They served and advised the king and presided over their own unit of mages, which they used to monitor the kingdom. Each one held untold amounts of power.

It was rare for a position to open up, as most lived for an enormously long time. However, every now and again one did, and the ranks would change. Nevertheless, their deeds were legendary, and almost every child with an affinity for magic dreamed of becoming one. And every child revered and looked up to them.

My master came from humble origins, an orphan in a small port town. He wouldn't give me any details from his childhood, but he started off as a soldier. During some border skirmishes, he stood out for his magic, which caused him to be selected by one of the ten Archmages at the time. He trained alongside the hermit who used to live in the mountains, Diana.

"Was she once a Archmage as well?" I asked.

Elric shook his head. "No, she was not. After training under Gulric the Seventh Archmage at the time for more than thirty  years, she left to pursue her research. We kept in touch every now and then."

I nudged  a stray rock down the mountainside as we walked. "So it must've been hard for you then... to hear she disappeared." Then I gulped, "sorry, that was inconsiderate of me."

"No, no, child, it's alright. It was somewhat of a shock, but Diana has always been known to be secretive. Though I don't know what would have caused her to suddenly leave you alone," he paused, then continued, "she worried about you a lot. In her letters to me, she always urged me to continue finding a cure for you as fast as possible. She also gave me the way to undo her seal, when the time came."

My eyes widened. "Wow, I didn't think about that." It was true, I rarely ever thought of the mage who sealed my powers away. "She must have been a kind soul."

"She was," he said. "You should look out for people like that. Those are friendships that can last a lifetime."

I would ask my master questions about his life every now and again, and he would, very considerately, humor me and tell me stories of his adventures. How he served under the Seventh Mage and rose through the ranks, eventually earning himself his own Archmage title.

He told me his service as a Archmage was uneventful, and he spent a lot of time researching magic at the capital.

"That's what most Archmages do. The folklore has over glorified them," he said. "People treat us as if we're some sort of deity, but really, we're not that much more powerful than anyone else."

He shook his head, "hardly any of us have seen battle for more than twenty years now. I'd say we would be a little rusty. Most of what contributes to our great names is the work that is done by the mages underneath us."

This news was novel to me. "Really?" I asked.

"Really." He confirmed. "Though I suppose it does help serve as a deterrent if the rumors of ten very powerful Archmages watching over our nation stays alive."

"I suppose so," I replied, and we continued walking.

As we crested the top of the ridge, the hardest part of our journey out of the mountains was nearly over. I looked out, and saw the vast expanse of lowland forest and rolling hills before me. Then I looked over my shoulder, into the rough and barren mountains my family called home. I gave it one last glance before we dropped over the ridge.