Three days passed before Wade blew up the chicken coop.
It wasn't on purpose.
Mostly.
He had been trying to create a controlled combustion, just enough fire to ignite a floating wind ring, something the system called a "looped flame thrust."
He'd done the math, checked the spell balance, aligned the trajectory.
He forgot the chickens.
With one gesture and a whispered command, the wind lanced outward, caught the edge of the coop door, and funneled into the dry hay like a storm bellows into a tinderbox. A burst of bluefire bloomed outward in a spiraling gust.
The coop door exploded off its hinges.
Feathers everywhere.
One of the hens laid an egg mid air and passed out.
Wade stood there in the settling smoke, hands half raised, soot on his nose, mouth open in something that may have been awe or horror.
"…I may have over calculated," he muttered.
"May?" Lira's voice cut through the air like an arrow. "You almost cooked dinner while it was still alive!"
She marched over, hair wind slicked and eyes blazing.
From the corner, Riven tried and failed to hold back laughter. "You turned the coop into a war crime."
Wade sighed, brushing feathers out of his hair. "The math was solid."
"You blew up chickens." Lira said flatly.
"They're still alive! Mostly!"
Behind them, a dazed hen pecked Wade's boot and then fainted again.
Later that night, after everything was calmed, Lira patched the coop, Riven bribed the hens back with grain, and Wade sat by the creek near the orchard.
The system spoke again.
[Flame Wind Synergy: Intermediate Tier Achieved]
Velocity Amplification: +35%
Control Stability: +12%
Energy Efficiency: +9%
New Spell Unlocked: Flame Arc
Wade stared at the glowing screen, heart quickening. It wasn't just power—it was refinement. The more he used it, the better he got, the more the system adapted. Taught. And responded.
[Warning: Magic Efficiency Unbalanced – New Source Required]
"New source?" Wade whispered aloud. "Like… mana crystals?"
[Not yet. A Catalyst Event is Approaching.]
He blinked. "Cryptic much."
But the message stayed there, pulsing.
At breakfast the next morning, their father handed Wade a folded notice.
He raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"
"The first scout for the Academy Trials came through the village."
Lira froze with a spoon halfway to her mouth. "Already? That's early."
"The age requirement was lowered. And rumor is, they're actively seeking rare talents."
Wade opened the letter.
It was an invitation.
A formal test, seven days from now, in the capital city. Signed and sealed by the Arcane Council. And in small, crisp writing along the bottom corner:
All combat capable youths aged 13–18 are required to attend.
Wade's blood ran cold.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
This was his chance.
His father gave him a small nod. "It's optional… but I think you should go."
Riven leaned over. "Don't screw it up. Or do. Either way, I'm entering too."
"And me," Lira said, still reading the details. "Someone has to stop you both from getting expelled on day one."
Wade stared down at the parchment, a grin forming.
This was no longer about secret training or quiet testing.
The world was opening its gates and Wade intended to kick them down.
The week that followed was a frenzy of training and preparation. Wade took every moment to hone his control, often waking before dawn and practicing by the river, channeling wind and flame with increasing finesse. His parents watched him from the porch some mornings, their smiles laced with pride and worry.
He learned to compress wind into slicing arcs, and twist flame into precise spirals that danced around his fingertips. He trained with Riven in mock duels, and sparred with Lira to practice evasive movements and control under pressure. Though they both outmatched him in terms of experience, Wade's raw power and creative spell combinations often forced them to adapt quickly.
And when no one was watching, he experimented in secret.
Bluefire was already a phenomenon he'd never seen before but one night, under the moon's glow, he funneled fire through a wind circle at a different frequency and saw sparks dance in the air.
Electricity.
Just a flicker. A crackling sound. But it was something.
[New Element Detected: Elemental Fusion – Lightning]
His eyes wide with excitement.
The possibilities left Wade breathless.
Three days before their departure, a traveler arrived at the village.
Tall, hooded, dressed in the dark robes of a Council observer.
He watched the children training in the fields.
When his gaze settled on Wade, he paused. Tilted his head.
"Curious," the man murmured, a strange glint in his eyes. "There's something… different about that one."
Then, with a faint smile, he vanished into the trees.
Unseen, unnoticed.
But very much interested.
Wade's heart pounded as the mysterious observer vanished into the treeline, though he didn't notice the man's presence. Instead, he was too busy chasing after a new idea sparked by the lightning phenomenon.
He needed space. Precision. A test.
So, after dinner that night, he crept behind the orchard where the trees opened into a small clearing. The air was still, the moonlight pale. He raised one hand and whispered, "Wind Spiral."
A swirling ring formed, spinning tightly in place, blades of wind vibrating with pressure.
Then, with his other hand, he summoned flame—not just orange, but the pale blue flicker that had come from his earlier attempts. He focused hard, sending it through the wind spiral—
Snap.
A jolt.
His body shivered as raw energy passed through him. The flames rippled violently and for one flickering instant, lightning danced along the edge of the spiral. It wasn't stable yet—but it was real.
The system lit up.
[Skill Progression: Lightning -3%]
A grin split across Wade's face. He pumped a fist in the air. "Yes! I knew that would work!"
Then a sharp voice cut through the darkness.
"You planning to blow something else up tonight, or was that just a warm-up?"
Lira stepped into view, arms crossed, a faint smirk on her lips. Riven followed behind, tossing an apple up and down.
"You're both up?"
"Please," Riven said. "Half the village saw that spark. It looked like a storm tried to crawl out of your face."
Wade rubbed the back of his neck. "I was… experimenting."
Lira sighed. "Well, experiment somewhere that isn't within range of my hair next time."
Wade laughed, and for a moment, the three of them stood in the clearing, quiet, excited, and together—on the brink of something extraordinary.