—Hey… I saw what you did back there.
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
—What do you mean?
—With your brother —she smiled—. You were incredible.
I couldn't help but look away for a moment.
—It really looked like you finally beat him —she continued—. You've improved a lot.
If only you knew the truth…
—I told you when we were kids —she added—. You're going to be strong. Very strong. I'm sure you'll end up becoming an important mage.
I shook my head slightly.
—That's not certain. For now, the one who definitely will is my brother. His court exam is just around the corner.
—And yours isn't far off either, right? —she asked.
—Yeah… —I replied—. Elijah's been talking to me about that too.
I let out a small laugh.
—He even said that when he joins the elite, he's going to buy a much bigger house.
Helen smiled.
—Then I don't understand why. Your house is already really cozy.
—That's what I think too —I said—. But I guess he wants something bigger.
She went quiet for a second, thoughtful.
—Maybe he wants it for when he has a wife and kids.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
—I don't see it. My brother doesn't usually think about things like that. He's too focused on his goals.
There was a brief silence.
Then Helen looked at me again.
—What about you?
I frowned.
—What about me?
—Do you think about those things?
That caught me off guard.
—Where's that coming from?
Helen looked away with a faint smile.
—Nowhere…
She pointed ahead.
—Look, we're here.
I blinked.
I hadn't even noticed, but she had been guiding me the entire way.
Leaning against a wall in front of us was Tarin, waiting.
Helen raised her hand in greeting.
—You're the first one here, Tarin. Have you been waiting long?
—No, I just got here —he replied calmly, returning the gesture.
—What about the other two? —I asked.
—They should be here any moment —Helen said.
The three of us sat down on a small stone ledge to wait for Luca and Mira. For a few seconds, no one spoke.
The silence started to grow uncomfortable.
So I broke it.
—What kind of power do you think we'll have? —I asked—. And I don't mean you, Tarin. I already know you've discovered yours.
Tarin was a year older than us, so he had already gone through the test.
He tilted his head slightly.
—If you want… I could try to see it.
I looked at him, surprised.
—Right, you've got that ability… I always forget.
"Echo Perception," as he called it. A strange power. He could see fragments of the past… and the future. In theory, if pushed to its limits, it could allow him to know everything. Not just about himself, but about people, objects… even places.
—I wish I had a power as incredible as yours —I said.
Tarin shook his head gently.
—It's not that impressive.
His tone was calm, as always.
—My maximum potential is rank A… but right now I'm far from that. I'm probably no higher than E or D.
He paused briefly.
—Most of the time, I just see images in my mind. They're blurry. I can't tell if they're from the past or the future.
He lowered his gaze for a moment.
—For now… all I can do is see one second ahead. And only if I focus a lot.
Helen smiled.
—Even so, in the future you could become an incredible mage. Maybe even join the court.
Tarin didn't answer immediately.
—I can't tell you what powers you'll have —he added at last—. Sorry.
Helen shook her head, unconcerned.
—Honestly, I don't care.
We looked at her.
—I already have a really good life without any power —she continued—. If I could choose, I'd stay like this forever.
She smiled.
—With this group of friends.
Her words hit me harder than I expected.
Because I was part of that "everything."
—You're right —I said—. We already have a good life. We don't need anything else…
I paused.
Then I smiled.
—Buuuut… wouldn't it be amazing if I had an insane power?
Helen raised an eyebrow.
—Oh yeah? Like what?
—I don't know… —I shrugged—. Something like being able to slide at high speed across any surface. That would be awesome.
Helen burst out laughing.
—What are you even talking about? What would that be useful for? —she said between laughs.
—For everything! —I replied—. I could move super fast, get anywhere… and it'd be useful in combat too.
I looked at Tarin.
—I'm right, aren't I?
Tarin nodded calmly.
—You're right.
I smiled, satisfied.
—At least someone understands me.
The three of us started laughing.
While we were still laughing, we saw Luca and Mira appear at the end of the street.
They weren't talking.
They walked side by side, but their gazes were turned in opposite directions, as if they were avoiding looking at each other.
—Those two argued again… —Helen muttered.
When they reached us, Helen stepped forward.
—What happened?
Mira didn't hesitate.
—This idiot ran away from home.
—I didn't run away —Luca shot back instantly—. I just went out the window so I could come back later.
Helen frowned.
—You went out the window?
Luca sighed and started explaining:
—Yesterday I got yelled at for the time I came back. They think I went outside the walls, and my parents went crazy. They said I couldn't go out until further notice, so…
—I'll take it from here —Mira cut in, crossing her arms.
Luca clicked his tongue, annoyed, but said nothing.
—I went to pick him up at his house, like we planned —she continued—. I knocked on the door, and his father answered. He told me Luca couldn't come out, that he was grounded.
She paused briefly.
—I said fine, told him to say hi… and left.
—But just as I was walking away —she added, glancing sideways at Luca—, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder from behind.
—That was me —Luca said with a half-smile.
Mira looked at him in disbelief.
—Exactly. He had climbed out the window. And now, when his parents find out, they'll think I had something to do with it… and they'll tell mine.
—That doesn't matter —Luca replied, brushing it off—. I'm the one who snuck out, not you.
He shrugged.
—Besides, that's not important right now. Let's do what we came here to do.
—And what exactly did we come here to do? —I asked—. You dragged me here without any explanation.
I looked at Helen with a smile.
—Yesterday, Luca had an idea —Tarin said calmly.
Suddenly, Luca stepped forward, unable to hold it in.
—We're going to explore an abandoned place! —he said, clearly excited.
I looked at him, surprised.
—And how did Mira agree to something like that?
Luca smiled proudly.
—Let's just say I used my negotiation skills.
Mira scoffed.
—He kept insisting on making a plan. I got ahead of him and said anything except leaving the city… and somehow this ended up being almost worse.
She shook her head, though she couldn't hide a small smile.
—But whatever.
—So if you agreed… —I said— and the rest too… I guess we're going.
—Honestly, I'd prefer something quieter —Tarin added—. Just sitting somewhere.
Helen leaned slightly toward him and whispered:
—Let him be. You know what Luca's like.
Tarin nodded silently.
—Alright… —I continued—. Where exactly are we going?
Luca lifted his head, adopting an almost dramatic tone.
—It's an abandoned house. They say it used to belong to a very powerful mage.
He paused briefly.
—So powerful… that he lost control.
He lowered his voice slightly.
—And ended up burning the house down… with his entire family inside.
For a moment, no one spoke.
—And even now —he added—, they say the place is still filled with his magic.
Mira let out a small laugh.
—That story is more fake than… well, anything.
She crossed her arms, half satisfied.
—Besides —Tarin added with a faint smile—, that's a classic campfire story. And you told it here, with zero atmosphere.
—You're some storyteller, aren't you —I said.
Helen burst out laughing.
We all started laughing.
The kind of laughter that doesn't mean harm… though maybe just a little.
Luca looked at us, offended.
—Yeah, yeah… laugh now.
He pointed down the street we were supposed to take.
—When we're standing in front of that house… and you remember the story…
He smiled, a defiant glint in his eyes.
—We'll see who's the one running away.