Malek came downstairs and was greeted by Elara's deadly stare as she looked at the kitchen floor with cold, furious eyes.

  Suddenly, Malek sprinted away with Elara running behind him, holding a wooden stick. "Stop right there, you troublemaker!"

  "I'm sorry! It was a mistake! I'm sorry!"

  Malek hid behind Mira, who had just put the grocery bags on the table. Elara stopped in front of them, breathing hard. "How many times have I told you to stay away from the kitchen? Why can't you understand that simple rule?"

  Elara moved toward Malek with the stick raised high above her head. She looked like the grim reaper coming to collect a soul right now.

  "Mom, stop her! She's going to kill your only son!"

  Mira hugged Malek tightly, shielding him from Elara's wrath. She looked at Elara with exaggerated pleading eyes. "Oh great queen, please forgive this innocent child who has wronged you. Please, as his mother, I beg you for mercy."

  Mira's playful begging fell on deaf ears. A soft glow appeared in Elara's free hand, blue in color and pulsing with energy. A large water ball formed in her palm, growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. By the time Elara stopped channeling her magic, the water ball was about the size of a basketball, hovering menacingly above her palm.

  Mira looked at the water ball, then at Elara's determined face, then at Malek's terrified expression. She repeated this a few more times, weighing her options before making a tough decision. "Malek, my dear child, I will always remember your sacrifice," she said solemnly as she stepped away from him, abandoning him to his fate.

  Malek looked at Mira with wide eyes that seemed to say, "Why? Why did you betray me, Mother? I trusted you!"

  Elara closed the distance between them in two quick steps. The last words Malek spoke before his watery end were, "Avenge me, Mother," while Mira turned away and pretended to weep in the corner, too "afraid" to watch the upcoming disaster.

  *****

  Now, after the whole hilarious mess had ended and Malek had dried off, he and Elara were sitting peacefully at the table eating freshly cut apples that Mira had bought from the market earlier.

  Mira cleared her throat and looked at both of them with a serious expression. "Malek, we saw something important today at the market. There was a notice posted on the town board that concerns both of you."

  Malek looked up from his apple, his hair still a bit damp from Elara's earlier water attack. "What kind of notice?"

  "It's about the Awakening Institute," Mira said, pulling out a crumpled paper from her pocket and smoothing it on the table. "The town lord's institute is offering tests and training. They said anyone who passes can join the real Awakening Institution in Verdant."

  Elara's eyes lost focus as she mumbled under her breath, as if talking to herself. "The Awakening Institution? In Verdant? The big city..."

  "..." Mira looked at Elara with a raised eyebrow before she continued. "It's a huge opportunity. But we need to talk about this seriously as a family. This isn't a small decision that we can make lightly."

  Malek leaned forward across the table, genuinely interested now. "So what exactly does this mean? What kind of training are they talking about? And who can take the test?"

  "After seeing the notice, I asked the town announcer for more details," Mira explained. "He was quite helpful and gave me all the information we need."

  Mira unfolded the paper carefully and read from it. "They'll test your magical abilities first to see if you have the potential. Then, if you pass, they'll provide free training for six months here in town under certified instructors. After that, if you do well enough during those six months, you can go to Verdant and join the main institution for advanced studies."

  "That sounds amazing!" Malek said, his eyes shining with excitement and possibility. "I could learn real magic, not just the basic household stuff we know now."

  But wait a second—I didn't awaken my magic yet! What am I even getting excited about? Malek started screaming internally in his mind, suddenly remembering his peculiar situation.

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  Elara nodded in agreement, her voice taking on a dreamy quality. "And the Awakening Institution in Verdant is supposed to be one of the best in the entire Kingdom. People who graduate from there become powerful mages, join prestigious clans, or even work directly for the royal family. Some become court mages!"

  But Mira's face showed deep worry, the lines around her eyes becoming more pronounced. "Hold on, both of you. Let's think about this carefully before you get too carried away. Yes, it's a great opportunity, but there are serious problems too. Real problems we need to consider."

  "Like what?" Malek asked, taking another bite of his apple, trying to sound casual.

  "First, the cost," Mira said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "The training here in town is free, yes, but if you go to Verdant afterward, you'll need money for living expenses. Food, housing, books, materials for magical practice, clothes, everything. The notice says the institution provides some support, but not everything. We'd need to save up a lot of money beforehand."

  Elara frowned, her excitement dimming. "How much are we talking about exactly?"

  "Enough that we'd have to be very careful with money for the next few years," Mira explained patiently. "I'd need to take on extra work, maybe sell some of our things we don't absolutely need. It wouldn't be easy, and we'd all have to make sacrifices."

  "Ah." Malek suddenly remembered he had not told Mira anything about his deal with House Monte Carlo yet. He didn't know if it would even work out or if they'd actually pay him, so he couldn't really be blamed for keeping quiet about it, right?

  But for now, he decided not to talk about it until something concrete came from that arrangement. "Oh. I didn't think about that part," he said instead, trying to sound concerned.

  "There's more," Mira continued, her voice growing softer. "If you go to Verdant, you'll be far from home. It's a three-day journey by cart, maybe more in bad weather. I can't just visit you whenever I want, and you can't come home every weekend. You'd be on your own in a big city where you don't know anyone, where everything is different from our small town."

  "But that's part of growing up, isn't it?" Elara said softly, looking down at her hands. "We can't stay in this small town forever. Eventually, we have to face the wider world."

  Mira smiled sadly, reaching over to touch Elara's hand. "I know, dear. I know that very well. But a mother worries—it's what we do. You're both still so young. Big cities can be dangerous, especially for newcomers who don't know the ways of city life. There are thieves, con artists, corrupt guards, and people who might take advantage of innocent country folk."

  Malek nodded his head internally, quite surprised by Mira's insight and worldly knowledge. She clearly knew more about cities than she usually let on.

  Elara thought about this seriously for a moment before speaking. "What if we both go together? Malek and me? We could look out for each other, watch each other's backs."

  "That's actually a good idea," Malek agreed quickly. "Two of us would be much safer than one alone. And we already work well together when we're not fighting or when you're not trying to drown me."

  It was not the only reason for Malek to agree, though. The opportunity for his Alchemy class to grow was too good to pass up. He desperately needed more knowledge, better resources, and access to rare materials, and he couldn't really find any of those things here in a small town like Verant. The city would have libraries, shops, maybe even alchemist guilds.

  Mira sighed deeply, looking between both of them. "But yes, going together would definitely be better than going alone. I'd worry less. Still, that means double the expenses—double the food, double the housing, double everything."

  "What about the benefits though?" Malek asked, trying to steer the conversation toward the positive side. "It can't be all bad and all costs. What would we actually gain from this?"

  Mira nodded, acknowledging the fair question. "Good point. If you succeed and graduate, you'd have real skills that are valuable anywhere. Good mages can earn excellent money—far more than farmers or tavern workers. You could support yourselves comfortably and even help our family. The Awakening Institution also has powerful connections throughout the kingdom. Many graduates get job offers before they even finish their studies."

  "And we'd learn from real masters," Elara added enthusiastically, her excitement returning. "Not just basic household spells, but advanced magic, proper combat techniques, healing arts, enchantment, everything the profession has to offer."

  "Plus," Malek said, getting excited again, "we'd meet other people like us. Other young mages learning and growing together. We could make real friends, form adventuring parties, go on quests and adventures. See the world beyond this town."

  "Adventures can get you killed," Mira warned sharply, her tone turning serious. "Don't forget that part. Dead heroes don't help their families. I've known people who went off seeking glory and never came back."

  "But staying here means working normal jobs forever," Malek argued passionately. "Farming, trading, tavern work. Is that really better? Safe but small? Never knowing what we could have become, what potential we had?"

  The room fell quiet for a long moment. They all chewed on their apples slowly, lost in their own thoughts, weighing dreams against reality.

  Finally, Mira spoke, her voice gentle but practical. "I'm not saying no to this. I'm saying we need to be smart about it and not rush. Let's take the test first when it's offered. See if you even pass, see if you have what they're looking for. Then we can worry about the rest. Maybe you won't qualify, and this whole discussion won't matter anyway."

  "And if we do pass?" Elara asked quietly, hope in her voice.

  "Then we'll figure it out together," Mira said warmly, reaching out to hold both their hands across the table. "As a family. We'll find a way to make it work if this is really what you both want. I won't stand in the way of your dreams, but I also won't let you rush into this unprepared."

  Malek and Elara looked at each other and nodded, a silent understanding passing between them.

  "Agreed," they said together.

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