PRESENT.

  Calum walked down the road to the wizard town. Which was at least three miles away from the academy. The distance itself wasn’t a problem for him. What worried him was the sky. Dark, heavy clouds hung low, indicating the heavy snowfall.

  After a while, he reached a stone bridge. Below it, clear water rushed over smooth rocks, making shushing sounds.

  Calum then climbed down the bridge until he stood right in front of the riverbank. He squatted down and lowered his hand into the flowing water.

  Sshhhh.

  At once the coldness of the water sank into his skin, but he didn't pull his hand back. He let the water run over his fingers, feeling the push of it, which makes it alive.

  Shhhhh. Shhhhhhhhh.

  For a while he stayed like that. Then he stood up and moved to a large, round stone a bit far from the bridge, and sat down on it.

  He closed his eyes and started drawing the mana from the air. With each breath he took, the scent of wet earth and cold stone entered him. His thoughts cleared out and the noise inside him quietened down.

  Time passed quietly.

  ….

  "Kid, what are you doing here?" A voice called Calum.

  Calum opened his eyes and turned, finding an old man wearing farmer's clothes and walking along the riverbank.. He then stopped a few feet away, looking at Calum with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

  "Kid," the old man asked again. "Are you a student of the academy?"

  Calum's head dropped slightly, as if he became sad after hearing, Academy. He replied quietly, "No, sir. But I wish I was..."

  The old man's expression softened immediately. He stepped closer. "Then what are you doing out here? This place is dangerous, especially dressed like that—just a shirt and pants in the middle of winter, you're gonna catch, cold."

  Calum stepped down from the stone and moved closer. Tears welled up in his eyes and began to fall. "It's just... huek... I heard the academy was accepting students, so I came all this way. But... but they didn't take me."

  “ What!” The old man sighed, understanding settled over his wrinkled face. He reached out and placed his hand on Calum's head.

  "Don't cry, now you." he said softly. "Look, this place really is dangerous. Why don't you come to my home? At least for tonight."

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Calum looked up at this old man, who was smiling kindly and took Calum's hand, holding it the way a grandfather might hold his grandson's.

  Together, they climbed back up to the road and headed toward a village not far from the wizard town.

  As they walked, the old man started singing about the seasons—:

  The sky is dark but still beautiful,

  The winter is cold, just like my sickle,

  Snow oh snow, ready to fall from the sky,

  This is life, this is life,

  But what about after this?

  Flowers will bloom, grass grows big,

  Blue sky oh blue sky, sun so bright,

  This is life, this is life.

  Da dada dada dadadadad daaaaaa.

  …..

  By late evening, they finally reached the village, Calum looked around at the twenty or thirty houses scattered nearby. They were simple homes, made from stone and mud with thick, dry grass layered on the roofs to keep the rain out and the warmth in.

  Some villagers were still outside. Kids were running around playing and laughing, while the adults finished up their work before night fell.

  When some people noticed the old man approaching, they lifted their hands and waved at him.

  Calum walked close beside him, keeping his head down as if he were scared.

  Near the middle of the village, an old man leaning on a walking stick stopped them. “Hey, Charles,” he called out. “Who’s the kid?”

  Old man Charles gave a tired smile "This young man's name is Calum. He's... lost. So I brought him here."

  The other old man's face softened. “Haah,”He reached out and patted Calum on the shoulder.

  Charles nodded and walked on with Calum until they finally stopped in front of a small, muddy hut.

  But before they could even take another step, a cracked voice came from inside."Charles! Why are you so late?!"

  The door opened with force, and an old woman stepped out, her face flushed red with irritation.

  Charles laughed. "Hahaha!, this is my wife."

  The old woman stopped mid-rant when she saw Calum standing there. Her eyes narrowed.

  "Who is this kid?"

  Charles didn't answer immediately—he just walked past her into the house, gesturing for Calum to follow. "Come on in, Calum."

  The old woman snorted and followed them inside, closing the door behind her.

  Inside the hut, Calum sat on the floor across from Old Charles and his wife. They asked him where he came from, what he planned to do now, whether he had any family.

  And Calum answered them he had no one and had traveled all this way here to enter the academy and learn magic. That he would keep trying no matter what. He made himself sound earnest, brave, and a little foolish in his determination.

  The old woman scoffed. "That's impossible. You're a fool to travel such a distance for something like that."

  Calum looked down, saying nothing.

  Charles shot his wife a look, then turned back to Calum and patted his shoulder. "Don't listen to her, boy. You've got spirit. That counts for something."

  He then glanced at his wife.“The dinner.."

  She sighed but stood up and walked into the kitchen.

  Just then, the front door swung open with a loud thud, and a girl entered—older than Calum, maybe thirteen or fourteen. She carried a small pot in her hands and smiled when she saw Charles.

  "Grandpa Charles, you're back!" She walked over and handed him the pot. "Here, this is deer meat that my father caught today."

  Then her eyes fell on Calum, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, looking tired.

  She stared at him for a moment, her expression curious.

  She turned back to Charles, who repeated the same explanation he'd given his wife.

  "Shh," Charles said gently. "Don't disturb him right now, Catherine. He's asleep. Come back tomorrow and take him to play with you."

  Catherine nodded, though she glanced at Calum one more time before turning and leaving the house.

  Charles settled onto the floor himself, resting his head against a folded blanket, and closed his eyes.

  THE NEXT MORNING

  Calum was already outside, chopping wood beside the house.

  In the early morning he'd asked Old Charles if there was any work he could do to repay the kindness. The old man had refused at first, but after he insisted, he finally pointed him toward the woodpile.

  Now, Calum stacked the cut logs neatly against the wall, his breath visible in the cold air.

  A few minutes later, Catherine came out, wrapped in a thick coat. Her cheeks, already pink from the cold.

  "Calum! Let's play in the field. Come on, we are late, aren't you my little brother now?" She'd started calling him that this morning, and it seemed to make her happy.

  Calum nodded. "Okay."

  She took his hand and pulled him along, together they headed towards an empty field, where crops had already been harvested. Other children were already running and playing there.

  And they also entered the field, moving towards other children but before they could, a group of five kids stepped into their path—four boys and one girl, all around Catherine's age. They blocked the path, they stood loosely spread out with arms crossed.

  One boy, taller than the others with messy brown hair, stepped forward and looked at Calum, up and down.

  "Catherine," he said.“Who is this with you?”

  However, Catherine ignored him. She grabbed Calum's hand tightly and walked past the group.The boy's face darkened."Hey! I'm talking to you!"

  But Catherine didn't stop.