Chapter 16: Testing the Chaos
The Dragon Palace was quiet at first light, the morning sun glinting off obsidian towers and the golden spires that crowned them. For most of the court, this was a time for meditation, inspection of wards, or quiet study of ancient scrolls.
For Fay Lorian, it was test day.
He sat cross-legged on a cushion in the throne room, fidgeting with the hem of his tunic. His crimson eyes darted around the polished obsidian floor, noting the gleaming weapons, magical instruments, and intricate glyphs carved into every surface.
The Dragon Queen, Seraphis Drakoria, regarded him with the same unreadable gaze she always had. Around her, a group of dragon nobles, knights, and senior magisters had gathered to witness the boy's abilities firsthand.
"Fay Lorian," the Queen's voice rang clear, echoing across the hall, "today, you will demonstrate the extent of your power. The tests are not for punishment, but for understanding."
Fay's grin spread ear to ear. "Oh! Cool! Tests!"
The Queen's lips twitched slightly. "Do not treat this lightly."
"Of course!" Fay said, bouncing on his cushion. "I take testing very seriously. Mostly."
---
Test One: The Gauntlet of Elements
A long corridor magically manifested before him, lined with six elemental glyphs: fire, water, earth, wind, light, and shadow. At the end stood a glowing orb meant to measure mastery.
Fay tilted his head. "Uh… I guess I just walk through and touch it?"
"Demonstrate complete control over each element, in turn," one magister instructed. "Any deviation could be catastrophic."
Fay raised an eyebrow. "Catastrophic? Like… small fire, big fire, maybe accidental volcano catastrophic?"
The magister sighed. "Do your best."
He stepped forward. At once, the glyphs activated, elemental magic surging toward him. Fire burst from the first glyph, but Fay casually flicked a finger. Crimson flames spiraled around his body and formed a tiny dragon that performed a perfect loop before dissipating.
The water glyph tried next. Fay clapped, and a waterfall arched gracefully above him, forming rainbows in the palace light. He sneezed. The waterfall scattered into a light mist.
Earth rose from the floor, forming jagged columns meant to impale him. Fay giggled and used his sword technique—originally designed centuries ago for gods—to split the columns with perfect precision, slicing each in half with one swing.
Wind swirled, attempting to throw him off balance. Fay blew a kiss. The wind froze midair and danced in playful spirals, circling him like ribbons.
Light and shadow followed. He wove them together into a dazzling aurora that illuminated every corner of the corridor. By the time he touched the orb at the end, it glowed brightly—overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of his control.
"Impressive," the Queen said softly. The magisters scribbled furiously, pale faces staring.
Fay blinked. "Was that… good?"
"Yes. But… carefully next time," she warned. "You nearly vaporized the corridor."
"Oops," Fay mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
---
Test Two: Combat Simulation
Next was a sparring arena filled with animated constructs: training golems, spectral swords, and magical barriers. Fay was asked to "neutralize each threat using martial skill and magic."
Fay bounced forward. With a casual swing of his sword, he unleashed the perfected sword form he had invented millennia ago. The golems crumbled like sandcastles, barriers dissolved as if they were paper, and spectral swords froze midair, spinning harmlessly.
Then he sneezed. One construct exploded in a small flash of light, scattering shards harmlessly but setting off alarms. He blinked. "Uh… sorry? Accidental?"
The Queen raised an eyebrow. "It seems you have little understanding of moderation."
Fay grinned sheepishly. "I'm still learning… kinda."
A group of dragon knights whispered among themselves. "He doesn't fight. He erases the rules of combat."
Another muttered, "It's like watching a child rewrite the universe for fun."
Fay noticed their whispering and waved cheerfully. "Hi! Wanna see me do shadow fire next?"
The knights quickly backed away.
---
Test Three: Cross-Species Magic
Perhaps the most delicate of the tests was to demonstrate understanding of magics from every race in the realm: elves, dwarves, humans, demons, dragons, even the rare celestial incantations.
A magister placed six floating sigils before him, each representing a race's signature power. Fay's crimson eyes glimmered.
He touched the elf sigil. Music flowed from his fingertips, weaving wind and light into an enchanting melody that made the room glow.
Next, the dwarven rune. He etched a simple mark in the air. Instantly, stone rose from the floor, forming a perfect miniature fortress in seconds.
Human sigil: He created a complex spell of illusion and force.
Demon: Dark flames licked his palms. Shadows warped into playful forms.
Dragon: Heat and raw mana erupted from his aura, forming miniature auroras of fire and lightning.
Celestial: Fay hummed softly, and stars shimmered within the hall, suspended in perfect alignment.
The magisters gasped. The Queen's eyes glimmered, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Remarkable," she murmured. "Even gods rarely master all these simultaneously. And yet, you weave them as if… you invented them yourself."
Fay tilted his head. "…Well… I kinda did?"
The room went silent. Not a single breath was taken.
"Kinda did?" one magister whispered, voice trembling.
Fay shrugged. "Yeah, ages ago. Long story."
The Queen's lips curved slightly. "So it is true… You are not merely powerful. You are… ancient."
Fay yawned. "Ancient? Cool. That explains the weird magic in my dreams."
---
Test Four: Creativity Challenge
Finally, the Queen asked Fay to improvise a spell or technique he had never demonstrated before.
Fay's eyes gleamed crimson. "Oh! I can do that!"
He raised his hands, muttering a combination of incantations from every race. The floor rose beneath him, twisting into a floating labyrinth of light, water, fire, and stone. Dragons blinked in awe, unable to comprehend the simultaneous layers of magic.
He then waved a hand lazily. Golems shaped like dragons, humans, elves, and demons appeared, each performing perfect combat routines, but also balancing cups of tea in their claws and hands.
The Queen's eyebrows twitched. "You… created tea dragons in a combat simulation?"
Fay grinned. "Yeah! They're multifunctional. Tea and combat. Efficient, right?"
Some nobles chuckled nervously. Others glared. The magisters were scribbling notes as fast as their claws could manage.
The Queen pinched the bridge of her nose. "…Child, you are infuriatingly brilliant."
Fay scratched his head. "Thanks?"
---
By the end of the day, Fay had passed every test—not with careful control, but with accidental perfection.
The Queen stood before him, her emerald gaze assessing.
"You are… unlike anything I have ever seen," she said quietly. "Power beyond comprehension. Skill beyond teaching. Yet, you remain… innocent. Careless. Childlike."
Fay smiled. "Well… I try. Mostly."
"Your time here will not be idle," she said. "I will observe you. Guide you, if possible. And perhaps… one day, the world may call on you to wield this power with purpose."
Fay's crimson eyes twinkled. "Purpose? Sounds fancy. I can do fancy."
She exhaled slowly. "You have much to learn… and much to teach."
And as Fay skipped from one end of the throne room to the other, accidentally creating a tiny floating rainbow bridge across the hall, even the most stern of dragons couldn't help but smile—or, in some cases, grit their claws in frustration at his chaotic genius.
The Dragon Queen observed quietly, already realizing that controlling—or at least surviving—Fay Lorian's next moves would be one of the most challenging undertakings of her reign.
And yet, she thought, "Perhaps the world needs a child who can both destroy and save it, who can turn chaos into life. That child… is Fay."
Fay was in thought thinking, "shoot I forgot about school..."
End of chapter 17