Year 1464 of the Holy Calendar – Shersian Border Town
The letter to Larethin took weeks to matter.
Winter thinned. Snow on the roads turned to grey slush, then finally to hard, bare dirt. The Frostfang was seen once more at a distance, then not again. Hunters said it had gone back to deeper forests, or died of its wounds where no one could see.
Life at the orphanage fell back into its usual rhythm.
Then, one clear morning, a stranger in white‑trimmed robes arrived at the chapel door.
Alaric spotted him first while sweeping the front steps. The man was not old, maybe in his thirties, with short dark hair and a neat beard. A silver emblem of a seven‑pointed star over an open book hung at his throat.
"Is this the Church of the Seven in Shersia's border town of…" The man glanced at the carving above the door. "Saint Elyss's Rest?"
"Yes, Brother," Alaric said, setting the broom aside. "Father Corwin is inside."
The man nodded. "Tell him Brother Seron of Larethin is here for evaluation."
Alaric ran to fetch Corwin.
A few minutes later, the children were called into the hall. They lined up on the benches: Rin fidgeting, Kellan trying to look serious, Mira straight‑backed, Lia half hiding behind Alaric's sleeve.
Brother Seron stood in front of them with a slim, leather‑bound book in his hand.
"I am here to conduct regular aptitude tests for the Church," he said. His voice was calm, measured. "Reading, writing, numbers… and for some of you, magic. There is also," he added, eyes sliding briefly to Corwin, "a specific case mentioned in a letter."
Rin elbowed Alaric in the ribs. "That is you," she whispered.
Alaric kept his eyes on Seron and said nothing.
"We will begin with simple tests," Seron went on. "After that, we will see who needs further attention. No one is being punished. Think of this as a chance."
That eased some of the tension on the benches.
They started with letters. Seron handed out short passages and asked each child to read a few lines. Alaric's reading had improved enough that he only stumbled once. Mira read smoothly. Rin tried to skip ahead to the part with "dragons" in it.
Numbers came next. Sums, fractions, splitting imaginary loaves of bread. Alaric's hand moved faster than he thought it would. Some of the arithmetic tickled something familiar in his mind from the other world; the answers came without much effort.
Seron raised an eyebrow at his slate. "You had schooling before you came here?"
"A little," Alaric said. "From Father Corwin. And Sister Elaina made me do extra problems when I annoyed her."
"That happens often," Rin muttered.
Seron set the slates aside. "Good. Now… mana."
He led the children to the front of the chapel where a clear space had been marked. On the floor sat a stone pedestal with a crystal sphere atop it, faintly cloudy.
"Those who can already feel mana, step forward first," he said.
A handful moved. Kellan among them, Rin with a confident grin, Mira hesitantly, and Alaric without speaking.
Seron gestured to the sphere. "Place your hand on it and let a small amount of mana flow. Do not force it. We are not trying to impress anyone, only measure what is already there."
Kellan went first. The crystal glowed a soft blue, bright for a moment, then faded.
"Good, for your age," Seron said. "Knight path is open."
Rin clapped as if it were her own result.
Rin herself came next. The sphere flared a sharp yellow, then flickered wildly before she pulled her hand back, shaking it.
"Ow. It tickles."
"Plenty of mana," Seron said. "Chaotic control. We will note that."
Mira's turn produced a steady, gentle green light, modest but stable.
Then it was Alaric's turn.
He placed his palm on the sphere. It was cold to the touch.
He pulled a thin stream of mana from his chest, the way he did for a small spell, and let it run through his hand into the crystal.
Light bloomed inside it, not in a sudden flare but in a slow, even swell. Pale blue and white climbed from the base to the top of the sphere and stayed there, unshivering.
Seron watched without expression. "More," he said after a few breaths.
Alaric obliged. The glow thickened. Threads of brighter light wound through the haze, like fine lines in glass.
"That is enough," Seron said at last.
Alaric cut the flow. The light dropped away more slowly than it had for the others, fading as if reluctant.
Rin whispered, "Show‑off," but there was more awe than mockery in her voice.
Seron glanced at a chart in his book, then at Corwin. "Capacity above average. Flow very clean. Circuits… unusual for an untrained boy."
He closed the book. "Now, a simple spell. Fire is easiest. Anyone who can, use the standard incantation for basic Ignis. Those who cannot will be skipped."
Kellan managed a decent fingertip flame after a long chant. Rin produced a sputtering spark that nearly set her own sleeve alight. Mira's attempt failed, which did not seem to surprise her.
Alaric stepped up last.
He drew a little mana, shaped it as he had in the chapel corner many times.
"Creo Ignis," he said.
A compact flame appeared a thumb's width above his palm, clean and tight, giving off steady light without flicker. He kept it there for a slow count, then let it die.
Seron noted the timing.
"That was with a shortened chant," he said. "Who taught you to cut the words?"
"No one," Alaric answered. "The rest seemed… unnecessary."
Seron's eyes narrowed just a little, but there was approval there now. "I will speak to you again later," he said. "For now, join the others."
The tests went on for the remaining children, but the important part had already happened.
When they were finished, Seron asked Corwin and Elaina to join him in the side room. The door closed behind them.
Rin leaned close to Alaric as soon as the latch clicked. "You did something big, did you hear?"
"He is going to tell you to marry a dragon," Kellan suggested.
Mira shook her head. "More likely he will send his results to the capital."
Alaric did not answer. Whatever Seron said in that room would not be decided by their jokes.
A few moments later, the door opened again.
Seron stepped out and looked directly at Alaric.
"Tomorrow," he said, "I will be conducting a more detailed examination for you alone. After that, we will see. Make sure you sleep. You will need a clear head."
He turned away to pack his instruments, leaving no room for argument.