Too many spells. Too many variations. Too many words to memorize. They ran in circles around his brain until his mind was a whirlpool. He would never be good enough if he couldn't keep up. Kenta already felt farther behind than the others in his class, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from reaching the top.

"And why would we use one of the Elven traditional spells in this case?" Wizard Mogno searched the room for an apprentice to answer, but was disappointed to see the girl with the crazy red pigtails offering a response - the only one to ever offer a response. Wizard Mogno rolled his eyes and waved her arm down. She slowly dropped her arm as she watched her classmates shake their heads in annoyance of the teacher's pet.

Wizard Mogno tapped his hands along the podium, one student catching his eye. He was searching in his textbook for the answer, flipping through pages and skimming lines to find the best answer for this situation. "Kenta Itō, is it?"

Kenta looked up from his book. His hands began to sweat. His mouth dried up like the desert. And he so desperately wanted to make a good impression this time. "Um, yes Wizard Mogno?"

"You are surrounded by an army. Whether they are magicians or not is up to your imagination. However, it is clear that you are outnumbered. There are only a few spells from the Elven traditionals that can help you in this situation, but which is the prime solution?"

Kenta swallowed hard. "Um... well, there is the one that grants you invisibility."

Wizard Mogno shook his head. "One of them would find you eventually. An army this large, you wouldn't make it two steps in the opposite direction."

Kenta licked his lips, trying to think of another answer. He knew more about the Kotodama spells than anything because of his family, yet Wizard Mogno never asked about Japanese magic - only Elven or Celtic. In fact, Kenta was one of two Japanese wizards in their apprenticeship. At times, he truly felt like he was on his own in a foreign world.

Everyone was staring at him now. Even the pretty girl with the red pigtails, though she humphed and turned around, whispering loudly to her black cat how she knew the answer. A couple classmates in the corner giggled, and Kenta's cheeks burned a rosy shade.

"Um..." He was speechless. His voice was lost in the thousands of spells and codes and inscriptions. His mind whirled in a never-ending hurricane from the embarrassment and lack of intelligence he felt in that moment.

"Howl Pendragon." Kenta looked up only to find that Wizard Mogno had moved on. He stood in front of Howl's table, though Howl hardly seemed ready for class. His book wasn't even opened to their chapter, his feet were on the table in his neighbor's space, and he looked about ready for a nap rather than class. "Can you name the Elven traditional I am looking for?"

Wizard Mogno waved his feet to the ground, the young wizard promptly disturbed by the change in position. Howl cleared his throat and searched the ceiling for the answer, snapping his fingers when he had it. "The one where everyone falls asleep."

Everyone in the class laughed, though the girl with the red pigtails sighed and groaned. Wizard Mogno turned to the class with a smile. "He is correct."

The class fell silent, watching Howl nod his head with triumph. Kenta seethed through his teeth, unable to bear that wretched wizard beat him at yet another skill. Their fight had been less than a month earlier, and he still felt that wicked sense of vengeance.

"Explain your reasoning."

Howl sat up straight and folded his hands on the table. "Well, if your enemies are asleep, they can't attack you. Therefore, you can go about your business and when they wake up, you're already gone."

"Excellent." Wizard Mogno nodded approvingly. He turned to Kenta, the young wizard feeling more humiliated than ever. "You could learn a lesson or two from your classmate if you wish to master the art of magic."

Kenta clenched his fists under the table as Wizard Mogno continued with the lesson. When class ended, Kenta was the first to leave. He ran down the Palace halls as the tears begged to flow, but Kenta refused to allow them. He only wanted to hide away in his room and pray his roommates wouldn't come back until later.

He hated being away from home. He hated not knowing the answers. But most of all, he hated Howl Pendragon.

"Hey." Kenta felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around. He breathed heavily at the sight of Howl. "You want to get dinner or something? I heard the cooks were planning something special tonight."

"No." Kenta replied. He walked forward, only to find Howl floating next to him and land right in his path. "I said no."

Howl crossed his arms. "I won't accept that."

"Well, deal with it."

"Dude, why can't we be friends?"

Kenta laughed sarcastically. "You want to be my friend? Good one."

"But I really do."

"What's your problem?" Kenta said. "Isn't it enough that you showed me up on the first day, and just now in class?"

Howl shrugged. "I didn't mean to do that. Mogno wanted the answer and I guessed."

Kenta raised his eyebrows. "You guessed?"

Howl nodded. "It seemed good enough. And I didn't really care if I was wrong."

"Well, maybe to you it doesn't matter why you're here, but for me..." Kenta closed his eyes, thinking of all the sacrifices his parents and grandmother made to send him to Suliman's apprenticeship. All the days training with his father and grandmother, working up the courage to audition before the Royal Sorceress herself - only to be humiliated by someone who guesses in class.

Kenta walked past him, pushing his shoulder on the way. "Just leave me alone." 

Sophie was right - they were not alone. Three magicians soared in the night sky, dark clouds rumbling in the distance. One witch sat on her broomstick while the two wizards floated on either side of her. Howl and Kenta stood in front of Sophie, protecting her at all costs. They were very familiar with these three, to say the least.

The witch descended slowly toward them, her red pigtails swaying in the wind. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Howl Pendragon and Kenta... hmm, what was your last name again?"

She laughed with her high-pitched voice that made Kenta cringe. He couldn't believe he had a crush on her during their apprenticeship. Her voice was annoying even then.

"Nice to see you as well, Noe." Kenta growled, his sarcasm quite evident in his tone.

She smirked and landed on the ground, holding her broomstick upright. She had traded in her violet dress from their apprenticeship for a pitch-black one. Then, the two wizards landed hard on the ground next to her. Nade was tall and bulky, his brute as strong as his magic. Xarx was a similar height to Noe, his golden eyes shining through the dark strands that covered them. Their eerie smiles reminded Howl and Kenta of their younger years together, and not the better of their memories.

Nade ran his fingers through his greasy hair. "Wow, I never thought I'd see you two working together. Howl, weren't you always making Kenta look like a complete dope in class?"

Howl cracked his knuckles together, prepping for whichever attack he threw at them first. "We've matured. Something I obviously cannot say about you three."

"Oh, now that's hurtful." Nade said, wiping away false tears with dramatic exaggeration. "We had some good times back in the apprenticeship, though. Remember?"

"I'll never work for Suliman again if that's what you're getting at." Howl snapped.

Nade turned to Noe and shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

Noe nudged Nade's arm. "We're not here to bring him to our side, you moron."

"What do they want, then?" Sophie whispered to Howl, his arms still blocking her from their sight. Sophie could hardly see past her bodyguards, though she was intently listening to their conversation.

She felt a hand creep behind her and wrap around her stomach. "We want your baby."

Sophie jolted around, Kenta being the first to fling Noe away with a large gust. She blew away until she gained control of her broomstick. The venomous witch snickered in her high voice. "If you won't come willingly, we'll just have to take you by force."

Nade and Xarx positioned themselves for an attack, as did Howl and Kenta. Noe floated in the air, everyone waiting for the right moment to strike. Sophie darted her eyes between her protectors and her enemies. She was too inexperienced to fight them, but Howl and Kenta couldn't fight against three, even with their skills. They were outnumbered.

The clouds rolled above them, darkening the sky further. A low rumble thundered across the sky, signaling the start of battle.

Nade and Xarx charged forward, both repeating a spell Kenta knew all too well - earthquake. The ground began to shake and crack open, hence Kenta dropped to a runner's lunge, filling in the cracks faster than they broke apart. While he knew how to counter his signature move, he was still enraged at how they used other source magic so casually.

Nade was the first to approach them and immediately aimed for Howl. He dodged naturally and slid underneath Nade, extending his foot until the troublesome wizard fell to the ground. When Kenta noticed his fall, he secured him to the ground by hardening rocks around his wrists and ankles.

Nade grunted as he tried breaking the rock, though Kenta enjoyed watching his struggle.

Sparks of fire shot from the sky, nearly hitting Howl. He turned to Noe up in the sky, her wand shooting bolts of fire like bullets. Howl lifted into the air and dove straight for her, though she flew around him in circles. Howl couldn't tell where she was from her speed. He stayed in the center, trying to catch up with her infinite velocity, yet she moved like an electrical current. When he thought he caught up to her, she appeared on the side and blasted him with fire.

Howl groaned in pain, repeating a spell to stop the fire from spreading around his shirt. He felt an open area on his back, a charred circle surrounding the burned area. Then, he looked at Noe in disgust. "You can't have Sophie."

Noe floated on her broomstick, very relaxed. "Suliman also said that if her very cute boyfriend somehow died in the process, it wouldn't be an issue."

As Howl continued to fall for Noe's tricks, Kenta dealt with Xarx. Though he was far behind Nade, he finally caught up and didn't waste time casting spells left and right. For Kenta, this was child's play. He slowly worked his way up to Xarx and restricted his wrists in a similar rock hold. He tried fighting back, but Kenta was a strong match.

Xarx grunted as his muscles shook. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Kenta breathed a laugh. "You were always weak, Xarx."

Sophie clamped her hands over her mouth as she watched the battle ensue. Howl and Kenta were both matched quite evenly, though their previous trouble had finally freed himself from Kenta's temporary restraint. Nade's eyes were glued to Sophie, his demoniac smile frightening to witness. He pulled out his wand and took large steps toward her.

Sophie stepped backward, raising her arms in a pitiful defense. She felt so weak, so miniscule. So powerless in comparison to these master magicians.

Then, the storm clouds rumbled louder and Sophie paused. The sky spoke to her, breathing life into her terrified limbs. A rush of electricity sparked throughout her entire body - inside every vein, every bone, every muscle. The familiar flicker encompassed Sophie fully, and no longer did she feel weak. She raised up her hands; her beautiful, powerful hands.

Before Nade could take another step closer, she whipped her arms forward and struck him with a quick bolt of lightning. He fell to the ground instantly, Sophie gasping in awe. Her fingers vibrated from the aftershock, and she felt more in control than ever before. She was able to bring a full-fledged wizard to the ground.

Nade took a second to jump back to a standing position. He wiped his mouth clean of the bloodstain and realigned his jaw. Sophie turned to the storm clouds that revolved around her, sensing her core strength. Sophie held her hands open, electricity generating within herself and emitting through her fingertips.

Nade bobbed his head back, surprised by this human's abilities. Noe and Howl floated in the sky, watching the clouds obey Sophie's commands. The witch seethed at the sight of a human with prodigious power, and she refused to let her triumph. Noe ignored Howl and dove straight down.

"Sophie!" Howl tried to catch up, but Sophie was already preparing for her next attack. She noticed the witch closing in and commanded the sky to strike her down. A bolt of lightning carved the sky and knocked Noe off of her broomstick, sending her tumbling onto the ground unconscious.

Nade immediately rushed to her side, smacking her face repeatedly to help her regain consciousness. Kenta held Xarx on the ground, attempting the same spell he performed on Nade earlier. Rather than fall victim like his comrade, Xarx melted into the ground and appeared behind Kenta, kicking him down without warning.

When Noe awoke, Nade helped her to her broomstick. He and Xarx flew into the sky behind her, the three of them turning around to the unlikely victors. She narrowed her beady eyes down to them. "Enjoy your freedom while it lasts. Suliman won't stop until that child is hers."

Howl stood close to Sophie, staring at the three until they flew away. Kenta stood up and dusted the dirt from his pants. Sophie exhaled a shaky and unnerving breath, one hand reaching across her stomach. Her knees tattered in frailty and Howl embraced her.

"Who are they?" Sophie asked.

Howl sighed. "We all trained in Suliman's apprenticeship. They're the few who offered to work for her rather than be forced to."

"I always expected something like this from Nade and Noe." Kenta said. "Xarx is just following them like he always does. He probably doesn't even know what he's gotten into."

"They willingly work for that woman?" Sophie said, her teeth chattering.

"We're safe now," Howl said, tightening his grip on Sophie. "I won't let them hurt you."

"You won't let them hurt her?" Kenta said, a light laugh creeping up. "She's the reason they fled in the first place. I saw Nade's face; he was terrified by your skill."

Sophie blushed. "You told me to channel my source and use it to my highest advantage."

Kenta smiled. "A lightning storm is your new best friend."

A light trickle of rain fell from the sky and increased in speed until it became a full downpour. Howl shielded Sophie by creating an invisible barrier between her and the rain. They unanimously started walking back to town, hoping to make it home without a cold. Magnol wasn't far, but with the dark rain, it made the small town seem like a distant dream.

Sophie frowned. There couldn't have been more than two thousand residents, and the capital was miles away. It would take at least four hours by train to get there. Magnol was too far from the heart of the nation to be a spot for a sorcery attack.

Sophie widened her eyes. How did they know where they were?

"Howl." Sophie stopped in her tracks. Howl and Kenta turned around, but their attention was immediately diverted by the far-off screams. Lights burst from casted spells and the cries of their friends and neighbors sent chills down their spines. Homes erupted into flames while the thunder roared from above, drowning out the chilling cries from Magnol.

In a town where magic was forbidden came the worst attack Ovela had seen in a century.