One stormy dusk, Kael led Alonso to a clearing where seven stones formed a circle. Each stone bore a rune of ancient fire.
"This is the Trial," Kael said. "Every mage must face his
element alone. Survive and you are reborn. Fail and you become ash."Alonso swallowed hard. "What must I do?"
"Call the flame within and let it know your heart."
Lightning split the sky. The runes ignited. A wall of fire
rose, encircling him.
Heat pressed against his skin, whispering in forgotten
tongues.
Show us who you are, the flames hissed.
Memories flooded him: whips, hunger, laughter under
moonlight, his grandmother's lullaby. He saw his own facechild, slave, pupil,warrior yet to be.
"I am Alonso of Draventh," he declared. "Son of ashes,
bearer of flame. I burn not for destruction but for freedom!"
The fire surged upward, then bent around him like a crown.
When it faded, Kael stood at the edge of the circle, smiling
for the first time."You have named your fire," the old mage said. "From this day, the world will tremble when you call it."
Alonso knelt, exhausted but alive. Sparks drifted from his
hands like golden snow.Above them, unseen beyond clouds, Lord Varyn felt the surge of magic. His black crystal pulsed, cracking with light. "So the boy hassurvived," the sorcerer whispered. "Good. Let him grow strong. The brighter the flame, the sweeter its fall."