Round 1: Amber Eyes Vs Orphans

[orphans]

Azza watched Kyla leave and felt a small swell of pride surging forward. To be trusted with such a place was beyond her comprehension. Sure, she had a room to herself and she could wander where she pleased, usually – but this was different! Kyla had always been an older sister figure for the young girl and to be entrusted with such a secret did wonders for her sense of worth.

Turning herself about in the enclosed garden, the growing girl fell back into the plush grass. There, she stared up through the opening of the ceiling at the sky above. It made her realize that the garden Kyla shared was so much more than just a simple place to practice. It was her beginning potential and just like the sky, she could only see a fraction of it. A tentative smile played across Azza’s lips, realizing that she would have to work hard to break her confining boundaries.

Azza finally found something to strive for, something that had limitless possibilities to explore.

Yet, a lingering doubt ate away at her jubilation. Magic had always been a complex study and the young Dovicarus, Azza, knew so. She knew this before the lesson with Kyla had even taken place. She had devoured book after book and ploughed through tome after voluminous tome of information the Ixian library archives had to offer.

Azza could recall nothing that would give the slightest hint to what she had cast. Only inklings of near reminiscent similarities could be made. A restoration spell? Perhaps, but restoring with fire and wind? Two of the most erosive elements? And what was the spell before that had warped the tree into a monstrosity? A chaos warp fused with an elemental destruct incantation? Was there such a thing?

In the end it didn’t matter to Azza. She had learned that she was capable of using magic. However short their lesson, Azza figured it was for the better. Kyla had admitted to only a basic understanding of the art and from their equally limited knowledge, both could see what a folly it would be had the lessoned continued.

No, Azza would need to seek more experienced tutors and even then, there was no guarantee that they could help control her latent energies. Or worse, seek to gain it for their own.

For now, Azza was content to have the sense of accomplishment and to remain in the garden, staring through the eye of the ceiling at the vastness beyond. Words eluded her of how she truly felt at that moment.

Eventually, Azza settled on a single word:

Hopeful.