Chapter 2

A carriage pulled by horses was making its way through a road surrounded by vast open fields of lands. It was already mid day by then. Emery had been traveling all morning and she was to reach her destination of Redwood City by sunset.

Her day started early in the morning when Ji-Yun suddenly burst into her morning at sunrise. The poor girl was scared half to death when what greeted her enthusiastic self was a fireball spell. Good thing was that she had good reflexes and dozed off the burning ball and Sun-Ya was right behind her to extinguish it before anything caught on fire. In their excitement the two forgot just how grumpy Emery could get when someone woke her up too early in the morning for absolutely no reason. The last time they did that, Emery had burnt their tent down. Lucky this time nothing of that sort happened except that there was a very grumpy Emery that was throwing daggers her way all morning.

The reason for her enthusiasm, Emery later found out, was that a professor from the Knight's Wing had selected her as their aid for an upcoming outing through the wilderness. Apparently the notice for the position was given out some time ago and Ji-Yun applied for the post. They were only finding out about it now was cause she had done her best to keep it a secret and was telling them now when she had secured the position.

Ji-Yun, like Sun-Ya, was also very hard working even if she seemed goofy most of the time. She had always dreamt of becoming a knight and was willing to give it her all to get there. Emery was happy for her when the effects of having been woken up forcefully finally went away. By then all four were already on their way towards a breakfast and brunch to fill their stomach up till satisfaction. It was also a celebratory act to express their happiness for Ji-Yun. Emery had a great time chatting with her friends and teasing the hell out of Ji-Yun but soon it was time for the three to depart for their hometowns. Emery had waved her friends bye as the carriage went farther and farther away from the academy.

Back to the present, Emery was currently reading a book on the 3rd circle of magic. She had broken through half a year ago and was well on her way towards the fourth. By the time she graduated she would be eligible to work in any magic institute as a senior mage if she can break through to the forth magic circle.

Due to the blessings of the ancient Dragons most people in the continent had a talent for either of the classes. But the problem was that when trained well, which could take years, anyone could breakthrough as a first circle mage and perform the basic spells but without talent most couldn't go past that. So the 1st circle was considered the lowest of the low in the magic community and was also not thought of as much more than a somewhat rich merchant by the common folks. They were most hired to do some errands or work that was too tendinous. It was only at the second circle that a mage would start to get respect from all.

Being able to create the second circle meant that you had the potential to be better than most. But most would have exhausted their potential to reach the 2nd circle rendering them unable to reach any higher. 2nd circle mages were the backbone of the military and we're thus thought of highly. They were able to enjoy many privileges and benefits due to their high demand.

3rd circle mages were thought to be the upper middle class of the magic society. Such mages would enjoy the commander position of small mage units in the military which normally consists of 5 to 7 2nd circle mages. It was an honorable position and would thus get higher respect. A 3rd circle mage was thought to be a noble.

Most graduates of the academy always had the potential to be 3rd circle mages with very few 2nd and 4th circle mages. Every year the academy would produce a new batch of potential recruits. The academy had produced many noteworthy commanders for the military.

At the 4th magic circle is when a mage was thought to be a high level noble and elite of the society. Very few people could advance to the 4th magic circle. And even fewer could advance to the 5th.

The number of 5 magic circle mages in the continent was no more than in the hundreds while the number of 1st circle mages were in the hundreds of thousands. It was not an exaggeration when someone said the mages were produced like weed in the continent. No other place has such high numbers.

For Emery to be able to reach the 3rd circle so soon, she was without a doubt a talented person with great potential. While reaching the 4th circle was not guaranteed, the probability was enough to make people fight for her. As long as she could get a good enough grade, she would be set for life. She could just work in a normal institute if she wanted and that would be enough to enjoy life without having to enter the military. All in all she would work her hardest to reach the 4th circle. If she did, she would be able to take care of her family and herself then.

With a ' Thump! ' Emery closed the book she was reading. Looking outside the window she saw the red and orange glow of the sky. The vast open fields had already changed scenery a couple of times already. Currently she was passing through a lightly dense forest with some villages in sight. It was a sign that she was nearing Redwood City.

Looking ahead Emery could see the gates of Redwood. Guards could be seen patrolling the slightly open gates with a crowd of people lining to enter the city. Redwood was a semi-large city of the empire. It was the resting spot for travelers and merchants who were on a trip towards the Scarlet haze, the city governed by the Helewis Duchy also known as the sword of the empire. It was a major trade center and military ground as it was established near the empire borders. Trade between the two empires is conducted through the duchy and if the empire was attacked the first to fall down would also be the duchy. It was both a blessing and a curse for the dwellers of the city.

Redwood was the closed city from the duchy capital and was within its jurisdiction. At the start Redwood was a small unnamed village that was constantly under the attack of enemies. Only after the establishment of the duchy did the village turn into the flourishing it was today.

The carriage slowed down as it neared the steel gates of the city and slowly lined itself with the other carriages waiting for entry into the city. It didn't take long before it was it's turn. After handing the awaiting guards some identification documents the carriage easily entered the city without trouble. After entering the city the carriage made it towards an inn.

Emery got down from the now stilled carriage and looked around. It was still exactly like she remembered before she left. After paying the carriage its fare Emery entered the crowded inn and made her way towards the counter. She booked a room for a few days along with meals.

The person at the counter handed her the key and she made her way towards the room to put down her luggage and retire for the night.

The room that Emery booked was well furnished with a bed, table, some chairs, a desk and some small decorative items. It was comfortable and not too luxurious. It suited her taste. There was a big window by the bed and moonlight was coming in through it. Emery put down her bag and made her towards the window. Looking down she sees the peaceful city of Redwood. Emery could see the street below with people of all types walking by. Each of them was living their own life. It was a sight to see. Emery sat there and just watched the people till she found herself yearning. Feeling tired Emery laid down on the bed for some shut eye. Another day was waiting for her and she wanted to be ready to welcome it.