The Elixir

~Hidden Pages

Xara pants heavily once she drops the tiny tornado. Her arms droop and her legs buckle in exhaustion. It feels as though she has been forced to walk through thick, sludgy mud. Her muscles and head throb in perfect sync with her uneven heartbeat. Founders only know how she'll get to her room without collapsing. Maybe Leonah could fly her back to the dorms. Xara scans the sky, her hand acting as a visor on her brow. There's no sign of her griffin; like the rest of the campus, she must be inside somewhere cool.

The October sun beats down hard on Xara. This late in the year, the sun will only be making an appearance for a month or so before disappearing completely, giving the vast skies to the frigid frost. Normally, on an afternoon like this, students would be in abundance, studying and chattering with their friends. But no one wants to be outside in this heat, so it's just Professor Evenfall and Xara.

"That was better," amends Evenfall. Xara snorts in disagreement before chugging down half her bottle of water.

"That was nothing. I didn't even make the tree move."

The professor smiles wryly, removing his glasses so he can wipe them on this plaid vest.

"Everyone has to start somewhere, Xara. Considering that you've only been practicing for a few months, I'd consider that a triumph." The professor rolls up his sleeves. "You know what? Why don't we cut this short? We've made good progress, and the sun isn't going anywhere."

"No way!" Xara hops up from the bench. "I can make a bigger one, I know I can."

Evenfall stops in front of Xara, smiling kindly. He places a hand on her shoulder.

"I have no doubt. You're strong, Xara, and I know that with time, you'll get better. But not in this weather. Take the rest of the day off." He wiggles his fingers, and summons the water from inside his bottle. Positioning it above his head, it sprinkles down in a light mist, moving with him as he edges around her.

"You have a good afternoon, Ms. Roffinnes."

As he departs, Xara slumps to the bench, staring longingly at the Professor's raincloud. Evenfall is a Tsunami, like Derald, and one of the most skilled mages on campus. He has to be, she supposes, to be hired as the Training teacher for the majority of the students on campus. Though Evenfall only practices one magic, he is well-versed in what it takes to wield the others. Since no one in all of Ruxnorth has any knowledge about being a Storm, the headmistress had elected Evenfall to teach Xara to hone her skills.

So far, with minimal results. While Lysbel and Vieva are already learning how to make trees grow and how to throw fireballs, Xara's stuck making whirlwinds. So pathetic. While she adores being the only Storm in Ruxnorth, there are occasions where she wishes she could fit in.

Last weekend, students had been given the chance to visit their parents. When she updated her parents on the progress of her magic, they had bobbed their heads and smiled. But Xara could see the truth in their eyes: they wish that she's an Arcane, like Bren and Cassamire.

"Have you learned to conjure any thunder yet?" her grandmother had asked, stabbing a potato in a particularly vicious way.

Xara had shaken her head regretfully. "I've only been able to create some wind."

"Who's teaching you?"

"Professor Evenfall."

"Ha!" Alisud scoffs. "If he's the one coaching you, all you'll be able to create by the end of the year are some measly clouds. You're wasting your time with Emmeric."

Xara doesn't react, instead taking some bread from the center of the table. Mom had made rye bread, a favorite of her Bren and Cass.

"Headmistress Casktalon believes that Professor Evenfall is the only one who can truly teach me." Xara shrugs. "But whether that's true remains to be seen."