“Uh…” Layol’s mind drew a blank. He fidgeted with a few strands of hair. Then it hit him. “Hah! The Symbiotic Theory of Kanji states that the energy required to manipulate a given elemental must be equal to the energy released by that manipulation.”

“Or..?” Bennegraf rolled an open hand in the brisk spring air.

“…Or the physical and energy foundations of that particular area will dissolve,” Layol said, holding his breath in the hopes that he was right.

“Correct!” his master shouted. “Well done, Layol. You see – you are as prepared as you will ever be for this test.”

Layol let out a long sigh of relief – his face lit up with confidence. This would be one of the defining moments in his young career as a student in Kanji. Not to mention open possible avenues into a political seat in the Order of Tallam.

If I can continue to prove my skill and worth to the elders, the boy thought, then maybe I stand a chance of being inducted into the Order and granted permission to study the higher forms of Kanji.

Layol continued to loll over his future possibilities as he and Bennegraf moved ever closer to Tallam’s Tower. The magnificent structure threatened to scrape the low drifting clouds on this particular morning. The tower itself was hewn from the very mountain that surrounded it. From a distance, an unsuspecting traveler wouldn’t even know that the structure existed at all. As Layol drew nearer to the tower, small holes began to emerge on the surface of the building. The boy imagined that they were windows to the studies of the elders, or perhaps to the virology labs where they devised remedies and cures for the afflicted. The boy’s overactive imagination ran wild on this tangent which was for the better, anyway. It took his mind off the great task ahead of him, at least.

The large life-giving sphere of flame that was the Suul had climbed up to crest the hilltops. Layol and his master were now standing in front of a massive set of stone double doors. Bennegraf approached the dark stone entrance, and stood in silence. Not long after, the bust of a catlike creature manifested itself in the center of the left door. The mouth of the chegna creaked open and greeted the mage.

“Who comes forth to enter the Tower?” the chenga bellowed.

“It is I – Bennegraf,” the old mage said, “and my apprentice, Layol!”

“What business have you here?”

“I have brought my young pupil here for his sparring test,” Bennegraf said.

The bust of the chenga fell silent and motionless for what seemed like an eternity to Layol.