Clear blue skies overlooked the kingdom of Valgarde as the sun rose ever higher to shed its light below. The sun, however, burned dim when compared to the sunny dispositions of the villagers as they all made their way to the town square. People rushed past, some hurrying out of their worn cottages and others climbing out of carriages that have carried them to town from afar. Children broke from their parents' watchful gazes to run ahead, water splattering about as they hopped in puddles from the past night's rain. This was a joyous day for the people of Valgarde, one that had come to be regarded as the Day of the Grimoire. The children were especially full of anticipation, as for many of them, this was to be a day that would change their lives forever.

A young boy by the name of Dmitry stood in a crowd of many, his eyes transfixed on the sky above. The gentle noon breeze tousled his hair as he shielded his vision against the sunlight. There was something about this sort of day, warm and sunny, that gave him the feeling that only good things could be looming on the horizon. In his case, this seemed most certainly true; he was ten years old, which meant that he could at last partake in this year's Day of the Grimoire ceremony. Smiling to himself, he began to wonder what type of magic he would possess once the ceremony concluded. Most children his age were rather impartial to fire, though he personally thought fire was overrated. Perhaps he would end up in command of light magic….

"There he is! 'Mitry, wait up!"

Plummeting back to reality with a jolt, Dmitry spun around to see his friend Petra running in his direction, her freckled face framed in chestnut curls that bounced with each leap and bound she took. He then noticed that she was dragging someone by the hand in typical Petra fashion. Naturally, it was none other than Zaid, the third member of their little trio, who didn't seem all that keen on being tugged along. Lagging behind the two with a rather exasperated expression lining his features was Silas, Petra's father. The four of them, dysfunctional as they seemed at first glance, were something of a family, even if only two of them were related by blood.

"We were looking everywhere for you," Petra said upon catching up to Dmitry. "You should've seen Zaid, he was freaking out."

Zaid tore his hand from Petra's grasp, his cheeks blazing like a wildfire. "Was not!"

"Was too!"

As the two went on bickering back and forth, Silas sauntered up to stand alongside them, panting as if he'd run a marathon. Once he managed to catch his breath, he faced Dmitry and crossed his arms in an authoritative stance.

"I shouldn't have to keep reminding you not to run off like that, kid," he said.

"Sorry." Dmitry reached up to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "I got excited, that's all."

Silas studied him for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh. "Can't say I blame you. Today's a big day for the three of you."

"You bet it is!" Petra exclaimed, grinning ear-to-ear. "Starting today, we're all gonna be mages!"

"Mages in training," Zaid corrected her.

Dmitry beamed. "Just watch. I'm gonna be the best mage the world has ever seen!"

Petra and Zaid clearly wanted to argue that point, but before they could, Silas cleared his throat. The three of them stopped in their tracks and turned to face him, watching expectantly as he pointed in the direction of the town square.

"No more bickering," he said. "Let's hurry up before they start without us. Sound good?"

The children nodded eagerly. Having established peace, Silas led them to the stage. As they approached, Dmitry's eyes grew wide as he took in the sheer number of people who had turned up to watch the ceremony take place. Of course, he'd attended the ceremony in all of the years prior, so it was no real surprise to him that there was a large turn-out. However, what struck him as shocking now was that, this year, all of these people were here to watch him partake in the esteemed ritual.

Whether they knew it or not, he thought to himself, they were about to see the birth of the greatest mage in Valgarde.