Elliot Marson was not a wizard.

          That being said, his parents had been wizards, and maybe still were. Elliot wouldn’t know. They hadn’t shown up since they left, years ago, when Ellie was barely old enough to stand. Somehow he ended up in the safe, non-magical, small village of Monorilia, in the cozy house of Juliana, Alex, and their son, Rowan. He had lived here for twelve years, where he learned about the world and the fact that Ellie wasn’t, and more importantly shouldn’t be, a dastardly wizard, like the parents he didn’t know.

         According to the textbooks, there had been a war between the wizards and the common folk decades ago. The wizards had invaded non-magical territory and had been terrorizing citizens with their magic. Since then, the wizards had retreated far away, supposedly near the distant mountains Ellie could see from his window, but talk of the cruelty of wizards remained in Monorilia.

          “Did you finish your homework, Rowan?” asked Juliana, Ellie’s adoptive mother. The short blonde woman was filling out a permission slip for an extracurricular Rowan was interested in while Rowan and Ellie shoved brown sugar-covered oatmeal into their mouths. She was always doing paperwork, to manage the house or the kids. Alex was never there to help, being an ambitious, full-time doctor.

          Rowan rolled his hazel eyes at Ellie, out of Juliana’s sight. “Yeah.”

          “Even math?” Rowan’s least favorite subject.

          “Yeah.”

          “And you, Elliot?” Juliana continued, eyes still focused upon her work.

          “Yeah,” Ellie was glad to be addressed. Sometimes he was certain Juliana forgot he was there. “The History assignment took forever but it was worth it! It’s this presentation on the myths of the forest, like this waterfall cavern called Ferodi Falls that is said to have magical qualities -”

          “Elliot,” Juliana looked up, blue eyes piercing into Elliot’s dark ones. “Calm. Remember?”

          Of course.

It didn’t take much to get Ellie excited. His heart pounded at scary stories, while suspenseful tales made it race. His eyes welled up for a number of reasons - laughter from a clever pun, sudden-striking sadness about someone else’s deceased pet, relief at a favorable test grade, or nostalgic joy at the end of a year. His own intense emotions and empathy often tended to interfere with his life. In fact, nobody would even know that Ellie was wizard-blooded if he wasn’t so emotional. Ellie was horrendous at controlling his magic, for the reason that these powers tended to spit out uncontrollably when he was ecstatic, downcast, or any strong feeling in between.

After learning how to ride a bike for the first time, he was so thrilled that the bike soared through the air, hit a tree, and broke into….a few pieces. Just last month, he had received a not-so-good grade on a really important assignment. His pencil imploded in the middle of class. On top of that, at the end of the day, he got into an argument with Rowan as they made their way to their house after school. Then, suddenly, the bus’s front door spiraled off. Ellie hadn’t gotten seriously punished, but only because he reminded them over and over that it was a genuine accident. A threat lurked in the air. This was the final warning.

“Sure. Sorry,” he dropped his gaze back to the remainder of his oatmeal. Rowan gave him a pitiful glance.

Juliana sighed, softening. “Hey, don’t worry too much, Elliot. You’ll be fine. I . . . we just can’t have what happened last time repeat itself. Everyone is -” She paused, as if stopping herself from revealing an unappealing truth, then put on a faux smile. “You guys better get to the bus before it leaves!”

Rowan dropped his plate onto the counter. “Thanks, Mom.”

Ellie watched him scutter off, grab a brush for his long dirty blond hair and sprint upstairs. Not wanting to be alone with his adoptive mother, he followed Rowan’s path out of the room.

Sometimes Ellie was just as much a part of this family as Rowan, but other times he could’ve been a stranger. He was never sure why he stuck out so much, whether at home or at school. Was it his childish appearance, the fluffy dark hair on his dark umber skin that was permanently stuck in bedhead style, due to the humid climate? Or was it the magic that laid in his blood, inevitably making him an outcast, a mystery and a threat to each person around him? But Ellie couldn’t help but know that the primary cause wasn’t any of that. It was just… him. His magic wouldn’t be a problem if he was able to control his emotions. He wouldn’t be so unapproachable if he would act normal, if he didn’t constantly say too much or too little.

Still, Ellie lived with the hope that his life could change. He would change. It would start with him learning to contain his impulses.

“Bye, Mom!” shouted Rowan with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

“See you after school, guys!” called Juliana, as Rowan opened the door and exited.

Ellie followed silently behind him to the bus. Time for a normal day.

Science was second to last period, and it was a casual class. The people surrounding Ellie would lean away from him in order to chat with their friends. Instead Ellie worked on his assignments or doodled on the sidelines of the papers. Maybe Rowan would have talked to him if he hadn’t been placed at the other side of the room. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Ellie never knew how Rowan would act in public. At home Ellie swore they were both brothers and friends, but at school, it seemed like Rowan was running circles to avoid him.

Unintentionally, his ear picked up on the conversation between the kids to his right.

“ . . . not like you can do it,” Taylor taunted, his dark hair falling into his face. “You’re not that smart.”

Taylor used to tease Ellie about, well, pretty much everything. He had once tipped his ice cream cone over Ellie's head, so that it looked like a wizard cap, and then started chanting mock spells. Wizards didn’t even use spells.

“Whatever,” Rori responded. She pushed her amber curls behind her ear. Ellie knew Rori and Taylor were friendly with each other. The two would pair up for assignments and talk in between classes. Rori always seemed to stand by Taylor, yet Ellie knew the expression on Rori’s face well - hurt.

“It’s fine, I get it,” Taylor shrugged casually. After a second, he began to lean forward on his chair again. “With your family’s history, school must be very challenging.”

Rori’s normally lively face went pale. Her brow tightened in a sensitive manner. “What do you mean?”

“Your parents are, like, cleaners or something,” Taylor reasoned, his voice slow and artificial, as if he was talking to a small child. “Did your older brother even make it through high school?”

Rori stared at him, swallowing, averting her eyes, which were filling with crystal tears. “No.”

“So, I guess it’s not your fault,” Taylor decided. His insincere voice was pitiful, full of disingenuous sympathy. “You don’t really have any expectations to live up to.” Rori soured, biting her lip insecurely. “I mean, go for it if you really want to, but you and your family have adequately proven that you don’t really have the grades, the brain, or the will to be a doctor. And it doesn’t help that you’re failing this class.”

Rori folded inside of herself, crossing her arms and repressing tears as Taylor continued to talk, now boasting about his new favorite album. Rori’s hopeless face made Ellie’s stomach flop. It wasn’t fair for her to be treated like she was nothing, especially by a “friend” who was using the past against her, over events for which she had no control! It wasn’t fair for her to stand by him, then have to carry the weight of his insults! It was so unfair!

Uh oh.

Ellie knew what was happening, but it was too late to prevent it. A burst of energy set his fingers tingling at the ends, a similar sensation to pins and needles. His ears were insufferably warm, burning. His head went light, and all he could focus on was his sweating palms and his stinging eyes.

No. Not now. I’ll be suspended from school, or- or worse.

Ellie shut his eyes and covered his head with his hands. Deeply breathed in, then exhaled slowly. This was not happening. It wasn’t. He just needed to calm down, like Juliana told him to this morning.

But Taylor was bullying her. In the guise of a friend!

Quit it-

He was discouraging her from her dreams, just because of her family!

Stop-

He made her feel worthless! She feels demoralized, hopeless, alone! Like you!

Stop!

Taylor’s betraying her trust and crushing her dreams!
But, at least she has a friend!

A shriek.

Silence.

It was too late.

Fear pierced his heart. He’d failed.  Ellie winced, anticipated what he’d done. Warily, his eyes opened.

Oh gosh.

The room was in disarray. Desks were knocked over, and books lay scattered across the floor, pages torn. The air swirled, twisted around, cold and contemplative. Was that shattered glass? Pencils split down the middle, with the lead spilling out. It was a scene of utter chaos.

Then, above: Taylor.

Taylor, bleeding, against a wall, with a nosebleed, with real red blood trickling down to his lip.

Yet the scariest feature of Taylor’s face were his eyes: They were open wide, flicking around in disorientation, and completely full of terror.

So were everyone else’s eyes. The other students and Mr. Crayton had backed away, against the far wall. Rori was quivering, concern for her friend drawn on her features. She was scared of Ellie. So was Marvin, beside her. And Charlotte, next to him. And this continued in a line of terrified faces until Rowan. Rowan’s face was pale. The hazel eyes that were so relaxed and unafraid that morning were now startled and disbelieving. His hands were shaking, and he was hiding behind Angelina.

Rowan was scared of him.

Rowan.

His brother.

Mr. Crayton coughed and beckoned toward the door.

What had he done?

Juliana and Elliot sat side by side on the steps to the backyard.

She fiddled with her hands, looking out at the small, identical houses of the Monorilia neighborhood.

He bit his nails, and stared at the pavement, putting in a conscious effort not to glance up at her every other second.

Juliana hadn’t said much in the principal’s office. She hardly even made eye contact with Ellie before or after talking privately with the principal. Instead, they had headed straight home, without another word said.

“So,” Ellie let another half a minute pass of dreadful silence, anxiety forcing his stomach to churn. Finally, he choked out a question: “Was I suspended?”

Juliana didn’t respond at first. She just furrowed her brow and tilted her head, her layers of blond hair fall to her shoulder. “Expelled, actually.”

“Oh,” Ellie bit his lip. Fought back tears. However, as upset as he was, he knew it was fair. It was his own fault. He didn’t deserve to continue school with normal people, who didn’t instinctively hurt and destroy. They’d be better off without him. “Well, uh. That’s . . . that’s fine. I - uh. . . What am I going to do now? Instead of school? Like, help you out at home or-”

“No,” interrupted Juliana. She didn’t follow up immediately. Instead, his adoptive mother tensed up. Ellie knew her well, and could see the impending bad news in her uncomfortable stature. In her fast-blinking eyes, her tapping thumb. “About that, I was talking to the principal and officials, and they all think the best option for us, for you, would be if you actually didn’t stay here in Monorilia.”

Still, the information didn’t process in Ellie’s brain. A broken record, his mind just played her message on repeat, unable to figure out what it meant. It just didn’t make sense. He was barely out of middle school. Was Juliana actually asking for him to leave?

“Are you - are you kicking me out?” He couldn’t stop his voice from quivering. This was an impossible reality. Staring at Juliana’s stoic face, Ellie almost didn’t want to hear the answer.

“You’ve never fit in,” Juliana eventually forced out. The words sounded like she had read them off a script, harsh but regretful. Her unreadable face broke as her shoulders fell. She still didn’t meet Ellie’s eyes, but he could now see the tears that had filled them. “And now, these- these outbursts seem to be happening more and more. It’s just not safe for us or our neighborhood anymore.”

“Please,” His voice cracked. His eyes burned. He pleaded. This couldn’t be happening. “Mom - Juli - You - I can’t . . .”

He was unable to finish a sentence. Unable to even think in sentences. His brain and body were malfunctioning. Ellie was in utter disbelief at the reality that he was now a homeless teenage orphan.

“I’m sorry, Elliot. You’re a . . . good kid,” Juliana said. As their eyes finally met, her face softened, just like at breakfast. Breakfast. It felt like years ago. “It was just inevitable. I mean . . . you’re still magical, and it’s been years. It keeps becoming a bigger problem. This just isn’t the place for you, with those powers. I’m sorry. I hope you’ll find a way to work this out.”

She stood shakily, moving toward the door. Perhaps she saw how distressed he was. Perhaps she knew he could never control his magic and was scared he would do to her what he did to Taylor. Or maybe she just didn’t care how lost he felt, even relieved at the loss of the adopted son with whom she had never been very close. Either way, she propped open the door, preparing to leave. Juliana’s voice was sad, but final, when she said:

“I’m sorry, Elliot. I really am. But I know you’ll find your way. It’ll be okay.”

She closed the door, leaving him to his own devices.

Ellie wanted to get up. But where would he go? This wasn’t his home anymore. He was just a kid. He wasn’t even out of school. He had never stepped foot out of Monorilia and now he was expected to live out of its boundaries. What would he do? What could he do, besides sit here, and let the same panicked thoughts spiral over and over and over and over again?

“So, I heard the news.”

Elliot spun around to find Rowan by the back door. His brother’s face was empty, and Ellie couldn’t tell whether it was pity or caution in his hazel eyes. Ellie turned around and wiped his eyes as Rowan sat down to the left of Ellie, a foot or so in between them.

“Yeah.”

And that horrible silence again, filled with all the unspeakable, unknowable fears that dashed through his mind.

“You know,” Rowan slowly offered, drumming his long fingers on his thigh, “this morning, you mentioned Ferodi Falls for that History project.”

“Sure,” Ellie looked up at Rowan. What does this have to do with me not living here anymore? Besides, I won’t even get the grade for that assignment.

  “I heard that it can actually, like, give or take away magic from people. I don’t think that it’s . . .” Rowan swallowed. “Well, it’s not a myth. Like, it’s on the map in our Social Studies classroom and everything. If you found it, maybe you could get your powers removed, and then come back.”

“Wait. Really?” Ellie perked up with curiosity. His powers could be… removed? He hadn’t even considered that. In fact, he should have found this waterfall years ago! If he wasn’t magical, then Juliana would have no reason to keep him away. He would be exactly like all the other people in the neighborhood, like everyone he had ever known. Finally, Elliot Marson would have a chance to be accepted. To be happy.

“I’d better go,” Rowan muttered awkwardly. “You know. Homework and…stuff.”

“Sure,” Ellie actually smiled. When the door opened, Ellie turned quickly toward the house, almost forgetting: “Hey, Rowan. Thanks.”

“Good luck, Elliot.” Then, Rowan was gone.

According to the map Ellie had managed to snatch from the pile of brochures Juliana kept by window, the journey began through the woods. He gripped the straps of his backpack and stared out at the path ahead. Just past the street that was attached to his old house was the Achtung Forest. The neatly cut grasses of Monorilia became long, wild strands of jagged vegetation. Even squinting at the sun, Ellie found it was impossible to see the tops of the deep maroon forest’s trees, soaring so high above him that he felt insignificant. Their twisted branches were an intricate cobweb that obscured the sky, so the forest was practically devoid of light. He couldn’t tell what lay inside the forest, nor what sort of trouble came along with that. But Ellie did have a map, and desperation to return to his family and turn his life around.

He stepped forward into the moist, unknown terrain.

Smooth leaves folded beneath his thin boots. Adrenaline streamed through his system, at that intense sense of freedom that came from his independence and the new environment. The powerful aura of adventure reminded him of Jason, an adventurer in a myth he had read a while ago. Jason had embarked on a quest to find the “Golden Fleece” in order to take the throne from his uncle, King Pelias. During that quest, Jason found great adventure, and eventually attained the Golden Fleece with the aid of a band of heroes, the Argonauts. Ellie had loved that story; it was so fast-paced and exciting. Perhaps Ellie’s journey would be like Jason’s. In order to return to his home, he’d have to acquire his own Golden Fleece: the absence of magic. Thinking of Jason’s thrilling trials, Ellie’s heart beat faster in excitement. Maybe this would be fun!

Or, maybe not. The deeper he got, the cooler and cooler the air became, until goosebumps appeared across his bare arms. His skin was beginning to take on a subtle shade of blue. The light became scarcer and scarcer, and it became difficult to see the map between his fingers. Frigid water had gathered at the bottom of his boots. His numb feet were heavy, weighed down by the pool of cold liquid. His stomach began to rumble. How long had it been since he had eaten? Branches snapped around him and he jumped. It didn’t seem like he was any closer to the waterfall than when he’d started out.

          “What would a human like you be doing out here?”

          Shaking, Ellie turned his head to a stocky figure about three-quarters of his own size, with small, dark eyes and large hands. He was able to identify the figure as a dwarf, a creature he had only seen in the illustrations of fairy tales. A species he had only heard of through off hand comments and rumors.

“Are you a dwarf?” he queried.

“I don’t know. Are you an idiot?” the dwarf replied sarcastically. She stepped forward, with a distinct limp in her walk, placing more weight on her right leg.

Ellie blinked, confused and startled at her abruptness. “What?”

“Yeah, yeah, I am,” the dwarf corrected in a significantly less intimidating tone. “The name’s Zo. Who are you?”

The dwarf - Zo - had a tight outfit made of a tight material, covered by a salmon-colored cloak, properly fitted for the cold forest air (much unlike Elliot). She had an olive face and short, choppy pigtails that stuck up above her ears. Zo was actually fairly humanoid, but had distinctive dwarfish features: short limbs, large hands and feet, a wide nose, leathery skin and small eyes. In face, despite her size, Zo looked like she could be around the same age as him.

“I’m Elliot Marson,” he stuttered. “My friends call me Ellie, though.” He actually wasn’t sure why he had said that, given his significant lack of friends.

“Alright, Ellie, why are you in Achtung Forest?” Zo asked; her voice was casual, but suspicious. Glancing in the direction Ellie had come in, she added, “Are you from Monorilia?” Her keen interest in Ellie, a stranger, was admittedly slightly unnerving, yet there was a friendliness to her that made Ellie trust her enough to continue talking.

“Yeah,” Ellie said. “I’m looking for Ferodi Falls.”

“You are?” Zo visibly perked up. “Are you - are you a wizard?”

Her eyes had widened; her focus intensified. Ellie could practically see her in the classroom, terrified at the magic.

“No,” he snapped. “Part wizard.”

Zo narrowed her eyes skeptically. “You can’t be part wizard. You’re either wizard or you’re not. Do you have magic?”

Ellie sighed. He had never thought about it like that. “Yeah. I do.”

Zo smiled and her eyes twinkled, but Ellie wasn’t sure why she did. They had just met and Ellie just revealed himself to be a wizard. “Anyway, I happen to know where Ferodi Falls is, so maybe I could come and show you your way.”

Ellie blinked, startled. No one ever went out of their way to do something for him. This stranger, offering to go on a journey just for Ellie, was an entirely new situation. “Really?”

“Sure,” shrugged Zo, nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal. “It’s clear you don’t know the woods as well as I do.”

There was something off about the situation, but Zo was a friendly face in an unfamiliar, daunting environment. Even if she did have an ulterior motive, it was better than travelling alone. “Okay,” he said

And so, the friendly dwarf and the half-wizard refused to let the cold air bother them. Stepping through the tall grass of Achtung Forest, the newly-founded duo made their way through the forest, each eager to see the streams of Ferodi Falls after long last.

Travelling through the forest was a longer journey than Ellie had anticipated, but Zo made it a lot better. Her familiarity with the forest had given her an extensive knowledge of nature. She could find food and water in the depths of the woodland, and, even if that meant unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, it was certainly better than nothing. She let Ellie borrow a spare cloak she had, a shade of dark gray-blue. Because of Zo’s size, it fell just past his knees, but the warm cloth covered his shivering arms, and that was enough. Zo was even adept with navigation, and she barely had to glance at the map to know where they were going.

Plus, Zo made good company. Ellie had always found it hard to maintain conversations, but talking with Zo lacked pressure. Their conversations varied. Zo taught him about some of the woodland creatures and recounted her run-ins with them. Ellie described the time a phoenix had flown into his school. Zo complained about the bad food at her school cafeteria. Ellie told her about his parents, his bursts of accidental magic, being kicked out, and the waterfall.

In return, Zo spoke of her limp. She had raised a pant leg to reveal a thin, grey, poorly-constructed mechanical leg.

“I lost it in an accident a few years ago,” she informed with a bitter tone. “This fake thing is so poorly made it has to be changed fairly regularly. That’s why I never really got used to walking right. The thing that really sucks is that my society is super physical. All the best jobs include hard labor, which puts me at a serious disadvantage. People aren’t too nice about it, either.”

Nightfall came, making the forest even darker than it already was. Their full bags became pillows, and the two crouched in between two thick tree branches. As exhaustion settled in and sleep slowly arrived, Ellie couldn’t help but believe that Zo was the friend he was meant to have. His own Argonaut.

Late the next morning, they reached the edge of the forest.

“Okay, we just need to get through Kante, and we’ll arrive at Ferodi Falls,” Zo reported, brushing past a bunch of sage leaves and snapping back a few branches. As she traced their way on the map, Ellie stepped out of the Achtung Forest and into Kante.

Escaping the darkness felt like some sort of revival, as if waking up for the first time. Immediately, the bright lights and colors startled him, a new array of bold reds, yellows, and golds that caught his attention and captivated his senses. The air was fresh, brimming with exotic and unusual scents. Buildings clouded the scene, each uniquely structured and colored. Cobblestone tiles paved the ground, bumpy and unpredictable. Unfamiliar and interesting people bustled through the streets, in and out of tiny shops. While Monorilia had been a factory producing identical toys, Kante products were homemade, each one slightly different from the other. Ellie’s spirit immediately brightened at the sight of the busy and exhilarating scene.

“Wow,” Ellie mumbled, unable to put the sights ahead of him into words.

“Geez, this place is something,” Zo looked up from the map, scrunching her nose. “It’s gonna be hard navigating with all these people around.”

“Sure,” Ellie said, distracted, feeling intoxicated by his surroundings. This was the most interesting place he had ever been. It was a whole different world from Monorilia. All Ellie wanted to do was to stay here forever and ever, just… exploring.

“Come on,” Zo grabbed his arm, pulling him behind her. Despite her size, it was easy for her to push her way through the concentrated crowd. Ellie was impressed. Although she was small and missing a leg, Zo was still able to assert herself.

Even with Zo pushing the crowd away, they somehow still ended up getting lost.

“Maybe it’s over here,” Zo pulled him over to another shop.

“Zo,” Ellie pulled himself out of her grip. She continued to squirm around, scanning the surroundings, disoriented. “Zo. Hey. Come on.”

Zo snapped her attention to Ellie. “I know where we’re going!”

Ellie raised an eyebrow.

“Well…” She frowned. “Yeah, we’re totally lost. I’ll ask someone.”

“I’ll do it,” Ellie offered. “I mean, you’ve been doing all the work here. I feel bad.”

“It’s fine, Ellie,” Zo rolled her eyes mockingly, before accepting the offer. “But, thanks.”

Ellie smiled, then shuffled over to a nearby shop. The walls were a comforting sapphire, becoming a small, homey shop. Ellie gently propped the door open, as a gold bell rang. A spectacled young cashier stood at the counter.

“Hey, uh, do you know where . . .” Ellie’s voice faded. The cashier had her back turned to Ellie, refilling shelves. However, the items were transported through the air. Boxes and containers soared smoothly, like birds swooping gracefully onto branches. Intentional magic, not a result of uncontrolled emotion.“Are you . . . a wizard?”

The cashier turned around, noticing Ellie. “Yeah, I am!” She cocked her head. “What about you?”

“Uh,” Ellie stuttered, remembering Zo’s ‘you can’t be part wizard’ spiel. “I guess so. How did you learn to do that?”

She chuckled. “It’s not that hard. One of the first lessons at Mage Academy.”

“. . . Mage Academy?”

“You know. Kante Mage Academy for Growing Wizards,” It must have been common knowledge in Kante, but Ellie hadn’t ever heard of it. “It’s the nearby school for magical folk, a few blocks from here. I just graduated.”

“Oh,” Ellie noted, surprised. A school? For wizards? He hadn’t heard of such a thing. Elliot had always assumed that real wizards just grew up with complete control of their powers. That's why he was so part wizard. Juliana had always said wizards weren’t really into education. “That’s interesting . . .“ Wasn’t there a reason he had come here? “Oh - do you know where Ferodi Falls is?”

The cashier eyed Ellie strangely. “Oh, honey. You’re not going there to get your magic removed, are you?”

How’d she know?

“No,” he lied, his voice quivering under her gaze. “Of course not.”

The cashier took her gaze off him. “Good. Too many young wizards go there and throw away their futures. Not everyone in the world likes wizards, true, but this is who we are! We can’t change just for other people’s comfort, eh? Besides, why get rid of magic when it lets you do this!”

She winked at Ellie before her feet left the ground. She flipped over in the air, twisting her legs around, a trapeze artist without the trapeze. Once she landed, she grinned, then instructed him how to get to Ferodi Falls from there. The gold bell rang as Ellie went out the door.

“Hey, loser, got the directions?” Zo joked, sitting on the bench where Ellie left her.

“Yeah,” Ellie said slowly, feeling different. Refreshed, but now confused.

“I’m glad. It took you foreeeever,” Zo laughed, and Ellie tried to laugh with her as the duo bumped through the crowd once again, this time radiating anxious excitement as they began their final steps of the journey.

“Here it is,” breathed Zo, staring at the green guardian of the Ferodi Falls.

A wide array of trees surrounding the water created an isolated environment, separated from the rest of the city. Walls of emerald leaves surrounded the site, blocking out the sky; the greenery reminded Ellie of Achtung Forest, but unlike the forest, this area was peaceful. Restrained. Then, the waterfall: shimmering streams of celeste, turquoise, and aquamarine. The water moved relentlessly, unconforming and unapologetic. The waterfall extended from high up, where the branches began, and released underneath the depths of the dark packed soil. There was a definite and complex intensity that mesmerized Ellie. It was beautiful.

“Ellie,” Zo touched his shoulder. “We made it.”

“We - wait, what?” Ellie snapped out of his thoughts. “Where?”

“The waterfall, ridiculous,” Zo’s voice was the cheeriest Ellie had ever heard in the two days he had known her. ‘Isn’t that what we’ve been waiting for?”

“Uh. . . yeah,” Oddly enough, Zo seemed to be much more excited about the waterfall than he was. In fact, Ellie now felt more dread than excitement. His stomach churned, an unignorable flag of panic. Suddenly he was begging for more time. The decision to eliminate his powers suddenly felt so unsure and rash, even though he had been so positive it was the right thing to do just two days ago. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to leave unchanged, but he also wasn’t sure that he wanted his powers to be permanently removed. All he knew was that he wanted more time.

“What are you waiting for?”

Hearing Zo’s voice, he asked himself the same question: What was he waiting for? He had been wishing for this moment his entire life: the moment where Elliot Marson would truly not be a wizard. The opportunity to rid his wizard blood was finally at his fingertips.

Still, Elliot remembered seeing the cashier’s  incredible magic, amazingly intentional and controlled, a circus act. He remembered her words: “This is who we are! We can’t change just for other people’s comfort!” He remembered how great it was, talking with Zo, without having to be afraid of backlash or his magic. She had treated him as a friend, not a freak. He was a wizard, but he wasn’t any of the stuff he had heard about wizards. Ellie Marson wasn’t cruel. Ellie was likeable, and brave, and interesting, just as he was. Perhaps the issue was with the people he grew up with. He would never have assumed things about wizards or dwarves or his parents if not for the stories he heard from people. Now that he was experiencing the world first-hand, Ellie could begin to realize that nothing he learned was as they said it was. This was a whole new world of magic and love, and to stay in Monorilia as a mere human would be prison.

“I’m not going to do it, Zo,” Ellie decided. To put the words into the air was setting them in stone, and it felt right. Really, honestly, right.

Zo’s face dropped. “What?”

“I - I’m sorry we went all this way just for me to back out, but I just can’t do it,” Ellie smiled. The clouds had opened, and the sun was revealed, shining a light upon him. “You were right when you said I’m not part wizard. I am a wizard and that’s something I can be proud of, if I just give my magic a chance to become something.”

Zo stared at him in disbelief. Ellie smiled. It felt so good to cut himself some slack for who he was, to be able to just live.

“You can’t be serious,” Zo finally said, no sight of Ellie’s joy on her face. “We’ve - I’ve come all this way for you to just change your mind?” He nodded. She scoffed. “You - Gee, Elliot, did you ever think about where I fit in all of this?”

He hadn’t, not since the beginning. There it was. The guilt had returned. Why don’t you ever think of other people, Elliot? This is why no one likes you, even the “friend you were meant to have.”

“I helped you all the way here,” Zo hissed, her voice shaky for the first time. “Without me, you would never have gotten here. Never. And how do you repay me? By denying me the one hope I had for my future.”

His stomach once again filled with dread. Had he done something wrong? Again? Why was he always making the wrong decisions? “What do you mean, Zo?”

“Remember this?” Aggressively, she pulled up her left pant leg to reveal her mechanical leg, battered and uncomfortable. Following Ellie’s gaze, she dropped it again almost immediately. “I don’t have a future as a dwarf with this. You might be getting your future, but this decision means that I’ll be a freak forever, without a job, without friends. I guess I was desperate when I found you. I guess I still am.”

Ellie’s chest tightened, seeing Zo’s troubled expression. “Why, though? What does this have to do with the waterfall?”

“Why do you think I came along?” Zo cried out, her voice furious and saddened, as if undecided on whether to play tauntful or genuine. “If you trade out your magic, it can be traded out to heal my leg.”

Ellie’s brain and body was unable to process what was happening. He was stuck between hating Zo and hating himself. Was it his fault she was being denied her life? Was it his responsibility to help her? Was it the right thing to do, to trade his future for hers? Or should he put himself, his own hopes and dreams, over the kind stranger? Could she even be considered ‘kind’ or his friend, if she hadn’t been doing any of this for him? Most of all, what could he do now? What should he do? What would he do?

His chest began to tighten, panic surging through his chest. Time. He needed more time to make this decision. Because now he’d be going against Zo . . . and Rowan, and Juliana. Who was he to make such a decision? This wasn’t just him anymore. It was bigger than just him. Ellie felt tears coming to his eyes. He was so selfish for trying to do this.

I shouldn’t have gotten Zo involved in this in the first place.

“So,” Zo’s voice erupted. Loudly, but not loud enough to drain out the other voices in Ellie’s head that were trying to work out this situation. “Are you going to do it now?”

“I need a moment,” he managed to force out. “To process everything.” He just needed quiet for a second. Yet Zo kept talking.

“To process what?” she reasoned, moving her head in an attempt to make eye contact. “Ellie, you already made the decision. We walked all the way from Monorilia for this. There’s no choice - taking away your powers will help both of us. I’ll get my life back and you’ll get yours back. You just need to make a sacrifice to get there.”

Perhaps he did. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps giving up his powers was what he needed to do to help Zo - and him. The Golden Fleece. He’d be able to go back to Juliana and Rowan. Wasn’t that what he wanted? Wasn’t that why he went on this whole trip?

Thinking of Monorilia made his stomach clench. Suddenly, a lightbulb went on in his brain. Did he even actually want to still go back to Monorilia? Now that he had seen Kante, a place so colorful and bright that it made Monorilia dull and undesirable by default. So, to return to the boring, uneventful life of Monorilia? Where nothing would change? Where he’d just have to forget about all he had seen?

He needed to think about what he wanted. Wizard or not, it was bigger than that. This was the moment where he chose between the person he was and the person he was being told to be. And . . . as much as he really genuinely wanted to help Zo, wanted her to have the life she had always wanted, was it really right for him to give this up for Zo? It had been one thing when Ellie actually wanted to eliminate his powers, but now that he wasn’t so enthusiastic about it . . .

“Ellie, now’s as good a time as any,” Zo titted, and her urgent and forceful tone frustrated Ellie. There was one thing he knew - he no longer wanted people to tell him what to do, who to be. This was his decision to make. This was his life to live. And even if he didn’t quite know what he wanted to do with his life, he’d decide with his own free will.

“I’m not doing it,” Ellie snapped.

Zo frowned opposingly. Her dark eyes sparkled aggressively; widening her stance, her pose became menacing. “You have to! This isn’t your decision anymore!”

Ellie didn’t back away from Zo. How dare she tell him what to do? If he wanted to stay the way he was, he would, no discussion needed. As anger and fear and confusion soared through him, heat surged to his increasingly red face. Heat numbed his ears. Sweat and discomfort overcame his system, his breath coming fast and short. That tingling sensation he was so used to returned. And this time, he didn’t push it down. Ellie let the magic rush through him. His body cooled, and the sweat faded. He was able to breathe again.  More than anything, he felt that tingly magic rippling all over the surface of his skin. Now energized, this felt natural. He was a wizard.

Elliot Marson was a wizard and that was okay!

Miraculously, Zo seemed to cower. Her mighty posture had diminished. She took a step back. “You can’t do this. Come on.” Her voice quivered but she remained defiant.

This was a different experience. For the first time, he wasn’t repressing the magic; instead it freely flowed. It clearly was different. More powerful.

The air around him brushed his arms, soaring around his figure gracefully, like a blanket tailored just for his size. His tingling hands curled into a strong fist. His stature grew sturdy, and Ellie felt as if not even the mightiest dragon could knock him down, .

And as the wind blew his hair away from his face, he closed his eyes and the magic felt like the streams of the waterfall: uncontrollable and wild, and truly beautiful when unrestrained.

Then Ellie looked up and found Zo sprawled on top of a pile of emerald leaves, her breath becoming short, raspy, and uncomfortable. Her eyebrows were high on her face, and her arms were wedged in between tangled vines. She fumbled trying to get up, but didn’t achieve her goal, remaining on the pile. She wasn’t hurt, not like Taylor; however, she did look startled. And then, looking downward, she froze, eyes widening in shock, or confusion. Her face swooped up. The dark eyes that had looked so intimidating a moment ago now turned toward Ellie, trying to ask a question that she couldn’t vocalize.

Then, Ellie saw her left leg.

It was definitely not healed; that was obvious, yet the poorly made, broken mechanical structure that had stood in for her leg previously had been replaced by a smooth, strong prosthetic leg. This was a different kind of wizardry than the kind that showed itself in his unintentional emotional outbursts. This was magic that helped people instead of hurting them. This was the first time good had come out of this. Had accepting his abilities really done that much?

Zo stood hesitantly. She stumbled forward, eyes still on Ellie, speechless.

His mouth tilted up, and he exited the waterfall cavern, leaving Zo to her own life.

The people of Kante hustled around. Tall figures hurried in and out of shops, bumping into Ellie’s shoulder. Ellie could hardly feel them, only able to see the expansive structure in front of him. Slightly chipped blue paint covered the surface. Tall towers lingered behind a bold hall. The sky glowed behind Kante Mage Academy. Fluffy clouds scattered across the sky. As a magnificent blue, the sky looked like a backdrop made just for the school. Dark grass surrounded the stone entranceway, spiky and uncontrollable. Life, power, and enchantment emanated off the walls, sizzling the air and feeding Ellie’s excitement.

Kids younger than he bounced around, shouting at their parents in anticipation of the year to come. Older students welcomed friends and chatted for the first time in months. Soon Ellie would be one of them.

As he stepped forward, Ellie wondered how he had gotten here. Breakfast with Rowan and Juliana felt like years ago. Remembering his former family caused him to hesitate, despite everything. Was he making the right decision? Did he really want to be a wizard? Did he even deserve school after all that had happened?

Now, however, the answer was an easy yes to each question. After witnessing the incredible potential of his gifts, he couldn’t back out. Ellie smiled at the view of the other wizards, all around him. He hoped that he would find his home here at Kante Mage Academy. After all, the Golden Fleece had ended up being with him all along, in the wizard blood he had been wishing away his entire life.