THE MOMENT
"Massive amount of magical energy?" the town leader smiled, and his chest inflated with pride. "You'll be wanting to talk to my son." Despite their hopes, the troupe of mages was entirely unexpected when they arrived at the remote village. They arrived by magical carriage at midday to the awe and confusion of the townsfolk. Fortunately, Aldo, the leader, was quick to step in and smooth things over enough to learn why they were there.
"Yes, I believe we do," Olrik, the mage in blue robes, nodded. There were only four of them, and they each seemed to represent different schools, but that was as far as Aldo's logic extended. He knew almost nothing about magic except that there were multiple aspects. He'd seen his talented son create an array of colored magical effects while practicing, including blue in the same shade as Olrik's robes. He'd also seen green, red, and purple spells all in the same shades as the mages. "First, we would appreciate a moment to refresh and recover ourselves from the trip. And we have two additional companions who should be arriving soon as well."
"Nonsense, this won't take long, he's right here," Aldo encouraged a teen boy to come closer with a wave. "Your arrival drew quite a bit of attention; most travelers don't stop here, and my son has quite a natural talent. You'll see."
"I'm afraid our associates are more adept at judging aptitude." Olrik shook his head, but Aldo wasn't hearing it. He had no talent for magic, but he was a determined and thoughtful leader. He knew this would be his one chance to get his son the education he deserved.
"Show them what you can do!" His son, Laslo, nodded and immediately began concentrating. He had a natural talent for magic, but no formal training. He could do simple things like gusts of wind, tilling soil, or igniting things. The villagers often asked him for help even though they didn't really need it. It was an indirect way to stay on Aldo's good side, and it gave the boy extra practice. He seemed to genuinely enjoy helping and using magic. At the moment, his best, most impressive spell was a concentrated sphere of elemental magic. He formed a grapefruit-sized ball of blue mana between his hands that dripped water on the ground. Then, with some intense concentration, the blue shifted to purple and began to swirl like a sandstorm. With another deliberate effort, the energy turned red and ignited. Fire was the hardest one for him, but he pushed through it to the easiest one as the ball turned green and formed a small swirling tornado before it dissipated into nothing. Aldo patted his son on the back as the gathered villagers clapped for him.
"You can use four elements?" Olrik asked. The mage in green, who hadn't given his name yet, leaned closer to him to whisper.
"Is this him?" he asked.
"Can you do any bigger spells?"
"Not yet!" Laslo shook his head first, then nodded eagerly to suggest he was planning to get there.
"You took the wrong fork," the sudden appearance of a mage in gold robes, along with his statement, took everyone by surprise. Fortunately, Olrik and the other mages were at least used to it and recovered quickly.
"I told you it didn't look right," the mage in green complained to Olrik. The mage in blue looked around at the gathered villagers, and suddenly everything made sense. Now he knew why they weren't expected, and why the village seemed to lack any signs of higher education. They were all yokels.
"It's my fault, and I accept responsibility." He nodded at the mage in gold, and also gestured at Laslo. "Still, I found someone interesting as well. He can use four magical elements with no training," he said. The mage in gold appraised Laslo with glowing blue eyes, then nodded.
"He has the capability of all six; that is a rarity, but his innate magical energy is lacking. Sun and Void elements are effectively out of his reach."
"You said he had a massive amount of magical energy!" Regardless of the lucky discovery, it was hard not to feel lied to by Aldo. The leader deduced they were off course as soon as they arrived, and had no regrets. He also had his answer ready in case the mage took offense.
"Laslo is the only person born with magic in this tiny, remote village," he smiled with a shrug. "Compared to everyone else's mana of 'zero', his reserves are absurd," he laughed. The mage in gold laughed also and seemed to reassess the boy.
"This is your son?" he asked Aldo. The village leader nodded.
"There's no doubt he has talent, and his magical energy can be trained up. And if he thinks at all like you, I see a bright future for him." With that, he knelt partially to look Laslo eye to eye.
"Would you like to attend the academy of mages?"
"VERY MUCH, SIR!" Laslo nodded enthusiastically.
"Then, so you shall," he nodded. He stood up again and turned to the other mages. "You four are to remain here until the boy is ready to leave, then return straight to the academy with him."
"What about the huge aura of mana we detected?" Olrik asked.
"We're still investigating, but it's looking less like the source is going to be friendly. This village is deserted, and there are signs of corruption." The look of concern on Aldo's face was enough to stop him from elaborating. "I'd better get back."
"Wait, shouldn't we go with you?" Olrik asked.
"No," the gold mage shook his head. He made an effort to look down at Laslo with a smile. "I feel like you're right where you're supposed to be. Magic doesn't deal in coincidences lightly. If this corruption is the start of something dreadful, you might've just found the key to defeating it."