The winds blew softly, birds flapped their feathered wings, and the clouds hovered leisurely in the air. A pair of sharp, round eyes reflected a space in the sky that was not as peaceful - its clouds parted, running in all manner of directions like groups of people fleeing from danger. The white wisps scattered and dispersed as if they were crowds rushing away from some disturbance, as a blade of wind hovered through the air. Birds stayed far away and avoided this chaotic spot. This was the area where Elder Feather had unleashed her wind blade at Skyheart instantaneously after she had told him the test, without giving him an opportunity to speak.

  Skyheart cursed lightly under his breath as he reacted. He moved his hands frantically, the wind beneath his feet wobbling as he twisted hard to the left. The blade missed him by inches, but his platform of air nearly dissipated from his clumsy dodge. He had to wave his arms as he tried to regain stability.

  “That’s far too slow. Your control over the winds is still lacking in this regard,” Elder Feather commented, already forming another blade between her fingers.

  Skyheart had no time to think; his instinctive response was to focus his aeroquill and push a massive gust downward, allowing him to shoot up like a cork from a bottle. However, his crude response held too much power in it, causing him to shoot out too far. His moves were clumsy, wasting precious seconds as he had to readjust himself in an attempt not to lose control of his new wind footing.

  “Remember Skyheart, the wind holds many forms - it can be a calming breeze, or a rampant typhoon. It moves as needed, it is the most flexible of elements,” Elder Feather observed, as Skyheart continued his clumsy show, trying to elegantly move through bursts of air. “It cannot shape itself the way water does effortlessly, nor stand firm like stone, nor burst in rage like wildfire. Yet wind flows freer than any water, gathers stronger than any stone when united, and destroys as thoroughly as any flame. If you’re unable to be the breeze in the air, then instead become the storm that attempts to mimic the shape, firmness, and rage of the other elements.”

  This time, three blades came in rapid sequence. Skyheart stopped trying to manage his shaky control and instead forced the wind to carry him with an excessive burst. The second came in quickly, Skyheart’s body narrowly avoided it with a leap. For the third, instead of trying to maintain his shaky platform. He let himself drop, falling in a half-twist, limbs flailing for a heartbeat before the wind slammed upward and wrenched him back into the air.

  “Chirp chirp!” Sky Child called from somewhere above, sounding concerned.

  “His power is impressive,” Windsweeper murmured to the Sky Warriors.

  “But power without control is like trying to write with a club instead of a quill.”

  The Warriors looked at him, trying to imagine the strange comparison.

  Elder Feather increased her pace slightly. “Good enough for now I suppose, but you will need to do better if you want to survive in the future.”

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  “Now that the warm up is done it is time for the end of the assessment,” Elder Feather announced, nodding to Skysong.

  Skysong reached into her pouch and withdrew a clear crystal stone. Within it floated a single blue leaf, perfectly preserved as if frozen in time.

  “Your task is to withstand my assault until the astral wind leaf dissipates,” Elder Feather explained.

  Skysong nodded, wiggling her fingers as delicate threads of wind wrapped around the stone. The crystal shattered with the leaf utterly intact and undisturbed; it floated in midair for a moment quietly, as if it had just woken up from slumber. Then it began to dissolve, transforming into glowing blue wisps of wind that spiraled upward. Skysong moved her fingers above it, collecting the luminous wind that wrapped around her hand like living ribbons. The leaf was depleting rapidly; it wouldn’t last a full minute.

  The instant the blue wind touched Skysong’s fingers, Elder Feather attacked.

  A dozen blades following her command, converging from every angle. Skyheart thrust both palms forward, launching his own wind blades to intercept. Three of his attacks met hers, but nine more got through. He was forced to throw himself backward, bursting away from the attack once more.

  Then Elder Feather created multiple wind lances the size of a forearm—miniature versions of the ones she used when she faced Validus.

  Skyheart’s breathing quickened. He couldn’t block those with his current power. The wind around him began to condense, swirling faster. His Form One Tempest armor flickered to life—chaotic and unstable, but better than nothing. The semi-solid wind wrapped around him like a living thing.

  The lances came. He deflected a pair with a wind-wrapped forearm, the impact still jarring through his bones, and cracks appeared in his wind armor with each impact.

  The others were dodged after he learned his lesson from the first; the winds, now carrying him with less effort, quickened his pace.

  Sweat poured down his face. Though he dodged, not all attacks were avoided, as some grazed him, damaging his elemental armor, causing him to need more effort in maintaining it. He pushed harder, and the armor solidified slightly, manifesting in patches across his body.

  “Form two.” he whispered as he tried to maintain focus on the powerful ability he had yet to master.

  Only wisps of blue light remained wrapped around Skysong’s fingers. Skyheart only needed to hold on a bit longer.

  Skyheart’s armor shattered. He had no choice. He pulled on every ounce of power he had, and the armor reappeared. This time, it was more solid as it erupted around him. It was both beautiful and terrible, crystallized wind armor that looked solid. For those last few seconds, he was able to deflect Elder Feather’s attacks with ease. Yet he felt his reserves depleting rapidly as the armor drained.

  “He has passed.” Skysong announced as the last wisp of blue wind faded.

  Elder Feather stopped her attacks, Skyheart’s armor faded immediately after, and he lost consciousness.

  His body fell from the sky for a moment before it was gently caught by Skysong’s winds as she waved her hand around.

  With her free hand, she formed the last wisp of wind from the astral leaf. The luminous wisps condensed into a small, glowing orb of concentrated, gentle swirling wind.

  Skysong gently guided the unconscious Skyheart’s hand to touch the orb. The concentrated essence flowed into him, its light absorbed through his skin. His breathing steadied, and though he remained unconscious, as he slumbered, his power over the wind grew slightly thanks to the astral wind fused with him.

  The assessment was over, skyheart had passed, and his journey would begin, but first, a meeting with the spirit.