Le Port was abandoned in 1923, all hands, NOMs or Mages, being required to deal with the Undead menace in Eastern Europe. The colony was only reestablished in 1966. By that time, the Orc population from the Piton de la Fournaise had taken over Le Port and used it as an advanced camp to raid Harpy territory and try to reawaken the Piton des Neiges, the extinct volcano upon which they nest. A French Magister, André Capagorry, a war hero known for the Purging of Zagreb, was designated to oversee the retaking of Le Port, as well as the establishment of two other port-towns. His main mission was to confirm the effects of the singular concentration of a mix of elemental mana present in La Réunion's very air on the chances of birthing Mages. To that end, he was given command over ten thousand NOMs, among which were about a thousand Japanese, as a token of international cooperation. They would be protected and their infrastructure created by seven hundred utility, artisan and junior Mages, fifty Senior Combat Mages and five Magus.

Extract from "History of the Last Men", by Tanaka Inagi, First Librarian of La Réunion

Damien was running back home, eager to meditate. The feeling of having an empty mana-pool was not painful, but it was disconcerting. However, once in sight of his home he noticed a tall, noticeably anxious young man whom he immediately recognize. He was about 1,9 meter tall, and had the long blond hair of his ancestors, though, since his Awakening had lost some weight, and his hair color was paling rapidly.

“Jean de Bourbon? What are you doing here?” Damien thought he knew the answer to that question, but hoped with all his strength that he was wrong.

Jean was visibly embarrassed. “Well, if you remember, things didn't really go swimmingly last year with Manon and her father… The Education board decided to transfer me with a male student, and since all my year's boys already had a full house, they put me with you...”

Damien was quite frustrated. Jean was the grandson of Saint-Louis's mayor, one of the three elected officials, members of the councils. Louis de Bourbon, the twenty-third of his name, was famously a squib, just like Damien's father, and he had been overjoyed when his grandson had awakened as a relatively gifted Air Conjurer. However, Jean's summoned Familiar, a mischievous sparrow that he called Lucille, added to the early growth of his secondary school, Divination, and compounded with the fact that he'd been hosted by the daughter of Saint-Denis's mayor, Manon, had caused said mayor to accuse him of using his Link-sighted familiar to peep on his daughter. As no proof could be brought forward, Jean got away with a harsh admonishment… And was apparently forced to continue with a younger, male roommate.

"Get in", Damien sighed. "At least, I guess you can help me out with practicing"

Jean seemed to take it as a token of acceptance. "Of course. I haven't heard of your stats yet. How does it look?"

"Two Fire variants, they couldn't measure the Affinity, Enchantment Tier 2. I just saw Old Roland, He thinks I should be good with Glyphs.” Despite his misgivings about the brutal change of life plans, he was rather proud of his talents. Dual Elementalists were rare birds in any wood, even on la Réunion, and they often benefited from a Spirit that allowed them to Element-Shift their spells. True Dual Elementalists could be counted on the talons of a Harpy.

"Nice. What about the cognitive test?"Jean sounded genuinely impressed, and perhaps a little envious. His father's family had used to be known for their bloodline talent for Fire and Radiance... Sometimes both at the same time.

Damien responded by showing his hands, that still bore fresh scars from his Awakening. "They postponed it."

Jean winced. "Looks like that hurt. When are you doing them?"

"In a week." Damien shrugged.

"Well, Jean, here are the ground rules." Etienne began as they sat around the table for dinner, the following evening. "I don't want to see any kind of… disorganization here. Damien tells me that I insist a little too much on this…"

Damien snorted.

"...but you'll have to live with it. See it as some kind of professional standard if you must. Aside from that, I expect you to be respectful and I'll ask you to avoid causing problems. Our neighbors are a young couple expecting a child in a few months, and I know from experience that soothing a baby back to sleep is a nightmare, as is trying to nap for a pregnant woman... So no screaming, even during the day. You're welcome to use the school's playground for your noisier games if you wish, it's publicly accessible every day until nightfall. Finally, the curfew is at 2200. That's more or less it."

Jean looked relieved. "Jules...Manon's father had a lot more rules, rooms I couldn't get in, and a curfew at 1930…"

Étienne smiled. "Well, Jean, if you think you need more strict regulations to keep you focused on your studies..."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, sir."Jean answered hurriedly. Damien snickered but declined to comment.

"Very well. Now, here's a question for you." Étienne was serious now, looking straight in Jean's eyes. "Why did you really get chased out? I know you're not stupid enough to peep on your host's daughter, and I think Jules tried to punish you for something by accusing you of just that. He could've gotten you out of his house with a simple request if he'd wanted to. Any idea?"

Jean's face closed itself. "Sorry, sir. I would say, but that's not my secret to tell."

Etienne smiled. "I see. Thank you for not playing the fool. Incidentally, where's… Lucille, was it? I don't see her."

"Oh. She's in the kitchen… What's she doing? Link Sight!"

He reddened. "I'm sorry, Sir. She seems to have eaten my portion of the dessert"

Damien looked up, having only spectated the conversation so far. "There's a dessert?"

"Well, I had a bit of time, and you boys were out, so I made cookies. I trust your emphatic link with Lucille is strong enough to allow you to feel their taste, Jean?" Etienne stood up. He had a hopeful expression that Damien knew well. One of his father's few weaknesses was his sweet tooth.

"Now that I'm concentrating on her, yes, sir," Jean replied, unaware of the consequences of his answer.

Etienne crossed his arms, taking an authoritative figure. "Good. Damien, go grab them. Jean, I'm afraid you'll have to be satisfied with the crumbs Lucille left of yours. I'd suggest either consulting a conjurer to get her under better control or not manifesting her as often as you do. She was summoned in the Garden, wasn't she?"

Jean nodded, quite proud. "As soon as he learned that I was a Conjurer, Grandpa applied for a Garden summoning. She's a handful, but I've already seen the difference between her and regular Familiars."

Etienne sat back, lost in thought. "If we had enough resources, and the Garden's master had more patience for us, I would already have proposed that Conjurers be forced to wait for the Garden to be made available to perform their Summon Familiar… Sadly, having one of those made every two years is already a strain. Well, let's get to those cookies, shall we?" He glanced at the Familiar, that was approaching the plate. "And dismiss Lucille if she won't behave! I made this cookie, and I refuse to let it be pecked!"

Eight days later, in Old Roland's office.

"Checkmate in eight turns," Damien said, trying to keep a neutral tone. Roland was not a bad chess player, but Damien had been known for his skill since he was ten.

"You sure about that, kid? How about if I do that ?" The move was a mistake, of course, but the trap he laid there was easy to miss.

"Checkmate next turn. Sorry, sir."

"Dammit. I guess they weren't wrong about your cognitive test results after all," Roland grumbled, finding the trap too late.

The piece of paper in question -which Roland had claimed was 'bullshit'- was still on his desk. Damien reread it for the fifth time.

Damien de Carné

15 years, 2 months, 11 days at the time of examination.

Physical condition Inferior +

Body coordination Inferior

Spatial awareness Average

Simple problem-solving Superior ++

Complex problem-solving Superior

Multiple focus Superior-

Multiple scenario analysis Superior +

Mental adaptability Average-

Schools deemed potentially compatible: Divination, Conjuration, Illusion.

Schools deemed incompatible: Abjuration.

Recommendation: development as General-class Operative, primary focus on Buffing spells, secondary focus on the development of secondary school: Divination.

Mitigating factor: High-potential Translocation/Communication Specialist aide-de-camp class Operative already in training. Conflicting skill-sets.

Secondary Recommendation: development as a Battlefield-Controller, with two possible options: Covert Mine-layer with Illusion, Creature Mage with Conjuration. In both cases, the acquisition of said School as a priority is recommended, followed by the acquisition of customized Glyphs.

Tertiary recommendation: Fabricator

Reminder: the last recommendation on this list, while considered a worthwhile avenue of progression, is seen by the Council as the least useful use of a person's potential.

Nota bene: 15-years old mages will be expected to perform their progress in the Path in front of our Demi-Human allies during the summer solstice.

"They want you to take the General route! Did they even read my report about your Elements?" Roland raged, blustering over a cup of hot chocolate. Damien noticed that Roland's Lightning seemed to have heated the drink, which had gone cold when Roland had claimed that he would gauge Damien's strategic skills, that he perceived as only middling, 'the old-fashioned way'. "You're born to be an Elementalist!", he continued. "My advice as your tutor? Go for Conjuration. Even if it's just for the advancement of Spellcraft. I'll show you a few battlefield-control Circles and Glyphs. Hell, I'll even help you design new ones. And don't even ask about you becoming a Fabricator, our materials won't handle your elements. You can melt steel with a Tier 3 Elemental weapon, at your age, and your Affinities for your Elements will only grow from from now on. I might rethink it if we had access to Mithril, but all we have is Steel and Volcanite on this island, and Monster parts are not a reliable source of enchanted materials."

"Is there someone you would recommend for tutoring in Conjuration, sir?" Damien asked hopefully. Conjuration was one of the most coveted Schools of Magic among children, notably because of its poster spell, Find Familiar. A companion that would accompany you your whole life, fighting and living by your side? That was a dream for anyone!

"Well, there's Colonel Raynaud, but I hear he doesn't take people who're not born Conjurers. For now, work with the Primers. I'll try to ask a few friends if they can take you for tutoring. Now, about the inscription of a mana-reservoir Mandala..."