[IMPORTANT: This book should be published on Amazon by the 20th-25th of July. I am putting this on RR for free, and will remove it when it is published. If you point out any grammatical errors, that would really realy help me, and I can add those fixes before I publish! Thanks a bunch, and enjoy!]

Nico Kanazawa bent down on cold white marble floors, and drew his spell formula. He made sure his knees didn't scuff the circular spell formation beneath him.

It was almost midnight in Buffalo City Hall, and the regular day crowd of politicians, clerks and business people were gone. Only the sounds of busy scratching on the marble floor filled the empty room. Dozens of other young practioners of magic joined Nico in drawing their spell formula on the floor. Most were his age, in their early twenties or late teens. Each had a writing utensil in their hand, some with colored chalk, others with ink or paint.

One of the practitioners even used their own blood.

Nico questioned the efficiency of blood for this particular spell. Different mages learned different methods. It reminded him how little he knew about magic. Nico himself preferred to use a dry erase marker. It marked clearly and erased easily. Practical. Efficient. Just the way he liked it.

A tall, older man with a handlebar mustache and a black puffer jacket strode between the many crouched young men and women. Nico recognized his face from a few of the billboard advertisements on the highways for Perry Pullman’s Plumbing. Unlike everyone else in the room, Perry Pullman was a full mage of the Mages Union. He oversaw this year’s apprentice exam. Perry checked everyone's spell formations, advising through carefully worded questions.

His shadow passed over Niko's drawing. Mage Pullman said, “These are the cleanest lines I’ve ever seen. Are you in medicine? You have the hand of a surgeon.”

“Graphic designer, sir,” Nico replied.

"Gallahad's fire formation with some odd modifications," Perry noted with concern. "A bit elementary and cumbersome with all the symbols. It won’t channel enough magic for this advanced spell. Are you sure you don’t want to switch to a more compatible array?"

Nico took a deep breath and said calmly, “I never learned anything past Gallahad’s formations, sir. At least, formally.”

“Your teacher should have done a better job preparing you for the exams,” Perry remarked with disappointment.

“My mother died before she could continue my education,” Nico shot back tersely, and regretted how quickly he lashed out.

To Perry, Nico would have looked like every other angsty hedge mage, blaming the unfairness of the world. Nico needed to pass this test and get the backing of the Mages Union. Then, he would finally have access to real knowledge about magic, not just scraps from outdated books and rabbit-hole internet searches.

Perry’s expression shifted from concern to surprise. He asked, “A hedge practitioner? How did you manage to get enough recommendation slips to enter this exam? Your modifications are remarkably informed.”

Nico was tempted to tell him exactly how he’d manage to use what little knowledge of magic he learned to help other practioners around the city over the years. Was the examiner genuinely curious about Nico or was he just trying to distract him?

“If you don’t mind, sir, I need to get back to work,” Nico said.

Perry’s eyebrows lifted, and he nodded with a pleased expression. “My apologies. Mages shouldn’t get distracted.”

In less than a minute, Nico finished drawing his spell formation. He made sure to add his own signature next to his foot, an encircled arrow pointing up. The signature was the ‘level up’ symbol. He took the idea from video games as a child.

Nico was the first to finish among the examinees. A wave of pride flushed through him as he double-checked his math. The modifications to the spell formation came from a lifetime of piecing together what little crumbs of magic he found.

The examiner turned to walk away, but stopped. He looked back down at Niko's formation and his eyes squeezed suspiciously. He asked. “Why did you put four circles on the northeast edge rather than three?”

Nico had also been born with a much smaller reservoir of magic than normal practitioners. So, he had to get creative with his spell formations. His magic became practical, efficient. Sometimes that meant modifying a spell formation until it was unrecognizable.

He answered, “I took a note from Li Po’s Drunken Moon Gazing formation. The fourth circle symbolizes the fourth quarter of the moon phase--”

“To act as a stabilizer against the erratic force of the fire spell,” Perry finished for him. “A little east to add to the west. Unexpected, but practical. You’re an odd duck, Mr. Kanazawa. How old are you again?”

Nico blinked. He never expected someone to understand him so quickly. Nico had tried explaining this to other practitioners and hedge mages, but they looked at him like he came from outer space. Was this the difference between a Union mage and a hedge mage?

“Uh, twenty, sir. I’ll be twenty one in an hour.”

“A sacred birthday for practitioners,” the examiner said fondly. “Your magic should manifest in a way that expresses your inner self.”

“I’m hoping for more magical potency,” Nico confessed. His magic potency compared to normal practitioners his age was the equivalent of an eight year old child surrounded by world class powerlifters. He had to learn how to make do with what little he had.

Mage Pullman chuckled. “The young always want more power. But you should always hope for flight. Can’t go wrong with flying.”

He paused, considering something, and asked. “What do you plan to do if you don’t get Unionized?”

Nico sighed, and answered honestly. “I don’t know. This was my plan A. I had no plan B.”

Mage Pullman’s face grew dark. “You know the Laws. All practitioners of magic must pledge themselves to a Hold within thirty days of their twenty first birthday.”

Nico gulped. There were seven Holds within and near the city of Buffalo. Three were Holds of magic. Fujin’s Hold was a magical No-Mans-Land, so that wasn’t an option. Baltazar Patel’s Hold housed a bunch of hedge mages, but his enterprises strayed a little far from mortal law for Nico’s comfort. The rest of the Holds were Holds of Faith, and Nico didn’t like the idea of relinquishing what little magic he had for someone else to manage.

Mage Pullman walked to the center of the room.

Nico felt determination run through him like electricity. He needed to pass today’s exam.

The examiner clapped his hands. He addressed everyone in the room, “All right. Time’s up. Whoever can successfully summon three pillars of flame with their spell array will become an apprentice of the Buffalo, New York chapter of the Mages Union. Each pillar must be at least a foot in diameter and last more than five seconds. You will gain a master, funds, and education in exchange for delving ruins and fighting for your Hold in the Next Over. Understood?”

Everyone murmured a yes.

Nico’s heart fluttered. This was it. He checked the time on his watch. One more hour until midnight. One more hour until his twenty first birthday. Becoming a Union apprentice would be the best birthday present he could give to himself.