At the age of five, Danny could curve the water coming from his hand and he reached level five in water Affinity. He didn't know if it was even possible, but he was determined to create a ball of water using his mana manipulation. Hiding his training from his family was not always easy. Fortunately his mother would tell him on which days they would be going to the store with his father. Danny had been caught practicing his unarmed skills by his mother. She didn't know where he had picked that up and didn't think he should be displaying such violent behavior at a young age. Danny decided it best to hold off his physical skills till he was older and it seem more justifiable. He really wanted to level up skills with strength and agility...

One time Barb came by around lunchtime with Gary and Mary, and walked up to Danny while he was sitting in the circle, practicing water affinity. He always made sure to practice water with a very small stream. After a couple of close calls with his father, Danny had taken to practicing magic with his back towards the house and his mother’s workshop. He had a backup plan and put it into action. He always kept a cup of water, his mother gave him when he played outside, and a few of his toys nearby. Picking up the toys he pretended to play with them in the mud created by his water magic.

Laughing at his antics Barb said, "Danny, I don't think you have enough mud on you. You missed a spot on your head!" Danny looked up at Barb with a big smile on his face.

His mother came out hearing Barbs voice, "Is it lunch time already, Bar... Danny Creek, you get yourself over to the backdoor spigot right this instance, so I can wash you off!"

Barb only laugh louder as Danny's mother dragged him over to the wall and washed him off.

"Once you get that son of yours cleaned off, lunch is ready at the table," Barb chuckled as she went inside.

"What am I going to do with you, you dirty boy," chuckled his mother. She couldn't stay mad at him with Barb enjoying it so much. He was relieved, but he really needed to figure out a way to train without being noticed. He thought he might try using his mana to sense others approaching.

Later that afternoon, Barb had gone back to the shop with her kids and his mother was back in her workshop. Danny sat down by the garden this time, trying to solve his training problem. "Sensing others coming...," he grumbled to himself. A smile came to his face as stood up and focused on his body. He had released mana from his hands and feet, why not his whole body. He could have magic sonar! His first attempts resulted in him just uselessly releasing mana from different parts of his body. Frustrated he sat down again. What was he doing wrong? Maybe, he was trying too hard. Finding the mana in his body, he took a deep breath and released his mana without focus. It worked! Mana escaped his body in all directions... doing absolutely nothing. Danny jumped up and tried again, this time releasing all his mana at once. He waited, and waited, but depressingly nothing came back to him.

Danny decided to change tactics, if he couldn't sense everything at once, then maybe he could see more of what was in front of him. The prospect of doing anything with his eyes worried him but now that the idea got in his head, it would nag at him till he tried it. Plus he had just emptied most of his mana into his surroundings, with his failed sonar experiment. Like the rest of his body, mana was already being absorbed by his eyes. So he started by diverting more mana into them. As the total amount of his mana grew the diverted mana caused an ever increasing bright light to fill his vision. After looking around to see nothing but the light, he didn't give up. Focusing on the back of his eye he thought of how cat’s eyes look when you shine a light on them at night. He worked for a while and was able to condense an area on the back of his eye with mana.

Looking up, Danny saw dots, lots of little bright dots everywhere. Some were big and somewhere small. He looked towards the workshop and saw a really big one. Getting up, he walked to the doorway of the workshop while maintaining the mana sight. When he looked inside he saw his mother. Right above her stomach was the large dot he had seen from outside. He could see her connection to the source!

A few days later after supper, everyone was in the main room. Danny was sitting on the floor pretending to play with his toys. Looking up, he worked up the courage to activate his mana sight and looked at each of his family members. Danny wasn't sure if his eyes looked weird when he used this ability and didn't want to get caught. Looking around, he saw his mother, Barb, Sarah, and Gary all had a bright form above their stomachs. What he took as small or big dots was actually just closer or further away. Everyone's connection to the source appeared to be the same size. His father walked in to sit in his customary chair and Danny received a shock. He couldn't see his father's source connection... His father didn't have one. Did that mean his father didn't have access to his own mental sanctuary and the increased attributes? Was his father born this way?

Noticing his sons staring at him, Stan called to Danny, "Come here and sit with me Danny!"

Numbly Danny got to his feet and climbed up in his father’s lap. His father turned to him and said, "As you know, Danny, Gary will be leaving for the academy next week. Your sisters and all the other girls go to a different academy, and get the same education. Boys are special. Do you know why?"

Danny dumbly shook his head from side to side. His father took a deep breath and said, "Whenever a boy reaches the age of seven, the next spring they are all gathered together for a special test. You see, some boys have magic and others don't. We don't know which ones without testing them. I was tested after I turned seven. Unfortunately I didn't have any magic, but I got something better instead. I got your mother, Sarah, Barb, your brother and sisters, and you!"

Danny looked over at the rest of his family as his father mentioned them. They were all silently watching. Sarah was smiling softly while Barb wiped a tear from her eye. His mother was smiling, but Danny also noticed a worried look in her eyes.

Danny was excited to hear about magic as it never had come up before. He was a little concerned that his brother could lose his potential access to the sanctuary over getting magic. He waited impatiently for his father’s next words.

"Now Gary will be taking this test next week," his father continued. "He will either have magic and join the wizard’s academy, or he won't have magic and go to the men's academy. It is a great honor to do this for our country, and our people recognize this. So when your time comes I want you to stand proud and accept your fate. Either way, know your mothers and I are proud of you both and we love you."

Danny looked up at his father, “Will the test hurt Gary?”

His father shook his head, “No Danny, it is a little overpowering, but it doesn’t hurt.”

Danny thought for a bit and asked a childlike question, “Is being a wizard good?”

“Yes, being a wizard is the most important responsibility that a man can have.”

Danny asked, “Can you become a wizard without the test?”

His father shook his head, “No son, the only way one can become a wizard is through the test.”

Danny looked confused, “What if someone did become a wizard without the test?”

His father thought about this for a moment, “Well, I guess they would be taken to the wizard’s academy immediately. Young wizards are very dangerous if not guided. At least that is what your grandfather told me. He is a well-respected earth mage.”

Danny was excited about the prospect of gaining access to those with magic, but he had been playing it careful for so long it was hard for him to make the decision to expose his abilities. He also wasn’t ready to leave the relative safety of his family’s home. The outside world was a huge unknown.

Danny wanted to ask more questions, but couldn’t think of how best to word it from the perspective of someone who already knows what happens when they fail the test. So, he smiled and hugged his father. Pressed against his father's chest, Danny was frowning.

Danny wondered, *What did they do my father?*