The night before his mana test his brother and sister's came home, as it would be a national holiday the next day. Gary bounded into the house, with his usually level of energy, and greeted everyone before asking when supper would be ready. Gary was telling him about how boring the classes were but he had lots of fun with the new friends he made.

Jane and April came in together a little while later. They were more reserved than his brother and were their usually cheerful selves. They did corner him later to ask about his exploits at the family store. They both were preparing to eventually take apprenticeships as traders, like their mother. He gave them a simplified story of just being lucky. The two girls happily told him a little about their school as they tried to relieve his fears about the next day. They did end up saying pretty much the same thing as Gary, but in a more tactful way.

That evening his mother’s parents came by and everyone celebrated his upcoming test. Despite having planned, Danny was a nervous wreck. His family could tell and they all tried to do their best to distract him. His grandparents left and promised to be back the next day. As everyone was getting ready for bed Danny's parents took him out into the backyard. They took some chairs with them and sat together watching the sunset in the distance. With Danny sitting in the middle.

"This is it my boy, you’re going to have your mana test tomorrow, how do you feel," his dad asked.

Quietly, Danny answered, "Nervous..."

"It will be fine. If you become a wizard, I know you will become one of the greats. If you are given the path of the regular man, well, your mother told me you already have a number of suitors lined around the corner. Remember what I told you about choices," his father laughed.

As his father's head rocked forward, Danny's mother put her arm back around his shoulder and said, "I couldn't be more proud of you my son. I was proud of you even before you helped make my leather creations a hit. I love you Danny. You will do great things and I will be proud of you no matter where you end up tomorrow," his mother said with tears in her eyes.

His father was suddenly very interested in the garden over on the other side from where they were sitting. Danny could have sworn he heard a sniffle come from the man.

Danny thought about a million things to ask or tell his parents. He finally chose one that might get him the answers he had been wanting. He had guessed the sensitive nature of the question and worked up the courage to ask.

"I always wondered. Why didn't you ever have another kid, mom," Danny asked firmly.

His father looked quickly over to his mother. His mother looked down. Danny wasn't sure, but he guessed her eyes were drawn to the scars hidden below her shirt.

"Something happ...," his mother paused for a long while, both Danny and his father didn’t interrupt her. "Sometimes you have one and know you can't do any better," she smiled down at him and rubbed his hair affectionately.

Danny looked at his mother, knowing she hadn't given him the truth. He also knew pushing wouldn't get him any closer to the answers he was looking for.

"I love you too mom, and I guess you too dad," Danny said as he exchanged smirks with his father.

They sat there quietly until it got too dark to see.

The next morning his family was rushing around. His mother woke him up, opening the door to tell him his cloths were laid out already on the table and to start getting ready.

Gary was still asleep as well and grumbled, "First night away from school and I still have to get up early. Uhhh, I don't remember this bed being so lumpy."

Danny's eyes flew open. He looked towards the clothes laid out for him then over at Gary's mattress. How was he going to get the leather girdle on with Gary in the room?

Danny went over to Gary and poked him in the back, "Hey Gary, do you smell my grandmother's special pie baking downstairs."

Gary shot up out of bed and put his clothes on as he hopped towards the door. He only fell once before opening it and racing down the hallway, to the stairs.

Laughing nervously, Danny quickly listened outside his door and, once satisfied, closed it. Rushing to Gary's mattress he pulled out the girdle and started putting it on. He got the straps tightened and had just pulled his shirt on when Gary walked back in.

"There wasn't any pie! You made me go down there for nothing," Gary yelled.

"I didn't say there was pie. I said I thought it smelled like it. Close the door I'm not done changing," Danny said.

Closing the door Gary sat on his bed while Danny finished changing. Danny would have to wait again before double checking that everything was in its right place under his shirt.

"If you’re worried about today, don't. It feels like they punch you in the middle and you pass out. By the time you wake up you barely even remember the pain," Gary explained as he looked around the room.

"Really? That's doesn't sound so bad." Danny replied sarcastically while he finished dressing and asked, "Do you wish you had become a wizard?" Danny instantly regretted it the second it came out of his mouth.

Gary looked up at him, and looked thoughtfully for a second.

"Nah, you have to be smart to do that stuff and I would probably just catch myself on fire or burry myself underground," Gary joked.

"I'm sure there are different types of wizards, Gary. I'm sure you could have been a pretty good one if you had the chance," Danny said quietly.

Gary looked away and said, "Let's get going, there isn't any pie but Sarah made those sweet rolls we love."

Gary got up and headed for the door.

"I'll be right there, I think I dropped my book behind my bed and want to take it with me in case this gets boring," Danny called after him.

Gary waved without looking and kept heading down the hall. Danny watched him for a second before closing the door again and checking over his shirt and girdle one last time. Satisfied it was the best it was going to get, he headed downstairs.

His parents walked with him out onto the floor of the stadium grounds with the rest of the other boys his age and their parents. They walked calmly to his assigned cot, which as numbered, like the rest, on the front. A young man in a brown vest, not much older than Danny, came by and confirmed his name and cot number. Danny's mother reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

His parents started talking about nothing in particular while Danny looked around with his mana sight. Danny confirmed what he had seen two years ago in the young men in brown vests that were close enough for him to see clearly. Their mana streams were chaotic and so was the mana distribution throughout their bodies.

Danny was regretting the extra sweet rolls he ate, as his girdle strained to contain him and the meal he ate. Taking deep breaths he focused on staying calm. It was hot enough out here with a piece of leather wrapped around his middle, he didn't need freaking out to be added to the list.

Looking around it appeared everyone was where they needed to be and sure enough things started like the last time he was here. From the position on the ground all the cots had been angled so they could see the large balcony. From his viewpoint he noticed, based on clothing that all the wealthiest families were sitting around the balcony. Then he noticed that those in front of him on the stadium floor seemed to be dressed nicer as well.

*So, the rich and powerful get preferential treatment. Well, nothing new there,” Thought Danny.

The nobles and richest family’s sons would get tested first and they would get to leave the quickest. Danny noticed that they were more towards the middle this year than during Gary's test. They were also on the end closest to where the wizards would start their aisle. Danny wondered if their standing had risen since his brother’s test or they just randomly assigned the poorer families.

The old man from last time stood up on the balcony in his duster of grey, blue, and white. Danny didn't need to use his mana sight to see a spell form in the Archwizard's hand. He cast it on his neck, a flash of light in Danny’s mana sight, and wind began to flow throughout the stadium.

"Well met brave sons of Diadem. I am Archwizard Storm, head of the academy of wizards," the man paused before continuing, "You are about to embark on one of two paths. The path of man or the path of wizard. Both are needed for our survival in this world. A member of our order will come by shortly and you will lie down on the cot behind you. He will press an object in an area below your heart and it will cause you to go to sleep. When you wake up you will then be tested to see if your magic has been unsealed." He paused again, and Danny wondered if he was reading from a cue card as the Archwizard added, "Good luck!"

Did the Archwizard get in trouble two years ago and was asked to lay off the bad jokes? The stadium erupted in applause as the two teams of wizards began making their way down the aisles, two at a time. Danny was getting nervous, but not for the same reasons as the boys around him. His mother noticed and squeezed his hand again. It seemed to take forever for them to make their way over to them. Danny watched as the ancient key was placed on the boy beside him. There was a small flash and the boy grunted and went limp.

The three wizards that eventual came to his cot were older men. The one with the ancient key wore a duster of red and grey. The second wizard that measured the location of the source with a stick wore a duster of blue. The third wizard wore a black duster.

They had Danny lay on the cot as his parents stepped out of the way. His mother gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go and stepping back. The black robed mage stood at his feet while the two other wizards took places on either side of him. The blue robed mage took the stick and laid it on Danny's body. The stick had a black line in the middle and two tabs that freely slid along it. Danny had made sure to bunch his shirt up so it was wrinkled and didn’t show off the girdle’s flatness. He got lucky and the blue robbed wizard mistook an errant wrinkle in his shirt as his belly button. One tab was moved there and the other was placed over his heart. Then the black lines and tabs were moved till it looked centered. The mage put his finger at the midpoint and the other mage nodded his head. Danny was visibly sweating by this point, but that was to be expected.

The red and grey robed mage placed the ancient key on the location and... nothing happened. Danny eyes widened as he realized he didn't consider the device needed something to accept the magic to work. The other mage was looking worriedly at the key, when they were all distracted by a commotion nearby.

The cart with the testing crystal was a few aisles down and a boy being tested was throwing up while on the ground.

"Looks like Wizard Basin didn't get the boy's hand away in time, why did they select him again," The red and grey robed wizard grumbled. "Let's try this again, I will not be known as the ones who broke one of the ancient keys. Especially with what happened to the other key."

Putting the ancient key back to Danny's chest he pressed down. This time Danny was ready and reached out to the devise with a stream of mana. The second it connected Danny released the mana, as the device flashed. Danny was scared for a second, as the mana began flowing back towards his hand from the ancient key, would make it into his body. The mana suddenly dissipated in a massive cloud he suspected only he could see. At the last second he remembered to grunt and pretend pass out. Danny sensed the wizard in the black duster lean over him and cast a spell on his leg. It was a healing spell that did nothing for Danny.

After a while, he heard the boy that the wizards went to before him start to wake up groaning and sounding groggy. Danny waited a bit and pretended to finally wake up himself. The boy before him, now recovered, was led toward the testing crystal. Danny already knew the boy had lost his connection to mana. A brown vest young man came and led him to the crystal. There was a wizard keeping tallies on a list. This wizard looked in concern towards the wizard, Danny guessed was Wizard Basin, who was standing over the testing crystal.

Wizard Basin was sweating bullets, and said, "P-P-Please place your hand on the crystal for a few seconds then take it away. Please do not leave it there even if the crystal starts glowing. I-I will assist you... should you not do so in time!"

The wizard shouted the last bit as if to convince himself and not Danny. Danny wasn't too worried as he had a lot of mana reserves. Placing his hand on the crystal it began to glow brightly. He could feel the crystals attraction, but he easily controlled the flow. After a few seconds of it glowing like a small fire, Danny removed his hand. He had seen some of the boys place their hand on the crystal and it was as if a star was born, while for others you could just barely tell anything happened. He wondered if anyone had been missed because their mana was so faint.

Relief evident on his face, Wizard Basin said, "Congratulations new initiate, and welcome to the order of wizards."

Danny thanked him and walked back to his parents. His father looked shocked and his mother was smiling brightly. First his mother, then his father hugged him and they walked out of the stadium. His family was ecstatic once we met up outside. His grandparents and sisters took turns hugging him followed by Sarah and Barb.

It was his turn to be shocked when Gary gave him up in a big hug, "Congrats brother! I was hoping you would get to be a wizard."

Gary stepped back from the hug and had a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Thanks Gary," Danny said dumbly, with a smile growing on his own face.

Everyone headed back home to celebrate Danny's new title.