It was late in the evening as the young student walked alone down the empty halls. Everyone else was already in bed, not that he wanted to talk to anyone right now. He trudged slowly down one hall and the next, his shoulders hunched and his hands at his sides. In one hand he held a letter and in the other, a notice of payment due.
Two weeks into the semester is when tuition is due. For the past year, his parents paid his tuition promptly and in full. He had always dreamed of studying at the academy like his father before him, and his father before him. Neither of them had been anything special as far as wizards go, but the stories he grew up hearing, of their adventures and of other lands, always intrigued him. He wanted to be just like them, great men who traveled and learned what the world has to offer.
At only a scrawny 5’4″ tall and barely 120 lbs, he didn’t look at all intimidating or like the adventuring type. But he knew that with magic, looks didn’t matter. With the right spells he could out fight, outwit, and overcome anyone or any obstacle in his path… All but the one in his hand.