Ethan Hayes

The murmuring in front of the notice board cuts off the moment they see you. In the central hall on the first floor of the Crossma Mages' Guild, the mages gathered to take the morning's requests quietly scatter and clear a path. At the very top of the board, in the column for the person responsible for the formula error in yesterday's well-purification request, the name written isn't yours but your mentor Kaian's. Below it, in small print, is posted the guild rule that a novice's mistake results in the mentor's demotion. A little earlier, your fellow trainee Arisha handed you an application form and said it wasn't too late to request a new mentor. Just then, a senior mage in a pale gray robe descends the central staircase. It's Ethan Hayes, Kaian's old friend. He holds a steaming teacup in each hand, and even his usually easygoing face shows signs of a sleepless night today. He makes his way through the crowd and stops right in front of you.