Thardwin Everheart signed his name on the tournament roll, and the clerk wiped the pen before handing it back, as if magic could smear off on ink. Thardwin smiled anyway. He always smiled. Winning this tournament was the only way to prove that magic could heal, could help, could deserve respect instead of that familiar step backward people gave him. He straightened his robe and walked toward the practice yard, where crowds had gathered to judge every wizard entering. The yard sat at the base of a tower built from shimmering crystal. Its walls caught the light and threw it in soft colors across the grass. Thardwin liked practicing there. The tower felt honest, like proof that magic could be beautiful. He raised his hand and coaxed a small flame into the shape of a bird. Children near the fence leaned in. One smiled. For a moment, fear turned into wonder. Then the crowd went quiet. A woman crossed the yard in a black robe stitched with silver vines. She did not hurry. She did not smile. People pulled their children back without knowing why. Thardwin knew her before she spoke. Madness Everthorn. Every wizard knew her name, and every wizard feared it. She had humiliated her own teacher in front of a crowd, just to prove she could. "Cute bird," she said. She flicked two fingers. Thardwin's flame twisted, grew, and became a snake of fire that lunged at the fence. Children screamed. Parents hauled them away. The snake struck the crystal wall and burst into sparks. Thardwin snuffed the fire fast, but the damage was done. He looked at the empty fence. "You scared them on purpose," he said quietly. "I showed them the truth," Madness said. "They fear magic because magic is dangerous. You waste your gift pretending otherwise." She stepped closer. "I entered this tournament to win it. And to break whoever thinks they can rise above me. That is you, Everheart." "You're wrong about what magic is for," Thardwin said. His voice shook, but he held her stare. "Prove it." She smiled then, and it was worse than her frown. "In the tournament. In front of all of them. I will show them a wizard should be feared. You will show them your little birds. We both know which one they will believe." She turned and walked away. The crowd parted for her like water. Thardwin stood alone in the yard. The children were gone. The wonder was gone. Every reason people feared magic now had a face and a name, and that face had entered his tournament. He could not simply win now. He had to beat her directly, in front of everyone, or her cruelty would become the only story anyone remembered about magic. He looked up at the crystal tower and made his choice. He would not drop out. He would face her.