Hailed by the Oaklight clan, which was renowned for its mages, Aelos already had his life planned out. He would begin his magic training at the age of 6 and continue his studies until he was given his affinity at 13. Tutors would come every day after school to make sure that he was on track for what an Oaklight mage should be. Upon reaching age 13, he would be placed under tutelage of the most successful of mages. Then, he would go on to work as a mage in any field he desired. He would bring success to the Oaklight clan not only in his skill, but his advancements of magic. Because for an Oaklight, magic is everything; it was the only thing they knew and they were the best at it.
That was the plan at least. Aelos strayed far from this plan; he was a natural mage, a genius. Pre-pubescent Freaer are not restricted by the cementing of magical affinity, and can use both nature and weather magics. Aelos as a child was adept in both of these, and his skill rivaled that of teenagers who have mastered the fundamentals. He quickly grasped concepts in magical theory. The young Oaklight did not require the strict tutelage that was planned. In fact, he chased after the tutors; his hunger for knowledge was never quenched. He learned things far beyond his childhood years. He always looked to better his already natural skills. He knew what he was going to do with his life. He was the best possible model of an Oaklight mage.
The Coming of Age Ceremony swung around quickly. The Oaklights were eager to learn where their Aelos would end up. Either nature or weather magic was fine; they couldn't wait to see their prodigy crush his peers in the field. It would elevate the Oaklights to places never seen before. Never before have they had such a natural of a mage. Aelos was incredibly powerful for his age, ambitious, sharp...he held all the qualities that made a great young mage.
The life of Aelos had a funny way of catching the Oaklights off guard. At first it was his genius. But now--his impotence. He was found and declared to have affinity for neither weather nor nature magic. This had never happened before in a clan as pure and predictable as the Oaklights. Pure in the sense that a majority of the family were capable of the traditional magics. Predictable in the sense that they always had mages for children. Without exception.
Of course, this sent shocks throughout the whole of the village. Many were happy to see the smug Oaklights have their just deserts. Among the self-righteous adults who bathed in the fall of the elite, none were lucid to the very catalyst of this commotion. Many overlooked the young Aelos who just had his future disassembled before him.
The boy was still; he did not speak. He was a puppet at that moment, a slave to fate. At the moment, he just did what was expected. That's what he had done his whole life. He joined the totem warriors to the side and got ready to leave for boot camp. Many parents went to see off their children who were about to head off into the camp. The Oaklights were too busy fighting amongst themselves, causing a scene. Aelos at this moment was the very antithesis of his family; he was not only to be a totem warrior...but he could not find any drop of pride to defend himself, to cry at the outrage. After all, the pride had come with being a mage, with being an Oaklight. Those things just weren't his anymore.
Boot camp for the totem warriors is something else. In fact, there is a common saying among the Freaer: "Nobody returns from boot camp alive." This is because no child ever returned as the same person after boot camp. Their old self died somewhere there, out in the wilderness and the harsh command of the overseeing mentors. This was especially true for Aelos; to his family and clan the Oaklight, he was dead to them.
Aelos cannot clearly remember what happened during that boot camp. There was one thing for sure. His slate was wiped clean, for everything he once was...that was completely false now. In that dark place, under the starless sky of pitch he found his resolve. If anything, the last thing to give out for a person and what drives them...it's not desire. It is what every living being feels and knows, it is a command which very few disobey: live. At any cost.
And so he did. He lived, and he survived that hell. At the end of the day, he realized that he was at the bottom. The very bottom—the only way was up, and there was no shame in working hard when you had no pride. If he wanted to become something, he would have to work for it. He surprised himself with what he could accomplish. He never did know that he could start a fire by hand. He never knew that he could make his own shelter, or track an animal. Perhaps it was the magic of the totem warriors, their extraordinary connection with nature. But, it may also be the wit of Aelos, and his ability to shut up and learn.
When it came down to the end of the boot camp, each child was to decide what their spirit totem would be. Aelos was not as strong or fast as the other children. While the other children spent their days playing after school, Aelos did not build any physical stamina. It was only during the boot camp that he had put any physical work into anything. If he were to choose the bear, he would never be as strong or resilient as his peers. The same went for the elk. As for the wolf, he was never a real leader. Despite his new beliefs that he could achieve great things with hard work…he knew his limits, he could feel them. And choosing those other totem spirits would be unwise.
He chose the hawk. And the hawk accepted graciously. He wanted to know why his family were so…stubborn. He wanted to see and find those that were headed down the path that he was on. He wanted the gift of the sky, to be able to see over the horizon and to see tomorrow. Because he found strength in the darkness, this new gift and hope would surely give him new strength. That was what he believed. And if it didn’t…well, the hawk was the best spirit totem for him to become the best he can be.
The hawk accepted him because he was a great candidate. Aelos had much to learn from the hawk. This he learned by working in the forest, and through his meditation with the hawk. The hawk taught him to open his mind to the situations and circumstances of others. The hawk taught him that despite receiving excellent eyesight, many things are not seen with just the eyes. The hawk taught him how to build a large picture and soar above the clouds; he was taught how to understand the web which was interaction in a society.
Besides this, he was taught practical skills. He learned survival skills, hunting skills, and how to commune with nature and the totem spirits to receive knowledge. The totem warriors drilled into the young the ability to fight and hunt. Hunting was essential of course, but fighting was only in case of times of need. Aelos could not physically keep up with the rest of the students. He had to work extra hours to attempt to catch up, to learn how to read movements and the intentions of an opponent. But still, he struggled. His mentor, Fencis Willower, suggested he commune with his totem spirit. He was assured that the more in tune with his totem spirit, the greater he could draw on the magic of this partnership. Thus, enhancing his physical abilities, and acquiring blessings of his spirit.
So, he did. Not immediately, but over a couple of weeks, he found himself improving. Yet, he was still physically unable to keep up. The hawk helped him out, and gave him an additional gift. For Aelos was incredibly good at watching and observing people, and taking this information and applying it to their possible actions and attitudes. Aelos was given the gift of slight foresight, the ability to see a second in the future when in combat. This greatly helped Aelos, as fighting became more a mental game than a physical one. It was what Aelos good at.
Near the end of the boot camp, Aelos found that he was at a stage where his peers could accept him. They realized that although he was an Oaklight, he was not his family at all. He was his own person, and they liked Aelos. He didn’t complain much, did what he was told, and worked harder than anyone else to get where he was.
Upon reintegration to the village, Aelos discovered that he was formally disowned by his family. His mentor, Fencis Willower adopted him, taking him into his. He saw Aelos as his son, because his own son, Yowen, had grown close to Aelos during the boot camp. They were good friends, almost brothers. It was almost natural. Despite being taken in by the Willower family, Aelos retained his last name to spite his family; he thought it be funny. He wasn’t mad at them anymore, for he reached understanding with the help of the hawk.
Aelos wanted to become a mentor himself, or a village elder. He wanted to gain a position of respect where he could watch out for the children of the village, and make sure that they were on the right path. For he himself had almost strayed away to a very dark place. Perhaps a teacher. He could get most involved with the youth in that way.
Very comfortable in academia, Aelos did fine in school. He had to continue to work hard out of class to become a better totem warrior and to channel his totem spirit. He started applying the magic theory that he was very good at to his training as a totem warrior, realizing their connection. This further helped deepen his connection with the hawk. Aelos was in a good place.
The opportunity to go to Earth for education was presented to all the teenagers in his home village. They of course taught the history of Earth and the humans in their schools; they were cousins after all. Also, they were the ones responsible for the changes in Gora, so it was important to understand how they were actually harming their planet. It is good to learn from those who have failed in the past.
Many decided to stay home, but Aelos did not want to. He saw this as an opportunity to learn many different things from people of many places, and to grow as a person.