Eventually, however, his skills grew increasingly rusty and he lost interest in the new moves. He eventually stopped trying. When he finally gave up, the teachers had been pleased. That pleased him. He’d done more than his part in helping to save the city. They told him that he’d learned a valuable lesson, and they wanted to reward him. But he didn’t feel worthy enough to receive any special treatment. After three years of training, he figured he’d earned this.

Luka arrived at the gates of the academy early Monday morning. A couple days ago, he had received a letter from the headmaster informing him that he was accepted into...