Professor Kenyon walked to the front of the class and started writing as he spoke. “The basis of magic is mana. Mana exists in everything, and mages store magic in their body to use. For a mage to access mana, they must first absorb and condense it into a runic circle around the heart.” He drew a diagram of a human with three circles around their heart before drawing a line to a Sigel with writing in a language I didn’t know. I assumed they were Lostonian Runes. The widely accepted written language of magic. “What must acolytes have to form the first circle, Jal?” He pointed at me. Not giving her time to speak, he continued. “You don’t know? Well, that’s expected. Princess Selena?”

“The first circle needs a sufficient amount of mana, a starter potion, and a pre-inscribed runic circle. Mana is channeled into the body using a meditation manual usually provided by the acolytes' family or school; acolytes can purchase the starter potion and runic circle but must make sure it is a reputable source.” She pulled out a swirling silver liquid from her bag. “All three can be general or element specific. A mage will progress faster with higher quality and specialized manuals, potions, and runic circles.”

A tugging sensation at my navel tried to pull me across the room and towards the potion. I could feel the chill from across the room. My blood was frozen or sluggish in my veins. It was almost painful, with an itching sensation. I rubbed my arms, crossing my legs to stay seated.

Dual ice and water root, the words from the system, popped into my mind.

Hope was such a terrible thing. I tamped it down, paying attention to what they said even when they targeted my sore spots, stabbing at them with their words.

“Good. The elements are earth, fire, wind, water, and spirit. From this, many combinations exist, like the potion in your hand. Ice is a derivative of water. The Amber Family is known to produce ice mages. What determines your element, Princess Tracy?”

“A person's Mana Source determines their element. The fewer elements a person is attuned to, the better. For instance, Selena has a single Mana Source of the Ice element, whereas I have a double source of Ice and Earth. Almost everyone has a Mana Source, with only one in a hundred thousand being born without. ” Tracy looked at me from the corner of her eye before bowing her head. “Those with low magical talent have three or more Mana Sources. They usually remain acolytes instead of forming circles.”

“What do your Mana Source and magic affinity determine?” He leaned against his desk, arm crossed over his chest.

Both of them raised their hands.

“Princess Selena?”

“It determines the type of mana you can store in your body and the strength of the spells you can cast. I used a frost meditation manual, a glacier starter potion, and a black ice runic circle. I can learn any ice-based spell, and the power when casting them is ten times stronger. As a downside, it is almost impossible for me to cast fire-based spells.”

I shrunk lower in my seat. I couldn’t remember if I’d heard about Mana Source before, but I knew about Magic Circles. There were a million questions in my mind. I raised my hand, ignoring the look the teacher was giving me.

“Speak.”

“What about acolytes? How can they use magic if they don’t have a runic circle?”

He looked at me, assessing whether to answer my question or not. “It is a question of scale. Magic spells range from level 0 to level 12, coinciding with the number of circles. Level 0 consists of basic spells, such as clean, heat, or dry. Mages don’t consider them to be ‘true’ spells, since they use half internal and half external mana to create an effect that the caster has little control over. Level 0 spells also have a high chance of failing. From Level 1 up, the mage casts with only their internal magic.”

“That’s why acolytes can make potions.”

“Yes, but please refrain from speaking out of turn. If you must say something, raise your hand and wait to be acknowledged.”

The Professor wasn’t as bad as I’d first assumed he would be. He had a low opinion of me, but didn’t make things difficult.

I could take being verbally humiliated, but being used as a target as people practiced spells was not fun.

Yeah. Professor Kenyon was cute compared to that old foggy in the capital. That old ghost forced me to attend his practical lessons while banning me from his theoretical classes.

Not that I would have gone, given the chance.

Those nasty creatures people considered my children would toss fire and lightning at me, saying they were practicing, bringing potions when I was close to dying from my injuries.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They were nasty, like their father and that ‘queen’ he married.

Two faces started to melt together, and I did a double take looking at Tracy. They looked alike. At first, I thought the Crown Prince chose that prostitute as a substitute for Selena, but could he have liked Tracy?

Or was there no one who looked like Selena and had to settle?

The more I looked at Tracy, the more her features overlapped with that nameless ‘queen’ who ran when she saw me but always sent people to torment me.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought. There was no way the Duke’s treasured daughter would be a prostitute picked up from the capital’s back alley.

I jerked as something hit me in the head. I looked down, seeing a piece of chalk in my lap. Looking around, the three people in the room were staring at me.

“Can I have this esteemed young miss’ attention?”

I felt my cheeks burn. Control and flexibility, I chanted to myself. “Sorry.”

“The type/classes of magic include:

* 1.1Abjuration - Protective spells and spells to suppress the magic of others

1.2 Conjuration - Calls materials, creatures, or energy to the mage

1.3 Divination - Spells used to gain knowledge or insight into the future

1.4 Enchantment - Spells that hypnotize or confound, usually by affecting the mind and senses

1.5 Evocation - Damage spells

1.6 Illusion - Altering and bending space, allowing the caster to alter the reality of the viewer

1.7 Necromancy - Spells involving life, death, and the soul. Often involves working with corpses.

1.8 Transmutation - Spells that alter form or function.

* 2.0 Spell crafting - Creation of spells as it relates to the categories above

* 3.0 Smithing

3.1 Runesmith - Carving runes onto objects to imbue them with attributes or functions

3.2 Wordsmith - Using words in a scroll or text to create a spell

3.3 Tunesmith - Imbuing music with magical properties. Most often associated with enchantments or illusions.

* 4.0 Enchanting - Adding effects or functions to an object using a spell

* 5.0 Magi crafting - Creating items that can withstand runesmithing or enchanting.

5.1 Weaponsmith - Creation of weapons

5.2 Mechsmith - Creation of auxiliary items

* 6.0 Alchemy - The practice of changing a chemical element from one form to another with an added magical effect

* 7.0 Potions - A liquid that has magical properties most often associated with healing or poison but has various uses"

7.1 Herbalism - Using the magical properties of plants to create an effect

I took out a paper and started writing everything down. That earned me weird looks, but they left me to my own devices.

He pulled out a glass orb mounted on a gold frame with twelve rotating rings. I didn’t see where he took it from and assumed he had a storage item. “That covers the basics. Since we are here and I have a Mana Testing device, why don’t we test everyone's attributes.”

I stopped, nails digging into my palms. Because of how often I did that, I would soon have scars. I took back every nice thing I thought about Professor Kenyon. The grandpa in the capital didn’t treat me as human but kept his attacks physical. The Professor was well-versed in psychological attacks.

“Princess Tracy…”

Tracy walked to the front, pressing her hand to the glass. Seconds later, tendrils of brown and silver started to swirl in the orb. When she lifted her hand, one golden ring started to orbit the sphere while the others stayed still.

“1st Circle Mage with Ice and Earth affinity.”

It was only for a moment, but I saw Tracy glare at the orb, her fingers curling, before she looked resigned, put a smile on her face, and returned to her seat.

“Princess Selena…” There was pride in his voice as he called her name. His head tilted back, and he watched her as an artist might gaze at his favorite painting.

Selena glided to the front of the room. Her hand touching the glass caused a bright light that had me closing my eyes and lifting my hand to shield my face.

When I looked, the orb was a glowing silver mist with two golden circles moving and a third jerking in place.

“2nd Circle Mage with Ice affinity, about to advance to 3rd Circle. A true talent. It is hard to believe you are fifteen.”

I was resigned to what was going to happen next.

“Jal, you next.”

I didn’t move.

He smiled, something sharp and toothy. “If you don’t test your affinity, I won’t let you attend subsequent lessons.”

Was he doing this on his own initiative, or did someone tell him to?

Did it matter?

I let out an appreciative breath. Insidious and cruel. These were all lessons I should observe and remember, if not to pay them back for what they’d done, at least to be able to use it on others.

My gaze fell on the instrument. It looked nothing like the stone slab I’d pressed my hand to as a child. Though, the apprehension I felt was the same. I knew the results, but as I stood and walked to the front, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any expectations.

Dual ice and water root.

I pressed my hand to the orb, and the rings stopped spinning. The tugging sensation was back, and there was also a burning in my chest where my pendant hung.

Minutes passed, and nothing happened. I lifted my hands, and the rings resumed their orbit, calm and orderly, ignorant of the turmoil they caused.

“As expected.”