Survive, Sima. 

The boy threw off his covers and the sound of his retching broke through the silence of the night. He cradled his head in his hands as the vomit covered the floor, breaking only when there was nothing left to heave out. A feeling of pain shot through his body, a feeling of intense discord accompanying it. Perhaps even causing it. 

“Sima? SIMA.” He heard a voice frantically call to him, the creak of the door resounding passing into his ears a thousand times louder than usual. 

He let out a whimper and fell further to the ground, his night clothing ruined by stains and the smell palpable. He disregarded the newcomer and squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for the pain to go away.

The pain wasn’t unfamiliar to him, a common occurrence when he’d been younger. Too young to know what it was that shredded his mind. But ever since he had entered the academy it had ceased to bother him. This was the first time in his two years of learning that the pain had reared its head to attack him once again. 

“Gorthal. I thought my talent had taken care of this.” He whispered a silent prayer to the protector of his country as the pain subsided enough to let him drag his knees off the floor. 

“What is it?” Sima’s head cracked as it shot up at the sound of his friend’s voice, only to droop back down as pain shot through him. “Gods, are you okay?”

His friend's concerns reached his ears but he chose to sit on his bed and stare angrily at the opposite wall. “It’s nothing.”

“Ah yes.” His friend nodded at the corner of his vision. “I remember when I first started screaming my lungs out for no reason, retching and shitting all over the place. I think I was at the age of one. I guess you just figured out you were born then.”  

“Sally… It’s a curse.” His lips tugged upwards at their edges. “And I wasn’t shitting everywhere. It only came out of one end.”

“So you admit the stuff is yours.” Sally gazed at Sima with a glint of emotion in her eyes. 

He recognised pity when he saw it. 

“Please make it disappear. I don’t want to look at the stuff, let alone smell it.”

Sally huffed. “You’re the water genius. You get rid of it.”  

Sima looked down at the puddle, thankfully more soup than solid. He lifted his hand and concentrated, the pain in his head fading away into obscurity as the mana in the air rushed towards his palm. The air swirled with moisture as a ball of water began to form. Swirls of the liquid twirling through the air and condensing into a magnificent bubble. 

Then it popped.

Sima’s shoulders sagged at the sight and he sighed. 

“You’re not on your best game today.” Sally was stunned. “Was that a coincidence?”

Sima shot her a glare that quickly subsided. He shook his head and watched as Sally began to gather water in front of her, not needing to be asked a second time. The duo stayed silent as the magic did its work, each particle entering the water disappearing into the liquid as though it was eaten by acid. Sally ended her channeling and sat beside Sima. She was clearly content to wait at his side, regardless of whether he wanted to talk or not. 

Minutes passed before he spoke. “I can’t use magic for a while after th-that.” 

He motioned to his head and Sally stayed silent. He felt a hand press against his back, comforting him. 

“How long?” 

“Five minutes.” Sima began to gather mana in his hand, allowing the water that formed to swirl around in the air playfully. 

A completely different display of power compared to before. They watched almost entranced as the clear streams met in the air and formed into shapes and designs as though alive. Each one a different rune which unlocked infinite possibilities. Sima controlled each one with his thoughts and willpower until sixty five different shapes had been mapped out. 

“Don’t let Rei know that or he’ll kick your ass the moment you show weakness.” Sally’s voice held caution and also concern. The water remained in the air, lazily floating about. “He’s been looking for a way to cheap shot you for a year now.”

“Rei is a bloated windbag whose fire should have sent him flying into the sky by now.” Sima’s voice had regained its calm and authoritative tone. “But he would never stab me in the back when I’m not able to defend myself.”

“You trust him more than I do then.” Sally lifted her hands towards the water and Sima allowed her to take control of it. 

She tried to do the same as he had, to form the runes they had been learning since entering the academy. The water began to shift and morph gracefully under her guidance. Quicker and more dynamically than Sima’s formations had been. Sima could see Sally struggling as she reached the fortieth rune outline. Her hair drenched with sweat which beaded down her face and neck. With a final push of mana the water collapsed and fell onto the wooden floorboard. 

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Sima’s voice wasn’t mocking or sarcastic. 

“I didn’t even reach forty.” Sally fell back onto the bed, exhausted. “Second highest talent in the class but that means nothing when my competition is a monster twenty five runes ahead of me.”

“I have a lot of power.” Sima relaxed back into the conversation they’d been having since they’d both been assigned as a team back in their first year. “Your control and mastery of the element is years ahead of mine. The water listens to you as though you’re blood relatives. You don’t need to form runes, that comes with time. It’s control where most people find their bottlenecks and you could probably beat out some of the teachers.”

“Blah, blah, fish in water, blah blah power is what people recognise.” Sally mimed talking mouths with her hands and fingers. “We’ve had this conversation how many times now? A hundred?”

“Closer to two hundred.” Sima smiled and watched the water seeping into the floorboards, ready to be controlled again at a moment's notice. “What kind of self respecting magician doesn’t count the number of times they’ve had a petty argument.”

“When I’m a hundred years old and live in a musty old tower I’ll make sure to pay you back with a water ball to the face.”

Sima felt something hit the back of his head gently at Sally’s words and he froze. “Please tell me that wasn’t what I think it was.”

“Have fun with my sweat running down your back.” 

Sally lifted herself off the bed in one smooth motion and poked her tongue out at him. Only to choke as Sima retaliated by sending her sweat straight into her mouth with a tug of his hand.

“GODS I HATE YOU.”

The door slammed behind Sally as she continued to cough and gag in the hallway. Sima wiped away the tears of laughter that began to form and stood tall, the headache from before all but forgotten and put into the back of his mind.

He moved towards his window with a grin and lifted it to let the fresh air in. The pain had woken him up early and he was glad that the academy’s walls muffled sounds during the night, or else he would have woken up the entire year level. The teachers checking for excessive strain on the wall’s sound runes would be in for a rude awakening when they checked over them. The only reason Sally had heard him was because he had already overwhelmed the ones between their rooms. 

He rested his arms on the ledge of the window and poked his head out to feel the breeze. He tried to spot the moons to orient himself and figure out how many hours left until dawn. He frowned as the celestial bodies didn’t present themselves. 

He craned his neck and twisted his head from side to side as he tried to spot even a single moon. It wasn’t normal for both to be hidden, no matter how early it was. His eyes narrowed as he realised the moon weren’t the only things missing. The constellations he used to find his position weren’t present. He strained his eyes searching for stars he recognised, though he wasn’t an expert in astrology and so couldn’t tell if the stars had changed or if they had always been there. 

Then one of them blinked out of existence. 

A faint warning sounded out in Sima’s mind as he watched the mysterious disappearance. He peered into the void as the star’s lights slowly began to fade. The sky was covered in a haze that cut the stars off from the world.

‘No… Something cut us off from the outside.’ The realisation hit like thunder. 

A shadow passed over Sima’s head, lit by the fading stars. It was barely visible but he could make out that it was larger than a carriage. Its dozen flailing limbs marked it as something inhuman. His body froze as it landed on the ground two floors below and rushed into the building. 

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Followed by another. 

His first instinct was to shout. To wake up as many people as possible. 

Then he remembered the sound runes were in place. 

‘No noise. Don’t give away your position.’

The warning his combat teacher had almost beaten into him for two years ran through his head. Sima took a step back and immediately shut the window as tight as he could. He ran to the door as stealthily as he could and as he reached it he could feel the sweat making it harder to turn the knob. 

“Sally.” He opened the door and hissed into the corridor.

He hoped she had stuck around instead of returning to her room. He was out of luck. He moved out of his room and checked down the corridor as he exited. 

Something stared back at him.

Sima froze as the darkness gave way to three yellow orbs hovering in the air. Each one an eye looking in a different direction. The darkness was unnatural, he knew that the runes in the halls would provide at least a little light during the night as a precaution. The wall of pitch black surrounding the creature seemed to be waving off of its body. It left a faint outline of something bigger than he was three times over. 

‘Magic sight.’ He remembered his creature fighting lessons.

These kinds of creatures weren’t looking for flesh and blood. They scouted by spotting magic users and hunting them down. Fortunately the entire corridor and every room was covered in magic runes, disguising Sima from the monster. 

The creature passed by him as he stood perfectly still, his breathing stopped to a minimum. Its eyes wandering to another section of the building. After a few moments of waiting Sima watched it lumber off, taking the dark cloud with it. 

If it had moved even slightly towards him its body would have bumped against his. 

Sima cautiously made his way to Sally’s door without hesitation. He breathed a sigh of relief as the door opened and with a swift movement he entered the room unannounced. A tangle of hair was waiting for him and shot him a look that could kill. 

Sally had clearly taken only seconds to fall asleep and now she’d been rudely awakened. 

“Sima.” Sally breathed heavily into the air. “I will kill you.”

Sima responded by gently pushing the door closed and putting a finger over Sally’s mouth, trying to convey his emotion with his eyes. 

“What? What the heck are you doing?” 

Unfortunately it didn’t work. Sally almost bit his finger off and Sima kept his mouth shut through the pain. 

He leant forward and whispered into her ear. “Shut up and hide. We’re under attack.” 

Her eyes widened and he quickly found himself free to travel inside her room. He ignored the various stuffed animals she had brought in from her estate to the academy and rushed towards her window.

“What do you mean we’re under attack?” Sally followed him cautiously, her voice lowered to a whisper and her body language alert. 

Sima could tell she didn’t doubt his words. She just wanted confirmation. 

“Outside.” He poked his head out and scanned the sky. “The stars have gone out. There’s a barrier… and there were things walking in the corridor and entering the building. Monsters, I think.”

He was quickly shoved back into the room and he saw Sally taking his place. Her expression shifted and she closed the window, shifting her hands and forming water around her. 

“You’re lucky you’ve never played pranks on me before.” She placed her hands close to his, and they both began to channel mana into the air.

The ball of water dragged into existence around them quickly grew as they combined their talents. This was their first defence against anything that would try to make them into a meal. 

“What is it?” Sally shot a look out the window. “Don’t say it’s a barrier. I mean what kind of barrier is it.”

“I don’t know.” Sima admitted truthfully. “I’ve never seen something powerful enough to block the outside world but leave no magical trace in the air.”

“The creatures?”

“They had a lot of tentacles. One was right outside and had a magic sight.”

Sally swore. Neither of them were well versed in monsters, but they knew the common ones. Whatever Sima had seen was anything but your garden variety creature. 

“Should we go outside or inside?” Sally watched the ball of water grow until it was the size of a head, and then ripped out half of it for her own personal usage.

“We don’t know what’s outside.” Sima could feel his heartbeat rising as he took in the leftover water and continued to let it grow. “But that’s better than what’s right outside the door.”

Their water balls floated in the air alongside them. This was the largest amount of the element they could control. Any more and they would drain their mana before even confronting a single enemy. 

“The others?” Sima questioned her.

They both looked at each other, uncertainty in their eyes. As a team their rooms had been placed next to each other, but to reach the others of their year level they had to traverse the halls. 

The halls that currently held unknown creatures inside them. 

It was Sally that broke the silence. “We can’t.” 

They’d both been warned by their parents and their teachers about the possibility of an attack. Human institutions and even cities could sometimes be wiped off the face of Dunia overnight. Monster attacks, Centaur invasion or simple robbery were more common than not but they had thought an institute dedicated towards raising powerful magicians would be safe from harm. 

Or perhaps they had simply hoped that would be the case. 

They were just students. Not even apprentices. There were creatures that could tear a fully accredited magus in half with a single swipe, let alone two beginners such as them. 

Their colleagues would have to fend for themselves. 

A scream interrupted their discussion, cutting through the sound runes woven into the wall. Sima fell to his knees as a wave of pressure pressed against him. The scream pierced his ears and Sally reached over to hold onto him, water gently caressing them as they brought their elements towards themselves for protection. The noise had come from within the building, but Sima was sure it wasn’t human. 

He tried to lift his body and staggered. The scream had been imbued with a magic that paralysed his body. He willed himself up and saw Sally struggling as well.

“Outside.” He eyed the window. “We have to find the teachers.”

Sally nodded and brought the sphere of water towards the window, using it to lift it up as far as it could go. Sima controlled the liquid and formed a rune into the air. Mana flowed from his body into the rune and the liquid continued towards the window, leaving a glowing and near invisible rune in the air. 

Sally was the first to jump out, the water following her and carrying her, slowing her descent down the two floors. Sima quickly followed and the moment his feet touched the ground they rushed through the open grass. He could feel the rune he’d formed in the room dissipating and a small flow of mana return to him. 

‘We’re wide open out here.’ 

Sima motioned with his water towards the section of the field that was home to a small field of trees. He and Sally made it to the treeline as another cry resounded from the building behind them.

Sima was ready this time, pulling up Sally as she tripped and rushing into the treeline and safety. He could hear other sounds now. The creatures had woken the student body, but he couldn’t see anyone else escaping from the dorm building. 

He sent a silent prayer for his friends as he ran towards the main building. Already there were lights paving a path for them and he felt relief wash over him as he spotted a familiar figure walking out of the building.

“Magus Lyn!” Sima abandoned his silence as he and Sally approached the combat teacher. 

“Sima. Sally.” The magus looked over their shoulders wearily as they rushed up to him. “Into the building, quickly.”

“But-” Sally tried to point towards the building, before she was shoved through the door by magus Lyn.

“Headmaster Reynolds is already heading towards the dorms. Quickly now, this isn’t something the two of you can handle.”

“The headmaster...” Sima took in a deep breath. 

His fears were already alleviated at the sight of his teacher. This further confirmation gave him more hope. He gestured in appreciation but the magus continued to look forward towards the building, already waving at another group of students rushing towards him.

Sima followed Sally through the door and blinked as he found himself swamped in darkness. His voice left him as his throat constricted. Something was attacking him. 

“Magus Lyn!” He called out to his teacher, his confusion growing as the space warped around him. 

They were the last words he could shout before his throat closed. 

The ground had disappeared and been replaced by shadows. Each step dragged him deeper into their depths. He could see the shadow’s covering Sally’s neck, and soon they would drag him down with her. His attempts to pry himself free only led to further sinking. 

Sima turned his head to face magus Lyn, their only hope of escape. But his pleading eyes were met with a cold expression as the magus stared at him.

He knew.

Sima let out a guttural shout as his head broke out in pain. The ball of water accompanying him fell to the ground, manaless, as his own body attacked him. 

Save me.

Save Sally.

‘Save me. Save Sally.’ Sima repeated in his mind as the headaches worsened. ‘Where did those words come from?’

He wasn’t sure who had said the words he was repeating but each one carried power within them. The moment he repeated them in his mind he found his headache lessening. The pain retreating as though beaten back by an invisible sword. He focused on the two words as he saw Sally’s head fully submerge into the shadows below them. His head soon followed her, his thinking slowing down as the last of his air gave way in his lungs. 

The last thing he saw as the darkness took him was a new group of students talking to magus Lyn, who pointed them inside the building. 

‘If we survive this I’ll get you.’ Sima promised in his heart. ‘I’ll hunt you down no matter how long it takes.’

He knew it was futile. There was no chance he would escape. No chance he would survive. As Sima felt his mind shut down his body relaxed. In front of him he could see a bright golden light that seemed to beckon him towards it. A magic rushing through his soul so deeply that it was as thought he was a child again, playing as his mother watched on. 

The light enveloped him and he closed his eyes, a final thought drifting through his mind.

‘Save me. Save Sally.’

****

“Well hello there youngling.”

Sima groaned as a stranger’s voice washed over him.

“That’s one way to greet me. I prefer a good old fashioned hand shake.”

 The voice continued to babble and Sima finally opened his eyes, and immediately shut them as a bright light pierced through them. 

“Well now aren’t you a curious one. Haven’t seen artificial sunlight before?”

Sima finally pried his eyes open, if only to see the person who was babbling on and on in front of him. 

The sight of a tall skeleton in bright green and pink overalls greeted him. The bones of its hand lifted up a rake and waved the tool at him. 

“Howdy.” 

Sima stared at the creature and it stared back at him. After a minute of silence it knelt down so that it was directly eye to socket with him. 

“Now what’s a fine young fellow like you doing in my dungeon?”