For whatever reason, Magister Kenner did not reveal my deception to others even though I got the feeling that he noticed what I did during the aptitude test. I was in a state of shock for the rest of the day and couldn’t remember much until I suddenly realized I was back at the compound in my room talking with my roommates.
Unfortunately for Louis, he did not manage to pass the aptitude test and was more sad than I’ve seen him since arriving in Euphelia. Max actually asked one of the teachers how many people in total managed to pass the aptitude test and said that around 50 of us were found to have magic potential. To make Louis’ mood even worse, Leigh was one of them, and was now trying to comfort our roommate.
“Cheer up man, just because you didn’t manage to pass the test today doesn’t mean you lack any sort of powers whatsoever!” Leigh optimistically reasoned, hoping to bring Louis back to his usual self.
“He’s right, you know, don’t you remember what Kuvira said last week? We will be undergoing a training regime of some kind soon. You’ll be so strong at one point that you won’t have to worry about sorcerers and stuff regardless” Max added, not seeming as upset by failing the aptitude test.
“I don’t know guys, Magister Kenner seemed very powerful especially when he shot fire out before the tests, is that something that every magi can do?” Louis asked, not entirely believing that physical strength could overpower the wondrous powers of a sorcerer.
“Probably not Louis, if every magi could do that, they would be the rulers of this land. And did you not notice that the guards all over Krilos still carry swords and spears? Kenner said that one in a hundred have potential to become magi, if they were indeed as powerful as the old man, they would be the only armed force required to keep things safe. It is most likely that Magister Kenner's boasts are not just pride, and that he is an anomaly among sorcerers” I replied, hoping to point out the silver lining in not being a sorcerer.
Leigh and Max nodded at my reasoning, already seeing the weaknesses of being someone who focused on training in sorcery, and not even having a guarantee of reaching Kenner’s level.
“Yeah you’re probably right Leon, being a magi also comes with it’s own drawbacks. The spell we saw today isn’t something that can be brought forth instantly, so if someone is close by it won't do you any good in the face of a sharp blade” Louis agreed, forcing a smile in the process.
“We should probably go to bed early today guys, something tells me that the only reason we haven’t been running laps yet is that the Jenusians were waiting for the result of the aptitude tests, so let’s turn in” Max suggested, drawing groans of frustration from the rest of us.
The next day did not bring any surprises though however, we had our usual day of classes during which I decided to enquire about the Magisterium from our teacher.
“Excuse me, yesterday all of us were brought to the Magisterium in the palace area, could you tell us about it?” I asked, hoping to get some hints about where I could undergo the aptitude test in the future.
“Truly? That is an honor that I have not been able to achieve in my life to this point so you should consider yourselves fortunate. The Magisterium could be best described as the most powerful organization on Euphelia whose members are exclusively magi and magisters. They do not involve themselves personally in the affairs of nations, and devote themselves to the pursuit of arcane knowledge instead. The place you visited yesterday was only a branch of this organization, and its headquarters are located to the east in the Eryx mountains. It is a place which no one but members of the Magisterium can visit, and the city in which the headquarters is located is said to be the most advanced in all of Euphelia, even more so than Krilos” Goer explained, seeming just as entranced by the wonders of magic as Louis was.
The contents of the class from that point on which was meant to be discussing Jenusian history pivoted to a dramatic lecture from Goer on the achievements and powers of past sorcerers. While I listened to his words respectfully I was not inclined to believe everything our admittedly biased teacher was telling. While being able to shoot fire from one’s arms is already difficult to wrap one’s head around, stopping a flowing river or dividing a mountain in two seems a little far fetched.
One important thing Goer did tell us is that sorcery is not limited to just offensive spells. He spoke at length about a member of the Priesthood of Ralish; Saint Janis, who could cure all ailments and extend the lives of others past their natural ends. And in the Tarli Kingdom, a neighbor of the Jenusian Empire, their founding King was able to raise whole structures from the ground using his sorcery, building a city which to this day remains their capital. Thinking about non-combat uses of the mystical power called sorcery made me worry a lot less about it in general. Here’s to hoping that Kevin becomes Janis’ successor.
Even though I knew that all of us who failed the aptitude test would be put through physical training at some point in the near future, I still kept up with my own training after classes. Louis managed to get some helpful advice from Mr. Reuter about exercise regimens. I had been training for almost a week at that point, and even after skipping out yesterday due to the aptitude test I was already feeling more worn out than I ever have in my life. If not for the experience of seeing Brian die to the Ironclaw I don’t think my willpower could have kept up.
When lying in bed that evening contemplating if the pain in my body was worth all of the trouble, for some reason Kuvira’s face kept pushing itself to the forefront of my mind. I thought at first that this was the influence of my hormones but her objectively attractive appearance did not evoke the same kind of response from my body as I expected. For some reason, her smile when seeing so many of us students pass the aptitude test made me feel fear. She did not outright say anything that could be interpreted as hostile in any of the times I have seen her since coming to Euphelia but my gut was warning me that there was something scary about her. Magister Kenner referred to her as his former apprentice so she definitely wasn’t a harmless person.
Did the Jenusians truly have no dishonest intentions towards our group, and consequently me? The majority of the students and teachers had grown closer to one another over the past month, myself included. I did not have anyone I could call a friend back on Earth but here I had made three friends in almost no time at all. Us being housed together definitely played a factor but being the only Americans in this land has caused me to develop a feeling of sameness towards my peers.
Perhaps at some point in the future strength on an individual level would be necessary, without even knowing who our foe would be in such a scenario. There would be no leeway for people like me then in my current state. I had already been feeling the effects of exercising my body and regardless of me eating just as much as I did beforehand, I was burning a lot more calories. It was probably worth continuing with this training even if we would be doing more of it during the day.
The next morning, there were a lot more guards on the premises than before, and people were starting to get worried. When Mr. Hendricks inquired about why so many of them were here, we were told that they would be escorting us to the ‘barracks’. The compound where we were residing was massive, so I didn’t think there was a need to train elsewhere but this was apparently not the case.
The barracks was actually not that far away from where we are staying, so around 270 of us walked there while surrounded by guards on all sides. This was my first opportunity in a while to witness the way in which the residents of Krilos lived, and there were quite a lot of them on the streets this morning for some reason. A crowd had gathered on either side of the road as if waiting for a celebrity to pass by and they were watching us curiously, especially those of non-white ethnicities.
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The barracks was apparently the name for the fortified area of Krilos in which the city garrison and knights would live and train. It reminded me of an army base just pushed back hundreds of years in the past technologically. When we arrived we were split into two groups based on our gender, and then we were led to two adjoining hard-ground fields.
There a familiar face was waiting in the same shining armor that I remember from the first day in Jenusia. Grand Woodsbane, Kuvira’s personal knight would be overseeing our training while the training of those with magical aptitude would be overseen by his mistress. I expected for our ‘lessons’ today to be varied in nature just like those by Goer’s were, but my expectations were ruined in spectacular fashion.
Grant ordered for some of the men to bring out wagons which were piled high with a bunch of spears missing their tips. Our training for today was going to be endurance training, which meant that we would be split into groups and run laps around the massive field while holding a spear in our hands.
This was apparently the same method that soldiers in the Jenusian army would use to raise their stamina, and so we were divided by the grades we were in and so the training began. The soldiers and knights guided us throughout the whole process but it was not a training regimen that was too complex.
We would first run three laps around the field with the spear in our hand, after which we would be given a few minutes rest. Then we would be balancing the spear atop our hands while one of the soldiers would count to a hundred. Then we would be given a longer rest while the other grades were doing the aforementioned exercises, and when the field was no longer being run by another group the whole circuit would begin again.
I struggled through the first circuit quite badly, almost falling a few times during the run, but when I did eventually trip and fall the second time round I did not get the reaction from the guards that I expected. For some reason, they were taking it easy on us in regards to their expectations and did not admonish me in any way.
At some point during that morning I lost count how many times we repeated these endurance exercises, and the vomit on my shirt was the only thing that was keeping me tied down in reality. From the strain my un-athletic body was experiencing today I evidently barfed up my breakfast and the only silver lining in this terrible situation was that I wasn’t the first among the students to do so. Even Mr. Phillips, the teacher who was overseeing the 10th graders, was looking to be at his limit.
He asked the guard in imperfect Rahlian if we could take a break for at least an hour before continuing and surprisingly the stern-faced man who introduced himself earlier as Tec said yes. In fact we only had to run the circuit two more times for the whole day, so more than half of the time was spent idly that day.
For dinner that evening, I ate so much food that I felt like I had a bowling ball in my stomach. I could barely feel anything in my body as I lie in bed that evening awaiting the rest of my roommates to return from the dining hall, and while I was thinking about what a pain it would be to go through this kind of experience regularly Max and Louis returned to the room with ghastly facial expressions.
“Did you eat even more than I did at dinner?” I jokingly asked, knowing that they went through the same kind of hell as I did.
They did not respond to my joke in any manner, causing me to become worried as they reached their beds and sat on them instead of flopping down like I had. The tension in the room was palpable, and it came to the point that my social ineptitude couldn’t handle it any longer.
“What's wrong? Did the shit the Jenusians put us through today affect you guys that badly?” I asked more seriously.
“Leigh won’t be living with us any longer, the people that passed the magical aptitude test will now live at the Magisterium” Max coldly answered.
***
When the students at the compound turned in for the night to get some rest after the unexpectedly difficult training the Jenusians had prepared for them, the same release was not granted to the teachers. They were gathered in the room formerly belonging to Mr. Phillips and formerly; Mr. Hendricks. They were the teachers that had assumed leadership roles among those summoned from earth. Their expressions were at least as tired and worn out as those of the students, some of them being even more fatigued due to the disadvantage of not being young and full of energy. Some like Mr. Phillips took part in the circuit out of a sense of duty and obligation to look after his students, rather than a personal desire to increase his physical endurance. As he sat there half-awake, awaiting the arrival of his former roommate he couldn’t help but laugh that the one who would be most suited for this duty; Mr. Reuter the physical education teacher had passed the aptitude test.
As some among the teaching staff began to doze off, the door opened and Mr. Hendricks entered and became worried at the tired faces of his colleagues.
“You guys look like you’ve been through hell, did the Jenusians manage to wear you out after just one day of training?” He inquired sarcastically.
His humorous remark did not elicit the expected response from the others, and so he decided to halt his attempts to ‘break the ice’ and sat down on one of the unoccupied chairs.
“It’s not as funny as you make it out to be Ryan. You, Ben and Madeline should count yourselves as lucky that you managed to pass yesterday’s test. I thought that we would a softer introduction to physical fitness in Jenusia but their understanding of soft and ours seems to differ” Mr. Phillips explained, a hint of venom in his voice.
The others who went through the training circuit couldn’t even muster up the energy to nod, but they all agreed with Mr. Phillips words unequivocally. Never had they experienced such physical hardships in their lives before, and just the thought that it was only the start was harrowing.
They had gathered tonight to discuss the changes that would be happening in regards to living arrangements, and how to best keep the students safe; both those studying sorcery, and those undergoing physical training. These gatherings were commonplace ever since they had arrived in Euphelia and the feelings these meetings gave off was not too-dissimilar to staff meetings they were required to attend back at school. If they were just that then these meetings would be a lot easier to stomach for many who experienced them hundreds of times over, but the topics they were discussing nowadays were a lot more important than they were used to.
Many among the teachers did not feel they could handle the weight of responsibility that was thrust upon them with no notice over a month ago, many had to deal with the problems arising between the students daily, and also make sure that they were them safe in a place where safety seemed much harder to come by. The original goal of being temporary ‘custodians’ of over 300 students became unachievable as soon as it was made clear they were no longer on Earth. The optimism present in these meetings disappeared almost entirely but some, like Mr. Hendricks felt it was paramount to continue looking out for the young minds they were previously responsible for teaching.
Worse yet, was the fact that some among the teachers had to bear the guilt for leaving behind loved ones back on Earth. These meetings acted as a support group for those who were about to crack mentally, in addition to a place to discuss solutions to problems. Now however, the reality that most of the teachers were expected to undergo an army-like training regimen, did not bode well for their collective sanity.
“It’s bad Ryan, I'm afraid to ask what the Jenusians put you guys through, but many students almost passed out from exhaustion at some point, and I wasn’t far off either. When we returned here, many had to go and do their laundry since the strain on the body was so bad that some vomited. It’s almost as if the Jenusians don’t care about whether the kids can actually survive the training process” Ms. Cardoza worriedly informed, hoping to get Ryan, who had the best relationship with Kuvira to intervene on behalf of the students.
“That does sound intense, we just spent the majority of today learning how to pronounce some sounds that no longer exist in Rahlian but are essential for spellcasting. It really did feel like the most basic level of training to me, so it wasn’t dangerous at all for the kids or myself. I doubt the Jenusians are trying to harm us by introducing these new ‘lessons’. We are meant to be beings related to the gods they worship, so killing us is counter-intuitive. You don’t have to worry much about going through this kind of experience everyday however, Kuvira said today that these ‘specialized’ lessons will be once every three days, at least for now. What worries me more is how we will be able to stay in touch now that we will be living separately” Mr. Hendricks replied, hoping to both assuage the worries of the teachers and discuss a more pressing matter.
“Yeah that's right! What are these lofty nobles trying to pull by separating us from one another?” Mr. Parsons asked loudly, irritated from having his fate being controlled by others.
“Calm down John, from what I was told this was an error on the Jenusians’ part for not informing us in advance. The way Kuvira explained it was that because the two groups would be learning different things, the times at which we would wake up and go to bed would differ from group to group. They attach some kind of importance to night-time when it comes to sorcery and having one group being more active during the day and the other at night would be distracting” Mr. Hendricks speculated, calming down some of the more errant opposition to the separation.
“But if you guys live at the Magisterium, how can we stay in touch? I know it’s not that far away from here to there but if something happens we won’t be able to meet on short notice” Ms. Cardoza said, still not comfortable with the distance.
Mr. Hendricks placed his hand on hers in a supporting gesture, which was not interpreted that way by both her, and some others.
“I have worked out a solution already with Ben and Madeline. Since there’s only three of us over there and a lot more of you here, we’ll take turns coming once a day in the evenings just to make sure everything is alright. There is no need for us all to meet like this daily but just knowing that everything is going fine should keep things calm. If one of us doesn’t show up then that would be an indicator of something going wrong” Mr. Hendricks explained his plan, drawing grunts of agreement all around.
The rest of the discussion was regarding the specifics of what the two groups' lessons entailed, helping all involved become less fearful of what exactly the two groups were learning. Just as Mr. Hendricks was about to stand up and leave, feeling worn out mentally from learning an entirely differently sounding language yet again, Ms. Cardoza asked a question which the others did not dare voice aloud.
“With the kind of things the Jenusians are encouraging us to learn, doesn’t it seem like they’re training soldiers?” Ms. Cardoza asked, hoping someone would refute her.