A disturbing sound spread through the room, making Lana scrunch her face in her sleep. She opened one eye, but everything seemed right. A sigh escaped her lips as she tightened the hug around the fox plushie in her hands.
Just as she was about to return to dreamland, the sound started again, coming closer to her, and that’s when she realised something was wrong. Her eyes opened abruptly, as she held her breath, listening to the sound.
An intruder was in her room, one that was feared by all. Her body tensed, as she prepared for the inevitable battle that awaited her. There was no point in talking, because the creature going after her was merciless. It was a creature of the night, a bloodsucking monstrosity.
This was a battle of life or death, where only one of them could come out victorious. The monstrous intruder readied its wings before zeroing in on her. Within half a second or even less, his bloody sharp fangs were about her, but that was when she acted.
“Holy Slap!”
Her hand went flying toward the intruder with mind-bending power. If her fingers barely scratched the creature, it would be pulverised to atoms.
“Ouch!”
And she missed, hitting her right cheek instead.
“Kukukukuku, you are too weak, mortal. Your weak kind cannot defeat me. Give up and let me drink your blood.”
The creature mocked her, as it flew around the previously silent room with a hateful noise. She massaged her cheek as her gaze wandered around, searching for her enemy. If she couldn’t find it soon, her roommates might be in danger as well.
The darkness limited her vision, but the light from the moon was enough to illuminate the room. Her sight soon adapted to it, and she stood up from her bed, silently, stalking through the small space she shared with two others.
She finally oriented herself, spotting the intruder from the sound of his wings. A stealthy opponent like that was hard to find and even harder to beat, but that couldn’t stop her from trying.
She crept forward, nearing her enemy, watching his reaction with every movement she made. He was just silently staying there, staring at her, surely laughing in his mind at her pitiful performance.
Finally, she was close enough to attack. She took a deep breath and concentrated. If she missed this time, there might not be another chance.
“HOLY SLAP!”
She yelled, her hand flying at unimaginable speed. The creature reacted, moving against her attack for the final confrontation.
Suddenly, the room was lit with a click.
“What in the world are you doing, Lana?”
Lana froze, turning her head slowly, only to be met with a piercing glare from Emma, one of her roommates. The foxkin had a frown on her face, her tail standing straight behind her, her ears twitching in annoyance.
“I…”
She started, only to be interrupted by her fearsome enemy. He landed on her face, and she shrieked, falling on her butt.
“Spark.”
She heard Emma say, and a small flame, lept from her finger, hitting the bloodsucker a second later. The flame consumed it in a moment, and the room fell silent.
“Sigh.”
That came from the other bed. Lana turned to look at it, but she couldn’t clearly see if Claire was awake or not.
“Just go to bed, already. It’s past three, you know? Couldn’t you be a bit more silent? We need to wake up early tomorrow.”
Emma glared at her, as her words were like a bucket of cold water.
“B-but, there was…”
Lana averted her gaze, not able to look her roommate in the eyes.
“I know, the mosquito is already taken care of. Now, go to bed. I will forgive you this time for waking me up, but I won’t next time, are we clear?”
The glare intensified, and Lana shivered. She stood up in a second, saluting.
“Yes, ma-am.”
Emma let out another sigh and waved her hand. The bracelet on her wrist flashed for a second and the lights were out once more. Lana crept to her bed, her head lowered in shame. She got too excited yet again, making a scene out of nothing, and managed to wake up her roommates.
That was a bad habit she had since she was a child. The only thing that she hoped for was that they won’t be offended by her blunder, and maybe continue to talk with her? She liked her roommates, and she wanted to befriend them. Something she found really hard to do, as she never had friends. All the children in the past ignored or outright bullied her. Her childhood wasn’t the best but wasn’t the worst either.
There were still many fun things that she did, and she didn’t regret anything in her life. At least, so far. She laid back in her bed and covered herself in her blanket. The plushies felt nice against her skin, and she couldn’t help but grab the fox-looking one. It looked almost like her roommate, and that made her kind of happy, as she hugged it to her chest.
The smell of the fox plushie grazed her nose, as the scent of vanilla occupied her senses. It was a nice choice, although it made her hungry sometimes. But the smell was good, and she didn’t regret buying the flavoring for it.
Lana closed her eyes, immersed in the fluffiness around her. The silence and the dark room lured her more and more into dreamland, as the comfortable blanket wrapped all around her, like an encompassing hug. Before she knew it, she was already asleep.
—----------
The sun is an evil entity. Each second, it produces enough energy to destroy the whole world multiple times over. If it was a living being, it would be considered a god, a demon, or a transcendent. Such a being shouldn’t have any attachment for it had seen everything, nor should it have neither a reason nor a drive to bother anyone—especially a tired young girl at barely nine in the morning.
But no, the sun’s heart was as black and cold as its surface was red and hot. It glared through the curtains of Lana’s window and stared deep into her eyes. Even as the poor young girl turned around, the sun’s rays still found a way. They bounced off the walls and floor and pierced through her eyelids.
Lana grumpily kept rolling over her bed, trying to find a spot where she wouldn’t be blasted with the celestial flash bomb. But soon, there was no more bed to roll over.
“Ugh”
Lana sat on the ground dizzy from the fall while massaging the back of her head. She was wrapped in her sheets and blanket like a cocoon.
“Good morning,” Claire smiled at her and turned back to read her book.
“Good morning,” Lana mumbled, a yawn escaping her lips. She looked around the room with heavy-lidded eyes when she noticed that the foxkin was missing.
“Oh, where is Emma?”
“She went to her classes,” Claire turned a page. “Hers start at nine.”
Lana was still dizzy. However, as her brain slowly processed Claire’s words, her eyes opened wide.
“No no no, I’m gonna be late! I have class in 30 minutes!”
Lana took off the blanket and sheets around her and ran to the bathroom. Or at least, tried to. Unfortunately for her, her blankets managed to hug her legs, and the next thing she knew, she was already on the ground, her forehead hurting.
“Ouch.”
“There.” Before Lana could fully comprehend what happened, a soothing sensation spread through her body, and the pain went away almost instantly.
“Thanks” she waved a hand, not even turning around, as she managed to sprint to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
She quickly undressed and entered the shower. As she looked at the showerhead, she had a fearful expression on her face before she shook her head and steeled her heart.
“I can do it. I know how to do it.” She looked at her bracelet with trembling eyes before she pushed her mana into it.
Nothing. There was no water flowing out from the showerhead.
Lana looked back at the bracelet, and this time, she put in more mana. Just as the bracelet flashed with blue light, a torrent came rushing at her face. Only gurgles came out of her mouth as she tried to scream from the water assault.
Half a minute later, the water jet finally stopped and the shower head started working normally. Lana felt as if her life had flashed in front of her eyes. She thought that she would suffocate and drown from a rogue magical showerhead.
After she finished showering, Lana looked at the hair-drying crystal with troubled eyes. She was able to get it to function properly yesterday, but what about today? And after almost drowning while taking a shower, who could blame her for thinking this way?
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Nevertheless, classes were about to start in twenty minutes, and she couldn’t go there with wet and flat hair. And what’s worse, if she went out with wet hair, she could easily catch a cold, let’s not even mention ruining her hair.
As she nervously looked at her bracelet, a smooth hand gently rested on her shoulder.
“Just sit down. Let me take care of it.” Claire offered Lana a chair before taking the hair-drying crystal from the upper drawers. She put mana in her bracelet to activate the crystal and the gentle and warm air blew at Lana’s hair.
The young girl couldn’t help but smile, as Claire gently brushed her hair while drying it. The warmth and Claire’s skilled hands made Lana relax, and with each stroke, she fell deeper into a realm of bliss. Soon, her eyelids drooped, her shoulders slumped on the chair, and she was off to dreamland.
The red light dimmed from Claire’s bracelet and the crystal stopped blowing air.
“Done.” She returned the dryer to its place, and went back to her book.
“Eh?” Lana blinked as she finally came back to reality. The warmth was gone, and Claire was back on her bed. She looked around the room, still trying to understand what happened when her bracelet beeped. She looked down at it and squealed.
“No! I will be late!”
Without further ado, she sprinted for the door, ready to tackle the first day of her new school life. Her bracelet beeped and a blue arrow appeared in her vision, showing her the way.
She left the dorms’ building in a record time, her steps sure as she sprinted into the academy, somehow managing to keep balance and not trip as usual. The corridors passed like a blur, and Lana ended in front of her classroom, trying to catch her breath.
After half a minute, she took a deep breath and opened the door, only to be greeted by the gazes of the whole class, the teacher included. She stiffened in place, her eyes watering. She hated being the focus of everyone around.
Professor Letkin waved his hand with a kind smile on his face. His bracelet shone with a blue light and a holographic image was superimposed on Lana. It showed her name and profession. “Well, if it isn’t miss Lana, please go take a seat.”
Lana’s shoulders slumped, and she quickly scanned the room for an empty seat. Luckily, there was one at the back. As she walked up the stairs, her eyes locked with the boy who sat right in front of her seat. His eyes were light brown, and he had a cute messy haircut. He was in a daze, looking at her. When their eyes met, he gave a charming smile, his cheeks reddening.
Lana slightly blushed and averted her gaze. She walked past him, not courageous enough to look in his direction again before she sat down and straightened her back.
“Alright, since this is the first day of class I will not count you tardy, miss Lana. But let’s not make this a tradition, alright?”
Lana stiffened her posture. “This will be the last time, Professor.”
“Hohoho, well, it’s alright.” Professor Letkins checked Lana’s name in the list of students before he stood back up and continued his class.
“Since this is an important lesson and I’m sure that many of you were still sleepy, I will be repeating what I said.”
The professor took up chalk from his drawer and drew a triangle on the blackboard. “Magic can be split into three different categories. There are Augmentation, Conjuration, and Alteration.”
Each time he said one of the types of magic, he wrote it down next to one of the edges of the triangle. He then took up his teaching stick and pointed at augmentation.
“To explain it simply, augmentation is magic that strengthens your body. It increases your defense, offense, maneuverability, and agility. It is great for close-quarter combat.”
He then pointed at Conjuration. “For this type of magic, think of spells like Fireball. You conjure elements such as fire, wind, or thunder to use in a fight. The type of element you can conjure would depend on your affinity, but we will tackle that subject later in the course. Of course, Conjuration is largely used for long-range attacks and utility in a battlefield.”
As Professor Letkins pointed at the last type of magic, he had a wide smile on his face. “Ah, now for Alteration. This one is the most mysterious of them all, but it can also be the strongest. Alteration is the magic of changing the rules of the world. Illusion magic, spacial magic, and gravitation magic all fall under Alteration. As such, with so many schools of magic under it, you cannot say whether it is more attuned for close-quarter or long-range combat.”
“If you have a question, you can raise your hand.” The professor looked around, waiting.
A small-looking wolf girl raised her hand high in the sky to be seen by the professor.
“Yes, Rika. What is your question?”
After she was given permission to ask, Rika corrected her glasses and smiled. “What about a spell like Wind’s Blessing? Which type of magic is it?”
Professor Letkins raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in surprise. “Wow, Rika, what an amazing question. Indeed, Wind’s Blessing does conjure the wind element, but it is used to boost the agility and maneuverability of a combatant.”
He then turned around to the blackboard and pointed at a spot between Conjuration and Augmentation on the triangle. “It stands here. Wind’s Blessing is a typical example of a spell that lives between the Augmentation and Conjuration Archetypes. There are other spells just like it, but for now, it is sufficient to remember that these three types are not the end-all-be-all. There is much more depth to magic and we continue to discover new things every single day.”
Lana was writing diligently until she felt a gaze on her. She looked up and made eye contact with the man in front of her. As they looked at each other in awkward silence, the guy winked at her and turned around. Her cheeks became red hot once again. She couldn’t help but stare at him, dazed by his actions.
After some time passed, she managed to snap out of her daze and continued to listen to the professor, as he continued his lesson. The basics of magic were something she wanted to learn from as far as she remembered, and the professor’s explanation was easy to follow even though she was distracted for a bit. She used her full attention for the lesson, writing and trying to remember every word, and before she knew it, the class was over.
She prepared to leave the room, only to see the boy in front turning to her, about to say something. Her breath catches in her throat, not sure what to do.
“Hey-”
“Andy, let’s go! I’m dying from hunger here!” Another boy interrupted him, walking next to him. Lana was grateful for that distraction, as she managed to slip past Andy before he could focus back on her. She wasn’t sure what he wanted from her, but she wasn’t good with conversations, especially with the opposite gender.
Her next class was an hour later, which gave her enough time to have lunch and maybe relax for a bit. Her steps brought her to the cafeteria, and she had a salad, alone in a corner, where no one would bother her.
Finishing her lunch, she went out into the park, sitting on a bench. There was still some time before the next class, so she clicked on the bracelet and a hologram of a book appeared. There was a hero story that she found on the network, and it would be enough to kill the time before her next class. She set up an alarm and started reading, mesmerized by the story.
Before she knew it, it was time for her next class. She closed the book and the hologram disappeared. With a thought, her bracelet conjured another arrow, and she went to one of the practice fields, skipping and humming, and almost fell. At the last moment, she managed to balance herself. Looking around, there wasn’t anyone that saw her embarrassment, but her cheeks still burned.
Her next class was Magic Practice, and she was eager for it. She knew that her specialty was Alteration magic, but that was all. Sure, there was some magic that she could cast, but somehow every time it ended with her casting something totally different from what she imagined. Hopefully, in this class, she would be able to fix this issue.
The class was for all first years, so it wasn’t a surprise when she saw Emma waving her hand, trying to catch her attention, Claire next to her with a neutral look on her face. Honestly, Lana was a bit jealous of Claire. The silent girl had attractive features and really curved body. And her chest was… Lana sighed, shaking her head and trying to get rid of those distracting thoughts. A small smile spread across her lips, as she hurried next to her roommates.
“Hey, Lana. How was your day so far?” Emma grinned at her, one of her ears twitching for a second, her tail waving leisurely behind her.
“It was fine.” That was all she was able to say before her cheeks turned a shade of pink. The guy that sat in front of her came to her mind, making her flustered for a moment. She averted her gaze, not willing to talk anymore.
“Oh, is there something that you want to tell me?” A mischievous smile appeared on Emma’s face, as she came closer to Lana, almost touching noses with her.
“Nah, it’s nothing.” Lana took a step back, still unable to meet her roommate’s gaze.
“Alright, students. It’s time for the class.” A booming voice echoed through the field, silencing everyone. Lana turned around to look for the source of it.
“Tch. Don’t think you will escape with that, we will continue our conversation later.” Emma declared, which made shivers go down Lana’s spine. Hopefully, her roommate would forget about that later.
“Gather around, come on, don’t make me repeat myself.” The teacher’s voice echoed again, prompting the girls to move in its direction. Soon, all the students made a semi-circle with the teacher in front of them.
“Alright, that’s good enough. Now, let me explain what this class is for in more detail. Our main purpose is to teach you how to handle your own magic and make it even better, introducing new spells and making your mana pool bigger in the long turn. How will we do that? Simple. Practice. I will teach you different training methods, compatible with your school of magic, and will build your foundation for the future.
“I want you all divided into three groups, every group specializing in one of the schools. What I mean is Augmentation mages, gather to my left, Conjuration mages, to my right, and Alteration mages, in front of me. There shouldn’t be anyone here who doesn’t know from which school of magic they are, right?”
“We know, teacher.” Echoed all the students. Lana moved to the middle, where she was assigned, and waited for the next instructions.
Soon, all the students were separated into three groups, waiting for the teacher to continue. He smiled and nodded his head, satisfied with what he was seeing.
“Alright, first, I will move from group to group. I want to know how much everyone’s progress is, so I can make some arrangements later. What you will do is simple: cast a spell that you know, and let me see it. We will start with the Conjuration mages. When I point to someone, I want them to introduce themselves and what they want to cast. Now, you, start.”
The professor pointed at a blonde-haired girl, and the exercise began. The students started to show what they can, some able to cast, and others with no such luck. Lana couldn’t fully focus on that, as she was equally excited and terrified for her turn. She knew that she could cast, but she wasn’t sure if her magic would work or not.
“Now, you.” Before she knew it, it was her turn. She even missed her roommates’ showcasing in her brooding. Lana took a deep breath and moved in front of the others, bowing slightly to the professor.
“H-hello. My name is Lana. I will try to cast a fire spell.” She mumbled, her voice barely a whisper. Nevertheless, the professor nodded and let a small smile cross his lips.
“It’s alright, Lana. I’m sure you can do it. Now, let’s see what you can do.”
She nodded her head and closed her eyes. A few deep breaths later, her eyes shot open and her right hand pointed to a dummy not too far away from her.
“Spark.” She imagined the flame, the same as what Emma cast last night. Her magic was connected to her imagination, and she still had a vivid image in her mind, so it should work, right?
Silence descended over the field, while Lana still had her hand stretched forward. The only thing she could hear was a small high voice in the background.
“Spark.” She said again, trying and failing to keep her composure, as her body started to tremble. She could even feel the tears that would gush at any moment. At the same time, the high voice became clearer. It resembled a young kid’s giggling.
“Alright, no need to feel bad about it. It happens a lot with people that are new to magic. Don’t worry, you will do it the next time, now-”
As the professor started talking, Lana’s shoulders drooped. Her eyes moistened and she wanted to hide somewhere, out of sign from the others. She retracted her outstretched hand and looked at it.
Psssst
“Aargh.”
A strong water jet hit her face, making her squeal and fall down on her butt. Her face and chest were now fully soaked. The field once again fell into silence.
“Well, that was an amazing power for a spell. Nicely done, young lady.” The teacher said, trying and failing to remove the smile from his face. Lana looked around and saw the unnatural faces of all the students and her face started to burn.
“Now, I think that was the strongest spell we saw for the whole day. It seems like everyone else will have to work hard if they want to catch up to you. Here, let me help you.”
The professor extended his hand to her, his gaze traveling through the crowd. No one said anything, as she stood up and dusted herself. She looked around and saw the glint in the eyes of some students. Looking down at herself, her cheeks burned even more, as she covered her chest with her hand.
“You have my permission to go and change your clothes. We won’t be doing anything else for this class, so I might as well dismiss you. Nice work, Lana. We will work on your abilities in my next class.” The professor winked and waved his hand, obviously dismissing her.
Lana was grateful for his actions, as she managed to prevent her tears to fall. She nodded her head and ran away, not turning back. That situation was just too much.