"...and then she slapped him. Twice! In the middle of the cafeteria, screaming that he was a slut and slept around all the time. Funny part is, just twenty minutes later she was already sitting on the lap of Rolf 'Muscles for days' Franko, making out with him for all she was worth. Got a warning for public indecency if you can believe it.“ Kael had to laugh even as he shook his head at the absurdity of what he had just heard. "Man that sounds more like you are in a theater than a school. Are they at least teaching something?“ A question he had wanted to ask since learning about the magic school.

"Yea I mean, there are a few good teachers there. Mostly in the sciences for the first year. Later it depends on your major. Many of the good ones are the teachers for the harder subjects like theory or advanced combat. Not that all of those are good teachers, or people for that matter, but they know what they are doing.“ - "That's good at least. If there are any classes you want competent teachers it's in the harder courses i guess.“ - "Yea. I got quite lucky in that regard. The teachers in the healer specialization are generally nice.“

Martin had mentioned Kael's apparent physical specialization a few times now, but he hadn't elaborated on the topic yet. "You mentioned those specializations a few times now. What are they exactly?" - "Ah! True, I never explained those, did I? Well... it's both complicated and trivial at the same time. Apparently, every mage has one or more so-called talents." He said.

Before Martin could continue his explanation, a loud voice announced their next stop. "Averten Street!" - "That is our stop." They joined a few other disembarking passengers and waited for the subway to halt. Kael spent the next few minutes following his friend through the complicated network of tunnels and staircases that somehow passed for a subway station.

Whoever had designed the building had most likely never seen the construction from the inside. Sitting behind the desk in the comfort of his home, as he drew the sharp corners and snaking walkways. By the time they exited another tunnel and finally emerged in the daylight, Kael doubted he would be able to find his way back. At least there were signs should he travel back alone for some reason.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Looking around, Kael noticed the difference in the architecture of the buildings surrounding them. Gone were the typical glass and steel giants. In their stead, he saw intricate facades of small buildings, probably older than anything he had ever seen in the city. A mix of small boutiques and residential housing gave the street a peaceful ambiance. Gone was the hectic of the capital city, replaced by leisure and calm. Walking past small clothing stores, art galleries, and cafés. Interestingly, Kael could not see a single car, neither parked nor in motion. It felt like they were in a different world.

Maybe it was because it was the weekend, but the sidewalks were full of people. Some looking almost touristy, some dressed in style, people from all walks of life strolled past the little shops. Thankfully, the level of noise was acceptable for them to continue their conversation without having to worry about being overheard.

"Let's go. We still have a little bit of walking to do before we get there. Returning to your question though. So, most talents show signs of their presence after awakening. Take your improved senses and body, for example. Healers, on the other hand, tend to influence their surroundings. Quickening the healing of wounds, improving mental health, and even a boost to plant growth. There are many, many more, but you get the gist of it."

"Ah! That's how you knew that I was a physical when I tasted the cake. So the specializations are like classes for the different talents then?" The picture that was magic, was becoming clearer in his head. "Kind of, yeah. Some things are shared between different talents, those usually get grouped together at first, and then split up somewhere down the road."

"Cool, so have you started with your specialization now? You mentioned that there was some kind of delay before.“ - "Yup! I think the teacher was just not around when school resumed or something. Maybe to make up for it, we had an excursion last week. In fact, that was the reason we could only meet now. Our teacher is apparently affiliated with the university hospital and last week we got to visit their facilities. None of us in the course are strong, or skilled enough yet to do much, but we still helped less injured people in recovery and watched the real doctors work. There was so much to learn. There was this one patient that had somehow sat on...“

The rest of their journey was filled with Martin's tales from his visit to the hospital. What people had put up different offices and what accidents they had been involved in, alongside the treatment procedure. Most of the medical stuff went over Kael's head. The excitement in his friend's voice, along with the bizarre stories, made the conversation engaging nonetheless. By the end, they were both laughing hard at the stupidity of the human condition.

Rounding another corner, they followed the street for another few minutes before Martin halted, turning to the building they had stopped in front of. Following his friend's expectant gaze, Kael looked at the old wooden plaque hanging over the door of the strange building. In equally old appearing letters, he read: The Feathery Delight