Class was being held outside, in an open field of grass near the campus.
"The Aurascribe will inscribe the inside surface of your aura with the patterns required to make a fireball," the professor said. "All you need to do is reach out and claim the ether inside your aura, then feed that ether into the section of your aura that contains the pattern. This will create a fireball, which you can shoot at the targets."
Quinn quickly discovered that magic was actually extremely easy. He reached out and claimed the nearby ether and did as the professor instructed. A fireball appeared in his hand, and he aimed it at the target. It shot off a few moments later, hitting the target and exploding.
"Professor!" one of the other students said. "It's not working, I can't claim the ether!"
"Stand apart." The professor said. "Look, you are standing right next to another aura. You are both probably trying to claim the same ether. I went over this in class, you should have paid better attention."
Seth shot a fireball at the target. "With this, I'll be unstoppable!" he said.
"Ok, class. Now get the two barriers from the Aurascribe. There is an inner and an outer barrier. The inner barrier is very strong, but the outer barrier will break after taking a few hits from the fireballs."
The students shuffled over to the Aurascribe. It was a boxy looking machine with some rotating dials and a lever. Quinn placed his hand on his heart and held the lever in his other hand. After pulling the lever, the new inscriptions appeared on the inside of his aura. He could feel them, though the aura itself was invisible.
"So we are going to have ourselves a deathmatch between the boys." The professor said. "Take too many hits from the other students and your outer barrier will break. Once your outer barrier breaks, stop participating. The last man standing wins ten percent extra credit on tomorrow's quiz. The ladies will get the extra credit for free, and they do not need to participate if they don't want to. The contest will begin on my command."
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"I will not be participating," Kiera said. "It would be unfair, you boys are outmatched."
"Is that so?" Seth asked.
She pointed her hand at him. A bolt of blue light shot at Seth. It went straight through both barriers and exploded in his face, showering him in frosty white powder.
"Kiera please refrain from murdering the other students," the professor said.
"Cold, cold," Seth said, shivering.
"Begin!" the professor finally announced.
"I say we have a truce," Seth said. "We'll fight each other at the end."
"Deal," Quinn said.
They stood facing opposite directions, just far enough apart to create a space between their auras, and started lobbing fireballs at the other students. They took out a dozen other students, but in the end they both lost their outer barriers and needed to quit the game.
After the contest ended the professor dismissed the class, then walked up to Quinn and Seth. "I need to speak to both of you," he said. "Walk with me."
He led them through the campus to the far corner, beyond the bank. There he showed them a small graveyard.
"Alright boys, it is tradition at this school to bring young men like you to see this graveyard. Please take a look around and read the headstones."
Seth and Quinn did so, taking different paths through the graveyard, reading the inscriptions.
Here rests Marty, who looked to the sky and dreamed to fly, one inscription read.
Rest in peace Chad, who paid the blood price of the sky.
All of the gravestones had the same theme.
"This is a special graveyard for the students at this university who died trying to invent flying machines," the professor said. "Look me in the eyes, Quinn. I promise you, if you continue with your ambition to invent the flying machine, you will die and you will be buried here in this graveyard with the others who came before you. Do you want to see your brother die?"
Quinn said nothing. What could he say?
The professor turned and walked away.