Creatures and Beasts went more uneventfully than the rest. It was almost boring, really. It would have been, if not for the fascinating creatures that were being taught.
The professor took one glance at him and then pretended he did not exist. Well, it suited him better this way. He could be a bit more relaxed. And this was one of those classes where he knew little, had to learn from scratch, and there were no surprises like a Prince or a Professor speaking about the Olden Spirits.
The class passed quite uneventfully. At the end, the Professor called him and he straight up said that he wanted to stay in the class before the Professor could even open his mouth. He pointed out that most information in the class was new to him and he wanted to learn properly.
Professor Kalin paused and then nodded once. “Very well. I hope you will not disrupt the class and conduct yourself properly.”
Emilio resisted the urge to frown. Did the man think he would cause scenes wherever he went? Was this because of what happened in the Combat Class? How ridiculous! That was not even his fault.
But Emilio could not find the energy to object at all. He simply nodded.
“Of course, Professor.”
Once he was out of the class, he looked at Balsea. “Think we can find somewhere nice and quiet to have our lunch?”
Emilio really did not want to face so many people who were sure to be in the Student Hall during lunchtime. He felt weariness starting to set in. He was now realizing why Healer Adron told him to go back tonight.
Balsea nodded. “Of course! I know a place! You will like it!”
Balsea dragged him out of the building and he followed blindly. He closed his eyes for a moment as he followed the other. It was only when the familiar presence of the wildlife and nature up ahead that he opened his eyes.
They were in the same area where the road to Herbology was. He saw another, smaller, dirty path in between the tall trees. He then led him inside. This kind of path would have been a scary one only a month ago. But now … now he felt safe. He could feel the hum beneath the bark of the trees, felt how they gently swayed in the wind, felt as if they were slightly swaying apart when he entered.
Was this what Professor Gias meant when she said the trees were welcoming him?
They walked for quite a few minutes before Balsea stopped in front of a huge tree. This tree was bigger than the Banayan tree back home. This tree looked as if it was glowing under the sunlight. The crowd of leaves on its branches made for beautiful half-sphere shapes, as its roots spread across the grounds and even wrapped around other trees. Vines hung from the trees, weighed down by beautiful multicolored flowers. He saw the occasional fruits hanging from its branches. He could see green and red veins across the entire body of the tree.
“It’s a Bidhipa,” he whispered.
Bidhipa was a tree that sprouted only in mana rich environment. If you planted a seed, it would take almost half a century for it to even sprout. And it took many more centuries for it to be fully grown. And this was … this had been grown for a while, he could tell.
“How long has it been here?” He asked softly.
Balsea shrugged. “Many say it was here before the Academy was established. Many say it was sowed when the Academy construction first started. But this is probably 1500 hundred years old at least.”
He exhaled softly, still in disbelief. “I did not know the Academy had a Bidhipa.”
“Not many know,” Balsea replied. “From my observation, only those who would never think to harm the tree and only wanted a place to escape would find it. And those ones never tell.”
He could tell why, Even without feeling the mana around it, he could tell how soothing the place was. He had read that a fully grown Bidhipa had a myriad of qualities. It could soothe the agitated, heal the injured and sick, and show the path to the lost, among many other things. One thing he knew was that a fully grown Bidhipa had some amount of sentience and would never give anything to anyone it did not want to give to.
“Alright. I’ll go get your lunch. Wait here!”
Emilio turned around to see purple mist dispersing into the air. He chuckled softly before looking at the tree thoughtfully, wondering where to sit. He still remembered the sensations he had felt from the Banyan Tree back home. He decided to play it safe for the moment and sat down on the ground, in the space between the roots.
After a few moments of staring intently at the tree and its roots, he finally reached out cautiously with one finger and pressed it against one of them. He opened his mind and braced himself for the coming onslaught of images.
Stolen story; please report.
…..
There were none.
No images. At all.
Instead, there were the soft soothing sensations flooding over him. He relaxed slightly. Bidhipa. It was named by a scholar from the Arjashan subcontinent, from the root word “dhip” which meant light. But it had another name. The Tree of Need. It was a tree that gave you what you needed.
So, it was true.
He relaxed, and then he focused, this time with purpose. He did not see images. But he knew. He felt. He felt the breeze dancing through the leaves, he felt the warm sunlight, he felt the weight that pulled the tree down a bit, he felt the roots that seemed to go on and on and on throughout the Academy, and he felt even the tiny soft finger pressed against one of the roots.
He wondered if he could follow those roots.
He focused on the one he was touching and closed his eyes. His mind strayed, he felt the earth, the buzzing around himself as he went and went and went, feeling the ground above, the footsteps of humans, and the many bugs and insects crawling over himself. Strangely enough, it did not feel bad. It was just a natural part of himself right now. He followed and followed and followed, going deep under the ground until… nothingness.
The sudden lack of sensations broke him out of his concentration. He pulled back with a soft grunt and shook his head, before bringing his hand up to rub his temples, wincing softly.
What was that?
He frowned. Was that supposed to happen? Did the root stop somewhere? Was that the reason he could feel nothing at the end?
He did not know.
After a moment, he decided he did not want to know. For now, at least. His head was already buzzing with the events of the past few days and, not to mention, today. He did not need another thing on top of it. Once he settled a bit more, he could come and investigate the mystery.
He sighed and then pressed his finger against the root again. This time, he did not concentrate on whatever the tree was feeling. It was there, buzzing in the background. He closed his mind off, and only the soothing sensation the tree deliberately gave him remained. He relaxed with a soft sigh and leaned against the tree, happy to find that even that action did not make him feel anything else.
He closed his eyes and stayed like that for a few moments before he heard a familiar voice.
“I brought food!”
Opening his eyes, he saw Balsea holding up a package much like they had last night. He chuckled and sat up, shaking off the last of his disquiet.
“Let’s eat!”
----------------------------------------
Having lunch alone with Balsea was probably the best idea he’d had since coming here. The simple moment where they were just together and enjoying their meals while chatting and laughing was amazing. He felt refreshed after that.
Unfortunately, today, none of their specialties classes matched.
He had to go to Alchemy whereas Balsea had Spatial Magic.
He waved the fae goodbye before making his way to Alchemy using the map from his card.
He entered before most of the students and found an inconspicuous seat in the corner. The seats filled up slowly. The one on his side remained empty, as the incoming students threw it one glance and decided to continue to other seats. He noticed a few stares of pity or curiosity but he ignored them.
The Professor entered soon after. She was a tall woman with jet black hair, glasses framing her eyes, and a no nonsense look as her eyes swept over the assortment of students. Her unnaturally pale skin suggested she was from one of the Northern Nations.
“Ah, Mr. Florian,” she called as soon as her eyes fell on him. “Welcome to Alchemy. I am Professor Aveed. This is the beginner class, so you will be learning theory as well as practical. These practicals will be few but they will form the basis for Advanced Brewing next year. We have already learned to brew two Potions and you can get them from me after class. Oh, and some of the Potions do require a certain stream of mana so it’s best to partner up with someone for a practical. Find someone since we will be brewing today. The Potion will be graded.”
Just his luck. The one day when Balsea was not with him in Alchemy was the day he needed a damned partner. Gods, he wanted to strangle someone.
Just then, he heard rapid footsteps and turned his head to see a figure almost flying into the room. The petite figure leaned against the door and panted.
It was Clara.
“Miss Preises,” Professor Aveed turned to look at the girl. “Why are you late?”
“Sorry, Professor. I-”
“It does not matter,” she waved a hand. “Sit down and find a partner to brew with.”
Emilio tensed. The only empty seat was beside him. As her eyes swept over the class and settled on the seat beside him, she came to the same conclusion. Their eyes met for a moment and they both looked away.
He heard footsteps approaching and sighed softly, edging away from the neighboring seat as much as he could. Clara sat down with a thud. In a surprisingly silent agreement, they both ignored each other and focused on the front.
“Today, we will brew a Potion called Geju, also known as Multi-Base. It is called so because it is used as a base for many potions, especially those meant for healing and energizing. It is also a very flexible potion where you can change its constitution based on the ingredients and use it for different purposes. For now, we will do the basic one which is used for Healing Potions and Elixirs. Open your books to page 394 and you will find the instructions there.”
Emilio turned to look at Clara, raising an eyebrow. She must have known exactly what he wanted to say because she sniffed.
“I don’t need your help.”
Emilio sighed.
This was going to be a long one and a half hours.