I smiled from ear to ear on the first morning of classes. I had already notified the Academy of the change in my Cooking skill, which didn’t impact my schedule at all. I was even tempted to inquire about the Magical Cooking course but knew that might mess with my schedule in unexpected ways. For now, I was content to experiment on my own, which reminded me I needed to buy more beast eggs on my way home. Infusing eggs with mana was a very delicate process. I was left with more than a little egg on my face . . . and the countertops . . . walls . . . ceiling. Still, a simple scrambled egg made with an infused egg in an enchanted skillet with a Magical Cooking skill was incredible. The flavours were somehow more. The food sent a rush of energy through me that I was not expecting. I needed to find out what that energy was. How did it work? And how did it benefit me? Did it even help me?
There was a pounding on my door that I knew to be Beau. He was escorting us to the Academy for the first day of classes. I wasn’t sure if he would be doing this daily or just this once. Hopefully, he would tell us. Then again, Beau wasn’t much for talking.
“Time to go,” Beau said before I even fully opened the door. I donned my coat and hat and stepped into the stairwell. Beau didn’t say anything, just climbed the stairs where he proceeded to pound on Al’s door. I moved downstairs and into the waiting carriage. Esteban was already there, wearing a simple pair of trousers and a matching shirt. He also wore a backpack I’d not seen before. He gave me a weak wave but didn’t move to engage with me.
I took my seat, giving him some space as we waited for Al. “Comrade Esteban, I am sorry if I was rude yesterday. Comrade Alphonse . . . he . . . well, I do not think we will be the closest of friends.”
Esteban nodded and gave me a weak smile. It looked like he was going to say something when the carriage shook slightly as a tired-looking Al climbed inside, taking a seat in the open space between Esteban and me.
Esteban saw Al’s state and asked, “You sleep alright?”
Al shook his head. “I didn’t get much sleep. New place and all that.”
Esteban nodded and pulled his backpack off and flipped the top. He reached inside, and when his hand came out, he was holding a pair of hard-boiled eggs. “Here, have these. I thought you might be hungry this morning. They aren’t very strong but they should wake you up and give you a little extra strength today.”
Al accepted the eggs and grinned, “Magical Cooking for the win.”
Esteban matched his grin.
I wanted to ask him about his Magical Cooking. I wanted to ask him about so many things, but keeping my distance from him was probably for the best.
Beau clambered inside, taking up a whole bench to himself. He knocked on the roof and the carriage began to move.
The wagon trundled its way up the steep mountain, following the suddenly popular road ahead. Everywhere I looked there were carriages, all of them finely decorated with the coats of arms of royalty I had never seen before. I knew it was important to know these crests if I wanted to maintain my cover, but in all my studies and planning, family crests were not something I had accounted for. There was no time to learn them now; all I could do was act cautiously and make sure that I didn't appear foolish in front of anyone.
I sank back into my chair and folded my arms, occasionally looking out the door and trying to remember the crests that came close enough.
“That’s a lot of nobles,” Esteban commented.
Al grunted, sounding irritated. “Of course, it’s nobles. They are almost the only ones who can afford a place like this without a sponsor. And even then, your sponsor has to be connected with someone powerful to open these doors.”
I smirked, “Then how did you come to be here, comrade Alphonse? I do not believe any of the three of us are nobles. There are no noble crests marking any of our clothes. Or are you hiding something from us?”
Al growled, balling his fists, “That’s none of your business.” He started to swing for my face when his arm halted suddenly. It was Beau. The cattleman had caught the arm mid-motion.
Beau snapped angrily, “Save it for Martial Training class.”
Al jerked his arm free and sat back with his arms crossed. It seemed Al had a problem with nobles. I was curious as to why that was. Did he have a run in with a noble that went poorly? I would figure that out later, for now, it was time to create a rivalry.
The carriage climbed higher and higher up the mountainside. I wished I could see well enough to make out our exact location. I didn’t like only trusting the carriage to get us where we needed to be. I needed to do something about this. “Comrade Beau, will you be escorting us every day? If not, could I convince you to show me the way to the academy without the carriage? I would like to learn the path on my own.”
Beau looked me up and down but eventually nodded. “We study four days then rest for three. I will show you the way on a rest day.”
“Thank you, comrade,” I said, giving him a polite nod and partial bow from my sitting position. I actually got a polite nod in return from the cattleman, who until that moment had been very standoffish.
I paid attention this time as the carriage passed under a stone portcullis and pulled into a large open courtyard. A large building dominated the skyline toward the mountain, though I couldn’t make out the details, I was able to count the windows going up. There were seven, so seven floors. It must have been the building from the day before. There were also dozens if not hundreds of carriages pulling in and out of the courtyard, each only stopping long enough to let out passengers.
Our turn came and we all stepped out, one after the other.
Beau cleared his throat then pointed to Al and I, “I’ll be back to pick you two up for Martial Training by 1:30. Don’t be late.” He then pointed to Esteban, “I’ll be back for you at 3:05 to take you home. Don’t be late.”
The three of us nodded and Beau climbed back into the carriage.
“He’s odd, right?” Esteban asked.
“A little,” Al and I said at the same time, making Esteban laugh as the two of us glared at each other.
I took a deep breath as I stepped through the large double doors of the school main entrance. The hustle and bustle of students was overwhelming. Everywhere I looked there were people in uniforms of all ages, sizes, and shapes. Some were walking in groups and chatting, others were alone and solemn. Everywhere I looked there were amazing sights and smells. I caught a whiff from the entrance of a nearby skunkgirl chatting with a piggirl and almost vomited from the overwhelming scent the two produced together. But I could also smell the delicate scents of flowers, freshly baked bread, and many types of colognes and perfumes.
As I sorted through my bag for my written schedule, I heard snippets of conversation in languages both familiar and foreign. I heard murmurs of conversations about classes, teachers, and exams. I heard laughter and I heard whispers. It was like a living, breathing organism, a kaleidoscope of energy and emotion.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun around to find a short badgergirl in a student uniform standing there, with a kind smile on her face. She was my age or close to it. She had dark hair with a white streaks braided through her hair. Her eyes were light brown, almost yellow. Her skin was dark and smooth without a single sign of blemishing. Her figure was a little plump thanks to the curse of our race. Still, I thought she was very pretty. Although, I’d never met another badger-folk around my age, let alone a badgergirl.
"You must be the new student," she said. "Welcome to our school. I'm Bella, and I'm here to help you find your way around." She handed me a map of the school and pointed out where I would find my first class.
I thanked her in a near whisper, surprised at my own sudden shyness. As I walked away, I glanced back over my shoulder and saw her still standing there, watching me, a warm smile on her face.
Day 1
Time:
Location:
Mysticism
6:30-10:00
Room 1E
Cooking
10:30-11:55
Room B-Kitchen
Lunch
12:00-1:00
Cafeteria
Martial Skills
1:30-3:00
Stone Cut Training Field
Al and I reached the door to room 1E, located on the first floor of the building. It was nestled between two other doors—room D to the left and room F to the right, both around five metres away. Another student passed me and walked through the door to room F and I caught a flash of a green room with a giant tree growing in its centre.
As I looked at the door to my class, I found myself more nervous about my first class than I expected. It would be the first time I would learn magic with others and part of me worried I was hopelessly behind the nobles that likely had a lifetime of personal tutoring. Steeling myself, I pushed open the door and peered in. The room was massive—far too large to be a regular classroom. Instead, it resembled an amphitheatre, rising up in a wide swath of curved seating and culminating in a podium at the bottom of the semicircle. I stepped in, my eyes darting left and right, searching for exits that weren’t there. It seemed impossible that such a grand space was hidden behind such an ordinary-looking door.
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I was going to step back out again, but a smirking Alphonse gave me a look and asked with sarcasm, “Don’t you have dimensional magic in the great Rychania? That’s why the room is larger inside than outside. All the classrooms here are like that . . . or most of them are.”
I’d only ever heard of dimensional magic being used on bags like my satchel. It was strange to think the same kind of magic could be applied to a classroom but couldn’t let him know that as my cover identity would have. “Of course, Comrade Alphonse, I have just never seen dimensional magic used on such a senselessly extravagant scale. We don’t waste magic on such luxuries when it is easier and more cost effective to construct an entire new building with undead labour.”
Al sniffed in disdain at the mention of the undead, but I stepped past him and entered the room. I was still curious about the room and how it worked, but now that I knew dimensional magic was involved, I restrained myself from asking more for the sake of my cover identity.
I slowly walked towards the front of the classroom, noticing the dust particles dancing in the air and hearing the creaks of wooden chairs being pulled out. I chose a seat near the lecturer’s dais, so I could see the professor clearly.
The room gradually filled with students, Alphonse choosing a seat a row behind me. Some mumbled to each other while they unpacked their luxurious stationery—ink bottles, fountain pens and writing quills—onto their desks. Meanwhile, I felt a stab of guilt as I realised that I had no paper or writing supplies of my own to get started with my work.
“Looks like someone came unprepared,” Al said from behind me.
I gritted my teeth, knowing the mistake I’d made but couldn’t think of anything to say in response. Instead I ignored the verbal jab and focused on the rest of the classroom.
Above and behind the lectern was a tall grandfather clock, its tick was gentle and probably went unnoticed by most of the students. I checked it regularly as I waited for the teacher to arrive. I was very displeased when he or she was late. That is until I smelled something . . . someone standing at the lectern. I stared intently, squinting as hard as I could. The air was slightly distorted and had a vaguely humanoid shape to it. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. A whirlwind of smells rushed to meet me: the sweat and anxiety of the students, a bouquet of coloured energy like yellow sparks and blue smoke, and the unique aroma of ink, paper, and sooty candles that clung to whoever was at the lectern. In my mind's eye, I could see the miasma of colour and scent floating around him like a lime green fog.
“He’s invisible,” I mumbled to myself and as if the spell was broken, the teacher materialised from thin air. She was short, with really short brown hair and her scaly skin had a lime green tint to it. I’d never met or seen her before, but I’d heard enough to realise she might be one of the snake folk or something closely related.
“She’s invisible,” the teacher corrected me, giving me a smile. “Bonus points for that. If you’re in one of my Advanced Senses courses, don’t tell the others. I love this trick and would hate to have it spoiled, yeah?”
I nodded and smiled, appreciative of the trick. Although I thought I heard Alphonse mumble behind me, “Lucky guess.”
“Well, now that my fun is over, I’m Heloisa Siqueira, Professor Siqueira to you, and I will be your instructor for Mystic Manipulation for this class,” she paused to motion to three more kin that joined her on stage. “Professor Walz will be teaching Mana Control,” she paused again, just long enough for the cattlewoman to wave nervously. “Professor Zwief will be teaching Attunement,” another pause from Professor Siqueira, and the horsewoman on stage gave a small curtsey. “And Professor Lichtenstein will be teaching Meditation,” another pause for the rabbitman to give a bored wave combined with a yawn. “I’ll let each of them introduce themselves and tell you more about what they’ll be teaching in a short while. This class will mostly be a workshop. We will each take a turn teaching you today to get you started. From there, your advancement is your own. You may choose to spend time in each class working on a single area of Mysticism or divide your time between them. Your professors will be available to you throughout.”
“But for now, you’re all mine. If you’re here, it means you’ve already attuned to at least one mana type. And if you lied and haven’t attuned, and somehow fooled the dean, then most of what I’ll be going over will be pointless as well as a waste of both your time and mine. I really hope that isn’t the case,” the Professor said, her large eyes scanning the students. Her accent was similar to my natural Aulidoan accent but different somehow. I couldn’t exactly put a finger on it.
She continued speaking “So, let’s dig in shall we? Manipulation, whether you are attuned to fire or ice, wind or water, light or shadow, or anything else, the manipulation of the elements remains the same. You are imposing the will of your mana over an element and bidding it to do as you ask. My task is to help you advance your manipulation skill to the next rank, then push into the rank after that. Lucky for you, the methods we use to help you advance have been proven over centuries of teaching kin. In other words, I know what I’m doing, and if you do what I tell you to do, you will advance.”
She paused to survey the room before she continued. “At each rank, there are five manipulation exercises we use. If you master them, you will advance. We will start with the Beginner Rank exercises. I know, some of you will be beyond Beginner Rank, but it is very important you learn all of the exercises as they all build upon each other. As such, I will teach you one of these five exercises, and once you’ve mastered the first to my liking, I will teach you the next. This course will give you dedicated time to practise these exercises. Additionally, I will be here to assist you if you need it or if you have questions. Every other week, you will be tested. If you pass, I will teach you the next exercise at the start of the next week. Now, before we begin, are there any questions?”
“Yes,” she said, pointing off to somewhere behind me.
A voice, loud enough to be heard over the quiet chattering of a hundred other students, said with a haughty tone, “I have water and fire attunements. Don’t you have exercises designed specifically for each?” My eyes darted around the room, trying to identify the speaker among the throng of bodies. Whoever it was was too far towards the back for me to see, but a faint smell of freshly-minted coins made its way to my nose.
Professor Siqueira's left eye twitched, and her voice cracked with annoyance as she spoke. “Yes, I will be teaching the same manipulation technique to everyone. I've already said that the process is the same regardless of what element you are attuned to.” She looked around the room with a glare that could have melted steel as she asked, “Are there any questions that aren’t going to make me think I should kick you out of this class immediately?"
There were no other questions.
“Good, then let us begin. When you began manipulating mana, you pushed and pulled at your element in different directions. Depending on your element, you may have tried creating shapes, which is the first exercise you are expected to master. More specifically, you are expected to form a ball of your element in the air over your palm. It must be done quickly, accurately, and under control. For those of you with destructive elements, please keep your distance from others as you practise.” She paused and held out a hand and a rainbow orb formed just above her hand, nearly instantly. She smiled and announced, “That is how it’s done. Now, there is plenty of room in here, so . . . spread out and get to work.”
And that was the lecture for the class. The kin in the room dispersed and I simply remained where I was. I sat in the chair, my eyes closed and my breathing slow and steady. As I focused on the shadows in the room, I could feel how they were swirling around me. My mana was like an invisible thread, connecting me to the darkness and allowing me to manipulate them with my will. Slowly, I guided them to my palm and started to shape them into a perfect circle of shadows.
I narrowed my eyes in intense concentration and reached for the void, feeling for the familiar tingle that always accompanied it. I longed for it and let the sensation course through me, feeling the electricity of my spell Shadow Blade surging from deep within. With a flick of my wrist, a thin, black knife formed in my outstretched hand. Despite its shadowy form, I could feel its weight and power connected to me somehow. But what was requested was for me to disconnect it from my hand and hold it afloat in the air. I tried various techniques, from lifting it off with my fingers to pulling it away with all my mana, but nothing seemed to work. With each passing moment I felt more of my mana draining away. Finally, I relented, letting go of the shadows that seemed to melt away into nothingness.
I was startled when Professor Siqueira spoke to me, “Don’t try forming it on your body. Form it directly in the air above your palm. Here, watch me again.” She held out her hand and an orb of rainbow light formed almost instantly. None of it was drawn from her hand, but instead, it came into being from the air.
I let my curiosity get the better of me, “What attunement is that?”
“Light, but more specialised to Invisibility,” the professor answered with a smile. “It’s a very common attunement for chameleon-folk.”
I nodded. I’d never heard of chameleon-folk. I wondered how many other kin were out there that I’d never heard of before.
“Keep at it, don’t get down if you don’t get it today. It’s not uncommon for it to take students months to do it the first time and months more to master it,” Professor Siqueira said kindly then moved on.
I didn’t like the thought that it could take me months to form an orb of shadow and months longer to master it. That was unacceptable as far as I was concerned. I looked around and saw the professor nearby, deep in conversation with a student. Her voice was gentle as she explained a mistake or gave advice before she stretched out her arm, fingers splayed, and a faint golden light began to form in her palm, this time a tiny sun spinning into existence. I couldn't quite make out what she was doing, but the orb brightened and faded as her fingers moved.
I focused back on my own hand. I tried imagining the shadows forming an orb above my palm, just like the professor had just done, but nothing happened. No shadow orb was there, not even a hint that I was on the right path.
We kept at it for an hour when Professor Siqueira stood at the podium again. “Well-done, well-done, everyone. Please continue to practise at home and in your free time. We’ll now be taking a ten-minute break and turning things over to Professor Waltz”
Ten minutes wasn’t much time but I wanted to try to continue practising.
I heard a sigh from the row behind me. It was a smug sigh. I could just hear it in the way the breath expelled. I tried to ignore the source and focused instead on my hand and the small circular shadow I had formed there. I held back any sign of frustration as I let the shadows go.
“You’re really quite bad at that, aren’t you?” Al asked from behind me, superiority dripping from his voice.
I ignored him and tried again. I could feel the shadows around me. I felt the mana inside me. I let the mana inside me call to the shadows. The two went together smoothly, each one welcoming the other. Then I tried to form a ball of shadow over my hand. I strained at my mana, pulling, pushing, doing whatever I could think of to get it to move even a little bit outside of my body.
“You’re never going to get it that way,” Al taunted me.
I took a deep calming breath. I breathed in deeply and let out slowly. I reminded myself to ignore him. I started over.
“And here I thought you were supposed to be talented,” Al mocked.
I breathed out sharply and turned to face him. “Comrade Alphonse, if you believe you can do it, then please, show me how it is done.”
Al smirked and held out a hand, palm up. It took a few seconds, but a tiny wobbling orb of golden light began forming over his hand. The words tumbled out before I could stop myself, “How did you do that?”
Al grinned. “Admit I’m superior to you and I just might tell you.”
I snorted. “Fat chance of that happening, comrade.”
“Then I guess you’ll never know,” Al taunted as the ball of light vanished with a soft pop.
I took a deep cleansing breath again. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong. It was obvious the Hero had figured out something before me. The question was, would I swallow my pride or would I stubbornly refuse? I cursed myself. Through a tight jaw, I ground out, “Fine, your mana manipulation skills are superior to mine.”
Al grinned. “There, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
“You will never know,” I grumbled. “Now, how did you do that?”
“You need to push the mana outside your body first then form it into your element,” Al answered.
My eyes narrowed as I examined Al suspiciously, trying to determine if he was trying to trick me. Unconvinced, I shifted my focus to my hand and summoned the mana, coaxing it to become more pliable in its raw state. With a deep breath and fierce concentration, I carefully guided a ball of mana into existence. It was slightly smaller than Al's, even though I was certain I could make it much bigger. With the ball formed, I closed my eyes and urged the mana to transform into shadows. A wave of relief swept over me as the effort paid off, and my hand now held an orb of dancing shadows no larger than a marble.
“Yes!” I cheered.
“What?” Al asked, jumping from his seat behind me, and leaning over to see. “No way.”
I grinned back at him, holding up the hand with the tiny orb. It sat comfortably above my palm, held in place by a thin tether of unattuned mana. Unlike his, mine was not struggling to stay in place. It was simply happy to be there, existing.
“I suppose I am, as you would say, talented, yes?” I teased with a smirk of my own.
Al frowned and crossed his arms, “Yeah, well, you only did so well because I helped.”
“You did,” I acknowledged with a nod, my smirk widening.
Al groaned and chose to walk away. I followed him with my eyes and nose as he left the row behind and made his way to an empty section, isolating himself from everyone else. I was a little surprised he hadn’t made some more friends at this point. Hopefully, my success would push him to excel. I didn’t want to demoralise him.