There was something undeniably magical about the last few months. It felt almost like a shame that school would soon begin again in earnest. Still, Ravina found herself looking forward to it. Practical magic—using magic instead of just learning about it—was where her true excitement lay. Sure, there was value in studying the mechanics of magic, but actually using it? That was an entirely different thrill. She had always been more street smart than book smart when it came to magic: don’t think, just do.
It was frustrating, though. Even if she could cast spells with ease, explaining how she did it to others was another story. “Just feel it out” was terrible advice, and she knew it. Thankfully, she wasn’t looking to be a teacher anytime soon, and her classmates had long since stopped asking her for help. Earl was the go-to for that.
Speaking of the commoner’s son, he hadn’t really bothered her during the break. Despite his family living in the capital, he’d chosen to stay behind to study. He hadn’t made any effort to push their relationship forward—not that she minded. She did, however, feel a little bad about agreeing to be his fake date for a year only to “cheat” on her fake boyfriend the very next day.
Still, she wasn’t about to put her life on pause for him. After all, he’d only won a silly little bet.
This school year would be hers—hers alone. Ravina was determined to rise to the top, to finally kick Earl down to second place where he belonged. She smirked at the thought of hiring him out of pity afterward. Honestly, she’d be a fool to let such talent go.
She tugged at the gray robes she now wore, the same ones she had donned during the finals. They were now the official school uniform for all students. Each apprentice was required to wear the gray apprenticeship robes in class. Before, they weren’t even considered hopefuls, much less trainees or apprentices. But now, they were true students, and once they graduated, they would choose which tower of magic to align with. It was a confusing system—the towers had “towers” inside them, which were essentially departments, but of course, the world of magic had to be overly complex.
It was amusing, though, seeing her classmates all dressed in the same uniform. It felt unnatural, almost out of place, as though they had lost a part of their individual identities. Yet, despite the conformity of the gray robes, there were still little touches of personality here and there—each student found subtle ways to make their robes their own, even if they were all synthesized by a tower.
Ravina slipped into the classroom just minutes before class officially began. This room was a stark contrast to the old lecture halls she was used to. Instead of rows of seats facing the front, desks now lined the walls, leaving a wide-open space in the center. After greeting everyone present, Ravina scanned the room, searching for an open seat. It was a bit of a challenge, as most students had already claimed the prime spots by the windows, eager for a view of the school’s well-kept garden. Eventually, she found a place near the window and settled in.
The room felt slightly empty, with seven students missing, but before Ravina could dwell on it, the door swung open. Their teacher strode in, her usual scowl etched onto her face, though she offered them a fleeting smile as she made her way to the podium.
“I see you’ve made it to the new year,” she began, her tone indifferent as she scanned the room. “Naturally, a few students failed to achieve the bare minimum, so consider yourselves fortunate for making it this far.” She paused, her expression once again disinterested. “Not that you all didn't enjoy yourselves during the break so I assume all of you have come back ready to learn.”
Without waiting for a response, the teacher launched into her lecture. “Now, magic is, at its very core, dangerous—as I’m sure all of you are aware by now. There is a reason we must learn the basics of what exactly we’re doing when we perform a spell...”
Her voice droned on, filling the room with warnings and technical explanations. The lecture stretched on for nearly the entire class, detailing the risks of practical magic and cautioning them never to attempt an unknown spell without the supervision of a teacher.
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Ravina smiled politely and nodded along, though her thoughts had long since drifted to the many unsupervised spells she had cast over the years.
Thankfully, the lecture finally ended, and the teacher offered a small reward for their patience. “Right, well now. I’m sure you’re all eager to see some magic in action. Shall we learn a bit of ancient magic?”
The room buzzed with excitement. The mere mention of "ancient magic" enthralled them.
“Well then,” the teacher continued, clapping her hands to silence the understandable banter. “Before we end today’s lesson, we will learn a basic light spell. As you know, ancient magic can be used by any color, without restriction, and it does not rely on the Αρκαδία. Instead...” She scanned the room, her eyes landing on a distracted student. “Mr. Gonzalez, what does ancient magic use?”
The student jumped in his seat, clearly caught off guard as he’d been staring out the window. “Uh... nothing, ma’am?”
The teacher raised an eyebrow, her expression sharp. “It seems Mr. Gonzalez is still exhausted from the break. Why don’t you just go home for the day?”
“No, I’m fine,” he insisted, sitting up straighter.
“Hmm, well then,” the teacher said, turning to another student. “Ms. Hill, would you care to inform Mr. Gonzalez what ancient magic uses?”
Hill stood up confidently. “Ancient magic uses raw mana, the arcane element itself. There’s no script or spell required—just the will and power of the user.”
“Good job, Ms.Hill,” the teacher nodded approvingly before scanning the room for her next target. “Now then, Mr. Hartman, can you explain why ancient magic is no longer commonly used?”
“Uh... because it’s more volatile? Αρκαδία allows us to control the spell precisely, while ancient magic is just... guesswork?”
The teacher’s eyebrow arched. “Is that a question or an answer?”
“Uh… answer?”
“Sure, well, you are correct to a point. Ancient magic is indeed dangerous with certain spells, such as attack magic or Mr. Hayes’ teleportation spell. However,” she extended a bony hand, and a small light materialized just beyond her long, outstretched fingers, “this light spell is simple to manage. No threat, only utility. Now then, Ms. Grant,” she said, turning her sharp gaze toward Ravina, “can you venture a guess as to how this spell was made? I know you like to dabble in practical magic.”
Ravina blinked, surprised to be called upon for the first time in over a year. She stood slowly, her eyes fixed on the light as she considered its formation. “I would guess that something is... sparked in the creation and trapped inside a…mana bubble?”
“A very interesting idea,” the teacher remarked, then turned to another student. “Mr. Hayes, care to elaborate?”
Hayes stood confidently. “The light spell collapses air and filters it, condensing pure oxygen into a point. Then, as Ms. Grant mentioned, the oxygen burns. However, instead of a mana bubble, a time displacement sphere contains the resulting explosion, allowing the burning gas to illuminate the area for however long the sphere displaces time, usually determined by the mana imbued in the spell.”
“An excellent answer, Mr. Hayes. It’s clear you researched a lot for your project. Yes, the spell has three core parts: condense, ignite, and displace.” She shifted her gaze to another student. “Now, Mr. Campbell, why is time displacement magic easy to use but hard to maintain?”
“Because if it’s interrupted, the spell will implode?”
“‘Extinguish’ is the correct word,” she corrected, and with a casual poke to the light sphere, the spell scattered and dissolved. “Any attempt to displace larger areas would be ineffective, and anything interfering with the spell’s design would extinguish it.”
The lecture continued for a while longer before the students were tasked with creating their own light spell before being allowed to leave. Ravina was the first to succeed, a smug smile curling on her lips as she glanced over at Earl. Her joy faded, however, when he succeeded just as easily.
As they were the first to complete the task, the two left the classroom together.