My first lesson was taught periodically to newcomers and gave a basic rundown on the types of magic. It was offered in a small building on the campus, open to users of every kind of magic. I was the first to arrive, sitting front and center. A half-dozen or so individuals filed in after me, split fairly evenly by gender. The ages around me ranged from college-aged to people who looked old enough to be my grandfather.

Where I had expected it to feel like college, it felt like one of those work-training exercises.

Those older than me carried notebooks or binders, clearly influenced by their time in college. One of the individuals younger than me hadn’t been bothered to bring anything at all for notes, either one of those people who could remember everything or who just didn’t care. As for myself, I settled my cell phone on the desk, face up, in case I felt like writing anything down.

I’d read many of the books available on the website, though, and had been given a reasonably decent overview by Cove on Friday, so I felt confident that it would not be needed.

The teacher was the head of the Spaciotemporal Magic Department and delved deep into the various types of magic and their abilities, going over their strengths, weaknesses, and range of abilities. He also explained the symbolism behind some of the emblems I’d seen around, having been created before the building of the pyramids and brought to light in the rest of the world around the time of the Romans.

The plain circle, he explained, represented all magic and how the different types were connected, flowing from one to the next. Spatiotemporal magic was represented by the vector equilibrium, where the laws of space and time break down. Physical magic was represented by the Flower of Life, representing the atom and the basic shapes of everything constructing the universe. Elemental magic was represented by the Metatron Cube, which contains representations for each element. Finally, Mental magic is represented by a circle with an ‘eye’ shape, representing the third eye.

I learned your primary magic affinity determined how easy or difficult they’d find other magics, in a Pokemon-esque chart. Elemental magic, for example, was the opposite of Spaciotemporal magic and would be the hardest for me to learn. Physical and Mental magics, being closer to spaciotemporal, would be the next easiest to learn, besides Spaciotemporal itself. Likewise, Mental and Physical magics were opposite, and someone like Jacob, who had an affinity for mental magic, would find it far more difficult to learn Physical magic.

The teacher went on to explain that some things, like potions and certain spells, were equally easy (or difficult) for individuals to learn, regardless of magic type.

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Ten minutes before class ended, the teacher opened it up for questions.

I raised my hand. “How does magic affinity work if you also have a minor affinity for other types of magic?”

“In most cases, your power level in your other affinities will reflect their relationship with your main. There are only a handful in recorded history where this has not been the case, and our history goes back a very, very, very long time.”

At his non-answer, my enthusiasm for learning dropped through the floor. I propped my head up on my chin, impatiently waiting for this class to be over and wondering if I would be better off learning from books.

Someone behind me raised their hand. “Yes?”

A bratty and snotty voice arose behind me, giving me a flashback to high school. “What’s the superior type of magic?”

Was this person really an adult?

The teacher went the diplomatic route, shoving his glasses up his nose as he answered. “There is no ‘superior’ magic. Each magic type has its strengths and weaknesses.”

The brat behind me was unfazed. “What magic type did the ‘strongest ever’ have, then? Wasn’t she a spaciotemporal mage?”

I didn’t have to turn to hear the smirk on the guy’s face, and I could see where this was going. He was a bully, trying to claim superiority and power over everyone in the room, including the teacher. Though I admit, I, too, was interested in the answer.

The teacher’s jaw tensed. “She had the highest overall recorded power level of any mage ever, yes. However–”

“And aren’t spaciotemporal mages the rarest?”

“It’s theorized that due to–”

“So doesn’t that make spaciotemporal magic–our magic–the strongest?”

The teacher pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you would stop interrupting me, Mr. Johnson, and let me finish, I would explain to you that–”

“Thanks, teach. That’s all I wanted to know. I’ll make sure to win that tournament.” A chair skidded against the stone floor behind me, and a young black and red-haired man exited the classroom, giving the teacher a jerky wave goodbye.

Silence fell over the classroom with his exit. The teacher turned back to the rest of us with a clear warning. “Power means nothing if you don’t know how to use it. Deacon went on to accomplish some of the greatest feats in our recorded history, and by our standards today, he was no more powerful than the average mage. He knew how to utilize his magic in ways we could only dream of.”

I nodded along. Knowledge was indeed more powerful than brute force, and only idiots assumed otherwise. My esteem for the instructor rose up a notch.

His gaze was drawn to someone behind me. “Yes, Ms. Smith?”

A clear voice rang out. “There’s a tournament?”

“The yearly sparring tournament will be held at the end of December, yes. Anyone is free to enter, though entries have to be submitted by December 1st. It’s open to all mages who are registered with a city.” He checked his wristwatch, then clapped his hands once. “This lesson is over. If you have any additional questions, you can come to see me. Otherwise, I wish you the best.”

He turned on his heel and left, following the Johnson guy’s path out the door. I pocketed my phone and followed suit, planning to head back to the library, discarding any mention of the tournament. Magic sparring was not something I’d be interested in. I’d had enough fighting in Heirs, thanks.