ALICE KELTHYRA:
“So. . . Ron’s a nice guy, huh? And your brother’s pretty fun as well,” I said, walking shoulder to shoulder with Alex holding my hands behind my back, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. Despite being together for hours, I still hesitated to split up and check out my room. “Let’s just hope my roommates turn out to be. . . umm–”
“Normal?” he smirked, looking back at me with those emerald eyes. “You’ll be fine.”
Sometimes he made it hard not to avert my gaze, but I tried my best, shyly smiling as we’d almost touch with each step.
“I mean. . . you’re here,” I mumbled.
“Sorry, what?” He asked, soft-spoken the entire time, leaning in closer so he could hear me better.
“N–nothing. . .” I sighed, dropping my gaze. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“Relax. . .” His hand gently brushed against my shoulder. “Worse case, we’ll think of something.”
“No, you’re right. I’ll be fine. Just overthinking things,” I said, stopping as we reached the female dorm. “Well, I’ll be seeing you in class.”
“Sure.” He smiled, crossing his arms. “Have a good night, Alice.”
“Night, night. . .” I said before looking at the door, but hearing him step away, I quickly turned and hugged him, catching both by surprise.
“Alice?” He held me close while the students walking past couldn’t help but throw a glance. “Everything alright?”
“Sorry.” Pulling away, I averted my gaze. “I was just–”
Simply putting his hand on my head, he stopped what would quickly turn into rambling.
“Don’t let anyone hear I had a princess apologise for hugging me. I wouldn’t hear the end of it,” he joked, moving his hand back. “Good night, Alice. I’m glad we get to hang out again.”
Seeing me smile as our eyes met again, he winked and slowly left. Never in my life had I felt more embarrassed, so the moment he turned and walked a few steps, I rushed through the door with a racing heart.
“Dammit, Alice, why did you do that?” I whispered to myself, cupping my burning cheeks now that he was no longer in sight. “Ugh, I’m such an idiot.”
It took less than a few hours of seeing each other for all my plans that I came up with back home to crumble to dust. Stay composed, I told myself, but couldn’t resist doing something stupid, and now embarrassment washed over me as I trudged down the hallway. Luckily, I had reached my room shortly, giving me no time to dwell on my mistakes, preventing me from further eating away at myself as I faced yet another nightmare, though a potentially welcome distraction.
Surprisingly, when I opened the door, only one girl was waiting on the other side, unpacking her things. She had already changed into her dark-coloured sleepwear, matching her raven hair tied in a ponytail. Slowly standing up, she turned to look at me, locking her sapphire eyes with mine. Her every motion remained elegant, speaking volumes of her training to appear ladylike. Honestly, she was intimidating, and her expression gave away little.
“Hello,” I said, trying to sound soft-spoken and calm as I extended my hand. “My name is Alice. You must be my new roommate.”
“Penelope,” she said, her voice just as calm as one would expect, accepting my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
“Penelope?” My brows furrowed. “You wouldn’t happen to be Penelope Kallis?”
A small smile appeared on her face. “Yeah. Then I am guessing you are Alice Kelthyra?”
My stomach turned as I realised that she was the first person I’d meet on my own, despite preparing for it beforehand. Still, I smiled, trying my best to stay composed.
“That’s right,” I said but felt my words sounded awkward.
She just looked so serious that it threw me for a loop.
“You okay?” she asked, making me wonder what kind of a face I was making.
“Yeah, yeah. Just a bit tired. We had a long day, didn’t we?” There was no coming back from how embarrassed I felt, making me question whether it had been that long since I last introduced myself to anyone. It used to be so easy, but it had been years since I last spoke to someone my age who wasn’t Alex. The overwhelming feeling swept through me, leaving me exhausted. The only thing I could do was sigh, letting it all pass right through me before I began talking without thinking, “Sorry. It seems I’m out of it completely.”
She couldn’t help but giggle, shattering her intimidating aura.
“Sorry, it’s just that you’re just as I imagined from what Alex told me about you.”
“Is that a good thing?” I had to ask, cupping my cheek.
“You kidding? He’d never say something bad, especially about you,” she explained, making me smile before returning to her things. “Oh. We picked our beds while you weren’t here, so if you want to switch, say so now before I finish unpacking.”
“No, no. . . I’m fine with wherever,” I said, glancing at the only bed without a bag resting on top. It had a window view, so I was more than happy. “H–have you already met them?”
“Maya and Amelia? Yeah. We haven’t spoken much, but they seemed alright. It would appear we got lucky,” she said, stepping back and conjuring a wand. With a simple flick, the rest of her clothes from the bag levitated before slowly setting down in her chest. “I should’ve done that sooner.”
“That’s–” Just as I was about to say something, someone knocked on the door before entering.
“Hey, Penelope. I– Oh. Hi,” said a petite human-looking girl with crimson eyes, an unusual sight. “Didn’t know someone else was in here.”
“Hey, Rose. Good timing. Alice, this is Rose – Rose, Alice.” She gestured at us back and forth.
“Hi,” I said, shaking her hand.
“She’s quite princess-like,” Rose said, taking a good look at me.
“She is, isn’t she?” They both giggled, lightly teasing.
It appeared I was in for a fun time.
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ALEXANDER KALLIS:
“Attention, class,” said our professor as she strolled into the classroom; a stunning-looking woman with long golden hair wearing dark robes that looked more like a dress. Her pale complexion and baggy eyes spoke volumes about her outdoor life and sleepless nights, making me wonder what she devoted her life toward. “My name is Professor Darkness. Although, feel free to shorten. I’ve been assigned the privilege of looking after you, so if you happen to have any questions or issues, feel free to knock on my door.”
Maybe it was because she was in need of a nap, but the way she explained had me questioning her willingness to be here. Though, she sounded genuine.
“Professor Dark?” a girl sitting a few rows back had her hand raised.
“Yes?” she answered, narrowing her blue-eyed gaze.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be History of Magic, Professor Geron’s class?”
The girl sounded very proper, definitely a noble of sorts. And although I recognised the name Geron, the one we knew wasn’t a professor, or so I thought. It was hard to believe there’d be two archmages named Geron in the world, but then again, considering how weird Grimhold was, I couldn’t rule out the possibility.
“Professor Geron shall be arriving shortly. He was kind enough to lend me his classroom for a few minutes – to introduce myself.” Her voice was calm, soft-spoken, and pleasant to listen to. Next, she walked around the table, resting against it with her arms cupping the edge. Her eyes appeared to gleam for a second as she gasped before continuing to speak, “Worry not. While it’s true that this is my second year teaching at the Academy, and my voice hides enthusiasm well, I’ve prepared an intriguing year for my first-ever class. I’m hoping you’ll like it.”
“Don’t you teach Charms and Illusions?” Dustin asked, furrowing his brows.
“Underestimating any type of magic is a surefire way of getting oneself killed, be it out in the world or at home, at your alchemy table – I also teach Alchemy, although I expect that won’t impress you.” She sighed, watching Dustin shrug. Even I wasn’t sure if he was aware of how mocking he sounded, as if pitying her for trying. “While I’m sure many of you are familiar with our renowned professors who achieved great feats of magic, and I’m sure plenty wished for them to have been your mentor, rest assured that I’m more than a match for you than you’d expect.”
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“Ignore him, Professor. . .” Of all the people, Egon was the first to speak up, his stern gaze aimed at Dustin.
Admirable, but he looked like a kiss-ass which made it even funnier.
Professor Dark simply shook her head, looking back at the whole class.
“As I’ve said, you’re in for quite the year. Not many know this as we keep it secret from the outside world, but I also teach the dark arts starting second year.” She threw a quick glance at the classroom door before tracing back. “Who knows. . . Maybe I’ll show you something earlier. Not a bad idea to spoil my first students a bit.”
She effortlessly piqued my interest, although I presumed her class would be more theory heavy. Her eyes kind of reminded me of Penelope’s, focused yet distant, as if constantly observing while forgetting herself. Considering the two had similar interests, alchemy and all, comparing them wasn’t unthinkable.
Having Penelope on my mind, I couldn’t help but turn to look at her, a serene smile etched on my face the second I saw her sitting next to Alice. We met earlier in the hallway, and while I hadn’t had the chance to talk to them properly, it appeared they got along well, perhaps even better than expected. Honestly, I hoped to sit next to one of them, but Ron was quick to snatch me away, insisting I could do so next class; unlike our rooms, we were free to choose next to whom we sit as we pleased. However, what surprised me the most was just how many empty seats there were. Late-night drinking got the better of many, including Rose, or so Penelope claimed.
“Professor. . .” Penelope raised her hand. “When you say the dark arts, do you mean–”
“Yes, necromancy,” she said, a pretty straightforward approach.
“Doesn’t the world consider necromancy taboo?” Penelope raised a good question, one I would have liked answered.
“The world is more than black and white. I’m sure you’re aware of that, Penelope,” she answered with a soft smile.
“You know my name?” Penelope asked, her voice naturally lowered.
“While it might take me a bit to familiarise myself with everyone, I still had a look at the list of students. Yours just so happened to pique my interest – a keen mind and love for alchemy, just what I’m looking for in a potential apprentice.”
When I turned, the last thing I expected was Alice getting flustered, staring at Penelope, who unsurprisingly maintained her graceful composure. Although even she looked thrown off by the comment Professor Dark made.
“As for your question,” Professor Dark continued, pushing herself off the table. “The tricky part comes from a common misconception of what necromancy does. While it certainly has many dark aspects, such as control over the dead, cursed, and other deathly magic, it also refers to control over chaos, the raw form of mana. One touch from a cluster of pure chaos, and your body would wilt within seconds.” Thinking back on what Draining Touch felt like, I believed her. “However, every time we cast a spell using verbal, somatic or material components, we do so to prevent mana from breaking apart, causing it to revert to chaos which could end up killing us. More powerful mages learn to do so without needing such assistance, but even they are cautious of how they cast certain spells – not all are the same.”
“Sorry I’m late–” Professor Geron, the one we all knew, stormed through the door, a bit winded and over-encumbered with books and scrolls. “Ah, Professor Dark. . . What–”
“The classroom is yours, Professor. Thank you for lending it temporarily,” she said, cutting him off.
“Huh? Ah, right. . .” He awkwardly smiled, not fooling anyone. Even Professor Dark sighed. “Do you need more time?”
“No, thank you, Professor.” She looked back at us. “We’ll see each other tomorrow during class, but if you’re to need me sooner, I’ll be in the alchemy workshop until rather late. Goodbye.”
She gave us a nod, turning and leaving, giving Geron the spotlight as he dropped everything onto his desk, following a loud bang.
“Sorry about that.” He chuckled, turning around awkwardly. “My name is Professor Geron,” he said, pushing back his shoulder-length dark hair. “It’s a great honour to be given the right to teach about the history of magic, a subject I hold dear and the drive behind my passion for magic itself.”
Looking at the windows, he took out his wand and pulled on the curtains with a simple spell before the lanterns and candles spread throughout the classroom lit up, providing dimmer lighting. However, despite appreciating the atmosphere, it wasn’t ideal for prolonged reading and writing.
“Hmm. . . There seem to be a few familiar faces.” He smirked, glancing at us before his gaze began to wander the classroom. “Ready for the first lesson?‘
He clapped his hands enthusiastically, but nobody spoke up, creating an eerie silence.
“Right. . .” He sighed, taking a deep breath before trying again, turning to the board and taking a piece of chalk. “Lesson One: Mana cores and the truth behind magic.” Finished writing, he put down the chalk and returned to the front of his desk. “To learn about one’s history, you must first understand that which you’re learning about. You!” Geron pointed at me.
“Me, Professor?” I asked, gesturing to myself.
“Yes! Alex.” His spirit was uplifting. “Can you tell me what mana cores are and what they’re used for?”
“Amm. . . Sure?” I cleared my throat.
“Stand up, please. I want to have a good look at you when we speak.”
“Yes, Professor.” It was a reasonable request, so I stood up, seeing as there were about a hundred of us present in the classroom. Core classes such as History of Magic were attended together, regardless of house. “Mana Cores are containers fabricated from–”
“Stop – stop. . .” He raised his hand. “I wasn’t asking for the textbook answer every scribe mutters. Define it in your words. Magic may be logical, but subjective feeling matters. Emotions matter.”
His passion was undoubtful, enthralling even.
“Okay. . . I’ll try again.” I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “My mana core is a feeling of comfort,” I placed a hand on my chest as my gaze dropped. “–an essence that became part of me, constantly demanding it be filled to the brim with mana, and at the same time reassuring me it’s there – keeping me safe.”
“Lame,” Dustin loudly mumbled while covering his mouth, inspiring a few to laugh.
“Silence. I shan’t tolerate such comments in my class,” Geron warned, which Dustin seemed to acknowledge to an extent with a simple nod. “Anyway, Alex.”
“Yes, Professor?” I asked, still standing awkwardly.
“Your explanation was flawless, just what I wished to hear. What you felt right there is the true existence of mana, a comforting feeling of empowerment,” Geron explained while walking around the classroom. “Sit.” I gladly did. “Now, to truly grasp what you’ve experienced, everyone needs to learn more about mana. See, we’re not sure if mana is a living thing or not, but we do know it has a will of its own and tends to act upon it at times. In fact, some mages believe mana to be an omnipotent and omnipresent god of creation, one that allows unimaginable feats. There’s even a religion dedicated to living mana in Sylvania,” he referred to the eastern continent. “Although the theory hasn’t been proven and likely won’t, so it hasn’t been accepted by many.”
“Sir,” Penelope raised her hand again.
“Yes, Penelope?” Geron asked, inspiring a light murmur in the classroom as quite a few keenly looked toward Penelope.
“Do you believe in it? Living mana,” she asked.
“Oh, it’s real. But I do question its sentience at times,” he explained. “You see, mana in itself defines nature and balance. Raw mana turns to chaos, an unstable form of energy many use for necromancy. However, transmuting it to be pure turns it into radiance, a form of power those blessed by the divine manipulate. We do too, but rare are such spells.” He made his way to the board, picking up the chalk again. “As I’ve explained, mana itself is chaos which naturally refines itself, attempting to become stable. Some turn to elements, while others to radiance. Regardless, mana is fairly toxic and harmful to living creatures if manipulated directly without proper control, which is exactly why we’ll be discussing the true purpose of mana cores.”
“True purpose of mana cores?” Penelope asked but covered her mouth a second later, realising she hadn’t raised her hand beforehand.
“Regardless of what you may think, the truth is that even the most talented mages alive fall pale when compared to true masters of chaos, such as the Fae, Demons, the Divine, and of course, Dragons.” He began sketching the human body, circling where the upper mana core would be. “They require no mana cores to perform what we do and do so naturally. Fae manipulate chaos, Demons command it, the Divine order it, and Dragons – They bend it to their will using their dragon hearts that inspired the idea behind mana cores.”
Penelope raised her hand, persistently having questions. Although it seemed Geron was more than happy to hear them, gesturing for her to ask.
“Professor. . . I’m not sure I understand the difference,” she said, furrowing her brows. “While it sounds different, what’s the actual difference between – let’s say, manipulating and commanding chaos?”
“It seems I’ll have my hands full with you, Penelope.” He chuckled, putting down the chalk. “Months wouldn’t be enough for me to explain, but putting it into perspective might be easier if I remind of the subjective feeling I mentioned earlier. Unlike those naturally gifted that I mentioned, our level of control when it comes to directly manipulating chaos is abysmal.”
“Does that mean we could theoretically cast without a mana core?” Penelope followed up with yet another intriguing question.
“Theoretically? Yes. There were some whom we believe were able to break their mortal restraints and gain the power of manipulating the mana surrounding us, void of a mana core. However, these stories may be nothing more than myths, but one such mage was Merlin, a mage whose staff they used to raise Grimhold to the skies. Sadly, he’s believed to be long dead, over a millennium ago.”
Merlin was a renowned name, a human mage capable of stopping wars with a single spell. During his rise to power, they say the world was in an expansion era, stopped only when he found an artefact about which I knew nothing.
“Elves are a tad more talented than humans when it comes to manipulating chaos, allowing one to form a mana core regardless of talent, although the time necessary heavily varies. They can thank their fae ancestry for that.” He pulled up his chair and sat down for the first time, dragging it across the wooden floor. “To offset our inability to cast spells directly, someone in the past, although we don’t exactly know who, created the idea of forming what we know now as mana cores. While manipulating chaos outside our bodies proved impossible, we could still manage the mana within to an extent, though talent matters.”
Considering one formed a mana core by manipulating the mana within to create the container, it all made sense; however, it raised a question I couldn’t ask freely. The explanation I gave earlier was only half true. My lower core, unlike the upper, constantly starved itself of mana, forcing recovery. If it weren’t for both balancing each other out, the experience would’ve been quite unpleasant. It made me wonder if that meant I could manipulate mana residue with enough training. That would mean I had an endless supply of mana, but I wasn’t willing to test that theory alone, considering last time I did something directly related to the frozen core, I passed out and nearly died.
“Mana cores not only serve as containers for us to gather mana and use it freely, but it also constantly refines it so we don’t suffer from the toxicity of chaos. Humanoids are quite vulnerable to it, non-mages especially. Any questions?”
Many students raised their hands, though my focus shifted back to the notebook I had laid before me. The idea I had in mind stuck, and I soon began daydreaming about the possibilities. Now all I needed was to catch Professor Geron while he was alone and ask him directly. Since he knew the secret, I felt at ease approaching him.
Chapter End.
Thank you for reading.