Chapter 9: Old Magic

Her name was Professor Lux Althea, and she was indeed an important person. She was the head of all the healing curriculum at the Academy and sat on its board of directors. As Cassian followed her into her office, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of awe and apprehension. The room was unlike any he had seen—part office, part magical laboratory. Shelves lined the walls, filled with ancient tomes and artifacts. A large, circular window cast an ethereal light across the room, highlighting intricate patterns on the floor and walls. The air smelled faintly of incense and the hum of latent magic filled the space.

The room reminded him of a hospital for some reason. A hospital mixed with a mad scientist lab. At least it was as pristine as the Celestial’s robes.

“Sit,” Lux commanded, her voice calm but authoritative. Cassian obeyed, taking a seat in front of her imposing wooden desk. Lux settled into her chair, her piercing black eyes studying him intently.

"You have caused quite a stir, Mr. Varn,” she began, her tone measured and analytical. “Healing magic without incantations, summoning and growing roots with barely a thought... These are not the abilities of an ordinary first-year student.”

Cassian swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her scrutiny. “I don’t know how I did it,” he admitted. “It just... happened.”

Lux nodded slowly. “Tell me everything about your magical training. Start from the beginning.”

Cassian hesitated but began recounting his experiences at the Academy from when he started. He carefully omitted any mention of his arrival in Sonaris and the bond with Lyra, focusing instead on the Magiball game and his sudden ability to cast spells.

When he finished, she leaned back in her chair, her fingers steepled under her chin. “Your abilities are reminiscent of ancient magic, the kind practiced long before incantations became the norm. This suggests a deep connection to the mana of this world, perhaps even an innate ability to manipulate it directly. Incidentally, it’s the same kind of magic magical creatures like the fey use.”

Cassian’s mind raced. “What does that mean for me?”

“Rather than answer, the professor stood and walked over to a large, intricately carved cabinet.

She retrieved a small, glowing crystal. “This is an elemental crystal. It will help us gauge your control over different elements. I want you to focus your energy on it and see what you can do.”

Cassian took the crystal, feeling its warmth in his hand. He concentrated, reaching out with his senses to connect with the mana within. The crystal began to glow brighter, shifting through shades of green, brown, and white—the typical colors for nature magic.

“Impressive,” Lux murmured. “Indeed your connection to nature magic is strong. I am beginning to see the reason Professor Lyra sponsored you into the school. Your mana signature is quite similar to hers. And there’s…something else.”

That made Cassian think. What could that mean? Did having sex with Lyra unlock some of his latent abilities. Was his nature affinity the reason he’d been summoned into this world? Or had he gained them because he was summoned.

Most likely the latter. There wasn’t any magic on earth, as far as he knew.

“What’s the something else?” Cassian asked, feeling suddenly aware of the professor’s neck and her rather appealing features. He even thought he could smell a faint scent of her skin that he associated with apple.

Professor Lux opened her mouth to say something, and Cassian couldn’t help but notice the subtle way her hand just happened to rest on the curve of her breast before brushing a strand of hair from her face behind her ear.

An unbidden and sudden arousal surged in Cassian. What the hell is going on?

The professor’s lips seemed to thicken. He thought they were the most kissable lips he’d ever seen. She leaned forward, so close to him he could smell the sweet tang of her breath, see the dilation in her pupils. “It’s something like…” and her voice was husky. She looked like she was about to kiss him.

Then she blinked, as if shaking away a daze, and she backed away, returning to the professional attitude as if nothing had happened. It was truly bizarre.

Did Imagine that?

The professor continued to analyze the colors in his crystal. “Perhaps you have some distant fey ancestry. We will need to conduct more tests, but for now, I am nearly satisfied.”

While she studied his mana, he worked on getting his heartbeat in check and focused on making his John Wayne settle down.

Professor Lux walked over to a shelf and retrieved a strange volleyball-sized ball of hair from a cage filled with them. The creature wriggled slightly, and Cassian found it a bit gross when she cut the hairball with an athame. “This is a magically engineered creature, without sentience, used for practicing healing. I want you to heal it.”

Cassian cleared his throat and focused. He stared at the cut hairball, feeling a bit queasy. He reached out his hand and concentrated, but nothing happened. He tried again, but he couldn't even conjure a little light, let alone perform healing.

“What’s different now compared to when you healed Darian?” Lux asked, her voice calm but curious.

Cassian hesitated. “I’m not sure. When I healed Darian, I just... knew what to do. I felt like I could do it, and it needed to be done.”

The professor nodded, seemingly deep in thought. “Interesting. I would like to work with you as my private student.”

“That’s rather sudden.” Cassian spoke without thinking. The professor was unperturbed.

“I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter. You will be receiving an adjusted schedule in a few days.”

It really didn’t seem like a bad idea. Maybe she could help him figure out his abilities. And maybe if he could understand them, he might be able to figure out how to undo what he did to Lyra.

Professor Althea looked contemplative. "There is a place near the academy where the rift activity has been particularly strong. There has been an abundance of nature magic acting strangely. There is a party of fourth-years, along with trained faculty and an adventurer security team, so the danger you would face will be minimal. I want you to join the team and let me know if you notice anything unusual, either in yourself or in the forest.”

"Excuse me, did you say the forest?"

"That's right. The Forest of Whispers. The one that sits beyond the Crystal Chasm. It really is one of the more beautiful biomes, if a bit treacherous when the monsters get out of hand."

Cassian paled at that. He was in a fantasy world and he had yet to face any monsters. Was he ready for something like that? Would he ever be ready?

Sensing his discomfort, the professor attempted to assuage his fears. "Fear not. For there are many healers that join the party in the case of emergency. You will be perfectly safe."

Somehow that didn't make him feel any better. But on the bright side, the forest was exactly where he wanted to be. A stroke of luck if ever there was one.

"Last thing. You'll need to find these books in the library and study them." She handed him a list of books, with one title standing out: The Forest of Whispers and the Dangers Within.

He looked up at the professor. Grateful that the inquisition was done, but not sure if everything was truly settled. “Will I be in any trouble for what happened in the Magiball court?” he asked.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Why would there be?” Althea replied, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Cassian nodded, grateful and relieved. As he left her office, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation mixed with the weight of the secrets he still held. He needed answers, and he needed them soon. And it was looking like maybe he would get the chance to ask Aria soon.

Cassian decided to make his way to the library, eager to find the books Professor Lux Althea had assigned him. Well, maybe not so eager. The prospect of reading six tomes that were likely to be as heavy as three bricks, if pretty much every one of the books on magic he’d seen was any indication.

The library building was an imposing structure with high, arched windows and intricate stone carvings depicting scenes of magical history. As he entered, he was greeted by the sight of towering bookshelves that seemed to stretch endlessly upwards, their tops disappearing into the shadows of the vaulted ceiling.

The interior was just as grand, with sections devoted to different branches of magic. Some areas had books flying around, their pages fluttering as they navigated the air. Librarians with nets expertly caught these books, guiding them back to their shelves.

Cassian approached the main desk, where an elderly librarian with spectacles perched on her nose looked up from her work. "Good afternoon, how may I assist you?"

"I need to find these books.” Cassian handed the librarian his list.

The librarian's eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, yes. We were expecting you. Professor Althea sent a message ahead.”

That surprised me. Though maybe in a magic world nothing should surprise me. “How did she get here before me? I left and came here right away. Oh, wait, she must have sent one of those paper birds or something."

The librarian chuckled. "Oh, no. We have more advanced ways of speaking with the faculty. We need to be on top of their requests...which they make prolifically. And often." She looked peeved for a moment, but then corrected her expression and was once more the helpful, affable librarian. She pointed to a rectangular device on her desk that remarkably resembled an iPad. "This is a Tablet of Farsight. It projects the image of the professor onto the glass."

They have iPads in this world!? I want one!

"Where can I get one?"

"I'm afraid they're very expensive. The materials and artificery are prohibitive. But you could potentially procure a pair or a used single tablet at an upscale artificer's shop in the city. It wouldn't be useful to you unless you had the pair, unless you dialed it in to someone else who had a tablet."

Figures.

"Thanks for the info. Very informative."

A wave of euphoria suddenly gripped Cassian. The elderly librarian suddenly started looking just as delicious as Professor Lux. No. This can’t be happening.

The librarian seemed to age backwards in an instant, and she looked, perhaps, just as young as she had in her prime.

The young woman before him leaned forward on her elbows, pressing her ripe breasts together, lips swelling along with Cassian’s…

“I’m sorry, young man.” The young librarian said, pushing up her spectacles. “But I think you may just be a little too young for me.” Then the illusion was broken and Cassian stood in front of the elderly librarian’s desk once more.

She chuckled and shook her head. Her cheeks looked a little flushed. Whatever she’d seen Cassian do, she found it more amusing than anything else. Which was a boon.

I must be losing my mind.

The librarian handed him the books:

The Forest of Whispers and the Dangers Within

History of the Fey: From Myths to Realities

Old Magic: Principles and Practices

"I’ll have one of my assistants gather the rest for you.” The librarian said with a wink. “Please feel free to sit in one of the booths over there and browse your books while you wait.”

As Cassian walked away mortified, he was distracted from his shame by marveling at the towering magic library. Students and staff moved about, some engrossed in their reading, others discussing animatedly. The air buzzed with an energy, and with the occasional sounds of unruly books flapping—literally—as they flew overhead, attempting to avoid the library staff chasing them with nets.

Yes, Cassian was at the heart of the academy's intellectual life. He should focus on books and keep his…(unruly hormones?) in check.

Cassan found a quiet corner of the library and began to read. Most of the titles made him feel like he was in way over his head. He picked out The Forest of Whispers and the Dangers Within and flipped through the pages. He was immediately drawn to the detailed illustrations of the flora and fauna, most of them lethal and terrifying vines, carnivorous plants, and poisonous flowers who could kill you with a thought. Could plants really think?

A few minutes later, he came across an image of a particular tree and froze. It was made of iron.

The book warned: "Steer clear of this tree. Should you encounter it, run in the other direction as quickly as possible. The iron tree steals mana from everything around it within a five hundred-meter radius. While it does not appear to affect plants, no other lifeform can survive for long within its presence. Its location is not always the same, shifting with the cycles of the sun and moon, but it is suspected that it appears near the epicenter of a rift."

Cassian’s mind raced with the implications. He remembered how quiet it had been near Aria’s tree when he first arrived, how the sounds of the forest only returned once he walked a fair distance away. Had that been Aria's doing as well? Did she have something to do with the unusual nature magic irregularities Professor Althea had mentioned?

The librarian eventually returned with the remaining books. Apparently one of the tomes had been especially hard to secure due to its wild flight. No surprise it was the book on fey magic.

Anatomy of the Body: A Magical Perspective

Advanced Healing Principles

Fey Magic: A Comprehensive Guide

"Here you go," she said, handing him a stack of books and giving him a gentle pat on the cheek. At his despairing look—more embarrassment than anything else—the librarian interpreted the expression as having to do with the number of books he needed to carry to his dorm. She looked at him sideways. "Do you need help carrying these? I notice you don’t have a bag of any kind."

"I think I can manage. Thank you." Cassian shook his head unconvincingly. But in truth he didn’t know how she could help him. Was she planning to assign someone to follow me home? It felt unmanly.

Blessedly, the librarian had a different solution in mind. "Actually, I have something for you.” She made him wait, and when she returned, she handed him a backpack. “This is a space distorting backpack. It will make carrying these books much easier. Just take good care of it and make sure to return it whenever you procure your own."

Cassian gratefully accepted the backpack, amazed at how light it felt once he loaded the books inside. This would have been useful on earth, he thought. Wait, isn’t this technically a bag of holding?

When he arrived at his dorm, exhausted from a long day, he noticed a letter on his desk. It was in a rough brown envelope and tied with twine. Opening it, he found a letter from Lyra. Her words made his emotions churn.

Cassian,

I would like to apologize if it seemed I was being rash when I kicked you out. I have to accept that what happened wasn’t intended, and not even your fault. I’ve discovered the nature of the bond. It is akin to a familiar contract. You are the holder of the contract, which means in some respect, that makes you my master, and I your servant. This is a prospect which I am quite unhappy about, as I very much value my freedom.

Learn everything you can about familiar contracts. Even if our bond isn’t exactly that, it may provide a clue. Our bond is different than anything I have ever seen. I think it might be Old Magic.

I suggest you pay a visit to Professor Alaric Thorne. As much as I hate to admit, he is the most knowledgeable in binding magic and Old Magic. He also has a contracted familiar, albeit an elemental, and far from a fully sentient being.

I will be taking a leave of absence, going as far away from the academy as possible to see if that will alleviate the constant awareness I have of you. There is a shaman I know who may be able to help. I may even look for a door to Faerie.

-Lyra Nyx

Cassian's heart sank. He felt bad that Lyra felt the need to be as far as she could from him. So she had a constant awareness of him, and that made her so uncomfortable that she couldn’t stand it?

Hadn’t Aria said something about contracts when she imparted her quest on him? In truth, that entire experience in the forest, the summoning, the quest—all of it felt like it had happened to someone else. In truth, what he remembered about her quest was so vague, he really needed to speak with her again, if just to ask her what he was supposed to do.

Choosing to focus on something else, he reflected on this supposed connection he had with Lyra. He closed his eyes and tried to see if he could sense anything and…

Woah! That was easier than he thought it would be.

Just by thinking of Lyra and their bond, focusing on the need to feel her, and then he knew precisely the direction she was and how far.

He could point her out from inside his dorm room, and he knew she was heading east, and getting farther away by the second. The connection showed no sign of waning however, even though he felt she must be dozens of miles away.

Along with the sense of her, he also felt…magic. It was as if connecting to that part of her that was in him gave him access to something more. It felt almost like that ‘knowing’ that he experienced when he healed Darian. But then the sensation was fleeting and gone. He wasn’t sure if it was because he lost focus on her or something else.

At any rate, he was determined to find answers. But he wouldn’t find them tonight. He turned to climb to bed and tripped over a black duffel bag. When he opened it, he saw that it was filled with his clothes. The clothes Lyra had given him. He smiled. She’s angry, but still lookin out for me. Isn’t that something?