Olly Briggs
He jumped into the seat Sarah had saved for him in World History with a minute to spare.
“Cutting it close on your first class,” she playfully teased him.
He had no time to respond as the lecturer walked in. He immediately began to project the content onto a white screen.
“Twenty-three independent, isolated, free-floating spheroids. Each bearing human life and resources. That was our beginning. Though there are theorems behind the beginning of our existence, this course will focus on the ingenuity of the people who came before us and whose contributions to science have brought us to where we stand today,” the lecturer read aloud.
Olly was intrigued. At his old school they never delved into history. They mainly stuck to the basics, such as math and writing, because these were the main skills people needed to live in the real world. Scarcely anybody in the sixteenth would know or care about frivolities like history when they really just needed to go to work to put food on the table each night. He suspected some of his classmates would have received a more formal education that included this subject though. Confirming his suspicions, as he looked around he could see that Bowen looked bored and Odette was doodling on her notebook.
“Does anyone know how the first step towards contact between our civilizations was made?” the lecturer asked the class.
Bowen raised his hand, as Olly thought he might. “It started in Bilson, right sir? Someone suspected that there were other potential locations to grow food when the city was falling into a famine.”
“Correct, but he wasn’t just someone. That person is known as the father of Cartography because he was the first one to study the existence of other spheroids. His true name was lost to time, but we do know that he was a scholar. When the city officials came to him asking for help in solving the city-wide famine he studied the different areas of the city. He knew that one section had fertile land but it couldn’t keep up with the population growth. The city was on the brink of collapse. Picture it, a primitive civilization overburdened by its population, threatening to overtake a relatively tiny rock floating in space and time.”
He had captured the attention of the class and he knew it. Even those who came from more prestigious backgrounds seemed interested.
“But this man hadn’t come out of nowhere. He had been doing research of this nature for quite some time but had been branded as a fool. Until of course, he was needed. But this problem actually gave him the means to solve his own research problem. Before the issue of the famine had come up, he had been studying a compound called ‘astraium’. Does anyone know what that is?”
“A rare earth element, it forms the basis of tunnels,” Odette answered without raising her hand.
“Yes, in part. And this may be the first time it’s mentioned in your studies in the Academy, but it is far from the last. I daresay you’ll be sick of hearing about it by the time you’re done here,” he smiled, “Nonetheless, the father of Cartography had managed to isolate a small quantity of naturally occurring astraium after he had noticed how it caused a rock face to shimmer as if he was looking at a mirage.”
Olly perked up. That tickled at the back of his mind as he remembered his dream from the night before. He shivered as the more haunting elements came into focus in his mind’s eye. But more than that, it reminded him of the time he saw something just as the lecturer had described. He willed himself to pay attention, squashing down the feelings of unease he was experiencing.
“This scholar had found astraium extremely interesting but had little way to find a practical application for it. It wasn’t until he was called to help solve the city’s problem that an idea struck. He never believed that the city was alone, never believed that it was the limit of the world. So he began in earnest to find ways of using astraium to solve two problems at once. His first breakthrough was found at the end of a farmer’s field. He applied a small amount of pure astraium against a rock face. He was able to see through the rock to an entirely different area, somewhere entirely separate from Bilson. There was an abundance of wide open fields. Frustratingly though, he was unable to access it. At best, it was like looking into a window, which unfortunately closed up after only a few minutes.”
“It strengthened his resolve. But he needed help. A rival scholar had been studying a different element, chrononium. In its stable form, it was found in rock faces as blue veins, but it could not be removed without entering an unstable form, disintegrating almost immediately upon attempts to isolate it. However, for the brief moment that someone was exposed to the unstable version, time around them would slow. This scholar was banned from studying it due to the city’s fears of misuse, but he continued to do so in secret.”
“The father of Cartography knew that this scholar was still manipulating chrononium and effectively blackmailed him into joining his study, claiming that he would share credit but if he didn’t join him he would reveal his research secrets. And so together, the two scholars ran experiments until they came up with a stable combination of the two elements. A yellow powder which, when spread across a carefully selected solid face, could cover a much larger surface area and remain stable until the powder was worn away. This helped to solve a short-term problem, but there were several unknowns that complicated the longevity of the experiment. Does anyone know what these are? Yes, you please,” he called on Sarah.
“They had to be reasonably sure there was another location on the other side or else the window wouldn't reveal anything. And since it was just a 'window' there had to be the application of energy to break through the space-time fabric.”
“Correct again! They lacked the means to perform the punch as we know it today. In fact, the city, now invested in the research, spent a considerable amount of resources trying to come up with a way to break through the barrier. All hope seemed lost when nobody had the means to do so. If developing a tunnel with one loci was beyond their means, perhaps if they could find a second loci that was in a similar state of readiness they could form a tunnel. And so, the father of Cartography had an idea. Since he had found one free-floating entity then he was sure there were more. So he took to the sky. Looking at the sky had fascinated scholars but there was nothing visible to the naked eye, so he developed a telescope with a glass lens imbued with astraium. For one person, scanning the sky for objects would take a lifetime, but he had a sense of determining locations. This is now understood to be the intuition Cartographers of today have when they are looking for a location.”
“In this case, his instincts told him to select a spot in the heart of the city and look up. What he found was a large bluish glowing spheroid suspended in the distance. He was able to measure the angle between the horizon of Bilson and this unknown object using a primitive version of the tools we use today and decided to test a theory. His theory was that if someone on his city couldn’t punch through, the potential for a two-way communication could be their only hope.”
“He was lucky, very, very lucky. He decided to try one last experiment. He brought in a slab of rock to the location, applied the powder to it, and waited. At first, a window began to appear, but to his surprise and excitement, there was a person looking in from the other side. The scholar, no doubt waited with bated breath, but then the person on the other side, known as the first Conductor, touched the screen and it dissolved between them. For a moment, neither one spoke but then the other person by written accounts said “We’ve been waiting for you”.”
Olly felt humbled. There was so much luck in this story. Even if it was half myth, half reality, a few risks and a lot of chances had led to contact.
“From there, we’ll certainly get more into the cascade of events that led to the age of discovery and the advances that resulted, but for today we’ll leave it on the note that this meeting led to the creation of the Cartographers’ Guild in Bilson and then shortly afterward the Conductors’ Guild in Donnol.”
The homework assigned was to complete some readings and write an essay on a topic of each student’s choosing regarding a specific Guild policy and a time it had been historically invoked, referencing any consequences. It was due by next week’s class.
Afterward, they went to their first practicum. This took place in what looked to Olly to be a magical laboratory, rather than a lecture hall like the other classes. A theatre of benches circled a central platform where the lecturer stood. Like the giant globe in the atrium, this room had a faint bluish glow, but in here it seemed to be coming from the walls. The distinction was that the floor was the darkest, most opaque, black Olly had ever seen. It seemed to suck the light from the very room, leaving him feeling slightly uneasy. There was a variety of equipment on display. Flasks and stands, bunsen burners, and navigational equipment such as sextants and compasses.
Two people stood at each bench, and each bench was set up with a wooden panel. The panels were about a square foot in surface area and had a golden shimmering sheet stretched across them.
Brandon was the lecturer in this class, which was welcome to Olly. “Welcome all to your first practicum!” Brandon said cheerily. “Today we’re going to demonstrate the simple tool that has been traditionally used to test for magic. You saw an advanced version of this during the aptitude test but we need to break it down to the basics and show you how it works so that you can fundamentally understand what you’ll be doing out there in the Guilds.”
“In pairs, you’re going to perform a series of experiments on each other to assess for simple magical aptitude. As the practicum advances, we will add additional test criteria and run some other experiments. For today, we want to measure your aptitude across three dimensions; two horizontal axes and a third axis representing depth. Place your screen between you and your partner.”
Olly was partnered with Sarah, who lined it up between them. He could only see his side of the screen.
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Brandon came around and handed out a pair of stones to each bench.
“Alright, so, we’re going to run this experiment ten times each. This is a really helpful device that we’ve developed. Up until this year, we used something very similar for the aptitude test. Obviously, you all remember your test so you can all tell me how differently it went,” he said with a smirk, “But this is still a very helpful way for us to measure everyone’s baseline once they’re here.”
He explained that the panel was made up of a special blend of astraium and chrononium, woven into a fabric. The person who was running the test could place the stone anywhere within a cubic foot on their side of the panel and it would remain suspended in air. The force of the fabric kept it in place. The person being tested was expected to place their stone in the mirror position. If the person was exact with their placement, the fabric would disappear. If they were close, it would range from near-transparent to translucent. If they were off, it would remain opaque.
Because this was performed in three dimensions it was difficult to repeatedly get the test right by guessing, and by running multiple iterations they could get a truer baseline.
“Nobody gets kicked out of class on the first day, so don’t be anxious! But I also know you’re all a bunch of old pros since you passed the aptitude test,” Brandon said cheerfully once all the stones were passed out.
“Can you go first?” Olly asked, feeling nervous.
Sarah nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do brilliantly,” she said, sounding reassuring.
He gave her a thin-lipped smile. He appreciated that she understood his concerns though.
He placed the stone, not really believing it would float, but was amazed when it remained in place unassisted by his hand.
She seemed to think hard about it, staring through the screen. After a moment she very decisively placed the stone. Immediately the screen turned almost transparent.
He was impressed.
They reset it and tried again. Her next three attempts yielded translucent results, the three after that were almost transparent again and the last three went clear.
“Well done,” he said, feeling his stomach flipping.
“Thanks! Now it’s your turn.”
She reset it for him and placed her stone. He stared at the panel, wishing it would give up its secrets. When it didn’t tell him anything he decided to lift his stone and move it around the board, hoping it would reveal something to him.
“I think you have to let go for it to work,” she suggested, eyes peering over the top of the board.
He took a deep breath and placed it. Nothing happened.
She bit her lip. “Sorry buddy, that’s not it.”
“Is it at least close?” he asked hopefully.
She pursed her lips. “No.”
He cursed mentally. They reset it and tried again. Still nothing. When his fifth attempt yielded no results he placed his stone down in frustration.
“What do you feel when you do it?” he asked, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck.
“I guess it’s like a pull in my gut that gets stronger the closer I think I get. Maybe you’re trying too hard? Just take a breath and relax, you look super tense.”
He followed her advice and closed his eyes, trying to see if he sensed anything. He willed his mind to go blank but still no feeling came to him.
“I don’t think this is working,” he said gloomily.
He opened his eyes and she looked interested rather than pitiful.
“The way you wield magic has always been a bit different though, hasn’t it? Maybe you’re not meant to do it my way.”
He found this reassuring. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“So what do you think about when it happens?” she asked.
He bit the inside of his cheek. “It’s just… It’s never happened under normal circumstances. Any time I’ve used it I’ve been under stress, or feeling threatened. But even then, I’ve been threatened at times where it didn’t happen as a result either.”
“I could yell at you if you’d like?” she suggested helpfully.
“Ha! Probably not, it was a bit different than just being yelled at.”
They tried again. This time he tried to put himself back to the time the first tutor had raised the ruler against him. He thought he might have felt a slight… something. Like an instinct that was previously undiscovered. It was fleeting though and when he placed the stone it didn’t yield any better results. Neither did his remaining attempts.
Sarah looked across at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry Olly, it’s just the first day. I’m sure you’ll get it next week.”
He felt wholly disappointed. “Yeah, maybe.”
They handed in their results. The large zero beside his name made his heart sink in his chest. He didn’t have to suffer that result for long; the class was dismissed and it was lunch.
“Did you make it explode?” Bowen asked, walking up to them. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sarah shake her head urgently.
“No but I wish I had,” he murmured, “I’m going to go get some air, I’ll catch up with you both by the next class.”
He swept away without another word, not wanting to let his bad mood spoil their afternoons. He stalked the grounds and let the crisp air wash over him. It was difficult; he knew coming to the Academy would be hard but he had been reminded that he was surrounded by very clever people who had leagues more education than him and who had a much better grasp of magic.
Did he even deserve a spot? If it weren’t for his unusual showing of magic at the aptitude test it’s unlikely he would’ve been given an offer. He appreciated Sarah’s suggestion to think about magic in ways that made sense to him, but it clearly wasn’t working. Still, he supposed Abigail seemed to think highly of him though he wondered if she would rescind that after his poor showing on his first day.
He found himself in the statue garden. It was silent here and he appreciated it. He sank into a nearby bench. There were about a dozen carved marble statues in a variety of poses and he looked around at them. They all seemed to look self-assured, powerful, and intelligent. He didn’t feel like he possessed any of those traits right now.
He remembered the one that caught his eye on the drive in; the one with the broken tablet. He got to his feet, feeling like he needed to see it. It seemed to call to him. It wasn’t long before he stood before it. She was different from the other statues; the others all seemed to bear coy smiles and all-knowing gazes. However, she had fire in her eyes and the tension was carved in deep lines in her face. The expression she wore was more akin to a snarl and she gripped the two pieces of her broken tablet as if she had wrenched them apart with her bare hands.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” a voice called behind him.
He whirled around to find Brandon standing just off to the side. “Hope you don’t mind mate, I saw you walking off after class and wanted to catch up with you.”
“Oh… of course, no problem,” Olly responded.
Brandon put his hands in his pockets and walked forward. “I saw your scores. I hope you know it’s nothing to be ashamed of at all, it’s just your first day.”
“Yeah, but how many others got a score of zero?” Olly asked.
Brandon remained silent and Olly had his answer.
He sighed. “Now that you’re here, one thing to keep in mind is that it’s not a competition. Your cohorts are not your rivals.”
This time Olly didn’t respond. He looked at the ground.
“The Grandmaster told me about your situation and asked me to help you out. I’d be happy to do that assessment she wanted. Why don’t you come by my lab tomorrow after your last class and we could run a few tests?”
Olly considered his offer. “Do you think you can help me figure out what this is and control it?”
“I’d bet my wages on it. You’re in the right place for it mate!” he smiled warmly and Olly couldn’t help but feel slightly more optimistic.
“Alright, then I’m all in,” Olly agreed.
“Perfect! Let me know if there’s anything you ever need guidance on. Have you decided on your electives yet?” Brandon asked.
“So far I’d like to take Mythology and Atmospheric Forces. I’m still stuck on the last one though.”
“Good choices. Might I suggest our Leadership course? It’s aimed at those who wish to take on eventual roles in leadership but it’s always a good choice for Conductors because we are the natural leaders onsite. It could set you up nicely for teaching opportunities too.”
“Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll think about it,” Olly said. He looked back to the statue, still intrigued. “Can you tell me a bit about her?”
Brandon grinned widely. “Of course. That’s one of the famous mythological figures. She was a bit of a dark horse. You’ll learn about them more in your class but there were thirteen followers of the Scientist and the Magician. There were twelve that were ardent followers but she was the thirteenth who broke from their teachings. She’s known as the false prophet; as the myth goes she believed that the teachings were preventing the advancement of society and that the restrictions surrounding magic were limiting the wielders.”
“Interesting…” Olly said. He pulled his eyes away from her.
“Anyways, I should be off now but I’m looking forward to tomorrow. See you around!”
Olly decided he should grab a bite to eat before class, and maybe show some face with his friends so that they didn’t think he was planning on quitting the Academy before the end of the day.
They seemed grateful to see him make an appearance. The buffet was being packed away but Sarah handed him a wrapped sandwich.
“Thanks, and sorry for dashing off,” he gratefully accepted it.
“No worries, it’s a lot to take in. For what it’s worth I’m not worried. It’s just day one, and we’ve seen what you’re capable of, so as easy as it is for me to say it I hope you know it too.”
The rest of the classes went off mercifully smooth and before he knew it he was lying in his dorm once more.
“How did it go today?” his uncle asked when he called him that evening after dinner.
“It was… different. I still don’t know how I fit in here but people are making an effort. I feel behind already.”
Eli chuckled slightly on the other end. “Well, don’t beat yourself up too much. It’s only day one, there’s time to catch up.”
They bid each other goodnight and Olly stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. He hadn’t mentioned the tests that Brandon was going to put him through tomorrow. No point in worrying his uncle prematurely.
He fell into a much easier, and mercifully dreamless, sleep that night.