Dante spent the next few months facing his doubts. His last conversation with Essence had given him new motivation and he had spent the next day discussing his dreams with Historian Louis. She had been equally enthusiastic and pushed Dante’s training forward with even more fervor.
His training led them back to the tree where he had spent the previous month, but this time he was told to focus on specific feelings in the crowd. He searched for certain moods and pointed them out to his Magic Instructor. With the focus on certain feelings, he was able to block out some of the other emotions that tried to bombard him. He still passed out and the first week of his training had been so intense on his senses that he occasionally threw up, but he slowly made progress.
His field training class had progressed as well. The students were going through several different weapons training. Ferris had found that the two-handed sword was still a good match for him but had trained with a sword and shield as well when Kelsi had asked him to. Kelsi had stuck with her staff and found ways to improve upon it. She had yet to discover her affinity but the wooden weapon would give her reach and work with her affinity.
Jasmi was still unsure if she would be a dedicated melee or ranged Mage so she worked with dual daggers. Some of the abilities she had learned required both hands to cast so the daggers were easy to draw and put away if she needed to cast in a hurry. She was also fast in combat. Her natural agility allowed her to fight in close while avoiding her opponents strikes.
Gretta had the most trouble with the training. She couldn’t use her violin on the field because of the restriction on magic, so she had to use something else entirely. She decided on a small buckler and short sword. The mock battles would be starting soon for class and she needed a way to participate.
Dante used various weapons. He found his ability with dual wielding swords surprising but he hadn’t fully worked out his magic abilities yet so he practiced mainly with the staff. He could use it to press the advantage on Ferris’ distracted opponents while staying out of the way of his large sweeping strikes.
Head Historian Louis also has him running through other training exercises to develop his abilities. Most had to deal with getting a feel for the Essence around him. Unlike other Mages that could convert Essence into their own magic and then store it, Dante had no idea if he was storing Essence or not. The Historian would lock him away in seclusion for hours so that he had no distractions.
“Feeling, purpose, will.”
Dante chanted the three words silently to himself. It had become his focus. His entire learning process revolved around it. When he slipped into his old habits of self-doubt, he would chant these three words to center himself. It was difficult to force yourself to not think something so instead, he would push the thoughts aside as if they were merely a distraction.
Dante could feel the Essence surrounding him but it stayed just out of his reach. He opened his senses but Essence wasn’t something you could physically feel or see. It was as if being encased in darkness and knowing that someone was there with you, albeit not as creepy.
He thought about his feelings. What stirred inside him? Eagerness? Excitement? Curiosity. He was curious. It was a simple expression to the unknown. He was curious about Essence. Thousands of irrelevant questions crossed his mind and all had been created by his curiosity.
He contemplated purpose. Was it just his purpose? Essence was alive in his dreams. What was Essence’s purpose? He thought through the conversation she had shared with him. The simple questions she had asked. Subtle hints she revealed. She wanted him to succeed so that must mean that their purpose was the same.
Through his life, Dante had never felt ashamed at being an orphan. How could he be ashamed when he knew of no other life? He did feel as if something had been missing though. Something that was stolen away from him and left an emptiness behind. He felt…alone.
Did Essence find him because of that? Was she lonely as well? Dante considered the thought. It could be something that would combine their purpose. Essence didn’t need to be controlled. If Dante was right and Essence was alive then they would need something more substantial. A friendship? A partner? A connection…family. A bond.
Dante felt the Essence stir around him. He knew he was discovering something important right now and he could feel a weight slowly lift off his shoulders. A bond is immeasurable. It is freely given and received in return. He felt his will solidify in his mind. The part of every being that drives them to step forward. He felt his mind open up, pouring out his secrets, his embarrassments, his inner most thoughts, sharing them with Essence.
“Hello again.” Dante sent his thought out into the swirling mist that his mind started to perceive. Moments passed as his greeting hung in silence but he simply waited. A faint trickle of something insubstantial touched his hand, cold to the touch but his limb was filled with warmth. Dante felt the corners of his mouth turn up. He felt acceptance and so he mirrored the feeling, letting his acceptance flow into the world around him.
A moment of stillness followed. His body relaxed and he let the Essence in. He realized that he was the one stopping the Essence from connecting to him. His fear, his loneliness and doubt. He had shut off his ability to truly connect. Now his skin was surrounded in the mist of Essence. A chill sensation settled on him like a second layer of skin but the warmth rolled through his entire being. The Essence had bonded to his very soul. He could feel it in his muscles, organs and veins. It coursed through him, searching for every potential the boy had. Dante let it. There were no secrets he would hide from it. Any faults laid bare and Dante felt strangely at peace.
Slowly opening his eyes, he could see the Essence surrounding him, hugging him, protecting him. He waved his hand, watching the thin haze of silvery mist matching his movements as if attached to the limb itself
Dante focused his will, he needed to find out what his abilities were. He concentrated on the Essence, asking it to take form. He was surprised when a five-foot staff appeared in is hands. It was wood but silver in color and weighed no more than the wooden staff he had worked with during field training. Excited beyond measure, he rushed out of the room to show Historian Louis the results of his work.
He found the Historian at her desk. She was reading through several books while studiously taking notes. He could tell she wouldn’t look up at the boy until she was finished so he quietly waited in front of her desk. When she had finished her entry, she set down her pen and looked up at the boy.
“Another wasted day?” It seemed a statement more than a question which confused Dante.
“No, Historian Louis.” Dante replied slowly holding out his staff. “I was able to produce this from Essence.”
The Historian gave him a sour look. “Boy, what are you playing at? I don’t see a thing.”
Dante frowned again. The staff was held in his out stretched hands. How could she not see it? He lifted the staff and slammed the end into the ground making the room echo with a loud crack. The Historians eyes went wide as she stood from her seat and carefully inspected the boy.
“What exactly have you done? I don’t see anything but I did here the noise.” She said inquisitively.
Dante’s eyes rose. She couldn’t see his staff. Dante just stared at the staff dumbly for a moment.
“Well are you going to answer me boy or do I need to whack you with another book? I have plenty and some are very heavy.” She said, quickly losing her patience.
Pulled back to the moment, Dante answered quickly. “I was able to mold a staff of Essence. I’m holding it now and can see it perfectly. I did not know you couldn’t Historian Louis.”
She paced for a moment, working through the questions running through her mind. After a few moments, she turned and faced the boy.
“See if you can make the Essence visible to others. It actually seems quite likely that Essence would remain invisible to those who are not attuned to it but you might be able to if you concentrate.” She told him.
Dante focused on the staff, asking it to become visible to others. The staff shimmered for a moment and when it settled down, it came into view for the Historian.
“Amazing.” She said in wonder. “That is simple astounding Dante!” She cackled and sat back at her desk, quickly grabbing a new piece of parchment. She waved him forward and had him repeat the steps he had taken. He explained his process of self-discovery and all the sensations he had experienced. She then inspected the staff, feeling it, hitting it, she had even smelled it. She had him turn it invisible again and then started her inspection all over.
He had never seen the Historian this excited before. Usually she would yell at him but now she was like a student discovering magic for the first time. The inspection and questions had taken hours and by the time she was satisfied, she let him go. It was late but Dante was still able to run to the mess hall before it closed for the night.
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For the next few weeks, he had trained with the Historian. Learning the limits of his ability to create objects from Essence. The staff was by far the easiest for Dante since he was most familiar with it but others came, albeit, slowly. To help with this, the Historian brought a ridiculous assortment of weapons to the Library. Swords and knives of every shape and size. From hatchets to double bladed monstrosities that Dante couldn’t lift. Maces, spears and a few weapons that Dante wasn’t exactly sure what they were used for. He studied each and every weapon, learning their weight, size and dimensions. He was also told that while he was expected to use his abilities for training, he was never to show that the weapons could become invisible. When Dante asked why the Historian yelled at him about his ignorance and something to do with an ‘Ace in the Hole.’
Dante wasn’t the only one improving though. Ferris had found his specialty in close combat wind techniques. His Wind Armor could layer wind over him providing extra protection from physical and ranged attacks. His Dash ability also came to fruition, being able to quickly move within ten feet at a moment’s notice. It unfortunately took a great deal of his magic to preform Dash so he could only use it sparingly in a fight.
Kelsi’s specialty was in Perception. Her natural ability at situational awareness made her an ideal dungeon team leader. That ability had manifested in her magic. Perception allowed her to notice any physical injuries in anyone within her range. Her Instructor had gushed over Kelsi’s ability claiming that knowing a physical ailment at a moment’s notice would be invaluable in saving lives. Kelsi could also spend less of her magic healing an injury directly and it would heal faster since she could direct her healing more efficiently. Kelsi had threatened to practice her abilities on her friends if they didn’t stop gawking at her, causing her to blush furiously.
Gretta’s specialty was in Ultrasonic Vibrations. Her ability with a violin allowed her to shoot waves of unseen blades through the air at high rates of speed. What was also helpful was when she hummed along with her music, it affected the team in a number of ways such as calming their minds, allowing them to focus clearly. The only problem with her ability is that she was constantly humming and people passing by her would constantly be affected until they left her range which would leave them confused. She had promised to be more mindful after one such Instructor had suddenly had his exhaustion pulled from his body only to have it return suddenly causing a spectacular splash into a nearby fountain.
Jasmi specialty was Siphoning. She could bring forth spirits to fight for her and the more damage they dealt to an enemy, the stronger the spirits became, stealing their targets life force. Jasmi worried that this meant she would effectively be useless at the start of any fight, but then she discovered another ability called Death’s Grip. Skeletal arms would reach out from the ground pulling an opponent down, allowing the team to concentrate on other targets. She was unsure where this left her in the combat mechanics of the team. Would she be a melee fighter at the front or a ranged caster at the back. Until she could figure out more about her specialty and her abilities, she continued practicing with dual daggers in field training.
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Field training had intensified for the first-year students. Teams had been reformed to complement each other and mock battles were held three times a week. Magic was still not allowed but students occasionally had accidents that led to more than a few broken bones. Instructor Perez had brought a Life Mage with him during these mock battles and students were fixed up and sent back to training in minutes.
Today, Dante wielded a staff as the team prepared to fight Teron’s team. Teron carried a wooden duelists rapier and dagger as a girl named Lani, the girl with the scary smile from the mess hall, carried a bow with dull tipped arrows. The two larger figures on their team were actually twins. Harold and Hector had short black hair greased back and their deeply tanned skin and brutish facial appearance reeked of intimidation. Harold had steel colored eyes and held a large wooden one-handed axe and shield while his brother Hector had tan colored eyes and carried a large wooden one-handed mace and shield. Their fifth teammate was an enchanter. Mavis was tall and thin, with pale skin and dark brown hair. She carried a staff as well but was oddly enough, standing at the back of her teams’ formation. Her tourmaline pink eyes held a sense of malice that had made Dante shiver.
The teams squared off and worked towards each other slowly. Dante could sense the begrudging respect their opponents gave them but it was still overshadowed by a constant feeling of resentment. Dante knew magic wasn’t allowed on the field but he couldn’t completely control what he was sensing.
Ferris rushed forward with his large two-handed sword aiming for Harold’s shield. As Harold lifted his shield to block, Dante had sprung forward and slammed his staff at Harold’s knee causing him to buckle and throw his arms out wide. Ferris finished his move by slamming the sword onto the prone Harold’s armored chest.
“Harold, you’re out!” Instructor Perez yelled from the side. Harold rolled to the side and stared hard at the two boys. They had jumped back, Ferris dodging Hector’s downward chop and Dante deflecting a thrust from Teron. Once regrouped, Kelsi, had Jasmi and Gretta go wide and to the left. Jasmi with her dual daggers and Gretta with short sword and buckler moved quickly. Teron immediately rushed the pair and when Dante attempted to follow, he was blocked off by an exceedingly pissed off Hector. Dante dodged and rolled to his right as Hector’s mace tried to crush Dante with a powerful swing. His miss threw him off balance giving Ferris the perfect opportunity to come from behind and finish him. However, Ferris hadn’t moved. He just stood there with a look of confusion on his face. That was when Kelsi noticed the pink glow of Mavis’s eyes. Her back was towards Instructor Perez and she smirked at Kelsi’s realization. Kelsi noticed Dante’s hands were full with Hector so she sprinted forward, rushing the enchanter with her own staff in hand. She was half way to her when a sharp pain spiked from her thigh and she fell forward. A sickening laugh tittered from Lani as she pointed the her bow back at Ferris and struck him in the chest.
“Kelsi, Ferris! You’re out!” Instructor Perez yelled. Ferris quickly shook his head and ran to help Kelsi limp to the sidelines.
Dante had kept Hector at bay with short thrust of his staff and quick evasive maneuvers. He knew he couldn’t get past Hector’s shield but the boy was becoming more enraged by the minute. Dante waited, biding his time until Hector finally charged Dante with his mace held high. Dante quickly ducked the charge, spinning about and slamming his staff into the back of Hectors neck causing him to fall unconscious.
“Hector’s out!” Bellowed Instructor Perez.
Dante’s neck started to itch and he dove to his right as an arrow narrowly passed over head. He turned and sprinted for the archer as she quickly grabbed another arrow and set it. She was too slow however as Dante had covered the short distance and slammed his staff into her arm causing the shot to go wide.
“Gretta, Jasmi! You’re out!” Instructor Perez yelled. Dante looked over to see both girls lying on the grass, unconscious. Teron looked up at Dante with a bemused smirk as Dante took a staff to the back of the head.
Dante came awake with a pounding headache. The Life Mage checked his eyes for any other signs or trauma and then curtly nodded and headed away. Dante was helped up by Ferris and brought over to the rest of the team as they all sat on the grass. Instructor Perez was eyeing Teron’s group, noticing something odd about the previous fight but as he didn’t see anything, he had to let it slide. Looking at the rest of the first years, the Instructor addressed them.
“The end of the year tournament will be coming up shortly. In this tournament you will be allowed to use your magic abilities. You will also be training as individual teams and have been assigned days of the week to meet with me in order to help with your training. You will also be using real weapons. You may use the Academy's weapons or your own but you will all be using special armor that is heavily enchanted to protect you from any unforeseen accidents. Winners are declared by the opposing team being completely defeated or giving up. You all have improved and will make fine Adventures one day so keep training. You are dismissed.”
The group walked quietly to their dorms to prepare for their next class. They all had questions but they could wait until they had more time to deal with it. Dante spent the day frustrated as he kept seeing Teron standing over the unconscious forms of Gretta and Jasmi. His self-satisfied smile made Dante want to charge him with his staff. Dante was brought out of his thoughts when the Essence around him vibrated with displeasure. Dante could tell that the Essence didn’t like how he was thinking and he agreed, pushing the thoughts from his mind. “Don’t worry about what’s past.” Dante thought to himself.
Lunch came quickly and the group sat in the mess hall going over the events that morning.
“So, can someone explain to me what happened?” Ferris asked. “One moment we are trouncing Ugly Number One, and then I’m getting hit with an arrow while Kelsi is lying on the grass way out of formation.”
The group chuckled at Ferris’s name for Harold and Hector. He had announced them as Ugly Number One and Ugly Number Two when they attempted to push him off one of the larger obstacle courses during training.
Kelsi shook her head at Ferris. He always knew how to break the tension in the group but he wasn’t wrong about Kelsi being out of formation.
“I think that Mavis was using her Enchantment magic on you.” Kelsi said. The group quickly quieted down. “I studied up on Enchanting back at the orphanage. Enchanters are very good at charming people; some are even strong enough to make others fight for them like slaves.”
“So that’s why their team formation shifted during the fight.” Dante said. “They wanted Mavis’s back to Instructor Perez.”
Kelsi nodded. “Also, it was wrong of me to split the group and to head after Mavis on my own. I had thought that the restriction on magic would allow us to divide our formation but I underestimated them.”
The group nodded. There was no need to blame or make excuses for each other. As long as you knew the problem, then you could work on fixing it.
Dante looked to Gretta and Jasmi. “So, what happened when Teron intercepted you? I was blocked off by Hector-”
“AHEM!” Ferris annoyingly coughed.
Dante rolled his eyes but still smiled. “I mean, I was blocked off by Ugly Number Two and couldn’t push past him.”
The group smiled at the boys back and forth. Jasmi thought Dante was going to blame her for being taken out but realized her foolishness quickly.
“Admittedly, we were focused on the Archer who kept taking shots at us as we worked our way towards her.” Jasmi said. “We didn’t see Teron until the last moment and Gretta barely got her shield in place to protect us. He is very fast and very well trained. It will be difficult when we face them in the tournament.”
Gretta shrugged apologetically. “I know I need to have some ability with weapons but my real strength is my music. Being blocked off from even humming is difficult.” Gretta said.
Kelsi tapped her chin in thought. “Maybe practice with a long dagger and a few throwing knives. They won’t hinder your use with your violin but will help in a pinch. Also, Jasmi, keep practicing your Magic. I think it’s in our best interest if you are at the back with Gretta and myself.”
Jasmi was about to protest when Kelsi cut her off. “Listen, with Ferris as our tank and Dante able to use any weapon at will, we will have affective cover. What we need is another ranged attack that can double as a close quarter’s fighter in case we are ambushed. Ferris’s Dash will help us in extreme situations but we should have a backup plan.”
Jasmi grudgingly nodded. It was a sound plan and they needed their diversity in magic to be as effective and efficient as possible. The group finished their lunch and planned to do their weekly requests for student credits the following day. There was still much more they needed to improve upon before the tournament but the requests had made them feel like a real dungeon team, improving their team work.
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The beast enclosures were large, taking almost a quarter of the Academy grounds. The enclosures housed the bonded animals of the Beast Mages. Most of the newly bonded beasts needed plenty of space away from other animals as they tended to be aggressive and would attack other creatures on site. Luckily, all the beasts were locked up on sixth day and that allowed the team to hunt the rats that were infesting the feeding warehouses on the far side of the enclosure.
The team couldn’t cover the entire area and decided to split up while they searched the grounds. Ferris and Kelsi checked the outer trees while Gretta, Jasmi and Dante checked the feeding warehouses. The trio saw their first rat just outside the warehouse where a small hole had been chewed through the wood. It was close to a foot in length, not including the tail, and its greyish brown fur blended in well with the dirt. Gretta almost screamed at first glance but Jasmi was there to calm her quickly. Gretta was working on her fear of creepy crawly things and this request was just another step in that process. The student credits were a nice upside as well.
The large rodent ducked into the hole at their approach and they circled to the front of the warehouse. The door was unlocked but when they opened the door, it was very dark. Not seeing a light source, Dante was struck with an idea.
“I think I can track the rats.” Dante told them. “I haven’t properly trained it but I have found a way to send out ripples of Essence that kind of sweep an area around me. It might take me some time but I think this will be good practice. You both head back to the hole and I will flush them out towards you.” Dante said.
Gretta looked a little paler than usual but nodded.
“Alright, but if you need help just give a shout. We can run back here to the front and open the door so you can make a quick escape.” Jasmi said.
Dante smiled and headed into the warehouse. Once the door was shut, the dark surrounded him and he could hear the movements of various rats scurrying about. After a few tries, he was able to send out a pulse of Essence and soon felt the Essence come into contact with seven of the furry beasts. Moving slowly, Dante summoned a staff and headed toward the closest rat. He could see the faint light coming through the hole in the wall and angled himself so that the rat was between himself and the hole. When the rat was only a few steps away, Dante lifted the staff and slammed it towards the beast. The rat screeched at the sudden noise and shot towards the wall. Dante slowly moved off in the direction of the next rodent.
It had taken almost an hour of slowly walking through the dark warehouse before Dante could no longer detect any rats. He headed towards where the door should be when he felt a hint of anticipation. Dante immediately thought that Ferris had snuck in and was trying to scare him. It wouldn’t have been the first time Dante fell for his friend’s tricks.
Dante crouched and slowly made his way to the door. A smile plastered on his face as he thought to turn his friend’s trick against him. As he circled around the edge, Dante came into view of the front of the warehouse. He was only a few feet away but even though it was dark, he could at least see that far. He frowned when he saw no one waiting for him. That’s when Dante realized that whoever this was, was most definitely not Ferris. He was also not on the floor of the warehouse but in the rafters above. Dante had no time to look up as a dark silhouette fell on top of him. What did save Dante however was his staff. He had angled it far enough to give his head some cover and the crack followed by the painful vibrations through the staff told him that it had saved him from a massive headache.
Dante rolled forward and spun around but he was too slow as the figure crashed on top of him. He laid under the figure using both arms to fend off his assailant. He had no time to even call for help as his arms were pounded by what felt like a club. Dante started to panic as he realized his staff was out of reach when it dawned on him that it wasn’t. He could create his weapons and he didn’t need to create a staff. He quickly thought through the many weapons that he had studied but no weapon could stop the pummeling he was taking now. What he needed, he realized, was a shield. He pulled the Essence together forming a simple wooden buckler strapped to his left forearm. The club hit the wood and made a loud THUNK sound causing his assailant to hesitate. It was all Dante needed. In his right hand, he formed a long thin dagger and shoved into the silhouette’s side. There was no resistance letting Dante know that this person had decided not to wear armor and the grunt of pain above him let him know it was a man. Dante took the short reprieve to shout for help as he stabbed again. The assailant broke off his attack and quickly fled the warehouse.
Dante laid there a moment, tired and in pain but he didn’t have time to dawdle. He slowly picked himself off the ground and headed out the front door. He was greeted by Jasmi and Gretta running around the warehouse corner. Seeing their looks of concern, he realized he might look a little worse for wear. He quickly told them what happened and asked if they had seen anyone but they must have just missed him. They made their way to the outer trees where Ferris and Kelsi should be.
“What happened?” Kelsi yelled out as her and Ferris came running over.
“I was attacked in the warehouse. I was herding the rats out of a hole in the wall towards Jasmi and Gretta. Someone jumped down on me from the rafters and I was lucky my Essence ability saved me. Allowed me to make a shield and dagger. He got a several hits in though.” At that, Dante held out his arms and Kelsi used her Magic to check him over.
“Lucky isn’t the half of it!” Kelsi said in surprise. “You have a few bruises but no broken skin or bones. You said he was using a club of some type?”
Dante nodded. “That’s sure what it felt like.” Dante said as he looked over his arms again.
“Might be like my Wind Armor.” Ferris said. “You had told us the Essence is always covering you like a second skin. Maybe it protected you.”
Dante felt the Essence vibrate over his skin and then gently tighten up. It almost felt like a hug. Dante smiled. “I think you might be right.” Dante said to Ferris.
Ferris squatted down looking at Dante’s arms. “Thanks for watching out for him Essence. He’s a little stupid so you might have your work cut out for you.”
Dante knew Ferris couldn’t actually see the Essence but Dante felt the Essence vibrate again, as if it was agreeing with Ferris. Dante scowled at them both and headed back to the dorms. “No need to tell Ferris that the Essence had agreed.” Dante thought.
After their request was turned in and a report of the attack filed, the group was ordered to return to their dorm and not to leave until an Instructor came by to question them again. The group didn’t like that. They had a lot to do and every moment of practice counted. They headed back reluctantly to wait for the Instructor.