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I fiddle with my fingers as I roam the halls with Iris and Elis. Hundreds of other students walk by, each up to their own devices.
The two, Iris and Elis, seem unbothered by the upcoming lesson. I get why they're so calm, I wish I could be just as calm. They're walking side by side, chatting like nothing's happened. Elis constantly moves her hand across her face, probably a runny nose.
I think I wouldn't have much of a problem, since all the teachers are there, if Miss Ein hadn't told us about 'compatibility.' The way she explained it, it was more like a connection, no, that's exactly it. The closer the two are, the more trust they're able to place in each other, the more likely the magic is to succeed.
Failing to cast magic isn't a big deal, it doesn't hurt anyone, but mixed magic is different. Instead of failing to cast the spell, it's failing to combine them. If that happens, then the two magicians are at a very high risk. That's why all the first through third year teachers need to gather, just in case a pair fails.
I'd have asked to do it alone, but the school wants us to do it in pairs. Having one magic caster combine two spells together of different element types counts as mixed magic, but it's far less powerful than when two people of different affinities do it. It's also tough to try and cast two different spells at the same time.
Casting two spells at the same time requires a lot of concentration and both hands. Switching the elemental spell in one hand should be basically impossible for a mage, despite their power and wisdom.
At first, I wasn't really worried, but the more I think about it now, the worse it gets. What if I end up killing someone?
His magic, though if I'd probably never say this to him, feels weaker. Not just weaker than mine, but weaker in general. Some of the missions I've taken with Iris and Elis has shown me how powerful theirs were and when Rainen was gone, I practiced with Feno. Black Hair has the weakest magic out of all of them.
If we were to combine our magic, mine would end up doing the most damage. I can hardly control mine too.
"H-hey." I call out to Iris and Elis. "D-do you guys trust each other?"
"Yeah." Iris immediately responds. "We trust you too you know."
"Umu. Trust is important." Elis nods. I didn't really expect an answer like that from her. I expected her to say yes, but not the extra bits.
"Why the question?" Iris asks.
"I-I was just a little worried."
"About us trusting you?" Elis tilts her head. "That's weird to ask. Course we trust you."
Glad that you do, but that isn't what I'm worried about.
"I'm... I'm worried about my test." I say, my head slightly inclined. If I mess up someone could get injured, or worse, die. Miss Ein explained what we were supposed to do, but I'm not really clear about it.
Falling into a bitter frown, Elis bares a confused look. "Are you still worried about what happened to Miss Ein, or maybe even that one time way back when?"
"N-no." I try to deny it. "N-not at all!"
Some students turn their heads to stare at this odd trio. I accidentally let that one slip out a little too loudly. Considering the circumstances, the eyes linger on us a bit longer than what I'd deem usual. It's probably because I'm not human and I'm walking around with two girls who are. The second to seventh years don't have any other races so I guess a non-human shouting in the middle of a hallway would catch their attention.
Unfazed by the gazes, Elis clears her throat, "EHEM!"
Many of the students take it as Elis preparing to berate me. Glancing around, I'm surrounded by a sea of humans, only a few elves and beastmen stick out. Through my quick look around, not a single roluk was spotted.
"Don't lie to me." Elis says crossing her arms. I don't think she's noticed the crowd around us yet. I really wish she would, I'm having a hard time hiding my face here.
"Um Elis." Iris attempts to intervene.
"No, I have to say this. El!"
"Hold on!" A student jumps out from the crowd and throws his arms up. "There'll be no fighting here. If you want to have a cat fight, you'll have to do it properly in a match." he allows himself to glance at me. "Only if both agree of course."
"Hmm?" Elis has fallen into an even deeper confusion. "What are you talking about? You're interrupting my speech." Puffing out her chest and lifting her chin, she pushes him to the side. "El. I guarantee that Miss Ein is not angry at all! You need to talk to her about it. If you need someone to go with you then we'll come with."
The person who stepped in to stop Elis, hangs his mouth open dumbfounded by what she said.
"W-what? You guys weren't fighting?" he asks.
It's Iris's turn to step in, "Uh, no."
"Yeah." Elis adds. "Why would we be? We're friends."
"I-is that so?"
"Mhm. Let's go back, class will be starting soon." Leading the way as if nothing had happened, Elis marches through the bunch of onlookers. Iris and I follow closely behind. I hold my head slightly lower than theirs just so I won't be able to be seen as well.
Halfway to our destination, Feno comes up to us.
"Hey guys." he says, showing a smile. "Saw what happened over there. Everything okay? Something happen with Miss Ein?"
I guess no one knows about it other than the ones who were there. It's a relief I must say.
"A few things happened during the raid." Iris responds. "We were with Miss Ein before the school was attacked. Not a big deal though."
Only a few girls at the dorm saw us come back with the teachers. That includes the second and third years we were with, so not very many.
"Glad that you're all alright then." Feno says, scratching behind his ear while looking at me. "What were you guys still doing there so late anyways? The attack started somewhere around seven."
Elis opens her mouth.
"We we-"
"We were in the library." Iris blurts out. "Checking out books, chatting with some of the other students who were still there."
"Ah. Makes sense. Last time I saw you guys, other than in class, was at the library." he puts his fist to his chin and thinks for a moment. "Let's get back to class then."
Inside the classroom, Miss Ein fiddles with a stack of papers as we seat ourselves. The room is filled, only a few more seconds before the bell rings.
*DING*
"All right class!" she says, laying the papers against the stand. "One more thing before we head down to the gymnasium. Since some of you have asked this question, I will be answering it. We will not be mixing magic without any spells, because they're far more unstable. Simple as that. Now, everyone please head to the gymnasium."
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Inside, near half of the seats are filled. Makes sense considering that three out of the seven years are in here.
The headmaster isn't where he would sit if he were watching. A significant amount of teachers are gathered in the middle of the room, only a few are left above to monitor student behavior.
There's a certain feel in the air. All the muscles in my body are tense. My leg bounces up and down endlessly as I do my best to relax in the seat. If I had to guess the mood, I'd be forced to choose between excitement and nervousness.
I imagine that I fall into the latter more closely than the former.
A man, the new teacher, steps away from the others down in the ring, and casts a spell. Opening his mouth, his voice booms through the room, shaking the seats. "We will be calling you guys down in pairs. No one should leave unless given permission."
With that short announcement over, he calls out the first names. I close my eyes and grip the armrests so hard that I believe I could break them even with my meager strength, like the one I sat in yesterday.
Luckily, I didn't hear my name.
With two teachers up here, the thirteen teachers in the arena, break up into groups of three with one, the new teacher, left as a backup. Two teachers sit down across from each other, with a wide gap of space in between for the pair of students. Holding their arms out, they create a large scale barrier, one so large, it's able to match the distance between the arena and the seats.
The transparent, golden, dome rests on the ground, solid as steel. It opens up for the pair of students and the remaining two teachers to enter. Since the third years should be the most experienced, I'm watching them first, then I'll change my focus to the other years. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up a few things that might help with my own test.
Exuding confidence and enthusiasm, the pair of boys, without hesitation, put their hands close to each others, their fingers almost touching. It's as if they're holding onto a heavy ball and are going to throw it with the help of the other.
From the one on the right, an earthy, rocky, essence starts to take shape, forming in his hand, but slowly sliding to the middle. Left person gathers flames, when the two meet in the middle, the fire engulfs the mass of rock. Slowly, it starts to expand, finally ending up as a flaming stone bullet. It doesn't look like anything special. It's just how the stone bullet spell would look if it was mixed with fireball.
I suppose that's what it is.
"GO!" they yell in unison.
Like throwing a heavy ball, the two let their arms go over their shoulders. The teachers behind them immediately throw up smaller barriers, shielding the boys along with themselves. The mashup of stone bullet and fireball, collides with the other end of the giant dome.
*BOOOM*
"Whoa." Elis says. "Cool!"
The explosion, contained inside of the barrier, comes out as a deep, low, rumble, slightly shaking the seats of all students. It's as if the chairs themselves were vibrating.
The teachers inside, with the third years, allow their barriers to fall and the boys high-five.
It looks like that's what's supposed to happen.
I turn my attention to the second years, who also happen to have done theirs at the same time. From the looks of things, theirs was successful also, but the both of them look a little worn and shaken.
The only ones not quite finished is the first year pair. I don't know either of them, probably from a different class. Nervously, the two girls copy what the third years did and place their hands close together. One nods and icy, whitish, air radiates from her palms. The other girl, tall and blonde, generates greenish glow, an air spell.
On the tips of their fingers, do the two spells meet. Mixing together, swishing around, it's like a fight for dominance. Parts of the ball start to bulge out, like something stuck inside of a rubber ball attempting to get out. Faster and faster the sphere of mana fluctuates, the two teachers behind them are stricken with worry.
"Iris." Elis calls. "What's going on? Is this supposed to happen?"
She shakes her head with wide eyes, "I don't think so. The teachers might have to intervene."
But, before the instructors are able to do anything, the ball slowly dissipates. The pair stare cautiously at each other before the two teachers escort them out. As they exit the dome, one has their hand pressed against their head. The other rubs her shoulders, as if to calm herself.
"L-looks dangerous." I say. I wonder how well those two get along. I wonder how much they trusted each other. How much does Rainen trust me? I wonder just how much I trust him.
"At least the end result doesn't look to bad El." Elis says, nudging me.
"Y-yeah." Iris agrees. "It'll probably just end like that if it fails. No worries El."
Her lack of confidence is easy to see. At least she's making an effort.
"Rainen Weaver and Ellar Wholehart. Please come down."
"Wha... what?" My mouth instantly goes dry. We're going second? It's too soon. I'm not ready yet, I haven't seen enough. What, what if I make a mistake?
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"H-hey El? Are you gonna go?" Elis tugs on my sleeve.
I can only open and close my mouth in response. The muscles in my body are locked up, frozen as they are, refusing to function and leave the seat. I rack my brain for the controls over my body again. For the longest time I can't seem to find them.
"Ellar Wholehart and Rainen Weaver, please come down. Ellar Wholehart."
Responding to my name, I finally find the will to move. Like an undead, I lead myself down there.
"G-good luck El!" Elis shouts after me.
"D-do your best!" Iris also does so.
With a numb body, I eventually end up in the arena. The new teacher, Mr. Rune, starts towards me.
"Miss, are you alright? If you're not feeling well, we can postpone your test."
I almost nod. I really want to, I really wanted to. I want to leave. I hold onto my breath as my partner walks over. I should go, he'd be angry if I chose not to delay our test and possibly hurt our scores. I might fail later anyways, might as well get it over with now.
"You okay?" he asks, his arms folded. "There's no reason to go today if you're not up to it. We can always go another day."
What? I wasn't expecting him to say anything like that.
I take a deep breath before answering. Huh? Suddenly, it's like the giant pit in my stomach's gone. I still feel a little unease, but....
"I-I think I can do it." I say, clenching my fists. "L-Let's go."
Surprised by my decision, he raises an eyebrow, but instead of speaking, nods.
"Then I shall take over one of the teacher's positions." Mr. Rune taps one of the teachers on the shoulder and switches places with him. "By the way, if you're worried about the power of the magic, you're not required to use a spell which is the same elemental type as the one you have an affinity with."
"R-Really?"
"Mhm. It'll decrease the power but as long as it works, it's fine." he goes to enter the hole, but stops. "By the way, what are your affinities?"
"Fire." Rainen instantly answers.
"W-water." I say.
Instead of water or ice, I'll just use a different elemental type spell. It'll lower the risk and be easier to control, probably. He might be a little annoyed that we're not going full power, but I'll do my best to handle the consequences of this.
We enter through the hole in the dazzling barrier and stand side by side, just like the third years before. In position, Rainen nods at me, his unwavering, hard eyes locked on our hands. For a moment, I think about a spell. Opposite. It's the first word that popped into my head.
My fingertips glow red, and orange flames emerge, same for my partner. Uh oh. Did I even listen to him when he said he was fire affinity? I already knew that so why did I choose fire? Arrgh.
His eyes, the once dull expression gone, now replaced with one of a person who's been blindsided. I try to eek out an apology from my lips, but, the flames in his hands start to change. The little burning balls of heat, become surrounded with multiple surges of electricity.
Soon enough, the fire spell become engulfed by what I have to assume is a lightning spell.
Behind us, there's what I assume to be a gasp. My mind might just be playing some more tricks on me.
This should be impossible. It's like he has two affinities. I don't know how he did it, but he's far more skilled in magic than I thought.
The nerves in my body weaken, as I realize, neither of us are going to be using a spell type we have an affinity with.
As they merge in the middle, my hand starts to tingle. The feeling of numbness takes over, the feeling is unbearable. Each convulsion of the ball of mana in the middle, sends shock waves through my arm, slowly spreading out through my body. It's like sitting on your leg, slowing or stopping the blood flow, then using it to walk soon after.
There's so much radiating pain. The pit in my stomach, it's back. I can't tell whether I'm full or hungry. I want to barf, but I'm all empty. My mind blinks out of conscience but the ball is like an anchor, refusing to let me collapse.
Finally, they merge, a burning orange red ball surrounded by sparking arcs of electricity. The feeling is gone.
"Go!" he yells.
We both arc back our arms and attempt to throw the ball of mixed magic. His arm is quicker than mine, at this rate, it might just break apart if our hands aren't close enough together. It doesn't. His hand goes out quicker than my own, which lags only a slight bit behind, and the entire ball of mana follows, as if he's taken all control.
I release whatever grasp I've had on it, and he does as well. The bright sphere flies across the open ground. From it's direction, it seems like I tripped and he tugged me over. What I mean is, the spell didn't go straight, it had a slight bias towards his side.
"BOOOOM!"
It collides with the barrier, and expands, sending flames and shooting out arcs of lightning. The teachers throw up a barrier around us. Protected, I stare unflinchingly at the destructive power of the mixed magic.
Unlike the third years, a small hole opened.
With no time wasted, the opening is closed, the barrier repaired.
The dome allows us to leave, and we do. Silence herds around the two of us as we climb the stairs back to the stands. So many questions run through my mind, but I don't have the strength the break this unbearable quiet between two people.
"Hey." he says, finally shattering the peace. "I wish you had told me you were going to use a fire spell."
"S-Sorry!" I say, bowing.
"I-It's all right. Just tell me next time. That way I won't be so surprised."
I take a deep breath and muster my courage. With my head still down I ask, "H-How did you d-do that?" I ask. "Change your spells so fast, I-I mean."
I wait for a second or two, expecting an answer, but none ever come. Instead, that once deadly silence comes between us again. Slowly and cautiously, I lift my head. I can't meet his gaze, but, once again, he's blindsided.
"What are you talking about?" he says without a single mistake. "I used a lightning spell, I didn't change it."
"B-But I swear that you were using a fire spell."
He vehemently shakes his head, "No. You might've just mistaken yours to be mine for second. You know how, if you stare at a light source too long, there's that little black and white spot in your vision."
I nod. That's not what I saw though. There was an orange glow.
"Do you really think that I could change the spell that quickly? It doesn't make sense does it? As you most likely know, my magic is hardly better than that of a ten year old." he says.
"R-Right." It's not impossible that I could've been mistaken. Yeah, that's right. Ellar, you need to stop jumping to conclusions.
"Let's get back up." he says.
"W-wait!" I call out after him, but he's already too far gone.
I didn't have a chance to talk to him about the mixed magic and ask if he had control over it. Maybe he was able to take over my fire magic once they combined.
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"Yes, have a nice day Mrs. Woller."
"You too Mr. Rune."
The new teacher waved goodbye as he left the room. The school day had ended.
Following a steady, but fast, pace, the magician quickly departed from the academy. Like a man with a purpose, he ignored any and all shops within the city, those who came up to try and coerce him into taking a peek at their wares were met with a speedy, "No."
Everyone that he passed was greeted with the same swiftness as the shop owners. The only ones who seemed to get anything more were the students of the academy.
Barreling down the city streets and through alleys he never once slowed his pace. Eventually, he was confronted by a group of thugs.
"Sir, give us your money and we'll let you go."
Uninterested in the propositions of common street criminals he attempted to bypass them. When he did so, they grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.
Slightly angry that his time would be wasted, he immediately sent a stone bullet into the gut of the man. His lackeys, still trying to grasp the situation, were thrown aside by wind magic, some were met with the same fate that had befallen the leader.
"Peons." he said. "Be glad that I don't have time to end your lives."
Another minute or so of speed walking, led him to his disjointed room within a large apartment like complex. Ignoring the common courtesy of taking off one's shoes, he opened the closet and felt along the walls. In circular motions he went, until, finally, he found a slightly smoother section.
With mana flowing through his arm, he spread it to the bare area. The once sturdy and solid section, turned into a goo like state. Digging deep inside, he wrapped his arms around a thin object, and pulled. Out came a parchment of paper. Sliding into the chair by his desk, he unraveled the scroll and picked up a single ink pen.
After dipping the pleasant writing tool into it's needed liquid, he began to write.
The scroll radiated a brilliant blue, and a link was formed.
"Yes?" someone said from within Mr. Rune's mind. "Do you have any new information?"
"It's a hunch, but there might be an Oddity within the school. What shall I do?"
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A young girl, sat on top of a rock, humming to herself. Her long, frayed, green hair extended towards her waist. She rested her head against her pale, slim, leg. With ragged and torn clothing, unlike a normal person, she seemed content.
Bored by the world, she gently rocked back and forth, staring out at the setting sun over the barren wastelands beneath her.
"Ma'am." A man wearing heavy, black, plated armor said while kneeling. "I have returned."
"Umbra. What did I say about wearing your armor when you're not in a fight?" she said while still staring out at the sunset. "And I told you to call me by name."
"Apologies." his armor dissipated, leaving behind a strong jawed man with a long nose and dark hair. "I've spotted-"
"Ah ah." she muttered. "What did I say?"
"Zeci-"
"No, not that one."
"S-Sorry. Erika."
"Proceed."
He lowered his head even more and cleared his throat. "The enemy is currently three miles away. They number just over three thousand."
"Not interested." she said, still gazing out. "Unless there are some knights of course."
He shakes his head. "No, most of it is made up by conscripted peasants. The only problem may be the twenty magicians."
Seeing the girl make a move, Umbra immediately perked up, waiting for an order.
Instead of telling him what to do, she stood up and cracked her back on top of the rock. Like a person impaled through the chest, or more like a child laying bored on the ground, she stayed motionless.
"Anything interesting in the North?" she boldly said, disregarding the army coming for her. "You said something about an attack on that academy right? Did they find the object?"
"No, they did not. The plan of theirs was thwarted by the overseers of the city." he spoke calmly.
"Ahahaha. I told you that there was nothing to worry about. Those guys can hardly tell the difference between a thunder beast and a Halora." she laughed again.
"Could you tell?" Umbra asked, curious.
"Nope. Both are too weak anyways. Let me ask you Umbra, could you tell the difference between stepping on an ant and stepping on a fly? One might be a little nastier than the other, but it's all the same. Nothing worth losing your head over." She rolled off of the rock and fell to the floor. "Umpf!"
"Are you going to deal with the army yourself? Would you not ask me to do it?"
"No, we need an overwhelming display of strength."
Slowly and steadily, Erika walked in the direction of the approaching army with her arms locked behind her head. "Feel free to take out the annoying mages though, they might ruin my fun. I don't have a lot of clothes left. It'd really suck if they burned these up too."
"Understood."