The past month had presented a novel challenge in Kor’s training. Initially, his efforts at the academy had focused around loosening the stranglehold he’d maintained on his own mana. Now he wrestled with controlling the geyser of potent energy that surged within him. Like trying to tame a hydra. Only recently, the professor had cautioned him. But three against one… Kor could only hope she was observing this skirmish. Too late to hold back now.
He released the reins. Raw power blazed through him, a welcome heat. The girl was mid-cast, hand raised. No time. In a heartbeat’s fraction, the seed of his galaxy fractal bloomed in his mind, a swirling nebula no longer tightly coiled, but vast, expanding, hungry. Instantly, he flung his arm wide, unleashing the spell. It ripped forward, a ravenous force expanding from the moment of release. Expand, consume!
Chaos erupted.
His whirling galaxy, a maelstrom of stardust and ethereal light, ripped through the air, slicing partway through a tree as it zeroed in on the girl. The two boys flanking her scrambled away, their shields cracking faintly under the assault, like ice spiderwebbing under pressure. The galaxy’s raw energy crashed against the girl’s shield, a cacophony of light and sound. The air crackled, the scent of ozone sharp in Kor’s nostrils.
“Lisa!” one of them shouted as Kor scattered the seeds of two bombs nearby. The other, the pyromancer, unleashed a fireball that crashed against Kor’s snowflake barrier.
The impact, too close to evade, slammed him backwards. Acrid smoke filled his nostrils, each inhale a ragged, painful gasp that seared his lungs. Blast it. The shattering of the girl’s shield echoed, followed by her scream. A golden glow permeated the smoke, and the telltale cracking sounds of her student badge filled the air.
No time for regrets. He formed three mana spheres, his jaw clenched. He strafed backwards as he hurled them towards the pyromancer. The spheres punched through the smoke, colliding with the boy’s barrier even as Kor pumped energy into the two dormant bombs. Enough to stabilise them—for the moment. If his opponents kept their wits about them, this tactic wouldn’t work. Keep calm, Kor.
A fleeting glimpse of the professor’s robes descending towards the injured girl quelled his immediate fears. One less to worry about.
The pyromancer, however, was already rushing forward, multiple flaming spheres erupting from him. Kor ducked and dived behind another thick pine, the tree shaking with small explosions. Almost there... Just a bit more to the left!
He sprinted out from behind the pine, his pulse a frantic drum against his ribs, sweat plastering his hair to his forehead.
A colossal boot of earth, smelling of freshly turned soil and something ancient, primal, materialised overhead, hurtling downwards. Void it! He reinforced his snowflake aegis, the looming shadow of the earthen boot blotting out the sunlight like an eclipse.
The sheer mass of the earthen construct slammed him to the ground, the impact vibrating through his bones, burying him beneath several feet of dirt. His barrier held, but he was trapped, entombed. The acrid smell of damp soil filled his nostrils. The earth pushed against him, a crushing weight. His breath hitched in his lungs. The walls of his earthen prison seemed to close in. Focus, Kor! Two mana signatures were closing in, both pulsating with power.
Darkness pressed in, the weight of the dirt a crushing, suffocating blanket. Kor was entombed, every inch of movement a monumental effort against the unyielding dirt. He’s there! With a surge of adrenaline, he released his hold on the leftmost bomb. The explosion was instantaneous, a violent tremor that shook the very air, the shockwave reverberating even through the dense earth that imprisoned him, like the enraged bellow of a titan awakening beneath the earth.
The earth rocked him back, a violent tremor. Kor fought the urge to panic. He pushed upwards, desperate for a breath of fresh air, a glimpse of light. His arms broke through, scraping against the soil, bursting into the sweet relief of the outside world. But the respite was fleeting. Another fist of earth slammed him back down, plunging him once more into darkness.
The darkness was absolute. He scrabbled at the dirt, a whimper escaping his lips. I can’t breathe. I can’t be buried. Not like this. His initial galaxy had long since dissipated, its energy spent. Another galaxy. Now! He had to form it, had to break free. Muffled cries filtered through the dirt. Kor formed another seed fractal over his hand, priming it, letting it swell, growing larger and larger, a miniature cosmos blooming in the gloom.
Even blinded by the soil, their mana signatures were beacons in the inky black. The pyromancer was close—to his right! He thrust his arm towards the boy’s pulsing aura. His nascent galaxy, a swirling vortex of starlight, gathered at his palm, then lanced outwards, ripping through the earth. A moment of resistance, then an explosion of light as it burst free of the ground.
“Dodge!” one of them yelled—too late.
His whirling disc of energy slammed into the prone pyromancer, his cracked shield shattering instantly. The golden student barrier flared, a last desperate defence. Crack-crack-crack. Kor’s eyes widened. His spell was threatening to overwhelm the student badge, to break through and cause serious harm. A surge of foreign mana, powerful and commanding, hurtled towards the boy, knocking him a dozen yards aside. His attack, left unopposed, buried itself deep into the ground.
The professor? He had no time to contemplate.
“You monster!” A much smaller swell of energy pulsed nearby, a knot of dread forming in Kor’s stomach. Kor scrambled out of the earthen mound that had nearly become his grave, his lungs burning, muscles screaming in protest. Two massive fists materialised beside the remaining boy.
Kor narrowed his gaze, his jaw clenched so tight he could hear the grinding of his teeth. He hadn’t started this fight, but he was damned well going to finish it. His mana reserves were dwindling, less than a third remaining. He flooded his snowflake aegis with what he could spare, reinforcing its shimmering surface. Not enough. Not nearly enough. The other bomb was too far away to be of use. He let it fall away, a wisp of energy dissipating into nothing. One less thing to focus on. The twin fists hurtled towards him, two earthen haymakers that promised pain.
He dived aside, but they were too close. The concussive force of the fists slamming into his shield was a sickening crunch of power that punched him back into the pile of loose dirt. Dazed, vision swimming, he pushed himself up, groaning in pain. Another wave of mana welled from the boy who’d drawn near—his galaxy fractal still unusable whilst it continued digging.
The boy was preparing to attack. Think, Kor, think!
The boy’s face was a mask of strain, sweat beading on his forehead as he raised his arm. Above him, the air itself seemed to solidify, earth and rock coalescing into another colossal fist. Kor acted on instinct, his mind racing. Bomb! The recursive explosive was constructed and ready in an instant. He materialised it at the boy’s feet, a small, innocuous sphere of concentrated power. He split the last of his mana between his shield and the explosive, a desperate gamble. Please be enough!
Trusting in his barrier, he poured the lion’s share of his remaining energy into the attack. Its recursive core spun out of control in a heartbeat, a vortex of contained power, even as another fist slammed into his snowflake aegis. His barrier buckled, the impact pelting him into the dirt once more as a strangled cry escaped his lips. The snowflake splintered, cracks wide as saucers, mirroring the panic in his eyes, as his own explosion ripped outwards. The shockwave pulsed, shattering his ward further, leaving him exposed and vulnerable.
Everything was a blur, his mana spent, his barrier almost broken, his body screaming in protest. He leaned himself upright, pain lancing through him, and desperately patched his shattered shield by drawing on the dregs of his mana. A thin, fragile layer of frost reformed, like a spiderweb of ice. Through bleary eyes, he couldn’t see the boy. A large crater marked where he’d stood, filled with the lingering remnants of smoke, the acrid scent of burnt earth heavy in the air.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
There! A dozen yards away, the boy lay slumped against a pine tree, his form barely visible. His golden barrier was cracked but intact, shimmering faintly in the dappled sunlight. He’d done it? Had he actually won? A shaky breath escaped him, half a sob, half a laugh.
Grunting, he stood to his feet, his breath coming in ragged, wheezing gasps as he hunched over, hands on his knees, each inhale a burning victory. His gaze was fixed on the professor, who was now moving towards the fallen earth mage, the pyromancer and thorn girl levitating in tow behind her, two limp forms bobbing in the air. A grin, wide and triumphant, broke out across his face even as he fought to breathe. I did it. I actually did it.
Sweat matted his hair, plastered his robes to his back, clinging to him in a most unflattering way. But he’d beaten three students on his own! A surge of pride, hot and heady, rushed through him. The professor briefly checked the last student, levitating him effortlessly before turning towards Kor. The girl’s face contorted in a snarl, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at him from her floating position behind the professor. Beside her, the pyromancer’s jaw was clenched, his gaze a mixture of pain and simmering rage. Worth it.
“You’re a walking menace, boy.”
Too tired to even form a verbal response, he continued to gulp down deep breaths, offering a weak nod in acknowledgement, his chest still heaving.
“I need to leave with these three, but I’ve called over another professor to watch over your fights from now on. You will remain here for a few minutes before heading out again. Am I understood?”
“Yes, professor,” he croaked, his voice hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against stone.
She gave him a sharp nod, her expression unreadable. As she prepared to leave, he heard the girl mutter something about a bounty. What bounty? A shiver of unease traced his spine. With a flex of power and visible effort, she launched the three of them into the air, moving much slower than before, ascending gradually until they were out of sight, disappearing beyond the canopy of the forest.
Not like I’m in any shape to move right now. Less than a tenth of his mana remained, if he had to guess. He needed a chance to recover—his body, his breath, his energy. He looked around briefly, searching for a secluded spot, somewhere hidden from prying eyes. Spying a dense thicket of bushes, he stumbled towards it, practically collapsing within its leafy embrace, a rustle of leaves and snap of twigs marking his passage. He focused on restoring his mana, drawing it in from the surrounding environment, a slow but steady trickle. The dried sweat that glued his robe to his body was gradually wicked away by the enchantments woven into the fabric, a small comfort in his current state.
The distant, almost imperceptible, sensations of power periodically washed over him, like ripples in a pond. More students battling it out? Or perhaps the monsters they were seeking. After almost a quarter of an hour, he felt ready to move again. However, even with the break his everything ached. But thanks to the density of mana in the forest, it hadn’t taken that long to recover his energy.
Rising out of the bush, he licked his chapped lips, wishing he’d brought some water with him. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. He fished out the tuning fork, its cool metal a familiar comfort in his hand. Perhaps I ought to look into that. Creating food and drink from magic. It didn’t sound like something fractal magic would be adept at, but perhaps an artificing project? He shook his head, refocusing his attention on the tuning fork.
He’d almost been eliminated back there, and he hadn’t even begun to secure a mana-dense material yet. That’ll teach me not to act like the First Magus. Only three months ago, I couldn’t even form a mana sphere. Now look at me.
He frowned. How did they even group up like that, anyway? I could swear that girl was on her own. She muttered something about a bounty. Did she mean the eggs... or was he the bounty? A cold unease settled in his stomach. He glanced around, his snowflake aegis rising, a fragile shell against an unknown threat. He coaxed the fork with mana, a delicate touch, only slightly more than the first time he’d tried it.
The pulse sang out, a clear, resonant tone, only mildly vibrating his entire body this time. He focused, his senses attuned to the subtle hum. A heartbeat later, the fork swung diagonally to the left, tugging him in that direction. The vibrations were so intense his hand felt numb, buzzing with residual energy. What the void is that?
Power. Without a doubt. A thrill, sharp and exhilarating, shot through him. This was his chance to secure something worth real credits.
If everyone was battling as much as he was, even securing a weak item might be enough to place highly... But if he settled for a mediocre result here, what was to stop him from always taking the easy way out, from choosing comfort over challenge?
No.
He squared his shoulders, gaze fixed on the direction the tuning fork indicated. It’s time to earn my credits!
Deeper into the forest he pressed, his snowflake aegis shimmering around him, a fragile shell of ice, his senses heightened and alert, scanning his surroundings with meticulous care. He moved with deliberate caution, skirting around two pellet owls, their distinctive mana signatures now familiar to him after his earlier encounter, like a faint, musky scent. It was only faint, but each tree surrounding their nests was marked by a subtle brush of their energy, a lingering imprint of their presence, like a whisper in the wind.
But these weren’t his target. The signature he was tracking, a potent beacon of power, lay somewhere up ahead, presuming it hadn’t moved. Come on, stay put... The trees grew thicker here, their trunks broader, their branches interwoven, the currents of mana swirling around them dense with power, a palpable hum in the air. Even the pinecones radiated with energy, their surfaces shimmering faintly, begging the question of whether he ought to collect a few for later examination. Focus, Kor.
The further he pressed, the slower he moved, his steps measured, cautious. Some quality in the atmosphere, a subtle shift in the air, a prickling on his skin, warned him to remain hidden, beneath notice. Something deadly lurked nearby—its very passage spreading ripples through the forest. Every sense was taut and ready, his body naturally crouching lower to the ground, instinctively seeking to minimise his presence, a tremor of anticipation running down his spine.
He pressed up against a giant tree, its trunk wider than he was tall, its bark rough and deeply furrowed beneath his fingers, the scent of pine and damp earth filling his nostrils. Only a moment passed when something stirred at the very reaches of his sensitivity, a subtle disturbance in the surrounding energy. It wasn’t a creature, not directly, but something’s passing agitated the mana, like ripples spreading across the surface of a still pond. The moment passed as quickly as it came, the distant energy flow settling back into quiescence, the ripples fading away, leaving a lingering tension in the air.
Is this one of the elder Therastin’s, or perhaps the Karex? His pulse quickened, a frantic drumbeat against his ribs, his body tensed, every muscle coiled and ready, a knot of apprehension tightening in his stomach. He needed to get closer, to find whatever it was that lurked in the shadows of these ancient woods. He dashed forward, a blur of motion darting from tree to tree, approaching the source of the disturbance. He located the mana signature again, stronger this time, and kept pace, his eyes scanning the dense undergrowth, trying to spot his quarry.
Perhaps fifty yards away. Almost there. This thing was strong, raw power radiating from it in uncontrolled waves, a stark contrast to the measured control of a trained mage. Any trained student should know better than to announce their presence so blatantly. The trees had grown too thick to see far, their branches a dense, interwoven tapestry, and it took him several moments of weaving ahead, ducking under low-hanging limbs and pushing through thick foliage, his heart pounding with each rustle of leaves, to catch a glimpse of his target.
Massive! A large quadrupedal creature came into view, its heavy, furred body reminiscent of a goat, standing at almost a dozen feet tall. But its head and wings, however, belonged to an eagle, majestic and imposing. A nasty-looking beak, wicked and longer than his arm, curved downwards, sharp enough to rend metal. The sight sent a jolt of adrenaline through him. Without missing a beat, he threw himself behind a thick pine, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.
Karex? It had to be. Willem had said each of them was unique, not just in appearance, but in their magic. What could this one do? Even now, it paced towards the edge of his perception, its movements slow and deliberate. A heavy weight of decision pressed down on him, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. They weren’t foes for first-years... but even so...
One hundred credits! A king’s ransom. But was it worth the risk? He could be crippled, killed even. No. This is my chance. Even if he finished amongst the top, he doubted he’d get a shot at so many credits again. The creature didn’t seem concerned by anything in the area, and with the densely wooded trees, its wings would be useless for flight, hampered by the close confines. A thrill of reckless ambition coursed through him. Kor stalked towards the Karex, a predator closing in on its prey, keeping the creature at the maximum distance his senses could track, a silent shadow flitting through the undergrowth.
He still hadn’t unleashed the full power of his galaxy spiral. Terra had warned him not to do so in the basic training rooms, and he lacked the funds to use the advanced rooms, where such power could be safely contained. But here... Powering the seed beyond anything he’d conjured so far took exponentially longer to prepare. Condensing so much fractal energy and holding it steady was too tricky to use mid-combat, a delicate balancing act that required absolute focus. But perhaps, if he found a distraction, a window of opportunity...
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.