A/N: Yes, three updates in one day. Sometimes I surprise even myself.
Against the hopes of all but a few of the more dedicated students, a supply teacher had been arranged in time for their double period. Archmage Peramba, ordinarily only an assistant to other teachers, had been brought out of the main University towers to keep an eye on them.
Despite being arranged on short notice he held before the entire class a conversation with the unwell Professor Taldeas, showing off the kind of magic most of them would only be able to dream of wielding. As a result he knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing and learning.
To further drag them down from what could otherwise have been a time put to good use in a more practical way, not only did he spread an antimagic field through the room to 'curb their inner child' (Sora had snorted, doubting the Dark Child would have any trouble) but he also chose to give, of all things, a lecture. The only consolation was that as an Archmage, he'd likely show off some more to demonstrate.
"Thunder, or Energy magic as it should properly be known, should be considered among the highest forms of magic," he droned. They tried to look attentive, except in the case of Alex and a few like him who really were taking notes. "It is named Thunder magic however to avoid confusion, as magic in all its forms is simply another form of energy – like the electricity we rely on, the gravity that keeps us down – and therefore a fundamental part of the universe. Thunder magic taps into this directly, managing the energy of magic itself and transmuting it into the form of lightning – untamed electricity. So to understand Thunder magic is to understand all forms of magic."
It was a pompous statement that Thunder Mages and Archmages had been proclaiming for years, largely to exalt their element over all others. It was largely true to an extent, Sora had made use of the fact to great effect in a past study assignment set in the Metamagic course, but most people would rather they'd just accept that Thunder magic worked more closely with the fundamental principles of magic than most others. At most, only a little energy from other magical elements was needed for most forms of Thunder magic. Even Fire magic couldn't hold a candle to that, requiring at least a small supply of Light and Wind in most spells.
To their surprise though the Archmage now went on a different tangent to the one they'd been expecting.
"It is well known," he told them. "That the realms beyond the Elemental Metropolis have abolished the practice of magic and indeed in many places hold it a forbidden art. It is also well known that our choice to embrace magic and its true place in the universe is what has allowed us to stand independent from them, fending off the attacks of those who would destroy what we have worked so hard to achieve, remaining aloof from the petty struggles of the world. What is less well known is why this is so. In embracing science to the exclusion of all else, they embrace the scientific mindset, their default position being that of the sceptic – and a sceptic does not readily admit that the works of magic can be scientifically explained. Thus magic is to them an aberration, an attempt to play god that must be eradicated."
This much he knew already, though in less detailed terms. Metamagic included a brief history of magic and the Elemental University, along with the growth of the city around it, and touched on many of the points the Archmage was raising. Sora fought back a yawn and carried on trying to listen.
"They wonder how it is that we can perform the acts so miraculous to them, but are by now commonplace to us, how it is we stand so easily against them – it is because they fail to take into account that man could have been designed for the work of magic, that all men have the capacity in them to perform the simple conversion of energy from form to form. Providing the energy to overcome gravity, even magnetism to allow for flight. To form energy into matter to create a barrier against which their barbaric weapons are no match. Even, as many of you are well known to do, to provide a quick recharge to the mobile phones you are so loathe to be parted with these days."
Peramba was openly smiling at them by this point. Sora noticed several guilty looks among them. Some practically lived on their phones when not at home on a computer. He'd never found enough need to be so completely connected to worry, and seldom needed to provide a jolt of magic to his phone.
"It is of course this which made the true melding of magic and technology possible, and in turn has allowed you lucky students, should you aspire high enough, to the most recent art of Technomancy – magical technology. However first of course you must go through all those courses which are considered necessary before you can begin in that realm. Now, since I have no doubt you've no wish to be bored half to death – do not think I have forgotten my own time sat where you do now," he added slyly. "Lets get down to what you're supposed to be learning, and the inevitable practical session I have to let you have – just don't direct spells at me, or you'll be learning a swift lesson in what can really be done with magic."
As with any double period, this resulted in a flurry of activity as the study and theory part of the time was quickly got out of the way – no sensible Thunder Apprentice would pass up any time given over to practical magic. Peramba checked their work carefully and would not let any of them go into a practical until all the mistakes were fixed, all the missing details put in.
Naturally, Alex was the only one who had no need to worry about this and sat around looking smugly impatient. Once Sora was also in a position to wait, for once not among the last to do so, he toyed with the idea of sending a shock to Alex. Peramba's antimagic prevented that, of course.
The cold feeling of the Dark Child, the boy hiding inside him, reacted to this. Ordinarily the sense of him felt as if he was coiled about his heart, but whenever he acted this moved. Whenever he killed through Sora, he could feel him rising until he reached his skull – and then he had nothing, he remembered nothing, experienced nothing, until it sank down again, satisfied, leaving him only with the sight of what it had done.
This time was different. The cold feeling of him moved to his arm instead, something unusual. Only once before had it gone anywhere other than his head, and on that occasion it had retreated before anything had happened because of a distraction.
Sora's arm moved without his willing it to, even as it had when he'd first met the Dark Child, not responding to him. It moved under the table to the leg underneath, then began to weave the movements of a spell, faint trails of coruscating colour left behind. He watched, trying to make out the spell being cast. It looked like a standard bolt, like the one he'd thrown at Alex earlier, but there were unfamiliar differences.
When it was done and the spell was held in his hand waiting for the final word or gesture to unleash it, the boy inside made him tap the wooden leg of the table. The glowing ball of energy leapt to the leg, startling him – Peramba's antimagic was still in effect, no one should be able to do magic except for him. The sparks crawled swiftly down the leg, then across the floor toward Alex even as the cold, and now also satisfied feeling of the boy moved back to his heart.
Sora watched, trying to avoid being obvious about it. He didn't want to draw attention to it, or the fact that he hadn't drawn their attention to it for that matter. As yet no one appeared to have noticed it, and he hoped no one would.
It navigated up and over Alex's bag, then up on to the leg of his own chair, now crawling more slowly. Sora lost sight of it and continued to avoid notice, his heart beating with concealed anticipation. It would be the perfect prank if it had really happened. Then it did, Alex gave a startled exclamation and leapt up, rubbing at his backside and immediately becoming the centre of attention.
"Someone shocked me!" he exclaimed.
"With my antimagic?" Peramba asked mildly, looking amused. "Not hardly likely. Even if one of you Apprentices had managed to circumvent it, I'd have felt the impact on my own spell."
"I'm not making it up!" Alex insisted,
Peramba got to his feet and joined him, the fingers of both hands already rapidly weaving spells. He directed the first at Alex's chair, causing a ghostly replay of the lightning to appear on the bag, crawl along the underside of the chair, through it and then vanishing as the replay recounted sinking itself into his rear.
"A shame that spell only has a limited reach," Peramba observed, though Sora privately disagreed. "But then time magic has never been one of my strong points. Hold still now, boy," he told Alex, sinking the remaining spell into his shoulder, while everyone watched with interest. A ghostly image of Alex was drawn forward from him, quickly fading to leave only another replay of the sparks.
"Didn't we just see that?" someone asked.
"Oh, of course. But this spell is different," Peramba told them. "You see the previous one merely replayed the last moments of the last spell that was active in that area. This one targets one affected by magic and attempts to recreate an image of the original caster. The Nighthunters regularly employ such magic, though its effect is rather limited on the dead."
A chill that had nothing to do with his passenger caused Sora to absently gnaw on a knuckle. It had been his hand that had cast the spell, surely it'd reveal him – and then what?
"Ah, see here," Peramba said. "The sparks of the spell have turned green. That means it's just building the illusory image of the caster. We should see our merry prankster any moment now."
Sora tried not to bite his knuckle too hard. The sparks shifted shape, forming the outline of a person – too small to be him, but the magic could have scaled it down. All too soon he realized that wasn't the case as the image was fleshed out – for the first time, someone other than him would see his resident, and sure enough before long the Dark Child stood motionless in the air as a result of Peramba's spell.
"I know there's no one in here who looks like that," Alex said fervently. "Those eyes are creepy!"
"Indeed," Peramba agreed, looking shaken. "Ladies and gentlemen, what you are seeing here is none other than what the Nighthunters, and indeed most others refer to as a Dark Child – a name they give themselves, I understand. Anyone who comes into contact with one inevitably refers to them as such."
"But how... who..." Alex tried, unable to figure out which question to ask.
"Indeed, who and how are questions we should ask. But I regret my own magic is incapable of pursuing this any further. I can tell you only a few details about them myself. If any of you happen to be taking a course in Shadow magic, I would advise you to ask your tutors – though assure them you ask only because of this incident," he added. "One should not lightly discuss these matters. I can tell you only what you will easily find – how they are created."
He returned to the front of the room and picked up the oratory as if this were related to his previous lecture.
"Dark Children exist only in a place saturated in magic, such as our own Metropolis, and are a direct result of magic itself. All young are known to be more adaptive, more capable of learning exactly because of that youth. Magic has an unusual effect on this, in that should any child be killed in an act of malice, instead of being laid to rest as should be intended, their spirit remains, twisted into the unhappy form we saw just moments ago.
"These Dark Children are driven by a desire for vengeance that cannot be slaked simply by slaying the one responsible for what happened to them – indeed, it is believed that while a Dark Child retains the memories of life, they do not recall them and have no way to tell who is responsible. They respond to and know only fear, using it as their power and means of locating their prey, and the very magic that created them is responsible for their capability to kill in all manner of unpleasant ways. Some of you may have heard on the news this morning of the incident in Aqua district – this indeed is likely the work of one such child."
"You don't say," Sora murmured, taking care not to be heard. Louder, intentionally he asked, "What can anyone do against one of these things?"
"Against them?" Peramba asked, startled. "Why, run, dear boy! If you should be among the unlucky few capable of seeing a Dark Child, then it is surely aware of this – and if one is aware of you, you are in its power, and it will likely kill you."
"No, I meant..." Sora hesitated, carefully wording his question. "I heard something about them once, something about someone who had one inside them somehow."
"A host? I understand its possible, but I know nothing of it. You must all put this incident from your minds. Dark Children are dangerous, and if you become aware of one you should run for your life and make sure you inform a branch of the Nighthunters immediately."