Shout out to Daisy Pragnya for being the first reviewer! And note, this chapter is looooong.
Chapter 2—An Unfriendly Honor Student
Bright and early the next morning, I stood outside the girls' dorm. Unlike Klaus, who is a completely monstrous jerk in the early morning, I've always been an early riser. Why am I here so early? That's a good question. Any other good questions? If you read the last chapter, you should know why I'm here.
And if Selene were here, she'd scold me for being snippy with the reader, because you didn't do anything. Well, she's not here and I'm irritated. Get over it.
Where the heck is that girl? Her name, I believe, is Katalina. Katalina Sommer. From the town of Reitz. And I only know this from the information in the note from the headmaster. And she's taking forever and a day to get out here.
"Hey, isn't that Elias Goldstein?" I heard the confused voice of a girl ask her friend.
"He looks great, so professional, as usual...wonder why he came all the way to the girls' dorm, though?" she responded.
I'm here because that stupid girl hasn't come out yet.
And the other girls coming out of the dorm are talking—it is unusual for me to be here. Even if I'm meeting Selene, it's always someplace else. I can't even remember the last time I neared the girls' dorm. It was probably during that scavenger hunt Selene had me do the second weekend she was here, during her trial. I wish those gossiping girls would shut up. Please shut up. Just ignore me. Please.
"Elias at the girls' dorm in the morning...I wonder what's happening?" I heard a familiar voice say, "Oh, I hope he has news on Selene, I'm worried…"
"Selene? Who's that?"
And there they are. Now, I'm just waiting for them to near the gate. And I actually wish I did have news of Selene and Klaus. They've been gone for a few days already, and not a word. While Selene vanishing for a day or two wouldn't be unexpected, it was unlike my brother to not even send a note.
"She used to be my roommate, before you. She was switched to a different dorm room a while ago. She left suddenly last Friday night and no one's heard from her. Apparently something happened with her brother. But both her and her buddy haven't been seen all week, and it's already Wednesday!"
I turned towards the two—they were close enough—and started walking towards them.
She looked confused, and a little panicked, the Katalina girl. "Huh? What? Huh?" Was she a broken record? For crying in a bucket...wait. When did I start using that? It's one of Selene's phrases…oh gosh...
I stopped right in front of them, "Miss Sommer, I've come to escort you."
"Huh?! M-me?" She sputtered, looking around.
I withheld the urge to sigh, and folded my arms, "...Yes. You." I was starting to get even more irritated than I already was. This incompetent child is my buddy. Mybuddy. It's preposterous! I don't need such a silly buddy, especially a girl like this. She wore her hair in pigtails like a child, and looked like she couldn't be more than twelve. Why was she at this school, even on a trial?
"Wait, wait, Katalina, what's going on here?" Amelia Nile whispered to the new girl.
"D-don't ask me, I have no idea!" she whispered back. Did they not think I could hear them? Idiots.
"Could you hurry up? We need to go." I demanded. I've got things to do, better things than waiting for such a stupid girl to get the message.
"But…" came her weak protest.
"NOW." I said sharply. I could almost feel the metaphorical thing Selene called an "irk mark" on my forehead. She nodded, frightened. Seriously? You're not a child. Grow a spine. I've seen five year olds with more of one. "Come with me."
"O-okay…" she said.
"Katalina? Is this okay?" Amelia said, defensive of the younger girl. She looked up at me, her face a little stern, "And is there any word from Selene? Any at all?" I shook my head.
"Yeah…?" Katalina said hesitantly, "I think? I-I'll see you later, Amelia."
"Alright, then, take care…" She said, a look of worry flashing in her eyes. I'm going to assume it's for Selene and not for the Sommer girl.
I started walking off, followed by the girl. I refused to call her my buddy.
"U-um…" I heard her start. "H-hey...Elias?"
"...Why do you know my name?" I said airily. I don't recall telling her it.
"Oh, sorry, it's just, I heard it from my roommate…"
"I see." I said, not really caring.
"Grr…" She sounded a little miffed at my answer.
As we neared the headmaster's office, she seemed to work up the nerve to speak, "But where are we even going? Can't you tell me?"
We were to close for me to feel like explaining, "If you keep quiet and come with me, you'll see." As I said that, we stopped in front of the door of the headmaster's office.
"This is…?" she prompted.
I ignored her and instead removed my cloak and knocked on the door twice, then announced myself, "It's Elias Goldstein."
"Enter." said the headmaster's deep voice.
"Excuse us." I said, removing all irritation from my voice and pushing open the door, the hinges letting out a low-pitched squealing sound. The girl followed me into the room, where the headmaster sat at his desk.
"Y-you're Headmaster Randolph…!" she said wide-eyed and in awe.
The headmaster smiled, "In the flesh. Welcome, Katalina Sommer, to the Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy."
"N-nice to meet you…! I'm so g-glad to be rejected into—I mean, accepted into the sch—I mean, academy…!" She was a stuttering mess, stumbling over every other word. This is supposed to be my buddy? Good grief.
The headmaster just chuckled, "Quite interesting young lady, if I say so myself."
"S-sorry…!" she looked at the ground, red-faced and clearly mortified with her performance, as she should be.
"At ease, at ease," the headmaster said, "Loosen up a little."
"Ye-yes…" she replied nervously.
The headmaster continued, "Allow me to welcome you to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy. I wish you a faithful stay from the bottom of my heart."
She smiled, then bowed respectfully, "Thank you very much."
"Well," the headmaster began, "leaving behind the pleasantries, let's get to the heart of the matter."
"Th-that being?" My gosh she's a nervous one, isn't she?
"Normally, buddies aren't decided before the start of the first day. Far from it, there are many students who don't even make buddies before graduating. Of course, it's not unheard of, but it's rare. An exception that proves the rule, more like."
"Buddies?" And of course, she didn't know why she was the source of my current irritation. Airhead.
"Well, since you had your buddy decided before you even got to orientation, I'll explain things. In order."—She glanced over at me, then quickly looked back towards the headmaster. I refused to act as if I even noticed. The headmaster went on, "You see, 'buddies' are a pair randomly chosen from the student body. To say it simply, think of them as magically selected partners."
"A...partner?" She tilted her head, looking confused.
"The reaction between the emblems of two students who can influence each other well decides this. Yesterday, your emblems lit up, didn't they?"
Her eyes lit up with recognition, "Oh!"
"Buddies, you see, are basically stuck in the same boat." The headmaster explained, "For example, if the grades and evaluations of one are bad, well, that hurts the other. Therefore, buddies need to work together to improve one another. A good example is the buddyship are the buddies Klaus Goldstein, Elias' older brother, and Selene Celeste Fonix, a student who was new towards the end of the first quarter of the year. Klaus is the top student, and Selene was a self-taught wizardess from Terra whose magical education was splotchy, and her grades at first suffered greatly for it. Klaus began to tutor her and her grades improved dramatically in a fairly short time. Not all buddy pairs are like that, mind, most are fairly equal in their grades and abilities." Why? Of all the examples, why bring up the pair I'm worried most about at this time? Why?
She furrowed her eyes, "Huh. Wait. What?! Wait, wait, and my 'buddy' is…?!" She glanced at me as I glared at her, thinking she was a moron for how long it took before she finallyfigured it out. She gulped.
"That's right." The headmaster said cheerfully, "Elias has been chosen as your buddy."
She looked horrified. How rude. "But that's…! Wait, so that means if my grades are bad…"
"...they'll affect mine." I sighed.
Her face completely fell, "Aww…" Then she steeled herself and smiled a bit, "...I'll do my best."
The headmaster smiled reassuringly, "You don't have to look so anxious! I think you two can handle it. Right, Elias?"
I mentally rolled my eyes—to be rude to the headmaster was a no-go. "I doubt it. It all depends on her."
Her eyes widened, like she felt pressured. Good. She should be. "...Um," she changed the topic, "if you don't mind me asking, why did a novice wizardess like me get the Acceptance Letter?"
The headmaster raised an eyebrow, then smiled, "Listen, Miss Sommer, what's on the surface isn't everything."
And back came her confused look. It seems her facial expressions are limited. "...What do you mean by that, sir?"
"Enough, enough," he waved off her inquiry, "you won't improve by just asking questions, you know."
"U-understood…"
"Oh," he said, like he just remembered something, "Take another good look at your acceptance letter.
"Huh?" she looked through her bag and pulled out a piece of paper, then reread it, a look of surprise coming onto her face. "This is…!" she paused, "Provisional?!"
I cleared my throat in surprise, a bit shocked. Did she seriously…? "Didn't you even know that? Those invited to the academy are given a period of thirteen school days. At the end of this period, after everything they've learned, they're put before the Scale of Judgement to determine their suitability for the academy. Only those who passed through the trial can officially enter the academy." This wasn't entirely true. There were a few other methods of entering the academy, like if you enter under the age of thirteen (meaning at ten, eleven, or twelve—those who are invited at that age are not common, and they normally are kids of extreme or very unique/strong magical abilities, and it's more because they need to learn to control their magic before they destroy things or hurt people by accident than anything, in most cases), or if you pass a super-difficult exam (which has a written part and a practical part, and difficulty can vary depending on age and whatnot). There's a few other, less likely ways, like the legacy clause (have had at least three immediate family members attend previously) and such. But the way most got in was through the trial process.
"A five-star explanation. I'd expect nothing less from you, Elias." the headmaster complimented.
"Anyone could explain this," I dismissed, "Besides, isn't not noticing that 'provisional' was written the read problem here?" I glanced at the girl out of the corner of my eye, and saw her gulp and have a slightly hurt look on her face.
"So," she said, sounding depressed, "I'm not actually an official student yet…?"
"Exactly. After thirteen days, your future will be decided." the headmaster confirmed, "You arrived at the academy yesterday, and you came on a weekday, so that it was counted as your first day. Today's the second. You can't afford to take it easy, young lady."
"Thirteen days…" she sighed, sounding hopeless.
"Listen closely, Miss Sommer. If you follow your heart, a path will open." he said gently.
She looked up again, "Follow my...heart?" A voice that only I could hear giggled at that.
Authoress: It is called Taming a Wizardess' (Heart)!
Shut up Authoress. No one asked for your input.
Authoress: Eh, get over it Eli. It's during a chapter. I'm in control at this point. ;) Enders are a different matter.
Moving on from the strange writer and her butting in, let's get back to the story.
"Let me ask you a question, Miss Sommer. To you, what is magic?"
And back came the confused look. "Huh?" Then she looked like she was deep in thought.
"No answer?" the headmaster asked a few minutes later.
"Sorry…"
The headmaster dismissed her apology, "For now, that's fine. You've got room to grow. Take the time to find yourself, to find out what magic is to you."
"I...I will." She said.
"Now, I ask that you work with Elias to make this a good thirteen days."
She suddenly smiled wide, "I'll do my best!" she declared.
"And Elias," And I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine the look he gave me. I cleared my face of emotion, doing a pretty good imitation of my brother. "Make sure to help Miss Sommer, too."
"Understood." I said after a pause.
…. …. ….
"Excuse me." I said with a bow. I then turned and left. Does my brother really sit through that with each new student? No wonder he's always so crabby. To hear the same orientation again and again and again...geesh.
"Oh! Ah, um, e-excuse me!" I heard her say to the headmaster as I walked out the door.
"Elias! Wait up!" I heard her cry. Oh great, she's coming after me now.
"...Don't follow me." I said with a sigh.
"But, but, we're in the same class, aren't we?" Oh gosh, is she really panting a little after a run of, what, ten feet? Talk about pathetic. But what she said is true. She probably doesn't know the way to the classroom. It does make sense she'd follow me. "And, you know, we're buddies…" and then she went and brought that up. Just when I was about to show her to class.
I stopped and turned slowly to face her, "Why are youmy buddy?"
"Why are youmy buddy?" She asked back, sounding depressed.
"I can't believe this." I ran a hand through my hair and turned back around, starting to walk again.
"Well," she called after me, "we can't do anything about it, right? So, we might as well, um, get along?" If you're going to say something like that, don't sound as if you're unsure of yourself.
"Don't slow me down." was all I said.
She made a surprised noise.
"...If you're late, so am I. Could you hurry up?" I did my best not to snap at her, but I'm not sure how successful I was. Why does the headmaster's office have to be on the other side of the school from my classroom?
"Okay, okay…" she said mournfully, hurrying to catch up with me. About a minute later: "Hey, the headmaster asked me a while ago, right? 'What is magic to you…?'"
"And?" Does this have and relevance to right now?
"Elias, what is magic to you?" she asked me.
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could even realize I spoke, "Power."
"Power…" she repeated.
"Is something wrong with that?"
"Well, no, not really, but…" she paused, "But, like, saying 'power' seems kind of concerning…"
"...Says the girl who couldn't even give an answer."
I think she just growled at me. Is she a kid?
"I don't find it wrong to desire power." Thinking on it a little, magic waspower. The power to heal and to hurt. The power to protect and defend, the power to attack and destroy. It's a tool, and it's only as good or bad as the wielder who chooses how to use it.
"Is that so…" she said, apparently losing interest.
And now I had a question to ask her in return. "Just why do you want to enter this school so much, anyway?"
"Well, you know…" she began, then trailed off.
"Why?" I asked again.
"Well, I really look up to Serge Durandal. So one day, I want to become a great wizardess, just like him." Nevermind the fact that he's a wizard, not a wizardess.
"Hmm...so you admire someone you haven't even seen or even met." Someone who's been completely MIA for the past five years, since a certain incident, actually.
"Well, yeah! Is that so wrong?" She defended.
"Not really." Though he's not as great as he's made out to be. He's pretty much a spazzy scatterbrain, for all that his mind is able to work like that of a genius. "Not interested." And not that I'd tell her, but her 'hero' is a murderer.
I could almost feel her indignance as we continued on to the classroom in silence.
As we neared it, I started hearing people whisper.
"Oh, they're here! Is thatElias' buddy?" said one girl. Seriously, there seems to be no way to keep a secret in this academy. This place has more holes to leak through than a sieve!
"She's so...so plain." said another girl. What does the way she looks have anything to do with the price of tea in Terra? I'm more worried about her magical abilities.
"But like," whispered a boy, "I heard their emblems shone on the first day...that was quicker than even the Emperor's lighting up with his buddy."
"A buddy like Elias," said his friend. "That doesn't seem like a cakewalk, no sir, especially without Selene to curb his sharp tongue."
"True," said the first boy, "without Selene here to reprimand him, that poor girl will be ripped to shreds. I wonder how much she'll be able to take."
The girl, Miss Sommer, was starting to get a frightened look in her eye. I'm not that bad…
"There's the classroom." I said simply, pointing out the door just in front of us.
"Oh, yeah…" she said hesitantly.
"Yo, Prince Elias." And suddenly I felt a headache coming on. Why? Why now?
I sighed, "...Luca."
My...buddysuddenly looked like she was irritated, "Luca…!"
"Huh?" Luca said, like he hadn't got a clue, "Looks like you've got a familiar face with you."
Honestly, the girl reminded me a bit of a chipmunk with her cheeks all puffed up in anger like that, "Not just 'familiar'! You lured me straight to the boys' dorm yesterday!"
Luca grinned, and laughed a bit, "How was it, Kittycat? Fun?" And what's with the nickname? I would never understand Luca's love of giving people nicknames—Selene was Little Vixen, I was, to my great irritation, Prince Elias, and now Sommer is Kittycat? Seriously?
"Far from it! It was awful!" She really needed to work on her glaring skills...it was almost comical watching her try.
"Now, now," Luca said easily, "calm down, calm down. It was just a joke, right, Kittycat?"
"It wasn't just a joke!" she snapped.
"But look, thanks to that, you got to be Elias' buddy, right?" He pointed out. Now I was glaring at him.
"So you already know." I said cooly, my glare even.
"You just confirmed the words around the academy saying you are." He smirked, "His Royal Majesty Elias, Crown Prince of the Academy, is buddies with a normal girl. That's the most fantastic thing since Selene and the Emperor!"
"I've said this countless times," I said wearily, "but would you stop calling me that? I'm not a prince or a member of the royal family. Just because Selene isn't here doesn't mean you can start that up again. Besides, don't you think that it's irreverent to the actual throne?"
"Haha! 'Irreverent'! I love it, it's like you're a generation behind!" Luca cackled, "Besides, Selene didn't tell me to stop because of the royal family, seeing as she's all 'freedom! equality! democracy! individual rights!' and all—she told me to stop because it irks you. And while the fire's away, the ice does play!"
I hated him. I really did. I don't know why Selene puts up with him, I really don't. So much raw magical talent and power was wasted with this good-for-naught.
Miss Sommer was staring at the floor nervously, apparently no longer mad about Luca's "prank." Selene did tell me once that whenever Luca and I started bickering, that the air got really intense around us.
"By the way, Luca." I said drily, "Class is about to start, but you seem to be going somewhere?"
"Oh?" He responded, like he hadn't noticed, "Well, yeah, I was just going to, you know, skip, like usual."
"Skipping class." I deadpanned, "Again."
"Listen, Prince Elias," he reasoned, "we underachievers have problems you overachievers just don't get, y'know?" We stared at each other, my face blank and unamused, his smiling goofily.
"U-um...hey, how about we just go inside? Okay?" The girl pretty much caught in between our argument said nervously.
"Really? I was just gonna go goof off…" he pouted, like a child denied dessert.
"But, well...today's lesson will probably be really fun!" She said, trying to make it sound tempting. She was trying so hard, and without any of the progress Selene would've made. Selene normally said simply, 'Luca. In class. Now.' and was done with it. Then again, Selene had perfected the art that most girls don't until they're mothers—the you-will-listen-and-not-argue-or-you'll-regret-it-do-you-understand-me? Voice.
"Oh? 'Fun'?" Luca sounded amused at her attempts at convincing him to go to class. He then walked around Miss Sommer, inspecting her from head to toe.
She looked like she felt really awkward and unsure what to make of it, "Umm…?"
"Oh," Luca waved it away like it was nothing, "it's just, I was wondering why you got chosen as Prince Elias' buddy."
She bit her bottom lip, "I don't even know…"
He raised an eyebrow, amused, "Ohh? Huh. Y'know, you're kinda interesting, and pretty cute, too."
And her confused look has returned. "Huh?"
"Yeah...I feel like I've gotta know." Know what? What is he talking about, I wonder?
"About…?" she asked.
"About you." He said flirtatiously, smiling at her and looking her straight in the eyes, "All about you." All of a sudden, I felt really uncomfortable, no matter that I didn't show it.
She had a pink tinge on her cheeks and still didn't seem to know what was happening, "U-um…"
Then Luca nodded, clearing reaching some sort of decision, "Hmm...I might even stay for class." I nearly snorted. He had some sort of motive, that was clear.
Her eyes widened in surprise, "Huh?!"
"Yep, that's how it is." He glanced at me, and apparently my repulsion and suspicion was visible on my face, because he added, "C'mon, Prince Elias! Don't make that face, man!"
I twisted my face then into one of my brother's specialties—one of bored irritation, "...Next time you call me that, I'll incinerate you with fire spells."
"Haha! I'd better watch my back!" He laughed, "But now look who's saying things Selene wouldn't approve of."
"Selene approves of most anything to do with fire, Luca! Remember?" Called out a student walking into the classroom, causing her friend to giggle.
"That's mostly because she herself is fire-proof." the other girl snickered.
"Though that one eyebrow spell does seem to be a favorite threat of hers. I wonder if she's actually acted upon it?"
"I've no doubt she has." The two girls laughed again.
Miss Sommer looked nervously between the two of us. I went ahead and walked in with a dignified silence to me. I assume she followed quickly after, from the "Well, Kittycat, I'll have to talk to you later." from a leaving Luca. The students were chattering, as per usual. Yukiya was in his seat by the window—his wolf was actually with him today, which was rare. Since Selene had left, no one had sat in her seat, so it was empty, sadly. I missed her, to be honest, and knew I wasn't the only one.
"Yukiya…" Miss Sommer sounded a little relieved.
"What, you know Yukiya?" I said, surprised.
"Ah, yeah, we met in the courtyard yesterday." That must have been while she was wandering around lost, looking for the dorm.
I glanced back at her and she looked curious, but also a little guilty for feeling curious, "...So, is everyone keeping away from Yukiya?" Ah, that's right. Despite Selene's constant refutals of Yukiya being cursed, most people still tended to avoid him. Gossip was strong. "It almost looks like there's an invisible wall around him…"
"...Yes." I answered carefully, "People, for some reason, think he's got a curse on him, so everyone tries to stay away from him like that, despite obvious logic showing he's not cursed in any way."
"A curse?"
"He's ignored by everything like that because of the 'curse'." I explained.
"That's terrible." She said, sounding upset.
"Yes." I said, "How ridiculous."
"Huh?" She looked at me, as if surprised that I agreed.
"Anyone shouldknow that a curse—which I severely doubt he has one, anyway—is nothing like a cold, it's very irrational to physically stay away from him because of that belief. We've shared a room at the dormitory for nearly a year and a half, but I've never experienced any actual harm by his so-called 'curse,' not once. He's quiet and clean, the perfect roommate for me, instead. And Selene, who spends a good deal of time with him, is also entirely unaffected by anything but her own brand of insanity. But she's had that since long before we've known her."
"Perfect, huh…" she mumbled, then looked at me, "And could you maybe tell me a bit about this Selene girl I've been hearing about? Amelia said it was a previous roommate of her's who hasn't been seen since last week, but I don't really know anything about who she is, and her name seems to keep popping up."
I inhaled, "Selene Celeste Fonix is a foreign student from Terra who was accepted into the school towards the end of the first quarter. She's got an extreme talent in fire magic, far beyond anything taught here, and it quite literally works however she can imagine it—and her imagination is quite extensive. She's also quite a social bee, and is friends with most everyone. She's a good friend of mine, Yukiya's, and Luca. She also happens to be the buddy of my brother, Klaus, the prefect. She had a family emergency towards the end of last week, and is currently back in Terra. No one is quite sure as to when she's returning. That is her seat,"—I pointed to the desk in front of Yukiya's—"so I recommend you choose another."
She nodded, then started going towards Yukiya. As she got closer, I heard the whispers of the classmates. Idiots. I decided to follow her, "Hey, Yukiya." I said casually.
"Hello, Yukiya." She said, all cheery.
He looked over, face blank. But I knew him well enough to see the confusion in his eyes, "...Huh? Who're you?"
Her smile faltered a little, "What do you mean, 'who'? Don't you remember me? When we met in the courtyard yesterday, you gave me directions to the dorm."
"Did I?" He sounded interested, but I could tell that he was genuinely trying to remember. Oops. Perhaps I should have warned her that Yukiya was kind of a dreamer and tended to forget things that didn't really stick out to him. It took him a while to remember Selene, even, in the beginning. And she's pretty memorable.
"Wha…" she looked a little hurt, but kept up her smile.
I found it all a little funny, honestly, "Looks like you left a weak impression." She sent me a look that told me she, in fact, didn't find it funny at all.
"So, who are you?" Yukiya said with a slight tilt to his head.
"I'm a new student in this academy, starting today." She said patiently.
"A 'provisional' one, though." I added.
I think she just growled at me (again) for bringing it up. This is too good.
"...That so." You couldn't even bother putting an 'Is' before that, could you, Yukiya? At this point, she was looking completely crestfallen. Then she turned her attention to his familiar.
"Oh, Mr. Wolf," she said, "thanks so much for yesterday…" Okay, then...she was talking to the wolf. Why was she talking to the wolf? I mean, it probably understood her, but it's not like it could really respond or anything. In fact, the wolf raised his its head and gave her what had to have been an uninterested look, then turned away. Like Master like Familiar, I guess.
"You're talking...to an animal." I tried to make it sound like I didn't think she was crazy. I did. Yukiya just looked at her. I don't think I succeeded.
"H-hey," she said nervously, "Don't look at me like that...!"
"You certainly are a weird one." It slipped out before I realized what I was saying. Oops.
She wrinkled her nose, like she was offended. Honestly, getting called 'weird' was a compliment, according to Selene. "Okay. Listen!" she said, suddenly all seriousness, "I have the magical ability to talk with animals!"
"Oh…?" I wasn't quite sure if I believed her, as the ability to talk with animals was extremely rare. Then again, no one had ever literally been able to play with fire like Selene. It was a possibility that Miss Sommer was telling the truth. The academy had plenty of students with rare or unique abilities, particularly compared to other magical schools—the Vir Ingeniosus class testified to that. But, she could have also thought that they were speaking back, like a child. It could be either-or, really.
"Really?" Yukiya said, now sounding mildly interested—which meant he was pretty interested, for Yukiya.
"But, um...Mr. Wolf here keeps ignoring me…" she said, not sounding all to confident. Whether that was because she was lying or because she just wasn't a very confident person, I wouldn't tell.
"...I see." Yukiya said. Op, there goes his interest.
"Oh, yeah!" She said, sounding like she remembered something, "There's something I wanted to ask you two."
"What?" I asked. What did she want to know?
"Last night," she began, "I could hear this strange song before I slept...do you think it meant something?"
That got Yukiya's attention, because his eyes widened. She continued, "My roommate said she didn't hear anything, but I know I did…"
"I've no idea." I replied, "Perhaps you simply dreamt it?"
"Mmm, well, I guess I felt drowsy, but…but I really do think I heard it."
"But you're getting less and less confident." I pointed out. And she was.
"What's your name?" Yukiya suddenly said. This took both me and the girl aback a bit.
"Huh? Me?" She then shook her head, as if she couldn't believe he didn't remember, "Katalina Sommer. Try not to forget about me this time, okay?"
"Sommer, huh. Got it." He said simply. He really didn't mince words. And his actions, going from completely uninterested to now, seemed to confuse her.
Then the bell rang, signaling that it was time, "Classes are starting. Get yo your seat." I told her, then started towards my own.
"Oh, uh, yeah!" She asked Yukiya if the seat next to him was taken, and he shook his head. She slid into the seat just as Professor Schuyler walked in. At the beginning of the last quarter, the order of our classes had been mixed up a little, and we now had a different kind of schedule.
"Before we begin…" he said, "Katalina Sommer."
"Y-yes sir!" She stood up, sounding a bit flustered. I resisted the urge to laugh.
"You're the new provisional student, correct?" the professor inquired.
"Yes, that's...right." This girl really needed to work on her confidence. It was pretty pathetic, honestly.
"I am Conrad Schuyler. I teach the classes on practical magics and specific magical objects."
"Yes, Mr. Schuyler." Doesn't she know that the teachers are supposed to be addressed by "professor" not "Mr."?
"I'll say this now. Unlike those other classes, my class won't be easy to pass." the professor sniped, "Prepare yourself."
"Y-yes sir!" she squeaked. I suppose that I could cut her some slack—Professor Schuyler was probably the most intimidating teacher in the school.
"Good. Now, you may sit. Time to begin."
The lesson began. Today's subject was the Persona Mirror—a creation of my father's. It revealed the true self of the one who it reflected.
When the professor mentioned who the creator was, I heard Miss Sommer make a confused noise, then Luca, who sat in the seat in front of her, whispered, "Hey Katalina,"—why was the moron acting so familiar with her? Has he no manners?—"did ya know? Walter Goldstein is Elias' father!"
"Ohhh! I see!" she whispered back.
Luca continued, "Inventing a magical tool that powerful...the distinguished family, the Goldsteins are worthy of the authority of the wizards' world, huh?" He then raised his voice, "Elias' dad and big brothers are all so magnificent, I can't tell you just how envious I am." Luca? Envious? What a joke. He had all this natural talent and no pressure to succeed. To be a Goldstein meant you had to be the best of the best of the best, no excuses. It's never been a picnic, nor will it ever be. But Luca's declaration made me mad, for some reason.
I turned around and hissed, "Luca, shut up. We're in the middle of class."
"Oh, was I interrupting Mr. Honor Student's class? My deepest apologies." His tone was sickly innocent. Oh how I loathed him. At least the professor has now caught on.
"You! Over there! Quiet down! This is my classroom. If you're going to fool around, shall I have you do it outside?"
"I'm sorry, sir." I apologized for him.
"Alright, alright, I'll keep quiet." Luca sighed.
The professor continued the lesson, "Now, the Persona Mirror was originally made to see through criminals' lies." Ha. I don't even think it's ever been used for that—far to valuable. "Currently, it's being kept in the headmaster's office in this very academy." What? I didn't know that...since when…?
"So, Miss Sommer." Uh-oh. He was calling on her to answer a question. This couldn't be good.
"Y-yes?" she answered nervously.
"Time for review." Really? Review what? This is her first lesson...though, honestly, she should've studied before getting to this point. Unless it's on something we just went over. Then she should be fine. "Who made the Persona Mirror?" If she didn't get this she was an idiot.
"Walter Goldstein!" She said, finally with a bit of confidence. Only thing is, it was an obvious answer. If I had to guess, it was because he knew she had been talking.
"Correct." the professor said simply, "Now, there is another magical tool in the form of a mirror. Just what mirror is it? Elias, answer." Now it was my turn, it seemed. I stood up.
"Yes." I said, "Other than the Persona Mirror, there's the Procle Mirror. The Procle Mirror is able to display faraway places. However, unlike the Persona Mirror, a magical incantation is needed to make it work. Furthermore, though it's not a mirror, there is a magical tool that has a similar function—the Tears of Spectrum. By dropping a single tear into a jug of water, we can achieve the same effect as the Procle Mirror. However, this effect can only be used once. There's also the fact that the surface of the water is less stable and reliable than a solid device like a mirror, making it more difficult to cast and maintain the needed spell, though it is an easier method to obtain." I didn't mention anything pertaining to the Terran Technology, where a few taps on a screen could let you contact a similar device anywhere else of the planet—or, in the case of the modified devices that Selene's brother, Merlin, had made, between the Myulan and Terran dimensions.
"Good. You may be seated. Very scholarly of you to have researched as far as the Tears of Spectrum."
"Thank you." I said, then sat down. That was fairly high praise coming from this particular professor.
"Now then, I'll have you all take a little quiz. As Elias mentioned, the Tears of Spectrum are a more common item, and can be reproduced. Some of the advanced potions classes at the academy do learn how to make them. You each will actually use a single drop of the Tears of Spectrum to display your room in the dormitory." This will be simple. "Incidentally, this batch was brewed by one of the students of this classroom, Miss Fonix, under the guidance of her buddy." Oh yeah. I forgot he had taught her how to do that a few weeks ago.
"A...a pop quiz!" I heard Miss Sommer gasp dramatically, though quietly. This will hopefully show that she's not hopeless in magic, but after the whole walking door incident yesterday...what kind of spell even was that? It made no sense. It was like she gave life to the door.
"Alright, come to the front in seat order." Student by student, most of the class went up and performed the spell. It was a simple spell, the hardest component being concentration. Yukiya's image shook a little, but he still didn't like using his magic to much, despite Selene's constant encouragement. He had some sort of dislike for his own magic, which was strange to me. But it was his thing to deal with. He got deducted some points either way. Next, it was my turn, since Selene's seat was empty. I was worried about her. And Klaus. I hadn't heard a word from either of them since last weekend, and it's now Wednesday.
No. I can't think about them right now. I've got to focus on school.
I went up to the front of the room and dripped a single drop of the potion into the jug. "Wideo Procle." I said, waving my wand. There appeared the image of my room, clear and still. I saw Snow hop onto Yukiya's bed and try and bat at the picture. Not sure why Snow was able to tell about the magic being worked, but cats are funny that way. They seem to follow their own set of rules.
"Very by the book. Ninety points." the professor said. I sighed inwardly.
Luca was next. He sauntered up to the front, taking his own sweet time. Only, he didn't cast the spell. "Veltex." he said, waving his wand. The water in the jug started swirling like a little whirlpool. "Hover." With another wave of the wand, the whirling water rose to the air. Another wave of the wand, "Screen." The water formed a round, flat disk in midair. Then he said the proper incantation. "Wideo Procle." He lightly tapped the water mirror with his wand, and it showed a clear image of his room. And it was entirely empty. No personal items. It might have been an unused dorm room..
"Awesome…!" I heard by new buddy whisper. Luca's magic was incredible. Incredibly wasteful.
Clearly the professor agreed with my sentiment. "Zero points. Who told you to do that in such a roundabout way like that? Do it normally next time."
"Yeah, yeah, my bad." Luca shrugged as he went back to his seat, not caring. Must be nice not to have to stress over every grade. Slacker.
"However," the professor continued, "The spell itself was superb. Elias' spell, on the other hand, was precise." So why'd I get marked down?! "I'd even say exemplary. However, it had some arrogance in it. Luca's spell, though, has great originality, and he has the ability to make it work." Now I wanted to throw something. I had spent a week perfecting that spell, and it's now apparently arrogant?! While that lay-about's spell has "great originality?!" In what way is that even fair?! I looked at the ground, trying to hide any and all emotion. Honestly, what the professor said hurt.
The professor then called up that buddy of mine.
She said, "M-me?" like it was a surprise. Was she even paying attention?! She rushed to the front, looking extremely nervous. I had a bad feeling about this. She dripped a drop into the jug, and pulled up a sleeve, readying her wand and taking a deep breath, "...I command thee, reveal lands far away! Wideo Procle!" A ball of light flew from the end of her hand and into the jug. What is she doing? The next moment, the water began to float up. She looked as confused as I felt as a jelly-like ball of water began to float to the center of the room. Then it burst. Meaning, it scattered freezing drops over the entire class. And, to make it stranger, the little drops began hopping about, miniature frog-shaped, causing havoc in the classroom. After a few hops, the frog-shaped water turned into drops and back to normal water. While she started to apologize profusely, Luca started laughing hysterically. I felt an irk mark, as Selene would put it, almost literally appear on my forehead. Luca is an idiot. And what kind of magic was that, anyway?! It made absolutely no sense!
"Zero point!" The professor snapped, making her flinch, "I don't even know where to begin!" the bell that marked the end of class rang. "Now, you can can stay behind and clean up. Elias, you two are buddies, so you stay too."
"What…?!" I exclaimed. And now I've been dragged into her mess! Dang her, this cuts into my study time! I clenched my fist angrily, nails beginning to dig into my palm, as I glared at her. She looked completely downtrodden and a little scared. As she should be!
And so, we had to mop up the classroom. By hand. No magic allowed. Not like I'd chance her using her wacky magic.
"This should finish it." I said with a sigh, putting down my mop.
"I'm sorry…" she said, not meeting my eyes, looking at the floor.
"And I told you not to drag me down, too…!" I scolded her, my arms folded.
"I'm really sorry…"
"'Sorry' becomes useless when you use it to much. Perhaps you should make it to where you don't have to apologize." I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, "I don't even want to think about what lies ahead." I snatched up my stuff and hurried out of the classroom.
I made it to my next class, apologized for being tardy, and sat down. Luca wasn't here, I noticed. One less headache for me, I guess. Soon after, that useless buddy of mine came in, looking depressed. I didn't even visibly acknowledge her presence the rest of the day, and thankfully she wasn't called on again. We had two subs, apparently, since the headmaster had something headmaster-related to do, and Professor Merkulova had to take care of a combat student who was injured in class. She went through the same introductory thing in Professor G's class, though.
Types of Magic had been Selene's favorite class of the ones she currently had. She had once told me that she loved learning about the more rare and less used types of magic, and they were a lot of what she studied on her own before coming to the academy. I hope she was alright.
…. …. ….
After classes were over, I realized I had left one of my reference books in the practical magic classroom. I went back to go get it, but someone was in the room. Sommer.
"Aw, did I mess up again?" She sighed as I walked into the classroom. Then she noticed me, "Oh, Elias…"
"You stayed behind?" I couldn't quite keep the surprise out of my voice.
"Yeah," she replied, "I thought it'd be best if I did some reviewing…"
"Huh." Color me mildly impressed.
"And you, Elias?" she then asked.
"I came to retrieve a book. That's all."
"O-oh…"
I looked in the little desk cubby where I sat. Aha. There it was. I grabbed it and headed towards the door, "Well, see you tomorrow." Then I left.
I next went to my usual classroom and set everything up to work on my current magic tool project.
…. …. ….
I was back in the dorm shortly before curfew. I made my way to my room, and found Yukiya already sleeping, or appearing to. He went to bed early most nights and was gone, oftentimes, before even I was up. I once asked him why he got up so early, I mean, I was up far earlier than most people myself, but he took it to the pre-crack-of-dawn early. He replied something along that lines of "Farmer's hours." I guess his family farmed or something, then. He didn't talk much of his family.
Snow as curled up on my pillow as I set my stuff up on the desk. I sat down and began reviewing my notes. It'd be a few hours before I got in bed. Sleep wasn't important compared to making up the lost studying time from herbungle earlier.
Fun Fact 3: This is the longest chapter in the story at 21 pages (7543 words). The next longest one is Chapter 8 at 17 pages.
