Twentieth Spell: Lectures and Brooms

While Ishi the talking rock yokai went into a gruelingly long lecture, most of the students either tuned out or slept like Seita did. But Haru was fascinated by what Ishi said, and took many notes. According to Ishi, the first Japanese wizards to exist were a couple named Izanagi and Izanami. Then from them were born three equally gifted siblings: Amaterasu, Susano, and Tsukiyomi who were all given enchanted objects of great magical power that came to be known as the Sacred Treasures. One was the Subemitō Mirror, the other was the Jinsei Stone and the third and most powerful was the Muteki Sword. But when Amaterasu's son Jimmu was born, he had no magical powers whatsoever.

This made Jimmu the first Kaika, a term used to describe people born from magical parents that never gain magic either genetically or spontaneously like Manai-born with the English equivalent to them being called Squibs. As a result, he was given the three Sacred Treasures which then came to be known as the Imperial Regalia of Japan and were given different names: the Kusanagi no Tsurugi Sword, the Yata no Kagami Mirror, and the Yasakani no Magatama Jewel. But while Jimmu became the first legendary Emperor for the Manai people of Japan, Amaterasu had a secret daughter named Himiko who founded the magic kingdom of Yamatai.

So all the gods and demigods of Japanese mythology were really just powerful wizards, Haru realized. I'm surprised the International Statute of Secrecy allows their stories to be told today among regular people.

"DURING HIMIKO'S REIGN OF YAMATAI, THERE WAS A SECRET CLAN OF WIZARDS WHO WORSHIPPED AN EIGHT-HEADED SERPENT CALLED THE YAMATA NO OROCHI, OR OROCHI AS WE KNOW HIM TODAY!" Ishi continued. "THIS CLAN WANTED TO USURP HIMIKO AS YAMATAI'S RULER, AND OROCHI WANTED REVENGE ON SUSANO AND HIS SIBLINGS FOR KILLING HIM MANY YEARS BEFORE! SO THE CLAN USED THEIR COMBINED MAGIC TO RESURRECT OROCHI AND WAGED WAR ON HIMIKO! AND WHILE HIMIKO WAS A POWERFUL WITCH IN HER OWN RIGHT, HER MAGIC ALONE WAS NOT ENOUGH TO TAKE DOWN OROCHI!

"FOR THIS REASON, SHE TRAVELED TO CHINA AND SOUGHT OUT THE FOUR AUSPICIOUS BEASTS! HAVING DESCENDED FROM THE STARS THEMSELVES, THEY ARE CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE MOST POWERFUL MAGICAL CREATURES IN THE ASIAN CONTINENT! TODAY, WE KNOW THESE BEASTS AS: BYAKKO, THE WHITE TIGER, SUZAKU, THE VERMILLION BIRD, GENBU, THE BLACK TORTOISE, AND SEIRYU, THE AZURE DRAGON! ONCE HIMIKO FOUND THE AUSPICIOUS BEASTS, SHE ASKED FOR THEIR HELP IN DEFEATING OROCHI FOR GOOD!"

Just then, a cawing noise rang out.

"WE WILL CONTINUE THIS LECTURE TOMORROW!" Ishi stated. "BE SURE TO READ THE CHAPTERS ON THE SACRED TREASURES AND HIMIKO BY TOMORROW FOR THE FIRST POP QUIZ OF THE WEEK!"

Some kids in the class looked annoyed while Ishi wedged himself into the sliding door, which allowed him to leave the classroom.

Following the warning caws, Dōmeki's voice echoed through the hallways. "All First-Year Secondary Students, please make your way to the landing platform for Flying Class!"

"That's us!" Nayu realized and got her things together.

Haru and Seita did the same, then the three of them headed out of the classroom into the courtyard. Making a left turn, they went along the inner wall of the school's castle and found a tunnel that led to the arched bridge Haru crossed when he arrived at Mahoutokoro last night. They crossed the bridge with the other First-Year Secondary Students and up to the landing platform where the petrels landed. At the very edge of the platform stood an old man with a grizzled beard in a pilot's uniform and wearing aviation goggles.

"Good day, chickies!" said the old man as he turned to face the class. "Today's your first flying lesson and I, Gōgu-Dono, am not going to make it easy! So grab a broomstick from the shed and meet me back here in ten minutes. Understood?"

"Yes, Gōgu," said everyone in the class.

Annoyed, Gōgu said, "Say that again!"

"Yes, Gōgu-Dono!"

"Much better!" Gōgu then leaned down and turned on a water clock that was next to him. "Your time starts now!"

Everyone in the class made their way down a set of stairs near the platform to a shed that was built into the slope of the island. Further up from the shed was a small cottage with a thatched roof, a wooden porch, and a pile of firewood inside a makeshift shelter.

"That's where Higa lives," Rui said to Haru as they were getting broomsticks from the shed. "I've seen him go in and out of there sometimes."

"So how's your first day going, Ryuji?" Hikari asked mockingly. "Did you set anyone's robes on fire yet?"

"No, he hasn't!" Nayu interjected. "He made a decent Headache-Reducing Tea in Kampo."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Anyone can make a Headache-Reducing Tea in their sleep! Wait till you get to the granules and pellets. That will really test your Kampo-making skills!"

"I'd like to see you try Necromancy once you get to that," Daizō added. "But considering how much you have to catch up on, we'll be way ahead of you."

While some of Daizō's Seiryu buddies laughed along with a few Suzaku students, Haru stormed past them.

"Don't let those guys get to you," Rui said as she followed Haru. "They're just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Well, it's working," Haru growled.

"Just concentrate on the lesson, then worry about them."

Back at the platform, Gōgu ordered everyone to stand in a straight line and drop their broomsticks.

"Now I want you to wave your right hand over the broom and say, 'Oru,'" Gōgo said. "But you must do it with feeling! Otherwise, the broom won't listen to you."

Once again, Haru was confused by the idea of something inanimate being alive like the wands at Yashinoki's. Though he tried to put his doubts behind him and said, 'Oru!'.

To his surprise, the broom didn't move. Meanwhile, Hikari and Daizō said the word and the brooms rose up into their hands like magnets.

"I guess some people are more commanding than others," Rui said before looking down at her broom, "Oru!"

Unlike Haru's broom, Rui's hovered a little bit off the ground before falling back down. Nayu, on the other hand, managed to trip over her broom which made the entire class laugh. As for Seita, his broom went up vertically instead of hovering allowing him to use it as a post to lean against and settle in for another nap.

"There will be no napping in my class, Fumito!" Gōgu snapped, kicking the broom from underneath Seita causing him to fall on his butt.

To be continued…