Katachi was interrupted by a student with a buzz-cut, holding a box of wooden tablets as he walked across the hallway. He seemed to have something to say because he blocked the passage deliberately.
"Hey, kid. Who're you betting for?"
K: "Huh?"
Katachi stared at the student blankly. The word 'betting' alone held a lot of weight and uttering it in the hallway where passers-by could audibly hear was unbecoming.
K: "W-What do you mean, betting?"
"The tournament has quite a few competitors. You can guess which student would emerge as the champion, and Professor Mint is going to treat the students who manage to guess the winner correctly to a feast."
Katachi stepped back slightly at the otherworldly piece of good news. Mother Rin would normally rebuke at how gambling was prohibited, but the strange thing about it was that Segus mentioned nothing about abstention from gambling. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say Segus believed that life was a gamble in and of itself.
K: (I want to try it, but that seems a bit risky. They even dragged a teacher into this?) "Isn't... Isn't that against the school rules?"
"Well, think of it as a personal bet. If the students manage to guess correctly by luck or chance they would have a nice treat for free. But if the students managed to chart the outcome, then the treat is both a prize and a form of encouragement for them. It doesn't pay to make a bet so why not give it a go?"
Katachi leaned against the wall slightly.
K: (If what he says is true, then it wouldn't be bad for me to participate. I would simply have to guess the winner by random. Although I really want to get the sponsored prize, it may be better to step back a bit and shake attention off myself.)
Katachi pondered over the weight of his options carefully.
K: "Uhm... Who can I choose from?"
"Well, there's last year's champion Deku, there's Cillian, the semi-finalists last year and any of your other dark horse friends you think might stand a chance. If you're feeling lucky, you can try anyone you think will win."
K: (Looks like there are some pre-carved tablets. There are a lot less Deku tablets than there are Cillian ones... Maybe there's a shift in the tournament format that favours Cillian?) "... I'll guess Cillian."
"Cillian, huh? Okay then, place this on your circle."
Katachi picked a tablet from the tray the student was supporting with both arms and held the wooden tablet with the name Cillian engraved onto the magic circle on his left arm. It glowed slightly as Katachi's name formed on a small corner of the tablet in fine print.
"I hope you made the right choice. Good luck!"
The student quickly broke conversation and leapt towards another student eagerly, in a fashion that seemed as though he was getting paid for collecting votes. That enthusiasm served better for the Theories and Articles Fair, but perhaps he had a sibling or relative taking part in the tournament?
K: (To think an event like this is so big that such means are employed... It shouldn't be a surprise though, there are more than two hundred students here so up to a third of the student body are future opponents. He mentioned that they were going to use magic to determine the outcome of the tournament.)
The Young Magus Tournament did not divide the students between grades or age, as a matter of fact the academy encouraged students in different classes to mingle and pool their efforts together. It would be dangerous to face the seniors without adequate preparations, so in a sense the bets were a way to let freshmen engage themselves in the event.
K: (Looks like I'll have to work harder. They're not taking it easy even when they're not competing. I shouldn't expect the actual competitors to relax.)
But first there were more pressing matters to address.
*** ***
"All participants, single file! Queue here to order the weapon you wish to use!"
The various participants queued up in a straight line, taking turns to place their wooden pieces into the order boxes at the waiting area. It was a unique ordering system for the tournament that the students had to participate in should they want weapons to use during their matches.
The tournament strongly promoted the usage of magic, but there were cases where physical weapons were needed be it for channelling a more specific medium or for engaging when magic was no longer an option. Real weapons would defeat the purpose of the magic demonstration so participants had to order their own wooden weapons to use in the tournament.
Each student would use a wooden piece they were given on their magic circle, engrave their name onto it and place the piece into a box tagged with whichever weapon they desired. A variety of weapons were available for selection – a sword, a spear, a pole arm to name a few of the possible choices along with a custom box for unique weapons.
The school would proceed to procure and supply that weapon for use in the tournament. It was a safe method of ensuring that nobody could cheat during the tournament, since everyone would be getting their waster weapons at the same time, devoid of foul play and exploit.
Katachi could feel pricks on his feet after standing in line for half an hour. The quiet and droll wait for his turn was abruptly interrupted by someone in front rousing a rather large commotion; a bald student with a tattoo of Axia's Starlem on his scalp.
"This is ridiculous! There's no option for a blade staff?! How am I supposed to use any of my spells?!"
"Look, you have two choices. You can choose a physical weapon for pitiful self-defence or you can choose a wand or stave to channel better and boost your magic. You don't-"
"But my magic revolves around the legends of the wave cutter! How am I supposed to use my magic without proper equipment?!"
His outburst was quickly met with strong rebuttal.
"Enough!!"
The line of students all froze at the spontaneous outrage as the teacher slammed the table with his palm, performing a spell Katachi didn't recognize. It caused the entire corridor to quake briefly and the children tumbled onto the floor.
K: (Or maybe it's a spell to induce that sensation. Seems like a deliberately misinterpreted version of Dardicel's spell to me.)
Students would often respect and obey the teachers in the academy strictly because every teacher had the power to place a demerit seal onto a student. A teacher could place a maximum of two demerit seals on a student, and the number of demerits a student held affected his or her standing in school.
The principal and some administrative figures like the security staff were possibly able to bypass the limit and oust any student they deemed unbecoming or dangerous. But one defining point stood clear – To rebuke a teacher required either ignorance or a very special brand of bravery tinted with madness.
"There's a customs box here especially made for whiny ass-wipes like yourself who have to use a specific weapon. You can put your chip in and request for a special order. Do you understand?"
The bald student nodded his head in fear.
"Make your choice already. There are at least three dozen others behind you and we don't have all day."
The student put his wooden piece into the custom box and mumbled something to the teacher. He then walked towards the exit, ashamed of his reckless outburst.
"Next!"
That call repeated for a good number of times before it was finally Katachi's turn. As he approached the table Katachi looked at the small wooden boxes once more intently. The small boxes had labels on them to indicate which weapon was to be manufactured. It was a surprisingly simplistic system for the Magus Academy, but it was likely designed to be user-friendly... Or so he believed. Inside the sword and spear boxes were quite a number of wooden pieces already.
K: (A lot of people chose swords and spears, huh... I'm not very good with a sword, and it'd only trouble me if I use both hands for a spear. I wonder which the more viable option is. Sword or spear?)
The others behind him were getting impatient at his indecisiveness and began jeering.
"Hurry up, idiot!"
"Pick up the pace!"
"How much longer do I have to wait?!"
K: (Not good... The people behind me are urging me to hurry. I better choose one fast.)
In a panic Katachi's eyes swiveled all over the table, browsing the other boxes as well. He was even more hesitant as he expanded his choices to the halberd, mace, flail, axe... There were so many options available that it was easy to be confused by the ideal weapon of choice. Finally, one caught his eye as comfortable.
Out of reflex Katachi shifted his hand over the empty box labeled 'Dagger' and let go. The teacher-in-charge stared at Katachi placing his wooden piece into the box nobody had so much as given a second glance to. The boy was unsure whether that stare was in doubt or in disbelief.
"Whatever your choice is, I'll respect your decision. It's very brave of you to emphasize speed rather than reach."
K: "..."
He didn't even want to look at the people behind him. He didn't wish to show his face to them, and he felt for a brief moment there a slight pang of regret. A diminutive weapon for a diminutive being such as himself was, if nothing else, fitting. Katachi headed back to his room to study the books he borrowed.
*** ***
The next morning a small group gathered at the announcement board. He wasn't really the kind of person that enjoyed crowds, but there was likely something important enough to garner the attention of the other students.
K: (The words on the board... Tournament?)
The strangely-shaped board rested on a peculiar stand, or pillar...? It too confused its observers by deceiving its center of gravity, a trait shared by a majority of the school's pillars. It had been slightly more than a week since Katachi arrived so he was already used to a spectacle like such, yet he could never quite derive the origin of the spell used for the pillars.
Perhaps its secret lay within the past to a time when sorcerors interpreted tales in different ways, but that required access to Findel's true history. It was an ordeal in itself to politically affiliate oneself to the Findel Magus Association, and even so that was not the objective of his current sojourn. Katachi gradually shifted his gaze from the pillar to the board that looked like the cross-section of a tibia bone.
The board showed the tournament participant layout. The participants were divided into four divisions which then reconnected the finalists from each side to determine one final champion. The information about the engagement rules and judging system were also displayed to the right in the form of tablets bundled together by twine. After reading the judging system and the rules in battle, Katachi went down to the main topic at hand – His own place in the tournament.
K: (I'm in the same preliminary division as Cillian de Vorsche...)
"Hey all you people, look! Cillian and Nea are already in the same preliminary division. We're in for a good show."
K: (Wasn't Cillian the guy I betted for? Looks like I've picked the tough fight... At least the divisions will shuffle after the preliminaries.
... Where's that Mafer person? Is he in here?)
Katachi glanced at the board and found Mafer's name right next to Deku.
K: (! He's going against last year's champion for the preliminaries? That's a surprise.
... Then, is Bael in the tournament?)
Katachi squeezed his way through the crowd and pondered for ten minutes to no avail. Bael's name was not present amidst the sixty-four participants. Though, given that there were slightly more than two hundred students in the Sage Raufid Magus Academy that was already an overwhelming number of opponents to challenge.
K: (Huh. She didn't participate. That trap she laid back then was actually pretty dangerous, she should have signed up for this if she was already a veteran. She might potentially win the tournament with both her experience and seniority. But then again, her absence is also a good sign. That's one less tough competitor to deal with.)
"Hey, new kid."
K: (But for a senior like Bael to take the backseat- ?)
Katachi spun around and saw a student with a buzz cut looking at him.
K: (The guy in the hallway from yesterday...) "Oh, it's you again."
"Who were you looking for? You've been staring and searching the name list since I came, and I've been here for almost five minutes."
K: "Oh, er, nothing. I was looking for the name of a friend."
The student chuckled a bit at Katachi's response.
"Worrying about someone else's safety before your own? You'd be wiped out early with that kind of attitude."
The student left with a scorning look, leaving Katachi bewildered at the insult.
K: (That guy... How rude, yet how very appropriate.)
He wasn't wrong by any means. To look at another and worry for them would be prideful, insinuating that he alone was strong enough to handle himself to the point that he would worry for another. That attitude would indeed make men keel over in shame when bested. Pride like that was poisonous and banal to anyone, and him in particular.
K: (... I should train.)
With a new resolve carved within him, Katachi forced his way out of the crowd and towards the field.
*** ***
Seeing that he had no lessons to attend in particular, Katachi was free to act as he pleased in the academy. That included self-taught training sessions that normal students with jam-packed curricula would not have time for. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, however.
Some of the richer or lazier students came to the academy in an attempt to escape their responsibilities and their parents' expectations, and rare were the few who willingly delved into the madness that was Image. At the very least, Katachi was using his time effectively. At the moment the lessons had long since begun so the field was empty and available for anyone's perusal.
One would think it strange how an academy for magi would house a field for its students who were not required to jog or train frequently like the knights of Rugnud, but the open space was useful for understanding Axia lore and practicing Territory spells. Katachi sat alone in the field with the sun gently coating everything around the area with its dawning rays.
He meditated calmly on a sandy patch, absorbing the warmth and radiance of the soft sunlight, a nostalgic action that reminded him of the time spent at the herb ledge. He felt a sour pang in his heart reflecting on the memories of being kept to himself without the pestering of the other children or Bael's assertiveness.
K: (... Focus. I won't have to endure once Rekter steps down. I have nothing against the students, but I can't bring myself to trust or rely on them.)
To summarize things briefly, there was not much one could teach about the Words of Power to begin with. They were 293 powerful sigils crafted by 292 great sorcerors and a crestfallen Warlock of Wheels. The secret to their creation was buried and immolated within their graves decades ago since the Words of Power came about. That knowledge had become popular and widely-known, especially given the terrors induced by the rogue sigils.
If there were anything to learn for a Scholar actively wielding a Word of Power, there was an unspoken rule when it came to a duel between two Scholars. The Words of Power, when challenging each other, worked on a special and highly numerical system known as Precedence Levels. Those Precedence Levels allowed the Scholars to quantify the knowledge they possessed of the Word of Power they wielded, thereby determining which sigil's effect would be dominant should they clash.
Perhaps it was becoming for such a term. The more knowledge one amassed about their Word of Power, the stronger its image was to its Scholar. Thus, in accordance, that knowledge was more likely to take precedence before the opposing or conflicting Word of Power. As a result of such a deadpan, inorganic system, it was as good as suicide to teach another Scholar the meanings of their sigils.
K: (Rekter is smart to limit what he taught... Though, revealing his disposition will put him in a tough spot as well. I can imagine the students harassing him night and day over his Word of Power, just like my own.)
Katachi tried to focus on the Word of Power upon Rekter's nape, wherever he may be, but to little effect. It wasn't as though he could magically feel its presence or anything, but he hoped that the trap was still in effect.
K: (... I should limber up.)
Katachi got up and walked under a tree beyond the boundary of the open field. He picked up a twig on the ground and began fiddling and twiddling the stick around his thumb and index finger.
K: (The trump card aside, I have to make sure he doesn't get an advantage over me at all. The books from the library so far aren't as beneficial as I thought in my understanding of 定, but maybe... Just maybe.)
He waved and slashed at the air with the stick in his hand.
K: (I have to beat my opponents as fast as I can to conceal its presence from the students. The first lesson itself is a hairline crack on the mirror just waiting to shatter and ruin it completely. I have to gamble everything at this one junction. Whether I succeed or fail... I'll have to plan for it only after I know the outcome.)
The simple parrying and stabbing techniques from an old book probably fared little use but Katachi practiced anyway. He continually stabbed and slashed at the air, his mind and conscious completely separate from his actions.
K: (I might also need Bertund's help on a couple of things... Best not to assume this flimsy plan might actually work. I need to raise my precedence level as quickly as possible. That's my safest option right now since it's the only real way I'm going to stand a chance against Rekter.... I'll go ask him after I finish practicing this.)