The first day of the academy began with much fanfare. Sekar and Prasad exuded a great amount of enthusiasm that it eventually bled into me too. Elango, for his part, exuded an eager vibe. As we all walked into our very first class, Theory of Mana taught by Master Indrajith, we were all smiles and full of anticipation.
Yesterday, the Novice Initiation ceremony had dragged on till lunch. After which we were split into three classes of more than 40 members. Me, Sekar, Prasad, and Elango were put in the Omega classroom. Santhanu and Pramod were allocated the Beta classroom, much to their and our delight. Each class contained an even number of Greater Nobles, Lesser Nobles, and commoners alike. Luckily Thilothama was placed in the alpha class letting me breathe a huge sigh of relief.
After that, we were taken on a tour through the Academy to familiarize ourselves with its layout. The tour was simple and we were only taken to the basic facilities like the academy grounds, training halls, library, and a few other general places. Later, we were all issued a library card and our respective time tables.
The desks in the classroom were of a different variety. Some were lone desks and some could only seat three people comfortably. I also noted that all the lone desks were placed in the front, making it blindingly obvious that they were meant for Greater Nobles. For an academy that spewed so much propaganda about treating students equally, they went out of their ways to reiterate the divide between commoners and nobles.
Elango patted me in the back and shot a knowing wink as we seated ourselves in a desk that was ideal for four students to sit comfortably. Soon enough, the classroom filled up to its limit. The commoners were the first to arrive and the Lesser Nobles arrived soon after. The Greater Nobles sauntered into the classroom with much pomp just moments before the teacher entered. It was as if the teacher was waiting for the Greater Nobles to get into the class. I dismissed that thought as my paranoia and concentrated on the class.
"Mana," Master Indrajith began without much preamble, "is the lifeblood of magic. The magic which we create can be said as nothing but a result. If you shape the mana that flows through your veins in a certain way, draw it out and let it interact with the atmosphere around you, the resulting phenomenon is magic. Without the ingredients and the procedure one can't expect a meal to be cooked. Mana is the ingredient and magic is the meal. No mana, no meal."
"Likewise, not every mana is the same. Each individual in the world has their own version of the mana. Everyone here may have mana, but each of you will have an affinity for a certain type of magic. It is because of the mana that flows through your veins. Your mana natures are fundamentally different. The difference between the two individual's mana may be small or huge, but there is nevertheless a difference. What you may feel like simple magic, will be difficult for him simply because of your mana nature."
"In this class, you will learn the knowledge that will enable you to understand your mana more proficiently. I will be teaching you the theory behind mana, its inception, interaction with the body and atmosphere, and much more. So, do well to listen to me. For in the future, this simple knowledge will be the difference in finding a path to success and failure."
Master Indrajith droned on for the rest of the hour in his monotone voice. There were no inflections, no dramatics, or anything exciting in his explanations. He initially began with how mana in the atmosphere is harnessed by our mana coils and then went on to explain how they interact with each and every part of our body in much detail. The details were redundant and the tone of his voice did nothing better to help the experience.
Soon, I drifted away from his explanations and started daydreaming about sword forms in my mind. Elango was already sending furtive looks to a female near us. Prasad and Sekar, on the other hand, were studiously taking notes. The class came to an end after a long, arduous, boring lecture from Master Indrajith. When I came back to myself, I saw a lot of our class was yawning sleepily as we filed out for a break.
The schedule for classes was not rigorous. We had ample breaks between each class. For a day, there were only three classes scheduled. But from what Prasad and Sekar had gleaned of the seniors during dinner, the amount of work the masters will pile on us will make the easy schedule seem monstrous. Surely, none of us were looking forward to that to come true.
"So, which division are you going to apply to?" Sekar asked eagerly as the four of us settled down under a tree shade.
"Nothing in mind yet, what about you?" I asked back.
"The Sapphire Division. I always wanted to be an artisan. A Craftsmage. They are the ones who invent stuff and find new things about magic. And the Sapphire division is the holy land of artisans."
I nodded along accepting that. Craftsmage were highly regarded in society. Their knowledge of magic was second to none. But, not every mage artisan could become a respected Craftsmage. They were the best of the best. Seeing Sekar's eagerness and curiosity towards everything in general, I thought it would be a good goal to focus on for him.
"You should make up your mind soon or else you will lose out on the opportunity," Prasad said as he idly twirled around a grass blade he had plucked out of the ground.
"What about you?" I asked him to only receive a confusing smile.
"Our brother here wants to be a Lifemage. The story goes that he once met a Lifemage who helped him talk to his sister's kitten. From then on, he had been invested in talking to animals," Elango playfully nudged him as he replied to my question.
"Lifemage huh, I don't know which division he would be suited for," I said.
"Are you joking, if he indeed becomes proficient in life magic every division would want him. The artisans conduct a lot of research on magical creatures, having a Lifemage helping them would increase the speed of their research tremendously. The Topaz Division is known for its healing magic. They don't just heal humans, a Lifemage there would help them to communicate and heal animals easily. The Ruby Division is known for battle. Imagine a Lifemage persuading animals in the territory to attack the enemy mages. No one knows who the Emerald and Diamond division prefer. My point is, they will all love to get their hands on a Lifemage." Sekar explained enthusiastically.
"Oh, I didn't know that Lifemages were in such demand," I said contritely.
"Bleh, where have you been living?" Sekar snorted.
"In a mountain village in the far-east corner of Panja," I said without missing a beat causing Prasad and Elango to chuckle.
Sekar scratched his head sheepishly before letting out a chuckle on his own, causing me to smile and shake my head.
"What about you?" I asked Elango after few moments.
"The Ruby Division," he replied as if he was stating a fact.
"Any particular reason," I asked curiously before regretting it as I saw Prasad shake his head.
The smile fell off from Elango's face. It sported a serious expression as he stated, "I want to be a Battlemage."
I watched him clench his fists as he stated his sentiment. There was absolute conviction in his voice as if he knew from his birth what he wanted to become. I nodded my head as an uneasy silence filled the atmosphere.
"Well, you should decide soon where you want to apply. I will make a decision in a day or two. Take a week, but don't delay much," Prasad said after some time trying to ease the ambiance.
"I don't know. I am not really sure about joining any of them. Diamond is too mysterious for my tastes. Emerald is being headed by that pompous idiot. I don't have much of an interest in being an artisan or a healer. I don't know," I thought aloud.
"Emerald is being headed by that pompous idiot, huh," Elango chuckled. "Make sure no one else hears those thoughts. The females will burn you alive for that statement."
I smiled ruefully in reply.
"You can apply to the Ruby Division. I will at least have a company if this idiot decides to go elsewhere," Elango said as he shoved Prasad playfully.
I could only smile in return. The Ruby Division was something I would have joined earlier. But now that it was being headed by her, it was not an option anymore. I lamented the fact that I was staying away from a huge opportunity to keep away from her. The folly of fate indeed.
"It isn't as if I am going to be thrown out of the academy if I don't join them. I think I would have enough with academy work alone," I said after a while.
"It's true. It is not mandatory to join the divisions, but you will miss out on a whole batch of things if you don't join them. For example, the divisions arrange specialized programs to groom younger members like quests, tournaments, events, lectures, and a lot more. Also, they have specialized knowledge in the field of magic. I am talking about practical experience and mentorship. Those are hard to come by," Sekar said in response to my statement.
"Yeah, I have heard that you can learn only to an extent in the academy. If you don't join any of the divisions, your knowledge will be incomplete. The divisions are the reason Amaranthine Academy is different from other academies. Without joining them, your knowledge would be just a step above from other mages." Elango said as we got up to walk towards the next class.
"Mmm, I will think about it," I said in reply.
"Don't take too long," Prasad concluded as started towards the next classroom.
The next class we had was Elementary Mana Control, taught by Mistress Prameela. Mistress Prameela was a tall woman who had a severe face. Her eyes were sharp and bearing was that of a strict instructor. She welcomed us to the class and introduced herself before beginning the lecture.
"Control is everything is magic. This year you will learn to control the outlet of mana flow in your body. While this may sound simple, it is very hard in reality. At present if you were asked to light a candle, most of you will waste an equal amount of mana that is required to light a candle. This is unavoidable. Because the very nature of mana makes it so. Only with proper control can you light the candle with the right amount of mana and not waste it."
"Mana, as you know, is the energy in the atmosphere. By its very nature mana is unruly. As a mage, you need to harness it in your body, control it, direct it, and at last let go of it to perform magic. Your mana coils perform the action of harnessing your mana. But, it is then entirely up to you to control it and create magic. The controlling of mana is crucial to a mage. As a mage your body can only harness a specific amount of mana. This is called mana limit. Each mage had a different mana limit and what differentiates a competent mage from incompetent one is their control of harnessed mana."
"Mana wastage is something you need to be ashamed of. While it is inevitable to waste at least some of the mana harnessed by your body, you need to make sure you use as much mana as possible. On a battlefield it means the difference between your death and life. In an infirmary, it is the difference between healing your patients and killing them. Control is an essential requirement for a mage."
"Before we move on, are there any Reds present in this class?" Mistress Prameela asked casually.
I hesitantly raised my arms in the air. Few of the other students raised their hands too. She made a note of us before continuing on.
"Reds, as you know, are rare. It is a wonder this class has a couple of Reds. Usually, we get one or two Reds a year. You will need to attend my special classes in Elementary Control if you have the intention of passing. Why, you may wonder. It is simple. As a Red, your mana coils harness a lot of mana making it difficult to control the mana in the body. A Green or White or Blue or Yellow may live if they are untrained, but a Red hardly lives past his thirties if he or she is not trained to control the mana harnessed by their mana coils."
Gasps echoed throughout the room. I idly wondered what would have happened to me if I had adamantly refused to join the academy. It looked as if the old geezer was right in forcing me to attend the academy.
"It is only natural," Mistress Prameela continued causing the mutters to die down, "great power comes with a great cost. Remember this; nothing in this world is free. The Reds are obviously suitable to perform grand magic, but the caveat is that they must first control their magic. Reds are prone to lose control of their magic easily."
"What happens if one loses control of his or her magic?" Mistress Prameela asked a random student from the Great Nobles section.
"Their magic backfires Mistress," the student replied.
"Yes, correct in the sense, but from here on I would expect you to tell it as Mana Rebound." She informed the student in a clipping tone causing the student to nod.
"Mana Rebound happens when one loses control of his or her mana. The effects of this may range from a severe headache to disintegration of the said person. Don't be shocked, after all we are playing with nature here. We are rewriting the natural order with our magic. If there are no risks then everyone could become a great mage, isn't it? Your home tutors may have shied away from this unpleasant fact, but I will not."
"The effect of a Mana Rebound is entirely dependent on the amount of mana put into the magic. When you lose control of the magic, the directionless mana lashes out as it pleases. The bigger the spell, the bigger the rebound. How can a mage escape from this danger? Control. Control of one's own mana is the way to do it. So, I think you all will take my class seriously. For if you slack off, it will be you who will be paying the price."
With that she launched on to an explanation of the basics of Mana Control. I didn't dare daydream after that explanation on Mana Rebound. What followed was an hour of lecture on mana control and its uses. By the end of the hour, I had a new respect for magic. Earlier, I used to take magic for granted. But, after knowing the risks involved, I couldn't take it in that manner anymore.
The rigors associated with magic were far more perilous than what I had imagined. The rest time that followed the class was filled with Sekar, Prasad, and Elango giving me comprehensive examples of mages who had, in their opinion, gloriously died due to Mana Rebound. While the atmosphere was light, I couldn't help but shiver whenever I thought about them.
After finishing our lunch and resting for a brief period of time, we filed in for our final class of the day, Elementary Mana Manipulation taught by Master Janartha. The lectures so far had been far from what I had expected of magic. In my opinion, magic was flashy, gaudy, and filled with far more pomp than swordplay. But the first two lectures I had attended had dispelled that notion. They were grounded in reality and had explained to me the rigors a mage faced before becoming a famous figure. I eagerly awaited the third lecture of the day.
Master Janartha didn't immediately appear once the time for the start of the lecture was up. He arrived fashionably late, and he was what my preconceived notion of a mage was. He was dressed in a flashy outfit that complemented his red hair well. But it was not what caught my attention. What caught my attention was something very different.
Master Janartha came into the class floating a few feet above the ground. He was nonchalantly flipping through his book as he entered the classroom, looking bored. While his body remained in the standing position, he was moving through the classroom effortlessly by floating a few inches above the ground. It was masterfully done in a nonchalant, casual manner causing students including me to be immediately captivated by him.
"Ah! Here are my new students and thankfully the last class of the day," he chuckled good-naturedly without minding the gawking looks he was receiving.
"Well, what are you gawking at?" he asked when no reply was forthcoming to his comment.
He looked around him for a moment before acting as if he had just remembered that he was floating above the ground. He casually descended and smiled at us causing our mind to revert back to its original state. No longer captivated by the spectacle, I watched him smile sheepishly before clearing his throat.
Silence immediately descended on the classroom. Everyone was eager to hear his words.
"Well, that is what you call a Mana Manipulation kids. Want to fly by yourself?" he chuckled as he received fervent nods from the students. "Too bad, that is far above your level now. But, fear not, if you can sit through my boring lectures and learn to manipulate mana to your utmost level, you will be able to fly on your own."
Fervent nods could be seen throughout the classroom. It looked as if even the Great Nobles had not witnessed these kinds of acts casually. Satisfied with the fervent nods he received, Master Janartha spoke up.
"Well, settle down, settle down. If you are going to listen to my boring drivel, you might as well get comfortable," he chuckled once more.
We settled down within moments eager to hear what the man had to say.
"Well, I will be your teacher for Elementary Mana Manipulation. So, what is Mana Manipulation? It can be answered easily," he said in a grand manner as he struck his hand out.
"This is Mana Manipulation," he said and a fireball formed in his outstretched hand.
Impressed sounds followed his demonstration. But, the demonstration didn't end there. The fireball then morphed into a ball of water eliciting gasps among the students. Then it changed into a mini-cyclone and the cyclone then crumbled into dust. He blew the dust and electric sparkles filled the air.
We were all dumbstruck by the performance. I looked around to find Sekar, Elango, and Prasad staring at our teacher with their mouths hitting the floor. Rest of the students were not faring any better. Even the Great Nobles had been dumbstruck by that performance. I belatedly realized even my jaw was hanging open and closed it.
"What do you think? Impressive, isn't it? This little party trick was devised by me to impress novices like you. Too bad, it is not working on the rest of the students in the academy. A real shame, a real shame, I say," Master Janartha continued oblivious to our speechlessness.
"But, then again once you learn the principles behind this trick, it wouldn't be so impressive would it. That is what I will be teaching you this term. The principles behind manipulating our mana. If you want to impress others like me, do well listen to my drivels."
Master Janartha then went on to put a show on how to manipulate mana and what should be taken into consideration during the manipulation of mana. Needless to say, it was the most entertaining class of the day. We were often made speechless by his effortless execution of insane things like turning a ball of mud into a water serpent and such. I have never seen magic employed in this fashion and I had to admit that it was impressive.
"Impressive, isn't he?" I said as we walked out of the classroom.
"Are you kidding? Even my father can only manipulate his mana into three elements. He is a First Order Battlemage. That man there is a freaking monster," Elango said in disbelief.
"Five… Five elements," Sekar mumbled in disbelief.
"And I am sure he can do more. That was just a parlor trick for him. What kind of a monster is that man?" Elango said in reverence.
Sekar and Prasad nodded in agreement. I nodded along too. While I didn't quite understand the magnitude of what Master Janartha had effortlessly done, I was nevertheless impressed by his performance.
What impressed me most was not the number of elements he had showcased; it was the ease with which he performed his magic. And throughout the lecture he did demonstrations to explain his point. He never took more than a few seconds to demonstrate at any point in time.
It implied his tremendous endurance in casting magic. I knew endurance is the most important quality for a fighter from my swordplay practices. This man was indeed a master of his craft.