It was a warm and sunny day, like it usually was in Lyfast. All of the townspeople would be out and about, doing their daily tasks they did everyday to keep the town running. And, just like any other day, Allen will be once again training until the sun sets.
Allen had recently turned the age of nine, marking a full entire year of his magic training with his mentor, William. For his birthday, William had given him a wooden sword that he would be using to train with.
"If your magic is weak, find other ways to fight," William had told him. "You can use your magic to boost your abilities, and then fight strong with your sword"
Allen had always found William's advice and words to be a little confusing at times for him, but ultimately understood what he was trying to tell him. He always did his best to follow what William says, regardless.
Because Allen's magic was weak, he needed to find ways to fight if he wanted to become a magical knight. At least, that's what he thought William had meant. William had often told him he was talented with the blade, even at an early age. Allen would train both in magic and sword.
Allen had begun to swing his sword in front of him repeatedly, something that William had him start doing. It was to make Allen stronger so he could one day wield a real blade, at least that's what William had said. Up and down his sword would go, until Allen got tired and took a second to take a breather. Then he would once again constantly swing his sword once again. It would often get boring after some time, but Allen's constant determination to improve is what kept him going.
Allen had been waiting for William to show up each day. Each day Allen would wake up, begin to train, and then wait for William to arrive so they could begin further training. Just as he was wondering where he may have been, he finally saw William show up.
"Hey Allen, I'm finally here," William waved and smiled as he began to approach Allen.
William was finally here to start Allen's daily training routine. However, William was not alone. To the left of him, stood a girl who looked to be slightly older and taller than Allen with long and elegant blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a smile that seemed to warm the area around them.
"Allen, I'd like you to meet-"
Suddenly, Allen woke up from his bed. He realized he had another dream about his past. For whatever reason, parts of his past were missing from his memories. Sometimes, he would dream about fragments he had forgotten about. He would often wonder why he had forgotten, but at least these dreams allow him to remember the past. However, before he could really think about what he dreamt of, he heard banging on the door from outside of his dorm room.
"Yo, Allen you gotta wake up! Class is gonna start soon!," a familiar voice came from outside the door. It was Thomas, what appeared to be him trying to wake up Allen for the school day. Just now realizing the predicament he was in, he quickly got up and got ready as fast as he humanly could, and was out of his door.
There outside his door stood Thomas and Cecily, both waiting for him. Allen didn't know how long they had been waiting outside for, but with his uniform jacket halfway on, he began to walk with them.
"Took you long enough," Thomas laughed as they began to walk to class.
"I- I'm sorry. I didn't hear you and my body refused to wake up," Allen apologized.
"Nah, it's okay. We should barely make it on time," Thomas reassured him. "Besides, I doubt Ms. Florence cares if we show up or not".
"Tom!," Cecily raised her voice at him.
"Woah, I'm sorry alright! Don't worry Lily, we'll make it on time, and we haven't been late before. Right Allen?," Thomas looked at Allen for reassurance.
"Y-Yeah," Allen agreed while trying to not notice Cecily's death stares at both of them.
For the past two weeks in school, the three of them have been walking to class together. They've started to develop a great friendship between the three. They would often hang out after class, and even train together in the training grounds.
The three finally got to class and walked in to find Ms. Florence reading her book once again on her teacher's desk, and the other two students simply at their desks waiting. It didn't seem like they were late, although if they were Ms. Florence probably wouldn't care.
"Well, let's take our seats then," Allen said as they each sat down at the same seats they have been sitting in since day one.
Ms. Florence made no inclination to teach that day. She remained in her seat reading the same book even after they got into the room. She once again made no action to acknowledge they were there, which is what she usually did. The three would usually "self study" in the class by discussing how magic works and figuring out what new things they could try on the training grounds. She sometimes did teach in class, so it wasn't too uncommon for her to not do anything in class each day.
"So Tom," Allen began to say. "What was that ability you had used the other day? You still haven't really explained what that was"
"Oh that," Thomas began to say, as he remembered. "That is the magical ability I possess. As I've said before, I'm considered an 'exception' in my family which means my magic is different from the rest of them. My amount of mana overall is lower compared to the rest of my family, but I do have a magical ability that the rest don't".
"You mean your hardening-like ability? How your fists were almost as tough as stone?," Allen asked, referencing their first practice duel two weeks ago.
"Yeah, that's right," Thomas responded, nodding. "I have an ability where I can use my earth magic to strengthen my fists. I don't know how I do it, but I've managed to pick it up over the years"
"So you have this ability, but you are still considered F rank?," Allen asked.
"It's because of the amount of mana I possess," Thomas reminded him. "I don't possess enough to be considered a D rank. I failed the main tests in the exam like you did, Allen"
"Yeah that makes sense. Sorry, I wasn't thinking," Allen laughed.
"Nah, it's fine Al. Don't worry, we are gonna train until we are all at A rank!," he said while pumping his fists in the air like he usually does when he is excited.
"I don't think we'll make it to A rank, but we can at least try," Allen said as he tried to copy Tom's enthusiasm.
A slight snicker came from behind them. Allen, Thomas and Cecily turned around to see where it came from. It seemed to have come from one of the other two F ranked students, but they couldn't tell who.
"Wait a second, they actually make noise?," Thomas exclaimed looking at both of them. "Hey, who was the one who snickered?"
Both of them seemed to be wrapped up in their own worlds. The water mage was still looking out the window, as he usually did while the earth mage seemed to be reading a book for once. Both made no inclination of answering Thomas' question.
"Seems like they aren't going to answer Tom," Allen shrugged.
"Hmph, seems that way," Thomas sat back down normally in his chair.
Just before they could go back to talking once more, Ms. Florence suddenly put her book down and got out of her chair. She slowly but surely made her way to the front of the classroom. She didn't even need to get the class' attention as Thomas already noticed her as she began to get up.
"Wait Ms. Florence, are you actually going to be teaching us today?," Thomas asked, surprised.
"I have decided that today I will go over elemental circles," Ms. Florence ignored Thomas, but indirectly answered him.
Everyone looked towards the front of the room where Ms. Florence spoke if they hadn't already. She was actually going to teach today. Just what brought this up?
"I'm sure some of you are aware of what elemental circles are, but not everything about them," Ms. Florence began to explain.
It seemed like she was waiting for someone to say something, but no one did. Even Thomas kept quiet and was paying attention, which was usually unusual as he is usually the first to speak up. When it seemed like no one was going to say anything, she continued.
"Elemental circles are the current foundation for how your inner mana is converted into elemental magic. This foundation was discovered as possible by the three great elemental families, which of course consist of Windblade, Rivertide and Terrastone, approximately 150 years ago in the early 1400's"
"Of course, all of you know a mage's inner mana is converted from mana to elemental magic through the process of using elemental magic circles. However without the circles, you'll come to find converting mana to magic to be a very difficult and lengthy process. This could be said the same for mages of the past, who of course found it difficult to control their mana reserves and turn it into elemental magic freely, which resulted in a low output of elemental magic overall"
Everyone in the room stayed quiet and listened. Even Thomas remained quiet, completely interested in what she had to say. She waited a brief moment, then continued.
"However, with the discovery of the ability to use elemental magic circles, they helped bridge the gap and create a sort of gateway that helped a mage to turn mana into magic faster. This helped make spellcasting much more quick and efficient."
"As you all should know, except maybe Fleming here, elemental circles are cast in front of a mage's hand. Magic is then cast like normal, but passes through the circle, turning it into physical magic much easier"
Hmm, interesting, Allen thought. I've always wondered if there was more to elemental circles than what we know. After all, how do we create a complicated circle out of nothing just from concentrating enough?
"While many of the elemental magic circles' properties are unknown, we at least know that the larger an elemental circle is, usually the more powerful a spell. This would generally mean a mage has more mana, and would equal a stronger mage overall"
Huh?, Allen thought, confused. I thought…
"Since there's no way to gauge someone's inner mana reserves, everyone bases someone's elemental power based on the power of their spell and the size of the circle, correct?", Allen asked.
Everyone's eyes in the room drifted over to Allen. Usually, Allen doesn't ask questions frequently, as it is usually Thomas who asks them and surprisingly Cecily. Ms. Florence looked at him in surprise for a moment, and then answered.
"Correct. As there is no way to gauge the amount of someone's inner mana, mages base their power on the size of the elemental magic circle they produce, as well as the power of the spell. This is how also the academy ranks their students in the A to F system," she responded.
"So then, would it be possible that a mage's mana reserves may be bigger than what they think it could be, even if they cannot produce a powerful spell or a larger elemental circle?"
"How I look at it, as well as the rest of the academy and alongside the Triumvirate, more than likely not. While we cannot gauge someone's elemental power directly, their elemental magic circle is the best bet to determine a mage's potential and their power," she explained.
"What about sensing your inner mana within you? Being able to detect for yourself how much you have?," Allen asked once more.
Ms. Florence looked at him in confusion and surprise, as if this was something completely new to her. She had to take a minute to process what Allen had said. Even everyone in the room seemed to look at him in surprise.
"I- I'm not sure what you mean," Ms. Florence responded, unsure how to answer him. "Do you mean a mage being able to know for themselves how much mana they have?"
"Yeah, as in being able to feel the mana within your body and knowing how much you have at a certain time", Allen responded.
"Again, I- I'm still not sure what you mean. If you are referring to knowing when your mana reserves are low, mages can experience a headache. Since we believe elemental magic and mana has to do with the mind, getting a headache is like our mind's way of telling our body that we used too much mana, or we are currently very low on mana. Otherwise, mages are unable to know how much overall mana they possess"
Allen sat in thought for a moment. From what he knows, it is entirely possible to know how much mana you have inside of you. While he cannot fully do this quite yet, he learned it to be possible through his once mentor, William. There's also the ability to sense magic being cast around you, but he is yet to master this as well. It seems some of the things William tried to teach him are not of regular practice and knowledge.
And just where did you learn to do all of that William?, Allen thought, shaking his head.
"Well then, do we have any other questions?," Ms. Florence asked the room.
No one else seemed to have any questions in mind. Thomas looked like he didn't understand any of what Ms. Florence explained, while Cecily was busy taking down notes. Allen was still a little lost in thought and wasn't paying attention.
"Very well. Seems like you all have some class time left so feel free to use it however you wi-"
Before Ms. Florence could finish what she was going to say, the door to the room was suddenly opened. Yet another girl from the student council was here. She wore a very formal water uniform and a badge instead of a pin representing she was a third year, A rank. She had long, blond hair which held a shiny silver star pin in her hair. Her expression wore a somewhat serious look, one which someone would have when completing necessary work. Her blue eyes seemed to somewhat shine, and began to look around the room until they landed finally on Ms. Florence.
"Ms. Florence? I am Rose Marion, the Student Council President. I am here on student council business," she spoke in a serious, but refined tone.
I remember her, Allen thought. She was the one from the entrance ceremony. The student council president.
"And what might that be?," Ms. Florence asked her, looking like she was studying her.
"I am here to pick up a student by the name of Allen Fleming," she spoke, her tone remaining the same.
Wait me?, Allen thought, confused. Wait, did William-
"We are already finished here, so feel free," she answered, already getting back to reading her book.
Thomas began to look in utter surprise at Rose. Not only was the Student Council President here in person, in the F ranked class, but she is here to get Allen. Not to mention, this is not the first time that Allen has been called forth by someone of the Student Council. He looked over at Allen, who seemed to be lost in thought.
"Allen, how are you getting so popular? You seem to be attracting a lot of hot females from the Student Council, including Rose herself. I'm starting to get a little jealous," he said, slightly leaning in towards Allen.
Cecily then proceeded to lightly slap him on the shoulder as Allen came back to reality.
"Wha- what was that for Lily? I was just joking!," he exclaimed.
"Hmph," Cecily began to cross her arms and look away from him.
"Wait, what?," Allen asked in confusion as he began to discern what was going on. He looked over at Thomas as he was pleading with Cecily.
"Which student here is by the name of Allen Fleming?," Rose asked, looking at all of the students. "He is to come with me at once, by the order of the Head Director, William Windblade"
Allen looked over in utter surprise to see Rose standing at the doorway. He of course recognized her as the Student Council President, but there was something weird about her. Now that he was seeing her much more up close, he seemed to feel a bit confused, like it felt like this wasn't his first encounter with her.
"I- I'm Allen Fleming," he responded, raising his hand.
Rose's eyes began to look around the room until they landed on Allen. For a moment, it seemed she looked a bit confused, but then changed her expression back to her regular, serious one.
"Very well Allen, please come with me," she asked him, already holding the door open for him.
Just like the last time he was summoned, he got out of his chair and began to follow Rose. He looked back at Thomas, who began to give him a thumbs up while wearing a somewhat envious face on him. Cecily waved him goodbye, and then went back to ignoring Thomas once more.
Rose began walking towards William's office, with Allen following right behind her. Any students that happened to be passing by in the halls would stop to look at Rose as they walked. While it would seem normal the Student Council President would get attention, Allen thought it would rather get uneasy or annoying after awhile.
"So, do you know why the head director of the academy would be asking for an F rank personally?," she asked, turning her eyes to look at him while they walked straight ahead.
"I at least have somewhat of an idea as to why," Allen responded. "You see, he used to be my mentor and taught me how to use magic back when I was younger"
Rose stopped for a moment right outside William's office door. She turned around at him with a very confused look on her face.
"Wait what you're saying is, William was your ment-," Rose began to ask but was interrupted suddenly.
Oh shoot, Allen thought. I probably shouldn't have told her that. Maybe it will be okay?
"I can hear you both outside my door," William's voice could be clearly heard from inside. "You both may come in"
Rose stood there a moment with a look on her face that said she wanted to finish what she was saying, but then ultimately she decided to turn back around and open the door. Allen followed her inside.
William was once again working on paperwork at his desk. There was quite a bit piled up, as if he had yet to catch up on it.
Just how much paperwork does he have?, Allen thought, shaking his head.
When he saw them finally come in, he stopped working on his paperwork and put his pen down.
"Ah, welcome," William greeted them. "Please, take a seat. Both of you"
"Wait, I thought you just needed Allen?," Rose asked, confused.
Wait, why would he need Rose too?, Allen thought. Just what does William have planned for us?
"Rose, if I just needed Allen I could've had someone else from the Student Council grab him, just like the last time I spoke with him," William explained, chuckling a little.
"True, I had wondered why you asked me personally to get him," Rose nodded. "Either way, once you are finished I will be swiftly returning to my duties"
Rose and Allen finally sat down on the two chairs in front of his desk.
"Now then," William began to speak. "Allen, you do recall what we talked about from our last meeting, yes?"
"Yes, I remember," Allen responded. "We talked about quite a bit, but mostly it was about the conditions that were placed so I could attend the academy. But what does this or anything else we talked about have to do with this meeting?"
Rose looked highly confused as she looked at both of them. "Wait, you're the student who was given special conditions to be allowed into this academy?"
"Yes, that's correct. I was accepted under the condition that I would start as F rank, have to make C rank by the end of the year, and win four consecutive dues in the tournament," Allen told her.
Once again she looked at Allen, then back at William, and back at Allen in the most confused look Allen had ever seen.
"Wait William, you can't be serious! You accepted a student into the academy under such ridiculous conditions? An F rank, no less?," she asked him, completely bewildered.
"Indeed I did," William nodded, a small smile on his face. "You see, Allen's air magic is so weak he cannot even produce an air elemental circle, less cast magic enough as is. "Therefore, the other directors would not allow him into the academy, not even as an F rank," he explained.
"Wait, you can't be serious," Rose said, raising her voice. "He can't even produce an air elemental circle, yet you let him into the academy? I can't even-"
"What Allen lacks in is general magic use," William interrupted her. "Casting air elemental spells using elemental circles. This is the basis and the foundation for the academy and how we generally determine ranking. However, we began to grade mages on other factors such as duel statistics when the academy first adopted the Magical Knights Tournament and duels within the Academy due to the massive increase for the need of magical knights and their skills. Magical knights must be proficient in battle if they ever hope to defend England and its cities"
"So you mean, Allen is proficient in duels? I had heard he had defeated Charles Rivertide in the exam duel, but wasn't sure if that actually was true," Rose asked him.
"Yes, I did defeat him," Allen chimed in. "While I am not the best in air magic, I make use of it in other ways"
"You see Rose, Allen uses a trick called mana manipulation. This allows him to control his inner mana within his body to give him an edge in battle. Instead of casting out his inner mana in the form of physical elemental magic using an elemental circle, he can instead manipulate the mana inside of him. While he still isn't fully proficient in it yet, he has a firm grasp of the basics of it," William explained.
"M-mana manipulation? I have never heard of such a thing. Controlling mana within your body? Where did you learn this from Allen?," she asked, still very confused as she tried to follow their explanation.
"I learned it from William, of course," Allen explained, pointing to him. "Although, I didn't know that was what it was called, William".
"Yes, the technique I taught you is called mana manipulation. I just didn't want to tell you its name until now. It is a very unique technique very few can pull off, least as of now," William explained.
"Very few can pull off?", Rose raised her voice even louder this time. "Do you mean literally no mage out there aside from what seems like you two? William, as far as I am aware, no one knows of this. Shouldn't you go forward with something like this?"
"I have my reasons for keeping something like this a secret. Someone long ago taught me this, and it's a rather unique technique I wish to keep a secret for the most part," William explained, lowering his eyes for a moment.
"I still don't get why you would keep such a thing a secret, but back to what we were originally here for. Why tell me all of this?," Rose asked William.
"As I explained previously, Allen is weak when it comes to general magic use. However, he can use a mana manipulation technique instead of this. Also similar to you Rose, he fights with a sword. So I had a rather interesting proposition for the both of you," he looked at both of them with a rather interesting look on his face.
"Wha- what do you mean, William?," Rose looked at him, still not cleared of her confusion since the moment they began to talk to him.
"Yeah, I still don't get what you are trying to tell us, William. Why do you always have to be so confusing with your words?," Allen added, giving him a look.
"Sorry about that. I suppose I can be a little confusing and different in how I talk," William let out a laugh. "But in any case, I'll clear both of your confusions. Since both of you fight with a sword, I think both of you could make a great pair. You could learn a lot from each other. So I think you shoul-"
"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?," Rose interrupted him. "You want me to-"
"Yes, I do," William interrupted her this time. "I think both of you should train together. While Rose is more experienced, I think both of you have much to gain in this. Allen can train for the tournament later this year, and Rose you will have someone to train with who also uses a sword. While there isn't much Allen could teach you in return, you could learn a thing or two with him. I can assure you he would surprise you"
Rose sat there, looking at William with utter bewilderment. Allen also sat there, stunned at what William had to say.
Train with Rose, of all people?, Allen thought. The Student Council President? Not only is she leagues ahead of me when it comes to magic and skill, but I would become an even bigger target at the academy than I already am.
"William, are you sure this is a good idea?," Allen finally spoke up. "I wouldn't mind training with her, but I think it would cause unwanted attention for the both of us. Not only that, but she is the Student Council President and an A rank at that. Meanwhile, I am sitting at F rank"
"Exactly William. While I suspect that Allen may seem stronger than he appears, I don't think us two pairing up may be an overall good idea. With my duties as Student Council President, I don't get enough time as it is to train on my own as I would like to," Rose stated.
"Look, I understand both of your concerns. I see why you both would think this could be a bad idea. However, I haven't told you the last part of my reasoning," William spoke with a hint of seriousness in his voice, like he meant something deeper with what he said.
"Your last part of reasonings?," Rose asked, curious. "And? what that might be?"
"Both of you are similar in the way you fight with a sword and I am confident that you both have something to learn from each other. Plus Rose, you are currently the only student I can trust to train him with his magic as well", he explained.
"What do you mean when you say she's the only one you can trust?", Allen asked.
"I've known Rose and her family for quite some time. While there are some things I don't see eye-to-eye with her parents, I can at least trust them alongside Rose. Rose is someone you can trust with your real magic, Allen"
Rose looked very confused while Allen fully understood what he meant.
"What do you mean by his real magic? Is his air magic actually stronger than how he appears? Is that what you meant William?," She asked, slowly leaning in her chair. "Besides, you were just explaining how he can't even produce an air elemental circle"
"Go ahead Allen, show her. You can fully trust her with this", he indicated towards Allen's right hand.
I don't understand why William would think this is safe to do, even if he's known her for a long time, Allen thought, looking down at his right hand, covered by his singular glove. But knowing William, I'm sure that showing her this will be okay to do.
Once he gave himself a moment to think, he looked back at Rose and William once more.
"Alright, I understand. But I still don't get why she would need to know this anyways," he explained while taking the glove off of his right hand.
"Wait, what are you-," Rose was asking before she realized what had just happened.
Allen had summoned a small fire elemental circle right above his right hand, just barely touching it. It then produced Allen's real magic, fire magic. It was only a little flame, just small enough to be blown out just like a candle. He had it there for a few moments before he made it immediately disappear, alongside the elemental circle.
Rose stood in shock for a moment. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. After all, fire mages are rare as it comes, and if one came to be known, they would be surely executed. She looked over at William, her face still in shock.
"You mean he's… he's a fire mage? William.. you can't be serious, allowing a fire mage here to be at the academy!," she yelled. "Do you know what will happen to him if he's-"
"I understand your concerns and your feelings on the matter, but I must ask you to stop yelling for obvious reasons," William interrupted. "However, you can trust me that he as well as I will do our best to keep his magic a secret. This, is ultimately the reason why I asked you to train him. You, being a water mage, one best suited to match his typing as water magic is strong against fire magic, would be best to train him. You can teach him how to better use his air magic, while also preventing the use of his fire magic. Should he use his fire magic for whatever reason, you could use your water magic to quickly remove it"
"B-But this is still just… this is too dangerous William!," Rose raised her voice with concern, but low enough to not be yelling again. "You know how I feel about fire mages, but I won't let this affect how I treat Allen. But still, this is too dangerous. He can't attend this academy-"
"I have already decided that I want to attend this academy," Allen interrupted her. "I understand that if my fire magic is exposed, I can surely be killed. William understands this as well. But I have already made up my mind. I want to become a magical knight and protect people. It seems unrealistic that someone is killed just because they are a fire mage, even if they have done no wrong. I will not stop until I have achieved my goal"
Rose sat for a moment, thinking. Allen was sure there were a lot of thoughts running around in her head. She looked back at Allen and began to calmly speak.
"I now understand why your air magic is weak. It is because your fire magic cancels it out. Since fire magic is strong against air magic, you unfortunately can barely use your air magic. You can't use your fire magic since that would get you killed, putting you at a high disadvantage when trying to become a magical knight"
"But, if that's what you are going for, then so be it. I will not stop you, as I have my own goals for attending this academy. I just hope both of you understand what may happen, in the event he is discovered," Rose explained.
"Yes, we have been fully aware of this since the beginning," William explained. "Allen's goals will not change, nor will mine. I also understand what your goals are and wish to help you with that. As such, I think it would be best for you to train together, as there's much both of you could learn"
"I see what you mean, but unfortunately I will have to decline your offer for now William," she decided. "However I- I will think about it. There's a lot on my mind right now so just give me extra time to think about it. But for now, I decline"
"Very well, thank you for your time Rose," William smiled as Rose got out of her seat.
"Nice meeting you," Allen waved her goodbye as she already began to open the office door to exit.
She was just about to leave, but stopped for a moment. She looked back at William and Allen like she wanted to say something, but ended up turning around and leaving, closing the door behind her. Her footsteps could be heard getting quieter and quieter as she left back to her student council duties.