After finishing their lunch, Floris, Alvis, and Kathrina made their way back to the classroom and sat together in the middle of the room, which had already been filled with an ocean of mixed colored robes and incoherent conversations from all over the room. There was a mixture of emotions within the group, uncertain of what their futures held, but it was undeniably exciting as well. Up until now, the three of them had managed to get along perfectly fine. Kathrina had many questions about what life was like for the boys back in the swamp, and she answered any questions they asked her about the new world they had been thrust into. However, the excitement did not come without tension. Floris and Alvis both knew what would happen if Alvis couldn't learn to do a basic skill that the guild required. He would be removed from the team and forced to adjust to his new life on his own while Floris and Kathrina took on a new member and continued their adventures. But for Floris and Kathrina, it was a different story. Floris already had a head start when it came to alchemy, and Kathrna had already demonstrated her powers. There was no getting around the simple fact that Alvis was in for a hard time.
As the teacher came back into the room and started for the podium, the apprentices calmed down and the room fell silent as he started to speak, "I hope you all enjoyed your meal and that you're all getting along with your new teammates. It is imperative that you learn to cooperate with each other and build on each other's strengths and weaknesses. A squad with many diverse talents between the members can be a force to reckon with, even if they're just new apprentices. However, do not become complacent and let arrogance become your downfall. A mage who brags and boasts is his own worst enemy. Now, if you're all prepared, I will give you a short lesson on how to harness and use your power and explain the differences in the magic schools." He stepped back to a large chalkboard behind him and started drawing several symbols on the board. A flame, a snowflake, a tree, a lightning bolt, and a mountain were the symbols he drew. He then stood to the side of the board and continued talking.
"The first school of magic I will talk about is Elemental Magic. This is one of the more common schools of magic you will see practiced within the guild. Spells of this school are, in most cases, more easily learned. But once a person decides on an element, they cannot change their magic. To put it simply, this is a magic that gets into your blood. Once you adopt its power, you cannot change to a different element later on, so it's wise to see which element you like best before making your decision. There are five basic elements you can choose from. Fire, ice, wind, earth, or lightning."
"Wait. Fire...Ice...Wind...Earth...Lightning...one's missing." Floris thought. He slowly raised his hand up and waited for the teacher to spot him.
The teacher stopped talking for a moment when he noticed Floris's hand and pointed at him, "Yes, Mr. Fetcher? What would you like to know?"
Before Floris answered, he noticed almost everyone in the room was looking at him, making him feel uneasy. However, he was curious to know the answer to his question, and looked up at the teacher as he asked, "You say there are only five elements...what happened to the sixth? Where's water?"
The teacher grinned and stepped forward a little as he replied, "That is an excellent question, Mr. Fetcher." He started to walk back and forth with his arms behind his back as he continued, "For some of you, this might be ancient news. But for those who may be wondering the same thing, let me answer it for you. For a myriad of reasons, water is elemental magic that hasn't been used in over ten-thousand years. Its been so long since it was last used that there are very few beings remaining who could even teach someone how to use it now. During its time, water magic was one of the most powerful forms of magic, but there were many who let that kind of power slip into their heads. In fact, it was water magic that led to the Twenty-Year Civil War within the Mages Guild. A group of powerful water mages saught the position of the Arch-Mage and the council seats, seeking to take complete control over the guild. But once they were defeated, the magic that made them so powerful was banned from practice. It has long since been un-banned but by the time it was allowed to be taught again, few remained who knew how to teach it. Since then, the guild has not seen a single water mage. It is a presumed extinct form of magic."
Floris nodded at the teacher, letting him know he understood, then looked at Kathrina and asked, "Twenty-Year Civil War?"
Kathrina nodded, "This was a long time ago. It was a war that wiped out nearly eighty percent of Fiorra's population. Most of the survivors were living in remote villages in separate regions and were mostly left undisturbed due to their lack of resources at the time. This was thousands of years ago, though. I'll tell you more about it later on when we're out of class."
Floris nodded and looked down at the teacher again as he continued.
The teacher had drawn a new symbol on the board while Floris and Kathrina were talking. The symbol was a picture of a half alive and half dead tree with a clock circling it. "Moving on to the next magic school is Alteration. Alteration is a defensive form of magic that grants the user a magnitude of different abilities. Of course, the more interesting spells are far more advanced than what any of you can cast at the moment, but if one is to pursue the Alteration school, they could eventually cast spells that allow them to fly through the air like a bird, breathe underwater, or even alter the fabric of time. The more common spells for this school, however, are shields and wards, which are basic level spells that can be strengthened over time. Shield spells are useful against common weapons, be it muskets, cannons, blades, or anything a typical soldier might use. More advanced versions of these spells have the potential to make common weapons completely useless against the mage casting it, but it should be known that more advanced spells will drain your magic reserves faster. Wards, on the other hand, are useful for blocking spells but will shatter if the caster is trying to block a more advanced spell than he knows how to deal with."
"Wow, Alteration sounds amazing!" Alvis said, all but drooling from the thoughts of him soaring through the skies or swimming with the fishes.
Kathrina nodded in agreement, "It is, but don't get ahead of yourself. Alteration spells are hard to master, even the most basic ones. A mage who can master Alteration magic is a true genius and would be a valued member of any team. However, Alteration magic can be exhausting to learn, especially for beginners."
Alvis looked at Kathrina for a moment, then looked down at the teacher again as he drew another symbol on the board, this one looking like an eagle wrapping its wings around a cross, "The next magic is Restoration. Restoration is widely considered the noblest of magics to pursue a career in studying. A mage who's powerful enough can heal wounds, cure diseases, and even rejuvenate severed limbs if they're talented enough. Restoration is also one of the more diverse schools of magic, as it is not just solely about healing. Skilled restoration mages will be able to delve deeper into other branches of the school and learn Comfort spells, which are ways of curing depression and putting those who have gone through troubling ordeals at ease. Restoration magic is also very effective against the undead, as was recorded during the Necromantic Wars many thousands of years ago when a very powerful Necromancer was able to wipe out entire countries with an army of the undead."
"The undead?" Alvis asked, looking at Kathrina.
Kathrina nodded slowly and swallowed nervously before responding, "Certain magics have the power to bring the dead back to life, but not as fallen friends or family, but as deranged flesh-eating monsters. There was once a wizard so powerful that he was able to wipe out an entire continent with an undead hoard he'd amassed. His swarm would engulf entire nations, slaughtering the inhabitants like livestock and devour what was left. He would then reanimate the remains of the victims to add more numbers to his unstoppable hoard of the damned."
"H-how was he stopped?" Alvis asked curiously.
Kathrina smiled a little as she replied, "It's ironic. That wizard who killed millions sought to wipe out any other mage he came across, hoping to rule the world as the only remaining spell caster. However, he was the very reason the Mages Guild was formed. Saint Alessia, our founder, and first Arch-Mage, was among the most powerful Restoration mages in the history of our world. Practically single-handedly, she stood against the advancing undead hoards and used her magic to halt their advance and began pushing them back. One-by-one she destroyed the undead hoards until she reached the person responsible. However, that wizard was far more powerful than she was and single-handedly wiped out the majority of her followers. Knowing that she was never going to destroy such a powerful and wicked wizard on her own, she sacrificed herself by casting a spell now known as "Alessia's Hope". It turned her body to stone, but the wizard she fought was sucked into a portal, sending him to another dimension trapped in time. Alessia's dying wish was that an organization would be formed to stop such a monster from ever walking this world again, and thus, the Mages Guild was formed with Saint Alessia's statued body standing atop the tallest tower of the Arcane University. Now, many, many, many thousands of years later...here we are."
"That's...terrifying." Alvis said, eyes wide with terror.
Kathrina nodded in agreement, "It is. In truth, Necromancy was banned from practice for many thousands of years. Only in relatively recent history was it unbanned. Less than a millennium has passed since, in fact. I can only assume that it's because the guild is so strong now that the Arch-Mages and the council members of the past thought the guild would be able to send battle squadrons to deal with an incursion if one was ever discovered. However, I'm skeptical and cautious of this magic at best. Necromancy is evil and has a dark past with bloodthirsty cults that date back well before recorded history."
Floris only stared at Kathrina in silence for a moment, then looked at the teacher to continue listening.
The teacher drew a picture of a skull with dizzy eyes on the board as he talked about the next school of magic, "Our next school of magic is Illusion, which is, of course, the ability to tamper with one's mind. Illusion can take years, decades, and in some cases, even centuries to master. It is one of the less common schools of magic used due to its difficulty to learn. However, Illusion magic can prove to be invaluable in certain circumstances."
"Be careful with Illusion, you two. We're getting into some of the darker magics now." Kathrina warned.
"How do you mean?" Alvis asked.
Kathrina looked at Alvis as she answered, "The magics aren't dark in nature, but if used by someone with bad intentions, it can become a problem. A powerful illusion mage could make you confess your deepest, darkest secrets with little to no effort. Illusion in and of itself is not necessarily bad, but there's a serious danger with it."
"And how does one fight back against such magic?" Floris asked.
Kathrina looked at Floris as she continued, "There are ways to combat Illusion magic. In fact, there's no shortage of ways. A powerful enough mage will know what to look for and how to block their minds to Illusion, but you can also drink potions, or just train your mind to know how to catch an Illusion spell before it affects you. While Illusion is dangerous, its biggest weakness is also its greatest strength: the human mind. If you're able to see through an illusion it won't work, rendering the spell useless."
"What do you mean by that?" Alvis asked.
Kathrina looked at Alvis and smiled with a wink, "In simple terms, Illusion can alter or even destroy the mind of a lesser person, but Illusion magic can do no physical harm. This is why it's best to stay with groups of people when facing an illusionist. One on one, they're almost guaranteed a victory, but Illusion can typically only really work on one person at a time. If someone on the team is trapped in an illusion, they must only give some kind of physical contact. A pinch is usually good enough to bring a person out of an illusion."
"But surely there are other uses for Illusion, too, right?" Floris asked.
Kathrina looked down for a moment, then looked at Floris as she answered, "Well...yes. Illusion can be a very useful tool for getting oneself out of sticky situations. You can charm people to make them like you more, or intimidate them enough to make them run from you. There are also very advanced and very powerful spells that will allow the caster to turn themselves invisible, but these spells take decades to perfect. In fact, some mages have dedicated their entire lives to learning such magic but died long before they could even begin the most basic stages of such spells."
The group looked down at the teacher as he advanced on to the next magic school, "...this, of course, leads us to the next magic school: Conjuration. Conjuration is a very powerful school of magic, and arguably one of the hardest to master. A skilled mage in this school of magic can summon creatures from other dimensions to use as soldiers and minions. However, such magic is well beyond the skills any of you in this room will possess for many years to come. The most basic spells you'll be able to get your hands on would be weapon swap spells or clothing switch spells. These spells are exactly as they sound. Weapons swap spells are essentially the equivalent of pulling a wagon full of weapons behind you, except you can make them appear in your hands from thin air. Clothing spells are essentially the same, except you're changing your clothes instead of a weapon. In time, however, you may eventually learn to summon very powerful creatures to act as minions to do your bidding. There are many dimensions full of creatures eager to serve their new overlords."
Kathrina smirked as the teacher finished, "Naturally, he didn't go over the dangers of Conjuration as a way of not scaring us away."
"What do you mean?" Floris asked.
"Conjuration is evil magic, you two would do well to stay away from. It has its uses, yes, but in order to summon creatures from other dimensions, you must sign a contract with them." Kathrina said, "In the event you die, your soul will be taken to the other plains of existence where you will be tormented for the services of the creatures you aligned with. Not all creatures are like this, but the most powerful ones are, and you will experience a fate far worse than the deepest reaches of Hell should you fall while contracted to certain creatures. Conjuration mages are extremely powerful, but there's a heavy price for such power."
Alvis stared at Kathrina with wide eyes, full of terror, "Y-y-you know w-what? I...I'll take your word for it. I'm not going anywhere near that magic!"
Kathrina grinned as she looked at Alvis, "Oh, don't worry. The most basic spells of the school are pretty useful. It's just the advanced stuff you have to be worried about."
"Now that Conjuration has been covered, we can move on to Necromancy." The teacher said, gaining the attention of the class again, "Necromancy, as some of you know, was banned up until a few hundred years ago due to an evil wizard who's name still haunts us to this day: Nebulis The Eternal. The most powerful wizard of his day, he all but conquered the South and Northern Continents with his unrelenting hoards of the undead. He was the very reason the Mages Guild was formed, so monstrosities like him could never gain that much power ever again. However, he wasn't truly defeated and still exists in time outside our space. His preferred magic was Necromancy, the ability to resurrect the dead, but he possessed so much power that he was practically considered a master of all the different schools of magic. Some believe he was even seeking to become a Lich, which is an immortal spirit forever trapped in a decaying body. For those seeking a career with this school of magic, I urge you to be careful. The Elemental Guard, the senate, and even the Arch-Mage will be watching every move you make." There was a brief pause that put the room in awkward silence for a bit before the teacher continued.
"Finally, we come to Mysticism. This is the final school of magic you can study from, but it is also one of the most advanced. Mysticism is the study of magic known as Telekinesis and Dispell magics. Telekinesis is, of course, the ability to move objects and people with your minds, and Dispell magic, which can be used to disperse an incoming spell. These spells are extremely powerful and will drain your magic reserves, but they are more than worth the time to invest in studying them."
The students in the room looked down at their teacher with amazement, their moral and eagerness to learn higher than ever. It was clear that they had a long and trying road ahead of them, but it would only make the journey that much more rewarding when they reached their goals.
The teacher grinned at the students and gave them a moment to envision their futures before addressing them again, "Now that you have an idea of what's to come, let me introduce you to your mentors who will train you over the next several days! Meet the Elemental Guards!"
The wall behind the teacher split open with the walls sliding to the left and the right, revealing a number of mages that were standing in perfect alignment. They each wore dark-colored hooded robes with staffs on their backs and their faces covered by black masks, similar to what Etrix looked like. They stood in perfect alignment with their arms crossed, staring at the students they would be taking on as apprentices for the time being. Their look was professional, their presence dominating, and their loyalty to the Arch-Mage was clear in their eyes.
The class stared in awe and amazement at the professional mages who had become so powerful that they had earned the title of Elemental. Each one would take on three students who would teach them how to harness their magical powers, which would be no easy feat.
"Starting tomorrow morning, you will meet your Elemental mentor in the lobby! Your true path to the Mages Guild begins at exactly seven-o-clock in the morning! Until then, dismissed!" The teacher shouted.