Running to the gates of the University's front gate, I was about to pass the gate before someone caught my cloak. It was one of the guards who did. Usually at the University, there would be at least four guards who'd patrol this area. Most of the students knew of them and quite frankly, they were very chill. The guard that grabbed me was named Alex. I somewhat made acquaintance with Alex during my time at this school. Every morning we'd greet each other as sometimes when I'd come with Griffin, we'd have a conversation with the guards. Today felt a little different as Alex looked somewhat uneasy.
"Hey, kota!" He said as he clung to my cloak.
"Hey, easy with the cloak there!"
"Forgive me, Mr.Detrut." He formally apologized.
Mr.Detrut? Uh…I've never been called that before? The weird look he was giving me made it clear something was up.
"Uh…thanks?" I awkwardly said. I went to raise my hand to grab Alex's hand. But that suddenly made Alex let go immediately. Am I sensing fear from him? What'd I do?
"No need…just that we heard what you did with The Desmond boys."
"…Desmond boys?"
"The three noble boys. Yesterday, they had their parents call in a report on you. Sounds like you did some pretty messed up stuff to them." Alex let go of my cloak, he didn't seem upset about what he was saying or mad. Actually he seemed somewhat happy. But the way his hand shook made me believe he was somewhat anxious or scared.
Was it because of me? What the hell did those boys even say to the school? I shook my head and tried to figure it out. "What kind of…things?"
"Oh, that you almost killed them with your magic. I remember when the parents came storming through the gates asking for the principal. It was crazy. An hour passed and I saw the parents looking more pissed and mumbling about the boys' behaviors and a pesky teacher." Alex explained. It seemed he was talking about Tera who also said she'd deal with the boys. She probably talked with the principal about this.
Alex continued on. "I gotta say, what I heard about your magic skills made me think it was a bluff, but then I heard from some people while heading here that said the same thing. How strong is your magic, kota?" Alex seemed genuinely curious, though I could tell he was nervous about asking it.
Plus I didn't even know the answer to that, truly. I don't think I've ever truly gone all out with my magic yet, which sort of scares me? If Sura was sure I could make my Beginner magic spells as strong as King ranked spells, The chances are…I could probably push it further if I just put more man into them. But there's never been a case where I would, nor did I ever think I would try. I haven't seen anyone use an Emperor ranked spell.
Hey, I can probably show this guard that spell Tera has been teaching me and Griffin. It's Been a while since I've had a chance to show off. Even though we could be late…oh well, what harm would a couple of minutes do?
"Ok, Alex. I'll show you." I lifted my staff up and concentrated on imaging a lava ball. but to just make it more safe for this area, I would also need to imagine a water barrier around the lava ball. Wouldn't want this spilling…
I felt the mana in me coursing through my staff. And at the end of the staffs tip, a reddish ball formed that gave off an immense amount of heat. So much so that Alex needed to back off. The ball started spilling, but the water barrier that I had formed over it fizzled it out. Only hardened black pieces spilled out safely onto the floor.
"Woah, and you did all that without chanting the spell, huh?" Alex said as he watched from a distance now. "No wonder the Desmond boys had a problem with you."
Still focusing, I had to figure out what to do with this ball of lava now. I could probably harden it into a black ball like Tera did when she first showed it. But where would I even put it? I had the water barrier close in on the lava ball to basically fizz it out. Alex watched as the lava ball turned to stone, looking impressed.
"Haven't seen any mage do that before, nor have I seen one use two spells at once." He said, astonished.
"Really?" Now that I think about it, I haven't seen anyone actually cast two spells at once before…
Actually this is my first time doing that. Did I just do it without really thinking about it? If I remember correctly, Tera said that a mage could only focus on specific spells at once. I'm wondering if it's because of That Duvul trait that I have…
"Kota?" I heard a womanly voice speak behind me and Alex, I turned around and noticed Tera. She was in her normal attire, a blue mage outfit and blue hat except she had a white scarf around her neck. A bag was in her hands as she slowly walked towards us. "You're late for your classes…" she sternly said. "…Mr. Crenshaw, you know not to distract the students…" she looked at Alex.
Alex turned to her and immediately lowered his head. "Apologies! It's just that…I was curious about the young mage's abilities, and I haven't seen anything like this before…" his relaxed tone of voice switched to a more louder and serious one.
"Well he is in my class, he's a special case. Although…seeing THAT is quite new…" Tera glanced at my staff and the now black stone that levitated near the tip. "Quite impressive."
"You mean there's people out there who can cast multiple spells at once?" I asked.
"It's rare, very rare. I've only heard sparingly amongst the teachers that there used to be a student capable of it." Tera thought harder, she seemed to be trying really hard to answer the question for some reason. "Perhaps the library in Ozoth would be more dependable than my words. They have a large array of books there, more than Prusha."
"Ozoth?" Wasn't that the Kingdom that was south of Shanford? I don't really know much of it, I remember Derrick and Edward name-calling it during our trip here
"Didn't you live in Shanford? Surely your parents talked about it, it's widely known for its large library and literature in general." Tera explained.
That's probably where Synthia got her books…I suppose each kingdom here has some sort of gimmick to them. Wait, if Ozoth is known for its Wide array of books, why is there rarely any books out and about? I could probably make an educated guess that most people can't read…or just don't like reading. Almost all mages would need to read a spell book, so those books are probably in magic schools or universities like the one here…Ozoth probably has more books about other things then.
My train of thoughts was cut short as I heard a thud next to me. The black stone ball that I had made dropped to the ground as I lost focus on it. Good job, Travis.
"Hmm…well that's the end of it, huh? Alex, pleasure having you witness my student. Kota…get to your first class." Tera waved at Alex as she passed me, looking down at the black stone. "Come along, Kota."
"Uh…yes ma'am!" I turned to Alex, who waved me goodbye as I stood aside tera as we walked.
"Even all these months, you still somehow manage to surprise us." Tera said.
"Us?"
"Yes, I spoke with the principal yesterday after your little incident. At first he was livid about it. How could a student do that sort of thing!"
Oh, I guess that's understandable. I haven't seen much of the principal since I've been here, only having conversations with tera in her class about how he kept an eye on her reports. He seemed keen on visiting us, but with the amount of paperwork that comes in for applications and other school needs, he just never had the time. So this must've infuriated him.
"Oh? You seem anxious now?" Tera noticed my concerns, probably by the faces I was making. "Don't worry, I handled it. After I told him about the incident and how it even happened in the first place, he eased up. Then those parents showed up." She looked down at me. "You know who the Desmond boys are?"
"No, I just know Alex knew about them. I don't really socialize with others here beside Sura and Griffin." I was being honest. Ever since I've been at the university, I've only chatted and talked with those two. Sometimes in class, I'd need to talk with others but it was just small talk. Most of the students didn't really wanna be seen talking to a six year old.
"Hmm, Well the Desmond boys are quite popular here in school. They belong to the Desmond family, obviously. That family is somewhat of an important figure here. So having learned that their kids have harassed a young girl is quite a reputation hurter." We continued walking through the front gate, moving past snow piles and some students before we stood in front of the large two doors.
"Hey, what are you doing so late?" I asked as she opened the smaller door within the large doors.
"Late? I always come around this time. I have one class to work with and then off to attend paperwork."
"Huh."
As we walked inside the main building, in the middle sat Gorwin, the front desk employee. He was reading a book until he noticed us.
"Kota? Well you're late…Good morning,Tera." He greeted us. "Classes should be starting."
"Lighten up, Gorwin. He got caught up with one of the guards at the front gate." Tera Cooly said, she leaned onto the front desk. "Also, is Principal Hainous here?"
Gorwin nodded, adjusting his glasses as he looked up at her. "Yes, his office. The boy should really be heading to class, though." He gave me a look. "Seems you caused quite a scene yesterday…"
Ah. It spreaded.
I mean, why wouldn't it? I'm pretty sure a bunch of people who were there would've told their friends about how a six year old basically bodied a bunch of students with above average magic spells. The fact this kid did it all without chanting them. I know most of the students here never really knew why I was in Tera's class, most likely someone from school was in the crowd and told it to someone. But Gorwin is correct, The first class of today is most likely halfway done.
Not wanting to waste time, I quickly made my way to the stairs. "Ah, forgive me. I'll be heading my way to my class! see you Tera!" I waved at the two as I ascended the stairs.
When it comes to classes here in Prusha, your designated specific classes that suit you, but you can attend them as long as you join at their specific time slots. Every morning, most classes have a two hour period before lunch, and then the classes seem to branch off at the time they start.
Now what class to attend…I could try beginner healing again. The fact that I wasn't able to really do any healing during our time in the forest really put us in a pickle. I could've easily healed Kale when he was injured. but since I couldn't, it was bugging me. How the hell am I capable of everything else in magic besides healing?
I found myself wondering for a moment on the second floor, before stumbling into some students. I didn't mind them at first, but then I noticed that they kept their distance from me. Not that it wasn't unusual, most of the students here just didn't want to be near me since I was much younger than them. What was unusual was their expression. There was a look of surprise and curiosity on their faces as I walked past them.
Now I was feeling a weird sense of anxiety because of their stares.
"Uh…Hi?" I awkwardly waved at them.
"Ah, uh…Hi! Hello!" One of the female students jumped back and said that.
"What's up with you guys?" I looked at the students with confusion. Surely this is about what happened yesterday, but I was curious about how much was told.
"N-nothing!" A male student brushed past the female student. "Just that…well we heard you beat the hell out of The Desmond boys…are you really that strong?" The rest of the group nodded in question.
"Did you really summon a dark skin lady to help kill them?" Another asked.
"I mean I'm no-Wait, what? You mean my Teacher? Uh…Ms.Tera came to my aid…" I watched as the students looked at each other in confusion.
"But…you are skilled in magic, right? They said you shot like huge flames at them. I don't think I've seen anyone other than the students in king ranked classes do that!" The female student who jumped back said. "Did you also attack them because they provoked you?"
Ok, the story being told is derailing. I should set it straight. I imagine this whole rumor spreading is basically a really bad telephone game session.
"No, uh…who said that? Who told you guys what?" I started questioning them.
As it turns out, it was the Desmond boy who was giving out a false story that I attacked them out of malicious intent, saying that I summoned a beautiful lady to come to my aid and control my psycho attacks. There was only one thing in that story that was correct. A beautiful lady came to assist me. Bless Tera. Still, the fact that the boys told a fake story irritated me. I'm sure they know the principal of the university knows the true story, right?
Besides that, the students that were telling the story seemed to be more curious than afraid now.
"Show us your magic skills!" One of the boys asked, everyone started to gather around me as they continued to ask me things.
Things were getting a little uncomfortable for me as all these eyes stared at me. I was more used to the stares I got in a negative way, not in this weird positive way!
"Alright! Alright!" I irritatedly said, I must've raised my tone louder than I expected as the crowd seemingly dispersed and moved farther from me. Now they were blocking the hallway we were in. To quickly get this over with, I casually made the Dry ice spell with my staff. "Here! I made this spell some time ago…now can I go?"
The students looked in awe at the floating white ball that I made, now I just gotta figure out where to launch it…
Luckily, there were windows in the hallways that opened to the front of the university and the back of it. So I tried opening one of them, standing on my tippy toes to hold my staff out the window.
"Ok, watch when I launch this…"
Then with a flash, the white ball I created shot through the window seemingly disappearing into the whites of the kingdom.
I wasn't really sure where I was aiming this to be honest, this could hit a person…a bird…it could hit anything.
The group of students cooed at my spell, some looking out from other windows while others stood behind me.
"Woah…is that what you used one The Desmond boys?" One of the students asked.
"No, I mean I almost did before I was stopped. It could've…incapacitated them." I was wondering how much longer I could take with this social interaction, we had a class to attend to!
"Teach us! Hold on, we have to tell the others!" One of them said, and I immediately took that as a sign to run. Because quite frankly, I did not intend on doing that.
So I made a run, I quickly brushed past the crowd and headed for Crota's classroom, he was probably in a Middle of beginners hearing class. He would probably be pissed that I came late, but I'd rather get a slap than have a bunch of people ask me to train them.
I managed to outrun the group as they stopped at some point. Thank god, anymore of that and I would've exploded.
I was panting from all the running and found myself in front of Crota's classroom. Actually, it looked like this day was in my favor…most of the time. I could hear the students inside, but…not Crota? Where could he be?
I pressed my head against the door to get a better listen, I kinda didn't want to enter when he was in the middle of a lecture. Hopefully he was just at his de-why is there breathing on my back?
I whipped around and noticed that I was face to face with the middle aged man. I never really acknowledge his facial features, but he really looked old for someone who says he is nearing forty. His mustache had a black gleam to it, along with his hair. The man also had some baggy eyes.
"What. Are. You. DOING!" He screamed at me. "Seeing if I'm not in so you can sneak in the middle of class?"
"Uh-eh, you can read minds?" I nervously said, and that rewarded me with a strong pull on my shirt, Crota bringing me closer to his face.
"I will let this slide, as much as I'd love to report this to the Principal, you seem to be on his good side. After what happened yesterday." He tensely said.
"Hehe…You heard that, huh?" I gulped afterwards.
"Indeed, from Tera. Now quit stalking my room and find a seat!" He opened the door hurriedly, a loud slam made all the students inside jump and look in our direction. "I am back from using the facility. Along with bringing this wretched boy!" He let go of my shirt and pushed me inside. " class resuming!"
I stumbled into the classroom, finding a spot next to a female student. She wore the school uniform, the white and blue patterns matching quite well with her Blue hair and blue eyes. On the table was a dead body of a young man, a gash on the left side of his chest.
The girl at the table looked at me in confusion as I sat next to her. Crota slowly walked to the front of the class and resumed his class lecturing. Not even fazed or acknowledging that he just threw me into his class. Even though it was already half of the class time spent, it felt forever as he explained beginner healing spells and had us just heal and open wounds on bodies and by the time
Class had finished, I felt like I didn't make as much progress as I thought I would. I still could only use heating magic by chanting it. I noticed Crota walking towards me as students left the class for their next ones.
"Having trouble, Mr.Kota?" Crota asked smugly.
"Is it that obvious?" I tried joking with him, but I got a large whack on the head with a scroll.
"Cheeky boy. Trying to be funny, huh?"
"I thought it'd be fun to, unlike learning this healing sh-"
"You do not need to be the best at everything." Crota cooly said.
"What? I wasn't trying to?" I asked him confusingly. I'm just struggling with figuring out how to do magic!
"Listen! As a teacher, I must advise this. You do not need to fully master all elements. If you are fairly more capable in another element, you might as well work with what is your strength." And before I could answer back, he walked off and sat back at his desk.
…Huh…Crota, you son of a bitch. He might be correct. At least that's what I think. Have I really been trying too hard to figure out healing spells? Maybe this element really isn't my strongest point. It would come in handy a lot if we needed it. Understandably, Kale and Anyone else aren't invincible. But if I can't manage to properly do healing spells quickly or efficiently, it'd be of no use…maybe I should actually focus on my stronger points in magic. After Tera's class, I'll head into Intermediate Fire class or Ice class to see how well I perform there.
"Get out of my class already!" Crota shouted. He made me jolt as I then quickly stumbled out of his class. "…nuisance…" I heard him say as I ran through the hallway of the university.
A/N: Crota is inspired by snape, it is very obvious. I have a somewhat good grip on what the world looks like and where the kingdoms are. Ozoth was originally suppose to be Ithryll before i decided to change that up. I'm still going back to volume one and editing or rewriting parts to better suit the vision I have now! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!