- 1st August 2138, Afternoon, GCA Campus Hospital -
I awoke to the sound of beeping machines. Feeling disoriented and confused, I sat up. The room I was in had sterile white walls. Memories of previous events flushed back into me. I'd triggered some sort of explosion while trying to cast an ordinary ball of energy.
Was I really that useless? Could I not even do any casting without hurting myself?
Noticing I'd awoken, the nurse came over to check on me. Her flaxen hair dotted with strands of gray. The nurse's outfit consisted of a blue dress with the GEI logo on the front. It also included an azure blue cap and white, glossy shoes. She looked very prepared for her job.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake?" She spoke in a rough accent. "Don't worry, you're all fixed up. That plucky rural boy brought you in."
"What happened to me? All I did was try to cast a spell." I inquired.
"It happens every year with that reckless teacher, telling you to get on with it yourselves." The Nurse rattled off quickly. "You used up all you're E-energy in a miscast."
The nurse scribbled something onto her notepad. Before asking.
"Are you Erik Graham?"
What an unusual question. Of course, I am. Who else would I be?
"Yes, of course," I replied, confused.
With an impish grin, she said, "Brilliant. You're scheduled for a meeting with the headmaster. He's interested in you."
Pondering to myself. I wondered why the headmaster would be interested in me, of all people. Feasibly it may have finally been time for me to be kicked out. I frowned.
The nurse patted me on the shoulder. "Naww. Don't get all sad. He's interested in your Attribution. It's not often you see such a perfect balance in an untrained Caster."
How did she know about that? It must have been on my school record or something. That'd be the most simple explanation, to say the least.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just remember to be on your best behavior, okay?" she said with a smile before walking off.
I sighed and stood up from the bed. I looked around the room and decided to just wait for whatever was going to happen next.
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The headmaster's study was a large room with a minimalist wooden desk in the middle and shelves of remarkable books skirting the walls. There was a comfortable linen chair by the desk and an ornate window that looked out onto the school grounds. Rather simple in design. Sat in a chair overlooking the grounds was an imposing presence of a man, decrepit in body yet a reverent temple in mind. The man in question was the school's founder, and he was said to be a brilliant mind. He had a fierce gaze, and it seemed like he could see right through you. He was a bit daunting, but also kind and intelligent.
This was Alastar von Bejahrt. A renowned figure in the world of Casting for his Extrinsic aptitude. He was able to teleport with such ease that it seemed like child's play to him. He had performed this feat countless times and had even employed it to help others in need. His work as headmaster of the GCA was exemplary, and he was respected by many for his knowledge and wisdom.
"Boy, stop pondering to yourself and sit down," said Alastar in his jovial yet strong accent.
"Why am I here? I don't think I've done anything wrong." I argued as I took a seat on the remaining chair in front of his desk.
"You hold dual Attribution... no?" He asked, furrowing his brow in a way only an old fantasy wizard would.
"I do. Spark and Gravity."
"No wonder you miscast your Zeigen... Try casting one right now, but visualize and manipulate your energy like a... double spiral of two divergent directions, different colors..." He continued, munching on what looked like a prawn saltine.
"Alright?" I answered, confused. This would require a some thought.
Maybe this was the extra interpretation I needed to get this spell working. Having it blow up in my face again was certainly not at the top of my to-do list. Heeding the advice of the old man I attempted to cast.
{Zeigen}
I experienced the familiar rush of power flow through me as I attempted to direct the flow into a dual spiraling motion at my index finger. An extraordinarily strenuous endeavor. I imagined it like the current in water going down the drain. With sustained effort, I finally managed to do it.
A sustained orb of sparking lightning fully manifested at my finger, with two rings of smaller lightning orbs orbiting it. The best comparison would probably be miniature of a planet made entirely of arcing sparks of purple lightning. The moment it fully formed Alastar let out a hearty laugh. The lightning orb crackled and pulsed with energy, and Alastar seemed to be drawing power from it. To research it.
"Fascinating... You have the knack for this, Erik. You merely need to... Visualize." He said, the end of his sentence sounding like the ravings of a starry-eyed child.
Though excited, Alastar immediately calmed down and began pondering.
"Boy... long ago I knew somebody... He was a good friend and parallel to me in the Extrinsic arts. If you managed to... place at the top of the exams for your class... I'll take you under my wing as an apprentice..."
What? Was he joking? This was an amazing opportunity. Though it'd require me to surpass the likes of Travis. A feat that seemed impossible... The only option was to get stronger.
"Oh, one more thing..." Alastar eyed his bookshelf for a few moments before passing me a book titled 'Call of the Astral Bolt'
The book's cover was a dark gray with thousands of tiny stars painted onto it. Dark-looking thunderbolts scattered across the sky represented on the cover. The title of the book was in a deep red, almost blood-like color.
"A novel?" I asked.
"No, you little oaf. It's a enhancement technique." His hand firmly planted upon his face in shame. "Your parents weren't prolific casters, were they?"
After an amount of explaining that took us into the late evening, Alastar told me that Casters grow in strength by refining the Extrinsic Energy found within their bodies. Different methods refined the individual caster's energy in different ways. This could range from increasing affinities to other elements outside of their opposing element, to simply increasing the caster's general proficiencies.
It turns out that a majority of students at the GCA already had enhancement techniques given to them by their parents. Those who didn't could select from the GCA's ample selection found in the student library after their first lesson, with days in the week being set aside for enhacing oneself... Though I'd missed the explanation from my teachers due to my casting mishap.
Alastar went on to notify me that the GCA had a separate school library for students who wanted to research and study different forms of enhancement. Though he said that it was nothing compared to the Library of Neo-Alexandria, in the far-off sands of the Makan Dafi.
He furthermore conferred that I shouldn't worry about my parents not teaching me a method. He'd put in a good word to make sure that the GCA's instructors would be more than willing to help me out.
This turned out to be a positive for me in many ways. Refining my Extrinsic Energy was the key to scoring at the top of the rankings on the exam Alastar had mentioned. I was now more comfortable with the idea of having to face down an opponent in a duel in the future. All things considered, it was pleasant to know I would be able to hold my own if push came to shove. Given that I studied this technique, it seemed like things were only going to get better from here on out.
-------:-
Returning to my apartment, I spotted two people waiting outside. Minerva and Siska, both still wearing their uniforms. Had they been worried about me? Why would somebody as cold as myself to deserving of people's worry anyway? Upon spotting me, Siska pointed at me and shouted.
"WHERE HAVE you BEEEEENN!" She clumsily ran over to me to check if I was alright, still acting crazy. "Travis told us you went SPLAT on the ground!"
"Are you okay, Child of Yellow?" Minerva asked, mentioning that strange yellow jargon again. Was she as delisuional as Siska??
I was surprised that they had both been so worried about me, but I guess it just goes to show how much they care.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just overworked myself." I replied, hoping to be able to get into my bed to rest.
"Well, we're glad, OKAY? Don't Do That Again!" Siska replied, waving her Machete around like a crazed lunatic.
Minerva pulled out her InfoComm and showed me her ID number. "Add me, so we can talk."
Siska then copied the exact movements of her friend and repeated what she said in a silly voice.
"Add me! So we can talksies~!"
While I honestly wanted to deny their offers and get to my room to sleep. Their worry for my had nudged me somewhere in my heart that I'd thought locked up since I was young. So I accepted and said waved them goodbye, finally able to enjoy the quiet solitude of my room.
Before I could even rest my head upon my pillow, my InfoComm exploded with notifications from the two. Thought mostly Siska sending strange images with vaguely related text on them in a large font. I silenced the communicator and finally got to sleep.
-------:-
I woke up to the sound of light rain on my window. Climbing out of bed, I looked outside, seeing it was still dark out. I stared into the darkness with tired eyes, It felt like something inside me needed answers but didn't know how to get them. Was this my calling to finally involve myself with people more? Or try gathering as much power as possible?