Marcus didn't understand why he had to learn all these things. The history of the Carthaginian Empire, from its birth to its death, then its rebirth. All of it seemed futile and uninteresting to him. Because he couldn't read yet, he was forced to listen to Arsinoë for hours. There were so many dates, names of people, and places that he was completely lost. He had stopped understanding what was crossing the barrier of his ears since the reign of Magon the Beautiful, grandson of Lucius the Great.
Arsinoë's immense knowledge on this subject was too much for the young boy. Her words were now just meaningless noise. As he was about to fall asleep on the desk, a stick topped with a blue stone struck him on the top of the head.
"Ouch! What's wrong with you?! That hurts!"
"And I'll hit you again if I catch you sleeping. Her Majesty has entrusted me with the mission of educating you. Do you think that receiving a quality education is within everyone's reach? Huh?" she asked without waiting for an answer. "It's a great honor, and it's also an honor to have me as your teacher. Keep in mind that every second you spend doing nothing, others use it to meditate or gain new knowledge. In the end, only the best will remain, and the others will regret not having tried harder. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, yeah," Marcus replied with a long sigh.
Another blow from the stick hit Marcus, but this time on the forehead.
"Ouch! Stop hitting me on the head! What's wrong with all of you?!"
"It seems you still don't understand the situation you're in. From the moment you woke up, you entered an arena. And in this arena, we fight to live. Those who don't fight end up like those who don't fight well enough. They die. Of course, those who fail don't really die. They simply miss out on the greatest opportunity of their lives, that of becoming someone important, someone who matters. Instead of becoming a general, minister, or teacher, they might build roads, weed paths, water farmlands, or whatever in some remote corner of the Empire. That's why it's important to study hard!"
"Huh? Aren't all those who go to university rich and powerful?"
I thought all magi were powerful!
"Far from it. At the end of each year, a purge is carried out among the students to keep only the best. This purge is carried out throughout the training. So, there are many classes for the first years but only one for the last. All the great figures of the Empire have gone through to the end of the training. The further you go in the training, the more doors open up to you. Conversely, if you're not even capable of making it to the second year, you're immediately seen as a second-rate magus. Among the nobility, there is no greater shame, apart from being born without powers, than failing the end-of-first-year exam. How many have been cast out of their families for this reason?"
"To that extent?!" exclaimed the young man who thought all magi were equal.
"Yes, to that extent. Do you understand now why it's important to take your studies very seriously?"
"I understand."
Damn... It's worse than I thought. But does it apply to me? After all, I'm not even at the Academy.
"Good. Hmm, I suggest we take a break from history."
Immediately, Marcus felt a wave of relief wash over him. Even though Arsinoë was very knowledgeable, her knowledge was far too indigestible to be transmitted in one go. If he could remember a few names from all of that, it could already be considered a success. Unfortunately for young Marcus, his joy was short-lived.
"I'm going to talk to you about magic," continued the teacher determinedly. "Perhaps that will interest you more? As you've understood, there are eight elements. Fire, water, lightning, wind, wood, earth, light, and darkness. In the Empire, there's no hierarchy between the elements, but it's not the same everywhere. In Ifrikia or Persia, water and earth are precious elements because they allow the cultivation of lands that, without the help of magic, would be barren. As I told you, Carthage was built rapidly thanks to magi mastering these two magics. But that doesn't mean the other elements are considered inferior. Some are more interesting for war like fire, water, or wood. The first causes immense damage to enemy armies, the second can dehydrate them or, on the contrary, drown them, and the third is mainly used to slow down the enemy by using vegetation. Earth can also be very useful for quickly creating fortifications or traps.
"And light? And darkness?"
"For some unknown reason, these two elements are rare. Light even more so. Some say it's an element linked to the gods, which makes magi sensitive to this element precious beings. They're capable of healing wounds, even very serious ones, and it's said they can cure diseases too. It's also the only one capable of countering dark magic. As I've already told you, but you know this, the use of this element is strictly forbidden. You should never seek to master it and immediately inform the authorities if you ever learn that someone, even within your family, is trying to do so.
"Everyone knows that," Marcus commented as if he were being taken for an idiot. "It's forbidden by law and by the gods. But... you just said all the elements were equal in the Empire?"
"Yes, except darkness! You must never use or research this magic. Otherwise, you risk the stake. Do you understand me well? Fortunately, you didn't awaken with this element as your primary element."
Huh? Why does it feel colder?
"What would have happened if that were the case? Would they have killed me?"
"No. Awakening with an affinity for this element is not a crime. Ill-viewed, certainly, but not a crime. You would have been forced to study another magic that would not be your primary element as a consequence, but it's important, it would have slowed down your progress in mastering this other element. Only the study and cultivation of this element are punishable by death. Darkness is dangerous, much more than you can believe. It corrupts minds and turns magi into malevolent beings. If you encounter one, either flee to inform the authorities, or kill it. There's no other option."
Marcus frowned. He had never seen magi outside the Awakening ceremonies, let alone using forbidden magic. He had heard rumors and scary stories to frighten children. If he had been terrified by them in his childhood, it had been a long time since that feeling had been replaced by doubt. One of the first things he had learned in the streets of Niers was not to trust anyone.
"But not all magi of that element are necessarily bad, right? After all, there are good people in the rotten districts of the capital and bad people among the nobility."
"No," Arsinoë cut in with a dry and implacable voice. "It's not comparable. All dark mages are bad. All. There are no exceptions. That's why light mages are so important. The history of Lutecia is the best example. It was a great city of ancient Celtika, founded according to legend by a descendant of Paris of Troy. Anyway, it experienced strong growth thanks to the Carthaginians who offered their knowledge to the local barbarians until it became a city as large and prosperous as Cartagena. But one day, an extremely powerful dark mage named Baltazar Tagnad came and cursed the city along with all the surrounding lands, making it completely uninhabitable."
Marcus's throat tightened at the sound of his teacher's icy voice. Her tone was so low that she seemed to summon a dark entity. He then felt a shiver run down his spine like an icy serpent. Despite his efforts, he couldn't tear his gaze away from Arsinoë's dark eyes, which seemed to want to pierce him.
"The air was poisoned like the lands and waters, and the dead rose to massacre the population. Even today, it's invaded by a thick evil fog, and its streets are haunted by the dead. Despite the arrival of several light mages, they failed to reverse the process. Almost the same thing happened to Carthage. The Mali Empire, which was then at war with the Carthaginian Empire, sent its army in the year 324. And as they were losing many soldiers, the emperor decided to send a complete unit of dark mages. They manipulated the dead to force the Carthaginian army to face their own comrades."
"W-what happened?" asked Marcus, his voice trembling, terrified as rarely before.
"According to sources, the city defended itself well, notably thanks to a troop of mercenaries funded with the last treasures of the Empire and led by the brave Antiochos of Forli. Carthage fell two weeks later. That same evening, the unit of dark mages was annihilated by the emperor of Mali. It's said that the emperor was deeply shocked by the horrors his mages had committed, but that the decisive factor was one of their crazy projects to make the emperor invincible on any battlefield. They had supposedly designed a monstrosity with the corpses of the capital's inhabitants. They were all murdered, crucified, and burned alive on a pyre in front of the city gates."
"I-I understand," gulped young Marcus, wiping the cold sweat from his face.
"No, I doubt it. You probably still think there are good dark magi, but they don't exist. Remember this lesson. Others have learned it the hard way."
Her gaze is so sad! Does she know a dark magus?!
"I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong. Never apologize for a mistake you didn't make. It serves no purpose other than to absolve the true culprits. Hmm, let's continue."
Marcus could see that Arsinoë was upset, certainly recalling painful memories. He didn't know what had happened, but it couldn't be trivial. The young woman forced herself to smile and took on a more cheerful tone to dispel the heavy atmosphere that had at one point settled over the room.
"A magus can use magic by harnessing the magical energy that surrounds us and releasing it. For that, a formula is necessary. Several formulas can achieve the same result, but the amount of magic required and the length of the formula can vary greatly. For millennia, the greatest magi have sought the best formula for the best result. Naturally, this effort continues. As you know, it's possible to use artifacts to improve a spell. They can take many forms and are the result of immense work. My staff," she said proudly, "is one of them. It allows me to harness magical energy more easily and thus shortens the time required to cast a spell. As you can see, it's made of gold and is topped with a crystal ball. It's because it has been proven through multiple experiments that metal allows for a better result, and gold is particularly effective at harnessing magical energy.
"And the ball?" Marcus asked with genuine curiosity.
"Like gold, crystal is an excellent magical conductor. Most artifacts are adorned with one or more crystals. That's why it's important to be rich if you want to be a great magus and why alchemists are often ruined and in constant search of patrons and new materials."