That night in my room I am at my desk with Elliott's book open with potion ingredients laid out in front of me. The book is open to a page titled Potion of Awakening, and I start to read the handwritten insert at the top of the page.
I found this recipe in an old text from the forbidden age written in Azmaric. I made a great discovery that is useless to me but in the off chance I get an apprentice I'm writing it down. It lets one awaken their mage sense easily and to its fullest potential. The professor said it was too dangerous to use without anything proving it so he discarded the idea. But I'll write it down anyway.
Looking at the recipe I make the potion Mixing and heating the required ingredients. After a half hour the final product is a viscous silver potion. According to the instructions this equates to one dose and should be taken orally. I walk over to my bed potion and conduit in hand and sit cross legged then drink the potion. I immediately start meditating outward trying to detect the conduit in my hand. A few minutes pass and I start to feel a familiar pull on my soul stretching outward to the sphere. I can feel the runes on the cube react to my soul connection. I cast mage light, a novice illusion spell, and light floods the room emitting from the ball of light floating in front of me. With a smile of satisfaction, I release the spell.
"What is on your schedule today Zan?" Maria asked stirring her bowl of oatmeal, "I have Basics of Survival Skills with perv over here." Gesturing to Orion who is half asleep eating a roll.
"I'm taking Intro to the Spirit Sword this morning." My words draw Orion out of his stupor.
"What? I'm stuck with tiger-girl without you?" The table shakes as what I can only assume is Maria kicking him hard under it.
"Ow! You do realize I am a noble right?" he rubs his shin glaring at Maria.
"I also know you're too lazy to do anything because it would be to much of a hassle." She said flatly. Orion sighs and turns back to me.
"See what I have to deal with," he slides some of the extra rolls in his pockets, "what am I going to do without my shield there she will tear me limb from limb."
"Just get along till this afternoon, we have Mr. Polanas's And Ms. Elizabeth's classes together still."
"Yeah," He says glumly turning back to his food for the rest of the meal.
"Morning class," a tall slender man in elegant attire spoke at the front of the class, "Welcome to Intro to Spirit Sword. I will be teaching the class my name is Ramen Crowe. I see that there are more in my class this year than previous ones. Now can anyone tell me the three types of spirit pacts one can have?" A few hands along with mine went up. "You dear give me your name and answer."
"Zenith Alarie, and the three types are path of the blessed, path of manifestation, and path of embodiment. The most common type being path of manifestation." Her voice rang out clearly bringing back memories.
"Yes, that is correct," Mr. Crowe spoke while writing on the board, "The reason for manifestation being the most common is do to it being the safer than embodiment and easier than blessed. It brings a portion of the spirit's being into this realm through a pact. While the path of the blessed is when a spirit gives its power not being to the pact bearer. Lastly embodiment is equivalent to possession and is the most dangerous. Now we will focus on how to make a pact sigil." The class went on till the tenth bell and I pack my things and head to Mr. Polanas's class.
"Now do I have any volunteers to share their experience in meditation?" I shoot my hand up before Mr. Polanas even finishes speaking, "Why Mr. Cleargrey you seem very eager please share."
"I have awakened my mage sense." As I spoke to give proof, I sense out to my training conduit causing the runes to glow. The classroom filled with overlapping voices with varying reactions.
"Marvelous, such a blossoming talent," Mr. Polanas grins, "Now Class don't be rushed by Mr. Cleargrey's display all of you should awaken yours within the next week till then we will cover various important information that will be of use in later steps." As he was very pleased with my progress Mr. Polanas taught the rest of class and asked me a variety of questions and continued to be elated every time I got it right.
"You should have told me earlier," Maria chided and punched my arm as we walk to our next class.
"I just wanted to see everyone's shocked faces," I laugh, "And it was worth it, I thought Orion's jaw was gonna break the table."
"I was not that shocked I was just yawning."
"That was a long yawn then," I tease.
"How did you do it anyway," He changed the subject, "I can barely feel anything."
"You will get there eventually," I said as we approach the field, "I'll tell you more tonight."
"You better. See you later." Maria threatened before running off to a group of girls on the field.
"When did she get friends?" I ask.
"Oh yeah, they were in her group for Mr. Vusic's class." Orion laid down on the grass, "She didn't want to be in my group so she made friends." Maria laughed with her friends. Around the field were various weapon racks.
"Did you not try to make friends?" I glance back at him staring at the sky.
"I made one," He looks at me, "Similar to you and Maria in not caring about nobility and all that, but not as talented."
"Does being a noble really bother you that much?" I ask him whose eyes are back looking at the sky.
"Being a noble doesn't bother me," he sighs, "it's the way other nobles and people act towards me that does. Well, it's whatever looks like class is starting." He gets up and we walk to the gathering of students.
"As you can see today, we'll be doin' weapon training," Ms. Elizabeth speaks over the class gesturing to the weapon racks, "Don't worry bout having a specialty if have a preferred weapon great grab that, if not try a few out. You have 3 months to choose a specialty so don't be rushed." The crowd of students stand there expecting more to be said. "Don't just stand there grab a weapon and a partner." The Crowd of students rush the racks.
As I make it to the racks, I contemplate which weapon to try out first. I see Orion pick up a pair of daggers and Maria picks up a longsword. I pick up a spear the one I'm most familiar with due to training that my mother gave us.
"A spear, I guess it fits you," Orion stood beside me, "So partners?" I nod, he grins as he twirls the daggers in his hands.
"Alright everyone," Ms. Elizabeth announces at one end of the field, "Stand across from your partner about fifteen feet and when I say to start sparring."
"Excuse me miss?" A slender hand raises, a boy about five and half feet tall holding a short sword.
"Yes, what was not clear?" She gives a confused look.
"Some of us are not familiar with weapons won't it be dangerous to spar?" The boy squeaks out. A few of the students give looks of agreement.
"The reason we are sparring is to give me an idea on how skilled each of you are," She smiles, "And if you get hurt well, we got healers for that don't we. No more questions get ready, Atla." After she signaled Orion dashes towards me with the daggers, securing my footing and bracing myself I send three quick stabs when he got within range. He managed to side step two of them but got nicked on the third causing him to back off and reset.
"Better than I thought book worm," Orion smiled as he rubs his side, "I thought I'd have the upper hand even if I didn't use my preferred weapon."
"Stop making excuses and come on your highness," I jeer. He laughs and dashes in again this time crouching. I go to stab three times again aiming downward, but he jumps and lands to my right. I go to slash him but realize to late that he is to close for it to work. Stopping my swing with one dagger and holding the tip of the other to my neck he grins.
"Spears are good and all, but once I get close it's over," he nudges me, "If you are not dead set on spears, I recommend try different weapons. I mainly use a bow but I use daggers for close range."
The rest of class we continued to spar and I tried a variety of other weapons. By the end everyone except a few were covered in bruises.
"Hey Alexander," I look up from the book I was reading and see Sibella standing across the library table clutching a book.
"Hey Sibella," I look around only seeing a few other students in the library the sun being have long set, "What book do you have?" nodding to the book in her arms.
"Oh it's a book called The Notes of The Great Sorcerer by Oliver Shin," She says meekly looking down, "What about you?"
"I'm reading Sorcery and It's Link to the Soul by Demitri Merryweather," I glance to the book, "It's an interesting read, but more importantly is your book about Elliott Axton?"
"It is I haven't read this one since this is the only library that has copies of it," She sits down placing the book between us, "The dean wrote it and didn't publish it but contains a lot of The Great Sorcerer's ideas and advancements for sorcery." I flip through the pages and land on a chapter on the conduits Axton used. The grimoire I have has more detailed designs but I couldn't pull it out right now.
"He had a lot of powerful conduits," she said excitedly, "In this book it mentions he also had a design for a conduit that is made of eight different conduits making it extremely powerful but sadly none of the process or theories to make it were recorded."
"It wasn't that sucks," I try to sound disappointed but my mind was reeling what if the designs were in the grimoire, "Well it's getting late I should head back and bathe, see you later Sibella." I close my book and stand up to head out.
"See you," She stands and waves as I leave out of the library.