"There is no need to rush," advised Headmaster Elwen.
"You make the decision sound like a hard one. I'll stay here at your academy, carve out my own path while also trying to figure out what happened to me," I said to him firmly. His eyes twinkled, a little bit with curiosity but mostly eagerness. Eagerness for what, I could only wonder.
"I was hoping you would say that, Mr Gray," said the headmaster with a grin. He suddenly stood up, his chair as well as the table and all the contents on it disappearing with a flash. I stood up as well, and my chair immediately disappeared.
"Okay, you've gotta tell me how you are making food and furniture out of thin air," I demanded finally, tired of watching him make things appear and disappear without warning. The old man let loose another chuckle, something that was beginning to annoy me if I was being honest.
"One of the first things you'll learn is that food cannot be made out of just mana. Try to drink any water or food produced by mana, then it merely transfers mana to you, not filling your stomach. You can make non-edible and nonliving things out of mana just fine," explained Headmaster Elwen. "Which makes you wonder how I'm making food out of mana? Well, the simple answer is I'm not, I'm using my privileges as headmaster to teleport these items from other places within the academy. The academy is a unique case that makes it very possible to teleport items within its grounds."
"Watch, I will show you. Do your best to feel the mana as I perform the teleportation spell," ordered the headmaster politely. Unlike before, the headmaster raised his right hand this time. His hands glowed a faint light blue, with the same color energy barely flowing out of his palms. I was completely transfixed, my eyes locked onto the magic happening in front of me. Sure enough, the table chairs reappeared along with the food and folder before disappearing again after a few seconds. I had done my best to use my senses and had actually managed to feel the flow of his mana just barely.
"You are currently lacking in both mana and aura, although you have a slight talent for both. I'm sure you could sense just a little bit of the magic I was performing, though, so try and remember it," remarked the headmaster.
I nodded, already trying my best to memorize how the spell had felt. Judging from the way he talked to me, Headmaster Elwen had certainly been a professor before becoming the headmaster. His spell had been visible this time, something he had most certainly done for me so I could learn from him. He had mentioned having a student earlier, one who had been investigating the incident, and after watching him explain and demonstrate things so clearly and effectively, I felt envious of the student. Whoever they were, they must be extremely powerful in part due to the headmaster's tutelage.
"I must be going here soon, young man. Come here, I will leave you with a parting gift as a final apology for my earlier brashness," said the headmaster as he gestured for me to step closer to him. I did as he asked, standing right in front of him.
"Going to show me another spell, old man?" I blurted out. A sudden pressure was being exerted on me. I froze, nervously looking to see what the headmaster's expression was. He merely looked down at me with a raised eyebrow, surprised by my boldness.
"I'll allow it just this once, I am the headmaster after all. I wouldn't recommend trying that with any of the professors," advised the headmaster sternly.
"I will certainly remember that, sir," I quickly responded. It might be better to start treating the headmaster with the proper respect if I want to stay at this academy.
The headmaster cleared his throat and raised his right hand until it rested on my temple. I had expected his touch to be cold and clammy but his had felt soft and comforting instead. Blue light once again radiated from his palm, this time I felt it as clear as day as it entered my body through my forehead.
The energy felt so refreshing, so different from anything I could imagine. It slowly traveled down my body, through what felt like my veins, until it reached all the way to my toes. A large amount of it resided in three different spots though, that being my head, the center of my chest where my heart was, and then at the base of my spine. A sudden zap of what felt like electricity ripped through my whole body, causing me to cry out and stumble away from Headmaster Elwen, breaking our connection.
"What the hell was that?" I asked as I gingerly rubbed my forehead. The shock hadn't been too painful, but it certainly had been unexpected. "Wanted to send me off with a nice goodbye zap? You really need to work on warnings."
"I wouldn't be so hasty in your assessment. I was merely giving your mana, as well as your aura, a little nudge," said the headmaster with a wry smile.
I blinked. He did what now? I quickly concentrated on the feeling of mana flowing through me as it had just a moment before. It took a moment but sure enough, I could sense the entire network that my slight bit of mana was flowing through, as well as an even fainter energy that was completely different than my mana. It took all of my concentration to detect this second energy, which I assumed must be my aura. All of my minuscule aura was concentrated just below the lump of mana located near my heart.
"How did you do that? What did you?" I questioned in confusion. Before I had been able to feel my own mana at all, much less this whole spiderweb system that it flowed through. The same was true for my aura; the mere feeling of getting a hold of it for a moment was intoxicating.
"First, I gently circulated my mana through your mana network, until I had covered every inch of it. Then, I forcefully exerted pressure on all of your mana points that were either dormant or blocked so that they would open up. I also transferred mana to fill your cores up enough for you to utilize them. Finally, I used my mana to jump-start your aura core. Essentially, I have given you a slight head start," explained the headmaster.
"A head start? Isn't that a little unfair of you to do as the headmaster? Favoring a student doesn't sound very dignified," I told him with a fake look of judgment.
"I wouldn't do such a thing unless I thought that you needed it, Mr. Gray, let me tell you. You desperately needed the help if you wish to qualify to be a student here," fired back the headmaster with a thin smile. Clearly, he had not found my comment very funny.
"Wait, what did you mean by qualify?" I asked worriedly. I thought that I had already been admitted into the academy, so why would I need to qualify?
"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for you, since I have so disgustingly given you an unfair headstart with your aura and mana," replied Headmaster Elwen. "Now, I must be going, but I will leave you with one last gift, a more basic one this time."
"Wait, I still hav-"
With a flash, the headmaster was gone. I let loose a string of curses, so many questions left unanswered. What an odd old man, certainly someone to watch out for. Although he had certainly laid more out on the table than I thought he would, he undoubtedly walked away with far more information than I had. Who knows what else his student had gathered on me or what he had learned when examining my mind and mana?
I sighed. Damn cunning geezer.
I turned around, wanting to lie down. Instead, I was treated with what the headmaster had left as his final gift. A massive trunk now sat at the foot of the bed I had been recovering in. It was extremely simple-looking, obviously brand new, with dark-stained wood lined with a shiny bronze lock and lining. A silver key lay on top of it, which I quickly picked up. It had a note attached to it, a very short message written on it.
"Hold it firmly in your hand for three seconds, then say the word 'Violet' and enjoy the results."
Although I questioned why I needed to do such a thing, I did so anyway. After holding it firmly for three seconds, I suddenly felt the key vanish from my hand. I opened it and sure enough, it wasn't there.
"Violet," I said with a shrug.
The key immediately reappeared in the palm of my hand. It did startle me a bit, I don't know what exactly I was expecting to happen since I hadn't really thought about it. I squeezed the key again, and sure enough, it disappeared and reappeared as soon as I spoke the word. I continued to do the trick several times, having quite a fun time with it.
"I must look like a fool," I muttered to myself shamelessly.
I inserted the key into the lock and unlocked the chest, curious to see what the old man had left me. The first thing I noticed about the chest is that it was a lot bigger inside than I thought it would be, unnaturally so. It must have been four times as deep, having draws on the inner sides of it. Sure enough, they opened, something that was mentally mind-boggling, but the explanation was obvious. In the world of magic, a trunk that was far bigger on the inside was, in reality, quite trivial, I imagined. The items within the chest were actually very simple, the majority being clothes.
Pristine uniforms consisting of a white buttoned undershirt, a dark blue suit jacket with gold buttons, matching blue pants, and black boots. Socks, underwear, and other small hygienic items were located within the drawers. A kind gift, considering I had practically nothing of my own to dress myself in. It was logical to assume that these uniforms were the uniforms of the academy. The headmaster had implied that although I was enrolled, I hadn't yet qualified myself to be at the academy. Yet here he was giving me a trunk full of academy-required clothing. What a confusing message. There was a note stuck to one of the larger drawers, so I quickly grabbed it and read it.
"I hope that you'll actually be able to put these to use. I do have quite a lot of faith in you after meeting with you, though. Please refrain from wearing any of the uniforms for the orientation ceremony and instead wear the clothing I have placed within this drawer. Consider all other gifts within the trunk a thank you for being honest with me during our chat."
The headmaster certainly was the gift that kept on giving, though in all honesty, it was the least he could do after giving me such a nasty headache and leaving so abruptly. I opened the drawer and immediately began to reconsider the thought that had just crossed my mind. The old geezer had been far too generous.
--------------------------------------------------
I scratched my head nervously while also straightening my brand-new clothing that I was breaking in now. Why had that old man been so damn generous? I was wearing a dark brown leather jacket with a bronze zipper that went down a decent bit past my waist. Beneath it was a black button-up shirt, olive green trousers, paired with sturdy brown boots. They were all high-quality clothing, especially the jacket, but that wasn't what had me frustrated with the headmaster.
What really frustrated me was the bastard sword on my right hip, accompanied by the large knife on my left hip. They were both of far higher quality than the rusty knife and cheap sword I had before. The bastard sword had a wider crossguard than normal, the blade shining brilliantly and flashily when I had drawn it in the infirmary. Its handle was expertly wrapped in leather, its edge razor sharp, and the pommel had a small blue gem encrusted in it.
The dagger was a different story, the metal used to make it being pitch black, with the leather on the handle being dyed black. The knife was quite large, with the blade being a bit shy of a foot long, and the total length being just over a foot. It was a thin and expertly crafted knife, clearly crafted for fighting. I could not even begin to imagine the cost these two items brought the headmaster. Now I was certainly in his debt.
I was currently standing in the Front Hall, a massive hall where hundreds of other new students were gathered. There were still dozens more flowing in from the massive double doors that stretched to the ceiling of the hall. How these doors were even possible to open or close was beyond me, probably magical. The giant doors led out to an equally massive courtyard officially named Founder's Vigil, but usually referred to by the students as the Thornyard. The Thornyard was a sprawling area of paths, pavilions, greenery, statues, and more. It was a hotspot for studying, dueling, and training. All of this information had been told to me by Claire and Charlotte, hopefully they were right about this information, so I wouldn't seem like a fool.
I stood off to one of the corners of the massive hall, nervously scanning the cross. There were so many people, all dressed in different ways. One boy was so lavishly dressed head to toe in bright purple that the only skin I could see was on his face. I could only assume he was of a noble family. In stark comparison, a young boy no older than sixteen stood less than a dozen yards away in rags. Was this the true disparity in this world between the rich and the poor? One drowning in wealth while the other couldn't even scrape together hardly any.
It angered me deeply to see such a sight, I could hardly stand it. There was something that brought me slight comfort, though, something that had taken me a moment to realize. The fact that the pompous-looking noble and the ragged boy were standing mere yards apart from each other, for once, starting in the same place at this academy. It was comforting to know that, simply based on appearances, the academy was fair in giving out chances to both the rich and the poor. Just giving another look around helped ease my anger due to the sheer number of different kinds of people standing in this hall.
A group of nearly a dozen dwarves stood off in the corner of the hall adjacent to mine. They were sticking to themselves while shooting distrustful and nasty looks at anyone who dared look their way, including me. I could only wonder what had them in such a sour mood. I only saw two elves in the whole hall, both of them standing stiffly next to each other while ignoring the curious looks from those around them. Finally, a boy with literal bird wings growing out of his back and stretching down to his knees was lazily standing near the large doors to the Front Hall. Claire had described what the boy would look like; his race was known as aegles, basically humans that could fly. Looking at these three different races was disorienting if I was being honest with myself. Maybe the old Silas Gray had interacted with or seen such things before, but this was all new to me.
Charlotte had briefly gone over with me the political landscape of the academy before I had left to attend the orientation. Ignis, along with several other kingdoms and nations, was currently fighting a brutal war against the Southern Jungle Alliance. The alliance was made up of mainly orcs, then goblins, trolls, lizardmen, and finally a highly intelligent race of demons known as velkrith. The war had been going on for almost ten years now, and the Southern Jungle Alliance was winning on almost every front. The war was the reason why the only way to get into Blackthorn Academy without being extremely rich or influential was to volunteer for service in the Blackthorn Regiment of the Royal Army of Ignis.
Emergency diplomatic measures had been taken, with enemies banding together to fight the threat of the abominations of the jungle. In the past, Ignis had persecuted and brutalized the dwarves and elves who lived in their territory. Now though, deals had been made in order to secure their assistance in the war effort. Hence why dwarves, elves, and an eagle were attending Blackthorn Academy for either the first time ever or in a long time.
I didn't feel too happy knowing that being a student of Blackthorn meant that I would eventually have to fight orcs and other monsters in a bloody jungle, but there wasn't much I could do about it now. The only way out of the contract I had signed was to pay an enormous sum of money to the kingdom. I did not doubt that the old me was as poor as could be. There was no possible way for me to escape that fate unless I wanted to be a fugitive.
I shook my head, I was losing focus. The war was the reason why there were so many people gathered in this hall, regardless of their background. Some we obviously foreigners from other nations, some were commoners, and some were nobles. I could only wonder if I would be able to make any allies, much less friends, in such a complex place.
"Everyone! Please, may I have your attention," shouted a woman. I turned to find a tall woman with white hair, wearing glasses, a red skirt, a white blouse, along with a black blazer. Although she had white hair, she looked quite youthful, giving off a demanding and intimidating energy.
"I am Professor Morganna Virelda, the Deputy Headmistress of Blackthorn Academy. It is my honor to welcome you to the orientation ceremony, of which many of you will unfortunately be leaving disappointed. Please wait patiently for your name to be called to the examination room. If you pass, please move forward to the Red Atrium. If you do not, then please gracefully exit the grounds," Professor Virelda said brutally.
I winced a little, she certainly didn't mince her words. Many other people within the crowd had the same reaction as I did, with murmurs echoing throughout the hall. I couldn't help but certain individuals either look unbothered by or outright laugh at her words. The two elves, a boy and a girl, were completely unbothered by the deputy headmistress's words, the same going for the dwarves. The aegle boy had a wide grin on his face, while two fancily dressed noble girls who seemed to be identical twins looked beyond angry.
"Aelion. Aeria. Lucien Highmere. Liora Ellington. Esmerelda Ellington. Rin Kurobane. Zayd al-Rami. Bjorn Ulfrik. Silas Gray. Please report to me," ordered Professor Virelda sternly before beginning to list off more names.
I gulped, slowly and nervously making my way to the front while trying to keep my eyes glued to the floor. I didn't even know why I was so nervous. Maybe it was because I basically knew nothing, or maybe it was because there were so many people here.
Eventually, I finally stood at the front where the deputy headmistress was, along with all of the other kids who had been called. It was quite a diverse bunch, to say the least. The figure next to me wore a dark green ceramic mask that only had eye slits in it, and had gold lines running all over it, as if it had been broken and then glued back together using the gold material. They wore a tattered dark green cloak with the hood up, along with worn leather gloves. Underneath was an all black kimono that had dark green snake patterns on it.
Another boy wore a black turban, with an elegant blue unic and flowing pants that had flowing golden vines and leaves covering it. He wore a saber on his right hip, had tan brown skin, and confident brown eyes. The two elves also stood there, both sporting bright blonde hair, pointy ears, and features that were both elegant and fair. They were dressed in tight lime clothing with gray cloaks over it, and leather harnesses that kept their bows slung tightly to their back. Finally, standing right beside me was a monstrous-looking black haired boy who wore a literal wolfskin from his head down to his waist like a cloak. His bare chest was on display, muscles bulging on every part of him.
"Wait for me to call your name, then follow one of the teaching assistants to the orientation room," instructed Professor Virelda. Her eyes looked uncaring, but paying more attention, one might notice that she was looking at us each head to toe. She was analyzing each of us expertly and without reservation. The deputy headmistress was without a doubt experienced far beyond her youthful appearance led on.
"Ms. Kurobane, Mr. Gray, and Mr. Highmere. You three will be the first to be tested," ordered the professor. "Please follow the teaching assistant."
An extremely small girl, no taller than five feet tall, gestured for us to follow her. She wore the exact same kind of uniform that had been in the trunk that the headmaster had given me, except her's had a small patch on the shoulder of some kind of creature. A closer look revealed that it was a golden pegasus that had beams of gold radiating from its horn, surrounded by a bright white background. I wondered why she was wearing something like that on her academy uniform.
The three of us began following the tiny girl out of the front hall. The three of us were me, the figure wearing the green ceramic mask that covered their face, who I guess was actually a girl named Rin Kurobane. The last of the three of us was an angelic blond-haired boy who wore a leather tunic, white trousers, and a massive broadsword at his side.
After leading us down several hallways in absolute silence, we came to a room with a simple oak door that had a golden sign that said "Testing Room" on the outside of it. Seemed pretty straightforward.
"Mr. Highmere, you are first. Mr. Gray and Ms. Kurobane, you can take a seat and wait," said the tiny girl as she pointed at a small bench that was situated across from the testing room. With that, the Highmere guy and the tiny girl entered the room, and the door slammed behind them.
By the time I turned around to look at the bench, the girl wearing the green and gold-lined mask was already silently sitting on the tiny bench. I blinked and frowned. Hadn't she been standing to my right just a second ago? How had she moved so silently that I would not hear her sit down? Not only that, the bunch wasn't very big at all. If I sat down, I would without a doubt be touching the girl since we would be sitting together on the small bench. She hadn't said a word and I wasn't sure how I felt abo-
"Sit," rasped the girl from beneath her mask. "Quite standing there like a fool.
I blinked. Looks like I had great company.