With the falling of the sun, the twin moons began their graceful ascent. It was time for curfew, and so the campus — once bustling with students within just the last hour — became something like a ghost town.
During curfew, all students are required to retreat to their dormitories until dawn. It was the college's way of giving them some time to themselves, whether that be completing their homework, lazing around, or catching up on some sleep.
A generous gesture, most would say, but for a select few, it was a restraint. Oftentimes, students would be caught by the night watchers and brought before the Headmistress, where she promptly expelled the students for failing to follow the absolute rules of Rhodeia College.
One man, in particular, was willing to take that risk.
Caelus settled down in one of Rhodeia's finest training facilities. Per usual, this place was left unguarded. It was an unspoken rule that if students were to disobey curfew for the purpose of training, the college would leave them be.
"Something about breaking the rules to hone their skills. Hah... How conceited," Caelus scoffed. "Best we waste no time. Alune. You ready?"
At the other end of the training hall, Alune stood tall on her high-heeled boots. She reached her arms into the air for a stretch, letting out a prolonged moan.
"Yep! Let's get started."
Caelus stepped forward, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. When his eyes opened, a faint reverberation of mana lifted the dust from the ground.
"Ooh, hehe~ Scary," Alune chuckled.
Per Professor Silva's lectures, Dark Magic is considered taboo because it is associated with demonic magic. However, that is a lie. In truth, the reason why the Magic Society rejects it is that the Laws of Magic they've held onto for centuries don't apply to the idea of darkness.
By definition, it is not a natural element that can or should be controlled. The standard language of runes that is often seen in Elemental Magic, Holy Magic, and even Spirit Magic doesn't pertain to Dark Magic. Instead, it uses an abnormal language that has yet to be fully deciphered.
That is why it is so volatile. There is no limit to its destructive capabilities, and one can never truly know the spell they are seeking to cast.
Caelus extended his arm, forming a rune circle that burned an eerily purple glow. Within just a second— no, half a second, a bolt of mana flung right past Alune's head. It barely caught the loose strands of her hair before crashing into a training dummy right behind her.
"W-what the...?" she gulped. "What the hell was that?"
"I'm... not sure," Caelus mumbled. "I couldn't even see it before it exploded."
"It felt like a regular mana bolt, but it was... I don't know. It felt cold and ugly."
"Corrupted mana. Dark Magic isn't a natural element. It can only form with the absence of light. The only way to force the reaction is by corrupting the mana flow."
"Dang... I wonder what would've happened if you were actually aiming for me."
"Wanna find out?"
Her tail straightened behind her.
"D-don't joke around like that!"
"Haha, my bad, my bad."
Caelus pulled out a small booklet from his pocket. He'd drawn a couple of rune circles pertaining to dark magic as a means to study. Since the runic language is different from the standardized language, he needed some time to memorize it.
He pulled up his arm, summoning yet another rune circle. The purpose was Destruction. The form was Blade. As for the limiters, he went with Tether and Blast.
"Okay..." he said with a deep breath. "Let's give this a shot."
Caelus circulated the mana within the rune circle, forcing a discharge reaction. The spell fired, sending forward a blade comprised entirely of corrupted mana.
"Oho~" Alune smirked.
She positioned herself directly in front of it. One leg back, one leg forward. Her left arm retracted, and from her nails, claws of mana grew. Just as the blade was about to strike at her, she lunged, deflecting the blade with her claws at the perfect angle.
"Bwahaha~!" Alune laughed boisterously. "Did you seriously think you could get me with something like that? Honestly, you would've had a better shot with that last spell."
However, because of the Tether rune, it straightened itself midair and pierced the ground right next to her foot.
Slowly, Alune twisted her neck, her confident smile growing more and more nervous.
"...Eh?"
And with the Blast rune, the sword exploded. Caelus wasn't the slightest bit worried about her well-being. Instead, he took note of what had happened.
"Hmm, that's pretty interesting," he said. "So some of the abnormal runes are similar, just written differently. The Tether rune is especially nice. I don't even think the standard language has such a rune."
Suddenly, Alune appeared from thin air right next to him.
"Are you crazy?!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you warn me?! My precious tail nearly got burnt to a crisp!"
"I trusted you could handle it, and it seems like my trust was well-placed," he replied flatly.
"What if I had died?!"
"Then you would've been a poor excuse for a member of the Malevolence."
"Tch... I hate you."
"I'm joking, Alune. But thanks for being my practice partner. How about we go out for dinner tomorrow?"
That was all it took for her ears to spring toward the ceiling.
"Really?! You mean it, right?! Of course, you do! Hehe~! Big mistake, Caelus, cuz now I'm gonna starve myself for the entire day just so I can eat a bunch!"
Caelus gave her one small chuckle as she walked off, naming a bunch of random dishes she was dying to try.
He looked at his notebook again. Of the many rune circles he replicated, there were many he didn't quite understand. Yet. At the very least, it should be enough to get him through Professor Silva's class.
Despite everything else, from his family name being stained with mud to his inability to locate his mother, Caelus couldn't help but crack a tiny smile. For once, he was proud of something he'd done by himself.
The next day, during the Hour of Respite, Caelus was walking alongside Castorica as they made their way to their next class, Basics of Dark Magic.
"So the abnormal runic language does have some similarities to the standard runic language," Castorica said while pinching her chin. "Fascinating... How did you figure this out?"
"A bunch of trial and error," Caelus replied. "I'm also taking Runic Implementation, which delves into some aspects of the abnormal runic language. Even illusion magic is just Dark Magic with an Alteration rune written in the second layer."
"Even more fascinating. I wonder what would happen if I traced something random within the second and third layer."
"I wouldn't test it. Remember, Dark Magic is volatile because of its unpredictability. If you manage to find a highly destructive form or limiter, the results could be catastrophic."
"What are the odds that I actually do find something that works?" she asked in a joking manner.
"Castorica..."
"Relax! I'm joking, obviously. Why would I ever do that?"
But Caelus could tell she was itching to test her luck at the training grounds. He was worried, and rightfully so. Professor Silva said it best. One wrong move, and the entire college could go up in flames.
"You're doubting me, aren't you?" Castorica asked.
"...No."
"Why did you just hesitate?"
"I didn't."
"You totally did!"
"You're mistaken."
Castorica crossed her arms with a pout.
"Hmph! You should be grateful right now, Caelus. I'm giving you my attention, which so many desire, yet here you are, acting as if it means nothing — and even going as far as lying in front of my face."
"No one's lying to you. I was just caught off guard."
"...Meaning you had a reason to be caught off guard in the first place."
This time, Caelus kept his mouth shut, glancing away even as her deathly glare was inching ever so closer to his face.
"Ah! Lady Castorica!" shouted a young man. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you."
They both turned to see a stranger running toward them. He was tall, fair, and an eloquent example of how a nobleman should present himself. However, Castorica was less than impressed.
"Who are you?" she asked with an extremely bland tone.
"Eh? I'm... I'm Edward Amboise. W-we were partners in the group project for our Thaumaturgical Theory."
"Ah, you mean the one where I did all the work while you and those two girls sat around doing nothing?"
"But... you told us to sit back—"
"I'm on a time crunch here, Sir Edward," Castorica interrupted while picking at her nails. "Get to the point. Why were you looking for me?"
"Well, I was wondering... if you'd be so kind as to join me for lunch. I'd love to take you out, and perhaps we can get to—"
"Gonna have to stop you right there," she interrupted again. "As you can see, I'm preoccupied with someone right now."
"What? With who?"
"Who else is standing here?"
She gestured at Caelus, who hadn't moved at all since this whole ordeal started.
"Him? But he's just a—"
For the third time, Castorica cut him off, but not with words. A corrupted mana bolt flew past his head faster than the eye could see. It crashed into a patch of grass, turning it black in an instant.
Yet, Edward couldn't look back, for Castorica's dangerous glare petrified him.
"That was a warning shot," she muttered. "Next time, it'll be the face. Now, get out of my sight."
"L-Lady Castorica!" he exclaimed. "I didn't mean to offend you! I—"
"Hey. Didn't I say it would be the face? What are you still doing here?"
It was that Edward had a lot more to say, but he kept it in. Instead, he gave Caelus the side eye before trudging away.
"The hell did I do?" Caelus mumbled.
"Exist. Don't you know how people around here feel about you?"
"Hah. Yeah. How could I forget? Anyway, that was dangerous, Castorica."
"What? The dark mana bolt?"—she let out a gasp of realization—"Hey! I got it on the first try!"
"You can't be using Dark Magic so carelessly like that. What if some unknown rune changed the bolt's trajectory and struck him?"
"Then he got what he deserved."
"Seriously?"
"Hehe~ Obviously, I'm kidding, Caelus. Sure, something could've happened, and I don't know what I would've done if that were the case. But it wasn't the case, so drop it."
"...You're unbelievable."
She turned around with a bright smile, extending a welcoming hand.
"Aren't I? Now, come on. Let's go eat something. I'll even pay as an apology."