Rayleigh clapped his hands once, sharp and commanding. "Let's begin."
Leo stood awkwardly in the training room, which smelled like old parchment and faint burnt toast. The room was empty aside from them, lined with wooden dummies and stone platforms — probably leftovers from wizards who accidentally exploded themselves.
"Basic magic first," Rayleigh said, tossing him a leather-bound tome. "You'll learn three: Ignis for spark, Aeris for lift, and Luxa for light. If you mess up, we'll be leaving with fewer eyebrows."
Leo cracked his knuckles, took a breath, and shouted: "Ignis!"
A teeny flame popped into existence, flickered, and died with a fart sound.
Rayleigh blinked. "Acceptable."
Then came Aeris — which lifted a scroll, made it spin like a confused pigeon, and gently slammed it into Rayleigh's face. And Luxa — that one made the room glow, then flicker like a disco party gone wrong.
But Rayleigh was impressed. "You're learning too fast. It's disturbing."
"Thanks?" Leo shrugged.
Rayleigh scratched his chin. "Let's try something more... custom."
"We're learning transference. You'll pour your aura into an object—like this." He picked up a stone, whispered something into it, and tossed it to Leo.
The moment Leo touched it, a strong voice boomed in his head:
> "Put this down, idiot."
Leo screamed and dropped it like it had bitten him. "I think your rock just called me dumb."
Rayleigh looked proud. "Exactly."
"...Thanks?"
Leo's eyes lit up. "Like magical mind control?"
"Not mind control," Rayleigh warned, "More like emotional suggestion. Manipulation — if used... questionably."
you pour your energy into an object. Whoever touches it will feel what you imprint."
---
After a few minutes of trial and error (and accidentally making a pencil cry for help), Leo got the hang of it.
Rayleigh nodded slowly. "You're picking this up faster than expected. Let's try something a bit more... personal."
Leo nodded, grabbed a nearby potted plant, and concentrated.
"I pour my soul into you, mighty leaf…" he whispered dramatically.
The plant glowed slightly pink, then violently turned red.
Rayleigh raised a brow. "What emotion was that?"
Leo scratched his head. "Uhh… I might've accidentally poured in... secondhand embarrassment from the time I slipped on a banana peel during assembly."
Rayleigh just nodded solemnly. "The plant looks humiliated."
>Let's try another one
He handed Leo a ribbon. "Focus on a message. Something subtle. Not loud like before. Then we'll test it."
Leo, being Leo, had exactly one dumb idea.
---
Minutes later, Ari walked in, looking suspicious. "What's this ribbon doing on my seat?"
Rayleigh was scribbling notes in the corner. "Just sit. It's a test."
She rolled her eyes and flopped down, the ribbon slipping into her hand.
Suddenly, her eyes glazed over. She blinked. Her hips twitched.
Leo leaned forward, eyes wide in horror/delight/confusion.
Ari stood up.
Took a step.
And then—
"Absolutely not!" she snapped, snapping out of it mid-move. "Did you just try to make me belly dance?!"
Rayleigh glanced at Leo, who was whistling like an innocent kettle.
Ari marched up, grabbed him by the ear, and said, "If you ever turn me into a Bollywood background dancer again, I'll shove that vending machine down your throat."
"Noted," Leo squeaked.
Rayleigh stood. "Right. I think I've earned a break. I'm going to go stare at clouds or question my life decisions."
He left the two of them behind, muttering something about "students these days."
---
Leo, left alone, wandered into the nearby hallway where a lone vending machine sat—completely out of place in the ancient archive.
It blinked at him. He blinked back.
He pressed the only button that wasn't faded: JUICE?
The machine clunked, groaned, then spat out a paper note before a can.
Leo unfolded it.
One word, hastily scribbled in red ink:
> "RUN."
Leo stared. "Run? Bro, what? I'm not even lactose intolerant."
The vending machine gave a sad little thunk and dropped a juice can.
Leo picked it up. "Look, I don't care if this is cursed. I'm thirsty. And besides, if I did run, that owl might eat me. Ever heard of Duo Lingo? Dude hunts dropouts."
He cracked open the can and took a sip. "Hmm. Blood orange. How appropriate."
-