《The School of Heartspell (Part 1)》


 Chapter 1: Off to Heartspell

    A MicroDragon''s tail swished against Jonas''s face as he stood in a packed ManaRail carriage. The little purple creature was maintaining elevation with its own anti-gravity spell, but out of habit perhaps, or just as a quirk of its own, it would occasionally flap its tiny wings and wriggle that short tail from side to side.


    Yes, you¡¯re cute, but one more slap of that tail against my face and -


    Jonas couldn¡¯t take it anymore. "Excuse me, can the owner of this MicroDragon get your flying pet outta my face for just a moment?" His voice cut through the chatter on the train and the occasional squeaking of its grooves against the rails.


    A puffy-faced man snorted in response, then stood up from his seat, displaying his purple-vested torso in all its corpulent glory. He trudged forward to the center of the carriage, taking slow, intimidating steps, and using his chubby hands, pushed aside the standing passengers who were in his way. With an eyebrow cocked, the man inspected the teenaged boy, who looked up at him without a shred of fear or anger, emotions that he was used to seeing. Instead, all that greeted him was a tired face, devoid of expression.


    To any on-looker, Jonas appeared average in every aspect; neither too tall nor too short, sporting short brown hair and black eyes. He was the typical teenager who would be standing in the corner and minding his own business, someone that most people would simply gloss over and completely miss. His shoulders were slightly slumped, betraying a lack of self-confidence that jarred a little with the daring complaint he just voiced.


    Just one look at Jonas sapped all the angry, confrontational energy out from the larger man. There was something about him that made one feel bad about starting an argument.


    "Summon, it''s a summon, not a pet," the man muttered irately under his breath, "these silly country bumpkins barely know a single imp''s butt about magic."


    Despite that, Jonas¡¯s complaint had real grounds to stand on. ManaRails prohibited summoned creatures from straying further than an arm¡¯s length from their summoner, and this MicroDragon was currently quite a distance away from its owner¡¯s seat.


    Sighing, the large, rotund man slapped a black control collar round the neck of that tiny creature, and squeezed back through the crowd to his seat, huffing and puffing with every step. The MicroDragon let loose a blue ring of smoke from its mouth in sulky protest before following its owner back, drooping tail and all.


    Jonas looked at the purple MicroDragon with a sense of sympathy that began to fade as quickly as it had formed. As much as he found summoned creatures intriguing and even adorable in the right contexts, his mind was fully preoccupied with his own challenges this morning. At the end of his abhorrently long train ride, he was to present himself at that renowned magic school for their open house reception. As an introvert, he was not looking forward to it at all.


    What was it called again? Some pretentious name like "HeartSpell" or something. I hope they don¡¯t make me play stupid icebreaker games with strangers that I barely know.


    It did not help that the air-conditioning was colder than what his nose could handle; the mage who was in charge of the refrigerant in the train probably overdid the frostiness. Jonas sniffed and tried to hold back his leaking nose.


    Worse still, the only ticket he managed to get was the cheapest one. This promised boarding, but not necessarily sitting. And on such a crowded ride, Jonas could only bemoan the fate of his knees as he waited for a passenger in his vicinity to alight. He already had plans for the optimal number of steps he needed to take to get to the various seats around him, should any of those passengers so much as indicate that they might be standing up.


    If he had a choice, Jonas would not be on this train.


    If he had a choice, he would not be studying magic.


    He had been thinking about it for the past few days - a boy who had never cast a spell his entire life, riding to the Capital Country and enrolling in one of the top magic schools in the region.


    A preposterous idea, isn¡¯t it?


    If he had a say in it, he would not have made such a preposterous decision.


    But his dad had been a victim of the Technomagic Revolution, and had not found a job for three years. So, his fate was sealed.


    Once I¡¯m done with this school, I can get a job anywhere. And my family will live a better life. I guess that¡¯s what it is. I guess that¡¯s my life now.


    Suddenly, as if fate itself was taking pity on him, the passenger who was right next to Jonas vacated his seat to get off at the next stop. Without hesitation, the boy took a single step, slid his way into the now-empty seat and rested his bum on the cushion. It was a smooth motion, exactly as how he had envisioned it in his mind, and he was proud of it.


    He allowed himself to smile. Just a small one ¨C right at the corner of his lips.


    As he looked around in satisfaction at his new cozy abode, a little red button at the side of the seat caught his eye.


    ¡°Summon the Service Faery,¡± read the sign plastered next to it. ¡°There¡¯s only one per carriage, so please be patient. Our dear Service Faery might be attending to other esteemed passengers as well! Brought to you by the ForwardMotion Company.¡±


    Jonas hovered his index finger over the button, pursed his lips, then pressed it. It was the first time he was on the ManaRail, and his curiosity got the better of him.


    In an instant, he spotted a tiny flying creature, no bigger than the size of his fist, bobbing up and down in midair towards him. It was smaller than the MicroDragon, and he squinted at it to make sure that he wasn¡¯t seeing things. As the faery fluttered closer, he could make out its form, and even got to scrutinize the miniature clothes that hung on its body.


    It looked androgynous and humanoid, with an oversized train conductor¡¯s cap on its head. The faery was self-conscious and would adjust it every few seconds, only for it to tip over again. Its blue and white uniform, in contrast, was very well-fitting, clinging to its lithe form in a manner that made it look smart and official.


    ¡°Hullo, I¡¯m the Service Faery for carriage number eight. I trust you¡¯ve been enjoying your ride on the ManaRail so far! How may I assist you today?¡±


    Jonas stared at it for a bit longer than he would dare to admit.


    The faery¡¯s voice cut through the silence. ¡°Yea, yea, I know what you¡¯re thinking. ¡®Her voice is way too loud for her size,¡¯ Hmf!¡± It pouted, placing one slender arm on its hips. Its prim and proper tone turned slightly petulant, catching Jonas off guard. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that the ForwardMotion Company also provides the VoiceAmplifier spell to all its Service Faeries on the ManaRail okay, we¡¯re not that cheapskate you know!¡±


    At the height of its self-confident posturing, the large conductor''s cap tipped forward awkwardly, covering all but the grimace on the faery''s mouth. Jonas tried his best to stifle a laugh. With its slim, elongated fingers, the faery adjusted the hat, cleared its throat, and returned to its professional sounding voice, "So dear esteemed passenger, how may I help you this splendid afternoon?"


    ¡°Ahem. Sorry. Uhm¡­ do you happen to have a map of the ManaRail line? I¡¯d just like to see how many more stops I have before my destination.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Ah yes, a very common request. Please give me a moment.¡± It reached behind its back into a tiny pocket, and pulled out a large screen that was easily ten times its size.


    Startled, Jonas put his hands out under the screen, anticipating that the faery would be unable to hold up the weight on its own. The faery batted away his hands with its tiny palm, a frustrated frown visible on its brows, and held up the entire screen with ease using just a single hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s a FloatingScreen. Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t seen one before?¡±


    Back when the Technomagic Revolution was sweeping over the country, it was one of the most ubiquitous products around. His family could not afford it though, so this was the first time for him to see one.


    The screen looked as sharp as some of the best tablet screens, but from the advertisements he¡¯d seen, it ran on mana rather than batteries, making it last much longer. And more importantly, it floated. Jonas had watched enviously as the other kids in his neighborhood operated on it with both hands like a laptop, not having to waste a hand clutching the screen.


    When I get a job after graduating from this stupid school, that¡¯s gonna be one of the first things I buy.


    The faery released its grip and let the tablet float conveniently in front of Jonas¡¯s face. It fluttered its wings a bit and began flitting back and forth, typing a few commands onto it. Soon enough, a map appeared.


    On it was the familiar geography of the Nostriva Federation, a map that all Nostrivan children past the age of seven knew by heart. Nostriva was a political bloc that consisted of seven countries. Each of those countries were very large, and the ForwardMotion Company had built the ManaRail transportation line to connect all seven countries together.


    Jonas hailed from Western Caschian, the west-most country in Nostriva. His eyes gravitated to the left-most section of the map, but struggled to find where exactly he was at. On the map, he saw numerous dots that represented train stations, and thin lines that diverged like veins into all seven countries.


    ¡°I guess you only need to see the Nostriva Grand Line.¡± The faery tapped on the screen, and most of the dots and lines disappeared, leaving only a single thick line, dotted by numerous stations, that connected all seven countries.


    There was a flashing red dot that marked the upcoming station. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m already at Eastern Caschian,¡± said Jonas. That was the country just neighboring his own.


    The faery, who had been discretely looked up Jonas¡¯s destination through the digital ticketing system, said ¡°Traveling to the Capital Country, eh? Seems like you have a long way to go, dear esteemed passenger. Astriva is still thirty-seven stops and three whole countries away.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! How did you know I was headed to Astriva?¡±


    ¡°We faeries have our ways.¡± It refused to divulge that the technomagical ticketing system made that information just a quick SpellSearch away.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a long train ride. Say, do you happen to have any food on the train?¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯ve got to bring your own. What do you take us for, a charity?¡± Its voice turned petulant again.


    The faery squeezed the FloatingScreen back into what Jonas suspected was a dimension-altering back pocket, and fluttered away, attending to yet another passenger¡¯s call at the other side of the carriage.


    Ah shoot, there goes my chance of getting a snack.


    Jonas had been standing for the past six hours, so when he sat down earlier, his knees creaked, and his aching muscles turned to jelly. With over thirty stops to go, he surmised that the train ride would take at least another fifteen hours. Once again, he marveled at the odds of getting a seat on such a crowded carriage, and then heaved a huge sigh as he gave in to his exhaustion.


    You can rest now, my dear, dear, pair of legs¡­


    In a second, he dozed off.


    ManaRails were very sturdy forms of transportation, but just after he fell asleep, the carriage that he was in suddenly rocked from side to side. It wasn¡¯t a large disruption, and most passengers wrote it off as a small technical fault. Still, it caused many to turn their heads toward the small side windows that lined the walls of the carriage. But none of them could spot what caused the impact, and in time, it was forgotten.


    Whatever that shook the train did not shake it enough to rouse the exhausted Jonas, and so he continued sleeping blissfully, unaware of what was going on outside.


    ~-------*-------~


    How did it turn to this?


    It was supposed to be a simple raid-and-run operation on one of the factories at the outskirts of the city, but instead, they found themselves being chased all the way to this open field. A field that had a ManaRail line running through it.


    The Coalesce was an organization that strove for two things. One was to stand up against the spread of technomagicry in the Nostriva Federation. The second was to always be on the side of the people.


    If the fighting got too close to the ManaRail, where innocent working-class people commuted with on a daily basis, the High Lord would have his head on the chopping block.


    But he had to do this. That pesky Peacekeeper was on his heels, and the rest of his team was too inexperienced to escape safely. As the team leader for this operation, he needed to pull off this high-risk maneuver to distract the damn Peacekeeper and let his team survive.


    Dotting the field were tower-like structures that held up elevated train tracks, where the ManaRail was slated to pass over. The elevation supposedly provided a more scenic view for passengers, especially over such a wide, green field.


    Heck, if I threatened to collapse one of these towers, will the Peacemaker turn his attention to me? He tightened his grip on his staff. But my magic just isn¡¯t strong enough to make a dent in these sturdy towers, and I bet he knows that.


    Despite the odds, he had to try anyway. Gritting his teeth, he steered his gryphon toward the rails. With a fierce cry, the creature spread its wings and swooped towards the metallic structure. He gestured for his team to escape in the opposite direction.


    Now, to pray for a miracle¡­


    The whistling sound of an oncoming ManaRail was like music to his ears.


    ¡°There! Hundreds of civilians on a flimsy little train. I¡¯m sure you know what you need to do,¡± he jeered at the Peacekeeper, blasting a bolt of ice at the rapidly pursuing mage. His taunting caused his target to turn toward him, letting the rest of his team slip away.


    The Peacekeeper was riding on what looked like a sleek flying board, his leather boots strapped onto the silver oval. The board had a jet at the back, and right now, it was firing at full blast, propelling the Peacekeeper closer and closer toward the Coalesce insurgent.


    Damn. The FlightSurfer is fast.


    He fired off more bolts of ice at his pursuer, hoping to throw the Peacekeeper off the FlightSurfer. But despite the powerful, unidirectional jet of flame, the board was able to pitch quickly from side to side, allowing the Peacekeeper to easily dodge the attacks.


    ¡°Disgusting technomagicry,¡± spat the insurgent, who guessed that the Peacemaker¡¯s FlightSurfer was not solely powered by fuel, but also flight magic, which explained its unearthly aerial dexterity.


    His gryphon was now under the train, and he pointed his staff at the train tracks in a threatening manner. From the corner of his eye, he could see his team riding off on their summoned land mounts, scattering into the urban zone far in the distance.


    Just a bit more of this farce and I¡¯ll make a run for it too.


    ¡°Move away from the train,¡± ordered the Peacekeeper in a firm voice. The man was dressed in full gear, from the armored vest to the solid helmet that kept his eyes hidden by a visor. He looked intimidating, but from their earlier scuffle at the factory, the Coalesce insurgent knew better.


    Heh. This guy doesn¡¯t do emotion-based casting; he ain¡¯t one of the higher tier Peacekeepers. I can hold him here.


    One was on a gryphon, whose wings swooshed in a rhythmic manner to keep itself midair, while the other activated the auto-hover function on his FlightSurfer to remain stationary. Their stand-off only lasted for five seconds.


    It was the Peacekeeper who moved first, dangling his trinket in midair while muttering a chant.


    Damn, you¡¯re not thinking of actually casting a spell here are you?!


    Since it wasn¡¯t emotion-based casting, the spell took a while to cast, and the Coalesce insurgent took that chance to blast more ice bolts at the Peacekeeper. But the chanting mage would not stay still in mid-air. Without breaking his chant, his fingers twitched to form specific hand seals, causing the FlightSurfer move and dodge the incoming shots.


    A multiple medium caster huh. Sucks that he can move his FlightSurfer while casting another spell. I guess he¡¯s not that bad after all.


    After the Peacekeeper finished the last line of his chant, a slab of earth materialized in front of the trinket, and shot forth at the gryphon at a high speed. It wasn¡¯t lethal, but given its mass and speed, a solid hit would incapacitate the creature for sure.


    The insurgent pulled on one side of the gryphon¡¯s harness, and banked to the right, barely dodging the shot. He spat out some of the soil that crumbled off as the projectile flew past his head.


    Oh shit.


    He survived the attack, but his dodge meant that the slab of earth would continue on in its path and hit whatever was behind him ¨C the train.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± shouted the insurgent, ¡°I thought ¡®not endangering civilians¡¯ should be part of the ¡®peacekeeping¡¯ package!¡±


    Eyeing the impacted carriage, he saw it wobble a bit, but unlike what he expected, it quickly righted itself and the train barely took any damage.


    ¡°You think I didn¡¯t take that into calculation?¡± the Peacekeeper retorted back. ¡°I held back on the ¡®Mass¡¯ perimeter of that spell so the train wouldn¡¯t be in danger even if it missed. Not that you¡¯d understand the complex spell engineering involved - you¡¯re just an upstart terrorist!¡±


    At the corner of his eye, the Coalesce team leader saw that all his teammates were already out of view. He whistled at his gryphon who took the cue and dashed off toward the urban zone.


    Yeah, keep yapping while I make my exit. One man¡¯s terrorist is another man¡¯s freedom fighter, you government dog.

 Chapter 2: A Tiered World

    The sound of a long, drawn-out fart woke him up.


    Jonas frowned, closed his eyes, and tried to get back to sleep.


    But now the smell of a long, drawn-out fart made it impossible for him to return to his cozy dreamland.


    ¡°What the-?¡± he said, as the foul odor got worse all of a sudden, and he straightened out his slumped body with a jolt.


    A group of boys were laughing their heads off at Jonas, who had the most pitiable look of confusion on his face.


    I didn¡¯t eat any beans, did I?


    His stomach growled in hunger.


    No, I did not.


    ¡°Fancy seeing you here, Jonas Palit,¡± said the boy with the sly smile on his face. He said Jonas¡¯s name like it was a dirty word, and was constantly fiddling with a skull ring on his middle finger.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t his dad the engineer who can¡¯t find a job anymore?¡± said one of the other boys at the back.


    ¡°Oh yea, I heard they been at the dole for three whole damn years. What losers!¡±


    ¡°I heard they were gonna be kicked out of their house!¡± another one guffawed.


    ¡°So,¡± said the boy with the skull ring, his face so intimidatingly close that Jonas could smell his cigarette breath over the odor of the flatulence. ¡°What brings you on this train - you heading to Jian Sha in the east? Trying to run away from your troubles like the coward that you are?¡±


    ¡°As-astriva, the Capital Country,¡± choked Jonas, who was fanning away the bad air from his vicinity. He could barely place names to most of those faces ¨C to him, bullies were mostly non-descript in that manner. But he could recognize the skull ring boy as one of the neighborhood bullies from his hometown in Western Caschian. It was quite the coincidence that they were also on this train, let alone this carriage. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the School of Heartspell.¡±


    ¡°The School of Heartspell?¡± The boy with the skull ring looked at the others with a face of mock confusion. ¡°You gotta be joshing me. Hey, get this ¨C a boy with no magic genes in his entire damn family tree is going to the School of Heartspell!¡± They hooted in laughter, slapping their knees.


    Jonas¡¯s throat went dry, and for a moment he felt like he couldn¡¯t breathe.


    They¡¯re right. It is the biggest joke of the century.


    What was he, of all people, doing at the best magic school in Nostriva? He, who had not cast a single spell his entire life? The mocking was bad, but it hurt more that he actually agreed with them.


    ¡°Hey!¡± shouted a man¡¯s voice from the back of the carriage. ¡®Stop bullying him!¡± The man strode over firmly. ¡°Were you hooligans responsible for the smell?¡±


    The boy with the skull ring motioned for the group to leave. One of the boys was sprawled on the ground and looked exhausted.


    ¡°You idiot!¡± He twisted the ring around his middle finger anxiously, and continued to hiss at the exhausted boy. ¡°Did you really use up all your mana on that fart spell? Frigging useless you are!¡± He grabbed the boy¡¯s hand and pulled him up.


    And then he turned to Jonas. ¡°We¡¯re heading to an actual magic school now, Palit trash. Have fun being homeless!¡± leered the bully one last time before flipping his skull-adorned finger at the boy.


    Jonas watched as the lot of them moved over to the next carriage. Indeed, the train was much emptier now; he must have slept for quite a few hours earlier.


    ¡°Hi,¡± said the man who stood up for him. ¡°I apologize on behalf of all D Tier mages. I happen to have a spell that¡¯ll help freshen up the air, give me a moment as I get it ready.¡±


    The man took out a scroll and began drawing a magic circle on it with an inked paintbrush. It took a while.


    ¡°Good heavens. Useless D Tier mages,¡± muttered a lady nearby, who whipped a perfume bottle out of her purse and sprayed a few shots into the air. ¡°There. Fixed.¡±


    Jonas caught sight of a number of passengers who were sneering at the man, as if that D Tier mage was at fault for them being on the train in the first place, as if it was his fault for them needing to have longer commutes because they lost their job in their hometown to a mage. And this fellow was just a two-bit hack of a mage at that, outplayed by a perfume bottle.


    The man looked around sheepishly, and folded up his scroll, nodding at Jonas with an ashamed face, before returning to his seat.


    That¡¯s the thing about D Tier mages. They¡¯re neither here nor there.


    As far as Jonas could remember, mages had been graded based on their magic potential, that is, their ability to generate and use mana. The grading was done in Tiers, and most mages sat comfortably between D to A. On occasion, there would be really good ones who were given the coveted S Tier.


    After the Technomagic Revolution, mages were needed in industries everywhere, and became the backbone of the economy. Their mage Tier was no longer just a letter that they could flaunt within their inner circles, it was now a signal of social value and a predictor of economic contribution. One could get an interview in some of the most prestigious companies just by getting graded as an A tier mage by a reputable magic institution.


    Mages who were C Tier and above tended to be paid well enough to have their own private transport, like ManaCars, ManaScooters, and the like. Reaching the A Tier really changed things ¨C these mages had enough mana to power their own private aerial transport. The really old-fashioned ones still rode on brooms, although, with a license, they could be riding on literally anything else.


    And then there were the D Tier mages. They are more efficient than most who were not magically gifted, but still not talented enough to justify a higher wage. Most of them would have to save for years just to afford private transportation of the cheapest class.


    So, if there were mages on the ManaRail, they would most likely be D Tier mages. Even those bullies back there.


    And I¡¯m supposedly S Tier.


    ~-------*-------~


    There was no one in the Palit family who was born with magical affinity, and it had been this way for every newborn Palit for as far as any living descendent could remember. Despite that, or maybe because of that, they had always been excellent engineers.


    Jenson Palit, Jonas¡¯s dad, was someone who worked best behind the scenes, and was known as a master of designing complex circuit boards for high tech manufacturing equipment. It was difficult for most people to appreciate his expertise unless one was in the industry ¨C there were too many contributions that he had made to the craft that only skilled technicians could understand and appreciate.


    On the other hand, his older brother, dedicated himself to splendorous works that his country men could easily behold ¨C sprawling suspension bridges that connected the outer islands of Western Caschian to the mainland, large statues dedicated to the popular gods from Rivosh, and on occasion, even aerial platforms on which mages would perform large-scale testing of their more destructive spells. One worked on the interiors, and the other, the exterior. But both were highly skilled.


    It was three years ago, at the elder Palit¡¯s large country house, and the adults were having a hearty chat over a sumptuous dessert of bread pudding and alcohol, their boisterous conversation plastering over the fact that this was the last day of the winter holidays, meaning that for the lot of them, it was back to the drudgery of work tomorrow.


    Jonas¡¯s dad was talking shop with his older brother, comparing their latest engineering exploits with each other while downing pints of aged malt beer. They were perhaps the only two who couldn¡¯t wait to get back to work the next day, and they proudly explained their grandest projects to anyone who cared to ask.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    As such, the dining table was no longer a place that interested anyone under the age of twenty; Jonas and his sister, Janelle, joined the stream of younger Palits who discretely excused themselves from the ¡®boring grown-up table¡¯ and found themselves wandering into his cousin¡¯s study room.


    Rowan, their cousin, was ten years older than Jonas, and he was a history researcher at Western Caschian¡¯s only university. His study room was furnished with oak, and it smelled like books.


    For every family gathering, it had almost become a tradition for Jonas and his sister to poke their heads into this particular hideout. There, Rowan would tell them long and elaborate stories ¨C only that they weren¡¯t stories. They were actual history.


    In time, he learned that the Nostriva Federation was not the only political bloc in this world. There were three others, and the strongest one among them all was the Pendulus Alliance. There was also Rivosh, where most of the world¡¯s religions come from. And Vxtraei, whose people were obsessed with new discoveries and technomagic experiments. These four ¡®Blocs¡¯ pretty much encompassed most of the world.


    Jonas did not really care so much about history, geography or politics, but he enjoyed seeing his cousin so animatedly talk about the subject that seemed to transform that otherwise studious-looking man into an unparalleled orator.


    A fire in his eyes would light up behind those thick-rimmed glasses, and his hands ¨C which to Jonas, always looked a tad bit larger than it should, especially when attached to those long, thin arms ¨C began to take on a life of its own, splaying out here, pinching and pointing there. Rowan was a tall man, and Jonas would often recline on the conveniently-placed beanbag in the room as he listened to his cousin¡¯s lectures.


    Janelle, who was five years younger than her older brother, would often wander off midway to play with some of the curious magical artifacts that Rowan had collected from his journeys around Nostriva. As a history researcher from Western Caschian¡¯s only university, he travelled a lot and had accumulated a number of curiosities.


    For the past few family gatherings or so, Janelle¡¯s favourite one seemed to be the Sentient Dumpling, a rare, mana-filled creature that resembled a local delicacy enjoyed by the peoples of Jian Sha, one of the eastern countries in the Nostriva Federation.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good boy aren¡¯t you!¡± she would coo at it, pinching its mana-filled cheeks. The creature had no face, but it would levitate in mid-air and rub its soft, dough-like underbelly against her knees. She would then laugh and stroke the sensitive frills along the entire top of its body. In response, it would quiver and make a warbling sound. ¡°That¡¯s right, you cute lil¡¯ dumpling!¡±


    At the present moment, Rowan was working on a report right before his two younger cousins came ambling in. His long fingers flew quickly across the laptop¡¯s keyboards with a clickity-clackity cadence that would normally turn any unsuspecting visitor away. But on seeing his favourite cousin¡¯s face at the door, the young man paused in his work, stood up and greeted Jonas with a tight hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a whole year, hasn¡¯t it!¡± he said to Jonas. Then, like a towering giant, bent down to lift the nine-year-old Janelle up, eliciting delightful squeals, before setting her down again. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she made a beeline to her favourite magical dumpling, reiterating yet another version of their greeting ritual. The Sentient Dumpling warbled in delight, shedding a few specks of flour on the carpet.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while now! Did you pick up any cool technomagical inventions from Eastern Caschian?¡± asked Jonas. ¡°I heard it was all the rage in our neighboring country! Especially the latest FloatingScreens - you can watch movies on it while riding the ManaRail and its mana batteries will last for the whole ride. I can¡¯t wait to see it!¡±


    There was a bit of silence.


    ¡°Hey. You know my stance on technomagicry, Jonas. I think if I can, I¡¯d rather hold off on being a technomagic adopter until I really have to,¡± he sighed and strode slowly back to the desk, his long legs making it quick work, despite his unhurried motions.


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯re still not into it? I mean, I¡¯ve heard the rumors. Seems like Western Caschian¡¯s finally moving on with the times and letting in the latest technomagicry¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve read the news Jonas.¡± Rowan looked at Jonas in the eye, his face looking more serious by the second, ¡°But do you know what they call Nostriva?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®Novice Bloc¡¯. But isn¡¯t that what everyone calls us by now? Even my teacher called Nostriva the ¡®Novice Bloc¡¯ just the other day, ha!¡±


    ¡°The ¡®Novice Bloc¡¯!¡± The words rolled off Rowan¡¯s tongue like a curse. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that infuriate you at all?¡± His face began to turn red, and Jonas tried to stifle a chuckle. Rowan was about to go into one of his humorously rage-fueled rants again.


    ¡°The Pendulus Alliance ¨C the glorious Power Bloc,¡± he said with his large fingers supplying the air quotes and his voice dripping with sarcasm, ¡°so graciously extending their hand to us, the ¡®Novice Bloc¡¯ and infusing technomagicry into our economy¡­ if you knew what I knew, you wouldn¡¯t be celebrating! If you knew how they used the sorry excuse of technomagicry to control us, to exert their political influence!¡±


    He paused a bit before continuing with the same fervor, wagging a finger in the air. ¡°Oh, they know how easy it is for entire populations to get addicted to what they offer; they know how easy it is to corrupt those in power, to make them say yes to personal gains in exchange for an entire country¡¯s freedom. They know it and they abuse it! If only we had a way to fight back, to make our voices heard!¡±


    Rowan suddenly stopped short mid-rant, and his eyes lost its characteristic fire, leaving a defeated look on his face. ¡°But we don¡¯t. But we can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    He reached for a glass of water, taking a sip before finally saying, ¡°From what I¡¯ve learned on my trip to Eastern Caschian¡¯s university last month, I think it¡¯s going to be inevitable here soon.¡±


    His cousin¡¯s prediction came to pass in the next few months.


    With no concern for what hopes and dreams its people had originally embraced, the Pendulus Alliance opened the floodgates of technomagical modernization in Western Caschian, and just like the six other countries of the Nostriva Federation that came before them, Jonas¡¯s country was irreversibly changed.


    Talented and skillful immigrant mages flooded in from the deregulated borders that no longer held them at bay. Having seen the early movers to the other Nostrivan countries find success, many wanted to try their luck in the last of the seven countries to open up. They began to take advantage of the developmental lag in Western Caschian, setting up shop wherever they could, converting traditional industries into technomagical ones.


    Pendulus, being in control of the entire modernizing operation, had the most influence over the country''s cultural transformation, and it was not long before ¡®Technomagic¡¯ became the next buzzword. Conventional technicians and craftsmen waved goodbye to their jobs, and high-minded, finger-splaying wizards took their place.


    Jonas¡¯s dad was one of the casualties, and his family inevitably fell among the throngs of displaced households, thrown into disarray by the Technomagic Revolution. And so, the dark days began.


    When Jenson Palit got sick of being seen at the dole day after day, Jonas and his sister took turns at the queue, picking up government spare change that was parceled out to the households of displaced workers as part of the political arrangement between the Power Bloc and the Novice Bloc. The Pendulus Alliance, being the political powerhouse for the past century, knew how to pacify an economically displaced population; it was a skill they had refined and honed through decades of subtle manipulation and control. As such, despite their circumstances, the Palit family never had to starve a single day.


    But Jenson Palit was a traditional, bring-home-the-bacon man, and could not stand the grind of job rejection after job rejection. So, his family had to bear the brunt of his bad moods.


    There were days when metal lids and pans flew straight out of the kitchen during parental feuds. On other days, Jonas and his sister Janelle would come home from school only to find their stock of rationed food completely consumed - an irritable Mr. Palit would be at the table, complaining about how a grown man needs to be paid more for "runnin'' around all day and gettin'' no potatoes for it".


    For almost three years, Jonas felt as if the joyful times from his childhood had been completely eclipsed by all the upsets in his family. He stepped into his teenage years with a bleak, grim fog that clouded his mind and darkened his expectations of the future.


    Then, out of the blue, the Palit household received a letter from one of the top magic schools in all of Nostriva. ¡°Mr. Palit,¡± it began, ¡°your son, Jonas, has been scried for having exceptional magical capabilities. We invite him to take up a scholarship at the School of HeartSpell ¨C ¡°and it was here where Jenson Palit stopped reading, fell on his knees, and gave a cry of thanks to one of the imported gods from Rivosh.


    ¡°I knew my son had a special sumthin¡¯! I knew I didn¡¯t work hard for n¡¯thin!¡± He thumped his son¡¯s back, to the tsking disapproval of Mrs. Palit, who, with a face full of doubt, looked quite sure that her son¡¯s magical talent and her husband''s allegedly impeccable work ethic had nothing to do with each other.


    In fact, there was no known explanation as to how Jonas qualified for the School of Heartspell, a school renown for only accepting S Tier mages. For as far as the Palits could remember, there had been no mages in the family tree.


    ~-------*-------~


    ¡°Mana mana mana, putting mana in your rails!¡± sang the Service Faery.


    It was a ManaRail advertisement in a ManaRail, and it interrupted Jonas¡¯s thoughts.


    That¡¯s right, I was napping before I was disturbed by those bullies. Gotta check where I¡¯m at now.


    He stabbed the button that called for the Service Faery, but the tiny flying creature was busy serving another ¡®esteemed passenger¡¯. With a grunt, he strained his neck to search for a clock. There it was, hanging right at the back of the carriage.


    What? It¡¯s already been fifteen hours?


    The stress of moving to Astriva had been gnawing on him over the past week, and he could not get any sleep. That, coupled with the six hours of standing earlier, was enough to send him into the deepest slumber when he had the chance to finally rest.


    Another strange smell distracted him from his concerns - overwhelmingly pungent, but sweet, like rotting fruit. At least it wasn¡¯t flatulence this time.


    "Oh, the mango pie smells bad! That incompetent mage. I told him to make the preservation last more than ten hours. Now we''ve got to go hungry for the rest of the ride,¡± said the elderly woman who was seating just across the aisle.


    "Well, you did ask for a discounted spell,¡± replied her husband. ¡°Can''t expect too much from it! But it''s okay sweetie - I brought some extra munchies that we can share."


    His belly rumbled at the thought of food, but he had more urgent matters on his mind. Rubbing his clammy hands against his shirt, he gathered the courage to ask the elderly couple about the train''s current location.


    "Heartspell? Honey, this young boy is on his way to HeartSpell!" said the wrinkled woman.


    "A talented one, huh! An anxious young lad too, by the looks of it,¡± the old man chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to be worrying now, the school''s just up ahead, you didn¡¯t miss your stop. Oh, you¡¯re such a blessed young one to be studying magic. Back in my day¡­"


    Jonas thanked them and sunk back down into his seat to avoid getting assailed by stories from the ¡®good ol¡¯ days¡¯. An itchy discomfort bubbled up in his chest. He could not tell if it was a mild anxiety, or excitement. He was about to step foot into the top magic school in all of Nostriva, after all.


    ¡°The School of Heartspell¡­¡± he muttered the words softly and slowly, letting them roll off his tongue. ¡°I wonder what awaits me there?¡±

 Chapter 3: Hes On His Way

    At a secluded branch that was dimensionally separated from the rest of the school¡¯s administrative building, a bespectacled lady clad in a slim-fitting office dress received an audio-visual report, mana-transmitted to a screen right before her eyes. She took note of the display for a short moment, before standing up, leaving her room, and making her way to the principal¡¯s office just next door.


    The huge double oak doors swung open automatically, in tandem with her striding entry, and her clacking heels were silenced as they passed from marble to carpet. Clutching a clipboard in one arm and holding a wand-pen in the other, she spoke.


    "He''s on his way, I hear."


    The man behind the desk was seated on a revolving chair that was currently facing away - a tuft of messy brown hair was all his secretary could see from where she was standing. Without turning around, he replied, "That''s fantastic news, Maya. Make sure all the instructors and exhibit managers are ready for a bit of show and tell. I¡¯m pulling out all the stops. Tell them that I¡¯m tripling the mana budget, and that even restricted spells can be used.  For starters, we''re going to flood the school in some time suspension magic to give our promising new Candidate as much time as he wants to see how great and grand and absolutely irresistible Heartspell is!"


    "All that for just an S Tier talent?"


    It was a legitimate question. The School of Heartspell was elite enough to accept only S Tier talents. In fact, the entire student population comprised solely of S Tiers.


    So - why pull out all the stops now? Pursing her lips, she balked at the thought of all the tedious accounting tricks that she would have to pull to balance the mana budget after today¡¯s event.


    The messy brown tuft wriggled a bit at the top of the leathery black chair. "Just an S Tier talent?"


    A creak.


    The chair revolved around, slowly.


    "Maya, Maya, Maya. Tsk tsk tsk. Oh my dear, dear, Maya. He''s not just an S Tier talent," said the man with a tone steeped strongly in disapproval, and whose ridiculous outfit was now in full view of his stiff-lipped secretary, "he is - how should I put this - a fish in a... no that''s not quite right. A tree with a - no that''s not quite right either. Hmm."


    And the room was covered with a sheet of silence again, before it was punctured with: "Ah yes! I got it! He is like a special seed among many, scattered by the cosmic sower. And among all the seeds in the cosmic sower''s fat cosmic basket, there is only one like this. Now, that seed has quite magically landed in this school ¨C an extremely fortunate event I must say - so we will, as sure as mana courses through our veins, make sure to fish him up right from the lake, get him warmed up and sizzling on all of our special courses, and I say, before the time suspension magic''s up, we''ll be..."


    Maya cocked an eyebrow. Her ears began to tune out whatever vocal perambulation he was up to again. To be honest, she was quite unsure if what unsettled her was that horrendously liberal application of mixed metaphors, or that jarringly informal shirt that the school director was barely draped in - two buttons off, revealing fuzzy chest hair, with yellow and pink flower motifs printed on the fabric all the way down - it was clearly something he snagged off one of the holiday beaches in Pendulus last summer.


    She gave a sigh of capitulation.


    Despite his casual appearance and penchant for long-winded, barely coherent speech, the man was a skilful director who brought the school from the pits of academic-mediocrity to the heights of fame. Thanks to his efforts, The School of Heartspell was the top magic school in all of the Nostriva Federation, and during the recent rankings, it was reported to be comparable with even the top five from the Pendulus Alliance itself.


    Who knew that teaching emotion-based casting was the route to take? And his performance in the annual rankings speak for themself - no one can surpass him in skill and power when it comes to wielding such raw, dangerous power.


    Maya gave a half-smile, all the irritation turning into mild amusement.


    Strange characteristics in great people. Expected.


    "...which is why all the principals need to be wearing one of these HeartSpell bunny caps." He pointed casually to a pair of over-sized, hand-sewn grey flaps. "Capiche?"


    -wha... what? How did the rambling turn to this! No one will take the school seriously. He can''t possibly-


    "I''m just kidding. You were totally tuning me out again, weren''t you."


    She blushed a bit and straightened her spectacles - caught.


    "Hmf. Task-oriented women. No appreciation for the arts. Get the Administrator to prep the time suspension spell, and make sure the exhibition teams are ready for all the other S Tier intakes! Go, go, go! Be snappy!"


    A creak.


    The chair revolved back, slowly.


    Was that a tone of dejection in his voice? Eh, he''d recover in a second.


    She motioned the pen wand to create a few marks on the clipboard as she strode outwards, the double oak doors swinging open in magical recognition of her movements. Soon enough, muffled heels turned to clacking.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ~-------*-------~


    ¡°I hear he¡¯s on his way.¡± The voice booming from the Arch Lord of the Coalesce was firm and authoritative. In the Sacred Sanctum, the acoustics of its spherical architecture further amplified his words.


    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± came the chorus of replies from the High Lords who knelt in two concentric circles around his throne. All forty-eight of them were dressed in the same blue robe with stars adorning its length. So long as they were in the Arch Lord¡¯s presence, they kept their heads hooded, and looked down in reverence as they knelt.


    The throne that he sat on was terrifying, carved of ivory and fashioned into sharp blades at every outward-pointing edge. It was made by an ivory smith who resided in Western Caschian, and he was one of the last who worked at that craft.


    No technomagicry was permitted in its construction, for the order came from the Arch Lord himself. ¡°Either use pure magic, or hard tools,¡± was the aphorism that every underground craftsman knew when it came to handling assignments from the Coalesce. The smith chose the latter, and gained the Arch Lord¡¯s favour for having taken the harder path.


    He had been, to be honest, tempted to enlist the help of a few technomagical tools during some of the toughest phases of its construction, but he knew that the stench of technomagicry would be picked up immediately by the Arch Lord¡¯s personal Quality Control team. And the punishment was death. Technomagicry, after all, was looked on by the Coalesce as a sign of Pendulus¡¯s corruption and oppression; it was everything they fought against.


    Thanks to his restraint, he was rewarded handsomely, and now was working on custom-made ivory mediums ¨C be it staves, wands, or trinkets ¨C that the higher ranking Coalesce members would occasionally commission him to craft.


    The Arch Lord smiled as he recalled the reliable work from that humble ivory smith. But gone were the days where craftsmen either impressed their patrons with works of pure magic or pure mechanics.


    Dirty Pendulus technomagicry is everywhere now, ruining the beauty of Nostriva!


    He gritted his teeth, and gripped hard at the side of his throne until his knuckles hurt.


    I will channel this rage to free Nostriva of our shackles.


    Pointing to one of the kneeling men, he said, ¡°High Lord Arturius, your espionage team ranks at the top of the Coalesce. Send two of your best-trained SpyMages to watch that boy¡¯s growth. We will pick at the fruit when it is ripe.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± came the reply from a man whose head was still respectfully bowed.


    ¡°High Lord Xavier,¡± said the Arch Lord, nodding at another man. ¡°How is your infiltration work at Astriva going?¡±


    ¡°All is as planned, my lord,¡± replied High Lord Xavier. ¡°We have sleeper agents ready to strike at a moment¡¯s notice. They are adapting to the Capital Country well, and none of them have been caught so far.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± commended the Arch Lord.


    ¡°High Lord Chandra.¡± The Arch Lord¡¯s voice turned acrimonious. ¡°How about you? I have not heard a single positive report from you over the past few months. You had better have something to show today, or you can look forward to your early retirement.¡±


    The High Lord¡¯s face twitched nervously.


    ¡°My lord ¡­¡± he began, apprehensively. ¡°As you already know, the Incitement Team faces the greatest risks. We are attacking all the key technomagical industrial sites in Nostriva that are important to Pendulus¡¯s foothold in the region. There¡¯s no way we can escape unscathed. The Peacekeepers are too strong and coordinated ¨C ¡°


    ¡°You and your foolish excuses!¡±


    The Arch Lord stood up for the first time all day, raised his hand toward the shivering man, and channelled mana into a powerful spell. A vine protruded from the ceiling, growing in size and speed as it rushed toward the kneeling form of High Lord Chandra, then slapped him with a blow strong enough to send his entire body careening into the walls of the Sacred Sanctum. Like a python, it wound itself around his body, and carried him all the way to the Arch Lord¡¯s throne.


    ¡°My lord! I have yet to finish the report!¡± shouted the High Lord, who was suspended in midair by the vine, dangling before the ivory throne. ¡°Yes, we have lost three entire teams to the Peacekeepers, but our operations have been on the whole, successful. More and more disgruntled Nostrivans are seeing that it is possible to strike back at Pendulus, and we are recruiting more than we have lost.¡±


    With a dismissive wave, the Arch Lord sat back down on his throne, and commanded his ArchVine to deliver the quaking Chandra back to his allotted position in the circle of kneeling High Lords. The summoned vine obediently placed him down, then curled back up into the ceiling, disappearing from view entirely.


    While he was not one to rush to violence when there were other options on the table, the Arch Lord knew that he could not be soft with High Lord Chandra. There were Coalesce lives at stake.


    Assaulting key industrial sites was the most obvious method to hurt Pendulus¡¯s economic ambitions in Nostriva, so it was a given that these sites would always be heavily fortified. One careless order to the Incitement Team would send dozens of recruits to their death. If a vine whip would make Chandra take things more seriously, the Arch Lord would gladly lay it on him thick.


    And granted, it was difficult to manage operations across all seven countries in great Nostriva, but last month alone, eight whole teams were lost this way. It was almost a hundred coalesce recruits, all in all.


    ¡°The month is almost over, and you have lost only three teams. Is that something you should be so proud to report?¡± sneered the Arch Lord.


    The High Lord gulped and shook his head.


    ¡°What have I always told you!¡± roared the Arch Lord, his voice bouncing off the rounded walls of the sanctum.


    ¡°A life is a still a life,¡± croaked Chandra.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± said the Arch Lord, his voice now terrifyingly calm. ¡°I will pardon you, High Lord Chandra, not because of the growing recruitments, but because we are finally seeing a reduction in the number of lives that have squandered. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°¡­yes, my lord,¡± came the intimidated man¡¯s squeal. He knew that he was let off easy this time.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    ¡°Yes! My lord!¡±


    ¡°Be sure to improve on your tactical decision making,¡± commanded the Arch Lord. ¡°High Lord Janus and High Lord Genevieve, continue to assist him in these matters. It appears that both your contributions have seen results.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± came their combined reply.


    With that, the meeting ended. The forty-eight men and women from the inner circle of the Coalesce cast the ShadowDissolution spell simultaneously. Their physical forms shimmered, turning into a dark substance. Seconds later, the shadows themselves disappeared, as if they were never there.


    High Lord Arturius re-appeared in his office, his ceremonial robe already dematerialized, revealing his regular corporate attire underneath. He picked up the phone and made a call to his Coalesce lieutenants.


    When he wasn¡¯t acting as the ¡®Spy Lord¡¯ of the Coalesce, he worked as upper management in one of the most established banks of Nostriva. With his authority, it wasn¡¯t difficult to install private lines of communication in his office, from which he commanded the Coalesce¡¯s sprawling espionage activities.


    As instructed by the Arch Lord himself in the earlier meeting, he picked out two trustworthy SpyMages, and commanded them to head to Astriva. ¡°Report immediately if there are any signs of unanticipated growth. The Arch Lord wants to have the boy serve our cause when his powers have matured.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my liege,¡± was their response, crackling through the scrambled line that prevented the Peacekeepers from spying on them.


    If all goes well, thought Arturius to himself, as he swirled a glass of aged whisky in a small, crystal glass, letting its scent fill his nostrils, the boy will be the one to throw off the shackles that Pendulus has placed on Nostriva.


    He took a sip of the liquor.


    For the Arch Lord, and for our freedom!

 Chapter 4: Welcome to Heartspell!

    WITH GREAT EXPECTATIONS, Jonas turned the corner, and strode up with a slight skip in his step to the entrance of the School of Heartspell.


    On his way there, his sullen moping about his suitability for magic school got too much for even him, and so he elected to diligently distract himself from all the doubts by fantasizing about how wonderful and majestic the top magic school in Nostriva would be.


    It¡¯ll be out-of-this world! I¡¯m sure they can¡¯t help but show off all their really cool magic up front. Maybe there¡¯ll be lightning bolts along the parameter, and a flying wyvern or two¡­


    And indeed, when he arrived, it defied his imaginations.


    Only, in all the wrong ways.


    A boring, black, pair of cast-iron gates stood at the front of the school building, and at the top of that building, an ordinary rectangle with black borders encapsulated an unimaginatively white background that was printed on by font that was the exact same shade of black as everything else that was black. The words on that sign almost all-too squarishly declared: "The School of Heartspell". The rest of the school building, for as far as he could see, shared the same aesthetic.


    I can¡¯t have stood on the ManaRail for six whole hours just for this¡­


    But he wasn''t complaining. At least not any more than that. After three years of queuing at the dole, surviving on terrible food, and enduring his parents¡¯ petty squabbles, getting a ticket to be enrolled in this elite school was already much more than what he expected was his lot in life.


    "Looks terribly underwhelming doesn''t it!" chimed a voice from behind him. Startled, he turned around to see a bubbly, young lady with a friendly smile on her face.


    Was I really that easy to read?


    She was small with a round and stout stature ¨C no taller than Janelle, his now twelve-year-old sister - but her sharp eyes made her seem much older than her size.


    If she¡¯s here for the reception, she¡¯s probably seventeen - around my age. But something about her makes me feel like she¡¯s way older than she seems.


    "Believe it or not, this bland fa?ade was exactly the impression that the school wanted to make!" she said.


    "Oh. Hi. Is that the case?" replied Jonas with a flat and almost-disinterested voice. The long train ride, the bullies on the train, and his own self-doubt had drained him of whatever energy he had left, and a talkative person whom he presumed was a potential schoolmate felt especially grating at the moment.


    He kept up his pace, walking with his head facing straight in front of him, hoping to shake her off. But she kept tagging along from behind him, her far shorter legs surprisingly good at keeping pace with his larger strides.


    "Yea! Did you know that Heartspell isn¡¯t just one ¡®school¡¯? There are six schools of emotions in Heartspell, and for most students, they are sent to the one that they have the greatest affinity with,¡± she said excitedly, in between her accelerated waddling. ¡°Collectively, the six schools are known as ¡®The School of Heartspell!¡¯¡±


    Ah, so it¡¯s not just one school. And I suppose there might even be one building for each school.


    He continued ignoring the young lady and focused on outpacing her instead. But she had no problems keeping up, and on top of that, she kept talking.


    ¡°D¡¯you know what¡¯s cooler? Each one of these schools is led by the strongest mage with the corresponding emotional specialization. That makes him or her its principal. And to settle any hierarchical disputes, the six principals go all out in expressing their magical power in creating their unique school building!¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± said Jonas, who stopped in his tracks to gasp for breath. ¡°The school buildings ¨C¡° he wheezed, ¡°- are supposed to be more interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The energetic young lady was caught off guard by the sudden pause in his previously hasty gait. She bumped into him, before shaking it off and saying, ¡°I finally got you to be curious, haven¡¯t I!¡±


    ¡°I mean,¡± said Jonas, who was still huffing and puffing, ¡°according to what you said, doesn¡¯t that mean that each of the schools would have a really grand school building, since I¡¯m pretty sure there would be a ton of talented mages wanting to challenge for the position of principal?¡± He struggled to complete his sentence, desperately sucking in air in between words.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fast learner! That¡¯s absolutely right,¡± she replied with an even wider grin on her face, appearing to have no problems interpreting his words despite all that panting.


    ¡°Then which of the six schools is this building supposed to be?¡± asked Jonas, pointing to the black and white building as if it was an unwashed sock found at the back of the laundry room.


    ¡°Neither! It¡¯s the main administrative building." she replied.


    "Oh,¡± said Jonas, flatly. ¡°I guess that¡¯s why it¡¯s so boring."


    "In my opinion, they should just go all out and make it look amazing too! But I¡¯m not the one who makes the decisions,¡± she winked. ¡°Oh yes, you¡¯re a prospective student, right? Everyone else has gathered over there at the reception hall!"


    Jonas turned to look at where she was pointing. When he turned back, that bubbly lady had disappeared ¨Cinto a crowd of incoming students, he presumed - and he had lost sight of her.


    That felt rather odd. The way she talked - like she wasn¡¯t actually a prospective student here.


    He thought that he would welcome being alone again, but the sudden absence of such a bright personality left him more aware than he would like of the thoughts in his own mind, which all felt a bit darker and emptier than he last remembered.


    All of them are S Tier mages. All. Of. Them. What am I supposed to say to S Tier mages? ¡®Oh hi, I¡¯ve never cast a spell in my life, nice to meet you¡¯?


    Shaking off his self-consciousness, he headed towards the reception hall, searching for perhaps a more comfortable corner in this otherwise unfamiliar space.


    The exterior of the room did not depart from the school''s uninspired thematic d¨¦cor ¨C black door, white walls, everything in neat squares and rectangles - but a single step into the reception hall transformed the already unfamiliar into an even greater degree of unfamiliarity.


    What hit Jonas first was the auditory experience.


    It was a semi-melodic sequence of sound - their pitch and timbre resembled wind chimes, but there was no wind. And unlike the usual up-and-down flair of the wind chime, this sound skipped around in an unnatural, yet, somehow, musical manner.


    Then, the room¡¯s interior suddenly shed its black-and-white skin, morphing with a shimmering effect into a hypnotic, multi-coloured fantasy-scape that was ever-shifting and transforming before his very eyes.


    Jonas took a step back, completely disorientated. He gripped onto the door frame on instinct to steady himself.


    Wait, I¡¯ve read about this before - it¡¯s a type of Perception spell, isn¡¯t it?


    In a few short seconds, the glimmering visual spectacle found a firmer form to settle into, and from the confusing mess emerged the semblance of a dance floor, with spots and specks of the room illuminated momentarily by a disco ball that was hovering mid-air with the assistance of what Jonas assumed was some kind of Anti-Gravity spell.


    And so, it turned out that the magic he was expecting was not revealed in the building¡¯s fa?ade, but only in its interior. With a complex perceptual spell, the boring, black-and-white room was transformed into a colourful, sensational dance floor.


    A number of the more gregarious students were already at the center, busting their moves, while most were congregated around the punch bowl, sipping on their drinks and sampling the bites. Jonas was still trying to get his bearings - it was a reception wilder than what he could have imagined, given the school¡¯s black-and-white fa?ade.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Hello." A glum and particularly unexciting voice broke out through the thumping bass in the dance music. It belonged to a tall, lanky boy, who slouched over, had hair covering one eye, and whose other eye was half-closed with boredom. Or was it jadedness? Jonas could not tell, but he was quite sure that this fellow¡¯s entire demeanour was at least equally as glum as his voice.


    Finally, someone who seems as out of place as I am.


    "Hey there,¡± greeted Jonas. The boy¡¯s rolled up jacket sleeves revealed dark brown arms, and his only visible eye had a deep green iris, making it look like he did not come from the region.


    "Dance floor. Crazy ain¡¯t it. Can''t wait for the real open house event to start. Then things will quiet down. I hope." After a short pause, the boy continued, "Clem. That''s the name. What''s yours?"


    "Jonas. Nice to meet you, Clem."


    "So. What you here for? Gonna pick Heartspell, or just shopping around?"


    Shopping around?


    It never occurred to Jonas that there would be students here who viewed the top school in Nostriva as simply one of their prospective choices.


    "Uh... well, I think I''m happy with settling on Heartspell. You?"


    "Yea. Me too. I mean, I don''t plan to leave Nostriva any time soon. And this be the best magic school around here." Clem paused for a bit, surveying a group of very well-dressed students socializing just next to the canap¨¦. He nodded his head in their direction and said, "They look like the kind who can take a trip to Rivosh, or Vxtraei, or wherever to hunt for a magic school."


    Jonas followed Clem''s gaze and saw shoe laces with diamond tips, jacket zippers of pure gold, and school bags that floated along next to their owner, probably powered by the same technomagicry that was responsible for levitating the disco ball. One of them noticed Jonas¡¯s staring, eyed him from head to toe, then scrunched her nose. It looked as if he failed her evaluation on all counts.


    "What a way to flex¡­" commented Jonas, who was doing a quick mental calculation and surmised that whatever they¡¯ve spent on just one of those shoes or bags would probably be enough to cover his entire family¡¯s expenses for an entire year.


    If only I was born into wealth ¨C or even a famous lineage of mages.


    ¡°So. Most kids here dream of a straight elevator right up to the top companies once they graduate. You thinking along those lines too?"


    "I''m just happy to take what I can get. You?" It was true. But his answer came more from a place of ignorance than acceptance.


    "You be a good soul. I''m here to learn emotion-based casting. You know, they don''t teach it anywhere else. Gotta use a stupid medium, or artifact, or some other crap to channel the magic."


    ¡°Oh, you gotta use a medium for that?¡± said Jonas, before kicking himself.


    Of course you do! Mages use mediums to cast spells, remember?


    ¡°I mean, uh,¡± he scrambled, trying to disguise his ignorance, ¡°how else do you get the mana flowing then? Without a medium, I mean.¡±


    Clem frowned at him for a bit. ¡°Ehh, hmm. Say. Jonas, am I right?¡± he asked.


    Jonas nodded, apprehensively.


    Clem continued, ¡°What magic lineage are you from?¡±


    Jonas squinted at him in confusion.


    ¡°What magic family are you from - your family name,¡± said Clem, clarifying himself.


    ¡°I ¨C uh,¡± muttered Jonas.


    There¡¯s no way to wriggle out of this now. Can¡¯t believe I got caught so quickly.


    He continued to stutter; mind completely blank.


    "Ah. I see it now,¡± said Clem, wagging an accusing finger in Jonas¡¯s direction. The boy¡¯s heart sank.


    Clem continued, ¡°You be one of those normies who got a genetic anomaly, and then got scried by Heartspell ¨C lemme guess, probably the only mage in the whole family, eh?¡±


    How did he know?


    ¡°Ye- yes, that¡¯s how it went. Yea,¡± admitted Jonas sullenly, expecting to be blacklisted and shunned for the rest of his time here.


    ¡°That¡¯s bloody fantastic,¡± said Clem with a wide, welcoming smile, while patting his back firmly.


    Huh?


    ¡°You know, Jonas,¡± started Clem, ¡°Even though I¡¯m one myself, I absolutely cannot stand those snobbish folk from ¡®renown¡¯ magical lineages. They be so hard to talk to. Man, am I so glad to have met you.¡±


    That was unexpected, but I¡¯ll take it!


    Jonas let a huge weight fall off his slumped shoulders, and a smile appeared on his face. After all, his abnormal magical lineage was not only known, but also welcomed by the first acquaintance he¡¯s met here.


    ¡°Glad to have met you too,¡± said Jonas, feeling the most optimistic he¡¯s been all day.


    Clem continued, ¡°Anyway. As I was saying. Heartspell''s the only one who knows how to work the real source of magic. No need for mediums and all that nonsense. Straight to the source. That''s why I''m here ¨C to learn how to do that."


    But before the lanky boy could continue divulging any more of his erudition, the music stopped thumping, the lights stopped flickering, and the disco ball swirled into a tiny portal, which eventually itself disappeared without a trace.


    "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!" boomed a loud voice at the front of the room. "You are all S Tier prospective students, and that means the mana flowing through your body has greaaaaaat potential!"


    The voice belonged to a man adorned with a black top hat, a three-piece suit, and a very well-polished pair of shoes. At any moment, one might expect him to pull a rabbit out of that hat.


    "Representing the school¡¯s administration, I warmly welcome you to this open house exhibition. It will be so spectacular; you won¡¯t even think about looking at another school.¡±


    The large group of prospective students began chatting excitedly amongst themselves, and Jonas could hear bits and pieces of their loud conversations. Some of them were already plotting with each other the best exhibitions that they should go to first, based on rumours collected from past years¡¯ intake.


    ¡°Fret not!¡± continued the man with the top hat. ¡°The Principal has already approved of pulling out all the stops, so even the super exclusive InfiniteTimeSuspension magic spell is already in place ¨C and you can all feel free to spend as much time as you want at any location!¡±


    ¡°No way, InfiniteTimeSuspension? This school be so dang loaded,¡± whistled Clem, before he noticed Jonas¡¯s puzzled look. ¡°Oh. You¡¯ve not heard of it.¡±


    Jonas nodded sheepishly.


    ¡°Basically, the spell is cast over a very specific location ¨C in this case, the school. Time for everyone and everything in the school flows normally, but once you leave the gates of the school, you¡¯ll find that only one hour has passed for everyone else. Since this be the Infinite version of the normal TimeSuspension spell, you can literally spend multiple lifetimes here before it runs out. Not that anybody would.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the school¡¯s really splurging on us, aren¡¯t they?¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°Yea. They could¡¯ve just used the normal version; the Infinite variant is a rare and expensive spell, something only the likes of Heartspell can afford. I¡¯m not surprised if they be doing all just to impress the S Tiers from those ¡®renown¡¯ magical families.¡±


    The smartly-dressed administrator then spread his hands wide, his countenance overflowing with excitement, and in an instant, the stage he was standing on disappeared, leaving him levitating in mid-air. His body was juxtaposed by a dozen after-images, which flickered and leapt from side to side before spreading out in a circle around the entire room. The circle of doppelgangers simultaneously landed down on both feet, now fully solid and visible.


    Some of the other prospective students were bewildered by the spectacle, rubbing their eyes in amazement, and checking with each other that there were indeed a dozen smartly-dressed administrators standing around the room, when previously there was only one. Almost in tandem, the doppelgangers lifted their hands up to the right, and a shimmering white screen popped up, one for each administrator clone.


    "Step on up and place your palm on the screen! You will be portalled to the destination of your interest. Let the open house exhibition begin!" shouted the original administrator ¨C although, if it was a clone who spoke, nobody would have been able to tell the difference.


    Words began to appear at the top of each of the clones'' heads, describing where their particular portal led to. ¡°Technomagical Engineering¡±, ¡°History of Emotions-Based Casting¡±, ¡°Feelings of the Past and Future¡±, ¡°Terraforming Technomagicry¡±, were some of the titles Jonas managed to read before a group of excited students pushed past him to take their pick of the portals.


    "Now. That be even more amazing," said Clem. "Did you see how he made all that happen without touching an artifact, or uttering some mumbo jumbo, or drawing a magic circle?¡±


    Jonas nodded. ¡°Is that what you called emotion-based casting?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Clem. ¡°To me, that be real magic.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I got my mind set on that exhibition right there,¡± he pointed to the one that seemed to be attracting the most people. ¡°You coming or not?¡±


    Jonas shook his head. He needed more time to digest everything.


    Although the technomagical spectacle had no effect in winning over the already-committed Jonas, the impact was not lost on him. Just now, he felt his heart thumping in excitement for the first time in a long time as he witnessed that skilful display of very real magic, wielded by an actual mage, who cast it right before his very eyes.


    But as of late, excitement was not an emotion that could last long in Jonas¡¯s soul. A nagging fear gnawed at the back of his mind, and soon enough, familiar worries dampened down that short burst of adrenaline that he had just felt.


    That¡¯s what an S Tier mage should be able to do - so how am I supposed to match up to that! Did the school make a mistake when scrying me as an S Tier?


    Noticing Jonas¡¯ forehead wrinkle up into creases deeper than those on the ancient scrolls in his mother¡¯s archives, Clem put off his original intentional to head off into one of the more exciting portals. He stroked his chin while surveying the available portals, quickly scanning the titles atop each of them.


    ¡°I think you¡¯d like this one, Jonas,¡± muttered Clem under his breath as he gently prodded the boy¡¯s slouched back towards it.


    Crushed by the weight of the same doubts that beleaguered him during his arduous train ride to Heartspell, Jonas responded mindlessly to Clem¡¯s gentle push. He lumbered over to the nearest portal in that direction, barely looking at the sign that would tell him where it led to, and placed his hand on the white screen.


    Darkness quickly enveloped all around him.


    His fingers and toes suddenly felt as if they were disconnected and cold, and for a split second, he could not move them even if he wanted to. He was shaken out of his doubtful stupor, and almost began to feel afraid, when the darkness rescinded as quickly as it came, and gave way to a slightly warmer lighting in a completely different space.


    Teleportation - it¡¯s gonna take me some time to get used to this.


    He wriggled his fingers and toes, and was relieved to feel that they all have regained their sensation. The cold numbness was gone, and he could twitch them to his heart¡¯s fancy.


    Having ascertained that every part of him was safely ported over to the new location, he took a look around. His eyes searched for the corner of the room, and found that it was much further away than he¡¯d thought.


    This ¨C it¡¯s not just another room, it¡¯s huge! It must be an entire exhibition hall.


    Nearby, there were a number of booths set up all around, full of colour and activity. A large floating sign read, ¡°Magic in Your Daily Life¡±.


    That must be the theme of this exhibition.


    With all that liveliness around him, Jonas couldn¡¯t help but put his worries aside. Clem emerged from the portal just in time to see a small smile appear on his face. He patted his friend on his no-longer-slouching back, and they began exploring.

 Chapter 5: Magic in Your Daily Life

    The exhibition hall was bustling with activity. A healthy mix of Heartspell students, instructors, and alumni were manning a multitude of booths, and prospective students were casually inspecting each one, being spoilt for choice.


    Having just rode on the ManaRail to get to Heartspell, Jonas found himself drawn to the booth that was essentially a large train engine. Clem followed behind, his face a picture of amusement as he inspected the booth¡¯s outlandish design.


    Stepping in, Jonas was taken aback by how much larger its interior seemed from the inside. When he first walked up to it, he was sure it could fit no more than five students and a single presenter. Yet, here was an uncomfortably rowdy crowd tended to by multiple Heartspell representatives. He popped his head in and out of the entrance to make sure that he wasn¡¯t seeing things.


    ¡°Aye, this be spatial magic for sure,¡± said Clem, addressing his concern.


    ¡°They really aren¡¯t holding anything back for this one are they,¡± said Jonas, before shuffling into the booth. He hated jostling with others in cramped spaces, but the train engine was too fascinating for him to pass up.


    ¡°Hey, that logo doesn¡¯t belong to the ForwardMotion company,¡± noted Jonas, pointing to a heart-shaped design with wings.


    ¡°Of course not - what would that century-old, sorry ass excuse of a company be doing at a cutting edge Heartspell exhibition?¡± replied Clem with a laugh.


    A man who was dressed in a formal shirt that featured that same logo overheard their conversation, and ambled on by. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right! This is a new transport company started by a group of Heartspell alumni. I¡¯m one of the company representatives in charge of this booth.¡± He continued in a cheery tone, ¡°Frustrated by the inefficiencies of the ManaRail, our new company had decided to compete in the up-till-now stagnant transportation industry. Buses, taxis, trains, even planes - nothing is off limits to our industry-disrupting magical creativity!¡±


    A shout from a prospective student they did not know interjected the man¡¯s promotional introduction, "What¡¯s so special about your trains? Doesn''t everyone, even those from Vxtraei, just use mana to power the rails? How much more different can it get?"


    The representative replied, "What sets us apart from the ForwardMotion company is that our rails use a patented Persistence magic technology. We cast our spells once - and yes, it is a very elaborate sequence, definitely trademarked - and they run almost forever. No need to supply mana in such a wasteful manner."


    ¡°Sounds like quite the innovation,¡± said Clem, stroking his chin. ¡°Imagine how much mana they save on a daily basis ¨C they can put their mages to work elsewhere, and easily dominate the industry.¡±


    ¡°Yea! I¡¯d like to get on one of their trains someday,¡± said Jonas. ¡°Think they¡¯ll have plenty of seats?¡± His knees ached at the memory of standing in the freezing ManaRail for hours.


    ¡°I bet they do. I mean, if their level of innovation is at the same level of their ¡®Persistance magic technology¡¯, I¡¯m sure their carriages would blow away the competition.¡±


    Elsewhere in the surprisingly roomy interior of the train engine booth, there were a few tables displaying various technomagical inventions. Strolling past them, he guessed that they were designed to complement a rider¡¯s journey. Clem stopped at one that was full of what looked like marbles in lunchboxes, and Jonas followed up from behind.


    "Curious, aren''t ya?" called out a lady who was standing behind the table.


    "Colour me crazy,¡± said Clem, ¡°but that sign says that this booth be about ¡®Portable Meals¡¯, and yet all I see are small stones in boxes.¡±


    Jonas picked up one of them and rolled it around his palm. It was an opaque purple, and felt cold in his hands.


    Looks like a marble, feels like a marble, isn¡¯t it just a marble?


    "No, no, you lads aren¡¯t crazy,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Most people who come by our booth ask the same question. These¡¯re our self-cooked meals! One of the many innovations that you''ll see in all of our transportation services soon enough. We aim to transform the transportation industry into one that makes the customer feel right at home even as they''re leaving it.¡±


    ¡°Great mission statement,¡± muttered Clem to himself.


    "Self-cooked meals? So, these marbles - they turn into food?" asked Jonas. His squinting eyes opened up with curiosity.


    "Well, try it for yourself. Take this container, close the lid, and choose one of the meals from among this list," instructed the lady, handing him a red lunchbox. "The artifact, or the marble as you call it", she added, chortling, "will be able to sense your thoughts and quickly manifest the food right in the box, ready for your consumption!"


    "Ah, no thanks. I''m not that hungry -" Jonas waved his palm and tried to shy away, but the lady reached out, flipped his hands to a horizontal position and placed the lunchbox on it.


    "No, I insist! Don''t worry about the food, we''ll just turn it back into the artifact. Nothing will be wasted at all, trust me."


    Hearing that, Jonas visualized his choice - the ribeye steak with mashed potatoes, a fancier option that he was actually excited to see manifest in the red container. Just as the thought formed in his mind, he felt an extra weight in the lunchbox, and it rapidly grew warm in his hands.


    ¡°Wait, let me do the honours,¡± said Clem, who looked eager to experience the magic as well. He put his hands around the red box and slowly lifted up the lid. ¡°Damn! This box be pipin¡¯.¡±


    Sure enough, there was a little bit of steam coming out from what felt like a freshly cooked meal, and he set the newly heated lunchbox on the table in surprise.


    The ribeye looked perfectly grilled, with pepper, thyme and dark crisscross sear markings all over its browned body. There was a neat scoop of buttery mash next to it, in just the right proportion. A small serving of baby carrots and broccoli added colour to the meal, which was finished off in thick brown sauce.


    The lady snapped her fingers, and the food instantly vanished, leaving a purple marble in its place, which dropped with a small thud onto the center of the lunchbox. Jonas was starting to regret what he said about not being hungry. He could still smell the scent of deliciously grilled ribeye wafting by in the air.


    "Amazing, isn''t it? It''s crazy how much work goes into mass producing these for consumption.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the magical engineering involved,¡± said Clem, ¡°since these ¡®marbles¡¯ would have to interface with even a non-mage¡¯s mind and function correctly. All without any external supply of mana.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely right. These alumni were Magical Engineering majors in the School of Curiosity ¨C one of the six major schools of emotion in Heartspell ¨C and that explains how they got so good at doing what they do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of that school. They¡¯re specialists in magical tools, aren¡¯t they?¡± said Clem.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yes. And you lads are so lucky. Y¡¯all are one of the first few who get to try this brand new invention ¨C it only goes live on the market next month!"


    Jonas scratched his head. "By ¡®on the market¡¯, do you mean I¡¯ll get to sample these in the latest Heartspell trains? Because I¡¯ve only seen ForwardMotion¡¯s ManaRails in my country."


    ¡°Ah. You live in one of the Caschian countries, I presume? Or Grelian Ostiarch?¡± asked the lady.


    ¡°Western Caschian,¡± said Jonas.


    "That explains it. We''ve been testing out our new trains and buses at the countries closer to the Capital because they''re better integrated with technomagic. Don¡¯t worry though, we¡¯re coming to Western Caschian in a month¡¯s time."


    "Oh, I will be looking forward to that! The ManaRail was really uncomfortable, and you¡¯ll have to cast a preservative spell on your food if it¡¯s a long ride,¡± said Jonas, recalling that old couple on the train whose fruit pie had started to go bad.


    ¡°Sounds like our Heartspell trains will be a huge upgrade for you,¡± she said, smiling at him.


    ¡°So¡­ will studying at Heartspell will teach me how to make food manifest from marbles?" he asked.


    The lady laughed at his crudely fashioned question. "I mean, it depends on what subject you¡¯ve chosen to major in, and which school of emotion you¡¯ve found yourself having an affinity to. Many of the teenagers I¡¯ve talked to today were very interested in explosive, combative magic, and we have a demonstration too but you''ll have to leave this portal and find the one marked ''Warfare'', back at the room where you all came from!"


    Jonas thanked the lady and exited the train engine with Clem. As he turned back to give one last glance at the train engine, he was once again impressed by how small it looked from the outside when it was so much more spacious on the inside.


    ¡°That EnlargeSpace spell¡¯s really hookin¡¯ you in, ain¡¯t it,¡± said Clem.


    ¡°There were like twenty booths in there! But from the outside I swear it looks like it can only fit one,¡± Jonas said, still ogling at the Heartspell train engine.


    On the way back to the portal, the two of them passed by a booth that paraded a colourful mix of intriguing fashionwear. One of them was something he saw earlier at the reception hall - a levitating handbag.


    ¡°Hang on, looks like a show¡¯s about to start,¡± said Clem. He pointed to another prospective student who came peeking into the booth out of curiosity.


    As if it had a mind of its own, the floating handbag started spinning around the girl, eliciting delighted laughter.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it could do that,¡± commented Jonas, chuckling in surprise.


    ¡°Looks like it can do more than just that,¡± replied Clem.


    A set of matching clothes ¨C a skirt, a top, a fedora, and an outer jacket - starting slipping off their hangers and began floating as well, parading themselves around her. Like puppies, they all seemed to be begging for her attention. The teenage girl laughed and relented, picking out the denim jacket that was pressing needily at her shoulder.


    She held it in her hands, and stared at the material, a frown forming on her face. As if able to read her preferences, the jacket transformed into a softer, furrier material. Pleasantly taken aback, she pressed the jacket against her chest and inspected her new outfit in the nearby mirror.


    ¡°Janelle would love to have one of these,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°Let me guess, that be your sister?¡± asked Clem.


    Jonas nodded. ¡°Fashion¡¯s never been my thing but my younger sis has a flare for it.¡±


    The girl shook her head, and the jacket transformed into a collared blazer. She scrutinized her now serious getup in the mirror.


    ¡°Yea, but aren¡¯t most gals into clothes anyway?¡± said Clem.


    ¡°Oh, but not in the way that Janelle¡¯s into clothes,¡± replied Jonas. ¡°When she was younger, she stripped all her dolls of their outfits, and sewed on some of the most insane modifications onto their clothes. I¡¯m talking high fashion, haute couture, fins and flares and bells and whistles and the like.¡±


    Clem whistled. ¡°Damn. Your sis be crazy about clothes.¡±


    ¡°And you know what? After all those mad add-ons, the dolls actually look good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s talent right there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Imagine if she gets to play around with floating clothes that can transform at your whim and fancy.¡±


    ¡°She be dominating the runway for sure.¡±


    Finally satisfied with the form of a well-knit cardigan, the girl carried the once-jacket to the Heartspell representative that was mending the fashion booth and started a conversation.


    The two boys moved on towards the exit portal, remarking at the various sights and sounds they saw at the booths all around them. A huge water tank made of glass drew Jonas¡¯ attention, and he couldn¡¯t help but stop and read the write-up in the panel next to the tank.


    ¡°Dang. This is an honour¡¯s thesis project, Clem.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± replied Clem. He leaned over to read more. ¡°A water purifier project? Fascinating.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the guys who built this haven¡¯t even graduated yet¡­¡± muttered Jonas as he inspected the tank.


    It was filled with gross-looking water, and as he stared at it a little longer, he noticed that there were a number of blue, semi-translucent creatures darting around quickly in the dirty liquid. The water around their bodies seemed to transform quickly from brown to clear, as if the creatures were absorbing the impurities from the liquid that made contact with their skin.


    ¡°You see those blue creatures, Clem?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm.¡±


    ¡°Is it just me or are they multiplying faster than bunnies?¡±


    ¡°Way faster.¡±


    Jonas drew closer to the tank and placed his hands on the cold glass surface. Up close, he finally caught those tiny magical creatures in the act.


    ¡°They¡¯re self-replicating!¡± Jonas exclaimed.


    After absorbing enough of the dirty and impurities from the water, they would wriggle a bit before splitting into two, as if performing some type of magical binary fission.


    ¡°Yea, and they look like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen before,¡± said Clem, who was also plastered to the surface of the tank.


    The creatures¡¯ bodies were tiny, but were rounded off with a powerful dolphin-like tail that propelled them through the water.


    ¡°If you look closer, you can see their ¡®head¡¯,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°Kinda creepy to be honest. There¡¯s nothing on those rounded bumps,¡± said Clem, scrounging his nose.


    ¡°Still cute though!¡± protested Jonas. ¡°I mean they don¡¯t need a face to do what they¡¯re doing. Oh, and look ¨C the tank is almost full of them now, and the water¡¯s completely clean.¡±


    ¡°Only took four minutes and thirty-seven seconds,¡± pointed out Clem.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± asked Jonas with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Oh. That.¡±


    He spotted a floating panel above the tank that indicated not just that the water was clean, but exactly how much time it took.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯ll happen to all these creatures now that the water¡¯s clean¡­¡± pondered Jonas as he took a step back and surveyed the tank full of azure-bodied, fast-swimming creatures. As if on cue, they completely vanished.


    "As you can see,¡± boomed the voice of someone behind the tank, ¡°once the body of water is fully cleaned, all the creatures will automagically dematerialize themselves, leaving no trace behind."


    Jonas craned his neck. The young man who spoke donned a Heartspell blazer and was probably one of the final year students who worked on this project.


    The undergraduate continued speaking to the growing crowd, "We wanted to show that summoning spells can have a lot more value to civil society than what¡¯s being done today. This is the culmination of our efforts, and we believe that it would transform many previously uninhabitable regions into far more hospitable ones."


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± said Clem, scratching his chin. ¡°I know a couple of regions that could use this type of spell to purify their drinking water.¡±


    Their words made Jonas think of cousin Rowan and his humanitarian stance against technomagicry.


    He might even change his stance on technomagicry if he saw this! I¡¯m gonna tell him about it the next time I see him.


    ¡°Imagine if just a fraction of the magic exhibits here makes it to the market,¡± said Clem, interrupting his thoughts.


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a good point. Why don¡¯t we see more of the magic here everywhere?¡± asked Jonas.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that this be the top magic school in Nostriva, my man. It ain¡¯t a stretch to say that they have technomagicry that others don¡¯t. And say, even if they gave away all their secrets, there¡¯s the problem of mass production. Not many places can keep up with the Heartspell quality at a large enough scale.¡±


    ¡°I guess that Heartspell transportation company we saw earlier was one of the rarer ones eh, since they¡¯ve got it figured out. They¡¯re even bringing their trains to my country next month. Say, what¡¯s the company called again?¡± asked Jonas.


    ¡°EverRide, if I recall it right.¡±


    ¡°Fits,¡± said Jonas. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t wait to ride on an EverRide train!¡±


    Having fully indulged their curiosity, Jonas and Clem continued on their way to the exit portal. There were still plenty more booths where they could see how Heartspell¡¯s magic would be used in ¡®Daily Life¡¯ ¨C as per the exhibition¡¯s title ¨C but the boys felt a tugging towards the excitingly titled ¡°Warfare¡± exhibition. To get there, first they had to take the exit portal back to the reception room, and then find the right portal there to take them to the ¡°Warfare¡± exhibit.


    When they reached the exit portal, Jonas placed his palm on the white screen, and braced himself for the inevitable numbness that would come. He knew that it would envelop him, starting from the extremities and spreading quickly all the way to his head.


    ¡°Chill, my man,¡± said Clem, who was mildly amused at Jonas¡¯ wincing face. ¡°This ain¡¯t your first time teleporting, you¡¯ll be used to it by now.¡±


    His wry smile was the last thing Jonas saw before the darkness closed in. But Clem was right. This time, the disembodying sensation came and went away far more speedily than he expected. He blinked, felt a bit of coldness, and when he reopened his eyes, there he was, back in the reception room where over a dozen portals stood. Perhaps it was the novelty of the first teleportation that elevated its discomfort in his memory.


    Clem appeared behind him shortly, and pointed to the only portal that had a queue in front of it.


    ¡°Warfare¡¯s that popular, eh,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°You bet,¡± replied Clem.


    They waited in line for their turn, and soon enough, experienced that familiar cold numbness again for just a split second.

 Chapter 6: Warfare

    When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a chaotic scene. There were battles happening in isolated arenas all around him. But before he could get his bearings, a loud explosion nearby sent a powerful shockwave that rocked the very ground he was standing on. Yelping, he put his hand against the wall to stabilize himself, and barely avoided falling.


    ¡°Careful now,¡± said Clem. ¡°Them big boys ain¡¯t holding back here, it seems.¡±


    In the distance, Jonas could hear even more explosions which sent the tremor of smaller shockwaves to his feet. Sounds of beam-type spells tearing through the air and sizzling balls of energy hitting their mark bombarded his auditory senses. Every now and then, the acrid scent of burning wafted through the air, but it quickly disappeared before becoming bothersome.


    ¡°Are they doing something with the smells too?¡± asked Jonas.


    ¡°You bet your ass they are,¡± replied Clem. ¡°I mean, what be this lavender scent doing in a place where live fire demonstrations are going on? Has gotta be a couple of PurifySmell spells being set on auto-cast every now and then.¡±


    Multiple arenas were visible from the entrance portal alone. They were stacked up across at least three to four levels, and as Jonas turned a full three sixty degrees, he could see that literally, battles were happening all around him


    Just as the cacophony of sounds and kaleidoscope of colours began to be too much to bear, Jonas looked down, and saw a lightly glowing pathway along the floor tiles. ¡°I think that¡¯s the path they want us to follow for now.¡±


    It led them to a FloatingScreen that had an informative animation running on loop.


    ¡°Ah,¡± said Clem, as he watched the short animation, ¡°it shows here that all the battlefield simulations and live fire demonstrations have invisible barriers around them.¡±


    ¡°Phew. I guess I don¡¯t have to worry about getting decapitated by a stray laser beam,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°Figures. They can¡¯t have prospective students getting wounded at an exhibition, can they?¡±


    The lightly glowing pathway now branched out to multiple paths. Clem pointed at the one that drew the largest crowd, and the two made their way towards it.


    ¡°That arena looks huge. I bet there¡¯s a full wargame going on there,¡± said Clem.


    ¡°Yea, but it¡¯s impossible to see what¡¯s going on in there from here.¡±


    As they walked closer to arena, they had the feeling that it would be multiples the size of those smaller ones that greeted them at the entrance portal. In fact, all that was visible now seemed to be just the top row of an arena so large, it rivalled the stature of a sports stadium.


    When they finally reached the invisible barrier, Jonas joined the crowd of prospective students all around him and looked downward. Instead of seeing rows and rows of seats, he saw a flat metallic wall that descended diagonally until it reached a spacious, flat field at the bottom.


    The flat area had trimmed green grass growing on it, and was at least twice the size of a regular football field. There on the gigantic field, stationed at each end and poised to clash at each other, stood what looked like two infantry armies. Jonas inspected them closer, and saw that instead of the usual uniform of a soldier, they were all wearing mage robes.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be large-scale mage battle, isn¡¯t it!¡± exclaimed Jonas.


    A commentator''s voice cut through the constant chatter of the crowd, and the prospective students started to quiet down in anticipation for what was to come.


    ¡°Welcome, one and all, to the most exciting demonstration in the entire Warfare exhibition. On the left, we have the indigo army. As per their namesake, all the mages in it are draped in indigo robes. They comprise of the mages that hail from the other top ranking magic schools in both Nostriva and Pendulus. Why are they here, you might ask? Despite coming from different school, they¡¯ve been practicing for months on end for a single purpose ¨C to show you, our dear prospective students, that their magic schools are better than Heartspell!¡±


    The crowd cheered and jeered in equal measure.


    ¡°On the right are our heroes in crimson robes, the crimson army. Its rank and file are populated by none other than our very own final year Warfare majors from Heartspell. They have so graciously sacrificed their time and mana to prepare for this demonstration, where they will show you why, ladies and gentlemen, exactly why you guys have shown up in Heartspell in the first place ¨C to learn superior magic from the best magic school in Nostriva!¡±


    The crowd laughed at the commentator¡¯s unabashedly biased praise, and cheered for the demonstration to start.


    ¡°As you can see, there are experienced medical mages on standby,¡± said the commentator, ¡°because while both sides have prepared hard on their own, this battle is by no means staged or rehearsed. Both sides are fully invested in the outcome of the battle. Because after all, what is at stake is their honour, their pride, and the potential enrolment of you lot ¨C you precious, precious batch of S Tier mages - in their respective academies! In case the battle gets out of hand, the folk dressed in white robes are ready to heal or resuscitate any combat casualties. So please rest assured, and enjoy the epic magical showdown between the indigo army and the crimson army!


    A thick black number ¡°three¡± appeared out of nowhere in midair, and a beeping countdown started. In rhythmic order, the number transformed from ¡°three¡± to ¡°two¡±, from ¡°two¡± to ¡°one¡±, and finally to a big, fat ¡°zero¡±. And at zero, the battle began.


    Jonas blinked in surprise as a dozen or so humongous FloatingScreens suddenly manifested in midair, positioned just perfectly at the spectator¡¯s eye level. In unison, they flickered and turned on, displaying close up shots of the various platoons in the indigo army preparing their spells at a frantic pace.


    ¡°Dang! That¡¯s handy,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°I mean, the field is rather far away,¡± replied Clem. ¡°I¡¯d be more surprised if they didn¡¯t have ways to showcase all that sweet action that¡¯s happening on the ground.¡±


    A row of seats automagically manifested behind the prospective students, and they had an option to sit and comfortably watch the close-up scenes on the FloatingScreens, or stand up and look down to get a bird¡¯s eye view of the battle. Clem reclined into a seat, while Jonas remained standing, excitedly keeping his view on both the FloatingScreens and the entire field.


    It seemed to him that the indigo army was active everywhere at once. There was a group of five mages at the corner inscribing a magic circle onto the field. Another small group of three were assembling a large, obsidian obelisk. Somewhere near the back, there were about a dozen mages with eyes closed, chanting an elaborate spell in an eerie-sounding, otherworldly language.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    At the front of the indigo army stood the vanguard, who were well-equipped with various mediums and artifacts, such as spellbooks, staves, and trinkets.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing those guys at the vanguard hold the front while the mages at the back are preparing the more powerful spells,¡± commented Jonas.


    ¡°Yea. Standard battle tactics,¡± said Clem, stifling a yawn.


    ¡°They¡¯re so organized though. Seems like every one of them know exactly what to do,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°Oh, they had better. They be going up against Heartspell after all,¡± said Clem.


    Jonas inspected the FloatingScreens and saw a few close-up shots of a number of the indigo mages. On their faces were a palpable fog of worry, inevitably emanating through the frantic pace of their spell preparation efforts.


    He turned to the right side of the field where the crimson army stood.


    I can see why the indigo mages look so worried.


    In a somewhat lackadaisical fashion, the crimson army began to not even march, but walk to the center, eschewing all the hustle and bustle that was characteristic of an army in the midst of battle. Their faces were the epitome of fearlessness, and Jonas even sensed a bit of impudence when a cheeky smile or two was captured on the FloatingScreens. Indeed, the crimson army was advancing forward with no shields in place, as if challenging the enemy to fire straight at them.


    Not wasting a single opportunity, the indigo army''s vanguard eagerly began the rituals needed to send the first volley of magical projectiles their way. On the FloatingScreens, Jonas observed chanting, hand seals, waving of wands, and all sorts of preparations that he did not understand.


    ¡°Damn. They¡¯re taking their time, aren¡¯t they?¡± he commented.


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s typical magic for you,¡± came Clem¡¯s snarky reply. ¡°You should expect the first shot to be fired after say¡­ a minute or two?¡±


    ¡°The crimson army should be able to react to that, right?¡± said Jonas. ¡°They just need to break ranks and scatter, or turn around and stay out of range of those attacks.


    They did not. Instead, they continued advancing daringly.


    Soon enough, from the indigo army¡¯s side of the field, bolts of electricity crackled through the air, balls of blazing fire whooshed by in speedy succession, spears of sharp, freezing ice rapidly closed the distance, threatening to put the crimson army¡¯s advance to a halt.


    ¡°Are they stupid?!¡± protested Jonas. ¡°The crimson army¡¯s just gonna take that head on?¡±


    The crowd¡¯s excited chattering rose, and a number of students got up from their seats to get a fuller view of the battle. But just as things were looking bleak for the crimson mages, all of the attacks were stopped short by a shimmering wall of vermillion light that seemed to appear out of nowhere.


    Every magical bolt, beam, and spear crashed into the powerful barrier, and fizzled out immediately, failing by far to connect with their targets. The crowd cheered, and a few students let out loud whistles of approval. One of the FloatingScreens captured a scene of just three crimson mages.


    ¡°There, the heroes who saved the day,¡± said Clem, pointing to that screen.


    Jonas looked in time to see those three mages put down their hands. As they did so, the vermillion barrier disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.


    ¡°Wait, so the crimson army only needed three mages to put up a barrier that could withstand the barrage of multiple platoons?¡± asked Jonas, incredulously.


    ¡°Not to mention, they did it in a tiny, tiny fraction of the time,¡± said Clem, putting his thumb and index finger together and squinting through the sliver of a gap formed between them.


    ¡°The crimson army¡¯s that strong, huh,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°You think?¡± came Clem¡¯s reply with a smile on his face. ¡°Why else am I just chilling on my seat when those indigo posers were taking pot shots at them?¡±


    This almost-farcical cycle continued, with the indigo army sending wave after wave of elemental attacks, only for them to be easily neutralized by the strong shields that were elegantly summoned just in time by the mages in crimson. As this went on, the crimson army continued their adamant stride forward to the center of the field.


    None of the crimson army mages were holding any staves, spellbooks, or trinkets, while the indigo army mages were desperately brandishing theirs. The ever-advancing mages from Heartspell finally ended their march right at the center of the field, so confident in their defensive magic that they would deliberately forsake the usual advantage of mage armies - fighting from a distance.


    ¡°So this is the difference between ¨C what do they call it again?¡± asked Jonas.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That magic style.¡±


    ¡°You mean, emotion-based casting?¡±


    ¡°Yes that!¡± Jonas tried again. ¡°So this is the difference between emotion-based casting and ¡®typical magic¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Clem. ¡°You not only get the efficiency of skipping the rituals and all that jazz, but with deeper understanding of the essence of magic, you get more effective spells.¡±


    ¡°So how does emotion-based casting work? I mean, those crimson mages didn¡¯t look very emotional when they were casting.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± started Clem with an amused grin on his face, ¡°if I knew, I wouldn¡¯t be here looking to enrol in Heartspell, would I? Anyhow, looks like the indigo clowns are finally done with their big spells. Let¡¯s see what they be up to.¡±


    Something changed in the atmosphere. The indigo mages at the back seemed to have calmed down. Their vanguards held back on their relentless casting, feeling certain now that they have bought enough time for their superstar mages to make their debut.


    First up was the group who was working on the white, chalky magic circle. The patterns were elaborate and almost resembled a mandala. Blue mana was flowing from all five mages into the inscribed pattern, and it started to glow. Then it flickered, and disappeared, completely as if it was never there.


    The spell was complete, and silence fell on the entire stadium. Jonas held his breath, unable to anticipate what was to come.


    From the top corner of the stadium, a menacing, red portal opened up to the gasps and cries of the prospective students in the audience. It revealed the harsh and inhospitable world that it was connected to, with fierce wyverns patrolling the skies, chunks of burning rock pummelling the red ground below, and volcanic lava occasionally spewing from the cracks of the earth.


    A large, flaming meteorite fell through that hellish portal before it finally sealed back up, and the fiery rock slowly but ominously descending toward the center of the field, threatening the entire crimson army with extinction. On its descent, it collided against one of the FloatingScreens, which crackled, split in two, and caught aflame. Before its debris could fall to the field below, it was de-materialized in midair.


    ¡°That meteorite¡¯s gonna spell disaster for the crimson army,¡± said Jonas, holding his breath.


    ¡°Wait. There¡¯s more,¡± whispered Clem, who finally got up from his seat to get a better view of the action in the arena below.


    Without pause, the next group of the indigo army unleashed their attack. The three mages who were erecting the obsidian obelisk had finally completed their task, and a yellow-green light began to emanate from the runes inscribed onto the obelisk''s front face. An oddly pitched dissonant sound resonated throughout the entire battlefield before gradually dying down into a low hum, a sound that Jonas assumed was originating from the monolithic structure.


    In an instant, the black structure was completely engulfed by a tall column of prismatic light, causing Jonas to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. He watched in wordless awe as the entire column of light moved with purpose at a steady pace towards the crimson army, leaving a trail of grassless, scorched earth in its wake.


    ¡°I now get why the Warfare exhibition¡¯s so popular,¡± said Jonas.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± replied Clem, his eyes fully transfixed on the battlefield.


    It seemed like a blazing meteorite and a column of incinerating light was not enough to quench the indigo army''s bloodlust - there was still one more trick up their collective indigo sleeves. The continuous chanting of the dozen or so mages at the backline had finally ceased, and in perfect unison, they began to raise their hands toward the center of the field.


    ¡°Look there,¡± said Clem, pointing to the empty patch of grass right in front of the crimson army. ¡°It¡¯s a summoning circle.¡±


    Jonas spotted a large white circle. It was filled with multiple concentric rings, and runic symbols that Jonas could scarcely understand. All he knew was that it was almost the size of the entire crimson army itself, which meant that it must be heralding the arrival of a gigantic creature.


    And before that creature even fully materialized, the entire battlefield was shaken by a fierce roar. Green scales eventually became visible, and the yellow, beady eyes resembling that of a large reptile took form. A mouth lined with razor sharp teeth, and a snout that blew hot smoke was next to materialize. Its entire body followed, scaly, sizeable, and intimidating in stature. Large wings flapped once, before folding up behind its back.


    There was no doubting it. Standing dauntlessly in the middle of the field, and inflicting a sense of dread and awe in all of its captive viewers, was a legendary creature of myth - a gigantic, green-scaled dragon!


    ¡°Surely the indigo army¡¯s going to win this, right?¡± whimpered Jonas, almost as if he was afraid that the dragon would hear him.


    ¡°Ha! Hahahaha!¡± Clem laughed out loud, to Jonas¡¯s bewilderment. ¡°My man. You ain¡¯t seen nothing yet.¡±

 Chapter 7: Magical Superiority

    Even with a dragon staring down at them, the bold mages of the crimson army did not seem at all intimidated. About half of the army brazenly folded their arms and smiled at the audience who were viewing from above, as if proudly declaring that they could deal with the triple threat from the indigo army with just fifty percent of their fighting force.


    ¡°Are half of them really just going to stand there, doing nothing?¡± cried out Jonas. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s a meteorite threatening to squash them, a column of burning light just about to incinerate them, and an entire freakin¡¯ dragon just casually snorting smoke down on their heads before probably grilling the lot of them for lunch. I know the crimson army is trying to show off their strength, but it feels like they¡¯re taking it too far¡­¡±


    ¡°Jonas. My man. Chill,¡± came Clem¡¯s calming voice. ¡°Don¡¯t forget who we be talking about - it¡¯s the Heartspell mages! They know real magic.¡±


    Half of the mobilized crimson army further split themselves into three groups. A third immediately flew up to the sky - much to the surprise of the gawking audience, who for the first time in this battle saw any aerial magic at all - and instantaneously opened up a portal to the same hellish world that the meteorite was summoned from. With the flick of one mage''s dismissive palm, the meteorite was flung back to where it belonged. The prospective students roared with loud cheers and exclamations, thoroughly impressed by Heartspell''s demonstration of magical dominance. No chanting, no artifacts, no spellbooks needed.


    Another third snapped their fingers, and they suddenly vanished, before re-appearing in a neat, organized circle around the obsidian obelisk, a perfect demonstration of short-ranged teleportation. They then forcefully thrusted their hands outward, and the outer surface of the obelisk shattered before its central structure crumbled into dust. Immediately, the column of prismatic light fizzled out and dematerialized, just inches in front of the rest of the crimson army. The indigo mages near the obelisk fell to their knees, seeing how their painstaking efforts were so quickly reversed and unravelled.


    Clem nudged Jonas in the ribs and said, ¡°See, I told ya.¡±


    Jonas did not reply. His jaw was agape and he was staring at the field dumbfoundedly.


    Clem couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight of an awestruck Jonas. ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t expect that level of domination, huh!¡±


    The boy shook his head, his eyes still wide open and pinned on the battlefield, and said slowly, ¡°No¡­ no¡­ I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well, sit back and enjoy the show! They still have that dragon to deal with. And damn. Would be great to have some popcorn about now.¡±


    All eyes were now on the final third of the mobilized crimson mages. There was only a single thought running through Jonas¡¯s mind: how on earth would the Heartspell army deal with a dragon?!


    With an equal measure of ease and confidence, the mages in crimson focused their attention on a large, empty expanse just next to their green, reptilian foe. The crowd held their breath as the mages pointed their outstretched arms to the ground, and slowly raised their hands higher.


    ¡°No way, they can¡¯t be.¡± said Jonas, covering his mouth with one hand.


    An equally gargantuan creature materialized from bottom up, with red-scaly skin, spikes along its spine, and powerful wings on its back. Its vehement roar was buoyed up further by the wild cheers of the crowd. A swipe of its powerful tail sent dust scattering up over the field, and it laid its front claws down in a proud, dominant pose.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that the indigo army took ages to summon their dragon,¡± said Jonas, ¡°and the crimson army just¡­ what, raised their hands and called one up like it was child¡¯s play - ¡±


    ¡°Oh, that ain¡¯t child¡¯s play at all,¡± said Clem. ¡°That be some hard ass magical engineering behind the spell, and the prep for it was probably killer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d imagine it was.¡±


    The arena had an atmosphere of tensed silence as the two beasts stood facing each other, sizing the other up.


    Jonas studied the newly summoned dragon, and noticed that unlike its green counterpart, the red beast was adorned with a stout-looking cuirass on its chest, sturdy pauldrons on its shoulders, and even vambraces and greaves for all its limbs. The spikes running down its back and tail seem to have been augmented with additional metallic parts. And the tips of its wings were the most intimidating, as it was armed with what looked like sharp, menacing spearheads.


    The silence was broken by a snort of smoke - it was the indigo army¡¯s green dragon that moved first. Without any warning, it unmeshed its jaws and breathed a blazing stream of fire at its crimson nemesis. The red dragon was caught off-guard, and took the attack directly to the chest. But to the indigo army¡¯s chagrin, the flames simply splashed off its shiny breastplate, causing not much more than a minor annoyance. It shook its upper body and neck, as if warming up for battle, and replied to that fiery attack with a fierce roar, wings now spread out to posture for dominance and strength.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what all the armour is for,¡± mused Jonas.


    ¡°Easily strong enough to withstand the heat of dragon fire,¡± said Clem. ¡°I don¡¯t think that green boy¡¯s gonna waste his time with ranged attacks anymore.¡±


    In reply to the armoured dragon¡¯s ferocious posturing, the green beast drew open its wings in an intimidating display. It seemed to know instinctively that in this battle, it could not afford to look small and weak. Their roars sent shockwaves through the arena, and Jonas could feel the parapet that he was gripping on with his clammy hands vibrate. He watched, completely absorbed, as they strode closer to probed the other for weakness.


    With wings still opened wide, they snapped at each other¡¯s vulnerable neck with quickly clamping jaws. Their sharp, beady eyes were trained on the other¡¯s movements, and their necks would dodge to the side before lunging forward for a counter-bite.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t gonna get anywhere snapping at each other like that,¡± said Clem.


    ¡°Yea,¡± replied Jonas. ¡°Their reflexes and speed are evenly matched here.¡±


    ¡°I mean, can you imagine if the battle came down to whose neck muscles were faster?¡± said Clem with a sarcastic grin. ¡°They are winged dragons. Give me an aerial battle already!¡±


    Sure enough, the grounded phase of the battle did not last long. The red one was the first to take to the skies, flapping its powerful wings and inadvertently sending some of the indigo mages to their knees. They braced themselves against the explosive gusts of air, each flap threatening to send them careening backwards if they did not lower their center of gravity by kneeling on the ground.


    Although its entire body was decked out with heavy metal armour and spikes, the red dragon was able to ascend with surprising speed. Its body was close to vertical, nose pointing toward the sky. And save for the occasional flap of the wings, it looked completely streamlined.


    ¡°Just like an inverted nosedive,¡± muttered Jonas as he watched in awe.


    Not to be outdone, its green counterpart kicked up into the air with its muscular hind legs, flapped its wings, and flew. Jonas noticed that it was struggling to close the gap, despite being unburdened by any additional weight. Each wing flap had a weaker propelling force than its red rival; its ascent looked clumsy by comparison.


    ¡°Imagine the layers, and layers of spells involved to make a beast as grand as that,¡± said Clem, nodding in the direction of the upward climbing red dragon. ¡°A summoning duel be one of my favourite ways to see that gap in knowledge and preparation between the two parties.¡± He spread his index and thumb out, then squinted through the space between them, drawing a chuckle from Jonas.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Are you implying that the gap between them is that small?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± replied Clem, ¡°I¡¯m understating by quite a lot.¡±


    The red beast was now at a safe distance away from the two ground armies, and its green assailant was doing all it could to close in fast. Instead of climbing further, the armoured dragon resumed its horizontal posture and gradually widened its wings to slow down its unearthly momentum. There, it maintained its height through occasional wing flaps, while looking down at its green foe with a steely gaze.


    There was no better time to resume the battle.


    It dove down at its foe without mercy, crashing against green wings in mid flap. The green beast shrieked, but managed to bank to the side and absorb some of that impact. They began circling each other in the air, tearing at each other with a claw or two when they could.


    ¡°Seems like an even match so far,¡± said Jonas.


    ¡°Nah,¡± replied Clem. ¡°Look closer.¡±


    While it seemed like the green dragon was able to keep up, it became apparent that time was not on its side. Every bite and swipe that it failed to block turned into bloody gashes on its body, but even when it managed to successfully land a hit on its opponent, it failed to do any meaningful damage. The red dragon¡¯s metallic armour gave it an edge that was simply superior.


    Eventually the two legendary creatures came at each other with their hind claws, grappling onto the other while their wings kept them bobbing in mid-air. The contest was a stalemate for a few seconds, but using a powerful twist, the red dragon broke its rival¡¯s balance with sheer strength, and sent it spinning downward for a moment before it could regain its aerial bearings.


    As the magical cameras zoomed into the green dragon¡¯s visage, Jonas saw its yellow, beady eyes darting about frantically, and could sense its desperation. Sure enough, instead of turning back toward the armoured dragon for another round, it aimed for the crimson army, and dived down.


    Flapping its gigantic wings to stop itself just a distance away, it took a huge breath. Unlike its previous breath attack, the green dragon¡¯s chest now started to glow, heralding perhaps an attack with far greater intensity than the previous one. Directly in the path of fire stood the crimson army, who still stood firmly and refused to buckle from the constant gusts of wind. Jonas couldn¡¯t tell if it was sheer willpower or just another spell that kept them from falling.


    ¡°I gotta give it to the green dragon there,¡± commented Clem. ¡°If the red dragon ain¡¯t taking damage, just go for the jugular - the crimson army itself.¡±


    ¡°Stop playing with your food!¡± yelled out Jonas to the red dragon, ¡°Now your entire team¡¯s about to die!¡±


    Clem burst out laughing at how invested Jonas was in the battle. ¡°I¡¯m not worried one bit,¡± he confessed. ¡°And not just because of the safeguards in this arena.¡±


    Jonas winced in worry as the red dragon took a second longer to respond that he would like. But the moment its beady eyes spotted the glow in the green dragon¡¯s chest, it did a quick corkscrew in midair and dived back down to deal with its foe¡¯s antics.


    Without wasting any time at all, it shot down diagonally like an arrow, pressing its wings flat against its body to cut through the air. Then, right as it passed by the green dragon, it extended its wings. The timing was perfect. A metallic spearhead at the tip of its augmented wings was angled towards its foe''s exposed neck, and at the speed that it was going, the bright metal stabbed right through.


    The crowd let out a gasp, then there was silence for a brief moment. The FloatingScreens around the arena replayed the scene in slow motion for those who missed that split second of decisive action.


    It was clear to all who saw; before the green dragon could let any of that incinerating breath escape its jaws, the sharp spike of the red dragon¡¯s wings had already rendered its scaley neck asunder.


    The brief moment of silence ended with mind-numbing shrieks so loud that Jonas had to hold his hands to his ears. As if only now registering that it was stabbed, the mighty green creature flailed in mid-air, convulsed in pain, and finally crashed onto the ground.


    The armour-clad victor landed gracefully, and in a triumphant gesture, lumbered towards its defeated foe, trampled on its limp body with its front claws, and let loose a roar of victory amidst the crowd''s thundering applause.


    ¡°Wow. That was wild,¡± said Jonas, standing up and joining in with the crowd¡¯s applause.


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Clem as he leaned back in his chair, looked up, and appeared to be dreaming about something else.


    One by one, the indigo mages accepted their defeat and exited the battlefield by the corner portals. The crimson mages took a bow before exiting on the other side of the field.


    With a snap of the fingers, one of the Heartspell mages instantly dematerialized the red dragon on her way out. Some of the indigo mages stayed behind, head hanging low, to cast their dematerialization spell for the defeated green dragon.


    Jonas heard the commentator''s voice wrapping things up for the viewers: "And as you would expect, it''s a unanimous, undisputed victory for the Heartspell army! The indigo army has shown some pretty impressive magic this year, an improvement over last year''s efforts, but as usual, they just can''t beat Heartspell." The crowd laughed at his jabs at the other schools. "They had no chance at all, but we fully respect them for trying. Come back in two hours for Round Two of Heartspell versus the other top schools!"


    Jonas sat back down on his seat, watching as the rest of the prospective students streamed out of the arena. He wanted to make a snarky comment, but stopped himself when he saw Clem with a pensive, far-off gaze that felt out of place on his usually alert face.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked Jonas.


    ¡°Nuthin¡¯,¡± said Clem, before continuing. ¡°I mean, real war ain¡¯t that pretty.¡±


    "Oh, I thought that was pretty gnarly already,¡± admitted Jonas, who winced as he thought back on the yellow goo that spurted out from the green dragon¡¯s neck.


    "Ain¡¯t it strange? The only blood we saw today belonged to a summoned creature. And if you didn¡¯t know already, summoned creatures are fully restored once dematerialized into its magical subspace.¡±


    ¡°So technically, no magical creatures were irreversibly harmed in the making of this battle?" noted Jonas.


    "Exactly.¡± Clem paused again, before saying, "I know they said at the start that these two armies be going all out, but I can tell that they be following some sort of gentlemen¡¯s agreement or somethin¡¯. It was tame. ¡®Cause they don''t be wanting you to see it.¡± There was a small quaver in his voice. ¡°Real war is ugly. Real war is broken limbs, ruptured organs, crying widows, mourning orphans." He pulled a part of his long fringe back, revealing his right eye which was usually hidden behind that tuft of hair. Wordlessly, he continued staring out into the distance, as if lost in some memory.


    "I¡¯m sorry. Sounds like you¡¯ve been to hell and back,¡± said Jonas. ¡°Being honest though, I didn¡¯t know there were still wars going on. It¡¯s peaceful in Western Caschian.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine, my man,¡± replied Clem. He sat up straight and sighed. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard of the Power Bloc, the Novice Bloc, the Experimental Bloc, and the Religious Bloc right?¡±


    Jonas nodded his head. It was common knowledge to have at least heard of the four largest political blocs in the entire world, and besides, his cousin had lectured him endlessly on the subject.


    ¡°But there be also countries that chose to be independent,¡± continued Clem, ¡°and those independent countries are in none of these Blocs. That be where the wars are fought. Since they ain¡¯t as big as the four blocs, they ain¡¯t always reported on.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± said Jonas. ¡°The Religious Bloc wants new people to convert, the Experimental Bloc wants more resources for their scientific experiments, and the Power Bloc¡­ just wants to expand for the sake of it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why there would always be wars. Looks like you ain¡¯t just the new kid on the block, eh!¡± commended Clem.


    ¡°Yeah, my cousin tells me about this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Good for you. Anyway, my family¡¯s from one of those independent countries. You might not have heard of it, and that¡¯s fine - it don¡¯t exist anymore.¡±


    Jonas gulped, ¡°That¡¯s not fine.¡±


    Clem continued. ¡°Rivosh, the religious Bloc, had been looking to annex us for decades. But we ain¡¯t blind to that and put up a strong front ¨C managed to scare ¡®em off for a long time. A couple of years ago though, they started up their crusades again. And that¡¯s when they finally invaded.¡± Clem sniffed and rubbed his face, still maintaining a grim look as he tightened his lips. ¡°A lot of my friends¡­¡± he frowned, struggling to fight off tears that were forming in his eyes. ¡°A lot of my friends didn¡¯t make it. I even watched some of them burn before my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± He choked. ¡°Curse that ¡®holy fire¡¯ Rivoshian magic. Curse it!¡± His voice became strained and he struggled to speak, ¡°I was lucky ¨C I was lucky that my mum was a strong mage. She¡­ she saved my family and brought us here. To Nostriva.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s tough,¡± said Jonas, frowning in concern. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the suffering Clem must¡¯ve gone through. His own family might¡¯ve had some dark times, but the scent of death was never close by.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s all good.¡± Clem quickly wiped away his tears and regained composure. A tuft of hair fell back down to obscure his right eye once again. ¡°All that happened for a reason. At the very least, it gave me conviction to be a strong mage. Just like my mum. As my people used to say, ¡®There ain¡¯t no peace without war.¡¯¡±


    ¡°You sound like you will be a badass mage one day,¡± said Jonas. And he meant it. Despite Clem¡¯s laid-back demeanour, Jonas could sense that he was internally guided by an uncommon sort of determination.


    ¡°Yeah, I will be. That¡¯s why I¡¯d be majoring in Warfare. Not because it be cool or exciting. I just want nobody to touch the people I care about ever again.¡±


    ¡°What a way to turn things around.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, my man. You don¡¯t mind me telling you this, do you? I feel like I can trust you.¡±


    ¡°Your story¡¯s safe with me!¡±


    ¡°Now. That¡¯s enough about me. What about you, Jonas - what are you gonna major in?"


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a good question.¡± Jonas recalled the various booths and exhibitions he had seen earlier - from transportation, to fashion, to civic utilities, and now warfare - but nothing quite caught his eye yet. ¡°Honestly, probably something that''s more commercial, and safe, and boring.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t put yourself down, my man. To each his own.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean - I think my family wouldn¡¯t be happy if they hear that I was going to major in Warfare or something dangerous like tha-" said Jonas, before he was interrupted mid-sentence by a surprisingly well-built old man.


    He was dressed in a floral, pink shirt, with fuzzy chest hair spilling out from its unbuttoned top. The white beard revealed his age, but the chiselled chest and muscular forearms warned that he was someone to be respected.


    "Hello Jonas!¡± His voice boomed loudly through the empty corridor. ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you!" The man grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically. Jonas winced before relaxing; his grip was firm, but thankfully not painful.


    The man turned to Clem and said, "You must pardon us; I have some business with this boy. Please, I will give him back in just a moment. I promise you: it will not be long!" Before Clem could reply, the man swirled his fingers, and the two of them vanished from plain sight.