The Beginning After The End (Beckoning Fates Book 3) (20 page)

“Good question, young one!
 
Honestly, no one knows for sure why that
is!
 
Many magic theorists believe
that because a certain set of conditions must be met for those deviant elements
to occur, mana directly correlated to them does not exist.
 
Then there is the always the exceptions
such as fire, where certain it does not just spontaneously without cause.
 
Perhaps that is why most mages believe
fire to be the highest form of normal magic, because it is so close to being a
deviant magic itself.”
 
She explains
while pacing around the lecture hall.

“Deviation magic that strays even
further from the four main elemental mana in our world comes at even a greater
cost.
 
All of you know what Emitters
are.
 
They are healers, essentially.
The mana that they utilize does not fall under the category of water, earth,
fire, or wind.
 
Instead, I would
dare say that there exists a holy element, or light element to be more
accurate.
 
Emitters gain little
benefit from absorbing mana from the atmosphere because there is no light
elemental mana within our world.
 
Instead, they work to condense and purify the mana that forms in their
mana core so that even when less mana is used, there is still a substantial
effect in their spells.”
 
I can tell
Professor Drywell was running out of breath because her voice was getting
higher.

After she finished her lesson for
today, we had a short Q&A session but no one really had any questions to
ask because we were afraid that class would never finish.
 
Eventually Professor Drywell let us go
and I trudged on to my last class, which was Spell Formations I.

Most of the students in this class
were Conjurers but some of the smarter Augmenters knew that they could gain
benefits in their skills by taking this class.
 
Our teacher, Professor Mayner, was a
scholarly-looking man with a monocle and mid split hair.
 
His mustache was well trimmed and over
his suit, he wore a white gown.
 

“Welcome students.
 
I was notified by Director Goodsky that
a student named Arthur Leywin will begin joining us for class, am I
correct?”
 
He looked around, his
monocle catching the glare from the light in the classroom.

“Yes, I’m Arthur Leywin, please
guide me well.”
 
I give a small bow
as he nods in approval.

“Very well!
 
You did not miss anything too important
Mr. Leywin.
 
We were going over the
different types of spell formations, from individual spell incantations to group
spell formations.
 
Care to tell us
what you know about spell formations?”
 
He adjusts his monocle as he walks towards me, his back never bending.

“To my knowledge, spell formations
is the conjoining and/or altering of basic spells and skills in order produce a
different phenomena, whether that be to the user himself, or the specific point
in space the spell was invoked.”
 
I
answer.

“A most solid answer indeed, Mr.
Leywin.
 
Very good!”
 
He clapped his hands once before he went
back to the front of the class where he began lesson.
 

“I would first like you all to
imagine a scenario.
 
Imagine a world
where everyone could read everyone’s mind.
 
The fleeting thoughts that can make even the purest man seem perverse or
the nicest woman seem cruel are all laid out in the open for others to
read.
 
I believe that that world
would house the best mages ever known.”
 
He leaves all confused with this story.

“Moving on…why do Conjurers and
even Augmenters chant spells?
 
It is
not the words that invoke the spell or technique.
 
Instead, the words influence the
caster’s consciousness, filling his mind with the correct ‘suggestion’ if you
will that molds the mana into the desired spell.”
 
The sound of everyone furiously
scribbling in their notebooks fills the room.

Professor Mayner was a great
speaker and he made the class engaged with the material he was teaching.

“To give a rather humorous example,
if I were to say to a girl that liked me, ‘I have always loved you,’ the girl I
said this to, you can bet that there will be some sort of reaction.
 
The ‘incantation’, which was
 
‘I have always loved you’ triggers the
response or the ‘spell’ from her, whether that is blushing, crying, a smile,
etc.”
 
The class roared with
laughter at the metaphor, but I couldn’t help but wince.

“All in all, if the caster can
control his consciousness to mold the mana into his desired spell, then
incantations can be greatly shortened or they might not even need it at
all!
 
The reason Augmenters don’t
need to focus so much on chanting is because the spells they use almost always
directly involves them using their own body.
 
Conjurers, on the other hand, have to
cast much more precise and complicated spells, which require these incantations
so that their spells don’t become totally different with a switch of a
thought.
 
That is why I said that if
there
was
a world where everyone could read each
others’ minds, that world would also have the greatest of magicians.
 
Why?
 
Because they would have absolute control
over their thoughts.”

The class went on and while the
Professor was a great lecturer, I wasn’t able to focus as my mind kept shifting
back to Tessia and what she said before leaving.

Hiding my insecurities with my
confidence…

Was that what I was doing?
 
Am I using the fact that I was a lot
better at magic than everyone else as an excuse to avoid confronting what I was
actually bad at?

I was being a hypocrite.
 
I was going on about how I shouldn’t see
Tessia as anything more than a child but I was actually the one that needed to
grow up.
 
Getting stronger in my
strong points couldn’t fill in my weak points, it just made them that much more
apparent in comparison.
 

Tess is young.
 
She’s also innocent, but that didn’t
mean she was ignorant.
 
Maybe I was
the ignorant one.

“Class is over!
 
Have a great night, students.
 
I shall see you all tomorrow!”

Even as I was walking back to my
dorm, my mind was all over the place, almost tripping over myself various
times.

Fuck.

I changed directions to where the
student council dorms were.
 
Running
as fast as my body would let me, I arrived at the building that was much
fancier than my dorm hall was.

I’m here.
 
How do I meet Tess?
 
It’s not like I could just shout out and
call for her…

‘Papa, Mama is over there.’
 
Sylvie points east with her paw and
without questioning, I run in that direction.
 

“I’m telling you, I’m okay!
 
Please, just let this go, Clive.”
 
I hear Tessia’s voice in the courtyard
near the fountain.

“No!
 
How dare that brat, Arthur make you
cry.
 
I knew he would only cause
trouble!
 
His poor upbringing is
definitely the cause.
 
I can’t imagine
why Director Goodsky even allowed that peasant in this prestigious academy, and
as a Disciplinary Committee, no less!”
 
I vaguely make out Clive’s thin frame as he was holding onto Tessia by
her wrist.
 

Clive notices me approaching and
his face contorts into a scowl.
 
“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?
 
You dare try and meet Princess Tessia
after you’ve made her this unwell?
 
If it were up to me, I’d kill you right now!”
 

Ignoring the thin, stern-looking
Vice-President, I look at Tessia who turns away.
 
“Tess, can I have some of your
time?”
 

“You’re ignoring me
?!
”
 
Clive roars
as he lets go of Tessia’s wrist and grabs onto my shoulder, when I turn and
face him.
 

“
Piss off.”
 
I couldn’t
hold in the amount of irritation I felt from this brat and my situation with
Tess wasn’t making it any better.
 
Letting out a bit too much killing intent I force Clive to jump back
where he trips over himself and falls on his back.
 

“Y-YOU! Wh-what…” Too flustered,
Clive was unable to produce anything more coherent as my gaze never left
him.
 

“Stop.
 
It’s not worth causing a scene
over.”
 
Tessia gets in between Clive
and I and takes my hand, leading me out of the courtyard.

As I try to keep up with Tessia’s
quick steps, I almost trip, my injured body still unable to do anything more
than walking.

“H-hold on Tess, we’re going too
fast.
 
I’m still hurt.”
 
I say in between breaths.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
 
Tessia looks back and I can tell she was
trying her best to look angry.

We were in an alley between the
Director’s office and the Student Council’s Dorm when we stopped.
  
As Tess lets go of my hand, she
takes a step back and waits for me to catch my breath.
 

“Well?
 
What do you want?”
 
Tess turns her head away as she
pouts.
 

“…”

“Tess.
 
What you said about me, you were
right.
 
I’m now realizing that this
whole time, I’ve been avoiding confronting you about your feelings.
 
I was afraid.
 
Magic and fighting is so much simpler,
you know?
 
The more you train, the
better you get and the better outcome you see.
 
Love…love doesn’t work that way.”
 
I look at Tess but her expression
doesn’t change.

“I was making excuses when I said
that we were too young.
 
I’m
sorry.
 
I do like you, Tess.
 
I really do.
 
I missed you when I got back home.
 
I thought of you often and wondered what
you were doing at the moment.
 
The
things I said earlier, they probably hurt your feelings a lot, right?”
 
I scratch my head as Sylvie jumps off
and goes on top of Tessia.

“…”

“Yes, and I’m still mad you
know.”
 
Her face was still turned
but I caught her taking a quick glance at my face as her arms were still
crossed.

“I’m sorry for making excuses, but
can I ask you to be patient with me?
 
I’m really no good at this, and in this aspect, I’m probably a lot less
mature than you are.
 
Can you wait
for me to catch up?”
 
I take a step
forward and move my head to try and get her to look at me.

“Tch… So you say, but I bet you’re
just going to find some other girl in the meantime.”
 
She retorts while avoiding my gaze.

“I won’t do that.
 
I promise.”
 

“How do you know?
 
How am I supposed to trust that you’re
not going to go and fall for someone else if I give you more time?
 
You don’t understand, Art. I may not
seem like it but I’m really selfish.
 
I don’t want to share you.
 
I
want you all to myself!”
 
She whips
her head to me, her eyes filled with tears.
 

“What if you…”

 
My childhood friend instantly stops
talking as my lips cover hers.
 
It
felt different this time compared to when she kissed me.
 
Maybe it was because I was the one that
initiated it, but it was a lot more delicate.
 
I felt her trembling lips tense in
surprise at first but then loosen in content as the side of my nose gently
touched hers.
 

Letting go of her waist, I distance
myself from her as I feel my face becoming hot.