***
The next class Stephanie was in had everyone ducking for cover. Clayton was in rare form, picking on everyone any chance he got, including Stephanie. Half the students looked like they were on the verge of tears; the rest looked like they were ready to either quit or attack him.
“I guess that’s okay. If you were trying to fill up your fish bowl!” He yelled at one of the students as they made their way back to the lineup. Clayton ran his fingers through his straw-like hair. “You guys! Come on! This is basic stuff here!” His forehead was red and ridden with sweat. “How are any of you supposed to pass the exams if you can’t even do something as simple as this?”
Stephanie raised an eyebrow. The arena was set up in an octagon, with a target at each point. The goal was to split the water and pierce the bull’s eye of each target at once. It wasn’t exactly child’s play.
Clayton took a moment to turn away from the class and compose himself. Stephanie could hear a series of slow deep breaths coming from him. Part of her struggled not to laugh. She didn’t need to incur his wrath even more than she already had.
After a few minutes of awkward waiting, Clayton finally turned around. His color had returned to normal, and he didn’t seem like he was dripping with sweat anymore. “Okay.” He said with another deep breath. “Should we try this again?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Stephanie noticed one of her classmates raise their hand. She couldn’t remember her name. “Instructor?” They asked.
His beady little eyes shifted over to the student in question. “What’s on your mind?”
“Are we going to war with Moah?” The student asked.
Clayton simply stared. His eyes blinked once or twice, but otherwise his face was still. “Excuse me?”
The entire class shifted uncomfortably. “There… Have been rumors.”
Stephanie eyed Sheru suspiciously. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “I didn’t say anything,” she whispered.
Clayton stood still for a moment. They all knew he was considering how to answer. You could hear the murmurs underneath everyone’s breath. “Look,” he said as he began moving again. “None of you have anything to worry about Moah. They may have caused us some trouble in the past, but if they tried again they’d be forced to become part of the Golden Union and Moah definitely doesn’t want that.”
“Why’s that?” Another student asked.
Clayton stared at her in surprise. “Did none of you take history?” He held up a hand. “Don’t answer that.” He resumed pacing. “Years ago Moah got the idea that the North Amber Academy, this illustrious castle you all reside in, should be used to help their military. The Headmaster obviously disagreed. He preferred we remain an ‘intervention squad’, used only in emergencies, or by diplomatic request.”
He stretched out his arms and yawned briefly before continuing. “Many of the countries that support us financially also agreed with the Headmaster. There were a few who agreed with Moah’s claim, because they wanted a share of the Academy. This is what led to the First World War. It wasn’t a very long war or a tough one. Moah and her allies were crushed, and we placed embargoes on all of them. Moah got the strongest ones.”
“How was it so easy?” another student asked.
Clayton sighed. “Because we used Academy graduates as soldiers.” There was a long silence. Clayton took stock of the class. “Satisfied?” Everyone looked at each other before nodding carefully. “Good.” Clayton took another breath. “Now, let’s continue.”
***
By the end of class, Stephanie was sure that everyone had been screamed at least a few times. There was a point where Stephanie was positive Sheru was going to punch Clayton. They managed to avoid coming to blows, mostly because Stephanie kept telling her that punching an instructor would get her expelled.
“I can’t do it.” Sheru fumed as they walked off the field at the end of class. “I won’t take another class with him.” Sheru was still livid as they walked, her boots stomping with each and every step.
Stephanie began to open her mouth. Before she could speak, Sheru put her hand up. “And don’t you dare ask me if I want food.” Stephanie rolled her eyes. The pair made their way over to the storage chests and quickly changed out of their combat robes.
“You should go run a few rounds in the sparring area or something. It might help you feel better.” Stephanie suggested.
Before Sheru could answer, they heard Cole call out. “Hey! Wait up!”
They stopped and waited for him to catch up. He looked rather out of breath and took a moment to catch it before talking to them. “Sorry about that.” He said as he coughed a few more times.
“Did you need something?” Sheru asked. She seemed somewhat bored by his presence. Stephanie couldn’t blame her. All she wanted to do after class was grab some food, kick off her boots, and relax.
Cole’s eyes seemed to pass right through Sheru, and focused on Stephanie instead. “Did you want to get lunch? I don’t know if you’ve eaten yet or not. But if you haven’t, do you want to eat with me?” His face turned bright red.
Sheru slowly turned to Stephanie and smirked. Now Stephanie was the one with the urge to punch someone. She wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. She hadn’t eaten, but a meal alone with Cole sounded like a lot of effort with side of social awkwardness.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted James walking with a few friends. His eyes caught hers and he smiled. He gave a wave, which she returned.
“Stephanie?”
“Hm?” Stephanie turned back. Cole was staring at her, waiting for an answer. Sheru had turned away, doing her best to contain her laughter.
“Oh right. Sure.” She hoped her lack of enthusiasm didn’t show itself.
“I guess I will head off to the sparring room after all then.” Sheru said, any hint of anger gone. She nudged Stephanie’s shoulder. “Don’t have too much fun now!”
Stephanie glared at Sheru as she walked away. When she turned back to Cole, she put on her best fake smile. “Where do you want to eat?”
They wound up choosing a tree to sit under in a nice area. You could see the fields from here and the sounds of students walking to and from classes made for pleasant background noise. Stephanie munched silently on her fruits as Cole took his seat. She didn’t mind spending time with him; she just wished he’d picked a better time to do so.
“So what do you think of James?” Cole asked, popping another piece of chicken into his mouth.
“That’s what you want to talk about?” Stephanie couldn’t imagine this was why he wanted to get lunch with her.
Cole shrugged, “I don’t know. Don’t you think he’s kind of weird?”
“What?” Stephanie supposed there were worse things they could be talking about.
“Well everyone enters the Academy when they turn ten or eleven right?”
Stephanie nodded as that's what happened to her. She still remembered getting the acceptance letter in the mail. She was thrilled. “Yeah, so?”
Cole looked at her like she had two heads. “So? So isn’t it weird he just wound up here? At eighteen?”
He had a point. “Okay sure, but things like this happen all the time right?” she asked.
“Transfers are rare. Even then, they could only happen before the student turned sixteen.” Cole was no longer eating his food. In fact, his mood had turned somewhat serious.
She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of date this was. Date? Did I really just think that? She shook the thought out of her and shivered.
“Do you get what I’m saying?” Cole was staring at her, clearly looking for an agreement.
“I guess. Couldn’t it be just a mix-up? It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to think someone just overlooked something.” Stephanie said for the sake of getting him off her back.
Cole considered this and shrugged. “I mean… I guess, but the fact that transfers don’t happen this late makes an unusual situat
ion.”
Stephanie threw her arms up. “Then I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what else it could be but I agree, it’s weird.”
Cole seemed satisfied with that answer and began eating again.
***
After Stephanie finally managed to get away, she found herself thinking about what Cole was talking to her about. She was annoyed that he’d planted the thought in her head. She didn’t want to think badly of someone she had just met. She had enough trouble interacting with those she knew already. Still, she supposed it was worth investigating. If nothing else it gave her an excuse to talk to James.
She found him in the courtyard, sitting on a bench next to the fountain. He appeared to be reading a book. He wasn’t in his combat robes any longer, deciding to stay in the simple black jumpsuit. His red wristband stood out.
“Hello.” She said somewhat sheepishly.
James looked up from his book. He smiled when he saw her. “Hello.”
“May I join you?” She asked. She felt rather silly, but if she didn’t get this out of the way now she’d never be able to look at him properly.
“Of course.” He shifted a bit to give her room.
Stephanie sat next to him and looked at the book over his shoulder. “What are you reading?”
He closed the book and showed her the cover. History of the Academy was the title. It had a little drawing on it of the Academy castle. “Ever read it?” he asked.
Stephanie shook her head. “Can’t say that I have. History really isn’t my thing.”
James put it back in his bag. “Fair enough. So what can I do for you?”
“Just wanted to see how you were adjusting… Being a new student and all.” She gave him a bright smile and hoped he didn’t see right through it.
He smiled in return, and Stephanie felt some of her anxiety fade. “Thanks. I’m doing pretty well. It’s much different than the Eastern Quadrant; that’s for sure. We never got sent out on missions like you guys do.”
“Well, you’d be surprised how few the missions students are sent out on.” Stephanie responded. It was true though. The Academy was built to be somewhat of a “mercenary force” that helped any government that needed it. Sometimes it would cost them, depending on the service, but the Academy did its best to exist off the funds of the Allied Nations. It seemed to be going well for them so far. “Missions tend to be reserved for graduates.” She continued. “That and faculty, but only in the direst circumstances.”
“I guess you’re right. It’s still pretty different – combat training and all. I’m used to more… agricultural pursuits.” James replied, the corner of his lip curling into a smirk again.
“You mean you used to be a farmer?” Stephanie couldn’t help but laugh a little. James seemed like the opposite of what a farmer should look like, let alone act.
James shrugged. “That was the goal at least. Of course, being unable to manipulate earth made that a little difficult.” He snapped his fingers, and a small flame swirled around his thumb. “I was really good at creating ash though. The crop guys loved it for their fertilizer.”
“How did you get sent here though?” Stephanie was thankful he gave her such a good opportunity to ask her question. Anything else might have sounded too awkward.
He extinguished the flame by clenching his fist. “To be honest I’m not really sure. One day I woke up, and my instructor was in my dorm. I’d gotten a letter, saying I had been transferred to the Northern Amber Academy. I wasn’t really sure how or why. But I’m kind of glad I’m here.” He smiled at her.
Stephanie felt her face get hot, which she tried to ignore. “Why weren’t you sent here in the first place then?”
“Academy scouts didn’t find me first I suppose?” He shrugged again and looked away, back down at his bag.
“Where are you from originally?” Stephanie was legitimately curious. He didn’t have any discernable accent. He could have been Moan for all she knew, or even from Aechor.
James picked up his bag and took out the book out again. “You ever heard of the Magician’s Heart?”
Stephanie noted the blatant change in subject but didn’t want to press things too much. 'Best not to scare him off.' She thought. Plus she enjoyed simply talking to him. “No, I don’t think I have. What is it?”
James flipped through to the back of his book and presented her with a sketch. It was of an orb mounted on a pedestal. “They say it’s what gives us our abilities. Or at least enhances them. Without it we’d be weak, unable to do much of anything regarding the elements.”
“Wow. I never really thought to question how or why we can do what we do.” Stephanie said. “I suppose I’d always thought we had been born this way.”
“To a degree we are I guess. The Heart just gives us that extra push.” James flipped through a few more pages vacantly before shutting the book and lying it down. “That’s what the book says anyways,” he continued. “As far as anyone is concerned the Heart is a myth.”
“What’s your interest then?” Stephanie asked.
“Purely recreational. I enjoy looking at mythical artifacts. I think it would be fun to find one.” James flashed her a smile. Stephanie wasn’t sure why, but this one looked a bit fake.
She smiled back though, “What would you do if you got one?”
James opened his mouth, then paused. She could see his eyes making calculations as he stared up at the sky.
“I guess it would depend on what I found.” He answered eventually.
Stephanie didn’t consider that an answer and was going to call him on it but before she could James began to gather up his things.
“I’m sorry.” He said, “I have to run to class now. It was nice talking to you though.” He gave her another smile, this one more real. “I hope we can do it again sometime.”
“I’d like that.” Stephanie said without noticing she had been smiling as well.
James slung his bag over his shoulder and took off. Stephanie watched him go. A strange feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t tell if he was shy or not, and that’s why he didn’t feel like talking much about himself or perhaps he was hiding something. Stephanie desperately hoped it was the former.
Unsatisfied with what she found out, Stephanie decided that the library would be where she should go next. If nothing else she could find out why he was so interested in this Magician’s Heart.
***
The Great Library was stocked to the brim with books on any topic you could imagine. It seemed to span for miles and Stephanie was sure you could fit the entire student body inside and still have room for everyone to get around. It was a jungle made of wood and paper, and it made Stephanie’s headache.
Stephanie asked the librarian where she might find books on mythical artifacts, most pertaining to the history of the Academy. Thankfully the librarian never seemed interested in why anyone wanted a particular book and simply wrote down directions to the correct shelf. After handing it off to Stephanie she, simply went back to reading whatever it was that sat at her desk. Stephanie assumed they were booked that students had returned to her.
It took a few minutes, but Stephanie eventually found her way to the area listed on her paper. The shelf seemed to rise above and beyond how far Stephanie could lean back. She sighed. She would be here forever she thought.
“What are you looking for?” asked a voice behind her.
Stephanie turned around, and all she saw was a stack of books. “Excuse me?” she asked. Then a mound of curly blonde hair poked up from the stack. Stephanie walked over and saw a little girl, no more than twelve, staring up at her. “Oh, hello there.”
The girl looked up and smiled at her. “Hello. You looked a bit lost. Can I help you find something?”
Stephanie wasn’t sure how such a small girl could help her find what she needed in a library that appeared to be larger than the school itself. But she assumed it couldn’t hurt. If it worked then, she wouldn’
t be stuck here forever at least. “I’m looking for something, anything on the Magician’s Heart.”
The girl raised a blonde eyebrow at her. “Really? Interesting. Alright. Give me a moment.” Her accent was thick though Stephanie couldn’t seem to place it.
The girl pushed her chair out and stepped down. That was when Stephanie realized that despite being so young, she was nearly as tall as Stephanie was. She had striking green eyes and thin lips. Stephanie was sure she’d grow to be very beautiful.
She watched as the girl raced up the ladder that sat on the bookshelf. When she reached one of the sections high up, she pushed herself over with a gust of wind. Air class, Stephanie thought. She kicked herself mentally for not noticing the white wristband.
The girl grabbed a few books and pushed herself back to the edge of the wall before sliding back down to Stephanie. “These should help.” She handed Stephanie the stack of books.
Stephanie set them down on the table. “Thanks. What’s your name?”
The girl sat back down amongst her stack of books. “Ren.” She pushed some of the books out of the way so they could see each other.
Stephanie smiled, “Nice to meet you. I’m Stephanie.” She sat down and started to thumb through her books.
“Why do you want to know about the Magician’s Heart?” Ren asked, leaning curiously over at Stephanie’s book.
“A friend brought it up to me, but he didn’t know much about it. I thought I’d try looking for something about it.” She flipped through pages absently, waiting for something to pop out at her.
“That’s neat.” Ren said, setting herself back down.
“What do you do here?” Stephanie asked.
Rem shrugged. “I help out in the library every once in a while. Most of the time, I’m here because there’s nothing else to do.”
“Really?” Stephanie asked. “Even with classes? What about your friends and stuff?”
“I don’t know.” She answered. “I have a few friends here and there. But I’ve only been here a year.” She seemed shy. She kept avoiding Stephanie’s eyes when she answered.
Stephanie went back to her book. She had found a few sketches that look similar to the sketch in James’ book. The book stated something about the user being able to harness the power of the Magician’s Heart. Doing so could drain all other magic users of their power. The object was created by some group called Espers. The book claimed they were the ones to whom all magical abilities came from.