The August of Lucas's twelfth year, the carriage that was to bring new students to the school came to the town. Lucas departed from his family with tears and blessings, while Rebrixi left with solemn acknowledgement of her future.
On the trip, Lucas saw things that he could never have dreamed of seeing. The whole experience felt like a dream to him. He was on a carriage to the most prestigious academy on the continent! The carriage itself had seats made of rich, red silk cushions and dark mahogany walls and ceiling, elaborately gilded with strips of gold. The carpet was woven from an extremely soft material that Lucas could not identify. All he knew was that it was the same shade of red as the seats and had patterns of the walls’ dark mahogany flowing across it.
Rebrixi sat across from him, watching him intently, as if to examine his reaction. If that was the case, Lucas felt that he showed more than enough delight at both the scenery of the lush, verdant hills and the clear blue sky, as well as the feeling of sitting in the carriage. The cool air breezed in, accompanied by the steady clopping of the two horses that were pulling the caravan. As the cushions were beyond comfortable and the breeze was so gently caressing his face, Lucas felt his eyelids droop after half an hour of the journey.
He awoke to a sharp pain on the side of his face. “Wake up, we’re here!” came the familiar voice of Rebrixi. The slap helped Lucas clear his head quickly.
“We’re already at Sacred Heart?” he asked, his vision clearing.
“Yes, you slowpoke. Get out of the carriage!” As Lucas descended from the carriage, he saw, for the first time, the sheer scale of the academy. The front gate was comprised of a tapering structure made with thin pieces of metals, such as silver, gold (or at least Lucas assumed it was gold), and bronze.
Lucas noticed the disapproving driver of the carriage shaking his head and walking away out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t take it to heart. He was filled with excitement. There was a large field that had an enormous marble fountain shooting a jet of water into the sky. The fountain had some markings carved into it. He would look into it more when he got past the front gate, which was manned by a person who wore a plain suit and tie. The only extraordinary thing about the man was that his moustache reached from one side of his face to the other and was at least seven centimeters thick.
“Names, please,” the man said as they approached him.
“Lucas Drake and Rebrixi Smith,” replied Rebrixi.
The man flipped through a weathered tablet that looked like it was made from extremely old and pressed paper. “Drake… Lucas… and Smith… Rebrixi…” he looked up from the tablet and, with a satisfied expression, made a sweeping bow, “Welcome to Sacred Heart.”
The pair stepped through the ajar gates into a massive garden that had lush, green hedges trimmed perfectly to highlight a stone brick path that wound through the greenery. If the path were viewed from a bird’s eye, it would look more like silver patterns etched into a jade rectangle.
In the center of it all was the fountain that Lucas had noticed earlier. Four intricately carved lions’ heads faced all four directions — north, south, east, and west. The north head faced the school, and the south head faced the gate. The fountain itself was ten yards wide and at least double high. The water shot from it so extravagantly that it was a wonder how the ground beside the fountain was dry.
The slightly thin marble pole that stretched through the height of the fountain had a design that incited an odd feeling within Lucas. A nostalgic pull, almost. But Lucas was from humble origins. What from this fountain could pull him besides the value and beauty of it?
Rebrixi pulled Lucas through the scenery. “We have enough time later to admire the fountain. We’re going to be late for the entrance ceremony!”
The two rushed to the school. Lucas caught a glimpse of text on a black-and-gold gilded plate embedded above the main doors of the Gothic-style school before Rebrixi pulled him into the entrance hall.
“The World Beyond the River,” he read. “What’s that?”
“They’ll explain it first period, so don’t worry about it right now.”
When they arrived in the largest atrium Lucas had ever seen, there was a ceremony where students placed their hands on a crystal ball, which would change colour depending on their magic affinity. Lucas was placed twenty-seventh in the line, out of one hundred and seven total applicants. Twenty-six students passed before him until it came to Lucas, who was already shaking with anxiety and anticipation. He looked back in line and saw Rebrixi, who nodded encouragingly at him.
Lucas held his breath and placed his hand on the crystal ball. Nothing happened. The ball did not change into any of the eight colors — red, blue, green, yellow, brown, purple, black, or white — the sign that he had magical potential, and remained dark, the sign of no magical affinity whatsoever. Lucas's previous hope crashed down around his ears. A full thirty seconds passed, but the ball did not stir and neither did the crowd.
Then Lucas felt the ball under his hand shudder slightly. Newfound hope and eagerness filled him. Then he heard a sickening crack. The ball had shattered. A few more seconds passed in complete silence but for the pieces of the ball falling off the pedestal and clattering on the floor. Then a sudden torrent of mutterings and conversations erupted among the students. They, of course, had never seen anything like this. Virelion Sareth, who had been watching from a special outcrop on the third floor with the other professors, gave the signal to pass him.
Lucas was ready to faint, cry, stay immobile for the rest of eternity, but his feet carried him over to where the other new students sat, under an elaborate banner that displayed an ornately designed crystal heart. This couldn’t be. But then, what had he expected? He, a normal farm boy, dared to believe that he could have a place in the most prestigious academy on the continent! Well, who had he to blame? It had been his decision after all.
The following eighty students passed by in a blur after the staff had replaced the crystal ball. Five were turned away, just as Lucas almost was. Lucas was too distraught to muster up the energy to look up to see if any of them were Rebrixi. He had faith anyway; her father had been a rather famous swordsman, he’d found out.
After the students had been tested, they were ushered by a professor to their first period. Lucas blindly followed the sound of the footsteps of those in front of him. He heard the soft dripping of water in the walls that accompanied the soft mutterings that he was sure were about him. The sound of everyone’s shoes padding along the floor, coupled with his exhaustion from dealing with his raging internal feelings, made him sleepy.
Lucas tripped along the stony floor, aware of his inconsistency clashing with the much more graceful walk of those in front and behind him. He cursed himself for bothering to come and deal with this embarrassment.
After what felt like an eternity, the class had reached the classroom they were to go to. Its door was plain and wooden, complementing the cobblestoned wall surrounding it. It swung open of its own accord and allowed them in.
The now-students were met with a beautiful classroom, a gothic place with rich red drapes left undrawn to show a breathtaking view of the landscape, set with mountains in the distance and fluffy clouds dotting the blue sky as the grass of the expansive fields was brushed by a breeze. However, try as he might, Lucas could not admire these details.
The ceiling was pointed in the style of a church. A circular, glazed mosaic window showed the scenery that Lucas could not appreciate. The wooden desks had smooth, hard surfaces, and rich, red cushions sat on the seats and backrests. Each desk had a steel ingot that had the students’ names printed on it. Lucas mindlessly found the desk with his name on it and sat down clumsily, unlike the smooth movements of the others, who were clearly experienced members of the nobility.
He sat up straight and attentively despite his inner exhaustion. Rebrixi had taught him the proper sitting posture of nobility. However, Lucas saw four other students who were not so proficient at hiding their weariness. This observation cheered him a little. Maybe he wouldn’t have to be constantly surrounded by the upper class.
The door swung open noiselessly as a professor entered the classroom. She was rather thin and wore spectacles that reduced the size of her eyes rather than enlarging them. Her hair was tied into a tight bun. The overall effect was that of serious and strict discipline. The already faint chatter instantly became silent when the professor placed the books she had been carrying onto the lectern at the front of the classroom. The motion was graceful and quiet, but threatening.
“Welcome, students, to the most prestigious academy on the continent, Sacred Heart. My name is Rowena Hawke, but you will refer to me as Professor Hawke or Madam Hawke. Today, I will give you a brief introduction to this school. If need be, I will also introduce the magic and the Will system. Afterwards, you will have your classes tested. Finally, you will be introduced to your dormitories, where you will stay for the rest of the day.
“So, let’s start with the basics. I will begin by explaining the motto of the—”
“Oh, come on!” a rather plump student interjected. “We all know about—”
“You will be silent when I am speaking!” exclaimed Professor Hawke. The student immediately stopped talking. “As I was saying, the school's motto is ‘the World Beyond the River, ' which you undoubtedly noticed as you entered. Many of you should be familiar with the phrase since it is synonymous with ‘heaven’.
“However, not many of you know the roots of this phrase and why it’s so important to go so far as to be the motto of the most prestigious academy on the continent. The World Beyond the River describes heaven. The river is, as you have all surely heard, the Wyrmstream. It is a rapid so torrential that any journey made across it will most likely be one’s first and last. It is so wild, in fact, that it was named after the wildest creature alive. As to how one is supposed to make it past and into heaven? I do not know, but the theory which I believe in says that the crossing of the Wyrmstream is a trial to see who is worthy of making it to heaven. You are all free to believe what you want.”
“Try being more boring, won’t you?” yawned another student. This one had fair hair and, unlike the other one, who had not been the most attractive, was rather popular, which Lucas hadn’t noticed prior due to his internal troubles.
“Your father may be the king, but that does not justify impudence.”
This sent somewhat of a shock through Lucas, temporarily relieving him from his self-deprecating whirlpool of emotions. So he was in the same year as a prince, huh. But this also meant that he had to be on his guard and stay out of the way of the prince. Trouble would eventually find its way to him, but he would do whatever he could to avoid it.
“Well, what are you going to do about it?”
“Prince or not, I can have you expelled!” exclaimed the professor. “Do not underestimate the power of the school and its professors.”
“What, is the school a sovereign nation now?” sneered the prince.
“That is, in fact, not far from the truth.”
This statement quieted the boy, so the teacher continued, “Now, who here has received some sort of education in combat prior to attending this school?”
Nearly all of the students raised their hands. The ones who did not raise their hands wore slightly less elaborate clothes than the ones who did, so Lucas guessed that they were like him — part of the lower class. Lucas could count them on one hand — including himself, there were five lowerclassmen.
“It seems that we will have to go through the process of explaining the combat system of this world. It is divided into two main parts: magic and the Will. Magic is the surreal application of natural elements to do one’s bidding. The Will is the manifestation of one’s willpower to temporarily enhance one’s physical abilities. Not everyone has the capacity to use magic — with one exception that I will address later, but anyone can use the Will, since it relies on mental stability.
“Magic is divided further — normal elemental magic, the Arcane, and the extremely rare magic techniques. I will not elaborate on the Arcane other than to say that anyone can utilize it and that it is incredibly dangerous to use. Whereas elemental magic—”
“If anyone can use the Arcane, then why doesn’t everyone run around with it?” blurted another student.
“Because most who decide to delve into the Arcane find themselves dead. Now, as I was saying, normal elemental magic is something not everyone is capable of using. The elements are split into seven elements: fire, water, plant, light, earth, wind, and darkness, which is a type of the Arcane. Each Race has a natural element that any member or individual of that Race can use. However, this is a double-edged sword, since abusing this use will cause one to develop mental problems. With enough effort, one who has magic control over that natural element will also be able to control individuals of that Race. Humans are the only Race known so far that has the natural element of darkness. However, within a Race, an individual can still be able to use natural elements other than those of their Race.
“Magic techniques are special types of magic that can be passed down from bloodline lineage or a mutation in one’s magic. To have a magic technique means that you have to be born with the ability to use magic besides your innate element, or else there is nothing for the mutation to act on. Besides famous examples of important families who have been documented with bloodlines of magic techniques, it is nearly impossible to find magic techniques in the big world.
“Every user of magic is classified into one of six types: melee attack, ranged attack, defense, supplementary (also called support), recovery (a rather ambiguous subdivision of support, but it’s large enough and important enough to be regarded as its own class), and control.
“The crystal ball from before was a test to see if you have the potential to use magic, and if so, what kind of magic you are proficient in. For example, if the ball turned dark blue, it was a sign that your element was water. If you have a magic technique, the ball would have turned bright white. If you cannot manipulate any magic besides your innate element, it would not react. Now, we will be testing the class you fit into. I will now read the list of students who are strongly recommended not to attend. Lucas Drake and Vaelith Ensera, please stay in this room. The rest of you, follow me.”
The other students exited the classroom, following Professor Hawke. The shuffling of footsteps faded away, echoing in the halls as the chattering group of pupils receded. Why was I told not to have my class tested? Does it have something to do with the ball cracking? Lucas thought. He looked at the one other person who was left in the classroom with him. He noticed that she was one of the lower class, like him.
“Did the ball also crack for you?” he asked.
“Do you think that sort of thing is common?” Vaelith replied, almost spitefully.
“I dunno, is it?”
“No!” she said. “Something like that hasn’t happened in nearly two centuries!”
“Oh, so I’m special,” Lucas said.
Vaelith sighed and turned away, muttering something that sounded distinctly like “hopeless.” Lucas hadn’t yet had his curiosity satiated, so he continued to ask, “Then why are you also here?”
“Because the results of the test are always made public, so my family appealed to the school to make sure my class stays private.”
“Then how do you know what class you are?” Lucas asked.
“That’s why I’m here right now. I’m about to be tested privately.”
True to her words, an assistant professor, distinguishable by the gilded black-and-gold badge on his navy blue uniform, appeared at the doorway to escort her to her test. “You are Vaelith Ensera?”
“Yes,” came the reply.
“Follow me.” Without another word, the assistant professor swept from the room, leaving Vaelith scrambling for the door. Now that Lucas was alone, he pulled out a small watch from his pocket. He admired the ticking of the hands rather than checking the time. The soft tick-tock of the watch always helped him relieve a bit of his stress.
Another person came through the door, but he was one he recognized instantly: Virelion Sareth, the headmaster. He was lined through years of life, but what gave it away the most was his long cloak. It was pitch black, striped with golden strings that twisted and intertwined, forming a large and complex heart symbol on his chest. “Lucas Drake, please come with me. I will explain everything in my office once we’re there.”
Lucas hurried to get up from his seat and bowed to the rather wizened man. “There will be no need for that,” the headmaster said. Lucas straightened and followed Virelion as he walked into the corridor. Lucas had not noticed previously, but even the stone hallways were designed in their own ways. Incomprehensible engravings were carved into the walls, creating beautiful patterns.
“I see you have appreciated the carvings of the founding of the school,” Virelion said. “There you see the Light Warrior, Azlan, who saved the floating capital of Arule from falling. That’s the First Towermaster, Maelion, who aided Azlan in many of his expeditions. That, there, is Virex, who dabbled in dark magic and disappeared after the War of Two Doctrines. We’ve yet to hear news of his fate, even after these one thousand years.”
Lucas, who had never been able to dive into history and had only heard vague fables and the most famous stories of these ancient legends, was very interested in the new information he was getting at the academy. He had always known that he was among the least educated people on the continent, but to learn so much in one day? That was not something he expected. He wondered what other things the school would surprise him with.
After walking through many corridors and climbing many flights of stairs, they finally arrived at the headmaster’s office. The door was shaped like a two-dimensional obelisk flanked by two windows molded to perfectly line the adjacent walls. Elaborately carved lines curled and stretched along the face of the door, etched with characters and symbols that, by themselves, emitted a magical presence. The headmaster held the palm of his hand to the door and chanted words in an undertone. The characters, originally glowing a slight blue, turned green one by one, each giving a whirring sound as it became green.
The double door swung open without the slightest push as if welcoming the duo into the office. The headmaster stepped in and beckoned Lucas forward. He walked into the room and was immediately struck with a peculiar feeling — a strange yearning that had no apparent object. The office itself was somewhat cramped but extremely tall. Octagonal, with six walls lined with filled bookshelves that reached to the pointed ceiling, the room featured a polished, red oak desk that would have been rectangular if not for two equally sized squares jutting out of the side opposite Lucas, turning the desk into a U shape. Between the two “squares” was a very tall, cushioned chair lined with clouds of gold. A small rotating globe of the world whirred quietly to itself on a corner of the desk while the rest of it was covered with piles of paper and books. A feathered quill was neatly placed in an ink bottle near a signed piece of paper with lines upon lines of writing.
Lucas stepped forward but nearly tripped. “Careful there,” said Sareth. There was a two-centimeter-tall ledge upon which the desk was elevated. Lucas looked around at the floor and noticed that it, too, was etched with magical characters. Piles of books littered the floor, but were mostly pushed to the side so that there would be walking space.
For a commoner, Lucas could read rather well because of Rebrixi’s lessons. Even among the higher class Lucas could be regarded as a well-versed twelve-year-old. But even with this level of literacy, Lucas believed that he would not have been able to understand half of what was written on the papers.
Sareth walked over to his chair and sat down, conjuring a slightly less comfortable seat for Lucas. With the headmaster’s invitation, Lucas settled into the armchair and looked at the man sitting across from him. A huge window nearly completely covered the opposing wall. It overlooked the large town surrounding the school in three of the four directions — all except the north, where the plains and distant mountains were. The blue sky and cumulus clouds could be seen clearly, since this office was rather high up in the building.
“I think you’re now wondering why I came to meet you personally,” Sareth said. He continued without hearing an answer. “It has to do with the ball shattering when you laid your hand on it. Such an event has not occurred in nigh on three centuries. When it occurs it is seldom a good thing, but I am willing, and have received permission to do so, to make a change in that prejudice.
“You see, you have an extremely special affinity for the Arcane.”