Sophie was already waiting outside the lecture hall when I arrived, arms crossed, her dark lace sleeves blending into the darkness of the hallway. Her silver jewelry glistened in the morning light, reflecting slivers of luminescence. She looked up as I approached, her expression was neutral, though I caught the slight twitch on her lips - amusement I figured, at my barely awake state.
'Ready for our first class?' I asked, trying to rub the fatigue from my eyes.
'As ready as I'll ever be,' she mumbled nervously, slowly exhaling. 'You?'
'Not even slightly.'
We both turned toward the doors as the other students started filtering in. Some chatted excitedly about their grimoires, others looked tired or anxious. Everyone knew that today marked our first steps into the world of magic and would establish the foundation of our understanding.
Following the other students I stepped inside, taken back by the moment.
I don't know what I was expecting, but the lecture hall was vast, far larger than it appeared from the outside. Towering bookshelves lined the walls, stacked with leather bound tomes and rolls of parchment. The whole room felt almost alive with knowledge. At the front of the room was a large chalkboard, the words "Introduction to Magic Theory" scrawled in elegant white strokes of chalk.
Standing at the front of the class was a familiar figure - the woman from my interview, the one with piercing green eyes. She was the first person to congratulate me, but looking at her now she had a more authoritative presence that demanded your attention effortlessly.
Rows of wooden desks ascended in a semicircle from the platform with the chalkboard at the bottom of the hall, the professor stood patiently waiting for students to find their seats as we scurried into the room.
I began climbing the stairs, Sophie following behind me as we found a row in the middle of the room. We shuffled along to leave space for others to sit next to us before we settled into place, both of us brimming with anticipation of our first lesson.
All around us other students began to settle in, a mixture of fresh faces and some familiar that I recognised from brief encounters around the dorms and campus. Once we had all found our seats, there were around forty of us in total. The hall was filled with the sound of students quietly talking amongst each other, waiting eagerly for the class to start.
I took a quick look around the room before the class started, to see if there was anybody I recognised.
In the row below me I could see Anthony Mercer, the cocky student who had been humbled by the third year a couple of days ago. The experience really had humbled him, he was more reserved and his posture defensive. He sat nervously fidgeting with his empty notebook, his pride had clearly taken a hit, but now he seemed eager to learn.
To my left on the other side of the steps was Serenity Valance, a girl with flowing silver hair and an air of nobility about her. She reminded me of Sophie when I met her in the examination room, an air of unrivalled confidence about her. Sophie had told me that Serenity was from an old magical family and kept to herself, even in the dorms.
A couple of rows behind us, talking loudly with the person next to him sat Ryan Hale, a broad-shouldered giant. He had a thick Scottish accent and despite his imposing stature was incredibly gentle and kind, people seemed to gravitate towards his good nature.
The last person I recognised was Lydia Massem, who was sitting in the front row. Her dark curls bouncing as she laughed with the person next to her. She often sat on the grass with an array of text books spread around her. She seemed determined to absorb as much information as humanly possible.
The professor let the room settle into silence before she spoke.
'Good morning everyone,' she announced to the class. 'My name is Professor Astora, I will be your Head of Year teacher during your time at Velos Arcana.'
She paused, allowing the students a moment to talk amongst themselves.
'Now then, I will also be teaching you Magic Theory. So I have no doubt we will have a love-hate relationship, but if there is anything you need I will always be available.' She smiled politely, her eyes scanning the room like piercing emeralds.
She turned, chalk floating into the air beside her as she began writing on the board.
'As many of you may have learned already, your grimoires provide a magic that works through instinct and will. It is a gut feeling, a force that pushes out from within each of you. But instinct alone isn't always enough.
The chalk tapped against the board, drawing up three interconnected symbols.
'Grimoires are more than books; they are fragments of your very soul. An echo of your affinity to magic, containing spells and information related to your innate magical abilities. But-' she raised a finger - 'it does not define you, nor is it your only source of magic.'
I straightened in my seat, that caught my attention.
'Magic comes from three sources. The soul, the world and the mind.' She continued. 'Your grimoire is a conduit of your soul, but with enough practice there are other forms of magic we can utilise as well.'
The room was silent now, the entire class was watching her intently.
'Your grimoire is your most powerful tool, yes, but it is not your master. Relying solely on it will cripple your growth. The greatest mages in history first learned to wield magic beyond the pages of their grimoire.'
This was… different from what I expected.
So far I had assumed magic was just about our grimoires. That the spells written inside were our only power. But hearing that magic existed beyond that…
The chalk tapped on the third symbol.
'This leads us to the world.'
She raised her hand.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then -
A crystal ball sitting on her podium flew to her hand, hovering above her palm. It began to hum gently as embers formed at its center, before dancing like fireflies within the confines of the crystal. The crystal ball began to emit light, bright enough to illuminate a small room.
'This,' she said, 'is an artifact, enchanted with a simple light spell. Magic has existed since the dawn of time. While some spells require incantations, gestures or an intimate understanding of the spell. Artifacts are embedded with spells, objects that can channel magic for a pre-existing enchantment, requiring only will and mana to activate.'
The crystal floated back to her podium, dimming as it left her vicinity before returning to its previous state.
'While your affinity determines the magic within your grimoire, other magic can be used by anyone with the talent. However it requires years of mastery and learning, each spell has its own conditions to be cast. Which is why universities like ours were founded, to help teach students the control and knowledge not just to use their grimoire but also commonly used spells which will help you navigate the world of magic.'
That… made sense.
If all you needed to do was learn the magic in your grimoire, then how would a school work? Each student would be different and they could just spend their time reading their grimoire.
Professor Astora looked around the room, stepping away from the chalkboard and placing both hands behind her back.
'Now, I would like each of you to try.'
The room erupted into low murmurs. With a wave of her hand, the professor conjured a crystal ball in front of each student. Appearing in a shimmering light out of thin air.
'Channel your mana and your intent to summon a simple ball of light,' she instructed. 'Do not use your grimoire, focus on the energy lying dormant within each of you.'
I looked at the crystal ball in front of me, taking a slow breath.
Around me, students had already begun to focus. Some immediately summoned light within the crystal, others struggled as the crystal flickered and waned.
I placed my hand over the ball, closing my eyes to concentrate.
Magic was a living force, living within my body waiting for my command.
I reached inwards, trying to pull together the magic within me. After a few minutes of focus, I began to feel it. Not just within me, but around me. It was everywhere. In the air around me, in the floor at my feet, in the clothes on my back.
It was faint and dull in the air, slightly stronger in objects and surfaces, but in people - it was vibrant. I could sense Sophie beside me, her magic felt cold but there was a lot of it. Spreading my senses out further I could also feel Anthony sitting in the row below me, he was charged with electricity.
I shut out the world around me, focusing inwards. My own magic was hot, but there was something else. An emptiness that pulled in the world around it. I tried to grab hold of the warmth, willing it from my body into the crystal beneath my hands.
I opened my eyes to see a faint glow shimmering in front of me. It was small, unstable, but there.
Then it flickered out.
I exhaled sharply. This was harder than it looked.
Beside me, Sophie had formed a sphere of pale blue light roughly the same size as mine. But it was more stable, she didn't smirk or comment, but I could feel she was pleased with herself.
Professor Astora watched everyone for a moment before nodding.
'Not bad,' she said. 'It looks like everyone has produced at least something.'
I looked around relieved to see most of the students were now sitting with empty crystal balls again, at least I wasn't the only one who had struggled.
'With this, you have all taken your first step,' she continued. 'Your grimoire will always be your strongest tool, but it shouldn't be your only one. Relying on it will make you inflexible.'
She turned back to the board and picked up the chalk again.
'For your homework,' she said smoothly, 'I would like each of you to visit the library, collect your "Foundation to Magic" book that is waiting for you. Pick one of the beginner spells and master it by next week.'
Grounds spread around the hall, homework on our very first lesson? Great.
The Professor turned around to look at us all and smiled.
'Welcome to the world of magic. I believe Professor Doherty is waiting in the central courtyard for your next lesson.'