[A Fractured Song] - Chapter 3 - Fantasy, Isekai, Adventure
“There are several different ways that people manifest their magic. Most commonly, we use phrases that evoke the magic in us and visualize its intent. Other mages write charms on paper, draw or paint the effect of the spell they want to cast, or chant. Some of the mages in our order even sing or dance to invoke that magic.”
Godfrey, a slightly portly mage with a bushy red beard, raised his hand. “For the moment, when I tell you to start, I want each of you to hold up your hand. Visualize your hands glowing and speak ‘Lumens.’”
The students nodded and raised their hands. They'd been lined up for the final part of the evaluation tests. According to the White Order, after this final test, they would be assigned mentors and teachers that best suited their abilities.
In her spot amongst her lined up classmates, Frances took a deep breath, shut out the aches in her arms and legs, and looked down at her hands. She repeated the odd-sounding word in her head, thinking about how her hands would glow once she said it.
“Ready? Begin.”
“Lumens!”
Some of her classmates shouted the word. Others said it like something out of a fantasy movie. Frances… she said it softly, not unlike a prayer.
Nothing happened.
“Lumens,” she said, louder this time.
Nothing. She turned her hands, palm facing up. “Lumens? Lumens!” But there was nothing.
How… but the crystal had said she had magic! Why was nothing happening? Something… something had to be wrong here.
She glanced at the men and women watching them, writing into their clipboards. None of them met her eyes.
No… Frances briefly shut her eyes, forcing back tears. Something was wrong with her. She always knew that. She just dared to hope.
The other instructions from the instructors seemed to come from a vast distance. “Stand up. Line up in this order. We are going to talk to you for a bit, after which, you’ll be assigned a mentor.” She obeyed, like a robot.
But she knew what was going to happen. What always happened when she lined up with the rest of her classmates.
One by one, knights, warriors, a few oddly dressed men and women in civilian dress, and mages, walked up to the children and began to chat with them. She wished she could shrink into some corner, but there were too many people around her. She had to stand in the field, knowing that nobody would talk to her. The best she could do was keep her head down and try to find some solace in her shame.
“Hello again, Frances.”
It was… the woman with the twisted spine who spoke to her, Edana. She was smiling, and seemed sincere.
“Oh. Hi,” Frances whispered, head bowed, eyes glancing up towards the woman.
“I was wondering if you could try something with me,” she said. Edana gestured to her staff. “Can you put both hands on my staff, just under mine?”
Frances nodded and clasped the staff tightly. Now that she was so close, she realized it was wood, but not painted. The wood seemed to have this unworldly green color naturally.
“I noticed that you seemed to have trouble making your hands glow. That’s unusual, but not unheard of. It may be that spoken magic is not your field. We’re going to try to figure out what kind of magic is your field. So what I’m going to do is run some of my own magic through your hands to make them glow. There will be an odd, tingling feeling, and I want you to then do the first thing you feel like doing, while visualizing your hand glowing. It might be saying a word, you might want to move your body in some way… that’s fine. You just need to do the first thing that you feel like doing.”
“... Okay.” Frances took a deep breath. “When do we start?”
“In one… two… and three.”
Sure enough, there was a tingling feeling and Frances’s eyes widened as her hands began to glow with white light. A warmth she hadn’t felt before ran from her hands, through her arms, into her body. The most similar kind of warmth she had ever felt was when she…
Instinctively, Frances opened her mouth and made a soft note, a high C. Just like she practiced in after school choir club.
The white light around her hands suddenly sharpened and intensified into a blinding glare. Frances, gasped, it was like she was staring right at the sun and quickly shut her eyes and mouth.
The light immediately faded away and Frances found herself blinking away what seemed like sunspots. Her hands seemed back to their normal, light brown color.
Edana was grinning widely. “Very good, Frances. Though, I didn’t quite expect you to draw so much attention.”
Frances had no idea what Edana meant, until she glanced around her and saw that every boy and girl, man and woman on the training field was staring at her, blinking.
Godfrey shouldered his way through the crowd. “What was that light— Oh, Master. I didn’t see you.”
“You know how I prefer my anonymity, Godfrey,” said Edana in a gentle, if chiding tone. “And that light wasn’t mine. That was Frances’s.”
Godfrey started. “She… she made that? But she couldn’t make even a slight shimmer when we tested her earlier.”
“The word probably sounded awkward right, Frances?” Edana asked. Frances could only nod in reply.
“Hmm, how would you like to become my student, Frances?”
Frances blinked. She wasn’t sure if she could trust the older woman. Edana seemed nice, but that might not mean anything.
Godfrey’s reaction was a bit more telling. His eyes were wide with surprise and his eyes flicked between her and Edana.
She knew she was missing something. Clearly, Edana was an important person. Apart from Godfrey’s reaction, Frances noticed that in spite of her bent spine, the woman carried herself with a deep confidence and self-assurance that the other adults lacked.
“You don’t need to say yes right now, Frances. You are free to ask me questions first.”
Frances nodded, wondering what questions she could ask. In some ways it was safer to ask questions now, but she knew that certain questions couldn’t be voiced.
“Miss Edana, who are you?”
The mage chuckled. “Oh, I suppose I never really properly introduced myself.” She bowed. “Edana Firehand, Head of the White Order.”
Frances’s eyes widened. She knew she was staring at Edana now, but she couldn’t stop. She was looking at, had talked to, a woman who commanded the loyalty of all the mages she’d been teaching her and her classmates the last two days.
And while their teachers had tried not to brag, they were of the opinion that the White Order was the premiere mage order in the Human Kingdoms.
“From personal experience, I would strongly suggest you accept Edana’s offer, Frances,” said Godfrey.
Frances blinked. She expected a degree of reverence in the man’s features, especially given Edan’s status, but she didn’t expect happiness. Godfrey was clearly happy… for her?
“Godfrey, really,” said Edana.
“What? You’re an amazing teacher!” the man exclaimed.
“But Frances should make that decision herself,” said Edana.
Frances’s mind was whirring as she thought of some way to protect herself, but not come off as ungrateful.
“Perhaps… you might put me through a probationary period?” she said.
If the stories she read were anything to go about, a probationary period was an excellent way for a mentor to judge a student. It’d allow for an easy way for Frances to “fail” out of being Edana’s student.
“Are you sure?” Godfrey asked.
“I… I might not be the right student for you, Master Edana. It seems only fair,” said Frances, smiling weakly.
For some reason, Godfrey and Edana exchanged an unreadable look, but both nodded.
“Alright, if that’s what you would like, Frances, then we’ll set a probationary period of six months. I’ll be in your care then, student.”
Frances curtsied. “Yes, master.”
And inside her heart, she hoped she had made the right choice.
Posted Mar 20, 2020, 9:30 PM UTC · edited