Foresigh

by Sophia Schmidt

  "The only tasks they can't undertake are those forbidden by law or those that are strictly prerogative of the army or the Mage Association. To accept any kind of job is necessary to join a Guild. They vouch for their employees and take full responsibility for their faults.

  "That's why a Guild is entitled to receive a fair share of your income. Forget all those tales about guilds being nothing more than a board from which the brave pick up quests.

  "Their rules are strict since their lives are on the line together with your reputation. A Guild that is found guilty of hosting criminals among their ranks gets disbanded, its Guildmaster charged with the same crimes their underlings committed.

  "So, if you ever want to join one, expect a full background check and a lot of personal questions. Those who fail to answer properly get black listed after the first attempt, losing the chance to join any other Guilds as well.

  "The Mage Association has fewer responsibilities towards its members but has even more strict rules. The Association is the link between the Kingdom and the practitioners of the mystical arts. If you want to get a title, lands, anything from the Griffon Kingdom, you need to join the Association first.

  "Having attended an academy makes things easier, but getting accepted is rarely automatic, unless you have already provided a service to our Country. Just like the Guild, the Association allows you to take on assignments, but you don't get paid with money for them. Only with merits.

  "The moment you accept your task, you are representing the Griffon Kingdom and the Crown alike. Failure is an option, no one will blame you if you are forced to retreat or decide you are not up to the task. Making a mess and giving mages a bad name, however is not.

  "The Association is also in charge of persecuting traitorous mages and hunting down those who abuse their powers. Killing an outlaw mage is worth much more merits than saving a village or capturing bandits.

  "We magic users are the Kingdom's backbone, but also its potential worst enemy. That's why rotten apples have to be taken out in a fast and efficient manner. Those who specialize in killing their fellow mages are called Spellbreakers and receive the highest honors.

  "Being part of the Association is not a right, is a privilege. Its authority will shield you wherever you are, a simple call will provide you backup when in a pinch or make whole medium importance noble families disappear in a single night.

  "It's possible to join a Guild and the Association both, but it's something that's frowned upon and will cripple your reputation. A mercenary can have as many masters they want to. Money can buy their services, if not even their loyalty.

  "A mage in the Association only serves the Crown and themselves. Any more is considered a crowd, making them unreliable. It's through your merits that a mage can be recognized as a Great Mage, an Archmage, or even a Magus.

  Those are not just empty titles. They define the depth of your loyalty to the Kingdom and how much your Country values you for it. Spending merits will never affect your status, only your actions will.

  "Merits are more valuable than money for a mage, since they can be exchanged for noble titles and the annuities that come with the role, for access to the Vaults of Knowledge, that hold the most prized magical legacies of the Griffon Kingdom.

  "During the Code of Practice course, you will not have to study the rules and regulations of the Kingdom or the Association. You will live them, in the roles of civil servants and probatory members of the Mage Association. Prepare to get your hands dirty.

  Chapter 272 Codex Part 1

  Professor Farg then explained how students would spend some time outside the academy walls, similarly to what Lith had already done during the fourth year for his Healer specialization.

  The main difference was that they wouldn't be employed only according to their specialization. The students would cover all the possible aspects of a mage's daily activities, acting as guards, firemen, healers, or simply helping the Association to deal with the paperwork.

  "The dirtied hand teaches the best. Remember, only monsters thrive in chaos, using their powers to satisfy their base instincts. Soldiers, nobles, mages, even the Crown itself, we are all servants of the Kingdom.

  "Achieving a higher power means much more than just the ability to yell orders. It comes with an increasing burden and responsibilities. It's only by properly carrying on your duty that your lands will develop and so will the Kingdom.

  "Think about it before your first assignment. Class dismissed."

  While the other students discussed what they had just heard, Lith observed the impact Farg's words had on his peers. With her charisma, she had made those of humble origins, like Quylla, feel they had a calling in life.

  That they had the power and the duty to protect those who couldn't defend themselves.

  Watching the tense expressions of the arrogant nobles who earlier had opposed to Linjos, Lith could see how they now felt insecure. They were afraid countless eyes were watching their families.

  After listening to Farg's speech, they imagined that it was only a matter of time before their crimes were exposed, threatening the lifestyle that they had always taken for granted.

  From their whispers, Lith could hear from their words that for the first time in their lives they were afraid of the consequences of their actions.

  Those like Yurial and Phloria, were either depressed or excited instead. They had prepared for a life of duty since they were little. The Code of Practice course meant coming another step closer to their adult life.

  'I didn't misjudge Farg at our first meeting.' Lith thought.

  'She is a natural born leader, capable of inspiring those around her, making them strive to become better persons. The problem is that the effect she has on people is bound to be only temporary.

  'Once they have a moment to think, without the presence of a leader to guide them, they will soon fall back in their old habits and insecurities. No one becomes a better person just because of some fancy words, neither justice becomes more efficient.

  'I wonder how long will it take, especially for those of humble origins, to be corrupted by their newfound powers and authority once they get out of the academy. I know very well how intoxicating is the freedom to get back at those you hate without the fear of consequences.

  'It doesn't matter if they now believe to have the moral high ground. Once they realize they are giants in a world full of ants no one cares about, they'll show their true nature.

  'Talk is cheap, everyone is righteous until they have the opportunity to take what their heart wants and get away with it.'

  Solus was a bit worried about him. After seeing how the villagers of Lutia had impoverished their neighbors for their own gain, how petty were the people of Earth and Mogar both with all those who were one bit less fortunate than them, she knew he wasn't wrong.

  Yet she considered his vision twisted by his own baggage and distrustfulness. Solus considered herself lucky for having met Lith and him for finding friends despite the academy's harsh environment.

  They were the living proof that there were good people in the world.

  The following lesson was also a mandatory one, so they only had to wait for the next Professor to arrive. When the gong resounded again, Professor Nalear entered the classroom.

  She looked even prettier than before, all that rest had done her some good. Lith felt nothing in his heart while watching her walk to the center of the Hall. He was completely over his childish unstable core induced crush for Nalear.

  "Good morning dear students. It's a pleasure to see you again. Believe me, after being bedridden for months, being able to walk again feels out of this world. In case some of you were wondering about it, your Professors from the fourth year have moved to the fifth floor as well.

  "The staff follows this rotation so those that have nurtured you can keep following your progress, making the transition to the new subjects easier since we already know your strong and weak points.

  "Our subject this ti
me is Magic Creation. As you know, every real mage must be able to create their own spells. Some of you already have some customized incantations and know how hard it is to create something from scratch."

  The classroom nodded in unison. Most of their personal spells were nothing more than modified versions of standard spells. At their level, creating something new implied a lot of trial and error.

  One of the reasons Lith managed to score so many points every trimester was that he was the only one that seemed to be able to create new spells with ease. The truth was different, though. He only developed true magic spells.

  The words and the hand signs he used were just gibberish.

  "Magic Creation is another of those subjects exclusive to the six great academies. No mage that comes from minor institutions knows about it. Even speaking about it outside the walls of an academy is considered an act of treason.

  "What I am going to teach you over the course of the lessons, is how to more easily create new spells for each element. There's no way we can cover everything in a single trimester, so beware. Magic Creation will last for the whole year.

  "I'm going to cover only for the basics, everything else rests on your shoulder. You'll also need what we do here for your specializations. After the first exam, you'll learn how to devise more complex and specific spells directly from the Professors of the other subjects you attend.

  Do not slack off. If you fail with me, you are bound to fail in every single course."

  The class sweat bullets at those words, watching at Lith with envy. Everyone considered him having an unfair advantage. Too bad they were completely off the mark.

  Lith was sweating even more than them.

  'Oh, sh*t! Let's hope she doesn't call me as a volunteer to explain stuff, or I'll be in hot waters. The only silver lining is that I can fake my way out. She'll surely request for simple spells that I can easily counterfeit with true magic.'

  "Don't worry, we'll start with something simple." Nalear said taking the words out of his mind.

  "First, you need to learn how to crawl, then how to walk, and finally how to run. Second, I'll assign each of you a different spell to create. Otherwise one of you will do all the work and the others will just leech it.

  "Third, to pass this course you'll need to share with me your final product, so that I can evaluate both your talent and effort. What's required from you is to not only devise working spells, but also the most effective ones possible.

  Chapter 273 Codex Part 2

  "Among the spells of the same tier, those that require few words and simple signs are considered much more valuable. On the other hand, long and convoluted ones will get you a C at best."

  'Me and my big mind mouth.' Lith inwardly cursed at himself.

  'That takes faking out spells off the table.'

  'Don't be a sourpuss. Everyone else will have to work on their own, while you have me.' Solus cheered him up.

  'That's true. I'm confident that the two of us can understand almost everything about magic.' Lith mind nodded.

  'The only problem is that knowing is not doing. I hope this isn't as hard as dimensional magic.'

  "First of all, it's better if I give you the textbook." Nalear tapped her foot, making a small booklet appear on each student's desk.

  "That's a Codex. As you already know, a spell is composed of two parts: the magical words and hand signs. Magical words define the element the spell is based on, it's shape and properties. Hand signs are necessary to regulate the mana output and adjusting its effects instead.

  "The book I just gave you will help you with the words part. It contains all the most common prefix and suffix to alter first magic, plus the standard words that cause specific effects.

  "Let's make an example. Infiro is the magical word for fire, Menala means three, and Tach means explosion. Hence an Infiro Menala Tach is supposed to cause three fire based explosions.

  "It's not actually that simple, but this is just a theoretical lesson, you only need to get the gist of it." Nalear shrugged lightly.

  "Now comes the hard part, finding the correct hand signs. Unlike words, there is no recording of them. Two people can create the same spell, yet use different words and signs.

  "Hand signs are strongly dependant on the imagination and willpower of the mage devising the spell. While once an incantation is complete anyone can learn it, during the creation process some signs will feel wrong to some mages, correct to others, and lacking to many.

  "Everything you have learned during the fourth year, even dimensional magic, it was all propaedeutic to this moment. You needed to go past the boundaries of the first three tiers of magic to develop your mana perception.

  "During all the exercises you have made, you have learned to control the mana flow with your will and to alter its properties. Without such solid foundations, creating even the simplest spell would require weeks, if not months of stumbling in the dark.

  "Let's get back to our example. Infiro Menala Tach it's a fire spell, so I'll start using the hand sign for first fire magic." Nalear drew a small circle in the air with her index finger.

  "Once you have a perfect pronunciation of the words, what you have to do is to focus only on your hands and your own mana flow. Say the words, draw the fire sign, then keep moving your hands. If you feel the flow continues, which will rarely happen at the first attempt, then you are on your way.

  "If you feel it stuttering or being blocked, then you are doing something wrong. As soon as it happens, stop and go back to square one until you find the next sequence of movements. I know it may sound like just a random process, but it's not.

  "At first, it will not seem so different from what you tried on your own in the past, but with a little practice, you will be able to understand what's the right sequence of movements by instinct.

  "Creating a spell from the first three tiers will take only a few days, while tier four or five ones may require weeks if not months. Let's ask our resident expert."

  'Schr?dinger's cat, here we go.' Lith inwardly cursed.

  "Quylla, Professor Vastor tells me you have a wonderful diagnostic spell. Do you mind sharing with the class what tier it is and how long did it take for you to create it?"

  Quylla quickly straightened her slouched posture before answering the Professor.

  "Tier three. As for the creation time, it's hard to say. The first version took me years of practice, but after joining the academy I realize it was still lacking." She threw a short look at Lith.

  "I keep perfecting it every time I improve or I learn something new. It's a work in progress." Previously having so many eyes on her would have been embarrassing for Quylla, but after months of Jirni's lessons, her voice was clear and steady.

  "Do you see it, guys?" Nalear gave her a small applause, followed by the rest of the classroom.

  "Years for a tier three. I'm not trying to belittle her talent or efforts, just highlighting how hard it was for her. What about the spell you used during the second exam?" Nalear was referring to Quylla's ice spell that was very similar to Lith's Checkmate Spears.

  "Tier three too, but it only took me a few months to make it." Quylla suddenly realized Professor Nalear's point in questioning her.

  "Exactly." The Professor nodded at her. "Because I have taught you how to manipulate your mana flow, while Professor Rudd gave you the necessary practice to alter it at will."

  "Professor, what about those like me who failed at dimensional magic? Can we also successfully create spells, or are we bound to be second rate magicians like Professor Rudd says?" Said a boy, clenching his fists hard under the desk.

  More than half the class had flunked it, managing to graduate only because dimensional magic was considered an optional subject. Yet it had impacted their final score, causing them to be classified as B++ magicians at best.

  They couldn't help but feel inferior to the upper percentile of the class. They also considered the boy very brave for having the guts to say out loud what every
one of them was thinking.

  "Good gods, that man is a monster." Professor Nalear was saddened by the lack of self confidence she perceived in most of the students.

  "Yes, you can create spells, maybe even faster than those who succeeded in dimensional magic. Albeit they are related, they are still two different talents. Dimensional magic requires Exacasting, a very strong mana perception, and manipulation skills.

  "Failing at it now doesn't make you lesser mages. You can keep practicing it on your own and learn it like anyone else. Most mages need years to master dimensional magic."

  "What about you, Professor?" The boy asked.

  "How long did it take you to learn dimensional magic?"

  Nalear bit her lower lip, struggling before answering.

  "I learned it during my academy years." She would have liked to lie about it, to reassure them about their future. However, the records were public, making the truth easy to be discovered. Nalear had graduated first of her year, ranked as an A++ mage.

  So she preferred to be honest, rather than give them false hope only to lose their trust in return.

  Most of the class sighed in despair. Professor Rudd's voice kept echoing in their heads, making Nalear sound just like a mother that was trying to comfort her children with white lies.

  Chapter 274 Body Sculpting Part 1

  During lunch, the members of Lith's group were hyped at the idea of Nalear's new subject. The only exception was Lith himself.

  'I really don't care about learning how to wave new fake magic spells. It's a chore and a bore. I'm already able to cook up new spells with true magic in a matter of days, hours if it's something I'm familiar with.' He inwardly grumbled.

  'So far, the fifth year is a let-down. Farg's course is useless too. I never did community service nor do I plan to work my a*s for free. This is just child labor!'