by Logan Jacobs
“Before you learn the incantations, you must first kill an unwilling host, which, thank Satan, we have plenty of,” Vanessa remarked with a pleased smirk.
The warlocks moaned even louder at her cold words, and it sent a pleasant chill up my spine. I could tell the witches were eager to grab their weapons and plunge each dagger straight into each warlock’s heart. Truth be told, I was filled with the same bloodthirsty longing, but I knew I had to be patient.
“Now,” Vanessa said as her eyes flicked downward to read the text, “be sure to recite this next bit loud and clear… and watch me closely.”
The beautiful professor took one last look at the open book in her hands before she closed it and then glided over toward the wooden desk. Vanessa shot an icy glare at the wriggling warlock on Theodora’s desk, and she stared down at him as if he were a filthy, shit-covered animal. He was a pale, thin man with dark blond hair and wide, fearful lime-green eyes, and his white tuxedo was stained in several places with blood and other bodily fluids.
Vanessa crinkled her nose in disgust, placed the book on the edge of the desk, and grabbed her dagger. It had a leather hilt and a silver blade that glittered under the faint classroom light, and she slowly held it high up into the air above her head. There was another dagger lying on the other side of the desk, and before I could say anything, she shot me a placid stare.
“Cole,” she said in a faint voice, “come join me.”
“Of course, Professor,” I answered with a firm nod, and I edged toward the desk and snatched the dagger before I raised it above my head.
Vanessa looked into my eyes and then leaned closer toward me, so only I would hear her.
“Together, we will recite the spell,” she ordered. “On the count of three, repeat after me, ‘et mihi hanc potestatem sanguine.’”
I nodded in agreement, and as she stared into my eyes, her mouth parted open, and she began to count.
“One, two, three,” she whispered.
“Et mihi hanc potestatem sanguine,” we both chanted in unison.
As soon as the incantation left our lips, the room darkened and turned a shade of bloody crimson. A frigid air filled up the room next, and the desk began to shake. Every bone in my body felt as if it had turned into a block of ice, and even my blood was as cold as stone. My teeth began to shatter, and it was difficult to move my arms, but when Vanessa looked into my eyes, I knew what she was thinking.
I had to fight it.
So, with all my strength, I brought my hands down and plunged the dagger into the warlock’s chest. He groaned in agonizing pain, and then his entire body spasmed as if he were being electrocuted. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and a chorus of faint scream-like howls filled the air. As the wind grew more violent, it nearly knocked us off our feet, but we still maintained our position. We both kept a firm grasp on the hilts of our weapons and didn’t dare move, and finally, when the room calmed down, I glanced at Vanessa, and she slowly nodded and pulled out the bloody dagger.
“Well done,” she breathed.
“Thank you,” I panted.
My entire body was weakened, but I did my best to push away the sensation and remain as still and steady as possible.
“Now,” Vanessa sighed before she drifted over to the front of the class, “according to the ancient text, this spell will take a great deal of energy from you, but once that part is completed, you should be feeling normal in a matter of minutes. I want you all to sacrifice your warlock at the same time. On my count… one, two… three.”
As soon as Vanessa uttered three, an echo of the incantation resonated throughout the classroom. Once again, the room grew dark as blood, and icy air crept over our skin as each witch plunged their dagger into the warlock tied to the table. Blood spattered over each witch, and their eyes were filled with feral determination and seething fury as they held tightly onto the hilts of their blades.
Finally, the air returned to normal, and Vanessa proudly glanced around the room. Then she snapped her fingers, and the bloody bodies turned to dust and dissipated into the air, like ashen snowfall.
“Well done,” Vanessa commented. “Now… we will learn the three ancient attack spells connected with blood magic. They are simple to remember, but they are incredibly powerful. They will take away much of your energy when you first begin to use them, but with time, the blood you sacrificed will only make you stronger and feel less vulnerable. That is the way of ancient magic… it requires patience, time, and dedication.”
“Yes, Professor,” the class echoed.
“Excellent,” the beautiful Vanessa responded before she drifted over to the red book and opened it once more, and her eyes quickly devoured the text until she came across what she was looking for. “Now, the first spell is ‘tardesco.’ It is a stunning spell that will slow any elder creature down. The second is ‘sorbere’… this incantation is useful when you’re hurt and still engaged in combat. It will temporarily allow you to steal energy from your foe and give you a minute or two to finish them entirely. And the final spell we’ll be covering is ‘praeteritum.’ This one is the most complicated of the three, and according to the text, it is a spell that brings back past horrors that haunt your opponent. If used correctly, the incantation will temporarily stun your enemy by swarming them with past grievances, traumas, and dark events from their lifetime.”
Vanessa stopped reading and then regarded the class with furrowed eyebrows and a small frown.
“Now, I want to be very clear… these spells may sound simple to recite, but I promise you, they will take up a sufficient amount of your energy, and the first few times after practicing, you will feel weak and numb,” the dark-haired professor explained. “It is solely up to you to push past these feelings and overcome any weakening sensations. Understood?”
The class was furiously scribbling down these notes, and when they lifted their eyes to meet Vanessa’s and mine, I could feel everyone’s apprehension. As the air grew thicker with a heavy and uncomfortable silence, I felt compelled to take a step forward and say something.
“Look,” I began, “I know this may seem overwhelming to you all, but you’re all here for a reason. At some point in time, you survived the preschool exams and made it here. You fought for your lives during the Mors attack, and here you are. You are far more capable than you know, and it’s time you fucking acknowledged it.”
Slowly, the room filled up with smiles, and my own face broke into a grin as I looked around the room and then at Vanessa.
To my surprise, she didn’t appear to be annoyed by my little speech. If anything, she seemed pleased, and her eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm.
“Well,” she finally said without breaking eye contact with me, “I would have put it in more eloquent words, but yes, Cole… you are right.”
Morgana shot her hand up into the air, and Vanessa turned to look at the bookish witch.
“Yes, Miss Morgana?” Vanessa asked with a perfectly arched eyebrow.
“How are we going to test these spells out, Professor?” the beautiful brunette wondered. “I know we can use them on any creature, but wouldn’t it be more beneficial to use them on more complicated beings, such as elder magic replicas?”
“As a matter of fact,” Vanessa replied with a broad smile, “we will.”
Before anyone could say another word, Vanessa snapped her fingers, and the entire class was engulfed in a cloud of familiar purple smoke and were sent flying violently through the air.
We tossed, tumbled, and turned, and when the world finally came to a standstill and the purple smoke cleared, we found ourselves standing in the middle of a giant pit. The earth beneath us was smothered in red sand, and the sky above us was a mixture of deep violet and silver hues.
I’d never seen such a beautifully colored sky before, and for a brief moment, I was lost in its magnificence.
“Oh, what a positively lovely sky,” I heard Vesta sigh. “I want to paint a glorious portrait of it and hang i
t up in our common room.”
However, the sky was the only thing we could really see, because we were surrounded by eerily familiar towering stone walls and massive cells with black iron gates. It reminded me of the gladiatorial pit at the High Court, but this one was much larger, and the walls were slightly higher. Also, there were no seats for an audience, but still, the resemblance between the two was uncanny.
“Doesn’t this place look familiar?” Morgana whispered as she stood by my side.
“It looks like the pit from the High Court,” Penelope said, and then Vanessa shot her a satisfied smile.
“It does, doesn’t it, Miss Penelope?” Vanessa chuckled. “I must say I’m quite proud of my work.”
“Professor?” Vesta purred as she floated closer toward us. “Did you create this?”
“I did,” Vanessa responded as the class began to wander around the pit. “I based it off the gladiatorial arena from the High Court. It took me a couple of long, tiring days, but it was well worth it.”
“It looks incredible,” Akira commented as her dark eyes roamed all around the pit. “You did an amazing job, Professor.”
“Not that I need your validation, Miss Akira,” Vanessa muttered under her breath, “but thank you.”
“This is most impressive,” Faye said as her golden-green eyes landed on the iron gates. “What’s behind those?”
“Something deadly, no doubt,” Nyx muttered under her breath before she crossed her blue arms over her chest.
“You are correct, Miss Nyx,” Vanessa answered before she turned away and then headed to the middle of the pit.
“This should be interesting,” Beatrix said as we watched the beautiful professor raise her hands up into the air.
The wandering students all came to an immediate standstill and focused on the professor, and when everyone was deadly silent, her lips curled up into a small smile.
“Now,” she began, “we went over the three crucial spells against elder magic, but we didn’t test them out in the classroom. While we could practice dangerous and lethal magic against something or someone who is not of elder power, I think it would be wiser to use these spells against elder creature replicas. That way, you may all get a taste of what it would be like to fight against something with incredible power. For those of you who don’t know about replicas, who would like to quickly explain what they are, Miss Morgana?”
“Replicas are created through ancient magic,” the bookish brunette started. “They are normal beings placed under a spell to mimic the powers of elder gods and creatures. Replicas were often used during the First Dawn as practice for young witches and warlocks. They are as dangerous as elder creatures, but only for a limited time. Most die after being placed under such a heavy spell, but the effects can last for hours or even days.”
“Very well put.” Vanessa nodded before she pointed at the barred cells. “Now, behind each gate is a captured Mors warlock. We have placed them under a replica spell, which means they are mutated to vaguely resemble an elder magical creature. When I release them, they will attack using imitation elder magic. While the word imitation may make it seem as if you’re in no real danger, I assure you that’s not the case. You are as in much danger here as you would be out on the battlefield. I’m not trying to frighten you, I’m just maintaining honesty.”
Students all turned to look warily at one another, but the stench of fear was not as prominent as it was in the classroom. We were ready to give this a fucking shot, and every nerve in my body was coursing with excitement.
“So, let’s begin,” Vanessa said as she looked around the pit. “Let’s firstly divide you all into groups… I know who will be able to face what.”
Vanessa quickly began to call out different names, and after everyone was placed into one of two groups, everyone turned their attention back to the dark-haired professor.
“Now,” she said before she met my eyes, “I want the group on my right to be the first to begin. Cole, perhaps you’d like to be the first one to give it a shot? You may use any of the two spells you wish. There is no point in using sorbere since you aren’t injured. Also, be sure to demonstrate your premonition spell to the class. I know it’s a lot of power to exert at once, but we need to practice.”
“Of course, professor,” I replied with my chin raised.
Vanessa gestured for me to stand in front of a gate situated at the northside of the pit, and I left my group and then slowly approached the barred cell with my wand by my side. As the iron bars slowly began to rise, I lifted my wand and prepared for whatever may come my way.
In the next moment, something as quick as a flash of lightning came running in my direction, and I took a couple of steps back. It resembled a human man, but his face was deformed, and his skin was covered in boils and moss. As he ran closer toward me, I aimed my wand at his screaming face and uttered the first incantation Vanessa mentioned.
“Tardesco!” I shouted.
My entire body convulsed, and I felt as if my head were about to burst open from the effort, but I continued to keep my wand aimed at my target. A blast of vibrant red light hit him right in his temple, and then he stopped, just inches away from me. His glowing eyes grew vacant as his mouth hung slack open, and he tried to move his feet, but it seemed as if it were impossible for him.
“Well, done!” Vanessa called out. “Now finish him off using your premonition power! Find out what his weakness is.”
Wait, had she been eavesdropping when I was teaching the class?
I shook my head of the sudden thought and tried to focus, but it was difficult. My skull felt like it was about to crack like precious marble, but I used all my energy and willpower to clear my mind. I then thought back to last night in the forest and how I could peer into the creature’s entity to defeat it. I had to be able to show the entire class precisely what I did, and I had to be quick about it.
So, I narrowed my eyes at the creature and then recited the incantation in my head.
Apertum.
Suddenly, a picture of a moss-covered being entered my mind, and I instantly knew this replica was based on an ancient, elder creature made of wood and moss. The warlock replica may not have resembled the being entirely, but it was close enough. As I focused even more intently on the replica, I learned it feared water above anything else, and an idea suddenly sprung to mind.
“Glacio!” I cried out.
As soon as the blue light hit the warlock hybrid right in the chest, its entire body began to turn into ice, and it was unable to do anything about it. It was still paralyzed by my prior spell, and as the frost engulfed its entire moss-covered body, it started to break apart. Shards of ice fell from its shattering frame, and then the entire being came crumbling down into the blood-red sand.
When there was nothing left but bits and pieces of ice on the ground, the whole class began to applaud and cheer.
I slowly turned around to face them, but as my muscles were limp as wet noodles, and my head was dizzy. Everything was blurry, and a cold chill crept up my spine as I tried to move forward.
“Cole?” Vanessa asked.
I tried to answer her, but hot bile rose up into my throat, and my hands were cold and trembling. It took me a moment to compose myself, but I finally faced the class with a steady body and neutral expression.
“Yes?” I answered as if nothing was wrong.
“How do you feel?” she questioned with concerned blue eyes.
“Honestly?” I chuckled. “Like complete shit.”
“That’s normal,” she said with a small nod. “Using ancient magic will take a heavy toll on the body.”
That was a fucking understatement. I felt like I was on the verge of death, and it took all my willpower not to collapse into unconsciousness.
But there was no way in hell I would fall before the class. Not now when they needed me the most.
“So…” I said with a broad grin, “who’s next?”
Faye’s freckled hand shot up into t
he air, and I gestured for her to stand by my side. The redhead was breathing hard and fast, and her entire body was pulsating with excitement as she stood next to me.
“Aim at the cell next to Cole’s,” Vanessa shouted. “I’ll bring up the door.”
Faye quickly raised her wand into the air, aimed it at the confined prison, and then took a sharp, quick breath.
“Keep your mind open,” I reminded her. “Do not fear or panic… I’m here by your side.”
“Yes, master,” she whispered without taking her eyes off the door.
A moment later, the cell door slowly began to lift open, and then a warlock hybrid came rushing in Faye’s direction. It was part man, but its skin was rough like a serpent, and it had small beady eyes like a rodent.
The redhead didn’t take a step back or falter in any way as she kept her greenish-golden eyes fixated on the mysterious, mutated being. Then, when it was a few feet away from her, she raised her wand even higher, and with a strong and steady hand, she recited the spell.
“Praeteritum!”
The hybrid came to a stop when a blast of yellow light hit it right in the middle of his chest, and then it crouched down into the dirt as if something had just stabbed it right in the heart. The replica began to scream and clutch onto his head as if he were experiencing a violent headache, and he groaned, mumbled incoherently, and then wailed as if he were a wounded, helpless child, separated from his mother’s arms.
When I turned to look at Faye, her eyes brimmed with tears, and her freckled face was completely flushed. She was clearly in terrible pain, but she continued to keep her eyes on the replica.
“Now… recite the premonition spell,” I whispered. “Defeat it once and for all.”
Faye nodded, and it seemed to take every ounce of her strength to do so. After a moment, the determined redhead raised her wand even higher as she focused on the withering replica.
