Black Mist

by Michael Sisa

  Dan woke up from a loud banging sound on his door. His droopy eyes bolted open and he jumped out of bed. The knocking sounds reverberated, almost deafening.

  A familiar voice shouted, “Hey, mate! Hey! Heeey!”

  Dan knew that the person behind the door would not stop pounding at it unless it was opened. He twisted the knob and pulled the door open. A smiling face greeted him.

  “So, you’re not dead!” said Negi. He wore his usual innocent green. For some reason, his already dark skin seemed darker than before.

  Dan was confused, probably from the fact that it was the first time someone visited his room, or the fact that Negi was holding a large pile of books in his hands, almost obscuring his tiny face.

  Negi shoved the pile of books into Dan’s body. “Professor Helsie told me to give you this.”

  Dan looked at the books he held. All of them reeked of parched ground. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Negi nod once.

  “You’ve been absent for the fifth day now. She told us in today’s class to read the entire history of the Great Families. I also can’t believe you missed the Magus Arts class. Damn, mate. Magus Arts—it was so cool!” said Negi. Upon seeing the confused looked upon Dan’s face, he took out a small, worn-out pocket watch. He let it dangle in his hands, creating an almost pendulum movement. “See. It’s already this late. I think I get where the confusion comes from. Mate, you’ve slept the entire day today.”

  Dan closed his eyes then groaned. Negi peeked at the interior of Dan’s room. After whistling, he nonchalantly entered then sat on the bed.

  “Hey, this bed’s great! No wonder you’ve been asleep the entire day!” said Negi.

  Dan stared at him, then to the pile of books he currently held in his arms, then back. “I’m supposed to read all of these?”

  Negi raised a brow. “That’s the idea. This school is not all about magic and might, you know. There are also written exams, personality assessments, and so on. No time to be lackadaisical.”

  Dan gently placed the books on top of the wooden table, sending a small cloud of dust everywhere. He wondered how long those books had been stored away for them to be like that.

  Negi rolled on the bed.

  “I wish my bed is like this!” he whispered. He suddenly stopped then jumped off the bed. With a mischievous grin, he said to Dan, “Hey, two days ago, female student was looking for you!”

  “For me?” said Dan. He could not think of anyone he knew as of the moment. As far as he could remember, it was only Negi that he had actually really spoken to during his short stay in the Academy.

  “Yep! A beautiful student, mate!” Negi nudged Dan’s abdomen. He winked. “As expected of my pal! Listen—” his next whisper was said in quick successions, “—you’ve heard of Yvette Prochson? The fifth year student that’s among the top three most beautiful faces in the Academy! She went out looking for you!”

  Dan’s eyes slightly widened. He had not expected it. “What did she say?”

  Negi shrugged. “I don’t know, mate. When we told her that you’ve been missing, she had this look of worry in her face, but she did not inquire any further.” He breathed in a gust of air then shouted, “But damn! You should have seen the faces of our classmates! They were shocked—no, stunned—beyond belief when she suddenly appeared outside the room and began asking for you! Priceless!”

  Dan pondered of the possible reason why she had visited him, but he could not think of any. Negi’s eyes were almost bulging with anticipation as he said, “Hey, is there something between you and the goddess? Tell me, pal! Tell, me!”

  “No such thing,” said Dan.

  With great defiance, Negi replied, “Nothing? Hah! As if I’ll believe that! There’s no way a pretty girl like that will visit you—for nothing!”

  The fluffy bed once again attracted Negi. He jumped into it, and his entire body sunk a few inches deep. “My bed feels like flat board compared to this. So this is what being a high ranking noble feels like?”

  Negi rolled on the bed for a couple more seconds. With his voice muffled by the pillows, he said, “Lunch’s been long over. But I guess I can eat some more. Wanna grab a bite?”

  Dan smiled in resignation. “I’ll take a quick bath then we’ll go.”

  ***

  The school cafeteria was almost empty upon their arrival. There were more than a hundred seats vacant, and the students eating could be counted in a single hand. Negi and Dan enthusiastically approached the counter but were disappointed when told that everything was already sold.

  “Hey, unfair! Granny, you should have made extras!” said Negi. His entire face was crestfallen, his eyes moist in disappointment.

  The old woman behind the counter glared. “I’m only fifty-nine years old! Who are you calling a Granny, eh?! And besides, it’s not our fault that everything is sold already! You guys should have come early!”

  She crouched and took out two pieces of large barley from the cabinet. She slammed it on the countertop. “Here. That’s all we have left.”

  She stared at Dan and Negi then made a sigh. She pointed at a certain student at the corner. He was occupying a table meant for ten persons. “See that guy? He’s been here since lunch started. How many hour’s it been? Three?”

  Dan and Negi looked at the student she was pointing out. They had not noticed it before, but now, they were stunned by how much stacked plates were beside him. It was as though he had eaten a dozen student’s worth of food by himself.

  “As the owner of this place, I’m pleased that he likes the food we make… but he’s eating way too much!” she said in resignation. “And we can’t do anything about it since he’s part of the Genius Class!”

  A realization dawned on Negi’s face. “He’s Denzel Jack!”

  Amidst the almost desolate cafeteria, his voice seemed to echo. The student that had been munching his food away stopped and stared at their direction. Negi turned the other cheek in embarrassment.

  The old woman shrugged. “Yeah. I heard he’s placed third out of the entire first years. We got some genius ones this year… if only he’s not such a glutton.”

  Negi grabbed Dan’s hands. “Hey, let’s go say hi.”

  “What?” said Dan.

  “Granny, thanks for the barley!” said Negi. The old woman once again spat curses as Negi and Dan made their way towards the student called Denzel Jack.

  It was only after they had approached him that they realized it: He was tall. Absurdly tall. Furthermore, his auburn hair was thin, giving him an almost bald appearance.

  Negi nudged Dan’s arms. He whispered, “Let’s go back. He… he looks scary.”

  They were about to turn around when a voice rang out. It was cold, almost imposing. “You’ve been staring at me for some time now. What the fuck do you want?”

  There was a clattering sound when Denzel stood up, shaking the stacked up plates in the process.

  “Spit it out, you little shits,” he said. There were still tidbits of food in his lips, but he seemed not to mind.

  Negi opened then closed his mouth. He tried to apologize, but no words came out.

  Dan spoke in his stead. “We’re sorry if we offended you. We meant no harm. We’ll be leaving now.”

  There was an awkward silence as the three stared at each other. Eventually, Denzel groaned. He smacked his forehead using his palm.

  Dan noticed the hint of hesitation within the student. Denzel said, “Wait.”

  He grabbed a plate full of still sizzling meat. “Here. I take it that you’re hungry but everything was sold already?”

  For some reason, Denzel’s face was redder than before. Negi gave an amused smiled.

  “So, you’re actually kind, eh?” chuckled Negi as he took the plate held out to them.

  Denzel snarled, “Little prick! I’ll scoop your guts out!”

  Negi brushed off the threat aside. He handed the plate to Dan then nudged Denzel’s arms. Even now, the student was a towering giant. He was
almost twice the height of Negi and Dan.

  “Haha! I think I like this guy!” said Negi. Once again, his voice was too loud. Denzel’s cheeks turned blood red.

  “Just eat it then get out of my sight!” said Denzel. Negi was still broadly smiling. “Sure! Thank you!”

  ***

  After the late lunch, the two went back to the dormitory to grab their books then went to the Grand Library. It was a large underground structure at the western portion of the academy.

  Dan was bewildered the moment he entered. Numerous students from all levels came and go, and the first floor was crowded beyond belief. But the most surprising thing was that despite the seemingly overpopulated appearance, it was eerily quiet. Too quiet that they were able to hear their very own footsteps.

  “See those round orbs over there?” Negi pointed at the azure stones that hovered above each table. “It’s imbued with Silence Magic. Specifically, it blocks out all sounds from each table. This hallway is the only one without one.”

  He two of them walked a couple more moments until they were able to find an empty spot. Negi grinned the moment they sat down.

  “I’M GOING TO BECOME THE GREATEST MAGICIAN!” shouted Negi.

  Dan almost jumped in surprise from the sudden holler. He looked left and right. No one seemed to have noticed.

  “See?” Negi smirked. “This is why this place is so popular. My older brother would sometimes sleep in this place. Way quieter than the Male Dormitory.”

  Dan was once again amazed by what magic could do. He took the book he brought and quickly flipped the pages. Like before, it gave off the scent of parched ground. He shut it with a loud thud sound.

  “This is really convenient,” said Dan. Numerous shelves filled to the brim with books were seen a good distance from where they were. Some students climbed up the steel ladders to reach the books that were on top.

  Negi took out a familiar piece of parchment. Dan stared at it dumbfoundedly, unable to believe his eyes.

  “You’re going back to that place again?” Dan’s voice was almost a snarl. He could still remember the malice that filled the air that time they went in the Bastille.

  Negi gave an innocent shrug. “Hey, nothing happened to us, right? Why not give it another try—”

  “—No!” said Dan. Negi almost jumped from his seat in fright. Dan’s voice carried within it vehement ferocity that would not take no as answer.

  “F-Fine! I-I was just… you know? Trying to see if I could go. I really want to see the Drake again,” said Negi.

  Dan groaned. He reiterated, “No. I’ll use force to stop you if I have to. Believe me when I say this. There’s something eerie about that place!”

  “You’re not my mother!” shouted Negi. Fortunately, the orb that hovered above the circular table muffled all the noise. “But fine! Damn it.”

  Once again, Dan was reminded that the student before him was still a child. How old was he again? Ten? He reminded himself that tolerance is the beauty of adulthood.

  “Let’s not waste any more time,” said Dan. He took out his quill pen and a piece of parchment. “Let’s start with our assignments.”

  Negi unenthusiastically nodded. “Right.”

  Chapter 23: Affinity Test

  Night came, and the two of them parted ways. Negi went back to his room and immediately fell asleep, while Dan decided to go for a stroll. His body was still aching, but not moving around and just resting did not feel right at all. He wanted a breath of fresh air, and he had decided where to go.

  He passed by the Green House and took the path that traversing the forest. Like before, numerous insects glowed against the darkness of the night. Somehow, it was a soothing feeling. It was quiet, definitely peaceful.

  After finding a large mound, something he had noticed before when he passed by the area, he sat on it then surveyed his surroundings. He knew that it was literally desolated during the night, but he wanted to be sure.

  “Let’s start,” he mumbled after seeing no one in the vicinity. He closed his eyes and began meditating.

  To his surprise, his meditation had soared leaps and bounds. The leaves of the trees began to violently rustle as a suppressed aura surged out of his body.

  Lamark had told him that he had “fixed” his Soul Core, but Dan had never expected such results. Though the stubby professor felt sadistic, he was starting to respect him more as time went by. Definitely, that man was a genius.

  Dan’s previous self was a large container filled with numerous holes. But now that his Soul Core had been fixed, all of those holes seemed to have been stoppered, and the large container was slowly but continuously being filled to the brim.

  He opened his eyes and then stood up. An idea struck him. He felt that he could do it. There was no harm in trying.

  After exhaling a gust of air, he opened his palms and focused all of his energy into it. To his surprise and amazement, a translucent figure began manifesting itself. It was long and resembled a wooden pole. He grabbed it then grinned.

  Though what he originally wanted was to create a sword using his Soul Spirit, his first attempt at it was not a bad start.

  He once again concentrated his energy into the pole and willed for it to change shape. Slowly, it began to assume a sharper appearance, before eventually dissipating into nothingness.

  “Once again,” said Dan. He channeled his energy like before, and this time, the figure resembled more of a sword than a pole. Still, its edges were still blunt. Dan doubt if it could even cut the occasional falling leaves around him in half.

  He kept repeating the procedure, but he was still unsatisfied with the result. A blade should be sharp enough to cut through anything, and the one Dan was currently gripping with his hand was not even close to it.

  “I’ll just practice again tomorrow,” he said. It was already late, and his class tomorrow would start early in the morning.

  According to his schedule, tomorrow was another session of Magus Arts. He had missed the first one, and he had no intention of missing it again.

  After gazing at the sky for one last time, he went back to his dormitory.

  ***

  Three loud knocks on the door were heard as Dan fixed his tie. He grabbed his small sling bag.

  “Who is it?” he said. After receiving no reply, he opened the door, revealing the figure of a young male student fully dressed for class.

  “Good morning~,” said Negi. He peeked inside the room, and when he found nothing interesting, he pouted.

  “What are you doing here?” was the question Dan was about to ask, but Negi immediately squeaked and said, “Hey! I came to get you! Today’s the day! The one I told you about!”

  Dan stared at Negi for a full second. “What do you mean?”

  “Today’s the Affinity Assessment Day!” squeaked Negi. He suddenly froze. He stared at Dan with big, almost-saucer eyes. “Wait, I forgot to tell you this yesterday?”

  Dan nodded. “I think so.”

  Negi furrowed his brows. “How can I forget to tell you such important thing? Damn, mate. I must be getting old?”

  He made an innocent grin. “Jokes aside, today’s the day! Today’s the day! I can’t wait! Oh Gods, I’m so excited!”

  Dan took one last look at his room then went out. After shutting the door, he asked, “What’s so exciting about it?”

  Negi’s eyes widened, as though he could not believe the words that came out of Dan’s mouth. He placed both his hands on his hips. “Are you freaking kidding me, mate?! Affinity Assessment dictates our life in this Academy! It will determine the path you’re going to take from now on!”

  Dan was unable to fully comprehend what Negi was trying to say, but he decided to tuck the thought at the back of his mind.

  Negi sighed, “No use explaining it. Can’t believe you’re a Roshaila—well, sometimes.”—he patted Dan’s shoulder—“Let’s go. We can’t be late to such an important event.”

  With Negi eagerly leading the way
, they swiftly exited the dormitory. To Dan’s surprise, numerous students were already on their way towards the Magus Arts Class. They reminded him of a colony of ants neatly lined in formation.

  “See? I’m not the only freaking fanatic for this one! Everyone is!” said Negi. He was a couple of steps in front of Dan, his steps brisk and light. “Today, we’ll get to know what kind of magic suits us best! It’s the first step, mate! The first step!”

  They kept walking until they reached a large clearing. The ground was made out of a metal that greatly resembled silver. At the center was a large magic circle with a hexagram and twin stars at the middle.

  Dan noticed that all the students were staring at it, some with anticipation, and some with anxiety.

  Negi nudged at Dan’s waist. “Look over there!”

  Dan followed Negi’s line of sight, and he saw a clustered group of students who appeared to be in their fifth year. Negi whispered, “See that guy over there? Yeah, the one with brown hair and eyes. The really handsome one.”

  “What about it?” said Dan. He noticed that some of the students were also glancing at the direction of that group, particularly at that certain student.

  He said, “That guy… he’s the most talented student in this Academy. Some even say that he’s another Royal Magician in the making!”

  Dan could feel the adoration within Negi’s voice.

  “He’s just started his fifth year, but he’s already at the peak of B rank!” said Negi. “Moreover, he’s not just any student, mate! He’s the grandson of the Emperor! Numerous people say that he’s going to become the heir to the throne a few years from now!”

  The buzzing noise in the air slowly started to die down when two professors entered the grounds. One of them was Janus, and the other one was a petite female that somehow reminded Dan of a squirrel.

  Negi continued, “Amazing isn’t it? How could a person be so perfect?! My brother had spoken with him before, and man… he’s really kind! He isn’t even bothered if low ranking nobilities chat with him! Handsome, talented, rich, with a powerful family—and kind! No wonder he’s so popular!”