The Academy

by Vincent Trigili

  I was trapped. The rules of the school required that I answer a direct question. “Professor, it was Roger.”

  Then to my surprise I saw Roger walking forward, and he said, “Well done! How did you catch me?” as his robes changed to the official robes of a professor!

  “Professor, I am not absolutely sure, but it was as if I recognized the creatures and knew they were yours,” I said. This had obviously been a test of some kind. They liked to have things randomly go wrong and judge us on our response, but this was the first time they had used a fake prospect.

  “Excellent! You are beginning to gain some awareness,” said Professor Roger. “Finish cleaning up this room, please. You and your team responded admirably; double points this week!” With that suddenly everyone was free and the fire creatures had gone.

  Chapter Five

  After the incident with the fire creatures I found myself being pulled aside from time to time with a small group of other prospects. We were given extra classes on random subjects related to magic. These classes were never about how to actually use magic; instead they were on magic theory. There was one lecture in particular during that time which helped to explain a lot of things, while also making everything more mysterious.

  As prospects none of us, including myself, really understood what magic was or how it worked. I had fought in The Great War where I had seen it used in a grand way, but most of the rest of the prospects had never even seen real magic performed.

  For this lesson Patty, David, I and a handful of others were ushered into a small lecture hall, and on the stage was a person I had only seen in pictures and never imagined I would meet. He was an old man dressed in the purple robes of an elite wizard, but these robes were not normal ones; there was something odd about them. They seemed to change randomly, yet somehow always remain the official color of his rank.

  I knew that an elite wizard commanded power far greater than I could ever hope to understand, and that just one elite wizard alone could destroy most mundane armies. Even knowing that, I was not prepared for the aura of power that surrounded him, glowing purple and red in a constant and chaotic weave around him, trying to get his attention. He vastly outshone every professor I had ever seen and all their magical devices.

  Looking around, he said, “This room is quite dreary. Let’s go,” and called out, “Poreuthentes!” Suddenly I felt a wave of purple and red power flow through the room and through me. The world around me was blurry, and I had started to feel nauseous when I felt warmth on my skin and everything became brighter.

  When my eyes finally adjusted I realized we were outside. I looked around and saw trees, bushes, flowers and even birds. This was impossible; the planet that the Academy was built on was a barren, rocky world with no life at all. Yet, as unfeasible as I knew it to be, it had happened.

  “There, I think this is much better!” he said. “Now, I am to explain to you what magic is, and without magic you will never find your way home, so I suggest you listen well,” said the wizard. “But, of course, that is up to you.”

  He looked around the class and presumably saw that many of us were still struggling to realize what had happened, and he said, “Oh, relax; I just brought you to my world for some fresh air. Now, we are here to talk about magic, so who can tell me what magic is?”

  “Master, is it not a form of energy?” I asked.

  “Yes, yes, of course, but what is it?” he asked again.

  Everyone looked at each other, a little confused. I had no idea what he could mean. After all, energy is energy; if it is not energy, then it is matter. There are no other options.

  “Then let me ask another question: what are you?” he enquired.

  Again there was some murmuring among the students, but no one had an answer. I racked my mind as hard as I could, but could not come up with anything suitable. Finally Patty called out an answer.

  “Master, we are people,” she offered.

  “Ah, so at least two of you can talk! Impressive! So then, Patty: what are people and how are they different from, say, rocks or trees?” the wizard asked.

  “Master, rocks aren’t alive, people are alive,” answered Patty with a bit more confidence.

  “Yes, but trees are alive, are they not?” said the wizard.

  “Master, they are, but they’re not the same,” she said. “I guess they don’t think.”

  “That is a good observation, but for the moment let’s focus on the difference between people and rocks. You have said you are alive, and a rock is not; that is a good start. At some point, hopefully far in the future, you will cease to be alive. Will you then be a rock?”

  There was a nervous chuckle from the class at that comment.

  Her brow furrowed a bit, and her face scrunched up. I knew that look; she was thinking hard about this question. She was a good team member, the best I had ever had on my teams since the beginning. She was not the best at everything, but she had fire; a fire that refused to be controlled at times, but at other times was a great asset in the face of adversity.

  “Master, no, I will not. I will go on living in some other form,” she answered.

  “So, even when you are no longer alive, you are still not a rock. It is good that you realize that. It will make learning magic much easier. All living things share something in common: it is this energy we call life force. This life force is what makes you alive. Different cultures have different names for this energy, but let us use ‘life force’ for simplicity. The name does not matter; what does matter is that this energy is not limited to people but makes up the fabric of the universe itself. This energy store is massive, practically unlimited in scale. Life force is intrinsic to living creatures, but there is so much of it that it rubs off a little on the nonliving matter. Everyone, magus or mundane, has this life force in them, which is why anyone can do small feats of magic. It takes a real magus, however, to do anything really useful.

  “Magi are born as magi. No amount of training can change a mundane into a magus. Sorcerers and wizards alike have tried to accomplish this, but it is clear that either you are a magus or you are not. There are no half or quarter magi; it is all or nothing. Every magus has within them the potential to reach magnificent heights of power, but the vast majority will never achieve their full potential.”

  He paused, pulled out an impossibly huge hourglass from his robes, and frowned a bit at it before putting it away. “Each of you has within yourself a certain amount of power. It is, as I said, what makes you alive. As you first learn magic, most of you will just be tapping that small store within you. This is dangerous because the more of it you use, the more damage you will be doing to yourself, and if you use too much you will run out of energy and cease to be alive. You will need to learn, and you will be taught, to tap the much greater storehouse of power that is the universe itself. Now, I have to bring you back to the school, so: poreuthentes!”

  As he finished pronouncing that strange word we were again washed in waves of power. Once my senses had returned, I looked around and saw that we were back in the lecture hall at the Academy. In the front of the room two wizards were arguing. I could not make out all the words, but one was definitely upset about something to do with the room, and the other was trying to calm him down. They carried on for a while until they realized they were not alone. When they turned and saw who was standing there watching them, the color completely left their faces.

  “Master Mantis! My deepest apologies; I had no idea the prospects were with you,” he said, practically falling as he stumbled backwards, bowing.

  Mantis just chuckled, and with a wave of his hand he was gone in a puff of purple and red smoke.

  Chapter Six

  Over the next seven years I worked hard at my duties. I was determined to prove to all concerned that I was the best at whatever I did. My team was consistently top-ranked over those years, and we broke many records. These accomplishments helped reaffirm in both my father’s mind a
nd my own that I was on the right track.

  Though the loss of the Crusader grew further and further behind me, it still haunted most of my nights. While the awards and recognition I was earning in the school were achievements I was proud of, they could not compensate for that one failure. It would infiltrate my thoughts in lonely times and steal any joy I might have taken from the day’s accomplishments.

  In addition to servile duties we were also required to learn the history of the school and foundation of the Council of Wizards. I already knew some of it, as I had taken part, but there were many details that I had not been aware of. It was through these classes that we learned that none of the teachers in the school were from our own realm; they were all journeyman and apprentice wizards from Mantis’ realm sent here to help lay down a strong foundation in magic.

  There was one exception: a student-level wizard named Rannor. He primarily functioned as a history tutor for those of us who were struggling somewhat with our lessons. If he remembered me from my tour with him on the Dragon Claw, he gave no indication of it over the years. I was not surprised, as I had never personally met him but had seen him only in passing when I was in the medical wing.

  Looking back over my early years at the Academy, it now seems to have passed so quickly until one day when I met Professor Rorthon after class. It turned out that that meeting would change everything yet again for me. I had approached him when no one else was around and asked him if he could spare me a minute. He agreed, and we went back to his office.

  “Professor, I think I finally understand this school and the lessons we are being taught,” I said.

  “Oh, really? And what is it you think you understand?” he asked.

  “The point of it all, I think, is to teach us humility and how to be good servants; not just for its own sake, but to be leaders someday. The odd thing about today’s leaders is that we call them public servants, but I do not think they realize what that means and I think that is what you are trying to teach us here,” I said.

  A look of great joy passed over his face, and then he said, “Go on.”

  I had said all I had to say, but I knew he expected something more and the words came to me as I started to speak. “Professor, it seems to me that you cannot be a good leader unless you serve those you are leading. It is like a mother bird who first eats the food and then feeds it, partly digested, to her chicks. She is assuredly the leader of her little flock, but she demonstrates that by serving her chicks.” I had to stop there, as I could not think of a better way to phrase it.

  “And why would we need a school to teach us this?” he asked.

  I had thought hard on this but had not expected to be questioned about it. I saw that this was an important matter and he was anxious that I should get it right. “Professor, it is hard to remember life before attending this school, but as I recall people were very self-centered. They all – no, we all wanted what was best for ourselves, regardless of others. That is what our society seems to teach; but this school shows us a better way. I am just ashamed it took a decade for me to learn it.”

  “Do not be. You have had a lifetime of brainwashing which we have had to work very hard to break down. That is the primary purpose of this phase of the school, to tear down the training of your previous life and build you back up the right way. Now that you have learned that very basic lesson, you are ready to graduate and become a student wizard,” he said.

  It was a good thing I was sitting down when he said that. I tried to respond but could not find the words to say. This was the goal I had spent the last decade working towards, and when it finally happened I was stunned beyond belief.

  He made sure I understood that I could not tell anyone else the lesson I had learned, as doing so would have me expelled. Everyone had to learn this for themselves in their own time and their own way. He explained that this was the first of many basic things I would need to learn in my time at the academy, and the amount of time necessarily spent on these basic underlying lessons was the reason it took so long to teach the art of wizardry.

  I kept his trust and told no one what I had learned, but I did call home and tell my parents that I was to be promoted. The joy and pride that this news brought to them helped to soften their disappointment at being unable to attend the ceremony.

  Chapter Seven

  Finally the big day arrived: the ceremony that would mark the change from being a prospect to being a student. There were eighty-seven of us graduating that year, and most of them I knew well. We all filed into a small auditorium on the bottom floor of the central fortress of the school. There were several rows of chairs positioned in a crescent around a central stage, which was empty save for a podium.

  All around me I could hear excited but muted chatter. We all knew we should be respectful of the event, but no one could contain their excitement enough to be absolutely quiet. I looked around the room to see who else had made it this far. This was the first time we were allowed to share between ourselves the fact that we were graduating to student level. Most of the people there were those I would have expected to see, but David was a surprise. After his outburst that first week we had all taken bets on how long he would last before he failed.

  While I was still looking around, a hush came over the room. I turned to the stage and saw Grandmaster Vydor walk out. He radiated immense power; it was almost as if all the energy in the room was wrapped up around him. I could see power ebb and flow about him as he moved. The ribbons of blue and purple energy weaved in and out of a deep green field, as if they had a life of their own. It was at once majestic, alluring and a little frightening. I had never seen anything like it before. It far surpassed the power I had seen all those years ago when Master Mantis gave us that lecture. His own power weave was chaotic, but Grandmaster Vydor’s was in perfect submission to him.

  We all jumped to our feet and stood to attention. No one seemed to know the proper protocol for meeting him, as we had never had this opportunity before. When he reached the podium he pushed it over and it hit the stage with a loud thump, causing everyone to jump a little. He then pushed it closer to the edge of the stage and sat down with his legs dangling and his back against the podium.

  “Sit down, everyone, and try to relax. This is your day of honor, not mine,” he said.

  I smiled at this. Some things never change; he still seemed to dislike all the formality surrounding this kind of event. I often remember him complaining about how it got in the way of getting any real work done. He waited for everyone to settle in before addressing us.

  “It is a sad state of affairs that I see here. This year alone, over five million people have applied to this school and, of those, fewer than a thousand will pass even the simple background checks required to gain entry here. Once those few hundreds begin to study here, over ninety percent of them will fail in the first three years. Some will not even last through the first week. Today eighty-seven of you sit before me, where there should be millions. You and you alone have risen to the challenge and been proven through the fire that is this school. Remember that well, because the years ahead of you will be much more difficult than what you have experienced so far. History tells me that about twenty-five of you will fall at the next level, and I urge you to prove history wrong.

  “It is a sad state of affairs that society has had such a destructive hold on our minds that we require these basic lessons on service and humility. I look forward to a day yet in the future when this school will turn out thousands upon thousands of wizards to bring light into the realms and push back the ever-encroaching darkness. Until that day, you are the vanguard for the forces yet to come. You will be breaking new ground wherever you travel. Those who come later will build upon the foundations you create. I have reviewed all your records, and I can say that the future will be a much better place with you at its helm.”

  He stopped there and looked us over. I wondered if he would recognize me. It had been over three decades since I
served under him on the Dragon Claw. He appeared to have aged quite a bit in that time. I could see how wielding the most powerful forces this realm had ever seen would take its toll on the body.

  “There is much you will learn in the coming days, some of which will shatter every belief you had when you came here. I wish we could just lay out all the facts before you, but your minds and hearts are so corrupted by society that it will take many more years for you to learn all you need to know. Today I will give you a glimpse of what is ahead of you, something that will hopefully make your trek ahead a little easier. First, however, I want to warn you that before you leave here, Master Gafar will probe your minds to be assured of your loyalty and motivation. This is very important, as the next phase of your training will involve learning the basic use of the power that magi are gifted with, and we dare not train any who would be sorcerers.

  “Speaking of sorcerers, you should know that they are not gone, as you may have thought; in fact, fighting continues in Mantis’ realm to this very day. They are considerably weaker than they were, and we believe they have not yet chosen a new grandmaster, but they are very much alive and active. We have some reason to believe that they are seeking to regain ground in this realm as well.”

  This brought a gasp to the room. We all had assumed that the threat from sorcerers was a long way off; no one had guessed that fighting still continued. One of my professors had warned us that darkness is never defeated, only pushed back for a while. He said that from now until the end of time it will always be looking for ways to regain control. At the time I thought that was mere poetic rhetoric, but in light of what Grandmaster Vydor was telling us, it seemed that he had described the current state of affairs.

  “As you know, this school and the way we operate is based on what is done in Mantis’ realm, but what you may not know is that the entire prospect stage of this school is unique to us. It is an idea I came up with which they helped us to realize. You see, in their realm they do not have technology, or nothing that any of us would consider to be technology. Their most advanced weapon is the catapult. Because of this, they never learned to depend on machines to solve great issues; instead they have had to look to each other. The long war has left many homeless and completely dependent on others in their society. This created a completely different mindset to our own, where no one thinks they really need anyone else. Instead of the long prospect training we do here, they perform a very intensive mental probe that extracts the subject’s entire life and puts it on display for a panel of judges to determine if the candidate is worthy. We considered doing that here also, but frankly I dislike that level of public humiliation and would rather not put anyone through it. Then there was another problem that we had to solve here, which had to do with how they grow up versus how you were all raised. The jobs you have done since coming here are tasks they perform all their lives, while most of you had never even seen any farm animals before you came here. Can someone tell me why that would be an issue?”