Chapter Three – Something There
Half an hour later my most urgent questions have been addressed. Apparently, I am going to be an Abjurer - a mage who specializes in countering the effects of harmful magic. The nurse has left in the meantime to look after the other new mages, while Kanzaki and Takeshi do their best to satisfy my curiosity.
After a glance at his watch, Kanzaki rises from my chair. “Well, we should go now. You can rest for a bit, but please be at the principal's office at five - that is in two hours. You'll meet the other students and the new teachers then.”
I nod and they head for the door. As they step into the hallway, Takeshi stops abruptly. “Kozo... I think there is one more...”
“One more? You mean an eighth potential mage? Why didn't you notice him sooner?”
“Well, Hisao's aura was pretty strong, but now that I've gotten used to it, I'm able to tune it out.” He hesitates for a moment. “Who's living over there?” he asks, pointing at Kenji's door.
He has got to be kidding me. I don't even want to imagine Kenji with the ability to throw fireballs all over the place... No, he seems to be serious. “Uh, that's the room of Kenji Setou... But, you know, he is a bit...” I grope for the right word. “...eccentric.”
Takeshi looks at me with a puzzled expression.
“You'll see when you meet him.”
Kanzaki walks past us and knocks at Kenji's door. “Maybe you should stay with us. It might be easier for him to accept this, if a friend is around.”
Somehow I doubt that will be the problem, but before I can say anything, there is the sound of half a dozen locks being pulled back and the door opens just a tiny bit. “Who's there?”
“Hey Kenji, it's me, Hisao.”
The door opens completely. “Hey, bro, wassup?” He squints. “And who are those people with you?”
For a moment I hesitate, but this is Kenji for god's sake. “They are mages, and they are looking for other potential mages to train. They think you might be one and would like to do some tests.”
Both Kanzaki and Takeshi look at me as if I had lost my mind but Kenji grins. “I KNEW it! I bet they are fighting against the great feminist conspiracy and are looking for people to join the cause. I knew I couldn't be the last man fighting, or they would have won the war already.” He stops. “Although that means, I'm not the last sane man at all, which is quite a disappointment...”
I sigh in exasperation. Leave it to Kenji to simply accept something like that as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I tune back into Kenji's rambling.
“...Wait!” An expression of horror enters his face. “If you can do magic, then there have to be witches who can do so as well. Damn, that explains EVERYTHING!” He drifts off into incoherent mumbling.
Kanzaki turns to Takeshi. “I think that young man has gone into a shock. Please call for medical assistance again.”
“Don't worry. This is par for the course with Kenji. He's always like that.”
Kanzaki raises one of his eyebrows. “A severe case of gynophobia, is it? That could be a problem... Mr Setou?”
Kenji stops his mumbling to squint at Kanzaki. “Yes? So there are witches as well as mages, and you need my help to fight them, correct?”
“Not as such Mr. Setou. There are indeed female practitioners of magic, but we use the term 'mage' for both males and females. Also, there are rarely any fights...”
“No, no, NO! If they seem peaceful, that is only a ploy to deceive you. You have to get organized. It's a good thing you found me before it is too late... Maybe it already is too late. Aaargh. We can't waste any more time...”
Kanzaki shows the beginnings of a serious headache, and I can sympathize with that. “Well, I can see we will have a lot to talk about, Mr. Setou, but first let us find out what your affinity is.” He produces another ring from his lab-coat and explains its significance to Kenji.
Kenji grabs the ring and without hesitation slips it onto his finger. The stone in the socket changes into a deep black onyx.
I stare at the ring, waiting for the explanation. When none is forthcoming, I turn to the two mages. Takeshi has reached for the door-frame for support and looks close to fainting. Those parts of Kanzaki's face that are not covered by his beard have turned an ashen grey.
Takeshi fights to regain his composure. “This has to be a mistake. That ring is defective...”
“No, Takeshi, it is not, and you know it. We have to face the fact that this young man here is a Necromancer.”
***
After that, I am sent back to my room without further explanation. I try to get some rest like Kanzaki recommended, but I can't sleep. I didn't really expect that to work anyway.
I get up and head over to the auxiliary building. Might as well get that EKG over with before the meeting with those other future mages. I wonder if it's anyone I know? Someone from my class? Maybe – and my mood brightens considerably at the thought – maybe one of them is Misha.
Lost in thought, I arrive at the nurse's office. I just reach for the handle when the door is opened from the inside and I find myself face to face with Emi.
She jumps back a step. “H-Hisao, you surprised me.”
“I'm sorry, I just came here for an examination. I wasn't...” I trail off, as I notice something that wasn't there before. On her right hand there is now a ring. A plain silver band with a sapphire set into it.
Emi notices my gaze. Her first impulse is to hide her hand behind her back, but then I hold out my own hand. “Hisao! You're a mage, too?”
“I'll thank you to keep your voice down, Emi.” The nurse appears behind her. “We wouldn't want the whole school to know about that, do we? Well, there goes my surprise. I wanted to see your face when you meet him later at the principal's office...”
Emi pouts, but the nurse just waves her away. “You know that doesn't work on me, and now please go and find Mr. Nomiya. We don't want him to be late. You can talk to Hisao all you want later.”
Emi reluctantly agrees. “Okay. See you later Hisao!” She flashes me a huge grin, before she dashes down the hallway.
As the nurse ushers me into his office, I notice the ring on his hand. Earlier, I must have been too confused to notice, but it features the same light blue gemstone that Emi's ring had.
Guessing the question that's on my mind, he starts giving the answer himself. “Emi is going to be a Conjurer, like myself.” He grins sheepishly. “Although I never had that much magical talent. I can teach her the theory of course, but I wouldn't be surprised, if she surpasses me before this year is over. I'm not really here as a magic-teacher but for my medical skills. Still, Kozo... Mr. Kanzaki decided that I should teach Emi myself rather than sending another Conjurer to Yamaku. There are going to be enough new teachers already. Any more would be suspicious.”
“So what exactly can a conjurer do?”
He motions for me to take off my shirt and lie down on the bed. “Conjuration is a very versatile art. Of course there is the generic summoning... Rabbits from hats, doves from cloths and stuff like that. You've probably seen that on TV before. Real Conjurers rarely do that stuff, because those animals have to come from somewhere, and every time you do it, some little girl somewhere loses a pet.”
“The second school of Conjuration is Translocation.” He waves his hands and a set of electrodes rises from a pack on his desk and floats towards his hands. While he places them on my chest and connects them to the EKG, he continues explaining. “This includes simple forms of telekinesis as well as the ability to hover or fly or - for experienced mages - teleportation.” He pauses and turns on the EKG.
“I can do that only over very short distances, like a few metres, but it helped me get to you quickly earlier. I was lucky to be just on the floor below you at the time, so I just had to go straight up.” He stares intently at the lines appearing on his screen. “Summoning is actually nothing more than a very specialized form of teleportation where you cannot control the source of the creature or object.”
“The third and most difficult school is Creation. You create something from nothing. Nothing loud and flashy like an Evoker can, but with more control. I never had much talent for creation. I can create enough flame to light a candle or enough water to douse it, but a skilled Creator can produce complex objects, works of art or even large amounts of matter.”
He smiles at me. “You are going to be an Abjurer. Abjurers actually have techniques that are similar to Creation.”
“I thought Abjurers could only remove the effects of magic.”
“That's a part of it, but once your training is complete, you will also be able to protect yourself or others from the effects of magic. Abjurers can set up barriers of magical force that will stop most anything from harming you. You cannot create actual matter, but while a Creator could theoretically Conjure a wall of stone, it would take too long to be effective in battle.”
That's something nobody has mentioned yet. “Battle? You mean there really is stuff like mages throwing fireballs at each other?”
He grimaces and tries to evade the subject. “In every society there are law abiding citizens and there are criminals. Many Abjurers pursue a career in law-enforcements, but there are plenty of other avenues that are open to you. In fact, given your condition, I would strongly advise against trying to be a heroic crime-fighter.”
That actually makes me laugh, and his smile is back like it was never gone. “Now, you try lying still for a few more minutes, or the EKG will show some very strange results. Once we are done here we can go to the meeting together.”
***
It is a quarter to five and I am on my way to the principal's office. The nurse had to stay behind because of a last minute patient and told me he might be a few minutes late and I should go on ahead.
After I leave, I remember I've never been to the principal's office before, so I wander the hallways of the auxiliary building looking for the right place. Damn. I really should get to know this school better sooner rather than later. I am close to giving up and returning to the nurse's office for directions when I spot two familiar figures walking around the corner in front of me.
Misha spots me as well and starts to wave. “Hey, Hicchan, what are you doing here?”
“I'm looking for the principal's office. Do you know where it is?”
“The principal's office? Why do you want to go there? Don't tell me...” As soon as she starts translating for Shizune, I notice a flash of red on her finger, and it seems Misha has also realized the reason why I am here. She grabs my hand with her own and stares at my ring. “So you are also a mage? This is so cool! Now the whole student council will be powerful mages. Wahahaha~!”
“So you've got a red ring. What kind of mage are you going to be?”
“That Kanzaki guy told me it means I am an Evoker. It sounds cool, don't you think?”
I am reminded of what the nurse said about Evokers being loud and flashy. I have no trouble understanding how that could be Misha's affinity.
As I stand there wondering, I notice that Misha is still holding my hand. I feel the blood shoot to my face and try to pull my hand away, while Misha starts to giggle and tries to grab it again.
We are interrupted when two arms appear between us, pushing us apart. We look up to find Shizune staring at us angrily and signing with gestures fit to chop something apart. Misha stops giggling and translates “Stop fooling around. We're going to be late for the meeting. Yes, I'm sorry Shicchan.” The grin doesn't leave her face though.
As I fall into step next to the two of them, I take a closer look at Shizune's ring. It features an amethyst of a deep violet colour. “So, what about you, Shizune? What did they tell you about your talent?”
Shizune straightens her glasses and begins to reply. “I - that is Shicchan - am going to be an Enchantress. Enchanters can influence the minds and memories of others. Mr. Kanzaki didn't tell me too much yet, but he said it was an ability that requires a lot of control and responsibility. Well, Shicchan, it's perfect for you then. WAHAHAHA!”
She stops in front of a door and Misha knocks so hard I picture the door coming crashing down. A moment later Kanzaki's voice bids us to enter.
*******************
Please look forward to chapter four:
The Gospel Truth
