Spell Master Lesson

Scarlet was amazed yet surprised she was able to learn magic so quickly. She held the two scrolls close to her chest as she left the classroom. Professor Valerius stood watching her as she passed him. He felt as if he had seen her somewhere before. He then remembered that she hugged him abruptly from the back earlier in the day.

I did recall her thinking I was her father…Do I really look like him?

He shook his head and let out a short wheeze, sigh of relief.

Thank heavens, I’m not. I don’t understand the joy of having another little being to watch over.

He was still intrigued by her, because her powers reminded him of only one other person from his past. Those scrolls were specifically used by the ones with noble blood. Ever since the Cosmocrats took over, they made sure no one from that lineage was left. He could not fathom how she could wield such power if the bloodline had already been severed.

I need to keep an eye on this girl.

The following day, the spells master course was next. Professor Florai was waiting in the front of the classroom, twiddling her thumbs. She was shaped like a bell and very short in height. She wore a frilly bonnet and her dress’s ruffles bloomed like a garden of petals. Her voice was very high pitched like a bird's whistle.

"Hello, my dears and welcome to my class."

Kina’s eyes were half open, and she rested her chin on her hand while trying not to doze off. She was slumped over the table, her weight propped up by her arms. She was feeling extremely bored of this class even though it was her first time having it. She wanted to return to Professor Valerius’s class, not Professor Florai’s. She did not feel that this class was worth her time.

Scarlet was the opposite, she was excited to see what she could learn from this class. Pim was awake this morning and he decided to tag along, too.

Professor Florai breathed deeply a spell.

Mystify and multiply,
Surround them at once,
Teeny tiny,
Appear afloat!

Poof Poof

Pink cottony clouds of smoke appeared on each of the students' tables.

Slowly emerging from the cloud, was a small Professor Florai. She was as tiny as their pinky finger. One of them was poking Kina’s face to wake her up.

Scarlet's mini–Professor Florai was sitting on the corner of her paper. The mini professor was attempting to fold the oversized paper into a delicate origami crane. Scarlet smiled as she grabbed the mini–Professor Florai. She made her sit still, causing her to sulk in the corner of her desk.

The main Professor Florai tapped her front podium for everyone’s attention.

Her eyes lit up and appeared dreamy. "Spells are like poetry, but they do extraordinary magic!" She spun around in a circle with her hands covering her heart.

She squealed in excitement, and she asked the class to do an assignment.

"Now, come up with a spell of your own."

The mini Professor Florai poked Kina even harder and she fell off her chair. She woke up from her nap.

“Oww, what gives?!” Kina climbed back onto her chair. The mini-Professor struggled to lift a pen toward her, Kina grabbed it. She started to scribble quickly, a lot of pyromaniac words.

Pim wiggled his head out of Scarlet’s bag and tried to grab a pen to draw something.

Scarlet was still thinking about what spell to write.

Poems… my father and I used to write some together. He comes up with them so easily.

She recollected a scene in the past when she was cutting tomatoes with a sharp knife and she accidentally cut herself.

Her father came over to her and used his hands to hover over her cut and said,

Red as the color,
Pain as hurt,
A thread to seal,
Good as new.

Afterwards, her finger did not hurt as badly, and it healed quickly.

"There, does that feel better?"
Scarlet smiled, "Yes, much better."

Was that a spell?

She started to smell something burning in the classroom.
Kina accidentally burned one of her classmate's ponytail. It was charred up and shredded.

AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh

Screaming could be heard.

Following the incident, Professor Florai broke into a spell chant.

Hydro stream arise,
Fire steam demise,
Cool down low,
Make it go.

A stream of water flowed from Professor Florai's fingertips to extinguish the burning fire.

Pim nudged Scarlet’s hand and whimpered as if to say, "Did you write anything yet?"

Scarlet stared at her blank page.
"No, not yet."

Pim drew on a scroll and it rolled to Professor Florai’s feet. She picked it up and looked at it with a face of disgust.

“Ah this drawing is horrible, who wasted my scroll paper for this?!”

Pim’s eyes were glaring at the professor.

One of the sporty-looking classmates chanted there’s.

Twinkly dum, twinkling doo,
The desk tremble,
Feet and hands growth,
Lift ten folds.

The table started to grow legs and arms.
The newly created monster was towering over the students.

Professor Florai let out, "Oh dear."

The student who summoned it began to tackle the ferocious table.

The students were screaming again.

Scarlet thought to herself, he probably just created a sparring partner for himself. She shook her head.

Kina started shooting off fireballs at the desk monster until the professor told her to stop.

"Wood is very flammable my dear! I urge you to halt!"

Despite the noisy classroom, Scarlet closed her eyes and entered into a quiet space in her mind. It was a dark place and she was the only one present. Her thoughts echoed in the room.

Maybe I could make a spell to turn everything back to the way it was.

Kina yelled in the background.

Scarlet made her own spell.

Rust to gold,
Breathe life back,
A new leaf,
Wholeness shall return.

Once chanted, the desk returned to the way it was. The limbs on it disappeared.

Professor Florai clapped. "I have such bright students. Give yourselves a pat on the back."

As one of the students chanted for a large hand to appear, it suddenly emerged and delivered a powerful smack to the chanter’s back, sending them flying across the room.

"Enough with the spells!" Professor Florai exclaimed. She waved her hand and all of the magical scrolls gathered and flew into her sleeve.

Scarlet stayed after class to talk to the professor.

"I'm having trouble deciding what to write. It’s taking me a lot longer than everyone."

"No worries, it happens my dear, it's only your first class. It will become easier as time goes on."

Scarlet was relieved to hear that.

“I agree, it should become easier. At night, I would say phrases that my father had taught me. It helped keep me calm when I was afraid of the dark. This is how it goes.”

Lights to Light,  
Darkness be fright,
I have a strong might, 

Go away, out of sight.

She shared that most nights she would say those words.

After hearing it, Professor Florai was shocked.

"My dear, that is an intermediate spell! One of my favorites as well!”

A spell? How would my father know how to do that?

Scarlet wanted to understand more. “What does this spell mean?"

"The spell promotes braveness, you can see past the dark and open through the light."

Professor Florai was excited once more, "Your father must be a great Spell Master! I would be interested in discussing literature with him."

Scarlet frowned slightly.
"I'm sorry he's no longer with us."

"Oh dear, no no. I am."

"That's all I wanted to ask."

Did my father really know magic?

Scarlet was more confused.

She had been using spells all along without even realizing it.

She pushed the door open to leave and found Professor Valerius was near it.

Was he eavesdropping? But why?