Chapter 45: No Magic for a Month

"So, Doctor Aldous... I feel okay."

Agni shifted his weight slightly, trying not to move too much. Wires crisscrossed his back and body like a kind of bizarre spiderweb—sticky diagnostic pads adhering to his skin at key points along his spine had 9, ribs had 6, and arms had 4. Each one pulsed faintly with magical energy, feeding information to the floating screens hovering around the medical room.

"I must say, being late on the first day is... ah, wa—"

Doctor Aldous raised one hand, cutting him off mid-sentence without even looking up.

The elderly physician stood in front of a massive translucent screen—shimmering blue light displaying complex diagrams of mana circuits, vital readings, and color-coded graphs that meant absolutely nothing to Agni. His long white beard swayed slightly as he moved, his white eyes scanning the data with practiced precision.

The room was quiet except for the soft hum of magical equipment and the occasional beep from the monitoring crystals.

Finally, Doctor Aldous stopped.

The screen froze, data locking into place.

He turned to face Agni fully, his expression more serious than Agni had seen before.

"Your Highness."

His voice was grave, weighted with importance.

"Please pay attention to what I'm about to say now."

Agni straightened instinctively, suddenly very aware of how flimsy the patient robe felt against his skin. The wires tugged slightly as he adjusted his posture.

"Your physical condition is excellent," Aldous began, his tone measured and deliberate. "Injuries over your chest and arms have healed completely. Muscle tissue regenerated properly. No scarring. No complications."

He paused, letting that sink in for a moment.

"But I must say—your mana circuit recovery has been far less than optimal."

Agni frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I have been constantly testing it over the past three days," Aldous continued, his white eyes never leaving Agni's face. "Hoping for natural recovery. Monitoring every fluctuation, every sign of improvement."

Another pause.

"But in all conclusions... the best way to cure this is rest."

Agni blinked. "Like... more days in a coma?"

"No." Doctor Aldous's voice was firm. "To be precise—no more magic for a month. At least."

The words landed like a hammer.

Agni coughed, the motion making the wires tug against his skin uncomfortably. "No more magic? For a month? In a magic academy?"

His voice came out slightly strangled, disbelief mixing with rising panic.

Doctor Aldous didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he raised one hand, and a glass orb materialized in the air between them—perfectly transparent, smooth, about the size of a human head. It floated there, rotating slowly, catching the light from the enchanted lamps overhead.

Inside it rested a small metal ball—dark, heavy-looking, about the size of a ping-pong ball.

"This," Aldous said, gesturing to the floating construct with one weathered hand, "is your current state, Your Highness."

Agni stared at it, confused and slightly mesmerized by the gentle rotation.

"The small metal ball reflects your strength when you were at Level 2 in mana circuits," Aldous explained, "The glass ball reflects your new strength after awakening."

He paused, white eyes fixed on Agni.

"Which you only managed to achieve with Dhaga's magic inside you."

Agni blinked, processing. "So? I mean... I know he was the one to heal me in the forest. I came to know about it during the Freshers' Party."

"Yes. Exactly." Aldous nodded once. "Dhaga's magic inside you acted as a strong foundation—a scaffolding, if you will—helping you push past your natural limits and achieve awakening."

The metal ball inside the glass orb suddenly started moving.

It bounced—once, softly, barely making a sound.

Then again, harder.

The glass wobbled. Shook. Vibrations rippled outward through the translucent surface, distorting the light passing through.

"You're using magic right now," Aldous said quietly, his voice dropping, "it will look like this."

The metal ball bounced faster. Harder. Each impact louder than the last—thunk, thunk, THUNK—echoing through the quiet medical room.

The glass orb shook violently now, fractures spider-webbing across its surface with each collision.

Agni's breath caught in his throat.

Then—

CRACK.

The glass shattered.

Fragments exploded outward in slow motion, dissolving into mana mist before they could hit the ground. The metal ball dropped, hitting the polished floor with a heavy thunk before rolling to a stop near Agni's bare foot.

The sound echoed in the sudden silence.

Doctor Aldous's white eyes fixed on him, unblinking.

"Which will eventually cause this."

He let the words hang in the air like a death sentence.

"You will permanently lose the ability to use magic."

Both the glass fragments and the heavy ball dissolved completely, fading into nothing.

Silence pressed down on the room.

Agni blinked.

Then blinked again, his mind trying to catch up with what he'd just witnessed.

"Wow." He exhaled slowly, sinking back onto the edge of the patient bed. The mattress gave way slightly beneath him. "That's... dark. And scary. Shouldn't you warn me about it before explaining, so I can, like, prepare myself?"

His voice came out weak, the usual casual tone cracking slightly around the edges.

Doctor Aldous tilted his head, his long white beard shifting. "It's best to understand it as it is. I believe you understood what I meant to say."

"Yes. Scary stuff." Agni rubbed his face with both hands, trying to process. His palms felt clammy against his skin.

No magic for a month. In a magic academy. Where literally everything runs on magic.

Great. Just great.

A sheet of paper materialized in the air, drifting down into Agni's lap like a falling leaf. The parchment was crisp, official, with neat handwriting and an embossed seal at the bottom.

"Please show this to the academy staff," Aldous instructed, his tone returning to something more neutral. "This should pardon you from all magic classes for a month. You can attend your theory classes regularly with no issues."

Agni stared at the paper, his black eyes scanning the text without really reading it.

Medical Exemption: Prince Agni S.K– Magic Prohibition (30 Days)

"Your Highness?"

"Yes. I understand." Agni stood up, the wires detaching automatically as he moved—click, click, click—retracting into the walls with soft mechanical sounds. Faint red marks remained on his skin where the pads had been pressed.

He changed quickly, pulling on his academy uniform with practiced movements. The fabric felt normal, unremarkable, grounding after days in patient robes.

Then he left.

The walk back to the academy was different this time.

Slower. More deliberate. Relaxed, almost.

Agni's boots struck the cobblestone streets with a steady rhythm—tap, tap, tap—the sound mixing with the ambient noise of the waking city. Morning sunlight streamed between buildings, warm against his face, chasing away the lingering chill from the medical ward.

Around him, the city was coming alive properly now.

Shopkeepers opened wooden shutters with loud creaks, revealing merchandise displayed on shelves behind glass. Street vendors set up their carts with practiced efficiency, arranging goods, calling out to early customers. The smell of fresh bread drifted from a nearby bakery, mixing with the scent of coffee and sweet—pastries,.

Agni looked up at the buildings surrounding him—tall, elegant, their architecture intricate and carefully maintained. Stone facades carved with decorative patterns. Windows framed with ornate woodwork. Enchanted street lamps still glowing faintly in the daylight, waiting for evening to come around again.

Wow. Certainly during the day, they look different.

He spotted a familiar face—the same vendor who'd given him directions before. He was setting up his cart near the corner, arranging his merchandise with careful hands.

"Hey!" Agni called out, raising one hand. "What do you sell?"

The man looked up, blinking in surprise. "Can't you see?" He pointed at his cart—stacked high with pale, round fruit that looked almost translucent in the morning light. "Ice apples."

Agni blinked, stepping closer. "Oh. Yeah. Give me one."

"That'll be a silver."

Agni reached into his coin pouch, fumbling slightly, Agni pulled out a gold coin—way more than necessary—and handed it over. "I don't have exact change. Here, take this."

The vendor's eyes widened.

He hesitated for exactly half a second, then grabbed a cloth bag and started loading ice apples into it—one, two, five, ten—his movements were quick and efficient.

"Thank you for your purchase!" the vendor said quickly, handing over the bag.

Agni took it, surprised by the weight.

Agni just nodded awkwardly and walked off.

He walked through the streets, the bag of ice apples swinging slightly at his side, the fabric rustling with each step.

That should be enough for everyone now, he thought, humming softly under his breath. The rest can be eaten by Suzzy.

He paused mid-step, a thought crossing his mind unbidden.

It should be okay, right? After I yelled at them at the party?

Guilt tugged at his chest—uncomfortable, unwelcome.

We're in different classes, though. Meh. They'll come to me eventually.

Agni pulled out one of the ice apples and took a bite.

It was sweet. Crunchy, juice dribbled slightly down his chin, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

I must say, he thought, chewing slowly, after eating potatoes of despair for that week-long journey to the academy, I've grown a real appreciation for any food.

Anything that isn't mud balls tastes like a blessing.

The academy loomed ahead—tall towers gleaming in the morning sunlight, their surfaces catching the light and scattering it in rainbow patterns. Walls shimmered faintly with protective wards.

Students walked past him in clusters—laughing, talking, heading toward their respective classes with the kind of confident energy that came from knowing exactly where you were going.

The celebratory atmosphere from the Freshers' Party was gone now, replaced by the more focused energy of the first real day of classes.

Agni stopped near the main courtyard, pulling out the paper Doctor Aldous had given him.

I'm going to my classes, right? Like... the right way?

He squinted at the schedule printed neatly on the parchment.

Right. Definitely. First class isn't happening in a garden...

He looked up at a nearby stone board—directions carved into the surface with arrows that glowed faintly, pointing toward different sections of the academy grounds.

Sunflower Garden – East Wing

Agni looked back down at his schedule.

S-Class Combat

First Class: Spirit Garden

He looked at the board again.

Sunflower Garden.

His eyebrows furrowed.

Huh. Well... wouldn't it hurt to see some flowers before spirits, would it?

He shrugged and walked toward the garden entrance, still chewing on his ice apple.

The Sunflower Garden is beautiful.

Almost like back home, Agni thought, stepping through the arched stone gateway.

Rows of tall sunflowers stretched out in neat, organized formations—their golden petals bright and cheerful against the clear blue sky overhead. They swayed gently in the breeze, turning their faces toward the sun with slow, deliberate movements.

The scent of earth and pollen hung thick in the air, mixing with the faint fragrance of other flowers planted along the cobblestone pathways—roses in deep reds and soft pinks, lilies with white petals that seemed to glow, and something purple with tiny clustered blooms that he didn't recognize.

Birds chirped from overhead, their songs blending with the rustling of leaves and the distant murmur of a fountain.

Certainly, the flowers here are better. A lot more taken care of.

Agni nodded to himself, an idea forming in his mind.

I should ask Ignatia to get flowers planted in Sun Mansion as well. Would make the place feel less... sterile.

His gaze drifted toward the center of the garden, where a massive tree stood—easily three times the height of the tallest sunflowers around it.

Its bark is dark brown, black in certain spots where the light didn't hit. But what caught Agni's attention were the leaves—deep, rich purple, so dark they were nearly violet. They shimmered faintly in the breeze, catching the light like stained glass.

Tiny flowers bloomed along the branches—delicate, pale lavender, their petals soft and paper-thin.

And underneath the tree stood a man.

He had white and black hair—mixed together, the colors blending seamlessly like paint on a canvas. It fell slightly into his face, framing sharp features and a calm, composed expression.

He wore a pristine white coat with gold stripes running along the sleeves and collar—elegant, formal. His hands were clasped loosely behind his back, and he stood perfectly still, staring up at the tree's branches.

Oh. He's young, Agni thought, studying him from a distance.

Senior, probably. For a second, I thought he was a teacher.

The man turned around.

Golden eyes—bright, warm, but carrying a weight behind them that made Agni's breath catch for just a moment—locked onto him.

For several heartbeats, neither of them moved.

The birds kept chirping. The sunflowers kept swaying. The fountain kept murmuring in the background.

Then the man spoke, his voice calm and measured, carrying easily across the garden. "Are you out of class?"

Agni blinked, caught off guard.

"Oh. No."