Academy's Best

Seven Years Ago

The knights gathered in the stadium all had gold streaks across their breastplates, marking them as part of the royal guard; the personal army of the king. Their armor was primarily silver in color with slender curves and sharp edges. Most had bucket-shaped helmets, but three of them had the special ones with a flat disk carved behind the head like a halo. It represented the sun emphasizing their affiliation with the sacred order.

“Ah, finally,” Headmaster Lwenas said when she saw them. “Thanks for bringing him, Roy.”

“Don’t tell me that runt is the best sorcerer you have,” a tall knight muttered next to the headmaster. It was somebody Kyr recognized by fame—Radon Siveran. He was a seasoned warrior with short black hair, grey eyes, and a handsome face everyone in the capital adored. The curves of his armor were decidedly wolf-like by design, making him stand out from the rest.

Roy walked up to Radon and slammed his foot on the ground, chest puffing. “Who are you calling a runt? Bet you wouldn’t be able break my magic shield! Even if you did, I can just make one over and over! Between a warrior’s stamina and the amount of mana we can pull… sorcerers win easily.”

Radon blinked at the student... then laughed. His eyes flicked towards Kyr. “That one, then?”

Headmaster Lwenas groaned. “Indeed,” she said. “Come introduce yourself to our visitors, Kyr. We have a lot to discuss with you.”

“Whoa—now hold on a second,” a voice interjected, followed by the hero walking towards them, his practice sword slung casually over one shoulder. “We can’t just let that boy’s comment slide. Magic shields are hard to maintain, but if you can constantly cast the spell, then…”

“The sorcerer breaks,” Radon finished. “Vastille may be blessed with mana, but the ones who cast them aren’t invincible." He slumped forward to level his eyes with Roy. "I see the standards of the academy isn’t what it used to be. If sorcerers can channel mana endlessly, don’t you think they would already rule this kingdom… runt?”

“But—” Roy bit his lip, then looked over at Kyr. Like a damned puppy.

“Roylad Faynevir is a foreign student from the east, sir knight,” Headmaster Lwenas explained. “His fascination with magic is commendable, but he is still learning.”

“Faynevir?” Radon said with a raised eyebrow. “So you’re a desert runt. You barely have an accent!”

Roy gritted his teeth. “I’ve been here two years.”

“And still you overestimate mana,” Radon said with a sniff. “Though I suppose all foreigners do. Particularly those from the wasteland you call home. You’re practically deprived of the thing.”

That comment hit a nerve not just with Roy, but also with Kyr. Some knight this Radon turned out to be.

“Fine,” Roy said. “But even if what you say is true… I’m sure Kyr can do it anyway! He’s the best sorcerer in all of Vastille!”

Now wait a damned moment.

Attention was suddenly back to Kyr. The crowd of students, who were all far away in the stands, started cheering at Roy's remark. The headmaster didn’t look happy with this development, but she didn’t stop it either.

“Well, academy’s best?” Radon said with sneer. “Can you endlessly cast your shield?”

Kyr blinked. He wasn't sure if this was why they called him, but…

Screw this guy.

“Honestly, I’m stumped,” Kyr said, adjusting his spectacles. “I wouldn’t bother with a shield in the first place. I’d probably strike the warrior before he could even get to me.”

Radon seemed to find the comment amusing, but his fellow knights definitely didn’t.  

Before things could escalate further, the hero wedged himself between Kyr and everyone else. “Perfect!” the man exclaimed. “I’d like to see this firsthand! I’m here to learn things, you see. Care for a match? The name’s Aven, by the way.”

Kyr looked at Lwenas, but before the headmaster could say a word, the crowd's cheering thundered across the entire stadium. Kyr was not exactly popular, but the academy was well aware of his antics and his past.

‘The boy who fought demons’, they used to call him, referencing a time in his youth when he ventured out of the city walls without supervision. It was nothing more than a fool’s errand from an orphaned boy looking for his parents in the wilderness, but it taught him of the beasts that lurked out there, and why knights and sorcerers existed in the first place. He almost met his end many times, fool that he was. But magic came naturally to him then as it did now.

Kyr gave in to a match, still wondering if this was the reason he was summoned. 

It barely started when Aven disappeared in a blur, lunging at him with a punch directed at his face.

The hero moved faster than he did earlier.

Kyr wasn’t capable of dodging such speed, even if he saw the attack coming. Or rather, he felt the attack coming. The mana in the air shifted slightly. He used that.

Aven froze mid swing, noticing the air around his fist. 

“What did you—” 

Kyr pulled Aven's hand up with magic, then yanked him away. 

The hero fell hard on his bum.

"The sorcerer didn't even move!" the knights cried.

Kyr glanced at the headmaster again. “Show your attacks,” Lwenas said. “We’re teaching Aven magic, Kyr.”

Magic was achieved by manipulating mana from the earth. It was also dispersed in air, the trees, the river, the sky. So long as a sorcerer channels that mana into their body, or his case elsewhere, it could be molded it into something else. Fire for example.

Kyr raised one hand and channeled a blast of fire that Aven dodged by rolling in the grass. Kyr did it again with his other hand, forcing the hero to roll the other way.

Sensing his intent to throw more, Aven got up and jumped backwards.

Slinging fireballs was as basic as it could get, but Kyr actually struggled with it at first. He understood that it was the body's natural tendency to make gestures, but mana was mana. If it was a reasonable amount and within throwing distance, there was no need to move.

Except for this match, apparently.

Aven dodged everything Kyr threw at him, to the cheers of the knights and the students. It was always more fun to root for the underdog.

Eventually, Aven got close enough that he used his sword and swung at Kyr, slicing him in half.

Or so the hero thought.

Kyr manipulated the mana in front of him to appear like a mirage. Only the person directly to his front was affected by it, but it was enough to make Aven miss. Through the haze of his own making, Kyr threw his own punch that caught Aven in the jaw. It was weak, but it made contact.

Aven backed away and laughed.

“What else do you want to see?” Kyr asked.

“You did it again,” Aven said. “You casted a spell without showing it!”

The comment brought Kyr to when he used magic for the first time. It was against a beast three times his size; a bear with horns and massive claws. He couldn’t move back then out of sheer fright, but he knew of the mana that rippled with the wind. He had no choice but to make use of it.

But right now, he was a teacher. And so, the rest of the match was done by conjuring all sorts of spells with his hands. From lightning, to ice, to the earth itself rising like a boulder. Aven was struck a few times, to the dismay of the crowd, but he didn’t give up.

In the end, the headmaster called it quits when the match continued longer than expected. That was, before Aven managed to tap Kyr in the forehead after he crushed the barrier he made.

“Gotcha,” Aven said, before he fell to the ground, heaving large gulps of air.

The knights surrounded the hero, but nodded to Kyr in respect as well.

“I’m impressed,” Radon said. “You haven’t broken despite slinging all those spells. Yes… this is a good lesson for the hero and myself.” He turned to Roy. “You made your point, kid. But next time, try and speak for yourself.”

Kyr expected Roy to spit back, but instead the boy looked worriedly at him. He knew Kyr wasn’t invincible. Molding magic was no different than physical labor. Eventually, Kyr would break and fall to his knees. Just... not today. Not with everybody watching.

“I’ve decided!” Aven shouted between breaths. “You were right, headmaster… I know… it’s not really… my decision, but… I want him. I want Kyr Solian as my guardian!”