Breathtaking

“So… Lucas,” I start. “You know how you said it’s unusual to not use incantations?”

“Yeah?”

“Well… uh… hypothetically speaking, what if someone were to… not use a wand?”

“I mean… with enough practice, I suppose most skilled mages could probably learn to cast a handful of spells wandlessly—but I can’t imagine many bother. Seems like a waste of time outside some niche scenario where you lose your wand in a fight… Why?”

I try to suppress it, but I can feel a guilty smirk spreading across my face.

“...Nora. Is there something you’d like to run by me?” Lucas raises an eyebrow.

“First up—Littleroot.” Coldheart announces.

“Uh—nope! See ya!” I say before bolting.

As I step into position, I pull out my wand and—

—just kidding!

I put my wand back away.

I’ve always struggled to cast even the simplest magic without a wand. But thanks to Vincent’s help, ever since my scuffle with the village boys, I’ve started learning how to take all this anxiety of mine and channel it into my magic, using the heightened sensitivity during nerve-wracking situations to exert finer control over the mana I mold.

I’m still far from being able to do this consistently, but if I want any chance of beating someone as incredible as Nettle, I have to risk it—for Vincent’s sake!

I take a deep breath, kneel, and touch the ground. Slowly lifting my hands, I pull up a great wall of earth with them.

It’s exhausting. I burn through mana much faster than normal, struggling to keep my magic steady as the spell threatens to unravel at even the slightest mistake. But I don’t panic. I take my time, just like Vincent taught me, making sure every last drop of mana is accounted for and going exactly where it needs to go.

Little by little, step by step, I carefully work until I'm finally able to complete the spell.

I sigh in relief. As students murmur, I feel a proud smile creep across my face.

Coldheart scowls. “Of course. More parlor tricks. I hate to break it to you, Miss Littleroot, but 2nd Order earth mages are a dime a dozen amongst new students. You’re not as special as you seem to think you—”

Ugh, she’s relentless! You know what? Fine. You want special? I’ll show you special!

With a burst of wind magic, I launch myself off the ground, then hover in place by blasting steady gusts from my hands and feet. The crowd gasps, but I’m not done yet.

Once I find my balance, I stretch my arms out to my sides, keeping myself airborne with only the wind beneath my feet. From both hands, I unleash twin jets of fire, then switch to surges of water, and finally bursts of dirt. I look down on Coldheart with the smuggest grin I can muster as I slowly descend to the ground.

I turn around and pose for the crowd. “Tadaa!”

“EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!” they roar in confusion yet again.

I glance back at Coldheart. “You were saying?”

I stroll back in line, expecting Lucas to be annoyed again but… he’s excited?

“That was astounding, Nora! To think, 2nd Order in all four schools—and without incantations or a wand! You even cast multiple spells at once! I can’t even imagine how much work it took to learn all that!”

He chuckles and shakes his head before looking me straight in the eyes. “I’m at a loss for words, Nora, truly. I bet there isn’t a single girl like you in this entire academy. You really are amazing, you know that?”

Heat rushes to my face at such heartfelt praise. I throw my hands to my cheeks as I look away, squirming.

“Lucaaas, stop it, you’re gonna make me blush!”

“Oh—uh, sorry.” Lucas looks away too, flustered.

As I turn, I find Jane looking at us with a knowing smirk.

“And what are you smiling about?” I prod.

“Oh, nothing,” she replies. “I just agree with Lucas—you’re breathtaking.”

“That is not what I—ugh.” Lucas buries his face into his hands.

“Lucas Coppersmith.”

“Oh thank goddess, get me out of here.”

Lucas scurries forward and pulls out a peculiar wand. It’s made of black wood, with a solid-gold inlay spiraling up its length. The bottom has a handle made from some sort of soft black, grippy-looking material. Something crowns the top, but it’s completely hidden beneath a small piece of cloth tied down with string. I wonder why?

He kneels beside a boulder left over from a previous spell and conjures, incredibly concentrated jet of fire. Slowly, he cuts through the stone like a knife through butter. After that, he conjures a fierce current of wind, somehow confining it within a perfectly rectangular space. He presses his palm against it, demonstrating that he’s effectively created a wall out of wind.

Coldheart gives Lucas a nod, and I congratulate him as he gets back in line. “Wow, you’re pretty amazing yourself. That magic was way more advanced than anything I can do.”

He fidgets awkwardly. “Ah—it’s nothing special. Once classes start, I’m sure it won’t be long before you’re using 3rd Order magic too. I’d much rather have your knack for earth magic. Being able to conjure my own metal would be invaluable for my crafts. It’s going to be my top learning priority this year.”

“Well, I’d be more than happy to help if you ever need it.”

He smirks. “Hm… are you sure that’s possible with your weird monster-ish magic? I’m not gonna have to go live with dire wolves or something, am I?”

I giggle. “Maybe.”

“Well, if you ever need help learning 3rd Order fire or wind magic, I’d be happy to help too.”

“Great! You can help right now!”

“Uh—”

“I’ve been wondering what everybody means by all this ‘Order’ stuff.”

“Ah—well, uh, Orders are basically how we rank someone’s proficiency in a particular school of combat. Take earth magic, for example:

“1st Order—novice magic—like moving pebbles or conjuring dirt.

“2nd Order—basic magic—like firing rocks or forming walls of earth.

“3rd Order—intermediate magic—like launching stone lances or raising metal walls.

“4th Order—advanced magic—like unleashing waves of earth or erecting defensive towers.

“5th Order—expert magic—like causing large avalanches or constructing small fortresses.

“Also, if you ever hear ‘High’ before an Order—like a ‘High 4th Order’ earth mage—it usually means they’re more than halfway to reaching the next Order. Typically, at that level they can weave together spells of their current order from two different schools—for example, earth and fire to create lava magic—or can cast multiple different spells at once from the Order below. Though some can do both.

“Summoners also receive an overall Order. This takes into account their proficiency across all combat schools, as well as how powerful their summon and monster magic is. Supposedly around forty percent of students here start at 1st Order, another forty percent at 2nd, and the remaining twenty percent at 3rd.

“If you work hard enough, you can generally expect to go up an Order by the end of each year—though it gets exponentially harder each time. And the higher you go, the wider the gap between the weakest and strongest summoners within the same Order. Most summoners graduate at 3rd or 4th Order, then spend their careers at or striving toward 5th.

“Beyond that is 6th Order, but it’s exceptionally rare. Only a handful of summoners ever reach it, and their magic is terrifying. Summoners like Vincent or Boldheart can cast spells capable of tearing through entire hordes of enemies like it’s nothing.

“As for 7th Order… let’s just say whenever a summoner like that comes along, it’s enough to shift the balance of power between the four kingdoms.”

“Well, I guess me and Pudding will just have to become the first to hit 8th Order, then.” I wink.

“Hm… and what, may I ask, does a girl so dainty need such destructive power for?”

“Spiders. I’m sick and tired of them in my home. Sacrifices must be made.”

“Tell you what. You become 8th Order? I’ll take you out for ice cream. Two scoops, even.”

“Oh, I saw that in the capital! It looked delicious! Guess I better study hard!”

We both laugh before turning our attention back to the exams.

Eventually it’s Arthur’s turn. But to my surprise, he’s only able to cast basic utility magic in the other three schools.

Lucas, takes one look at my face and answers before I can even ask. “He’s more of a warrior than a mage, but that’s only part of it. I have to ask, Nora—when you’re casting spells, do the elements not feel dramatically different from one another?”

“They do, I just… got used to it.”

“Well, most people really struggle with that. And since spellcasting gets exponentially harder the more powerful the magic becomes, most mages would rather master one school than spread themselves thin across all four. Though you’ll sometimes see more talented mages pursue two if there’s a specific type of combination magic they want access to, like—”

“Nettle Wolfsbane.” Coldheart calls.

Right on cue, Nettle steps forward. With a wave of her wand, she crafts a complex ice sculpture of a fruit tree.

It’s so beautif—

PSSSSSSSSSS!

Steam. The sculpture starts melting as she blasts it with steam. Apparently not done ruining her creation, she sprays it with lava next, until all that remains is molten rock and a puddle of water. Finally, she conjures a small twister of sand, before ending her demonstration.

…

Wha—

“EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!” The class lets out a confused roar—one that’s finally not my fault.

I glance at Lucas, who’s counting on his fingers. “That’s… that’s all four schools… twice. And she did it with combination magic.”

“See, Lucas? I’m not that weird. She did it too—”

“Nora, you are absolutely weird. You’re just… not the only one.”

I look over at Nettle and find her already staring back at me. As soon as our eyes meet, her gaze drops and she heads back in line.

“And with that, the spellcasting portion of the exam has concluded. We now move to the final section, where we’ll be evaluating your martial prowess.”

A staff member wheels out the assessment crystal once more.

“Strike the crystal with your strongest physical attack and, again, keep the collateral damage to a minimum.”

“Starting us off…” Coldheart momentarily trails off, then scowls. “Littleroot.”

Oh, come on! First again? This is so—

“Oh man, if you can do all that magic as a warrior, I can’t even imagine what you have in store for us this time!” Lucas exclaims, looking at me all starry-eyed.

“But I’m not—”

“Littleroot! Hurry up!” Coldheart calls.

I scurry to the front, almost tripping along the way.

Lucas said warriors power themselves up by just pouring mana into their bodies, right? How hard could it be?

I flood my arm with mana, gathering as much of it as I can, and charge straight at the assessment crystal.

I dig my foot into the ground and pivot with all my might—

“ULTIMATE ANNIHILATION CANNON!”

My fist crashes into the assessment crystal at full force, leaving the entire class in utter disbelief.