Trinity of Magic

Chapter 7: First day of school

Ezekiel woke up in the early morning, his mind clear and alert. But the excitement of the previous day was gone, and he felt a weight on his heart as he made his way downstairs. He was staying at Armin's house, Markus's uncle. The idea of living under someone else's roof again so soon after arriving in the city was disheartening.

This was supposed to be a time in his life when he would gain independence. He had even started to dream of one day owning his own house in the capital. But after yesterday's evaluation, those dreams felt further away than ever.

Ezekiel tried to push the negative thoughts from his mind as he entered the kitchen. There he found Markus and Armin, already up and about.

Armin greeted him with a warm smile, "Good morning, Ezekiel. Did you sleep well?"

Ezekiel nodded, his expression giving away nothing of the tumultuous emotions within. Despite the events of the previous day sapping his energy, he had slept soundly through the night. Upon entering his bed, his body had immediately given into exhaustion.

Armin, undeterred by Ezekiel's reserved demeanor, continued the conversation with cheer.

"Excited about your first day at Elementium?" he asked.

Ezekiel considered the question. He was searching within himself for the excitement he had felt just a day before. The memory of the other students' gazes weighed heavily upon him, casting doubt upon his initial enthusiasm.

Yet, he remembered Lilly, his friend, and classmate, who would be by his side. Her high potential in Wind Magic was a source of comfort, a beacon of hope in uncertain times. And with that thought, Ezekiel couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement kindle within his heart.

He replied with newfound vigor, "I can't wait."

Armin smiled, pleased with the change in Ezekiel's demeanor. They spent the rest of their meal discussing Armin's work as a blacksmith and Markus's plans to assist him. Ezekiel was happy for Markus, who was eager to start his apprenticeship.

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After breakfast, Ezekiel set out on his journey to the academy. He took his time to marvel at the sights of the capital city. As he walked, he noticed numerous guards posted in the crafting district. This was a sign of the city's dedication to the safety of its artisans.

The contrast was stark compared to the lack of security in the outermost district. Yesterday, Ezekiel made a promise to one day help the people there. Reality hit him hard as he realized he would soon be joining the struggling people of the outermost district, rather than helping them. Shaking off these thoughts, Ezekiel quickened his pace towards the entrance of the Elementium Academy.

The guards at the entrance gate were still unfamiliar with Ezekiel. He had never entered through the official entrance on foot before. However, they remained unalarmed by his approach. The boy was already donning the official robes he received the previous day.

Upon arriving at the gate, he rummaged through his pockets in search of the token he had received the day before. Finally finding the insignia, he presented it to the guard. The man, in turn, held out a strange device toward Ezekiel.

The guard's device came to life as a crystal lit up, breaking the slight tension that had filled the air. The guards relaxed their stance. It was only then that Ezekiel realized just how alert they were to any potential threats.

The boy was given the green light to pass. He made his way to the reception desk. On his way there, he was reflecting on how he had completely missed the guards' readiness to strike. He had no doubts that they would be able to subdue him in seconds, had the identification process failed.

Ezekiel arrived at the reception desk for first-year students. Ahead of him, a queue had formed, with each person seeking information about their classes and schedules. He took his place in line and took note of his surroundings.

He could tell that the majority of the students in front of him were from commoner families. He came to this conclusion by observing their nervous body language and uncertain expressions. He thought back to the day before when he had first observed the noble students. They had acted with confidence and a sense of belonging. The students here lacked that same assurance.

Ezekiel waited his turn, observing the interactions between the students and the woman behind the counter. The woman greeted each student with a bored tone, clearly tired of answering the same questions constantly.

After waiting in line for a few minutes, Ezekiel arrived at one of the reception desks. The woman behind the counter greeted him with that same bored tone.

"Welcome to Elementium, what is your affinity?"

Wanting to hurry up and not disturb her further, he answered, "Blood, Space, and Mind."

The woman's demeanor changed immediately as Ezekiel revealed his three affinities. The change was mirrored by the receptionists on either side of her. A mixture of emotions flickered across their faces, the majority of which Ezekiel perceived as pity. He raised an eyebrow, the confusion clear in his eyes. The woman seemed a bit embarrassed by the loss of composure and cleared her throat.

"First and foremost," she began. "There are no dormitories for first-year students who do not possess an elemental affinity. So, if you want to attend the academy, you'll need to find living arrangements on your own." She said. Gauging if the boy was paying attention before continuing.

"In terms of classes, during the first semester, you will attend general magic classes in the mornings. Specialized magic classes are held in the afternoons. Given your three affinities, you'll be attending Blood, Space, and Mind classes." Another pause, and another nod from Ezekiel.

"Lastly, it's important to note that any act of violence against other students is strictly forbidden," the woman said sternly. "Anyone caught attacking another student on academy grounds will face severe punishment. Do you understand?"

Ezekiel nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over him at the mention of this rule. He thanked the receptionist as she handed him his timetable and gestured to a drawing on the wall. It was a map of the school, displaying the locations of the classrooms.

Ezekiel arrived at his first class: 'History of Magic'. Eager to expand his limited knowledge. As he took a seat in the back, he noticed several familiar faces from the orientation hall. The class appeared to be solely attended by commoners. This led Ezekiel to surmise that nobles were likely not required to attend all classes. They were most likely taught the theoretical aspects of magic from an early age.

The door creaked open, and an elderly man strode into the room. He immediately commanded the attention of the students with his strict demeanor. As most students fell silent, the teacher stood at the front of the class, waiting for any stragglers to settle.

After a brief moment, the man lost his patience. He pointed to three students who were still chatting and declared, "You, you, and you. Get the fuck out. You can come back tomorrow if you have learned how to behave."

The two boys prepared to argue, but their friend, the only girl of the three quickly dragged them from the room. Ezekiel watched the exchange, thankful for not being among them. He had a feeling that talking back to this teacher would not be well received. The old man looked like he would hold a grudge.

The lesson, contrary to Ezekiel's expectations turned out to be extremely boring. On top of that, the material was troubling for him. The teacher droned on and on about the virtues of the four elements.

The elemental affinities of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth were the only true schools of Magic in the old man's eyes. Ezekiel was initially excited to learn more about the reason behind it. But he realized that the teacher's claims lacked substance. The teacher never clarified why this was so. Or provide any evidence to support these claims.

What worried Ezekiel the most was the teacher's complete and utter disdain for Blood Mages. He often referred to them as "The Enemy" or "Hellspawns". Ezekiel didn't understand why the teacher would speak about a school of magic so negatively while praising other schools so highly, without explaining the rationale behind either of these statements.

As the class went on, Ezekiel could see that a number of students were giving him wary glances. They clearly remembered him from the evaluation the day before.

Ezekiel sighed. It seemed the headmaster's words were indeed correct, and he would have a hard time making friends with his perfect blood affinity. But it didn't bother Ezekiel much. He had always preferred a small circle of true friends over a large circle of superficial friends.

He was disappointed that he wasn't in the same class as Lilly for this subject. But he had several more classes in the morning, and he was bound to run into her at some point.

Against all odds, Ezekiel found himself not sharing a single class with Lilly. He didn't catch a glimpse of her throughout the entire day. This was only one of the concerning trends Ezekiel noticed in his subsequent classes. Most of the teachers displayed an attitude of disdain towards Blood Magic.

Even the teacher for Blood Magic was no different. The man seemed to view his own Blood affinity as more of an inconvenient fact than a gift.

Ezekiel was stunned by the negative tone with which everyone spoke of this school of Magic. He gathered that this disdain was rooted in the fact that most Blood Mages hailed from a kingdom at war with the Empire. He didn't understand how this was reason enough to look down on him personally though. Moreover, the teachers' attitudes left little hope of changing these preconceptions anytime soon.

As the day went on, Ezekiel noticed another disturbing trend. The warning against hurting other students seemed to not apply to the nobles. While most commoners appeared content to ignore him, the nobles seemed to make a sport out of committing small acts of cruelty. The boy lost count of the number of times he was tripped or shoved by passing students.

Ezekiel walked down the corridor, heading towards his final class of the day, Mind Magic. In a moment of inattention, he felt the shoulder of a passing student collide with his own. The student was tall and well-built and appeared to be an upperclassman. The impact caught Ezekiel off guard, and he stumbled into a nearby pillar.

"Watch where you're going, Valorian scum," the student snarled. "The empire has no place for your kind."

Ezekiel regained his balance and squared up to the student. "It was clearly you who ran into me, senior. Furthermore, I don't know what a Valorian is, but I'm pretty certain I'm not one of them."

The student was about to reply when a young woman rounded the corner and called out to him. "Arnold, that's enough. We're going to be late for class if you waste any more time."

Arnold turned to the girl with a sheepish look on his face. He immediately tried to make excuses. "The Blood Mage boy ran into me and was disrespectful!" he whined.

The woman raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "I'm sure that's what happened. I've had it with your excuses, Arnold. It's never your fault, is it?"

She strode over and grabbed his arm, pulling him away. As she passed Ezekiel, she gave him a pitying look before turning her attention back to Arnold. "Have you no shame, bullying a first-year?" she scolded as she marched him down the hall.

"You know just as well as I, that no noble family will take him in. That means he'll be stuck, unable to access resources after becoming a True Mage. Why must you add to his troubles? He hasn't done anything to you personally."

The words echoed in Ezekiel's mind as the two rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Though he didn't fully grasp the woman's meaning, Ezekiel felt a growing sense of unease. The prospects ahead of him seemed even bleaker than he had anticipated.

He stood there, listening to the sound of their voices fading into the distance. He couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness at the encounter. Why did everyone have to treat him with caution, fear, or disdain? He could tell that the nobles knew something he didn't.

From what he could gather, mages needed a mysterious resource to advance at some point. The only way to gain access to those resources seemed to be to join a noble family. The boy had figured out by now that it was harder for him to advance than it would be for other mages. However, didn't that also mean that he would be stronger? He had two greater and a perfect affinity after all.

Ezekiel refused to believe that there was no noble family out there willing to invest in him. No matter how generally despised his Blood affinity seemed to be. He only needed a single person to take a chance on him.

The boy gathered his resolve, his determination to achieve his aspirations undiminished. He pressed on, marching towards the final lecture of the day. The other students could try to stop him, but he wouldn't let this academy defeat him.