|
I swear, this is still Zak! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
".... and that is the tale of the birth of the Mage King." Professor Styxx finished, standing behind a sleeping student. " The King had been born with the dark magic ability Darkrian, an ability that only appears sparingly in his line." Slamming a book down on Zakerin's desk, and startling him awake, Styxx looked down at the thirteen year old, and then the rest of the class. "How did the Mage King eventually die Zakerin?"
"Er, ah, um..."
"Darin?" the Professor asked another student.
Darin stood up. "The Mage King died during the War of Darkness, when his Queen and adviser conspired to kill him as a way of placating the neighboring countries. They stabbed him with the Traitor's Dagger, which is enshrined in the Palace."
"Exactly. The surrounding countries had bound together against the Mage King, and as such, were prepared for the true threat that arrived a year later. It was eventually discovered that the King had planned everything down to his death in order to have the least amount of casualties in the War against Garunda."
A chime flew through the air of the school building, signaling the end of the day.
"Have a nice break everyone. Zakerin, I would like to talk to you...."
As the teens funneled out Zakerin stayed behind. He had good grades, but he had very little mana, making him extremely tired in History, as he had Casting right before. He hadn't had any problems with Professor Styxx before, but there was a first time for everything.
"Professor?" He said hesitantly, not really knowing what the problem was.
Styxx touched the tips of his fingers together as if in thought, or as if he was hesitating about something.
"I have some... interesting news." Styxx began slowly. "As you know, there are three main classes of Magi produced from this school."
"Yes sir, the The Guardian Blades, the Elemental Weavers, and the Healers."
Styxx nodded. "As you are also aware, this school trains every student in all three disciplines until the last three years, of which you are fast approaching. Could you, so I can be sure you understand, tell me the jobs of the three classes?"
"Yes sir. Guardian Blades are the group that focuses on close range combat, and are those that are sent out most often on various missions. The Elemental Weavers play a dual role of keeping areas of the kingdom in good weather and defending the cities with well placed heavy artillery spells, and the Healers build, study, and cure the wounded and sick." It had been drilled into him every day until his father had left, and returned home in an ash box.
"You applied to be an Elemental Weaver I believe?" Styxx said with a questioning tone to his voice. "Why is that, you strike me as more of a Blade?"
Zakerin winced internally. "Im aware that my physical combat grades are extremely high sir, but-"
"That is not what I asked. I asked why you applied to be a Weaver."
"Sir, I-"
"Answer the question Novice Zakerin."
Zakerin sighed. "My father had been a Blade, as had my mother, and I never saw the point in their jobs. They both had possessed the skills to be great Healers or Weavers, but instead they left and traveled the countryside, doing dangerous work that got them killed and me orphaned. I thought I'd try a different road, so on the off chance I actually had a kid in the future, I wouldn't leave them alone in the world."
Styxx gave a great sigh. He cared for his students more than any could imagine, and out of all of them, he regretted giving Zakerin, who had worked his hardest, this terrible news.
"Your application was denied."
Zakerin was shocked, he couldnt believe that he'd heard his professor correctly. "D-denied? I- I dont understand, my grades were high, I passed the tests didnt I?"
Styxx shook his head. "The leaders of those classes deemed your Mana to be too low to be an adept Weaver. The Healers require an even higher mana level, and you failed the Healing test anyway... so you have defaulted to Blade." He sighed, and rubbed his temples. "Im sorry Zakerin, I tried to get them to change their mind, and I feel even worse now that you've explained your choice...."
Zakerin was speechless. All of his hard work, all those sleepless nights, memorizing spell after spell, modifying the wording as to not exhaust his meager supply of mana, all for nothing. His dreams of moving out of the Hovel his parents had left him in while they went adventuring.... dashed.
"When..." He had to make this work... if he didnt, he wouldnt have a chance at anything again- failed Mages were useless in the current world where technology and Magic worked together in harmony. "When do I begin?" His visble eye filled with tears, but they didnt fall, and he blinked them away.
"You will meet your instructor tomorrow, and spend a year in his tutelage- your teachers have been giving you the more advanced work for a while, knowing you were going for Weaver." Styxx didnt know what to say, he realized that he had crushed his student worse than he would've if he'd given a reprimand for sleeping during class. "Again, Im sorry."
"It-" Zakerin sighed and turned away. "Its not your fault. Thank you for letting me know...." he said as he left to return to the dorms. He had to pack his things...
Tomorrow he entered the Wastes.
 Azzy Rael · Thu Apr 08, 2010 @ 02:15am · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
