ã€ŠNew Sorceressã€‹


 Chapter 1 The Ritual

    The caf¨¦ was brilliantly quiet for an afternoon rush hour. Just the sight of it had pleased the two employees, especially Mirai Senshin. Pulling at his collar, the white dress shirt he wore contrasted his tan skin exceptionally, even when he had rolled up the sleeves above his elbows.

    Breaking the serenity, the door swung open and the bell chimed with the arrival of a new customer. Spinning his head around, Mirai took in the familiar sight of dyed blonde hair and a spray tan. Suppressing a sigh, he waited until she had sat down until approaching her with a pen and a notepad.

    ¡°Afternoon,¡± he greeted with a distanced gaze, ¡°can I get you anything?¡± Keeping his tone neutral, he dug his heels into the wooden floorboards, anchoring himself preemptively.

    Sliding her sunglasses down the rim of her nose, the woman smiled up at the waiter. ¡°Just the usual, Mister Track Star,¡± she teased with a flash of her canines.

    Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the nickname, he jotted something down on his notepad. ¡°A mocha cappuccino with extra whip, got it,¡± he drawled out.

    Without another glance at the young woman, he swept behind the counter and ripped off the page of his notepad to slide it into the kitchen. Hearing the freezer open, albeit muffled, he slipped the pad and pen into his pocket and leaned forward on the counter. It was only a moment of silence before he began scrolling on his phone, dismissing the noise from the passing cars and the small number of customers.

    Unfortunately, his moment of peace ended after a few minutes.

    ¡°Mirai!¡± Hearing the call of his name, the young man whipped around to the source and laid his eyes on a chilled drink resting in front of him. ¡°Put down your phone! Sheesh!¡± The chef scolded from the kitchen.

    Shaking his head at the notion, he dropped his phone into his back pocket and grabbed the frappuccino. Delivering the cold drink to its customer, he fled back to his spot behind the counter.

    ¡°You know, for being one of the school¡¯s big reps, you¡¯re really just some plain old kid sometimes,¡± the young woman commented, sipping her drink. ¡°Kinda makes all the rep you built up vanish, like that,¡± she snapped her fingers.

    Rolling his eyes, Mirai drummed his hands along the wooden countertop. ¡°Katelyn, you of all people know that my reputation means nothing to me.¡±

    ¡°Right, right,¡± she waved off, ¡°grades are more important than what hormonal teenagers think about you.¡± The sentence slipped off her tongue with practiced ease, a trait that sparked a glint in Mirai¡¯s eyes. ¡°Pretty lame catchphrase.¡±

    ¡°But completely accurate,¡± he retorts with a smirk. ¡°But that still leaves your appearance here a mystery.¡±

    Giving him another glint of her teeth, the young woman took on a half-lidded gaze. ¡°Is it wrong for a little bee to swarm around the sweetest flower she can find?¡± She said, mustering the sultriest voice she could.

    ¡°It is when the flower is surrounded by sweeter ones,¡± drawled Mirai with his eyes retreating to the sanctuary that was his phone. ¡°I¡¯m sure a pretty, little wasp can find something she likes better than my wilting petals.¡±

    Eyes bulging at the response, the tanned woman stood up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table. ¡°And here I was! Trying to be nice to you!¡± She exclaimed with sudden ferocity. ¡°Learn to respect your betters, nerd!¡±

    Slipping his hand into his pocket, Mirai¡¯s smirk widened. ¡°Katelyn, allow me to remind you that this establishment reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.¡± Pausing for a moment, he stood up straight. ¡°And, more importantly, it is inappropriate for a customer or employee to flirt with the other in any way. All that complies with company policy which is right here,¡± tapping a finger down on the counter brought the woman¡¯s gaze on the plaque nailed on under the wooden surface.

    ¡°Killjoy,¡± she muttered before turning her back to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to pay,¡± he teased in a sing-song voice as she slammed a pair of coins and bills on the table. Without a moment to spare, she stomped out of the caf¨¦.

    A pleased smile snaked its way up to Mirai¡¯s lips. Making his way around to the table, he scooped up the cash into his apron pouch and carried the unfinished cappuccino back into the kitchen. Giving a knowing look to the chef, both smiled and went back to work. Or, in the blue-eyed teen¡¯s case, wait at the counter while scrolling through his home page.

    Moments later, the bell chimed again along with the clicking of heels. ¡°Katelyn didn¡¯t seem pleased today,¡± a voice rang out, pleasing to the ear for the few occupants of the building. Except for one.

    ¡°Mother, is there something you need this early in the afternoon?¡± Mirai asked, setting down his phone and standing up straight.

    ¡°Actually, quite a few things,¡± the woman answered while folding up her sunglasses. ¡°First, play along with customers until we can have some fun in the courtroom. You know, might as well make the trouble worth a bit more.¡±

    ¡°I will consider it,¡± he said with a narrowed gaze at the elder Senshin.

    ¡°Second, your cousin is coming to stay until school starts back up.¡± Looking at the still-narrow gaze of her son, the mother suppressed a smirk. ¡°So, clean her old room¡ªI don¡¯t care if you have to throw away her old junk¡ªand get dinner started for three.¡±

    ¡°I take it your husband and his sons will remain at the school for the same extra-curricular activities as last year?¡± He asked with only a slight hint of concern.

    ¡°Good Lord, call him dad or something,¡± she scolded jokingly. ¡°But, yeah, Leo¡¯s got some training to be an animal handler or something coming up, so he won¡¯t be back for a few more months. The twins are pulling pranks and still working with their club, but Nova¡¯s planning on studying with his tutors for a while longer.¡±

    ¡°If all goes well, I believe the twins will find a prank suitable for either of us,¡± Mirai added. ¡°Perhaps buying extra groceries would be a wise plan of action.¡±

    Flicking her hair out of the way, the elder Senshin gave him a pointed look. ¡°If you¡¯re so paranoid, maybe we can get you to talk like a normal human being. Then you might not get kidnapped again.¡±

    Wincing at the mention of the event, Mirai untied his apron, ¡°I was not aware that my speech patterns made my connection to you ever more apparent.¡±

    ¡°You know, if your grades weren¡¯t as good as your comebacks, I wouldn¡¯t be putting up with all this crap,¡± she chided before grabbing the apron in his hands. ¡°Now, go try your hand at sushi, Astral¡¯s orders.¡±

    Smirking at the command, Mirai grabbed his phone and gave his goodbye to the chef. Leaving in the blink of an eye, he began running home.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    <hr>

    With a duffle bag slung across her shoulder, a black-haired girl walked down a street to a cozy two-story home. Eyeing the white coat of paint of the building, she thought she could see someone through the window. Squinting her beaming blue eyes, she saw a familiar set of black and white clothes shifting through habitual movements.

    Grinning off her worries, the young woman speed walked to the door and rapped her knuckles against the wood three times. ¡°Yo, Mimi, unlock the door!¡± She shouted and heard a sharp yelp of pain right after. ¡°You good in there?¡±

    A muffled grunt and a few minutes later, the door was cracked open. ¡°Astral, would it kill you to be any quieter?¡± Mirai muttered, sending the older girl a glare.

    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t be that bad. Plus, you heal fast anyway, so you¡¯ll be fine,¡± she shot back before pushing into the house. ¡°So, what¡¯s cooking?¡± She asked, shrugging off the glare sent her way.

    Rolling his eyes at her attitude, Mirai strolled back into the kitchen and kept an eye on Astral and her stuffed bag. Grabbing his kitchen knife, he went back to chopping up fish and setting the fresh strips on a rack. Then, he moved on and grabbed the basket filled with rice, keeping in mind that he had yet to answer Astral¡¯s question. Though she made no move to probe an answer out of him, the young man kept on his toes, both figuratively and literally.

    Eventually, he began putting together the rice and fish on one platter, making sure to stack the fish on the rice and nothing else. Moving on with his work, he pulled out a few sheets of seaweed and began rolling up maki.

    Obviously, the silence annoyed the young woman. So, she sauntered over to the stairs, until she stopped at the first step. ¡°Did you do anything to my room?¡± She yelled across the first floor, though there were no walls between the two.

    Glancing up from his work, the blue-eyed man chopped up six more maki rolls. ¡°I put your old clothes and some stuff you outgrew into boxes,¡± he calmly answered. Then, he remembered a discovery he made earlier. ¡°Have no worry, I left your collection in that false compartment of yours.¡±

    ¡°Mimi!¡± She shouted, nearly throwing her duffle bag against the wall in pure anger.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Speaking innocently, he began arranging another platter of food.

    ¡°Stop poking your nose into other people¡¯s stuff! It¡¯s annoying!¡± Stomping her way up the stairs, Astral made it blatantly clear that she was searching every nook and cranny of her room if the thumps were anything to go by.

    Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Mirai withheld a snort as he finished the sushi platters. ¡°The Attuned certainly have interesting tastes,¡± he mumbled with a curiosity lingering in his sapphire eyes.

    With his duty done, the young man set aside the food and stepped over to a glass-sealed shelf. Opening it, Mirai slipped out a dusty book and wiped off the years of dust coating the cover.

    ¡°Hercules,¡± he read, ¡°I suppose this will be suitable.¡± Closing up the cabinet, he retreated to the leather cushions of the couch. In mere moments, he flipped open the book and zoned out of everything but the book.

    Even half an hour later, the sight of a silent Mirai was disturbing for Astral, who had found her collection and moved most of her old stuff back to her room. At the very least, she had not needed to worry about bothering the younger Senshin. Although, she was quite tempted to poke his side or his collar, especially when his shirt appeared loose on him.

    Resisting her playful urges, the young woman went back upstairs. From there, she retrieved a vial and blade from her belongings, both of which she hid in another room.

    Finished with her self-employed task, she bounded down the stairs and jumped onto the couch. Feeling the small shockwave ripple across the cushions, Mirai closed his book with his fingers between the pages. Taking a glance around the room, he picked up a strip of silk to use as a bookmark.

    ¡°Have you grown bored already?¡± He asked while walking over to the sealed bookcase.

    ¡°Well, duh,¡± said Astral, confirming the obvious. ¡°You and Aunt Nikki are cool and all, but in Japan, I could practice all sorts of spells. Now, I¡¯m tired and stuck with you, so I can¡¯t even do the simple stuff,¡± she groaned as Mirai¡¯s book was slipped between the covers of other books.

    Turning back to face his cousin, the young man unbuttoned his shirt and tugged on a chain. At the end of an orb glowing like a rainbow was wrapped in wisp-shaped metal, each wisp snaking around the edges. Putting the amulet over his button-up, Mirai looked Astral in the eye.

    ¡°Feel free to practice magic with your usual privacy precautions.¡± He spoke softly, keeping his words barely audible for her. ¡°This amulet will mask detection charms when you are near me, but keep in mind, when I stop using my Transference spell and the amulet loses this coloration, you must stop.¡±

    ¡°Fine with me, dear ol¡¯ cousin of mine!¡± After giving him a mocking salute, Astral pounced on him and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°And since you¡¯re a Catalyst, I can pretty much have as much fun as I want, right?¡± She whispered into his ear.

    ¡°Within reason,¡± he warned in a husky voice. ¡°Though I would appreciate learning more about your spellwork, you will also be responsible for fixing everything.¡±

    ¡°Darn it!¡± She exclaimed as she jumped back and plopped onto the couch. ¡°And here I thought your disability would actually be cool for once!¡±

    Smirking at her blight, Mirai buttoned his shirt back up and returned to his own seat.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just leave a few spells on ya? Won¡¯t hurt your pretty little head, I promise.¡±

    Instantly, his smirk dropped. ¡°The last time you had made that promise, I recall you forced my hair to grow out and began calling me, Mimi.¡±

    ¡°Harmless fun! You know I won¡¯t hurt you! We¡¯re family!¡± She added with an all-too-happy expression.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he conceded. Immediately, his hair dropped down to his waist with only a short incantation. ¡°This will be more trouble than it is worth,¡± he mumbled before his shirt was drenched with a conjured splash of water.

    <hr>

    Hours later, all of the spells cast on were reversed, some with more relief than others. Especially that one which forced Mirai¡¯s hair to grow down to his waist. Now, he ruffled his hair after his shower, relieved that the locks only tickled the tops of his ears instead of his lower back.

    Within the comfort of his room, the blue-eyed teen sat on the edge of his bed. Gazing over his room, he spotted nothing out of the ordinary. The same desk was backed into the corner. His closet showed no signs of being tampered with. Along with his bed, which appeared untouched since he had gotten out of it in the morning.

    ¡°Good, sleeping will be relatively normal tonight,¡± he muttered, still musing over his thoughts. ¡°Perhaps the divine entities do more than sleep.¡± Keeping those thoughts barely above a whisper, he shuffled with his blanket until he was stuffed in his bed with his clasped behind his head. Looking up at the blank ceiling, he whispered, ¡°I wonder how the Heath family are doing? Each must be quite busy to stay away from home for most of the summer.¡±

    Letting those thoughts rest on the surface of his mind, Mirai closed his eyes and relaxed into his soft mattress, feeling like a feather on a cloud. Before long, he succumbed to his drowsiness.

    Meanwhile, Astral brushed her short hair away from her ear and kept the sensor against the door. Once she heard the light snores of her cousin, she slithered through the door. Recognizing the pitch-black room, illuminated only by the light reflected against the moon, she crept up to the bed and pulled out three items from her pocket.

    First, a golden feather that was the length of her entire forearm. The second was a crystal vial, filled up until the stopper ended just millimeters from the scarlet liquid held within. Her last object was a small blade, barely matching the length from her middle finger and the base of her wrist.

    Taking the feather and vial, she popped off the stopper and dipped the quill into it. Pulling it out, the golden coloration of the feather was now dripping with crimson, yet heating up. Without a moment to spare, the young woman threw off Mirai¡¯s blankets and laid the feather on his chest.

    ¡°Bathed in the blood of a grandmaster, allow the mighty phoenix to rejoice in your rebirth.¡±

    In the blink of an eye, the feather was gone. All that was left was the crimson stain on Mirai¡¯s shirt.

    Smiling at the disappearance, Astral brought up the blade to her cousin¡¯s wrist and swiped. With a wave of her hand and a pink glow, she whispered, ¡°Somnus.¡±

    There was a slight pause in the snores, but then it continued, all while blood ebbed from Mirai¡¯s wrist. Once a wave of relief washed over her, the short-haired woman continued.

    Lifting her cousin¡¯s wrist, she turned the inside downward and held her vial under it. After ten drops had traveled down to the glass, she turned his wrist back and laid his arm down on his bed. Using all the speed awarded to her, Astral let the vial¡¯s contents crawl into Mirai¡¯s mouth. Forcing out the last few drops, she shut his mouth and gripped the handle of her blade.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m in the clear,¡± she whispered, turning toward the door.

    ¡°Young lady.¡± Standing in the doorway to Mirai¡¯s room, Nikki crossed her arms under her bosom and glared at her niece with a wrinkled nose. ¡°Explain yourself.¡±

 Chapter 2 Unwelcome Change

    ¡°A new host filled with infinite possibilities. Oh, how exciting! I can feel your magic already pouring out of every point in your body!¡±

    <hr>

    As dawn approached, flecks of sunlight filtered through the curtains, highlighting the wall and ceiling. Among the mix of colors, a dark-haired youth shuffled through a mess of bed sheets and blankets, pushing both away. With heavy breaths, sapphire orbs fluttered open, taking in the sight of the rising sun. Rising up, the blankets were thrown to the floor, ending up in a tangled blob of blue.

    Sitting on the cloud-like mattress, a fire brewed within the youth¡¯s chest, entrapping the heart held within. Meanwhile, every extremity was buzzing. All sense of touch was an electrifying experience to behold. In an attempt to rid themselves of the sensation, the blue-eyed teen swung their legs over the edge of the bed.

    Taking a single glance around the room, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. So, the teen stood up, only to stumble forward down to the floor. Landing on their side, they hissed at the pain coursing through their body, but at the very least, the numbness was gone.

    ¡°What in the world?¡± Instantly, sapphire orbs burst open and a hand shot straight toward the teen¡¯s neck. ¡°This is my voice?¡± The statement, though sounding more like a question, only confirmed newfound horrors.

    The pitch of the voice was completely off. It was still not quite a high pitch, but it was higher than it used to be, that was for sure.

    Doing the first thing that came to mind, the youth got up and brushed a few locks of unusually long hair out of their eyes. Ignoring it, for the time being, they stumbled to the desk in the corner. Squinting at the drawers, the top one was opened to reveal the organized chaos it held. Taking out a handheld mirror, it was dropped with only enough time to get a single glance off the reflective surface.

    Beginning to hyperventilate, another glance was taken. Staring back was the same pair of sapphire eyes, flickering across every other feature of the face it was in. The midnight black hair now flowed down to the teen¡¯s shoulders. Hidden behind those hairs, the same cheekbones jutted over unblemished cheeks. Then, the button nose and pink lips finished off the ensemble.

    ¡°This is¡­ me?¡± Again, the same soft and melodic voice pronounced the words. Dropping the handheld mirror on the desk, the youth took a single glance down. ¡°Impossible,¡± they whispered, grabbing at the plain white shirt to reveal to fleshy mounds. ¡°Does that mean?¡± Answering their own question, they confirmed their own gender. ¡°I have the body of a woman. How is that possible? No spell I know of could produce human transfiguration on this scale, but¡­ mother has to know. If she is ignorant of the answer, then I can resort to Illuctos for it.¡±

    Pushing away from her desk, the newfound girl balanced herself on her own two feet before approaching the door. Although now, the doorknob seemed closer to her face. Shaking those thoughts away, she pulled the door open and glanced down the hall.

    No one on either side. Letting out a breath she didn¡¯t know she held in, the young woman stepped into the hall while only wearing a pair of shorts and a plain tee. Without paying her clothing any mind, she stalked down the hall, keeping close to the wall for support. All of a sudden, a loud slam sounded from downstairs. Gulping down whatever fears she had, the young girl neared the stairs.

    At the foot of the stairs, she could see her mother and her cousin across the room from each other. The former was standing with a book at her feet while the latter was sitting with her arms hugging her head.

    ¡°What were you thinking?!¡± Nikki shouted, her sapphire eyes buzzing with magic and rage. ¡°This is a blacklisted ritual! You could¡¯ve killed my son with all the things you screwed up!¡±

    ¡°Well, how was I supposed to know?! Those things weren¡¯t in the book!¡± Astral retorted, her arms still over her face. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have classes on this kinda stuff anyway!¡±

    Groaning, the mother scooped the book off the floor, brushing the ragged spine with her thumb. Once she let out a sigh, she answered, ¡°Astral, we come from a family specializing in ancient magic and rituals. The only ones who don¡¯t learn this material are the bastardized children and disgraced members. Last I recall, you¡¯re neither, so you can¡¯t possibly blame this on anyone else.¡± She spoke sternly, so much so, that the young girl hiding on the stairs was terrified at speaking up.

    Nevertheless, she built up the courage and did it.

    ¡°Mother? What ritual are you speaking of?¡± The young girl spoke, trying to deepen her voice enough to make it sound like her old pitch. Sure enough, it failed and only gained two pairs of bewildered blue eyes on her.

    Turning to the stairs, both women blinked five whole times before stealing a glance at each other. Going back to eyeing the foreign girl in their home, both took in the shapely legs and arms, molded with muscle. Then, her clothes, both of which were slipping down, unbeknownst to the wearer. Finally, her face.

    Her face was a near replica of Nikki¡¯s. From the shade of blue in her eyes to the cheekbones jutting out in all the right places. The only distinction could only be the lack of ear piercings and shorter hair.

    ¡°Mirai¡­ Is that you?¡± Both asked, still mystified at the sight.

    Not trusting her voice to soothe their nerves, the toned girl nodded.

    ¡°This is¡­ better than I imagined,¡± Nikki mumbled before walking over to her daughter?¡ªson?¡ªchild. Picking up her right arm, the woman combed down the inside of it with two of her fingers. In the end, she could only say, ¡°Your body is in perfect condition. That should be impossible after that dunce¡¯s screw up.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not a dunce!¡± Astral shouted, now hiding behind the leather chair.

    ¡°Shush, you. I¡¯m the expert here.¡± The woman waved her off.

    Stealing a glance at her cousin, Mirai wanted to glare at her. But, at the same time, was too confused to even process how she was healthy. Her numbness may have vanished, though she still felt a fire burning up in her chest with no sign of relenting.

    ¡°So¡­ My body is healthy?¡± Mirai asked, confusion overcoming every other emotion in her voice. When her mother nodded, she asked, ¡°Then, what is this feeling in my chest? It feels as though I am internally incinerating.¡±

    ¡°Incinerating, huh?¡± Nikki mumbled, still holding onto Mirai¡¯s right arm. Humming, she clasped her hands around her daughter¡¯s. In the blink of an eye, the older woman was blasted back and crashed into the coffee table. ¡°Holy Hecate!¡± She exclaimed, feeling splinters rubbing against her back from the split in the table.

    Whipping her head around, the newly-transformed girl looked between her cousin and mother. Neither had provided the answers to her unspoken questions. Both had merely stared at her incredulously.

    Finally, Mirai broke the silence. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± She asked, her eyes still flickering back and forth.

    Groaning as she got back up to her feet, Nikki waved her hand at her. ¡°No, not at all. Unless you think having a mana pool as big as mine is a bad thing.¡± The sarcasm literally oozed out of her voice, but of course¡­

    ¡°How is that possible? My mana reserves were only a mere half that large last week. A sudden growth spurt of that size is impossible, a simple ritual would never bring a high-sage level to a low-grandmaster level. Certainly not a ritual that Astral is capable of performing. Only restricted or war-time rituals would have this capacity for enhancement¡ª¡±

    ¡°Mirai!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The sapphire eyes locked with the older pair, matching in everything except for emotion. ¡°Oh, forgive me. This ordeal is just mind-boggling with the extent of all the changes. Though, what was the original purpose? I only overheard that Astral had messed the process up.¡±

    Sweeping back her hair, the mother sat down in one of the chairs around the now-broken coffee table. When she motioned for her daughter to sit, the near-replica of herself had complied after her right arm had twitched. Then, Astral switched from hiding behind her chair to sitting in it.

    ¡°Now, Astral already knows what she has done, and by the looks of it, the twins have too,¡± the woman began, her attention focused solely on Mirai, who nodded eagerly. ¡°But remember, what is said here is a private discussion sanctioned by a grandmaster. So, don¡¯t go blabbing what you hear to your brothers or father, got it?¡±

    Mirai nodded, not trusting herself to only speak one word.

    Stealing a glance at her troublesome niece, she continued, ¡°Astral and the twins had collaborated on using the Tuning Ritual on you.¡± Immediately, Mirai¡¯s eyes bulged out of their sockets. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve read about them, but simply put, the ritual gives or takes away the ability to utilize magic.¡±

    ¡°That ritual is forbidden to all but sages and grandmasters. How did Astral come upon it?¡± Mirai interrupted, her curiosity drawing out her new melodic voice out of its holding place.

    Taking a longer glance at her niece, Nikki groaned. ¡°Course, it¡¯s illegal for her to know, but the twins are allowed into my library due to marriage. So, they snuck in and found some of the more illegal rituals. In the end, they gathered up the materials needed and told Astral to handle the ritual since she was from the Senshin family, so she should have known how to properly handle a ritual ceremony. As you can see, she didn¡¯t.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Pausing, Nikki got up and loomed over the split of the table. Rummaging through the wreckage, she picked up a crystal vial and a small blade. Surprisingly, both were intact.

    Raising the vial, the mother held it up to her eye. ¡°This contains the blood of a magically-recognized grandmaster, specifically my blood.¡± She announced to her audience of two, one of which had zoned out in pure shame. ¡°Unfortunately for you, this blood was taken without my knowledge nor consent, making it neutral to magic. As you hopefully know, neutral ingredients give you subpar results, but in this ritual, it appears to have molded your body when you had drunk my blood and your own.¡±

    Setting the glass back in the remnants of the table, she lifted the blade. Though, instead of holding the handle, she pinched the tip of the blade, where a few drops of blood had decided to stain the metal.

    Handing the blade to her daughter, she resumed her lecture. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell, not only is that blade cheap, it can¡¯t conduct magic, leaving it as a negative component in a ritual since an extra step would have to be taken to infuse additional mana into the target.¡±

    Stopping, Nikki strolled around the wood scraps on the floor and sat back down in her seat. Then, with a flick of her hand, the table mended itself, leaving no trace of the split save for a thin white line going down the middle of the wood.

    ¡°Thankfully, you had more mana than you can even use, so you saved yourself from premature death,¡± she said solemnly, not meeting eye contact with either of her descendants. ¡°But instead, your magic essentially focused on synergizing my blood and yours while using a phoenix feather to stabilize the entire thing, which left your body open to literally anything.¡±

    Tilting her head to the side, Mirai ignored the strands of hair that moved with the motion and asked, ¡°Did any metaphysical being attempt to possess my body?¡±

    ¡°Not that I can tell,¡± her mother answered, hands clasped in front of her. ¡°But you¡¯re healthy. That¡¯s all that matters right now.¡±

    When those words left her lips, Nikki looked up and gave her daughter a weak smile. Unfortunately, with thoughts of death and possession still on her mind, Mirai could hardly bear to twitch her lips while attempting to match the look. Not even the resident idiot had spoken up about the problem at hand.

    Eventually, the youngest girl rose from her seat on the couch and sauntered into the kitchen. Without any words, she pulled out a cup and filled it with hot water while setting a tea bag in it. Taking that drink, she sat back down in the awkward atmosphere shared between the family.

    By the time she took her third sip, Astral bolted up from her seat, hands ruffling through her tangled mess of hair. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s find something to do! Anything to do!¡± She exclaimed, her eyes drifting up toward the ceiling.

    Sharing the displeasure, Nikki rose and suggested, ¡°Perhaps shopping. Mirai will need a new wardrobe and I need to get my mind off all the things that can go wrong with my life.¡±

    ¡°Sounds great! Let¡¯s go!¡± Astral hurriedly agreed, stomping her way to the door.

    Before joining her niece, the older woman turned to her mini-me. ¡°Mirai, I know it¡¯s¡­ uncomfortable, but I will need to get your measurements.¡± Seeing the worried depths of those sapphire orbs deepening, she added, ¡°After that, you can just relax for the rest of the day.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± the young girl sighed, setting down her tea. ¡°But go out for food, I¡¯m not cooking for a while.¡±

    ¡°Right, no problem.¡±

    <hr>

    With her relatives out of the house, Mirai was left alone with her tea, her book, and the curiosity of a hormone-filled teenager. At the very least, if she ever succumbed to those wondrous thoughts, she was alone for another two hours, provided Astral had not screwed up again. Though that was highly likely, so Mirai estimated three hours of loneliness. So, that left the blue-eyed maiden settled down across the couch with her book in her just inches above her face.

    Then, the door¡¯s locks had clicked open and a shout of, ¡°Anyone home?!¡± made her drop the book on her face. At least her nose only hit the pages instead of the hardcover. That did not stop a soft cry of pain though.

    Rushing through the house and into the lounge, a pair of redhead twins found a not-so-mysterious, but very surprising sight.

    On the couch, Mirai had moved her book off her face and onto the coffee table. However, her legs were on full display as her shorts rode down her thighs. Taking in the sight of the pale, lean legs, the twins had to take a double-take before looking at each other with dread.

    Turning back to the girl on the couch, the two asked, ¡°Mimi? That you?¡±

    Recognizing the voices, the mentioned girl sat up with a hand on her nose. Nodding in response, she gave the twins a look of helplessness, yet still conveyed the thought that it was their fault.

    ¡°Wow, Dad wasn¡¯t kidding.¡±

    ¡°He had told us¡ª¡±

    ¡°But we didn¡¯t believe it¡ª¡±

    ¡°Now, we have all the evidence we need.¡±

    Pausing the bout of finishing sentences, the two bowed waist-deep to their stepsister. The action was spared of a laugh, at the very least.

    ¡°Forgive us, Mirai!¡± The two exclaimed, heads still lowered.

    Making the two troublemakers wait, she dropped her hand from her reddened nose and pulled her legs up to her chest so she could hug them. ¡°All is forgiven,¡± she spoke softly, ¡°harm did not befall anyone, only a minor fright earlier. Although a warning when you two attempt a dangerous ritual would be appreciated.¡±

    Bolting upright, the two saluted to her with a shout of ¡°Got it, Mimi!¡± Then, the two landed themselves on either side of the girl. ¡°So, did it work?¡± Both asked in unison, a stupid grin mirroring the other twin.

    Shifting slightly to allow both on the couch, she shook her head. ¡°I have yet to test my abilities. It is safe to say that my reserves had doubled, despite not being the desired result.¡± Raising her hands palm-up, she suggested, ¡°Can we try the transference spell? My body should retain muscle memory, especially if my old body¡¯s physical fitness is anything to go by.¡±

    Seeing a smile brighten up their step-sister¡¯s face, the left twin grabbed onto her hand, followed shortly after by the other brother. Closing her eyes, the young maiden took a deep breath before letting her mind focus on the spell.

    First, her mind trailed onto the thought of her brothers, eventually latching onto the feeling of a warm blaze, yet the core of it eluded her. Nevertheless, she kept that warmth in her mind. Then, she focused on herself, situated between these flames. Yet what she found in herself had boggled her.

    Before, she had felt a welcoming light, emanating from what she presumed to be her eyes. It had been that way for years, ever since she had learned to channel her mana. Now, it was different. Instead, it feels like the same welcoming energy, but wrapping around her rather than pulling her toward it. Nevertheless, she made quick work and accepted the change by proceeding to spread the energy out toward the elusive flames.

    In an instant, the flames had cut themselves off from her embrace. Snapping her eyes open, Mirai looked back and forth between her brothers, both of which had jumped back toward the edges of the sofa.

    ¡°That,¡± the left twin started.

    ¡°Was,¡± the right twin continued.

    ¡°Wicked!¡± Both shouted in unison, bursting with foreign energy in their systems.

    ¡°I presume it worked?¡± Mirai asked as she wrapped her buzzing hands around her folded-up legs. ¡°Better than usual, I hope,¡± she added.

    Jumping off the couch, the twins nearly attempted to flip but decided against it. Instead, the two landed side-by-side and shot the blue-eyed girl a smug smirk while their arms were crossed.

    ¡°Oh, it worked,¡± the left one began.

    ¡°Better than any healer,¡± Rightie added.

    ¡°But now,¡± Leftie switched the topic.

    ¡°It feels like,¡± Rightie added before both of them paused.

    ¡°We can take on dad!¡± The two finished with another jump and a side-hug.

    Eyes sparkling at the energy and enthusiasm the two had just bounced around with, Mirai rubbed at her eyes. When her hands were taken away, her eyes dimmed to the normal sapphire, deep and hard. Noticing this brief change, the more observant twin leaned in, letting the girl get a full look at his green eyes. Soon after, another pair of green eyes joined the other pair, but this one had flecks of brown sprinkled around the pupil. With both peering over to the sapphire orbs held before them, the latter quivering at the closeness.

    ¡°Did you see that, ol¡¯ brother of mine?¡± The left twin asked while his green eyes scanned over his sister.

    ¡°See what, my less handsome twin?¡± The other asked in return, a curious look in his eyes and a playful smirk dawned upon his lips.

    ¡°Mimi¡¯s little eyes sparkled,¡± he answered, gaining two confused looks.

    ¡°Since when did my eyes sparkle?¡± The small girl asked. Letting the room embrace a moment of silence, the three settled into it until the youngest of them finally caught onto something. ¡°Birch, my eyes are only small due to my genetics. Refrain from insulting them if you know what is good for you,¡± she threatened with a pout sprouting on her lips.

    Grins widening at her slow reaction, the two stepped back and mirrored each other while bringing up a hand to their respective chin. ¡°No clue,¡± the left twin answered, dropping his hand.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a side effect,¡± the other suggested while his hand rubbed the bottom of his chin. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± he looked to his brother to finish.

    ¡°Any other side effects?¡± He guessed after a few seconds.

    ¡°I was thinking how¡¯s the body treating you, but that works too.¡±

    Turning back to their new sister, the two titled their heads in opposite directions, nearly bumping into each other. Holding back a laugh, she bit her tongue with her molars, until she felt the sensation subside.

    ¡°As I implied before, my body is healthy, although I am unsure of how much of my health carried over,¡± she said, ending with a bit of a saddened tone. ¡°Nevertheless, the only noticeable effects are my body and mana reserves. At the moment, my mana feels like a homely embrace rather than a welcoming lull. Plus, since the ritual remained neutral in most aspects, it should be somewhat successful, so I may have attained the abilities of the Attuned.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you gotta go to school with us?¡± The¡ªas of yet unnamed¡ªtwin asked, both worry and excitement finding a way into his voice.

    ¡°Now, that would be wicked,¡± Birch added, hand still residing on his chin. ¡°Imagine all the pranks we could play. Like, who knew we had a sister or that the Lady of Light had been hiding a daughter for fifteen years? The whole school would be duped!¡±

    ¡°Brilliant! This year will be so much fun!¡± The other twin agreed, fists at his side and pumped with enthusiasm.

    ¡°Birch, Oakland, hold it!¡± Mirai exclaimed and subsequently quieted her brothers. ¡°Leave your assumptions for later. It is too early to determine my enrollment when the Senshin family would likely attempt to tutor me privately due to my new status. Not to mention, Illuctos¡ªhotheaded as he might be¡ªwould think twice about enrolling a victim of the Tuning ritual to the institution.¡±

    ¡°Ah, come on, Mimi,¡± whined Oakland.

    ¡°Think of all the possibilities,¡± Birch continued.

    ¡°You could learn how to use magic,¡± added Oakland.

    ¡°And rise to the top of the leaderboard,¡± Birch thought aloud.

    ¡°That is not the point.¡± Once again, Mirai¡¯s interruption had silenced the two troublemakers. ¡°Just go to your room and clean it up. Dust will be everywhere by now.¡±

    Groaning at the annoying order, Oakland was about to complain until Birch elbowed his side. Trusting his twin, the more freckled of the two began the journey up to their second home, followed at his tail by his less-freckled clone.

 Chapter 3 The First Step

    ¡°C¡¯mon, Mimi, hurry up!¡± Astral shouted as she banged her knuckles against the wooden door in front of her. At this point, she had been waiting five minutes for her cousin to leave the room, not including the time she had to wait for the shower. Although the latter had only been a minute.

    Hearing the incessant voice of her cousin, Mirai hurriedly slipped on a pair of black flats. With her toes held together, she opened the door and saw the figure of her cousin, covered in a pair of jeans, a plain black jacket, and a shirt depicting a movie the younger girl had known nothing about. Nevertheless, she still felt overdressed, though she reasoned that her current attire was perfect.

    Sticking with a casual, yet refined look, the youngest Senshin had chosen to wear a pair of jeans that were just the right shade of indigo and a matching blouse that was lined with flowers stitched to the hem. An overall pleasant look for her and not too different from what she wore before her transformation, which she was glad for. Though, if she had to comment on any improvement, she would say the new variety of shoes were quite comfortable, despite not ever wearing heels with her new tiny feet.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with the get-up?¡± The older cousin asked, making note of the over-the-top outfit compared to her own.

    Rolling her eyes, the shorter girl replied, ¡°I am going to be presented before two lords of magic, an elite healer, a dueling champion, and one of the leading scientists in spell crafting. To wear casual clothing would be deplorable, even if one of them is my step-father.¡± Letting that sink in, she gestured to Astral. ¡°To be honest, I would have thought you would wear something more appropriate.¡±

    ¡°Meh,¡± she shrugged, turning to stroll down the hall. ¡°I¡¯m not the big secret that¡¯s being revealed, so I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Waiting for the older Senshin to walk out of earshot, Mirai pulled out her amulet. Letting some of her energy flow through it, she felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders and her shoulders drooping to the side. ¡°Such remissful thinking,¡± she commented afterward. ¡°In all fairness, she should at least be attentive to whom she must greet. Illuctos will neglect her choice of clothing though.¡±

    Pouting at the thought, she shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts. Without any further interruptions, she headed downstairs.

    Downstairs, the young lady was met with a pleased smile from her mother, though her eyes were hidden by sunglasses. Despite that, Astral just stood with a look of boredom plastered on her pale features.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Nikki commented as her daughter strode over to her side. ¡°Ferdy might actually be pleased with our family this time.¡± She added as she weaved her fingers between those of her daughter.

    ¡°Hey! What about me? He¡¯s my headmaster,¡± Astral complained, setting a hand on her aunt¡¯s shoulder on her other side.

    ¡°Oh, shush you. That prideful fool would cast her out of the auditorium if she were dressed like you.¡± The woman scolded before bringing up her free hand. ¡°Now, try to stay still.¡± In a few odd motions with her fingers, a circle was drawn in the air. First, it was made of white energy, allowing each runic engraving to shine within the abode. Then, it flared and the runes dispersed, causing the circle to grow until it was millimeters away from touching the floor or ceiling. Motioning for the circle to come toward her, Nikki clenched her daughter¡¯s hand tightly as the circle enveloped the three family members.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    <hr>

    Materializing from a circle, the three women appeared before three sets of doors. Each was identical, so Mirai could only guess this auditorium needed a few more entrances and exits to fit every student in. Nevertheless, she nodded to her mother, who let go of her hand. Without a word, the two older women walked in.

    Waiting a few minutes, the young blue-eyed girl shifted the cuffs of her blouse and patted down her attire. Taking a deep breath, she strode up to the doors and pushed her way through.

    There was nothing. Not a sound, save for the doors. Not a light, save for the ones leading up to a crystal orb. And the rest was dark. All the girl could do was walk forward and have faith no one wanted to trip her. So, that¡¯s what she did. Thankfully, no one had any ill intent to denounce her hypothetical podium.

    In front of the crystal ball, she had narrowly avoided falling on the stairs and glanced around. ¡°I presume I lay my hand on the orb and push mana through it, correct?¡± She asked to no one in particular.

    ¡°Right as per usual.¡± The voice of Nikki broke through the shadows, still baritone through the few echoes in the auditorium.

    Blinking once, she let out a sigh. She put her hand on the orb and opened up her mana to the device. Without any warning, a blinding light filled the room, forcing Mirai to shield her eyes with her other arm as she pulled her hand away. Once the light had faded, she looked back at the orb.

    At the very least, the orb was in one piece. Although the magic flowing around it in an aurora brought up a bit of concern. Nevertheless, she looked past the lights. There, floating in the orb, oblivious to the wonderings of those hiding in the shadows, was a single symbol.

    This symbol was by no means intricate. It was only a pair of wings sprouting from the cross taking center-stage in the orb. Eyeing the white symbol, Mirai tilted her head and pushed her head through her stray mana.

    In the midst of her musings, she was caught off guard by the lights, especially since all of them turned on at once. Wincing from the sudden brightness, she rubbed her eyes. Meanwhile, four people walked up to her. One from the far right of the auditorium, arriving near the stage at a brisk pace. Another jumping straight down from the center of the upper set of seats. Then, the last two walking from off to the left, near the front.

    ¡°Congratulations,¡± the figure from the far-right commended. ¡°You have immediately been accepted into Crestworth, the sanctuary for all.¡± Stepping closer, Mirai could make out the auburn ponytail of the man and his thin frame.

    ¡°And you won a sad father,¡± joined the second one to arrive. This time, it was a bearded man with flowing hair, both white in color. ¡°Never took you for the sincere or kind type though. Every time I saw you, you were so cold.¡± He commented, tugging on his collar.

    ¡°Honey, you just don¡¯t see Mirai as much as you should,¡± retorted Nikki, who had forsaken her sunglasses this one time. ¡°But congrats, kid. I actually expected you to go to Matrix Core with all the reading you do.¡± Standing a few paces behind her aunt, Astral gave a nod to that declaration. ¡°Although your raw mana was pretty much born for Crestworth.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that warm welcome of mana fits in perfectly,¡± the unnamed man agreed.

    Though wonder was poking into every train of thought she had, the young girl merely nodded at the words shared. Turning back to the orb, she was still caught between an aurora and a blinding crest that illuminated the already bright stage.

    ¡°Now, before we find ourselves bombarded with reporters from who-knows-where, let¡¯s get you to the dorms.¡± The mother ordered.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± the unnamed man spoke. ¡°I believe a private room has already been prepared for her condition.¡±

    ¡°Well then,¡± Illuctos chimed in, ¡°I¡¯ll have to see you this evening. Sorry if this wasn¡¯t exactly what you expected it to be, Mimi.¡± Without another word, the man ran out, leaving a mildly confused group behind.

    ¡°An understatement if one was quite so major.¡± The young girl finally spoke, spinning on her heel to face the other three. ¡°So, will I receive a proper tour around Lum¨ªr or will I have to venture around on my own?¡±

    ¡°I will guide you,¡± the auburn man answered. ¡°But, be warned, these next few weeks will be a whole load of information for you.¡±

    ¡°I can work with that.¡±

 Chapter 4 The First Oddity

    Two pairs of feet strolled through the hall, one behind another. The rhythm kept up until the two were in front of a door. With a gesture of his hand, the leader said, ¡°This will be your dorm. There should be suitable accommodations inside, but there are also several locks that you must register your mana signature to. Any questions?¡±

    Two sapphire orbs peered up at green ones. ¡°Well, I have yet to learn your name, headmaster,¡± she spoke softly, taking notice of the lift of the man¡¯s pointed ears.

    ¡°Nathaniel Cresselia,¡± he answered once returning to his senses.

    ¡°What about my step-father? He is sure to want to talk to me in person.¡± She followed up his answer immediately.

    When the man¡¯s eyes shot away from her gaze, Mirai tilted her head to the side. ¡°If I am not mistaken, he¡¯s preparing to train you on our academy¡¯s grounds. There should be a map in your room somewhere. Use that to find your way.¡±

    Nodding at the response, the young girl turned back toward the door and placed her hand on the knob. Taking that as a cue, Nathaniel left and sauntered down the hall. Once the steps pittered out, Mirai turned the knob and leaned into the private dorm. Her resting expression remained unmoved.

    As expected, there was only a single bed, set in the corner next to the bathroom. Meanwhile, what did leave her with a semblance of surprise was the small lounge area, complete with a couch and a coffee table. Moving toward the center, her eyes latched onto the kitchen area, though it only contained a few cabinets, a sink, a fridge, and a microwave. Although to be fair, she still seemed to be intrigued by each.

    Finding her way around the room, she first strode over to the bed. Rather than check whatever comfort she had been given, she kneeled down and found her dresser built into the base of her bed. Not one to waste time, she opened each one and found a few sets of the school¡¯s uniform along with a small brown paper package. Taking that box, she unwrapped it and opened the box that was hidden within it, only to find a bracelet.

    Before she knew what was happening, the piece of jewelry floated up from its resting place and glowed a faint blue. Then, an aged, weary voice spoke.

    ¡°Mirai Senshin, if you have received this gift, then you have followed our family tradition of divine magic. That, or you are just like your mother. Semantics aside, this bracelet is a gift from our family. Remember to wear it as often as possible and take good care of it.¡±

    With the end of the message, the bracelet descended back into the box and its single gemstone had dimmed down to a sky blue. Though bewildered by the sudden gift, Mirai had not let it show. Instead, she attached the bracelet to her wrist and put the box back in her dresser.

    Glancing around the rest of her room, the young girl mumbled, ¡°The rest of the room will have to wait until after my training.¡± At the mention of training, her gaze moved downward. ¡°Mother will have to retrieve my clothes from home.¡± Reminding herself of that, she sauntered back to the door, only to pause.

    The doorknob. While the outer one was only a brass fixture on wood, the inner one was laced with¡ªwhat could only be described as¡ªrunes. Remembering what her headmaster had told her before, she gripped her hand tightly around the knob and forced her mana to flow through the object. After a few seconds, she had locked herself inside her dorm. Taking a slow blink at what she had done, she focused on the mana in the knob flowing back into her system, which turned out to be much easier than the initial flow. Pulling open the door, she closed the door and forced her mana back into the outer fixture, only to be satisfied when the door hardly budged at a push.

    Content with her room, the black-haired girl swiveled on her heel and strode down the empty hall. Her next destination: the training grounds¡ªwhich she had forgotten to get a map for.

    <hr>

    An hour later, the blue-eyed maiden was jogging around her academy¡¯s campus. Her current goal was the largest of three stadiums, each serving as a training ground and a dueling arena.

    Nevertheless, she slowed her pace once she neared the large entrance. Taking a deep breath, she passed through the tunnel of an entrance. Then she stopped.

    In front of her was not the quiet, desolate training ground she had expected. Instead, she bore witness to two dozen students practicing various spells while simultaneously fighting each other. Yet when she stepped into the field, everyone turned to her and stopped. With a flicker of recognition, each person backed away toward the wall or moved into the bleachers.

    ¡°Ah! Mirai! About time you made it!¡±

    Whipping around at the sound of a gruff voice, Mirai saw her step-father leaning forward on the railing around the field. His grey hair was let loose, as was his shirt, revealing a complicated runic circle on his chest, cut directly onto his chest.

    ¡°You made me wait a while!¡± He shouted, jumping over the railing. In just a few long strides he was in front of his daughter. ¡°Sorry about the crowd,¡± he whispered, ¡°since you were late, I couldn¡¯t just shoo them away.¡±

    ¡°My apologies then,¡± she replied, her eyes locking with the brown ones gazing down on her. ¡°Shall we start training then?¡±

    Smiling at the suggestion, the greying man turned on his heel. ¡°Come on, then!¡± He exclaimed excitedly.

    Following her step-father, Mirai stopped at the center of the training ground.  Without a word, he brought up his right hand and let the palm face skyward. Then, with only a slight flick of his wrist, a ball of orange and yellow energy formed above his palm, resting there with its flickering colors.

    ¡°Channel your mana,¡± he ordered, though his soft tone left out any ferocity. Yet, the girl still did as she was told.

    Lifting her right hand, she closed her eyes. With a single thought, her mana flowing throughout her body was redirected until it flowed through her right arm. Opening her eyes, Mirai was hardly surprised when her right arm was surrounded by ethereal energy, snaking around the appendage with every color imaginable being shown off. As expected, the greying man leaned closer and inspected the energy.

    Seemingly satisfied, he stood up straight. ¡°Your mana has an unprecedented form.¡± He commented while others tried to peer closer at it. ¡°For now, imagine it becoming a ball, just like mine.¡±

    Doing as she was told, Mirai turned her eyes over to her arm. Keeping her eyes open, she imagined the energy swarming around her palm and becoming a perfect orb. Unfortunately, instead of a perfect orb, it was hazy and tendrils of energy circled it like the clouds around a miniature planet.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Is this acceptable?¡± She asked, her melodic voice remaining tranquil despite the worry her question should be laced with.

    Nodding, the man turned to his left. ¡°This is the basis for the Blast spell.¡± He said before flicking his wrist, causing the energy around it to disperse. ¡°Now that you know the shape of the spell, you will learn the incantation.¡± Following his lead, Mirai absorbed her energy through her palm. Without anything else to explain, he held his hand straight out, aimed toward an empty expanse of the wall. ¡°Energy within me, I command you. Blast!¡±

    In the blink of an eye, an orange blur shot out from his outstretched palm. With a loud bang, the wall he was aiming at was nothing more than piles of concrete while the rail connected to it bent inward.

    Unfazed by the spell¡¯s effects, Mirai glanced around her. Her step-father had a similar reaction; he just looked at the debris he made. Meanwhile, others either looked at him with awe, at the wall with amazement, or at her with anticipation.

    Following his lead once again, she raised her hand and looked over to another section of the wall. ¡°Energy within me, I command you. Blast!¡±

    Then, everyone shut their eyes as a blinding light flashed throughout the area before a bang was heard. When everyone looked at the results, the wall was completely intact. However, Mirai was on the ground, with the cuff of her right sleeve scorched, revealing her wrist.

    ¡°You alright!?¡± Illuctos exclaimed, rushing to his step-daughter¡¯s side.

    Grabbing her wrist, the man could see no injury, only her unblemished skin. ¡°I am fine,¡± Mirai rasped out, sitting up. ¡°My spell exploded prematurely, from what I can tell. Though it appears to not affect my body.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ It sure looks that way,¡± he replied with a shaky voice.

    Gently removing his hand from her wrist, Mirai stood up and looked around at the worried faces. Mixed in were some smirks. With no interest in any of them, she turned toward her bewildered mentor.

    ¡°Are there other methods of spellcasting? Or should we go over where I went wrong?¡± She asked, her face unnerved in its resting position.

    Standing up, he grabbed her right arm and held it outward. ¡°The incantation was flawless, so either your mana or intent was off. Perhaps even your concentration, but I highly doubt you¡¯d have a problem with that.¡± He mused while rolling up the ragged sleeve up to her elbow.

    ¡°Shall I try it again then?¡± She asked before rolling up her left sleeve to match the other one.

    Once he nodded and stepped back, she aimed at the undamaged wall. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and imagined the spell impacting the wall when it explodes. She opened her eyes and stared at her target.

    ¡°Energy within me, I command you! Blast!¡±

    In the blink of an eye, Mirai rocketed back into the wall behind her. Where she previously stood was now a cloud of dust.

    Alarmed at the result, Illuctos, once again, rushed to his step-daughter¡¯s side and peeled her off the wall. Moving to set her down, he was smacked in the chest by her right arm, causing him to drop her. Luckily, she landed on her feet without a stumble.

    ¡°I achieved the same result with different intents,¡± she muttered with a blank stare directed at what was supposed to be her target. The wall just stood there, sturdy as always, yet it seemed to somewhat mock her. Whipping around, she looked Illuctos in the eyes and asked, ¡°Is there another method?¡±

    Shaking off whatever bewildered expression he had, the man bolted right up. ¡°Yes, you can try to draw the spell¡¯s runic formation. That would save you from making the intent in your mind, but relies more on your own speed and how much mana you can pour into it.¡±

    ¡°Show me,¡± she ordered.

    With a huff, the greying man raised his hand and drew a circle with his pointer finger, causing an orange circle to form in front of him. Glancing back at Mirai, he guessed she was either amazed or shocked.

    ¡°Only a circle?¡± She asked, her eyes darting around the circle.

    ¡°Yes, but remember, one finger for this spell. If you use more, it¡¯ll be a different spell.¡± He explained before flicking his wrist. Reacting to that motion, the circle closed in and formed an orb before rocketing toward the debris created earlier. ¡°Remember, this time, your mana could be the only problem¡ªif you draw it right anyway.¡±

    Noting that in her head, Mirai turned to her original target¡ªthe wall. Bringing up her hand, she drew a circle that flashed every imaginable color in a hazy formation, making it difficult to tell whether she drew a decent circle. Nevertheless, she flicked her wrist.

    Closing in on itself, the orb began to form, yet it only kept getting bigger. Eyes widening, Mirai brought up her arms in front of her face and bent her knees. Before she knew it, the orb touched her arms and sent her flying into the wall, again.

    Groaning under her breath, the young girl got back to her feet, despite the bewildered looks of the spectators. Ignoring them, she glanced at her arms. Neither was damaged, not even the bracelet on her left wrist.

    ¡°My mana overflowed the spell,¡± she critiqued. ¡°Illuctos, are there any other ways I can use?¡±

    Bringing a hand up to his chin, the man pondered. After a few minutes, his eyes widened with realization. Staying silent, he brought up his hand and made an orb, just like he did earlier. With a push, the orb was sent into his pile of debris and exploded upon contact.

    ¡°There! Forge the spell!¡± He exclaimed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Realizing everyone¡ªsave for Mirai¡ªwas giving him a confused expression, he made another orb. ¡°Just like earlier. Make an orb by channeling your mana, then you shoot it toward your target.¡±

    Taking a step closer to her step-father, the young girl chimed into his explanation. ¡°And it should work since my mana reacted poorly to verbal and written instructions. So, motion-based and mental instructions should be the answer?¡± She presumed with the same calculating expression that she had worn throughout the rest of her training.

    ¡°Precisely!¡± The aged man exclaimed with the most excitement that Mirai¡ªor most people for that matter¡ªhad ever seen from him.

    Looking over her hands for a moment, the blue-eyed maiden had yet to channel her mana. All of a sudden, she shook her head and strode away from her mentor.

    Going off of her memory, she brought her right hand up to chest-level before focusing her mana through her arm. When it had glowed, she allowed it to seep out slowly before concentrating it into an orb. The ethereal mana was slow yet steady in its flow, even when it was forced into an orb. Yet once it was fully formed, the girl twisted her arm and pushed it, causing it to fly and impact the wall in the blink of an eye.

    Letting the dust settle, everyone stalked over to the target. The dust cleared slower than any of them had the patience for. But once it was gone, all that was left was pebbles and twisted metal.

    ¡°Amazing!¡± Illuctos shouted from behind her, causing the girl to whip around with her fists up. Not noticing her reaction, he continued, ¡°Absolutely stunning! I doubt anyone else could perfect that kind of spell forging without a few day¡¯s worths of training!¡±

    Forcing back the instinct to roll her eyes, the step-daughter added, ¡°To be fair, this is the only method of three that had any positive results so far.¡±

    ¡°And hardly see any students even try to cast spells like this!¡± The old man retorted. ¡°Even I have trouble casting basic spells this way! Incantations must have made me rusty with all the manual stuff!¡± He laughed at his insult aimed at himself, joined by a few subdued chuckles from the onlookers.

    Eyeing her watchers, the young girl cleared her throat. ¡°Illuctos, can we end training here? I have to go gather my belongings.¡±

    Snapping back to his senses, her step-father cut his laughter short. ¡°Course. But remember,¡± he leaned in to whisper, ¡°we¡¯ll be trying to get your casting stronger and faster to keep up with all the incantations, alright?¡± She nodded minutely. Straightening himself, the greying father shouted, ¡°Now get going! Your mother will rip me a new one if I kept you!¡±

 Chapter 5 The First Class

    As the minutes ticked by, Mirai took pen to paper and kept writing. The morning was still fresh when a gentle breeze happened to blow into her room from the open balcony doors. Meanwhile, a steaming cup of coffee sat on a coaster near the edge of her desk, waiting to be picked up again. When it was raised to her lips, the blue-eyed maiden paused. Lifting her notebook, she went over her latest set of notes, in which she had written the process of the latest spell that had caught her interest.

    Placing her cup back down on its coaster, she let her pen roll onto the desk, allowing her notes to be unobstructed. Though there was hardly a need to look over it. The notes had been compiled three times before being put into writing with a detailed sketch accompanying each step in the spell¡¯s forging process.

    All of a sudden, someone knocked on the door. With a sigh, Mirai put her notebook down and got up. Withdrawing what little energy remained in the runes overnight, she cracked it open and caught a glance of midnight black locks of hair. Losing all hesitation, she swung the door open.

    ¡°Mother,¡± she nodded, meeting the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°What brings you here at this hour?¡±

    ¡°Is it wrong for me to see my daughter off on her first day of school?¡± She asked in return, her voice taking on a taunting tone.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the young girl answered before her mother could continue her snarky line of thought.

    Gritting her teeth, Nikki leaned on the doorframe. ¡°And why is that?¡±

    ¡°You interrupted my research and have your own job as the Divine Grandmaster to attend to.¡± The straight-faced girl replied, her gaze unwavering. ¡°Mind you, that does not count your reintroduction to being an Elite Healer nor your step-children.¡±

    ¡°Snarky little thing,¡± the mother muttered.

    ¡°I get that from you.¡± The daughter replied automatically.

    ¡°Of course you do. Couldn¡¯t have ever been your father. He was too polite to even insult his enemies.¡± She waved the retort off before stepping inside. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get down to business.¡±

    Striding into the small dorm room, the woman plopped her bag down at the foot of the bed. When her mother had motioned toward the bed, Mirai dusted off her pants and sat down. Then, the young girl unbuttoned her shirt down until her bosom was revealed.

    Kneeling down, Nikki removed her daughter¡¯s necklace and dropped it into her bag. ¡°You won¡¯t be needing that anymore,¡± she whispered. Moving on, she set her hand around the girl¡¯s neck and applied pressure on the side. After that, she rested her hand on top of her head and let a rush of energy flow through. A few minutes later and Nikki pulled her hand away. ¡°You appear to be healthy and your concussion from yesterday¡¯s training has gone away. The only thing you have to worry about is keeping up appearances, but I doubt that¡¯ll even be a challenge for you. Hell, a transfigured rock is more expressive than you are.¡±

    ¡°Nothing I have yet to hear,¡± Mirai responded while buttoning up her blouse. ¡°But why did you take away the amulet?¡± She asked, her head tilted to the left.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s for hiding spell and mana signatures. So, since I don¡¯t want you running around with two fewer ways of tracking you, it¡¯s my best option.¡± She said, looking directly into the sapphire eyes of her daughter which mirrored her own. ¡°Plus, I have to hand this back to our old man. Maybe this time we¡¯ll actually go one visit without insulting me.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Miri mumbled with her head inclining downward. Then, looking at her mother, she made eye contact but quickly averted it once more to roll up her sleeve, revealing her silver bracelet. ¡°Mother, is this real?¡±

    Gazing over the accessory, the woman reached for it, only for a bolt of energy to zap her. ¡°Yep. Have fun with that responsibility,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Glad the old man is finally getting ready to kick the bucket.¡±

    ¡°This is not a laughing matter,¡± the young girl said.

    ¡°Well, if it helps, I know you¡¯ll do a fine job,¡± the woman sobered up immediately and flashed a smile toward her daughter.

    ¡°Just fine?¡± She repeated with a raised eyebrow. Lowering the brow, she brought her gaze down and muttered, ¡°I have gone through enough. I do not need whatever family drama is coming.¡±

    ¡°Suck it up, it could be worse.¡± The older woman bit back before picking up her bag. ¡°Now, have a nice day and don¡¯t end up in the infirmary.¡±

    ¡°No promises, mother.¡± She replied, her gaze lifting with the lighthearted send-off.

    <hr>

    Five more minutes. That was all Mirai could think. Thoughts about spells or even her family slipped away like a leaf in a breeze. No one could blame her though.

    For the past fifteen minutes, she had been waiting for her teacher. She had only arrived ten minutes before class would begin. Yet five other students had arrived before her by that time. Not that it particularly mattered to be the first student in the class.

    What did matter to her? The teacher being ready to begin the class.

    If that had yet to annoy her, then the other students certainly had begun to get on her nerves. At first, the early five were solitary and spoke in whispers. Then, three more students strolled in side-by-side, gossiping about something that the blue-eyed girl was not in earshot to hear.

    That still was good though. Yet, once the bell rang, a rampage of students came rushing into the class. Eight students. Eight whole students were late to class. One of them even forgot their supplies!

    At the very least, none of those eight had sat down next to Mirai. In fact, all of them had left her alone and sat together on the other side of the class. All that had left her closer to the door, but out of earshot of all the conversations. So, she resorted to taking out one of her spellbooks and reading up another spell she could start learning.

    ¡°Sorry that I¡¯m late!¡±

    Finally!

    Stumbling into the classroom¡ªalthough a lecture hall was a more apt description¡ªa scruffy man carrying large rolls of paper dropped all of his stuff on the lectern in front. Dusting himself off, he straightened his coat and brushed a hand through his scraggly mess of hair.

    ¡°Hello, class.¡± Everyone continued to talk over him. ¡°This is going to be a long year,¡± he grumbled as his head lowered.

    Letting the chatter continue for a moment, the man took three deep breaths. Meanwhile, Mirai slipped her book back into her bag. With her left hand clenched under the table, she eyed her new teacher with a spark of anger and a flicker of excitement.

    ¡°Settle down!¡± He shouted, shutting up every conversation, no matter where it was at. ¡°Good, I have your attention,¡± he mumbled while moving in front of his lectern. ¡°I know it¡¯s only the first day, but I expect you all to be on your best behavior. This is a Magic Theorem class, so you all need to pay attention or something will blow up.¡±

    Letting that message sink in, he flicked his hand toward the board behind him. By some form of spellwork, three pieces of chalk began writing on the board until the message ¡°Scott Gnosis, General practitioner of magic¡± was on the board.

    ¡°If you brats can¡¯t figure it out, I¡¯m your Magic Theorem instructor.¡± He continued with eyes darting across every student. ¡°I know some of you are ahead of the others, but just bear with me, otherwise you¡¯ll fail this class and I¡¯ll have to deal with you for another year.¡±

    Hearing someone gulp at that comment, a few students glanced at that person. Thankfully, the instructor seemed to ignore it.

    ¡°Since I have you troublemakers for three days a week, let¡¯s get this schedule straight.¡± He flicked his wrist again, this time, causing the pieces of chalk to write a separate schedule. ¡°I¡¯ll only say this once, so listen up!¡± He shouted once the chalk had dropped to the base of the large board. ¡°On Monday, we¡¯ll start going over a new spell, regardless of how far you got with the last one. On Wednesday, you brats will use one of the general training areas to practice your spells. Then, you¡¯ll be tested on Friday. So remember to study up on what your spells do and make sure you practice. Any questions?¡±

    Before anyone could even dare to raise his or her hand, the scruffy man glared at all of them. The glare held so much heat that a few of the early students had flinched while the tardy ones turned away.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Nevertheless, Mirai dared to raise her hand.

    Spotting the tan hand of the young lady, Scott held back to urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he merely drawled out, ¡°What is it, Miss Senshin?¡±

    Lowering her hand, the blue-eyed girl asked, ¡°That schedule seems a bit awkward, does it not? It would only allow us to learn about thirty-four spells or thirty-six if we count exam weeks.¡±

    Mumbling something under his breath, the instructor shoved his hands into his coat. ¡°Excellent point,¡± he commented rather loudly. ¡°It would, but I¡¯m only required to teach you brats twenty spells. If you want to learn more, you¡¯ll have to get someone to tutor you. I don¡¯t care who it is, but you¡¯re on their schedule.¡±

    Seeing the girl nod, he turned to the rest of the class. Only one other person had dared to raise their hand; a brunette girl sitting within the group of early students.

    Without being called upon, the young woman asked her question. ¡°Sir, why is this class so small? I believe I counted around fifty students being placed into Crestworth Academy among the five hundred at the ceremony.¡± During her last few words, she shot a glance toward Mirai, though the blue-eyed girl did not notice it.

    ¡°Right, right,¡± Gnosis waved his hand dismissively. ¡°The logic is beyond me, but the staff separated the classes for the first week. They¡¯ll put them all together next week, but it¡¯s something about clubs and school teams.¡±

    Dissatisfied by the man¡¯s answer, the brunette was about to inquire further, but the instructor moved on before she could.

    ¡°If that¡¯s all, you all have the rest of the class free,¡± he announced, causing some rather spaced-out students to snap back to reality. ¡°But I want all of you to read up on the Bang spell. It should be simple enough for all of you to figure it out.¡±

    Nearly smiling at the assignment, Mirai glanced around the room. Already, she could see three students grumbling about homework on the first day. Though, five others were reading up on the assigned spell without a minute to spare.

    Ignoring them, she set her bag on her lap and fished out a textbook. Without hesitation, she brushed her hands along all the bookmarks she had stuck in it already. In total, there were eleven of them. Two blue ones for the spells she had learned, three green ones for the spells she had finished taking notes on, one yellow one for the spell she was currently reading about, and the last five were white for the spells she wanted to start learning.

    Tugging on the first blue marker, she flipped her book open to the first spell, Bang. Sighing, she began to skim over the text.

    Meanwhile, the tardy group of students gazed around them. With a scowl, they all dismissed their peers who had decided to get the work down early. All except one. Yes, they were eyeing Mirai Senshin. Not for her rack or choice to wear pants. Not even for the fact that she was sitting all on her lonesome.

    They were staring at her because she was the daughter of two grandmasters. Not just one! But two grandmasters!

    So, being the reasonable people that they were, all of them sniggered and walked over to her. Although, she just kept reading. She ignored all of the eight students that had decided to use their precious time on her.

    ¡°Hey, Senshin! Can¡¯t ya tell you got people all around you?¡± One of the boys shouted, leaning toward her ear. She kept reading. ¡°Come on! You stupid catalysts are supposed to listen to your superiors!¡± He shouted, only to be flung into the wall.

    Frantically, the boy glanced around the room, trying to find whoever did that. Finally, his eyes landed on Mirai, who looked at him with a distant, bored expression.

    ¡°Brat, don¡¯t start fighting here. My headache¡¯s bad enough as is,¡± the teacher barked, flicking his wrist to drop whatever grasp he had on the student.

    Scrambling up to his feet, the boy quickly realized that his groupies were no help in the face of the scruffy man, no matter how much like a hobo he looked. ¡°Fine,¡± he grumbled out.

    ¡°Good. Now be quiet!¡± Scott shouted across the classroom, before grabbing a chair. Once he slumped down in it, he laid his head back and closed his eyes.

    ¡°For your information,¡± Mirai spoke up, garnering the entire group¡¯s attention. ¡°My status has been that of a Tuner; one who was changed to use magic. Unbeknownst to people such as yourself, a Tuner is of higher rank than an Attuned in the eyes of Magic. After all, Lady Hecate has little favor for those born with her gifts. She prefers those she has given her gift to.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± The same hotheaded boy from earlier asked. ¡°I¡¯m still stronger than you! It doesn¡¯t matter what stupid rank you pull!¡±

    Raising her head to pick out the boy from the small crowd, the blue-eyed girl was tempted to draw upon her magic. Fighting that temptation, she merely made eye contact with him. ¡°Then allow me to bring our respective ranks out of this matter. That leaves us with raw strength, accumulated skill, built connections, and acquired knowledge. If my mind serves me correctly, I have secured two of those categories already. So, please, indulge me with your taunts again.¡±

    Gritting his teeth, the hotheaded student stomped his right foot forward and slammed his fist. ¡°I don¡¯t care about all that crap! All that matters is that you¡¯re no better than a catalyst and will work for me!¡± He spouted, nearly spraying the young lady¡¯s face with saliva.

    ¡°What makes you even conceive that notion?¡± She asked, undeterred by a little spit. ¡°Even if you had somehow managed to make me work under you, I would be best suited as a healer, which would mirror your potential. Does a healer working under another healer seem anything but redundant?¡±

    Face marred with pure rage, the boy shouted, ¡°Whatever!¡± With that mature response, he stormed off back to his seat next to the window.

    ¡°I suggest you all head back too,¡± Mirai said to the remaining groupies around her table. ¡°You all have much better things you could be doing than trying to intimidate me. I have been told a transfigured rock is more emotional than I am. Although I can change that notion if you wish. There is always more practice to be had with my spellwork.¡±

    Heeding the oddly-constructed warning, the group shuffled back over to the seats they had claimed earlier. Now that she was effectively alone in her corner of the room, Mirai received a few heated glares from the students. Nevertheless, they wasted their time and she began looking over the spells she had bookmarked with a yellow tab.

    ¡°Kids never damn listen,¡± grumbled a scruffy man in the corner.

    <hr>

    By the time the class was nearing its end, most of the students had packed up his or her belongings. Now, most of the teenagers were chatting away or staring at the clock. Though that only seemed to make time pass slower.

    Nevertheless, a few decided to pass the time with an awfully poorly planned idea.

    Getting up, three students sauntered over to the door and leaned against it. Turning to the left, they say the focused gaze of Mirai, who was still absorbing the information from her textbook. Rather than watch the gross sight for a few more minutes, one of the three stepped up and slammed his hands down on the table.

    ¡°Mirai Senshin, I, Menelaus Maes, challenge you to a duel!¡± He shouted, only for her to turn the page of her book. Then, she carefully removed one of her yellow bookmarks and stuck it to the open page. Closing her text, she brought her gaze upward, taking note of the sweatshirt the boy was wearing and the infuriated glare sent her way.

    ¡°On what grounds and terms?¡± She asked, her eyes scanning the boy¡¯s face. From his slightly chubby cheeks to the fade he had poorly attempted to pull off, leaving him with a mix-matched appearance between lazy student and a teenager trying to be cool.

    ¡°On the grounds that you have ignored and embarrassed me!¡± He exclaimed, unknowingly spitting in his rage.

    Taking a second to wipe off the drop of slobber on her cheek, Mirai retorted with, ¡°I was not the one to embarrass you. You embarrassed yourself while trying to get my attention.¡±

    ¡°Why you¡­¡±

    ¡°Now, what are the terms?¡± She interrupted his growl.

    ¡°The loser must do whatever the winner says for the rest of the year!¡±

    ¡°I decline.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He asked with all his anger drained out of his voice. All that was left was his shock.

    ¡°I decline your challenge.¡± She repeated, staring up into his oval-ish brown eyes. ¡°If you must know, I find your terms unfavorable and on the side of illegal in a duel between two students.¡±

    Banging his hands on the table, he shouted, ¡°You can¡¯t do that! Don¡¯t you care about your family¡¯s pride? Your mom¡¯s? Dad¡¯s? Your¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Pride has no weight when it comes to dueling. It is a fool¡¯s tool, nothing more.¡± She responded in the same composed manner she had been using for the last few minutes. ¡°Now, I must get ready for my next class.¡± She said with a dismissive wave of her hand before she began putting away her book and getting up to leave.

    ¡°Why you¡­¡±

    Ignoring the growl of the boy, Mirai glanced toward the clock. Right at that moment, the bell rang, what a coincidence, right? Nevertheless, she slung her bag on her shoulder and strode out of the room with a wave to her instructor. Although he was soundly asleep, she kept going and brushed past the two boys leaning next to the door.

    Perturbed by her reaction, the two boys ran after her, followed by Menelaus. Barely two steps out the door, they all shouted, ¡°Stop!¡±

    Not even bothering to turn around, Mirai stopped her stride. ¡°How may I help you?¡± She asked, her tone lifted with just a small dash of sincerity.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second that being related to two grandmasters makes you cool!¡± Menelaus exclaimed, pointing at her despite her back being turned to him.

    ¡°I had completely forgotten about that,¡± she drawled out. ¡°Please, give me a moment to spout that out every chance I get.¡±

    ¡°See! She is a pompous little brat!¡± The brunette shouted, a cheeky grin spreading across his lips.

    ¡°Clearly, sarcasm is lost on you simpletons,¡± she muttered to herself. Lacking the patience to deal with the boy any further, Mirai began striding down the hall.

    ¡°Ha! I bet she¡¯s going to go cry to her mommy and daddy!¡±

    With a sigh, she ignored the ignorant fool bellowing out false statements and entered the neighboring classroom. Upon entering, her eyes landed on a woman leaning on the chalkboard. Recognizing the woman¡¯s shawl and white robes, Mirai knew this was her next professor.

    ¡°It seems trouble follows you everywhere,¡± the woman stated.

    ¡°Thank you for that astute observation, Healer Amsing. I was completely unaware that my form, responsibilities, and my bumbling peers were any trouble.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut it, you. You can always just teach those little troublemakers what makes you so special.¡±

    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±

 Chapter 6 The First Duel

    Once again, Mirai found herself secluded near the wall. This time, she was peacefully eating lunch while a packet occupied her left hand. Gulping down the last bite of her food, she washed it down with water before reading the last passage of her text.

    ¡°Students are allowed to drop out of the Alteration class after his or her second year. Please note, the student might be required to take up remedial training if he or she cannot pass the end of year exam, which will force the student to take another year of the class whether or not he or she is planning on dropping out.¡± Reading silently, the girl closed up the packet and set it aside. ¡°Alteration appears to be quite versatile, though if I can master the initial forging process for it, I will have little need for the class.¡± She thought, reflecting on all the content she had perused in the past ten minutes. ¡°For now, it would be best to learn from Healer Amsing since she has a certified mastery in the subject. Afterward, the future is just a roll of the dice.¡±

    Deciding that her time was finished, she flipped open her bag and took out a folder to put the packet in it. Then, she proceeded to gather up the remnants of her lunch. After those were discarded, she gazed over the room, picking apart every detail she knew without a doubt.

    Initially, she spotted a few of her classmates in the crowd, most prominently of which was the brown-haired boy in a sweater. She could not recall his name though. From there, she made out three mops of red in the far distance, perhaps across the room. Passed that, she could only make a few notes of the people around her, save for the uniform that each person had adorned.

    Drawing her attention away from the crowd, she left the cafeteria. From there, it took only a couple of minutes to cross the courtyard and arrive at the tallest of three buildings. With only a glance at the structure that towered above her, she passed through the first floor, where she had only seen two other people that had both paid her no mind. That was when she encountered the only problem.

    ¡°Mirai!¡±

    Hearing her name called, the blue-eyed girl spotted a brunette man running up to her. Once he grew closer, she could see a pair of glasses and pointed ears. ¡°Ah, headmaster, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?¡± She asked, looking up at the man.

    Catching his breath, the tall man rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. ¡°I was contacted about a fair bit of trouble from Amsing. So I decided to come as soon as possible and make sure everything is settled,¡± he explained briefly, his eyes darting over the girl¡¯s figure. ¡°But it seems you are in perfect condition,¡± he mused dejectedly.

    ¡°I presume the trouble you speak of is that boy that demanded to duel me?¡± She guessed with a slight tilt of her head. When he nodded, she blinked a few times. ¡°That problem was resolved by Mister Gnosis, though there may be some issues that arise in our dueling class.¡±

    Scratching behind his right ear, the headmaster asked, ¡°Do you remember his name?¡±

    Trying to recall her memories for a few seconds, Mirai eventually ended up at ¡°No,¡± with a shake of her head. ¡°He only mentioned his name when he was declaring his duel, but at the time, I cared little for what he had to say. Although he was wearing a sweatshirt and had this arrogant attitude as if he believed he deserved the world, does that help?¡±

    ¡°Maybe if I ask around a bit,¡± the headmaster mused. ¡°What did he want?¡±

    ¡°If I remember correctly, his terms were ¡®the loser has to do everything the winner says for the rest of the year¡¯. Obviously, his terms were against common law, but could easily be twisted to only last a few months.¡±

    ¡°Her father definitely left his mark,¡± the pointy-eared man thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for him then. You should get going to your class. Klein usually favors his early students.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the heads-up, sir,¡± Mirai gave the man a small nod before walking passed him.

    Humming his response, Headmaster Cresselia glanced back at the girl trotting away. Turning back to the general studies building, his expression dropped into a scowl. ¡°What is that girl thinking? What is her aim?¡±

    <hr>

    Back on Crestworth grounds, Mirai adjusted her bracelet. Just moments ago, it had shrunk and constrained her forearm, leaving a pale mark. Although it had returned back to its usual size, she still rubbed her wrist to ease blood back through it until her arm¡¯s color had returned to its light tan.

    If that had not been enough, she was walking into the smallest stadium her academy had to offer. Her stomach was fine, but there was a newfound caution about her. It came in the form of tense muscles and flickering eyes, the former of which would be terrible for any sort of training. The instructor only made it worse.

    Walking along the railing of the stands, a shirtless man entertained himself with his dreads just flinging every which way. He did not even pay attention to anyone but himself.

    ¡°Excuse me, Mister Klein?¡± She spoke up from the entrance.

    Turning around, the man hopped off the rail and ran up to her. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re one of my new students, right?¡± At her nod, he continued. ¡°You¡¯re here pretty early. I thought all the new firsties would be arriving together or something. That¡¯s how it usually goes.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I am not on good terms with one of my classmates and I do not know who the others are.¡± She replied, looking up at the shirtless man. ¡°Why is everyone so tall?¡± Wondered Mirai, her thoughts trailing off.

    Crossing his arms, the man said, ¡°Tough luck then. Usually, two classes are enough to get a few groups set up. Guess I¡¯ll have to wait.¡±

    Deciding not to inquire, the blue-eyed girl went silent. Shifting the bag on her shoulder, she looked around at the training ground. It was just a barren field. All dirt with concrete and metal forging a physical barrier as tall as two people standing on top of one another.

    Tired of the brief silence, Klein swung his arms behind his head and spun on his heel. Still not bringing anything out of her mouth, he began aimlessly walking about the field. ¡°So, what¡¯s your name, kid?¡±

    Whipping around to look at the tanned man, she narrowed her eyes. Seeing him still being a careless wanderer, she just said, ¡°Mirai Senshin.¡±

    ¡°Future, huh? Your parents have some cheesy naming sense.¡± He commented before jumping up to reach the edge of the concrete wall. Grabbing onto it, he pulled himself up to the rail, at which point he had started to climb up it. ¡°Did they tell you stuff like you¡¯re their future or something? Oh! Were you born during some war?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, but it could be worse.¡± She replied while watching him jump across the railing with a wave of energy from his feet. ¡°My mother was named Nikki because my grandmother¡¯s most precious possession was her collection of diaries.¡±

    ¡°Must¡¯ve been rough growing up,¡± he said in a detached tone. Letting it sink in for a few seconds, Mirai watched the man lose his balance when he finally recognized the names. Before he could fall down, he jumped down into the stands and sat down. ¡°Holy shit! You¡¯re the Rebel¡¯s kid!¡±

    ¡°Excuse your language, sir,¡± she said, completely ignoring his small crisis.

    ¡°Come on! Your mom¡¯s gotta be cursing up a storm! What makes me any different?¡± He shouted back from his seat.

    ¡°First of all, my mother has¡­ elevated her vocabulary since I had spoken my first words. Second, it was your fault for failing to recognize me after I had been present on these grounds for a month,¡± she paused to glare at him with her sapphire orbs. ¡°Third, you are the one teaching a group of seventeen teenagers.¡±

    ¡°Hey, old enough to kill, old enough to curse,¡± he waved off, laying back into his chair.

    Gaping at the man¡¯s response, she muttered, ¡°You have absolutely terrible logic.¡±

    Oblivious to her statement, the man hopped back up onto his feet and leaned forward on the railing. ¡°So, you got some training gear, right?¡± She nodded. ¡°How about you go get suited up for a duel? Bet it would be pretty cool to see you give a dueling demonstration.¡±

    Again, she nodded. Then, turning back to the entrance-tunnel, she took a sharp left turn when she was halfway through the tunnel and trailed through it until she reached a door. Going in it, she found a locker room with about three rows of lockers, each reaching up to Mirai¡¯s shoulder.

    Wasting no time at all, she went down the third aisle and plopped herself down on a bench in front of the locker at the very end of the row. Unbuttoning her blouse, she was able to get down to the last button and open her locker without a single disturbance. Grabbing her stored clothes, she stripped the rest of her clothes off and dressed in her workout gear.

    Now, she adorned a black tracksuit that sagged around her shoulders. There was a single white line going down the left and right sides of each article of clothing. Then, the young maiden fixed her short hair into a messy ponytail that had multiple strands of hair trapped between the folds of her hairband. Nevertheless, she did her best to untangle her hair while walking out of the locker room.

    While on her way back to the training ground, Mirai brushed passed a group of girls. ¡°The instructor likely told everyone to go change,¡± she thought before moving on. Peeking out of the tunnel, she saw the same shirtless professor jumping to inhumane heights. If she was any closer, she might be able to make a better estimate than ¡°really high¡±.

    Brushing the thought aside, she stepped into the dirt oval, crunching the ground beneath her feet. Despite that, the instructor kept doing aerial maneuvers. He went so far as to drop from above the stands and kicked off of an invisible platform to land in one of the seats.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Rolling her eyes at the man¡¯s antics, Mirai stepped back and began doing some simple stretches along the wall. Though not quite as spectacular as her instructor¡¯s stunt, she made sure to ignore any onlookers, just as he had done so with her.

    ¡°What the hell are you wearing?¡±

    Keeping her foot raised above her head, the blue-eyed girl turned to her right and spotted a mop of brown hair and too much leather. Although leather armor over a worn and stained tunic looked grotesque, it reminded Mirai that she was, in fact, in a dueling class, not in another track team meeting.

    ¡°Catalyst, I asked you what this rubbish you call clothing is!¡± The brunette shouted with annoyance vibrating from his very voice.

    ¡°It is called a tracksuit and it was built for exercising, though I doubt you know much about that,¡± she pointed to his caving-in stomach and dropped her foot. ¡°Although that armor is certainly suited toward dueling. I would applaud you, but your wrong answer in Alteration is still the worst choice you have made today.¡±

    ¡°Why you¡­¡±

    ¡°Woah! Settle down, shrimp!¡± Instructor Klein shouted, dropping between the two teens. ¡°If you want to start something, you can wait for our dueling demo, alright?¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± he scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll drive her into the ground, so don¡¯t stop me, teach.¡±

    ¡°No promises, shrimp,¡± Klein crossed his arms, putting more of a threat behind his towering form.

    Turning away, the brunette retreated back into the locker room at the same time that a group of three guys had trodded out into the training ground. After one incredulous look at the instructor, the three boys swiveled back and slipped into the stands, leaving Mirai and Professor Klein alone together.

    ¡°You have my thanks, professor.¡± The girl spoke softly, gazing up into the man¡¯s soft brown eyes. ¡°Although, I hope you reinforce one of the lighter dueling regimens.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be sticking to Class C duels for the first semester. So, first to give up or injure the other.¡± He beamed down at her, flashing a toothy smile that showed off his canines.

    Pausing for a second, Mirai asked, ¡°Why not Class B? Class C regulations would be too light for either of our purposes.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Klein raised one of his eyebrows at the suggestion. ¡°What are you planning to do?¡±

    ¡°I only hope to put a bully in his place, sir. Idle threats and a small showcase of power will contain little force against an ego of his caliber,¡± she reasoned out. ¡°If given a larger window of opportunity, I will most assuredly show him not to mess with me.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t he just target someone else?¡± The professor countered with a hand rubbing what little stubble his chin held.

    ¡°If that comes to pass, it is not my responsibility to stop it.¡± She answered as a shadow passed over her. At that very moment, the sun was blocked by a cloud.

    <hr>

    Menelaus Maes was furious. He had been insulted by the Catalyst yet again! To put salt on his wounds, an instructor had gotten involved! At least, this time, he had a chance to put that girl in her place without gaining the rightful ire of his elders.

    So, he sauntered back into the locker room and opened his locker. Skipping over his clothes and the near-empty bag, he grabbed a crudely wrapped bundle hanging by a single hook and string. Without a word, he tugged on a separate string and watched the bindings unfold before his eyes.

    There, in his hands, was a blade. An iron-cast blade with etchings along the flat edge of the blade, none deeper than a fingernail but each glowing a faint yellow now that he held it. Waving the weapon around, it slipped out of his grasp and clattered along the ground. Before anyone could get his grimy hands on his treasure, Menelaus grabbed the hilt, and swung it around again, though it made him fumble from the small spin. Nevertheless, the two other guys in the aisle backed away with their hands up.

    Wearing a grin on his face, the young man rested one of the flat sides of the blade along his shoulder, glad that his shoulder pads stopped any small movements from the weapon. Almost skipping out of the locker room, he brushed passed the Catalyst girl. She stepped away before his shoulder knocked into her face though.

    Following the instructions embedded into his mind, he stood at one end of the dueling ground and stuck the tip of his blade into the ground. From there, he just drew whatever mana he could and pumped it through the blade, causing the etchings to pulse with power. Each pulse, he felt a rush of power and confidence like nothing else. If only he could keep this up, but he knew better than to do something so foolish. Well, he had been told to do otherwise.

    After a few more minutes, the rest of the class had padded out into the dueling grounds. All but he and Mirai had taken to the stands, as per the teacher¡¯s request. As for the instructor, he took on the role of referee and leaned over the section of the railing that was above the entrance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start until an official challenge is spoken!¡± The man shouted to both of them. In response, both of the students nodded from their respective sides of the arena, but that was where Menelaus zoned out.

    Rather than listen to the teacher¡¯s drabble about whatever was appropriate for a duel, the brunette closed his eyes and straightened his back. Finding his core¡ªa small shining blade that centered around his heart¡ªhe grabbed it and building a trail of energy between his arms and the blade. It took a few minutes, but the connection was built and his opponent still stood across the field, listening to the instructions of the topless teacher.

    Without knowing it, his face split into sadistic glee at everything that would come next.

    <hr>

    On the other hand, Mirai had taken her place across from her opponent and turned her attention over to the dueling instructor. From his perch, he shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t start until an official challenge is spoken!¡±

    Nodding at that, she glanced over to the brunette boy. For the life of her, she could not remember his name. It probably held little importance then. Despite that, she caught a glimpse of him closing his eyes and fixing his posture.

    ¡°Is he ignoring the professor?¡± She wondered for a brief second. Pushing that thought into the depths of her mind, she switched her attention back to the professor that her opponent was ignoring.

    ¡°You, firsties, are lucky to be sharing a class with these two!¡± He shouted with a wide smile. ¡°Since both of them have to blow off some steam, we¡¯ll be getting a demonstration on a Class B duel. But remember, don¡¯t tell this to the other classes, otherwise I have to file a LOT more paperwork, alright?¡±

    Everyone agreed with that, all except the brunette. Although it was quite doubtful none of the gathered students would speak of what was to come. Even Mirai herself would end up speaking to the headmaster about the ordeal.

    ¡°Good!¡± He kept smiling and shifted his eyes down upon the two fighters. ¡°Remember, a Class B duel forbids all illegal magic and any that induce torture, poison, immediate death, and so on! From there, none of you should breach any of the limits! Any questions?!¡±

    Immediately, two hands shot up into the air. Since Klein only knew the name of one student, he pointed to the student farthest to the left. ¡°Sir, when does the duel stop?¡± She asked in the loudest voice she could muster.

    ¡°Ah, I completely forgot about that!¡± He laughed before answering, ¡°The duel ends when a fighter either forfeits the match, is unable to fight, or is injured in any number of ways. I know what kind of injuries to look out for, so for now, we¡¯ll save that lesson for next week.¡±

    Turning to the next person, Klein caught a glimpse of the brunette girl raising her hand back up but ignored it. ¡°Can we place bets on the winner?¡± One of the boys asked.

    ¡°Nope! Since this duel is only regulated by one school, no outside bets or rankings come into play. The only bets can be between the fighters.¡±

    Now, the professor was back to the other girl. Without even pointing at her, she shot another question his way. ¡°Sir, are weapons allowed in duels?¡±

    ¡°Another excellent question,¡± he commented, his tone making him seem unsure about what to make of the situation. ¡°In a Class B duel, weapons are allowed. And for those of you who are first generations, weapons are like tools to enhance and channel your magic. That sword that the shrimp is holding is a modified weapon, which is basically just a sword turned into a magical tool.¡±

    Once again, the girl shot her hand up. And again, she immediately shot off her question. ¡°Sir, who¡¯s most likely to win this duel?¡±

    Scratching his chin, the tanned man gave her a shrug. ¡°It could go either way. Mirai¡¯s got the edge when it comes to raw power because of her parents, but the Shrimp¡¯s weapon might be able to pull him to victory if he can use it right.¡±

    This time, the girl looked away instead of asking another question. When she gained a pensive look, the professor took it as his signal to finally move onto the duel. Also as a signal to end his little lecture.

    ¡°Mirai! Issue the challenge!¡± He commanded from his post on the railing.

    Accepting the order with a nod, the blue-eyed maiden stepped forward and cleared her throat. ¡°Wait, Professor Klein, I do not know my opponent¡¯s name,¡± she said after a second of collecting her thoughts.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it!¡± The brunette shouted shortly after he snapped back into reality. ¡°Mirai Senshin, I, Menelaus Maes, challenge you to a duel! The loser of the duel has to do one favor for the winner! No matter what it is!¡±

    Taking a sharp breath, Mirai said, ¡°I accept these terms.¡±

    That was when the duel began.

    At first, neither made any large moves. Menelaus had grabbed onto the handle of his blade and caused it to lean forward. Meanwhile, Mirai looked onward with her right palm facing skyward. Even from the perspective of the inexperienced students, anyone could tell the two were waiting for the other to make the first move.

    Yet neither did. The blue-eyed maiden was able to forge an entire orb of energy in her right hand. It was the size of a baseball and had its own light show within it. All before one of the fighters had taken a single step.

    ¡°Come on, bitch! You scared?!¡± Menelaus shouted with a steady hand gripping his blade. ¡°Just take a step! I dare you!¡±

    She rolled her eyes. Knowing the taunts were just simple bait, she ignored it and cupped her hands together instead. In an instant, the spell tripled in size and for the seconds after, it ballooned to the size of a beach ball. Then, she pushed it in front of her and aimed.

    Seeing the oncoming attack, the brunette¡¯s sadistic glee began slipping away. No more was the toothy grin. Now, he clenched his jaw and drew his sword out of the ground, stumbling a step back in the process. Though Mirai could not see any of this from her position.

    Nevertheless, he held strong and shouted, ¡°You think that puny spell scares me?! Test that shit! Let¡¯s see you disappoint everyone!¡±

    Aiming at her opponent, Mirai¡¯s face kept a blank expression, which could only be expected on a doll. ¡°Several taunts to provoke an opponent and cause a spell to fluctuate.¡± She reasoned out, ¡°Though an excellent strategy, it will bring him nowhere against someone like me. Perhaps I have a problem.¡± Leaving that thought process aside, the young lady brought her hands down and stared over her spell.

    For a moment, she simply stared at him. Her blue eyes bore into his brown ones. The former was observing and calculating. The latter was frantic and desperate.

    ¡°Come on!¡± He shouted with a shaky yet loud voice. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just give up and save us all the time! Then go cry to your mommy and daddy! You spoiled princess!¡± He was beginning to ramble on to the point that the crowd was unsure what he meant to say and what he just spat out at random.

    That confusion had also reached Mirai, but instead of discerning the insult, she rolled with it. And to do that, she picked up her beach ball of energy and walked forward until she was only two meters away from Menelaus.

    ¡°A spoiled princess, you say,¡± she drawled out, her voice drawing away from its relaxed tone to a taunting manner that matched that of her opponent. ¡°Your drabble befits your desperation, that I am certain of. Although your expectation of fighting a rampaging opponent has been shattered to pieces.¡± She paused to push her orb toward him. ¡°Perhaps you should have learned from our previous encounters. I do not respond to meaningless threats and taunts with outright anger. But, still, I commend you for the attempt.¡±

    With a wave of her hand, her orb closed the distance between it and Menelaus in the blink of an eye.

    All of a sudden, the orb exploded and let loose a cloud of smoke over a quarter of the arena. Then, when the dust settled, Mirai stood unfazed, save for a bit of dust in her eyes. So, while rubbing her left eye, she formed another orb.

    Meanwhile, Menelaus was comfortably contorted in the stands where a couple of seats should have been. Resting on broken chairs was definitely not good for him. But at the very least¡­

    ¡°Winner! Mirai Senshin!¡±

 Chapter 7 The First Day

    Strolling away from the arena, Mirai¡¯s walk was oddly peaceful. Instead of the bombardment by ten other students that she had expected, she was walking alone while only two students followed her back to Lum¨ªr¡¯s electives building. Despite their destination being the same, both of the students spoke in hushed whispers, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact details of their conversation.

    Nevertheless, the blue-eyed maiden hurried along with her bag slung across her body, forced against her hip by her arm. Even with the bag¡¯s weight, she had reached the building in ten minutes. Knowing she had very little chance of being late for her last class of the day, she reduced her speed-walk to a sedate stroll and entered the eastern building, rather than the northern building she had spent the greater part of the morning in.

    The eastern building was much like its northern counterpart, save for the fact that many of the classrooms were not lecture halls in the slightest. Although the beige hallways and square-shaped framework of the buildings were identical to each other. That fact alone made each one simple to navigate, as evident from Mirai¡¯s arrival into her next class by only needing to go into the classroom to the left of the entrance.

    Then there was the classroom. Compared to the lecture halls of her Magic Theorem and Alteration classes, this class was arranged much like a laboratory. The tables were in rows, each one separated with enough room to place two more tables between them. Meanwhile, various bottles and tubes were placed on top of the countertops against three of the four walls. The fourth wall was instead occupied by a chalkboard, much like the lecture halls. Although, instead of a lectern, there was a table spanning three-fourths of the room¡¯s length with its own set of various flasks and tubes.

    After that, Mirai looked at the students already there. With the large classroom, she expected more people than just the select thirty that were present, even if that was already twice the size of her first-year class. Though those who were here had not even heard her above the conversations they were having.

    That was when she noticed two messy mops of red hair. Immediately, she speed-walked over to the two in the second-to-last row of tables. Yet before she could speak the first word, one of the two redheads spun around and hugged her, consequently lifting her in the air.

    ¡°Mimi! It¡¯s been a while!¡± He shouted before she kicked him in the shin. ¡°Ow!¡± He exclaimed when he dropped her. ¡°Come on! We¡¯re family! You can¡¯t just go kicking me!¡±

    Squinting at the young man, the blue-eyed girl plopped her bag on the table. ¡°And just because we are related, does not mean you can hug me at any given moment.¡±

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s just cold,¡± the other, identical redhead commented from the other side of the table. ¡°Usually you aren¡¯t so pissed off until we actually do something bad. That must mean someone else pissed you off!¡± He concluded with only a small bit of excitement at his stroke of genius.

    Sighing, Mirai turned toward the front of the classroom to avoid eye contact. Unfortunately, this action only excited the suspicions of the twins.

    ¡°Ah, you seem to have hit the bullseye, my less handsome brother,¡± the redhead in the middle said as he stopped rubbing his left shin. ¡°Now, what could have possibly happened? You don¡¯t think she made an enemy already, do you?¡±

    ¡°Maybe she dueled someone?¡± The other suggested.

    ¡°The rankings don¡¯t start until next week, so that can¡¯t have possibly happened,¡± the less freckled twin argued. ¡°Oh, do you think she¡¯s gotten a crush on someone?¡±

    ¡°Little Mimi has a crush?¡± The more freckled twin leaned in front of his brother and closer to the young woman who ignored both of them.

    Leaning back, the twins smirked at each other. ¡°Stop your scheming, Birch.¡± The blue-eyed girl finally interjected without facing them. ¡°And for the record, Oakland is right about my duel, but the details will have to wait until after class.¡±

    ¡°Wait, seriously?¡±

    ¡°Settle down, class!¡±

    Breaking off all the commotion, a woman sped to the front of the room with her brown hair trailing behind her in a simple braid. Once she reached the longest table, she grabbed a piece of chalk and began scribbling a jumble of words across the board. By the time she was done, only a few students even realized she had written her name instead of a complex equation.

    ¡°I see that all of you are here,¡± she whispered in a voice that the first row could barely hear. ¡°Good, good,¡± she reassured herself while scanning the room.

    For a brief moment, the supposed instructor was disheveled and trying to take all the new faces in. Doing the same, Mirai counted fifty-four students, including herself. Which meant she had missed the arrival of around twenty students. The mere idea made her want to bang her head against the wall.

    ¡°Good afternoon, class!¡± The brunette professor greeted, only to solicit nothing in return. Nevertheless, she moved on. ¡°My name is Stella Arentz and I¡¯ll be introducing most of you to the delicate art of alchemy. But for some of you, you might be leaving us if you ever pose a risk or a problem to anyone, including yourself.¡± Letting that sink in, the big-eyed professor clapped her hands. ¡°Now! Alchemy breaks down into two core branches: potion brewing and transmutation. For our first semester, we¡¯ll focus on potion brewing since everyone can do that, but for transmutation, some of you will be exempt from the semester because the art of transmutation largely depends on using nature¡¯s energy and some people can¡¯t use that. Did you catch all of that?¡±

    Receiving hesitant nods, the instructor pursed her lips. Keeping whatever thought she had to herself, she opened a drawer behind the table and pulled out a small stack of papers.

    ¡°But, today¡¯s assignment is to pair up into groups of three and fill out these questionnaires. After that, you have the rest of the period to work or study. Nothing else.¡±

    After a few minutes, the family trio was handed part of the stack and took their share before passing it on. Skipping over the whole group portion of the class, the family pulled out a few pencils for the twins and a pen for Mirai.

    Once the trio wrote their respective names, they moved onto the first question. ¡°Why did you sign up for Alchemy?¡± Whispered the twin with more freckles. ¡°Well, duh! To learn a bunch of new tricks!¡± He shouted for the whole classroom to hear, much to the ire of the instructor.

    ¡°To attain ways of molding my surroundings to suit my purposes and survive longer than a day in the political world,¡± Mirai thought as she wrote her answer, which was her thoughts verbatim. ¡°What have you heard about the course?¡±

    ¡°At least twenty students are expelled from it for having fun each year,¡± the less freckled twin answered. ¡°Oh, and that the first potion we learn is a cleansing draught.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Birch,¡± Mirai mumbled as she wrote that information down. ¡°Do you have any experience with potions?¡±

    ¡°Oh, remember that color-changing potion?¡± The other redhead interjected with withheld glee. ¡°Mimi¡¯s hair was bright purple for a whole week!¡±

    Rolling her eyes, the mentioned girl grumbled out, ¡°How could I forget that one?¡± Again, she wrote it down.

    And the rest of the class followed that routine. Mirai would read the questions and the twins often had an answer usually concerning some prank toward the blue-eyed girl. Nonetheless, the three wrote down the answers until the whole questionnaire was completed. From there, Birch took out a roll of paper and asked Mirai to take a look over it, only for her to learn about their next prank.

    Namely, the twins wanted to prank the Magical Creatures teacher next week with a visit from her high school crush. That crush just so happened to be the eldest Heath son and older brother of the trio, Leonidas Heath.

    <hr>

    ¡°Class dismissed!¡± Professor Arentz announced after collecting all of the questionnaires from the fifty-four students. Immediately, half of the class bolted out of the room without a second thought.

    Meanwhile, the Senshin-Heath family were ironing out the last details of their plan. After a few small tweaks to the script, Birch rolled up the paper and stuffed it into his bag. Now, the three left the class, only for the twins to stop in the doorframe.

    ¡°Dad? What are you doing here?¡± Birch asked as Mirai peaked her head around her step-brothers to see her step-father standing there along with her mother.

    ¡°We just wanted to check up on you three!¡± the grey-haired man exclaimed before pulling the twins into a bone-crushing hug. Neither Nikki nor Mirai had a shred of sympathy for them. ¡°Plus, Nikki needs to give Mimi a check-up after her little duel,¡± he said, pointing to his wife who stood off to the side.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Nikki stepped forward until she was just inches away from her daughter. ¡°WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?¡± She exclaimed, causing the Heath family to step back. ¡°A duel on the first day! You couldn¡¯t even wait until your condition was stable, could you!?¡±

    Shrinking under the ire of her mother, Mirai kept her head held low. Nothing she said would get her out of whatever punishment she was about to receive.

    ¡°No leaving school grounds for a month!¡± Nikki exclaimed before sighing. ¡°Just be glad you won, otherwise I would be banning you from the dueling circuit.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I assure you, I will not lose when I propose the final challenge. It would bring shame upon myself and those I stand for,¡± the younger Senshin declared with her head held high to peer into the sapphire eyes of her mother. ¡°Besides, I would never dare to go to Lum¨ªr¡¯s main city or smaller cities with my current amount of training,¡± she added in her mind.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it better, young lady!¡± The mother shouted. Then, she huffed and shook her head with her eyes closed.  ¡°Let¡¯s just get going.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Where are we going?¡± Birch asked as he turned to follow his step-mother.

    ¡°Crestworth,¡± Nikki said with a gesture for the other four to follow her. With only a second of hesitation, the Senshin-Heath family hurried along to the buildings of Crestworth Academy.

    <hr>

    It took over ten minutes¡ªbordering on twenty¡ªto get to Crestworth¡¯s main building. In all fairness, the building was no masterpiece of magic, but what it lacked in elegance, it made up for in uniformity.

    When the Senshin-Heath family first entered the building, they looked upon a standard office building, complete with a receptionist taking a call. Moving through the bright, white hall, the group ascended up a flight of stairs, and instantly, the smell of bleach and antibiotics mixed with the bustle of dozens of people rushing passed each other. Though repulsed by the attack on her senses, Mirai followed her mother¡¯s lead toward the seventh room on the left.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Within the room were three couches and a coffee table. Upon that table laid a clipboard and a crystal vial. Strolling onto one edge of a couch, Nikki gestured toward the other two. ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    Doing as they were told, Illuctos sat next to Nikki, the twins plopped down on the couch farthest from the door, and Mirai seated herself on the only empty couch. ¡°Besides my health, what else do we have to speak about?¡± Mirai asked, breaking the ice between the family.

    ¡°Your constitution, your duel¡¯s consequences and how you will handle situations like this from now on,¡± Nikki answered while leaning away from her husband with her arms crossed.

    Taking a glance at the grey-haired man, Mirai asked, ¡°Anything to add?¡± When he shook his head, she looked over to the coffee table. ¡°What do you want me to do, mother?¡±

    ¡°Fill the vial with your mana. Don¡¯t worry about keeping it contained, it¡¯s enchanted to hold all kinds of stuff.¡±

    Grabbing the vial, Mirai fingered the sharp edges and cuts on the crystals. Once she found her grip, she popped off the stopper and raised her hand over the container. In an instant, her fingers illuminated with an aurora of colors, but since she was unsure of how to exactly fill the glass, she poked her finger in it and focused her energy into her pointer finger.

    To her surprise, the light of her energy appeared to flash through the crystals before condensing into a silver liquid that still had a shine of colors in it. Before her fascination could get the best of her, Mirai grabbed the stopper and popped it into place, trapping the silver liquid in the vial. Waving it around, she realized it truly did contain her energy, despite its enigmatic properties. Though still fascinated by it, she laid the vial back down on the table.

    ¡°Now, we need to talk about your special condition,¡± Nikki announced, breaking the period of silence brought forth by Mirai.

    ¡°What¡¯s so special about Mirai now?¡± Birch asked from the left side of the couch.

    Kicking his twin in the shins, Oakland said, ¡°Astral messed up the ritual, remember?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Nikki said, bringing all the attention in the room back to her. ¡°I believe it would be wise to begin meditating again, Mirai.¡±

    ¡°You believed meditation would leave me vulnerable earlier, did you not?¡± The youngest Senshin asked with a flicker of curiosity going through her sapphire eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± the matriarch sighed. ¡°But I believe it best to reconnect with your mental space after two months of leaving it be. Plus, the worst that can happen now is that your mind has been remodeled entirely.¡±

    Pondering over that possibility for a moment, Mirai argued, ¡°Though that is reassuring, my status as a Catalyst molded my mind, so it is highly likely it has been my mental space has been completely reformed. Even with my previous protections, that situation would be catastrophic for someone of my caliber.¡±

    ¡°Your caliber?¡± Birch interrupted with more of an inquisitive tone than a mocking one he would have taken with anyone else.

    ¡°Yes, her caliber,¡± Illuctos repeated. ¡°Mirai¡¯s condition is special, even among the Attuned. Besides having the Senshin¡¯s gifts for spiritual communication, her magic remained pure when the ritual was finished, which means she still retains her qualification as a Catalyst.¡±

    ¡°Just great,¡± Mirai grumbled with sarcasm oozing out of her voice.

    ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. I¡¯d get it changed, but anyone with reserves even half as pure as the naturally occurring deposits is considered a Catalyst. Even if they don¡¯t have a reserve bigger than the average mage.¡± The greying man elaborated while scratching the back of his neck.

    ¡°I suppose that is acceptable,¡± the blue-eyed maiden mumbled solemnly. ¡°Although I still wonder if it is truly safe for me to begin meditating again.¡±

    Grabbing the clipboard on the table, Nikki scanned over it. ¡°It should be. The only other irregularity is the fluctuation with your mana¡¯s affinity, but that¡¯s only been seen with our tests. So if you just begin with ten or so minutes today, you should be able to scale up without any problems.¡±

    Nodding at that plan of action, Mirai glanced over the twins. Birch looked as if he was trying to understand what was happening while Oakland was taking it all in and thinking about something else.

    ¡°What¡¯s so special about a Catalyst again?¡± Birch asked nervously, only to gain the ire of everyone in the room.

    Clearing her throat, Mirai shifted her seating so she leaned against the arm of the couch. ¡°A Catalyst is born to magic wielders, but unable to wield magic themselves, save for transferring mana to someone else. And though extremely useful, people like me are used as tools since the ban on the Tuning Ritual was put in place to keep the balance of power in check. As for our specialty, we have very pure mana which anyone could use, making us look little more than batteries for mana.¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re so useful, why are they used as tools?¡±

    ¡°Simple, most Catalysts are incapable of using any spell, save for Transference. I am the sole exceptional though.¡±

    ¡°Now, if that little lecture is finished, we have to discuss the consequences of your duel,¡± Nikki interrupted with a nod from Birch. ¡°Since the ranking system isn¡¯t in place until next week, you aren¡¯t being ranked yet.¡± Mirai sighed in relief. ¡°Unfortunately, it won¡¯t be long until the staff of every academy knows what happened. So, by this time on Wednesday, Illuctos will move for the board to keep the duel unofficial.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t that still incite some outrage from students?¡± Oakland inquired. ¡°Making exceptions for Mirai will make you look bad, won¡¯t it, Dad?¡±

    Shaking his head, the headmaster of Phoenix Feather Academy tugged on his shirt. ¡°This sort of stuff happens a lot in the first week. That¡¯s why we have to separate classes until next week, otherwise, we might¡¯ve had quite a few more duels going on.¡±

    ¡°How does separating the classes and changing everyone¡¯s schedule help?¡± Mirai asked with her curiosity returning to her eyes.

    ¡°There¡¯s not much proof behind it, but we¡¯ve seen fewer duels when we split up the students for a while. Even when we merge the classes together, duels are still scarce since first years don¡¯t know too many spells and the upperclassmen have already settled into their ranks. After that, the only major duels happen around the festival weeks when people want a chance to compete in the tournament.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe him, then just wait and see,¡± said Nikki, who still held the clipboard in her arms. ¡°Back when we went to school, the only duels were between old school rivals.¡±

    ¡°Plus, clubs start recruiting that week,¡± Oakland added with a bit of excitement lingering in his voice. ¡°With all that stuff to consider, it¡¯s no wonder no one would want to risk their rep with a duel.¡±

    ¡°Rep?¡± Mirai repeated. ¡°Does a duel change that much?¡±

    ¡°Totally,¡± Oakland answered. ¡°Even in prep school last year, everyone knew that dropping a few ranks was basically making a fool of yourself. Especially if you¡¯re the one making the challenge.¡±

    ¡°Good to know.¡±

    Tossing the clipboard onto the coffee table, Nikki locked eyes with her daughter. ¡°So, you aren¡¯t being ranked, but you might get into a duel next week. Make sure you wear your school¡¯s crest next week, alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Mirai nodded.

    ¡°Good,¡± the mother looked around the room. ¡°Now, remember to start meditating and don¡¯t start a duel again. You have a bunch of raw power, but skill and talent will beat that any day of the week.¡±

    ¡°I know, that is why I am still training,¡± the young maiden retorted.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Now get going, we have to talk about the twins and their punishment next.¡± Waving her daughter off, Nikki watched her mini-me saunter out of the small lounge with her bracelet still jingling on her left wrist. Turning back to her step-sons, she cast the thought away. ¡°You two are banned from the dueling circuit until next semester!¡± She exclaimed for all the world to hear.

    <hr>

    Back in her dorm, Mirai was sprawled out across her couch. With the curtains drawn, no one saw her in such a relaxed state, much less in such a vulnerable form. Nor could one see her tea set out and her textbooks stacked on her desk.

    Stretching out with a yawn, the young maiden sat up and gazed over her form. After two months of being a girl, she could say she was comfortable. An overall small frame and weights on her chest every waking moment made for an odd adjustment period, but she did adjust in time. Now, the most she would complain about is her body requiring regular maintenance to maintain its form. Once she learned what she had to do, she made the routine and dwelled little upon it.

    Other thoughts sped through her mind though. ¡°My mind was restructured. I can feel it without even meditating,¡± she thought as she poured herself a cup of chamomile tea. ¡°Even with the abnormal protections I have, the ritual should have changed the arctic landscape my mind had taken on. If not that, a spirit may have taken the chance to sneak into my body. Although it would have to be really weak to not be detected or too resilient to be found with mother¡¯s limited spellwork. That reminds me, I have to look into spirit communication at some point.¡±

    Letting her train of thought pitter out, she took a sip from her tea. It was calming to a point. The tea was nothing special, but when Mirai regained her usual composure, her inner tirade ceased into little more than an absentminded idea.

    Setting her cup down, the girl moved over to a small open area of the room and sat down with her legs crossed. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and recalled her meditation training.

    To begin the process, she located her mana reserves. An easy step when one considered she was training her casting speed for the past month. By proxy, drawing on her mana reserves became a habit. Then, she had to find naturally occurring mana to take in. Though this step took significantly longer, it proved its benefits outweighed its time when Mirai felt her reserves replenish.

    And that was it.

    All of Mirai¡¯s meditation was replenishing her reserves with nature¡¯s energy. Though, even with her reserves filled to the brim, she kept going. Letting thoughts slip through her mind, she felt tranquil.

    That was until she felt a tug and lost all feeling in her body.

    In an instant, Mirai could feel everything coming back to her. At first, it was a breeze. Then, it was the smell of salt. Bolting up, the blue-eyed maiden found herself in the middle of a garden of exotic flowers, each taking a different color. In front of all of that, a black-haired man stood looking over a cliff with his hands clasped behind his back.

    The man had a lithe frame and his hair looked silky as it flowed down to his neck. That was when she noticed his clothes. He wore a navy blue button-down and a pair of jeans. It was so simple, but it still flipped a switch in Mirai¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Father?¡± She mumbled as she took a step forward. ¡°That means,¡± she glanced around once more, ¡°this is my mind.¡±

    ¡°Quite the astute observation,¡± the man commented with a soft, yet teasing tone. ¡°But yes, this is what your mind has become. Lovely, is it not?¡±

    Shuffling through the field of flowers, Mirai came closer to the edge of the cliff. From there, she was welcomed with the sight of a vast ocean, going passed the horizon.

    ¡°There is a vast collection of other words that I would use,¡± she remarked once she stood to her father¡¯s right side.

    ¡°Sometimes, you are too much like your mother,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°You know, leaving your mind alone for two months left quite the opening. Even with the years that I¡¯ve been here, one spirit has made your reserves its new home. Thankfully, she¡¯s quite a peaceful spirit.¡±

    ¡°You have conversed with this spirit?¡± She asked with confusion and concern vying for dominance in her expression.

    ¡°Yes, only once though.¡± He confirmed before pointing toward the ocean below. ¡°She was a beautiful nymph, but she only spoke one sentence since she had taken residence with me. But she¡¯s powerful, alright. Maybe on par with Nikki¡¯s partner.¡±

    Pondering that thought for a moment, Mirai tried to recall whether or not she had heard this spirit say anything. In time, her memories held no positive results. So, she went to her next best source, her father.

    ¡°What did she say?¡±

    Humming, the parent looked at the ocean. His mind looked for the answer while his eyes looked for the spirit.

    ¡°I can¡¯t quite recall,¡± he spoke solemnly. ¡°But she has not threatened the tether my soul has on yours, so we can assume she means well.¡±

    ¡°That is reassuring,¡± Mirai replied automatically.

    The two stood in silence. The father kept his eyes trained on the ocean as a predator would wait for its prey. Meanwhile, Mirai tried to collect her thoughts. There was the new situation with the spirit, her recent induction into the Lum¨ªr Academies, and the ritual. No matter what happened, there seemed to be something that traced back to the ritual.

    Without the ritual, the spirit in her would have likely found another host. Without the ritual, she would have been left as a Catalyst hidden on Earth from the prying eyes of magic users. Without the ritual, she would be living a peaceful life.

    ¡°Something you would like to ask?¡± Her father asked, interrupting her train of thought.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t really know,¡± she stuttered out. ¡°I just want to go back home and go back to my mundane life. But¡­ But all that changed in just one night.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re wondering why it all happened to you, well, we can say that Hecate and the other gods need to create balance. You were just the prime candidate for their plan.¡± He spoke softly as Mirai shook in her place. All of a sudden, she clung to his side. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright,¡± he said with an arm pulling her close. ¡°I¡¯ll be here for you until the end.¡±

    Sniffling, she tightened her grip. ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡±

 Chapter 8 Sophia Gardnir

    With a groan, Mirai Senshin fluttered her eyes open, finding herself in a dim room she barely recognized as her own dorm. Gazing around the room, it took her a few seconds to realize she had fallen on her side and was resting on her left cheek. Groggily, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, but now her cheek stung with a pink glow on its usual tan complexion.

    Rubbing her cheek, she thought, ¡°Perhaps meditating on my bed is smarter.¡± Saving that thought for later, the blue-eyed maiden shuffled over to the window and brushed the deep blue curtains to the side. Immediately, she shielded her eyes from the sunlight threatening to make her go blind. Once her eyes had adjusted to the brightness, she squinted at the setting Sun and its orange skies. ¡°I may as well go find something for dinner,¡± she mumbled before pulling her curtains closed.

    Taking a moment, the young woman fixed her blouse and pants while slipping on a pair of slippers. Then, after locking her dorm room, she sauntered through the second-floor hallway, until she neared the stairs.

    Without taking a step further, she could hear a multitude of conversations. Some spoke of the year¡¯s classes, others chatted about next week¡¯s activities with the utmost excitement, but there was one that got stuck out like a sore thumb.

    At the base of the stairs, there was a voice that Mirai recognized. It sounded arrogant, even when complaining, though the logistics of that occurrence went ignored. So, while gritting her teeth, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

    ¡°So what are you going to do about it?¡± An unfamiliar, feminine voice asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to make that bitch pay for it!¡± The arrogant boy shouted back. ¡°I spent my entire stash on that sword! Now, it¡¯s fucking shattered!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t, Menelaus. Mr. Klein already told everyone that any damages to personal property in a duel are sanctified. So, you can¡¯t just sue her for it.¡± The girl retorted, her voice growing louder with every word.

    Spacing out for a moment, the blue-eyed girl upstairs thought about the situation going down below her. Apparently, she broke the Menelaus guy¡¯s sword and he wants her to pay for it. While she could do that easily, given that it seemed to be fairly cheap, the other girl was right. Since she broke it in a duel, she was only responsible for taking her prize, not paying for collateral damage.

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck!¡± Menelaus shouted, breaking Mirai from her thoughts. ¡°She¡¯s just some cheating bitch! She probably used that Tuning thingy to cheat too! There¡¯s no way she can be so strong!¡±

    Tired of the meaningless chit-chat happening down under, the Tuner steps down and takes a deep breath. ¡°Unfortunately for you, the only cheat I used was my heritage. Surely you will not fault me for who my parents were?¡± She asked the brunette boy with sarcasm oozing from her mouth.

    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care about your lame-ass excuses!¡± Menelaus shouted before shoving away a brunette girl to grab Mirai by the collar. ¡°You little cheat! Fight me again!¡±

    Raised on her toes, the Senshin put her hand on the boy¡¯s chest and felt his ribs through his shirt. Ignoring that, she smirked and whispered, ¡°Try me.¡± Before anyone knew it, Menelaus dropped to the ground, gripping his chest for his life. Stepping back, Mirai grabbed her head, covering her eyes with her hand to soothe the sudden rush of pain.

    In the sudden silence that enveloped nearly half of the first floor, Menelaus was the first to recover. When he rose back to his feet, he stumbled back and grabbed the brunette girl he was talking to for support. Then, he removed his hand from his chest. There, on his chest, were five holes, each distinctly thin and sharp, concealing the scrawny body underneath.

    After a few more seconds of odd silence, Mirai held onto the railing of the stairs for support and took her hand away from her face. In her fixed glare, all the floor¡¯s occupants were free to see her eyes. Yet, instead of a sapphire blue hue, the orbs were blazing crimson.

    ¡°Look away if you know what¡¯s good for you,¡± she growled out with her canines on display. When her fellow students just continued to stare, she hardened her glare and shouted, ¡°Look away!¡±

    In pure fear, everyone swiveled around. Meanwhile, the now-crimson gaze of Mirai latched onto Menelaus. When their eyes met, all he could do was stumble back with a gaping expression. ¡°Wha¡­ What did you do!?¡± He exclaimed, drawing the attention of a few brave souls.

    Scowling at the cowering brunette, Mirai brought her hands together and just let her mana flow. Responding to her call, the energy erupted from her body in a stream of living flames that snaked around her figure. From her scowl, a sadistic grin grew wide at her latest revelation.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what I did, it¡¯s what you did, fool.¡± She spat out with her cruel gaze preying on the sweater-wearing student. ¡°But you can¡¯t even recognize it. A pity.¡± She rambled on as the flames continued its dance around her. ¡°A Catalyst contains some of the purest mana. But the purer mana is, the less inclined to an element it becomes. So, let¡¯s just say, you got me so mad that I¡¯m boiling with anger!¡±

    From her spot beside Menelaus, the brunette girl stared at Mirai in a mixture of awe and confusion. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of emotionally-stunted transformations¡­ but seeing it is so¡­ so¡­¡±

    ¡°Insane? Terrifying? Oh, there are so many words you could use. But let¡¯s settle on astounding. Yes, yes, that¡¯s an excellent description,¡± Mirai rambled on while her flames began to flicker and grew closer to her body. ¡°Hm? It seems our little meet-and-greet is over. Guess I¡¯ll just kill you some other time, brats.¡±

    With a sudden tremor, Mirai went through a head-splitting wave of energy, making her feel as if every limb of her body was pulled away from each other. Thankfully, it was over as soon as it came.

    Shaking her head, she gazed around at the startled expressions on the onlooker¡¯s faces. Not giving so much as a word to the small crowd, she strolled away and left the dormitories.

    She knew her eyes had gone from sapphire to crimson, and finally, silver, but no one needed to tell her that.

    <hr>

    After a long walk, a silver-eyed Mirai arrived at the core of Lum¨ªr¡¯s school, the cafeteria. And¡­ the brown-haired girl from earlier was standing right in front of the doors.

    Not letting the moment faze her, Mirai walked up to her and stopped. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she muttered, yet the brunette stayed still. Raising her melodic voice, she repeated, ¡°Excuse me,¡± with the hope that her tone was sincere rather than neutral.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    She stood still. No words needed to be said. The only thing shared between the two was a cold gaze.

    ¡°What was that?¡± She asked, finally breaking the silence. When Mirai feigned ignorance, the brunette crossed her arms. ¡°You know what I mean. The whole eye thing. What was it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this one is the bossy one. Figures,¡± Mirai absentmindedly noted. ¡°It is part of being a Catalyst-turned-Tuner, I suppose. I doubt it has been recorded into any book, considering my situation is already unique. For now, you should pay it no mind and move on. It has never been too troublesome for me to remain calm under most pretenses, so unless you want to die, you will be relatively safe.¡±

    Waiting for her to move, Mirai looked behind her at the bustling cafeteria. Though the girl just continued to stay still, feet planted firmly in front of the doors.

    ¡°We are far from done,¡± the taller girl growls out. ¡°You aren¡¯t stable and I need to understand that power. If there¡¯s nothing like it, then that¡¯s even more of a reason to study it!¡± She exclaimed, only for the two to enter a period of silence again.

    That silence remained unbroken until Mirai¡¯s stomach rebelled against it and growled. ¡°Perhaps we can discuss this over supper.¡±

    In an attempt to dispel the awkward moment, the brunette nodded and stepped out of the way.

    Before either of the girls knew it, they were seated at a circular table across from each other. In front of Mirai was a bowl of rice porridge filled with various extra ingredients while the brunette kept a medium-rare steak close to her. Beginning her meal, Mirai expected a barrage of questions or speculations, either one would annoy her really. Thankfully it was held off until the third sip of her porridge.

    ¡°Do you even know what that thing was?¡± She asked, her food untouched.

    ¡°Not exactly, but I can make plenty of hypotheses.¡± The now-silver-eyed girl responded. ¡°The most prominent of which is possible with several people, but I highly doubt they would attempt to accomplish something even remotely similar.¡±

    ¡°And that would be?¡±

    ¡°Creating a mental space, undergo the Tuning Ritual, allow one of the Senshin family¡¯s spirits to nestle within that mental space, and only enter it after three months of adjustment.¡± She briefly listed with her eyes trained on her food rather than her (unwanted) companion. ¡°Of course, the danger to your mana reserves and mind alone should be enough to draw away most people, but the legality of such a situation may reinstate the death sentence.¡±

    For a few seconds, the brunette just stares. ¡°Senshin family spirit?¡±

    ¡°Spirits. Plural.¡± The Senshin corrects automatically. ¡°The Senshin family has basically monopolized the ability to interact with spirits. So, unless you have some Senshin genetics, you would have to go under a ritual to even hear a spirit¡ªwhich my family has also monopolized.¡±

    ¡°Spirits? You mean like the Arcane Spirits?¡±

    ¡°Not like. We literally work with the Arcane Spirits on a personal level. There was even someone who wrote a book about a crazy person who fell in love with a ghost, but that turned out to be a very distant cousin of the Senshin family that could only see the spirit he was bonded to.¡± She rambled, indifferent about all the information she was spilling to the girl whose name she had yet to learn. ¡°But eat your food before it gets cold. It tastes better warm.¡±

    Muttering something about a mother hen, the brunette sliced off a sliver of her steak with her gaze still following the silver-eyed girl. For a brief period of silence, the two just continued eating.

    ¡°It is rude to stare,¡± Mirai spoke up when she finished the last of her porridge. ¡°Though if you are trying the solve the infinite puzzle that is me, then just ask for a hint.¡±

    The brunette expected some sort of malicious or snarky smile to curl up on the girl¡¯s lips. Instead, her expression remained neutral and her silver eyes shone toward the other girl¡¯s chubby cheeks. She avoided eye contact was just the third thing that the brunette had taken note of.

    After a few more seconds of staring, the brown-eyed girl asked, ¡°Why do you speak like that?¡±

    ¡°The answer you seek has many layers; are you sure you want to know?¡± Mirai asked with half-lidded eyes rising to meet the chocolate sheen of her peer.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Letting out a sigh, the silver-eyed girl answered her, ¡°My dialect stems from the need to maintain a visage and watch what I say to my elders, though the former may become especially useful very soon. It is similar to formal vernacular, where using contractions is fairly uncommon and addressing someone by his or her family name is polite,¡± she noted before sharpening her gaze. ¡°Speaking of which, you have yet to introduce yourself.¡±

    Blinking as she took in that information, the brunette cleared her throat. ¡°I am Sophia Gardnir. Apologies for not addressing that matter at an earlier time,¡± she said in a tone that made it seem like a stick was stuck up her butt. ¡°God, how do you keep that up? I feel like I was going to choke.¡±

    ¡°You did look quite uncomfortable, Miss Gardnir,¡± Mirai remarked with the expected snarky tone repressed by her ever-calm demeanor. ¡°Perhaps you should go back to asking a multitude of questions that no one has thought to ask.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will take you up on that matter,¡± she awkwardly replied with her half-finished meal waiting to be eaten in front of her. ¡°Then, what about other Catalysts? Are they like you?¡±

    Humming along with her thoughts, Mirai eventually found her answer when Sophia resumed eating. ¡°All Catalysts share some similarities, but just as other Attuned differ, we differ too. So, while our reserves are pure and contain nearly every element, that range varies considerably. Naturally, that principle applies to most aspects of what makes us unique, but I believe you wanted to know if they will suffer from whatever abstruse power has been given to me. Of that, I am unsure.¡±

    ¡°Which means that it could happen, but it¡¯s something you don¡¯t understand yet?¡± Sophia asked with a raised eyebrow and a raised fork that held her next piece of meat.

    ¡°Precisely,¡± Mirai nearly clapped, but something urged her to remain still. ¡°Now, do you have any questions on topics that would be more relevant to our studies?¡±

    ¡°Well, what electives are you taking?¡±

    ¡°I believe I am taking each, save for herbology.¡±

    ¡°Really? Why not?¡± The brunette asked, leaning closer until her stomach pressed against the edge of the table.

    Glancing around the cafeteria, the silver-eyed girl sighed. ¡°Truly, I believe I would find little use in it, even if I become a healer or alchemist. Plants are fascinating specimens, but I simply do not see it as a viable tool in the future.¡±

    ¡°Which includes¡­¡±

    ¡°Family matters, Miss Gardnir,¡± she finished with a hint of a threat boiling underneath her mask of perfect emotionless. ¡°Surely you had not assumed I would settle down for something dangerous now, would you?¡±

    ¡°I suppose not,¡± the other girl grumbled.

    ¡°If you would, we have time for one more question before it is too dark to walk back.¡± Motioning toward the windows, the two noticed the fading orange hue coating the scenery.

    Despite this, Sophia just tilted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t you use warp gates?¡± By the smaller girl¡¯s lack of response, the brunette giggled mockingly. ¡°Are you serious? You can use warp gates to get all around the academy! Walking would be a nightmare for your feet!¡±

    ¡°Duly noted.¡± Now it was Mirai¡¯s turn to grumble.

    ¡°And for my last question, why have you answered my questions for so long?¡±

    Pausing at that thought, Mirai was tempted to shrug and leave. Instead, she did something sincere and came up with the best logical answer. ¡°I suppose I find your company oddly tolerable. Though it is pleasant to find someone with such a thirst for knowledge, even if this information is quite readily available in Lum¨ªr¡¯s facilities.¡±

    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Sophia exclaimed, bursting up from her seat.

    ¡°I assure you, I am not.¡± The shorter girl teased before standing up as well. ¡°Now, would you do the honor of showing me to these warp gates?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but I¡¯m sitting next to you in class tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Noted.¡±

 Chapter 9 Little Changes (Last Chapter)

    Awoken by a gentle breeze, silver orbs flutter open and welcomed the endless sea cast before them. The smell of salt filled the girl¡¯s nostrils while her hair caught the breeze and flew behind her. With a single glance below her, the girl could see a platform of ice divided herself and the wet abyss.

    ¡°My mind,¡± she whispered in the same melodic voice that haunted her every single day. Taking a deep breath, she curled up with her legs folded against her chest and held together by her arms. ¡°This ocean is my energy, I control it. But this ice is my inability and eternal weakness as a Catalyst.¡±

    Letting her own reasoning sink into the depths of her mind, she turned her gaze upward. To her dismay, the skies above contained a brewing storm, blocking out any hope of the bright blue she yearned to see. Instead, she remained between the azure of the ocean and the slate of the skies. Neither brought her hope nor remarked of the ideals she held. All she could see was the doubt and fear harbored within her.

    Dropping her head, she positioned her head in the nook between her bosom and legs. With no one to ask, she closed her eyes and spoke to herself.

    ¡°Why? All you¡¯ve done is training and learning. There is nothing to fear, nothing to hide from anymore,¡± she mumbled with no regard for any mannerism. ¡°You have power, Mirai. You¡¯re no longer the Catalyst that has to be protected. Yet why do you still have fear?¡±

    With no inhibition, the small girl let out a choked sob. Knowing it did not matter what she did in her own mind, she let out her sobs until her clothes were stained with tears.

    In the midst of her pity, a shadow arose below her, darkening the azure surface. Completing loop after loop, the shadow burst through the face of the ocean and wrapped around the pillar of ice. Despite the noise of the breaking water, Mirai had witnessed none of this until a hand had dropped onto her left shoulder.

    Blinking away her ugly tears, violet orbs met pure white. Then, a smile formed on the pale blue face of the creature. Though with its pure white eyes, scaly skin, and cryptic amethyst markings, the creature had scared the little girl into a speechless shock. Pulling her hand away, the eye-less woman lost her smile and curled her tail into a coil for her to sit on.

    In her wordless stupor, the Senshin girl attempted to take in the sight of the creature. The form of a mermaid greeted her eyes, matching the elegance and grace, but not quite the beauty. Tribal markings ran down the mermaid¡¯s body along with a set of fins on her forearms and another pair for every third of her tail. That was when she realized the pale blue skin was scaled. Each scale blended with another to mimic the skin of a human, though the inhuman features gave away to the discovery of the subtle detail.

    After all of that, the woman lacked eyes, only white orbs where pupils and an iris should live. Around those eyes were more markings that led into her silver hair, cascading down to the beginning of her tail. Those features were ones to make someone freak out, but it was the golden horns that finished the elegant appeal to the creature while ridding her of traditional beauty.

    Absorbing the sight in front of her, Mirai had still remained silent. Now, it was time for the mermaid to speak. ¡°Forgive me, I hoped you would be ready to become partners.¡±

    Still, the young Senshin was left frozen at the edge of her ice platform. There was another thing that disturbed her now. The mermaid spoke without moving her lips. Although that should have not scared her as much as it did, another inhuman trait just made her terror multiply.

    ¡°If you are not ready, I can wait.¡± She continued with those unmoving lips locked into the creature¡¯s resting face. ¡°Please grow past your fear. It has many uses, but our bond needs to be solidified, Mirai.¡±

    Four minutes passed between the two before Mirai moved. It was only to wipe away what was left of her sobs, but at least it was something.

    ¡°What is your name, Miss?¡± She whispered due to the fear that her voice would crack from her recent crying session.

    ¡°No need for formalities,¡± the mermaid spoke softly, matching the level of Mirai¡¯s voice. ¡°I am Arethusa, a nymph sworn to the Senshin line and formerly an attendant of Artemis.¡±

    Nodding hesitantly, Mirai sat down and looked into the pure white eyes of Arethusa. ¡°I am Mirai Senshin, next Ancient of the Senshin family and Catalyst. Although you know both of those things if your position makes any statement.¡±

    ¡°Brilliant as always,¡± the nymph commented. ¡°Unfortunately, yes, our bond is part of your recent rise in rank. Since you will be the next leader of the house, I believed it wise for me to seek you out myself. Although I had made sure you were safe under the request of the current Ancient before your accident.¡±

    Pause.

    ¡°A... request¡­ ?¡±

    Nodding, the nymph¡¯s pupil-less eyes seemed to soften. ¡°Yes, our Ancient believed it would be wise. After all, Nikki is the strongest in five generations of the Senshin family, so it was pertinent that you were under careful watch.¡± In a brief moment, her eyes appeared to dart away. ¡°Especially after your father used that soul-binding ritual,¡± she spoke quietly as an afterthought.

    Falling silent at those words, Mirai stood up and barely reached the coiled height of the spirit. Swiveling on her bare heel, she asked, ¡°What else is up for discussion?¡±

    Still coiled on the ice, the mermaid raised her head and looked at the tangled hair that Mirai had left alone. ¡°I would like to talk about when we can form a bond, though I understand that the state of your mind is of equal importance.¡±

    Taking a moment to think, Mirai focused on the storm clouds brewing around her. Then, the abyss of an ocean at her feet. ¡°We can form a bond after a week¡¯s passing. I need to let everything set in, so to speak.¡± She answered before another pause. ¡°I know at least where this state is coming from. I fear what is happening to me and what is going to happen as heiress. Adding to that, your mythology entails a nymph being driven by fear, so it would be probable that you can instill or be empowered by fear.¡±

    ¡°As always, a brilliant deduction, Mirai,¡± Arethusa complimented with a smile directed toward the girl¡¯s back. ¡°Though I cannot instill fear, instead, I can use it, if you will. The fight or flight instinct is quite familiar to me, but there is little to my ambient aura of fear. Otherwise, your mental state aligns with your deduction.¡±

    Nodding at the information, Mirai clasped her hands behind her back. With a quick stretch, she patted down what remained of her nightgown and motioned for the spirit to continue.

    ¡°There is not much else I can say,¡± she admitted, ¡°you are an excellent partner for any spirit. So I will wait for the bonding ritual and hope you come to accept your position. Being an Ancient is a wonderful opportunity an outsider would love to take, but to the heir, it is a difficult fate.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Arethusa,¡± Mirai mumbled as a weight lifted off her chest. Although that had done nothing to dispel the fear in her mindscape.

    ¡°Anytime, Mirai. But, keep in mind, remain calm for a while.¡±

    ¡°You know who I am, right?¡± The Catalyst retorted with an uplifted tone. ¡°A transfigured rock is more expressive than me.¡±

    ¡°Your clothes beg to differ,¡± Arethusa replied in return. ¡°Though given your fixation on keeping up an appearance, it is a pleasant change of pace. But I have always wondered¡­ why have you molded yourself to be this way?¡±

    ¡°Family politics, what else?¡± She bit back with all of the snark she could muster.

    Shaking her head minutely, the spirit rephrased her question. ¡°I know being a Catalyst brought torment upon you, it is similar for all Catalysts. Just moments ago, you have finally shown that an emotion truly exists within the void that you have become. So, why have you deprived yourself of your emotions?¡±

    ¡°To protect me,¡± the witch muttered. ¡°Either way, growing up in an environment where you are different will lead to becoming an outlier in the system. Until I could make peace with my abnormalities, I dissolved the other problems I could encounter and tried to make sense of everything.¡±

    ¡°That explains many of your reactions,¡± concluded the mermaid. ¡°Even a change in gender did nothing to bring out a response. All you did was wonder about your health and your life moving forward, truly something to be questioned through all manner of study.¡±

    Grumbling at the memory of that event, the girl rounded toward the edge of the platform. ¡°If I reacted any differently, it would cause unnecessary hassle. So it was more beneficial to inquire about my health rather than freak out as anyone else would.¡± Hearing this response, the corner of the spirit¡¯s lips curled downward though she had not opened her mouth still.

    ¡°Mirai, it is acceptable to let out your emotions. Keeping them bundled up will only destroy yourself from the inside out.¡±

    ¡°I know that, but wasting time with emotionally-charged decisions will get me nowhere.¡± She replied with her tone dropping into a monotone.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to hear this, but accepting your emotions is the only way for you to grow as a person.¡±

    ¡°That goes against everything I have done.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is true.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Where else will I have to grow? If I do that, what else do I have to strive for?¡±

    ¡°All up to you, my dear. Once you have discarded the idea that your void of emotions will make you better, you will face external adversities requiring alternate solutions. Afterward, I have complete faith that the greatest Ancient Senshin throughout history will rise.¡±

    Letting out a sigh, Mirai closed her eyes for a moment. Then, she opened her eyes to reveal silver orbs focused on the spirit that appeared to meet her gaze.

    ¡°If I ever get to that pinnacle, I would be killing myself from the inside-out.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t give a crap about having power. In fact, I would have lost more of my fucking humanity if I even wanted to become the greatest Ancient Senshin.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, this is one fate you will not escape. Even without the bracelet, you will be forced down this path, whether you like it or not.¡±

    Scoffing, the violet-eyed witch dived into the abyss of an ocean, going further down until she ran out of air. Following her, the nymph watched the girl¡¯s actions with a sliver of morbid curiosity. Albeit short-lived as Mirai faded into nothing.

    <hr>

    Bolting up from her bed, Mirai sat on the edge with half of her sheets hanging off the bed. With no time to spare, she ran to the bathroom and slammed her hands down on the sink counter.

    In the mirror, she absorbed her disheveled appearance. Her midnight black locks were tangled around her, yet still reached down to her shoulders. Her cheeks were barren on tears and her eyes. Goodness, her eyes were beaming violet and shaking at the sight of herself. All of a sudden, she pushed herself back and stared at her terrorized form.

    ¡°No,¡± she muttered, clenching her fists full with the fabric of her nightgown. ¡°I must be calm. Calm, I must be. I must be calm. Calm, I must be¡­¡±

    Repeating her new mantra under her breath, she stopped after she repeated it seven times. A deep breath later and she unclenched her hands, releasing the folds of her gown to cascade down the curves of her body. Opening her eyes, she reveled in the distinct change.

    Now, her eyes had crystallized into its new silver, allowing Mirai to settle down her nerves. That was not all. Her hair was still a tangled jungle sitting on her head, but it had lost some volume, so it had rested close to her scalp. Brushing a hand through the locks, she withheld a curse when she encountered the first knot in her silky hair. Otherwise, she was content with it.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°To think, three parts of my magic have split now,¡± she commented with a step toward her sink. Bringing up her right hand, she flexed her fingers a few times. ¡°Let¡¯s see, at the moment, my calm state resonates with my light magic¡ªand by proxy, healing magic. Second, my anger manifested as a fire familiar after I was taunted. Now, my fear has been brought forth by a lucid dream, though I have yet to learn what abilities it brings out.¡± Satisfied with that self-examination, Mirai grabbed her toothbrush and began her morning routine.

    Once she was done, she left her room in her dull uniform and locked her door with an overdose of mana. Shifting the strap of her bag, she sighed and took out the largest book of the three she needed for her classes. An almanac of all known monsters was now carried on her hip.

    Cursing whoever was unfortunate to be her instructor for Monsters and other threats, she strolled down the staircase, only to be knocked to the ground. Pushing her offender away, Mirai had a face full of brown hair and felt a few crumbs on her cheek. Before she could clean herself up, the offender decided it would be good to apologize immediately.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, Mirai! I was reading and eating some toast! But I was also in a hurry to go get my bag from my room! Anyway, I ran into you and that¡¯s not okay!¡± Several questions arose about how many things could be on a person¡¯s mind at once, but that thought was replaced with the realization of just who had bumped into Mirai.

    Though, since someone needed to have manners, Mirai stood up and brushed off the crumbs from her face. ¡°You are forgiven, Miss Gardnir. Be mindful of your surroundings in the future,¡± the shorter girl advised in the passive-neutral voice that her silver eyes had belonged with.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll try.¡± The brunette said with a closed book held against her stomach and a slice of toast in her other hand. Glancing down, Sophia saw the book in Mirai¡¯s hand and exclaimed, ¡°Right! My bag!¡± In a blur of black and brown, the taller girl bolted up the stairs while taking a bite of toast.

    Fighting the urge to sigh, Mirai instead focused on Sophia¡¯s appearance¡ªa crucial detail she had forgone yesterday. Obviously, the brunette adorned the dull uniform mandatory for Crestworth students. A black suit lined with white trimmings, though where Mirai had opted for a pair of pants, Sophia had chosen a pencil skirt and stockings. Besides that, the brunette¡¯s voluminous hair bounced with her steps, hiding most of the chain around the girl¡¯s neck, though not enough.

    By the time that Mirai lost sight of the brunette, she already had a nearly complete picture of Sophia in her mind. Moving on, the black-haired girl gazed over the dormitory. It was only meant for the first-year students, yet there were much fewer people than the girl expected.

    At the moment, there were only three other people. One was eating breakfast in the large kitchen, another person played with a ball of mana, and the last one was laying on the couch with a magazine in her hands.

    Ignoring all of them, Mirai dusted off her uniform. Then, she sauntered over to one of the two sitting areas to plop herself down. For better or worse, Sophia came right back down the stairs at that moment. Whether or not the brunette heard it, Mirai cursed her speed under her breath.

    ¡°Alright, come on! Our class starts in half an hour!¡± Exclaimed the brunette as she leaned over the couch with a worn-out bookbag.

    ¡°That means we have twenty minutes to spend before we should start heading to class.¡± The shorter girl retorted from her leaning position on the couch.

    Rolling her eyes, Sophia grabbed Mirai¡¯s right wrist and pleaded to her. ¡°Come on, just today! It¡¯s our first Healing class! I want to meet a Master Healer!¡±

    Sighing at her cries, Mirai stood up and turned to the brunette, though she barely had to look down despite the other girl leaning over the couch. ¡°Healer Dolan is certainly fascinating, but it is doubtful he will even be in his classroom in twenty minutes. So, what other reasoning do you have for going to an empty classroom for half an hour?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I still have to teach you how to warp¡ª¡±

    ¡°I will do that on my own. It is doubtful you would even know more than the incantation,¡± she interrupted.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Mirai stared at her and gave her a look that told her exactly how fed up she was. ¡°I just wanted to know more about¡­ spirits.¡±

    ¡°Was that so hard now?¡± Mirai teased, though her voice edged on playful and annoyed. ¡°Though what do you want to know that could not be explained in a book?¡±

    ¡°Well, family spirits are only briefly mentioned.¡± She began while straightening her posture and avoiding eye contact. ¡°So, since your family is famous for communicating with spirits, I thought you might know a little something. Though you didn¡¯t know how to warp, so I had some doubts. You know, knowing one of the most basic spells gave a lot of red flags. Sorry, I¡¯m rambling a bit, I do that when I¡¯m nervous, especially when someone confronts me about all my questions or just questions me at all really. I¡¯m not used to being asked questions, I was always the one asking the questions. Right! Sorry! I¡¯ll shut up now!¡±

    ¡°Dear Hecate, this girl is going to give me a headache,¡± Mirai forced the instinct to sigh down and pulled Sophia over the couch. Now that she was nice and awkward, the Catalyst crossed her arms. ¡°The first thing you should know about family spirits is that they are family secrets.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the second thing?¡± The brunette asked with piqued excitement.

    Shaking her head, the black-haired girl said, ¡°That is the only thing you need to know.¡±

    ¡°What? Come on!¡± Groaned the brunette while upside down. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it said in the five books that I looked through! Even in the Guide to Known Spirits!¡±

    ¡°Excellent. That means the authors of this world are reliable.¡± She said with the same playful-annoyed edge to her voice. ¡°After all, family spirits are family secrets. No matter what family it is.¡±

    ¡°So unfair¡­¡±

    ¡°Coming from the person who does not know the secret means so much.¡±

    ¡°Shut it, you!¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    <hr>

    In the end, Mirai and Sophia went to class after the rest of their peers, namely the ones who chose to walk to the campus. Though it was to the gratification of the two girls since the healer rushed in when the bell rang. From there, the Healing Arts class contained a trifling lecture about learning basic first-aid and other manual procedures throughout the first semester. All without using magic.

    Leaving less than pleased, Sophia rushed toward the next class while dragging Mirai by the wrist. After smacking the girl upside the head, Mirai took her usual seat near the door. Only to curse herself when the portly professor strolled in and started a lecture about the wonders of monsters and spirits. It didn¡¯t end there. He had the gall to ask her about experiences with spirits based on her family. When she declined, the professor seemed to deflate, much to the silver-eyed girl¡¯s satisfaction.

    Once the class was over, lunch was spent in a small company. Sophia and Mirai had demanded an air of solitude, despite the bustle of the caf¨¦teria. The brunette¡¯s barrage of deflected questions had warded off many bypassers. Meanwhile, Mirai¡¯s resting expression appeared to give no time for anyone, not even her brown-eyed companion.

    Nevertheless, that was how the two preferred it. Although Sophia had learned little about spirits from her companion, it was inciteful nonetheless. On the other hand, Mirai enjoyed a trace amount of mental stimulation from recalling old history books and some family secrets buried deep within the depths of her mind.

    Next, the two were stuck in a history class. At the very least, the teacher had a rather¡­ inventive teaching process. Replacing the bland lecture-style of teaching, she had taken a box of clay and used her magic to reenact events or just explain a few terms. The excitement from moving clay led to all but Mirai overlooking the wheelchair the instructor was inclined to use.

    After all of that, Mirai and Sophia were the last to leave the class. Then, Mirai stopped at the door. ¡°Gardnir, go on without me.¡± She spoke softly as she turned around.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll save you a seat or spot or whatever the teacher uses,¡± the brunette blabbed before the shorter girl nudged her out. ¡°Yeah, sorry! I¡¯ll see you there!¡±

    Shutting the door softly, the Senshin turned to her disabled instructor who had stared at her with sapphire eyes full of expectations. Before either knew it, Mirai bowed down on one knee with her eyes closed. ¡°Aunt Hypatia, I was unaware you would be instructing at Crestworth. My apologies for not meeting with you earlier.¡±

    "Oh, cut out all the formalities! We¡¯re at Crestworth, not Dragon Heart!¡± The greying woman scolded with a hearty laugh. When her niece rose up again, she stretched her wrinkle-infested arms out. With no need for further prompting, the silver-eyed girl hugged the old woman with a small smile. ¡°That¡¯s more like my Mimi!¡±

    ¡°Auntie! Stop calling me that!¡± The younger Senshin whined as she pulled herself out of the embrace. Instead of reprimanding the girl, Hypatia grinned, causing Mirai to shake her head and take a deep breath.

    ¡°Ah, just as easy to tease,¡± she chortled. ¡°But you¡¯re better off than I expected, you have one more friend than I expected you to have. Though you have four fewer enemies than I expected too.¡±

    ¡°You expected me to have no friends and at least five enemies?¡± The younger woman asked with a delicately arched eyebrow raised. ¡°The school has been in session for one day and your expectations are that high? I would need three days to get that many enemies.¡±

    ¡°And by next week, you¡¯ll have hundreds gunning for whatever spot you have on the leaderboard,¡± Hypatia added while wheeling toward her clay models.

    ¡°About that,¡± Pausing, silver eyes drifted away from the wisened sapphire orbs. ¡°After my unofficial duel, I doubt I will be challenged any time soon.¡±

    Chuckling at that, the elder flicked her wrist. In response, her model clay formed three different students. The left model clearly indicated Menelaus Maes with the sweater and slightly baggy pants. To the right, a frail boy wearing glasses and the full three-piece uniform stood with a book in his arms. Finally, the middle held a tall girl with hair styled into a thick braid down her back while her eyes were fixed into a glare.

    ¡°You underestimate the tenacity of youth, dear.¡± The older Senshin replied with a look toward the three statues. ¡°Already, we have three self-proclaimed leaders in our small group of first-years. Mr. Maes comes from a small family, but his determination makes him a worthy contender. The boy over here, he¡¯s a Rompa. Lots of potential here, but he¡¯s convinced that he¡¯s weaker than he really is.¡±

    ¡°And the girl is from the Killa clan,¡± Mirai interrupted, ¡°one of our family¡¯s smaller branches specializing in harnessing the raw power of spirits.¡±

    ¡°Yep. She¡¯s a feisty one too, won¡¯t take a no for an answer, especially when she knew I was a Senshin. Though being a Sage helped rein her in.¡±

    Nodding, Mirai mumbled, ¡°I can only imagine. Being in tune with the elements takes years of training for a reason.¡±

    All of a sudden, the clay dropped back into loose piles. Whipping to face her aunt, Mirai was shooed out. ¡°Hurry! You have another class, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Mirai exclaimed before bursting into a run. Over her shoulder, she waved to her aunt who stayed in her empty classroom.

    Wheeling back over to her lumps of clay, the elderly woman flexed her fingers and constructed another model. Before her very eyes, another figure rose with the form of a mermaid and the vicious features of a nesting dragon.

    Blank eyes. Tribal markings. Golden horns.

    Letting out a sigh, Hypatia began her translation. ¡°Arethusa, blind to her reality, true to her calling, and holder of steady determination.¡± The message sank in, leaving the aged Senshin with sullen eyes and a hand brushing through her grey hairs. ¡°You will be quite troublesome, Mimi.¡±

    <hr>

    In her next class, Mirai found herself sitting on her legs with a soft pillow below her. Around her, Sophia had taken her left, though there were no other pillows to her right. Otherwise, she found the candle-lit room oddly comforting despite the number of students approaching two hundred.

    ¡°Class!¡± A blindfolded black-haired woman shouted from the front of the class. ¡°I am Madam Ubon Wattana, the Mind Arts instructor for all first-years and second-years. Today and Thursday will be dedicated toward weeding out the class to a more manageable amount. Fortunately for all of you, you just need to stay calm while I check the state of your mind. Any questions?¡±

    Immediately, Sophia shot her hand up, followed by a few shy hands. As a reward for her speed, Madam Wattana pointed to her first. ¡°Madam, how will you weed us out exactly?¡±

    ¡°An excellent question,¡± she began with a clap of her hands. ¡°While I check your minds, I will be looking for your intents and your connection toward both your mind and emotions. If your intent is malicious, I will ban you from the course. Though if your connection is weaker, I will advise you to join my tutoring classes to form that connection so you can be at the level of the remaining students.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what kind of malicious intent?¡± Someone shouted out of turn.

    ¡°Please wait to be called on,¡± the instructor softly scolded. ¡°By malicious intent, I mean those who wish to invade the minds of others for nefarious deeds. I would rather cultivate one student who wants to hone their mind and nothing else over hundreds of people who plan to control others into doing¡­ inappropriate deeds.¡±

    At the mention of that, twenty girls had shuddered, even a few guys. Yet, now no one else had a question.

    ¡°Students, I will begin meditating, so either relax and talk or meditate and meet me in your mind.¡± The instructor ordered, leading around thirty students to shut their eyes.

    Following the lead of others, Mirai inclined her head down and closed her silver orbs. In a few deep breaths, she tugged on the feeling of soft grass and delicate petals.

    Fluttering her eyes open, the Senshin found herself sitting in a bed of flowers. White roses and pine tree flowers, an odd combination and unsettling. She had awoken in yet another different place in her mind.

    ¡°Ah, Miss Senshin, quite the interesting mindscape you have,¡± Madam Wattana commented from the edge of the cliff. When Mirai realized the blindfolded woman stood alone, she bolted up and gazed over her mind once again.

    Instead of mingling flowers, there were sections. Three to be exact and each held a copy of her with only a few differences from each other.

    To her right was a bed of red snapdragons and matching petunias. Laying within was a tanned Mirai wearing less than modest clothing while a serpent coiled around her waist.

    ¡°Only my clothes and my skin tone changed. Intriguing.¡±

    To her left laid another version of her self surrounded by grass and a few begonias in white trimmed by violet. Pertaining to the third body of Mirai, she was curled up on her side in an oversized sweater and a pair of sweat pants, hiding her figure.

    ¡°Again with the clothes. Though that form identifies my obvious fear.¡±

    ¡°Few of my students have a well-developed mind such as this, nevermind how close your emotions are to your psyche.¡± Breaking her out of her thoughts, Wattana strode over to the silver-eyed girl. ¡°I can already tell, your emotions will bring you great challenges.¡±

    ¡°Those challenges are welcomed,¡± Mirai interrupted. ¡°However, it seems my emotions are separating into different forms.¡±

    Nodding minutely, the instructor paused. ¡°Yes, it is quite peculiar. It is similar to a few of my students that have had multiple personalities, though none of them had a situation quite like yours.¡±

    ¡°I become more unique with every passing day.¡±

    ¡°Quite a loaded statement, but true nonetheless.¡± The blindfolded woman admitted before patting the short girl on the head. ¡°But I will take you on as a student. Be ready for our next class, young Senshin.¡±

    In a flash, the madam disappeared, leaving Mirai alone in her mind. Glancing to the sides, she scoffed and rubbed her head. ¡°Stupid height,¡± she muttered.

 Chapter 10 What Was That?

    "Damn, Mirai really knows her stuff! I might actually be able to pull off a Mana Blast in class!" Sophia cheered as she bounced down the halls of the balls of her feet. Pausing on the second floor, she glanced at the staff dorms. Though there were few, each had a little bit of customization, like the alcohol stains on Professor Gnosis'' door. At the very end of the short hall, a room literally glowing through a cryptic rune sequence was on display. Racking her memory, the witch couldn''t put a name to the technique or the style. Putting it on the backburner, she resumed her pleasant stroll down to the lobby.

    Upon stepping into the large space, she stopped. There was only one person in the room, Mirai Senshin. Gulping, the brunette brought up her left arm and rolled her sleeve back, giving her a brief glance of a cheap watch. Letting her arm drop to her side, she took a few heavy steps to the couch that the silver-eyed girl decided to inhabit.

    ¡°Um¡­ Mirai?¡± Sophia spoke up, garnering the other girl¡¯s attention despite her not looking up from her notes.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Gardnir?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here at four in the morning?¡±

    Silence.

    Nothing else needed to be said, the lack of an answer said it all. Breaking the awkward moment, Mirai¡¯s pencil scribbled something down before she crossed out the rest of the page. Slamming the pencil down on the coffee table, she closed up her fresh notebook and threw it across the table.

    ¡°Forgive me,¡± spoke the silver-eyed witch, though her serene tone completely contradicted her rushed actions. ¡°I had woken up earlier than expected and decided to speed my time working on my spell theory rather than going back to sleep. Besides, I wanted to use my training time with Professor Klein and Professor Gnosis more productively.¡±

    ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± the other girl commended. Plopping herself down on the couch, Sophia reached for Mirai¡¯s notebook, but it was snatched before she could grasp it. ¡°Hey! I just wanted a peek!¡± She whined.

    Rolling her eyes, the silver-eyed witch grabbed her bag from its place next to a couch leg and placed it between herself and the armrest. Meanwhile, her notebook got sandwiched into her textbook. Rewarded with a pout, the shorter witch stared at her taller peer for a few seconds.

    Letting up on the staring match, Sophia sagged her shoulders, leading her posture to decline significantly. Noticing this, Mirai forced her eyebrow to not twitch, which had been a successful effort to her surprise.

    ¡°Come on! We¡¯re like best friends already! Just let me read your notebook!¡± The brunette whined again while keeping up her pout.

    Gripping her textbook tighter, Mirai huffed in sheer annoyance. ¡°For the record, we have known each other for less than two days, so in actuality, we are barely friends. We are classmates, nothing beyond that. This means that there must be a certain degree of privacy maintained, otherwise, you will be in much more trouble than you can afford to have.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Spoilsport.¡± The other girl complained with a put-out expression.

    ¡°Nosy annoyance,¡± the silver-eyed witch retorted.

    ¡°Uptight princess.¡±

    ¡°Mannerless buffoon.¡±

    ¡°Bossy bitch.¡±

    ¡°Meddlesome brat.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ bitch?¡± Sophia said, though her tone led it to sound like a question.

    ¡°You just used that one,¡± the shorter student rebuffed. Her textbook was still tightly gripped between petite fingers.

    Groaning, the brunette gave up. ¡°Alright, fine. Let¡¯s just stop the name-calling and I¡¯ll stop trying to peek into that notebook of yours.¡±

    Closing her eyes, Mirai¡¯s hold had not loosened in the slightest. ¡°That is acceptable,¡± she drawled out before opening her silver eyes once again. Hearing a contented sigh from the taller girl, she let go of the slump in her posture. ¡°Dolt.¡±

    ¡°Deal¡¯s off, princess.¡±

    ¡°Good luck prying anything from me, dolt.¡±

    ¡°Challenge accepted.¡±

    Giving the shorter witch a smirk, Sophia shifted until she was leaning heavily on the other armrest. Letting her smirk fizz out into a resting line, the brunette tugged on a loose strand of her hair while she eyed the other girl in the most subtle way possible.

    Having not moved from her guarded form, Mirai kept her textbook close and gave her companion the side-eye. When she had averted eye contact, a thick notebook was pulled out and opened, only to be closed seconds later. ¡°What is on your mind, Miss Gardnir?¡± Letting her eyes bore into brown locks of hair, she knew the heat of her stare reached the other girl.

    ¡°I mean¡­ is that journal for spells? You have our basic spellbook, so it¡¯d make sense,¡± she proposed in return.

    Holding a dry, unnerved tone, Mirai said, ¡°Of course. What else could it ever hold?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe a diary? Or a dream journal?¡± She offered, noting that the other girl was taking a grain of salt. ¡°Honestly, I can never tell with you.¡±

    ¡°Few can. Only my mother and father have ever predicted my actions and thoughts correctly with any amount of consistency.¡± She slipped her notebook into her bag, keeping it between her and the armrest¡ªboth always out of sight of her peer.

    Humming as her thoughts came to her, Sophia crossed her arms and blurted out, ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°Where is this coming from?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± the brunette flicked away a lock of hair absentmindedly, ¡°you have this air of mystery and nothingness, I guess. That sort of leads me to wonder what could someone like you ever want. You already have power and looks you could flaunt around if you ever wanted. Plus, I know some guys who like that bitchy personality and have some money to throw around all willy-nilly.¡±

    Mouth agape, the silver-eyed girl took a few slow blinks. ¡°Is that really what you think about me?¡±

    ¡°Right now, maybe. Maybe it¡¯ll change if you answer the question,¡± the skirt-wearing student teased with a coy grin.

    ¡°I suppose I want the freedom to do whatever I choose when I decide to. Even now, my existence is controlled by outside forces, many of which I have never even met and never will. So, a time of freedom would be nice.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you have this academy for? You have so many choices like dueling, exploring dungeons, and learning new spells.¡±

    Shaking her head, the black-haired girl looked at the coffee table while she considered her next choice of words. ¡°No, this academy is a contradiction and far too limited. Even so, my life has already been written to end.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Pay it no mind.¡±