Valar spent the rest of his day studying the rune of life he had started on. The progress he made was significantly slower, but that was entirely normal. Memorizing the rune was hard work, and while he had the basic shape and some intricacies memorized, the work only became harder as he progressed. Elaine hadn’t lied. He would need days or possibly weeks to fully comprehend the rune. After that, he would need to work on the three others.

  As if that wasn’t enough, spells weren’t made with just those runes. The runes of life magic, like any other affinity, didn’t work with each other without connecting runes. Those connecting runes would be the subject of tomorrow’s lesson, but from what Valar read, they weren’t nearly as complex as a rune like the rune of life.

  In fact, the book said that the rune of life would be the hardest rune to comprehend at iron rank. That same trend would probably continue through the following ranks, as the basis for their spells became harder and harder to comprehend. Otherwise the academy would be pretty much obsolete after the early ranks. Any student could go into the library and research the other runes—those that weren’t restricted at least—so classes wouldn't be really necessary. Valar would still need classes for the rune of life despite his fast progress, and the boy recognized that quickly. He got stuck often and getting over those obstacles on his path became harder and harder each time. A teacher could help with just that.

  After a couple hours of working on the rune, Valar went to get dinner. The now customary gazes followed him through the populated hallways, but he wasn’t that bothered anymore. Just a little…

  Still, getting to the private eating area was a relief. Zeke was already in the room with a huge plate of meat and bread in front of him. “Good evening, Valar! How did your first life magic class go?”

  Valar let out a small anxious laugh. “Mixed results… I’m told that I skipped a week or two of study by getting halfway there with the rune of life, but the other students weren’t fans of my fast progress.

  Zeke lifted his eyes from the plate. “Oh? Are you a secret savant of life magic?”

  “Nope. A savant would get that far with a few attempts, I just bashed my head against it until I started to get it.”

  “Isn’t the end result exactly the same thing?”

  “That’s what the professor said too…”

  “Well I honestly couldn’t care less!” Zeke laughed. “Runes are overrated anyways! Just cast your magic without that useless stuff.”

  The young man demonstrated just that by tossing his piece of bread in the air. Instead of slamming back on his plate, the slightly warmer piece of bread floated down to Zeke’s waiting hand. “See? No runes needed.”

  Shaking his head, Valar went to get some food for himself. “How did your fire magic class go?”

  “I’d compare it to an abyss demon’s crap! All they talked about was runes—nothing about fire itself! I’ll go tomorrow too, but I’ll be changing classes if the same thing happens again.”

  “Will you come for the connecting rune class? That doesn’t sound particularly useful for you,” Valar asked.

  “I’ll actually probably come,” Zeke mused. “I’m pretty sure I can use the principles in my own magic, but need more information on the subject.”

  The rest of their meal was just smalltalk, the two young men heading to their rooms quickly after. Zeke’s dorm was in the central tower, so they had to split up soon after leaving the cafeteria. At least they would be seeing each other the next day too.

  Valar wondered if the prince would come to the next class. He didn’t know practically anything about the young man, but he wanted to at least meet him. He had never met royalty, so it could be a novel experience!

  Valar still felt full of energy when he returned to his dorm, so he continued training. Unfortunately, even a talent like Valar couldn’t train forever. After a couple of hours, he had to stop because of a worsening headache. I need to stop earlier… I can’t get a headache every time I train.

  Valar went to bed and rubbed his temples with annoyance. Laying there, looking at the ceiling, he reminisced on the past day. Learning wise, this was an amazing day. Socially, not the best or the worst… I befriended Zeke but the other life magic students didn’t seem to like me. At least this day was better than the last.

  Let’s hope the same trend continues tomorrow…

  That night, Valar’s dreams were ones of mighty forests full of hungry beasts. As long as Valar saw them, they wouldn’t pounce. The dream ended when he looked away, its conclusion a mystery to even the dreamer himself.

  Valar woke up to the shining rays of the sun that pierced through his window. Again. I need to start putting the curtains up… He went to shower once again. This time he didn’t even need to undress first, as he had done that before going to sleep already. Finding clothing wasn’t hard either, although he would need to wash his dirty clothes or get new ones soon. The academy probably had a washroom somewhere, but nobody had told him where it was. I guess that'll be the concern for tomorrow… or maybe the day after that!

  The boy was really excited about the coming day. After breakfast would be the lesson on connecting runes, followed by some more life magic. That same rhythm would continue for the first week, as the optional courses would only start in the second and third weeks respectively. He would need to ask Viktor what courses would be good for him because, honestly, he had no idea what to pick.

  All kinds of courses ranging from beastlore to dueling or even runecarving were available, and Valar didn’t know what would fit him. Viktor and Elaine could probably help him with that though, so he didn’t worry needlessly much.

  Speaking of Viktor, a letter had found its way on Valar’s doorstep during the night. It was crafted of the finest paper and had a seal that Valar was unfamiliar with. It kind of looks like the wing of an eagle… Cool!

  The letter’s contents were relatively simple. Viktor started by apologizing for the late delivery. Apparently the first wind magic classes had been quite hectic and his services had been needed more than normal. Some family businesses had also taken up his time, but the onyx ranker was getting over it.

  The main message was that Valar was to come to the 16th floor of the central tower on sixth day. He would have one free day after the four school days, with most of sixth day taken by the upcoming experiments. Viktor reiterated that Valar was not to call on his fire without supervision, and that Elaine would be observing and healing him if necessary.

  Just as Valar got to the letter’s end, something strange happened. A bright violet rune appeared across the whole letter, shocking Valar so much that he dropped the paper.

  The letter was to be only read once and had magic to ensure that.

  An unseen force crushed the fine paper into a ball. It kept crushing down further, eventually disappearing from Valar’s vision altogether. He was left shocked, standing in front of his door with his hands outstretched.

  “Could’ve told me that would happen!”

  Walking across the crowded hallways was becoming easier by the day. The amount of staring students hadn’t lessened in the least, but Valar found himself caring less. He still felt nervous and anxious, but those emotions were starting to get covered by a blanket of numbness. Not feeling those emotions… It felt nice.

  Zeke was already eating his breakfast. The breakfast was big and unhealthy just like his other meals. How isn’t he fat? He seems so average but eats like a dragon…

  “Good morning, Valar! Grab some breakfast so we can head to class early. I don’t want to wade through the masses when we go to the lecture hall.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “Good morning to you too, Zeke. I’ll try to eat fast, but no promises.”

  Valar’s breakfast was way smaller than Zeke’s, but he was still slower than the abstract mage. Still, he was fast enough, and the pair left with loads of time left until the class started.

  While walking, Zeke threw occasional glances towards Valar. Eventually, he spoke. “Your energy is much better today.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Your energy, your mood… Whatever you call it! It’s much less tense than yesterday.”

  Valar shook his head with confusion. “I don’t really understand. Is this an abstract mage thing?”

  “Maybe… Hard to say,” Zeke mused. “The energy seemed to improve during the big class yesterday, just after the principal’s speech. You have a lot of energy for an iron rank. It also looks funny…”

  Valar stumbled a bit, but Zeke ignored the reaction. They continued walking ahead. Of course! Zeke’s whole thing is energy. Of course he would notice… This could be a problem…

  “Hey Zeke?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t talk to anyone about this energy you see. Please.”

  “Yeah. I kind of gathered that,”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Valar was immersed in his thoughts while Zeke looked around with his bright blue eyes. He seemed to find even the smallest things interesting, and even almost stopped at some magical lamps he saw. He managed to hold his curiosity back just barely.

  Just as they were about to enter the lecture hall, a loud shout rang in the hallway. “Hey! Kid wonder and weirdo!”

  A group of young men and women, all fire mages by their aura, were approaching them. To Valar’s surprise, Elizabeth was in the group, although her expression suggested that she was not ecstatic to be there.

  The group’s leader was clearly a Wendir just like Elizabeth. If the facial features weren’t enough to tell that, his flaming red hair made his family lineage quite obvious. In some ways, his expression reminded Valar of the older orphanage boys when he was younger. He didn’t enjoy that expression at all.

  Valar glanced at Zeke. The man was looking at the young Wendir with an expression of absolute boredom. “Your energy is just so… lackluster.”

  The young fire mage’s expression made Valar almost crack up. His eyes went wide with a mix of shock and rage, his jaw practically hit the floor as he balled his fists in anger. Valar managed to hold his laughter in, but it was a near thing.

  “How dare you, you commoner shit!” He started. “I’m a member of a prestigious-”

  “Frankly, you could hop in the abyss for all I care,” Zeke interrupted. “Greatness requires a spark. You. Don’t. Have. It.”

  That was enough for the young noble. Elizabeth cringed visibly as the hotheaded fool approached Zeke with an expression of fury on his face. A couple bright orange runes appeared on his arm as he walked. He was about to cast a spell.

  “I have learned magic before even coming to the academy, you shit,” a small flame appeared on the young mage’s hand as he talked. “I’ll show you a spark alright!”

  Valar looked at the fire magic dancing in the mage’s hand. He looked at the runes that made that magic possible. He really looked.

  Weak… Profoundly weak. Valar felt only pity when he looked at the man’s magic. That flame couldn’t even be called fire magic. It felt wrong to look at.

  Valar started turning away from the travesty happening in front of his eyes. “Weak… Should’ve brought matchsticks or something. That would’ve been better.”

  He walked away, an expression of absolute disgust coloring his face. Several pairs of eyes looked at the boy, Elizabeth’s among them.

  Most of the gazes were on his hand. The scarring snaking gave credence to his mutterings. He had seen fire and he had felt it, so his insult carried weight—no matter if he had intended to say it out loud or not...

  Everyone else knew that. Valar didn’t even consider it. He trudged up the stairs onto the back row, flashed his sigil, walked in and practically fell down to his chair. What a mess… That human candle left me in a bad mood.

  Wait… Why do I feel so strongly about this?

  “I thought this was a private area?” a confused voice interrupted Valar’s ruminations. “Who are you?”

  Valar turned his head to the voice. In the chair that was next to his own sat a young man with blonde hair. He was at iron rank just like Valar, but his aura was a peculiar color: Bright violet.

  The third resident of the back row had arrived to follow the upcoming lesson. Gold hair, force magic and fine clothing...

  Valar was sitting next to a prince of the kingdom.

  The boy had never met such a prestigious individual so he had no idea what to say. He just ended up sitting there with a smile on his face. What should I say? What in the abyss do I say?

  “Uhh.. Hi? I’m Valar.”

  “Greetings to you, Valar. My name is Arwen Aurelius, and I’m 17th in line for the throne of Leoria. Why are you sitting in this private area?”

  “That’s an easy question with an even easier answer, your princedom,” Zeke said from the doorway. “This private area is currently free to use by three students, not one.”

  The prince flinched at Zeke’s use of an inappropriate honorific, but didn’t comment on that. Instead, he continued his questions. “My elder brother told me a week ago that nobody had been given access. What changed?”

  “First, I arrived,” Zeke pointed to his chest. “I’m an abstract mage, you see.”

  “I noticed that…”

  “As for young Valar here, I think he can better explain his own situation than me.”

  Valar was put in a tough spot. He was in the same room with royalty! How was he supposed to speak? Zeke had used an honorific that was so obviously wrong that even Valar felt a bit insulted. He didn’t tend to like authority figures, but royalty was different. Right?

  “As I said earlier, I’m Valar… your majesty,” he spoke slowly, crafting sentences in his head and tossing them away as fast as they came. “Uhh.. I’m a little young to awaken, and uh… All the students noticed that,” I’m just embarrassing myself! What am I even saying? “I was given access to the private areas because people are jealous, you see…”

  The 17th prince of the kingdom nodded his head thoughtfully. “I see, I see. What age are you exactly, Valar?”

  “Around thirteen and a half. I can’t be more accurate, sorry…”

  Arwen raised his eyebrows. “That’s young, even on a historical level. I know of one 12-year-old awakened some centuries ago, but that doesn’t matter! Please don’t use any honorifics in these private areas. I’m in school to live outside of the palace and all its customs.”

  The prince pointed at Zeke. “As for you, no need to use honorifics either. But if you mock me again, I will grind your bones to dust and sprinkle them in the royal gardens. Perhaps we will get a more fruitful grape harvest next season…”

  “I like your energy, Arwen!” Zeke’s grin was a bit shaky. “Please don’t grind my bones to dust. I need them quite a bit.”

  “I’ll refrain from that,” Arwen chuckled. “How was the first lesson? I was still dealing with some family business yesterday.”

  Zeke shrugged “Mostly it was just introducing all the staff and telling us that we’re not better than the affinityless. One of your brothers teaches force magic, if I remember right!”

  “Oh yeah, Titus… Abyss.”

  “You don’t like your brother?” Valar asked.

  “No, it’s not that. Let’s just say that Titus doesn’t really appreciate slackers…”

  “A lot of work ahead?”

  “A lot.”

  Silence fell over the back row. They didn’t have a lot to talk about and the lesson would only start in 15 minutes or so. Valar got bored quickly. Should I train the rune of life? That sounds like an okay use of my time.

  “Zeke?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Can you poke me or something like that when the lesson starts? I want to study runes and I’m not sure if I’ll notice.”

  Zeke gave him a thumbs up. I guess that’s that. Now it’s time for training.

  Valar immersed himself in the rune completely. He had taken the book on life runes with him to the class and used the picture there as a basis for his training. The training was still slow though, as each attempt took longer and longer as the rune became more detailed in his mind. The process made him appreciate mages and their work. It was not easy…

  Valar flinched as Zeke poked him. Hard. “Wake up!”

  “Ouch! Why did you poke me so hard?”

  “That was the fifth attempt. You were kind of in the zone there…”

  “Oh… Thanks then!”

  Valar didn’t notice the prince looking at him with a confused expression. He didn’t hear his mutterings either.

  “How is he almost as good as me?”