07 - Liam the Apprentice

01 - ORIENTATION

The classroom, from the floor to the roof, and all the furniture too, was composed of polished steel—there were black soot marks over every surface. The sky outside was still clutched in pale-blue darkness. The sun had yet to rise, but still, class-schedule dictated that learning was to begin at the ungodly hour of pre-dawn. Shy of thirty would have been the total number of the students, if a third of them hadn't opted to skip orientation class. Though Liam didn't believe he was possessing of the acumen or talent to privilege himself such a luxury.

"Magic in this world is built upon layers," the Professor addressed the class. He was a crimson-haired young man in his late twenties, with a wide mustache like a painter's brush. He didn't wear the scarlets of the academy, but instead wore sunflower-yellows. "I would argue that the natural laws of the world are, in and of themselves, yet another layer of magic. What is referred to as the natural sciences. If this we were to assume to be true—the natural sciences—we could consider to be the topmost layer. The first layer of magic.

"Below the first layer we find the base magics, those which allow one to bend—to different degrees—the rules of the world, to subtle, and sometimes not so subtle effects. This type of magic is widespread within our ranks. It serves us for the mundane: keeping our homes comfortably warm in the winter and pleasantly cool in the summer; to the remarkable: enhance the possibilities of our engineering and chemistry; allow us to perform feats of strength and agility otherwise reserved to the animal kingdom; as well as numberless other practical uses. Its purpose is first and foremost to put simply: make life more convenient. They are especially advantageous and—in most cases—harmless. It is currently the field of most intense research and discovery. This magic can, if poorly understood or misused, pose a moderate risk to the magician. We could call the study of this magic: the unnatural sciences. The second layer."

An apprentice yawned.

The man went on "After the base magics we find the delicate world of the queer and the strange. This type of magic is of great interest and may serve critical assistance in an emergency, but it is easy to lose command over. Only under carefully controlled conditions, or under the dire circumstance, should a practitioner resort to its use. Its results, as beneficial as they can be, can on not too-rare occasion deviate to the unexpected or even the life threatening. These magics present considerable risk to the conjurer, as well as bystanders. The erratic sciences. The third layer.

"Next we begin to enter precarious territory, any magician who wishes to conduct study in the following area must first receive authorization from a Master Magus, or a magi of higher rank. These are magics which are not only interacted with, but interact with the practitioner in return. They have been observed to, on occasion, behave as if they were possessing of some level of awareness. And could be regarded as ranging from friendly, to extremely hostile. A lightning bolt that sometimes strikes where ordered, and sometimes does not. These magics can peril deadly risk to the magician, bystanders, and anyone in the extended vicinity. You will be learning about them in the advanced courses. The changing sciences. The fourth layer.

"Information regarding the fifth and other layers, unfortunately, is currently out of your purview. As you progress in your studies you will be given limited information pertaining to them. Once you earn your Weapon, your Magiarm, depending on your qualifications, it is possible to earn a sanction for deep research. Where your career proceeds from there is entirely up to you."

What's that smell? Something pungent flared in Liam's nostrils, attributable only to sour cheese or a similar nastiness.

"Hey!" the boy behind him whispered. "What's your name? Mine's Neliasen. You can call me Nels." He had a big nose, big ears, and unextraordinary short brown hair, with a face littered with freckles and pimples.