High in the Grey Tower

Chapter Three

Ruth sighed, staring blankly down at the sprawling piece of parchment in front of him. Ink stained his hand as he dragged it along the complex set of formulas in front of him, trying to add the correct details in the right places. He didn't want it to explode like last time.

He impatiently tapped his foot as his grey eyes scanned every line, almost desperately, in his exhaustion. His time at the Wizard Tower had been grueling and he grew weary of the mounting expectations on him. His mana reserve was immense and well controlled, his work was good, ingenious even, but his restlessness was getting the better of him and more mistakes began cropping up across his work. 

In a fit of irritation, he pushed himself from his desk and grabbed his robe as he exited his room. Listlessly strolling through the hallway, he knocked on a door at the end of the hallway sharply. 

"Go away, Ruth." The voice behind the door seemed just as irritated and he rolled his eyes, knocking again.

"Come on, my eyes are blurry with all of these numbers and lines. I need some kind of variety here."

"Don't we all." The door remained shut. Right as he slumped his thin shoulders, the door opened. "Fine. But make it quick."

Ruth sarcastically thanked his host before entering the room. It was enormous and entirely made of glass, save the steel supports that held its structure. The ceiling reached towards the heavens, far enough to distort the Sun up above. Ruth sighed with relief; the sight of the bright, warm room never failed to cheer him up. His eyes wandered, gazing around the parchment strewn hectically across the floor. His eyes met with the young woman standing before him.

"Did you only come in here to gawk?"

"Ah, as hospitable as ever, aren't you, Fei?" Ruth muttered sarcastically. He leaned against Fei's heavy drafting table and crossed his arms casually. "Is it such a crime to want to hang out with a friend?"

"It's a crime when said friend is incredibly busy," Fei responded curtly. She tossed her hair over her shoulder in annoyance and went back to scribbling furiously on the parchment on her drafting table. "None of this shit makes any sense."

The corners of Ruth's mouth twitched, trying to suppress his snickering. Fei was incredibly talented, but math was not her strong suit. It always baffled his mind that someone with so much raw potential was so hung up on the most tangible things about her gift. Ruth felt the snicker starting to escape his lips and he quickly rubbed his hand to his mouth to suppress it further, feigning deep thought.

"You know, paying attention in class might be helpful for you to do once in a while," he muttered. Fei's sharp eyes pierced into his. If looks could kill...

"You're one to talk, Ruth! You're just lucky you're good at math." Ruth pondered the thought. 'Lucky to be good at math' seemed to pale in comparison to the luck Fei had. He lingered on the thought a little longer and thought back to the very first day they had a practical exam.

Fei could've split the island in half with her unhinged method of magic wielding. Any wizard in their right mind would understand the basic, mathematical principles that guide the way spells were cast and used. However, Fei Hong seemed to have missed that message.

"Miss Fei Hong Zhao, please begin."

Ruth stood, mouth agape, at the scene before him. The task was simple: display any magic talent you could prior to entering the Wizard Tower officially. It was merely an aptitude test, to get the best sense of where each wizard's affinity would lie. Each wizard had either displayed simple tasks of creating barriers, healing a wound, manipulating water, or something of the sort. This was different. It was terrifying.