The Girl with an Owl

Chapter 20

"We are all different, and we all have a different understanding of magic," Wallace said, starting the lecture.

"You who have been born and live in Mag might think that you understand what magic is and how it works. Let me assure you that you are wrong. You have spent your whole lives with magic, and you've started taking it for granted.

"You will need to appreciate it once again as a miracle it is before you can reach your full potential. As for you who are not Mag born, I am sure you have a lot of assumptions about what magic is or how it works. What I want you to do is let go of those beliefs and listen to your hearts." Wallace added.

"What does that even mean?" an impatient boy, about Ajana's age, rudely interrupted.

From his attire and attitude, it seemed that in his home world, he was a bad boy who didn't react well to authority figures.

For Ajana, his behavior was such a cliché, but she knew it would be best for her to keep her opinion to herself.

In the silence that followed, the boy started moving his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. With eyes wide open, he looked at Wallace, realizing that he cast a spell on him to stay silent. Wallace didn't make even the slightest movement or utter a single word, and yet the spell was cast.

"As you can see, as both you and our friend Kieran learned today, I don't like to be interrupted. Also, you all now know that I am powerful enough to cast a spell without ever saying anything. So, don't make the same mistake he did. Don't assume even for a second that we, owls, are not the most powerful beings in Mag just because we are so modest.

"Since our elf friend comes from a war-ridden world of Milashara, I will let this go with a warning. However, the next person who dares interrupt me shall be punished," Wallace said with a tone of voice that left no room for questioning.

It was clear that he gave the boy his voice back, but Kieran stayed quiet. Instead of anger or annoyance, his grass-green eyes only reflected pain and sadness. The sadness was so deep that there were only a few people who could fully understand it.

His ocean blue hair hid his pointed ears, but after what Wallace said, everyone knew they were there.

People started giving him scared looks, and if they weren't on immovable clouds, they would have moved away from him.

Ajana was the only one who looked at the guy with sympathy.

She couldn't help but wonder if racial discrimination was common in Mag as it was in her world. She didn't know how else to explain the way others reacted to him.

After the incident, the lesson went on without a hitch, well, almost without a hitch.

Wallace spent a lot of time trying to explain to all of them that there were a lot of things they had to do before they could practice 'real magic'.

Of course, all of them were dissatisfied when they heard that because they wanted to do something fun, some powerful magic, especially the Mag born students.

However, Wallace was adamant about it. Before you could use a tool, you had to spend some time learning how it worked, and the same was true for magic.

The first rule was to believe in magic, but not in "a fairy dies if you don't believe in magic" way but in a way that your whole body and soul put their trust in the power of magic.

"You have to believe that you have magic and that it is a part of you. The same way your legs and hands are. You have to feel the energy, the power, radiating from your very heart, traveling up and down your whole body, inhabiting its even smallest parts.

"Feel the gentle prickles of electricity and warmth emanating from your palms and embrace it. Accept it. Welcome it.

"Everyone in Mag can do magic, but rare are the ones who can do the magic well," Wallace said.

Some students from Mag got bored with Wallace's speech, so instead of containing magic, they let it go.

It didn't end well.

Since it wasn't controlled, well-performed magic, it backfired.

It turned the caster, a purple-skinned boy with large transparent wings, into a rainbow-colored worm.

Laughter burst out, and Wallace was exasperated by the fairy boy's antics. He had hoped that at least the first day would go smoothly without anyone turning into anything, at least.

"I am in two minds whether I should turn you back or just leave you as you are now," Wallace said, utterly annoyed.

"Even though it is only your first day at school, I see that some of you think you already know better than me," Wallace said, turning the boy back to his fairy self.

"So, your homework will be different from what I planned. Mag born students, you will have to do everything without magic for one week."

Wallace's words were followed by a loud murmur of disagreement, but he didn't pay any attention to it.

"You who come from different worlds will have to learn to cast one spell perfectly in a week. You will do it in pairs. Also, you will have full access to the school library to find the spells you want and how to cast them.

"Some of you might have some form of magic in your own world, others might not, but I can assure you that you can find all you need in the library," Wallace said.

People started quickly pairing up, effectively avoiding Ajana and Kieran. It seemed as if they were in some way warned about them beforehand.

Ajana could understand that the Mag born students had prejudices. They probably knew everything there was to know about the elves. What she couldn't understand was why the others were so exclusive as well.

Finally, when they were the only two people left without a pair, Ajana said: "I guess we are paired up."

She followed the statement with a gentle smile that went unnoticed by the brooding guy.

"Fine," Kirean said, as Wallace dismissed the class, and they were once more back to the bleak hallway.