A Spellbound Gem (a RWBY fanfiction)

Chapter 13: Magic And Mysticism

Professor Goodwitch looked over her class, each and every student having their own ideas of what would come next for her class. Practical Magicks and Philosophy being her primary duties to the first year students.

Today she was to explain to them how those two topics were not so different.

"Magic, like all things, is governed by laws. While less strict than some, they are to be known by heart to avoid problems overtime." She began, standing before the group with an aura of elegance. "Could someone explain to me what exactly I mean by this? Yes, Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha, sitting in the middle section of the class stood up and took a steady breath. "Magic is the marriage of internal strength and external energy. For someone to use magic, they must have exceptional mental control and physical health, using those in tandem."

"Yes, that is a great place to start." Goodwitch nodded, giving the redhead a moment to sit before she continued to speak. "Users are limited by their own strengths. One wizard may have impeccable physical power and could crush a car with telekinesis, yet they may not have the mental power to use more complex spells."

She raised her hand, a book hovering off the back shelf and coming to her across the room. "In turn, one with powerful scholarly power and mental strength may have the most impressive library of abilities you've ever seen, but without the physical and inherent powers, their spells will lack the force to be useful."

"What does that mean exactly?" A ginger girl in the back of the class asked, seeming quite confused over the topic.

"What I mean, Miss Valkyrie, is that we are just conduits of external energy. Some are better conduits than others, this being evident by only around three percent of the population having any sort of magical ability." She told the girl, turning to the entire group as she continued. "For those of us that are proper conduits, the same idea still stands. Genetics, health, unique mutations, and mental fortitude all go into what makes use wizards and witches."

Professor Goodwitch pulled her wand off her belt, an action she does almost exclusively for her students, raising it to point towards a small box by one of the windows. The box instantly appeared on her desk next to the book from earlier in the lesson. She placed her wand down to open the containers showing a variety of gems, plants, and candles.

"But we are not exclusively limited to our own ability. Wands, spellwords, and many smaller components that may be used in complex spells. These things allow us to become the masters of magic that we wish to be." She told her students, a dark haired boy next to the ginger raising his hand in response. "Lie Ren?"

"I hate to interrupt you, Ma'am, but you don't use any of those things and still perform magic that is just as complex." He brought up, voice even as he spoke.

The professor smiled to herself privately before replying to his point. "Yes, it is true that I rarely use my wand or spellwords, but this goes back to what I had said about each of use being conduits of varying degrees. My own abilities allow me to perform more complex spells without the need of outside influence."

Ruby was sitting close to the front of the room, her eyes focused intently on the lesson and on the beautiful woman before her. This was what she was striving to be. Powerful and an inspiration to those around her.

"In a contest between yourself and the headmaster, who would win?" Sun asked, sitting beside the red haired girl at the moment.

The small smile on the professor's lips disappeared with his question, her arms crossing in disapproval. "Sun Wukong, yes? You seem to be misunderstanding magical power for wisdom and ability. I can assure you that Professor Ozpin is plenty capable without needing to prove it through petty displays."

"That doesn't answer the question though, Ma'am." The blond faunus pointed out.

She narrowed her eyes. "I have no idea. It's never been something I've thought about."

As she continued with the class, Sun leaned over towards Ruby. "I think I'm gonna ask Ozpin later in his class." He whispering to her, a textbook raised to block Goodwitch's view.

"I feel like you'll probably get a very similar answer." The girl with dyed hair replied. "Maybe a little less aggressive."

"That's no fun at all." He muttered to himself before his book flew out of his hands and landed in the professor's.

"Quite interesting..." She commented, looking over the page the textbook was on. "Foresight and telepathic instinct. I was curious on what could be so interesting that you couldn't be bothered to at least pretend to pay attention to my class, but I see that it was quite a fascinating topic indeed."

"Umm..." The boy looked at Ruby in a panic before turning back towards the teacher who was clearly not impressed. "Yes! I am... I'm looking ahead so I'm ready for future lessons."

"So if I gave you the opportunity to study those future lessons, you'd be all for it, right?"

Sun didn't reply for some time, thinking though what was just said for a moment. "I feel like there may have been a miscommunication between us there..."

"I'll see you after school for our study session, Mr Wukong." Professor Goodwitch said, closing the book and levitating it back to the boy. "I'm sure you'll enjoy the extra lesson."

Weiss, sitting further up in the room, smirked at the whole situation. As long as Sun could continue to make a fool of himself, there would be no problem at all, getting Ruby to herself.