Chapter Text
Evin was nervous.
Master Nerys had told him that his Arcanum was well suited for learning magic, but had also warned him that she was not going to coddle him in the slightest. Evin had lived through many a harsh winter in Del Bar on nothing but his skill at hunting, so he knew a thing or two about hardship, but if he was going to learn magic, he was going to have to study. That wasn't something most commoners did.
Sure, he could read, write, and do a little arithmetic. But most of his energy had gone into learning how to make, repair, and sell furniture and hunt for food in the mountains. Higher education hadn't really been necessary, so he hadn't gone through any. As such, he was completely unused to the idea of studying, especially for long periods of time. That was definitely going to be grueling.
He hoped that this would at least be tempered by a little bit of spiritual meditation or something. It certainly seemed like a good means of both dissolving stress and bringing oneself in tune with nature. Some people might find that boring, but Evin had always enjoyed just going out into the woods and listening to the sound of nature. Closing his eyes, he could feel the earth itself now, the lines in the ground spreading out in all directions like a supersensory web that allowed him to sense everything on the earth within a wide radius.
He noticed a series of tremors coming from the northeast, the direction of the town. He opened his eyes. "They're almost here," he realized out loud.
"Aye," Master Nerys confirmed to him. "I sensed the carriages approaching a while ago. You appear to be getting the hang of your Arcanum rather nicely, Evin. I look forward to seeing how your magic develops."
"Yes, ma'am."
Pavani was not impressed so far.
The two fellow Durenese that accompanied her to Katolis were unbecoming of fellow noble children, all excited and anxious about the prospects of learning magic. What she was interested in was actually using it.
It was no secret that virtually everyone who saw her thought she was stuck-up. Her response? So what?
She only acted the way everyone expected her to act. It was easier that way. No point in wasting time explaining to people what she was really like. She just needed to get things done. So why was it taking so long to explain everything?
Finally, it seemed like Prince Callum was wrapping up his explanations of Arcana and Primal Sources. "Are there any questions so far?"
"How long will it take to learn an Arcanum?" she asked, doing her best to keep her impatience out of her voice.
"Depends," Prince Callum answered. "There's a lot we don't really know about these connections, but it seems to depend on the amount of effort put into understanding the Primal Source, and how easily you understand the abstract concepts related to each one. It's also possible that it may take longer for you to learn an Arcanum if you're not very compatible with it, though we haven't been able to test that theory yet. But, if you want a more concrete answer...Natalia, how long did it take you to learn the Sun Arcanum?"
"Around three months," the dark-skinned girl answered. "It was practically all I thought about that entire time, trying to understand what the sun meant and how it connected to myself." Pavani noted her awkward speech and form. She was obviously a commoner.
Prince Callum continued, "And she only had the most basic knowledge of how to connect to an Arcanum. On the opposite end, I got my first taste of magic when I was fortunate enough to have picked up a Primal Stone for a short while. I only knew two spells back then, but magic was still as easy as breathing for me, despite how bad I was at everything else at the time. Once I lost the Primal Stone, I threw everything I had into trying to make my own connection to the Sky Arcanum, despite how I'd already been told humans couldn't do magic." Here, he shot a look at the old Moonshadow Elf who would be teaching moon magic. She merely smiled back at him, so he rolled his eyes and continued. "After around a week, I'd been able to gather a lot of the pieces in my head, and I just needed a breakthrough to bring them all together. And so, with the help of a little near-death experience, courtesy of dark magic, I was able to make that final breakthrough by putting all the pieces together in the wierdest dreams you've ever seen, and made the connection to the Sky Arcanum."
Pavani considered this as the other hopefuls posed their own questions and the prince and the elves strove to answer them. The Natalia girl had been a commoner with only the most basic understanding of the Primal Sources and how connecting to them unlocks one's ability to do magic, and she'd connected to the sun in three months? She didn't know whether to be discouraged by how long it took or surprised that she was able to do it at all.
In any case, at least Pavani would have access to resources and education that Natalia hadn't had. If learning an Arcanum was dependant on effort and understanding, she was certain she could make the connection quickly. After that, it would be a simple matter of studying until she was able to properly use her magic. She wasn't sure she would ever match Prince Callum if magic was indeed as easy for him as breathing or even that these people were telling the truth about learning one's Arcanum, but she was confident that if they were telling the truth, she would certainly become a formidable mage in her own right. Now the question was merely which Arcanum she wanted to connect to.
Bashan had come from a family of warriors.
His father had been a general who'd gone to fight in the Battle of the Storm Spire, and on the wrong side. He'd been corrupted by then-King Viren's dark magic and been wounded in the shower of arrows that signaled the attack by the Durenese forces. But the arrow wounds weren't what had hit Bashan's father hardest when the battle was over. That would be the crippling pain he felt throughout his entire body when the dark magic wore off. Bashan's father could no longer fight, so Bashan's duty was obvious to him. His job would be to take his father's place and relieve him of his burden so he could finally rest and recover. For that, Bashan needed to get stronger. And learning his own magic would be the next step on that path.
He hadn't really talked to the girl who had made the trip with him to Katolis. Her face seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. He never was very interested in noble gatherings, less so in the girls at them who gathered in little groups and gossipped behind everyone's backs. He preferred to get things done, especially if it was with his own hands. He didn't really like studying, but he would do it if it meant he would be able to do magic.
"Any further questions before we go inside and get settled in?" the old Earthblood Elf, Master Nerys asked
"When do we start learning how to fight with magic?" Bashan asked before his mind could catch up with him.
"After you lose that sort of mindset." Master Nerys' reply was sharp. "Magic is not a weapon or a means of gaining power. It is both a means of connecting to the world around you and a tool to help you through your struggles. I advise you drop that mentality immediately or you won't be able to make a connection at all." She turned to the rest of the hopefuls. "The same goes for all of you. I hope that none of you came here with ulterior motives, because if you did, they will only interfere with your ability to make a connection. If you do have any, then drop them here at the gate right now so they don't get in the way later."
Bashan froze at the old master's harsh rebuke, as did most of the other hopefuls. Bashan wasn't sure exactly how the whole "connecting to your Arcanum" thing worked, but it would be harder than he thought if the process was mostly introspection and meditation. If he couldn't have ulterior motives to learning magic, then how was he supposed to-?
Bashan mentally slapped himself. No, he couldn't start thinking that way. Things were expected of him, and all he had to do was learn magic. It was just another battle, only this time, it would be against himself. If magic was a tool and a means of connecting, then he would do his best to set up those connections.
Bashan clenched his fist. He had to do this. For himself, and for his father.
Jay could hardly believe he was here.
When he'd first signed up to be a part of the Order of the Broken Chains, it had been to get in on all the most current information from the capital so he could adapt the goods he sold at his family's shop accordingly. When he'd heard that not just the prince, but two others had also shown the ability to do magic, a hunger had awakened in his soul that he hadn't known was there before.
Jay didn't fully understand why he felt so strongly about learning magic. Perhaps it was because of the whole 'Arcanum' thing that meant he had to connect with the world in order to learn its magic. Then again, another part of the reason might have been that he wanted to do something more with his life than just make a living from selling common shop items like tools and trinkets. The only thing he knew for sure was that something in him wanted magic more than anything.
You can't teach a person born blind to see, so what reason did anyone have to believe that a human born without magic can learn to do it?
Master Nerys had compared having an Arcanum to being able to see, and now that Prince Callum had explained the concept to himself and the other hopefuls, he thought he understood why. Once you connected to an Arcanum, it was probably like opening your eyes to a new world that you never knew existed. Something clicked in Jay's soul as he realized he wanted to see this new world of magic.
Miss Natalia had learned her Arcanum in three months. Prince Callum had acquired his Sky Arcanum in only a week. He could hardly believe how fortunate he was to be one of the first ten people to be taught magic as part of an official institution. Speaking of which, the questions had all wrapped up, and people were starting to move towards the estate.
"We're going to be using the lord's mansion here in Sierrashire for now until we can get a proper magecraft academy built," Prince Callum was saying. "It's large enough that we can easily accommodate twice as many people as we have here, so it's the best option for now."
"Isn't it your mansion now?" Miss Natalia asked. "Since you're the Lord of Sierrashire and Verdeshire now?"
Prince Callum groaned. "Natalia, please. Don't remind me."
Jay remembered one of the merchants telling him that a few months ago. He ventured, "So...does that mean I should call you Milord?"
"Please don't," Prince Callum begged him. "Just call me Callum. The only time I will ask you to call me anything else is if you're learning sky magic from me, in which case, you may call me Master, but other than that, just Callum will do."
Jay set his jaw. Sky magic was exactly what he would be going for. "As you wish, Master!"
A giggle emanated from the girl riding a three-legged wolf who was learning moon magic. "I guess we know which Arcanum he's going for."
Joy flooded Jay's chest as he looked forward to the days to come. He of all people was going to learn magic!
Nakia shut the door and let out a breath.
Thank the gods that this place was nothing like the study of the Evenerian High Mage, which was dark and stank of old bits of magical creatures. The manor was clean and smelled fairly new, and while there was evidence that it had recently been redecorated and stripped of some ornamentation, Nakia at least appreciated a little simplicity, despite her background.
Nakia considered everything she'd seen that day as she lay back in the room she'd been given. She'd been one of two people sent all the way from Evenere to Katolis in order to see if the Katolian royals were really willing to let them learn their secrets to obtaining Primal Magic. She'd expected vague promises and strange rituals, possibly involving elven interference. After all, there was no way that it was that easy to simply learn how to do magic.
And yet, when she'd arrived, she'd been told that if she wanted to learn magic, she would have to do so through her own efforts in her own mind. Apparently, magic wasn't learned through some complex ritual, but through connecting with and understanding the world around her.
You can't teach a person born blind to see, so what reason did anyone have to believe that a human born without magic can learn to do it?
Master Nerys' words rang in her ears. It wasn't just the reasoning for why humans couldn't learn to do magic, it was also a subtle comment that humans were thought of as inferior. Nakia had also sensed something else in it too, though: a hint of challenge. Nakia was already skeptical of everything that Prince Callum had told them of the discovery of his Primal connections, and several of the others had been too. Nakia remembered the Durenese noble girl who acted particularly snobby and that boy, Bashan, who'd similarly made the trip to Katolis from Evenere. Her aunt had never spoken very highly of his family, and upon meeting him, she could see why.
Well, fine. She wasn't just here to learn magic anyway. She'd hidden her true identity on the passage to Katolis, and now that she was here, she could investigate this "magic training program" to her heart's content. Understanding and connection was all it took? In that case, she'd do the same thing that that Natalia girl had done. With a little luck, she'd have her Arcanum before summer was over. And to further test the system, she'd choose one that none of the instructors would be able to help her with.
She'd do everything all on her own, just as she'd always wanted to.