"The art of destruction is finite," Enzelwood said. "It has no room for mistakes and only those who are fearless in their resolve are prepared to use its full capabilities."
To demonstrate, the retired corporal held up a single lemon. "But once you fully accept the consequences of this magic." He propelled destruction energy from his hand and the lemon disappeared in a cloud of yellow dust. "You can truly see how powerful it is."
Pecilia looked at Lucy's hair and was not surprised to see that color matched so perfectly. It wasn't lost upon Lucy herself either.
"But what are some of the downsides of destruction magic?" Enzelwood asked his class.
"It's slower than all the others," Wilham replied.
"It's easily defendable if one knows creation or destruction magic." Said another girl.
"It's not effective at long distances," Freya added, sad that so much good food was going to waste at this school.
"It takes up a lot of energy and can't be sustained for long periods of time like the others." Pecilia jumped onto the undermining train. The only time she felt particularly inclined to participate in class.
"Alright," Enzelwood interrupted to stop the onslaught. "It may lack in some ways but it is an effective tool." The professor took out a sack of rocks from his desk drawer. "It's the single best magic for defense and-."
"But only if you don't run out of stamina before your opponent," Pecilia mumbled under her breath.
"What do you mean?" Lucy questioned quietly as the professor's lecture turned into background noise for their conversation.
"Even masters of destruction magic can only use it for a maximum of 15-minute intervals," Pecilia explained. "And that's only if the field is near their bodies and they aren't propelling it outwards." She had quickly figured out that this professor was not an expert at any magic, but an expert in how to work his way into a position with no real qualifications. "The other magics can be channeled for hours by those adept in them, and so long as one bids their time and keeps a distance they can overcome any destruction users."
Lucy bit her cheeks. She wasn't educated in the defaults of magics and that put her at a high disadvantage, as did seemingly everything else about herself.
"Well, it is effective in one way." Pecilia turned to Lucy and dragged her eyes up and down the girl's dewy-eyed face. "The closer you are to your opponent, the easier it is to destroy them," Pecilia said in a not-so-veiled forewarning. "Have you ever heard the ode keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"
"No," Lucy answered.
Pecilia scuffed at her purity. "Of course, you wouldn't."
"Grab a rock," Enzelwood said as he held out the parcel and walked between the rows of his students.
Lucy's thumb brushed over the smooth dark stone reluctantly offered to her by the professor.
"Those with a black stone pair with those with a white stone," Enzelwood instructed. "One person throws the rock, while the other tries to destroy it in the air." He explained like the exercise was evident. "And please don't eviscerate parts of your partner, it becomes very annoying for me to deal with."
Lucy looked around, not sure who would be willing to pair up with her. Freya also had a dark stone and Pecilia already attached herself to Algernon.
"Need a partner?" Franchesca asked, standing before Lucy in her familiar stance of superiority with her silky white hair delicately styled into two curls on either side of her shoulders. She didn't wait for a reply as she pranced to the front of the classroom with Lucy forced to follow.
YOU ARE READING
Algernon Black
Romance"Gods aren't born. They rise." Algernon Black is the most infamous boy known throughout his world for a prophecy that would make him a god if he sacrificed the one he loved most. Downcast and disheartened, Algernon never paid the rumors much mind, u...
