Level 5

• { 39 } •

I woke up with a gasp.

I was sitting in the middle of a dark room, dimly lit by orbs of light floating on the ceiling. Then I noticed the face staring at me.

"Gah!"

I stumbled back, before recognizing who it was: Professor Rosewood. But then I realized, I had felt fear - emotion again.

Good, the emotionless state was over.

Then I noticed that Professor Rosewood had lifted an eyebrow at my action.

Frazzled, I said, "Um... sorry. May I ask Professor...?"

"If you must."

"What happened? How long have I been here? And... I hate to ask this but, were you watching me sleep just now?"

Professor Rosewood sighed from where she stood in front of me. "It has been precisely thirty minutes since you exited the maze. I have already seen the recording of your actions. Alyssa has been suspended from class for interfering with another Sorcerer's test. Otherwise, your performance was quite impressive, considering your circumstances... which is exactly what I'm hear to talk about."

Wait, but she didn't tell me if she was watching me sleep or not-

Not important, Cassie!

I stayed quiet and let her continue.

"You see, within the destructive magic challenge room you encountered... well, you simply shouldn't have survived. Those animated mannequins got very close to you, one even managed to get not one, but two hits in. Sorcerers are not provided with combat training, and it goes against many rules to learn it on your own. A lot of people would be disappointed to find out that one of our top students was looking in places they had no business looking."

Her words confused me - what rules say a person can't learn to defend themselves in different ways? Also, was there a threat in that statement? But I realized she was waiting for a response.

"I... I used to do self defence training - back before I came to the school. That's... that is how I knew that stuff. It was only mild - I'm no professional. I used a few things I learned in the test, but most of it was just instinct. I'm sorry to have disappointed you, Professor." I tilted my head down, as if in shame.

For a second I thought she saw through my lie - she gave a long, hard stare that almost had me admit that I was lying and guilty of what she had accused me. But then she shook her head in defeat, and I knew I had succeeded, if only by a tiny bit.

"Fine. I cannot blame you for something you learned before coming here. But know this: if this skill progresses, I will not spare even you a second time."

"Understood," I said with a nod. I tried to stand and stumbled. Professor Rosewood made no move to help me. I considered conjuring a cane, but when I searched for my magic, I found nothing left. I was stunned. "My... my magic... it's gone."

"What did you expect, Cassie? You used everything you had. That takes a while to replenish."

"But this is different - usually after a half an hour I can feel Signs of my magic returning, especially if I've been sleeping. But now, nothing."

Professor Rosewood seemed to ponder this for a second before answering. "Perhaps it was because you went into the Dark State."

"The what?"

"It's called the Dark State. It's almost like another level to the emotionless state that only some Sorcerers experience. If a Sorcerer uses all of their magic in a life of death situation, their fear in the moment can trigger the emotionless state - but with a twist. The Sorcerer gains access to almost unlimited power, but without their emotions to restrict them, they are a danger to both enemies and allies. Many have theories on where the sudden power comes from; an unknown spell? A spiritual deity? But my theory is when a Sorcerer enters the dark state, the lack of emotion, or regulation, gives them the ability to tap into their soul's power. But because it is their soul's power they are using, it has a twist. Essentially, if a Sorcerer stays in the Dark State for too long and uses too much - they die."