"You all are here to carry on the most important mantel in the world. Graduates of Attwood. The pride of our country, and the eyes of the world." Enzelwood, the professor of first year's destruction magic, loudly exclaimed.
Pecilia rolled her eyes at the haughty proclamation. The amount of zealots in this school was as annoying as she expected and for this washed-up general who never had more than a day's worth of real fighting in him to speak of pride was the exact kind of hypocrisy she expected. What was even more annoying was the impressionable youth eating up his every word. Like they were all so special for just being here as if they all hadn't been handed their seats. Well, there was at least one person here who was blameless of that, and of them all Lucy seemed the most captivated by the teacher's hollow words.
"During your time here, you will be tested over and over again, and those of you that are recognized here will be recognized by the world for your greatness. Just as I was when I graduated Attwood, top of my class. I was recruited right away and sent to the top of the military command, where I led hordes of men into battle."
"From behind a desk," Pecilia muttered under her breath, though Lucy picked up on it. She had sat next to Pecilia in one of the middle rows even though there were plenty of other empty seats. Pecilia had scuffed at her and moved her chair over, but Lucy didn't take it offensively as she joined the girl for their second and last class of the day. Freya sat on the other side of Lucy, and to her side was the boy she had spent the night with previously. Freya was just as uninterested in the teacher's lessons as her eyes flirted with the shy boy beside her.
Pecilia would have sat herself next to Algernon if the seat beside him had been available. But for this class, he sat at the very front, right before the professor. And Pecilia wondered if he did so because it forced his gaze forward and away from someone else.
"I carried the mantle of a graduate proudly on my breast." The man continued.
"While a 4-horse carriage carried you." Pecilia once again casually and quietly undermined. She knew of Enzelwood's reputation. It was filled with meaningless fluff just like his egotistical self-boasting.
Lucy couldn't help a small breath of air out through her nose by her remarks. Pecilia noticed her laughter and thought even if she came from a low background, she had a high sense of humor.
The only other person who noticed Lucy's smile was Algernon who had been haphazardly peering back to her, not meaning to, but just aimlessly letting his eyes wander, and to her, they drew as his mind drew him back to the memories of last night when he had Lucy lying under him.
"And in my time of fighting, I learned the secrets of mastering destruction energy," Enzelwood said as he walked in front of the remarkable stained-glass portrait of the god of destruction that only made him look squatter and fatter. "A skill that kept me alive more times than I could count."
"It's not that impressive when the extent of your math ability is equal to your number of fingers," Pecilia added under her breath.
This time Lucy couldn't stop an actual full laugh from leaving her. The entire class turned to look at her, including their teacher.
Enzelwood's face filled with repulsion and Lucy bit her cheeks.
"Like a good strategy plan, destruction magic needs to be extremely accurate and precise." The teacher went on with his lecture after taking the time to publicly shame Lucy with a glare down his nose. Something the rest of the class didn't miss, especially Algernon who started to get angry with the teacher when his eyes and voice took on the fringes of a threat. "If you aren't concentrating fully on what you mean to destroy you might risk destroying much more than you intend. Which sometimes can be a favorable consequence." Enzelwood stared down at Lucy as he spoke, before turning around to notice the brooding eyes of Algernon. He smiled as an idea popped into his head.
"But I think an example is needed for you to really grasp what I'm saying." He said meeting Algernon's challenging gaze with one of his own. "For that, I'll need a volunteer." The teacher looked over the class, but at one student in particular. "How about you Miss. Lahue." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Since you already seem quite comfortable with fire."
Some of the class snickered as Lucy felt the target she put on her back at the welcoming ceremony get its first strike.
Despite the uneasiness, she joined the professor at the front of the classroom where the four-pointed star of the gods was outlined on the floor in shiny metal. "On the center of the star," Enzelwood instructed.
Lucy walked over and stood at the middle point where all the lines connected.
The professor clicked his fingers and flames appeared from the tips of the star to rush along the outlining toward Lucy. They stopped right before they reached her skin but kept her trapped in a small cage of fire as she gasped in shock along with the rest of the class.
Enzelwood looked to Algernon and watched as the boy's expression picked up in a sudden panic upon seeing the girl trapped in flames.
"Anyone care to test their accuracy?" Enzelwood asked the class but kept his eyes locked on Algernon. No one moved, especially him.
Freya held her breath, wondering what it was she could do when she wasn't skilled enough at destruction magic to help without risk of hurting her.
"I'll try," Wilham said, helping himself too center stage.
Pecilia's lips pursed together. She wasn't sure of the extent of Wilham's control of magic, but if it was anything like she expected, this wouldn't go well for Lucy.
"Be precise now, Wilham," Enzelwood said standing beside the boy to get a good look at Lucy. "Aim for only what you want to destroy."
Wilham turned to Lucy with his arms raised. While Lucy in the meantime, was straining her neck to get what little oxygen above her head she could, and praying the person on the other side wasn't going to kill her.
Wilham concentrated on the fire as the slight shimmer in the air displayed the signs of destruction magic as the class watched it cross to Lucy.
Destruction magic moved slowly, and it very slowly started devouring one point of the star. Lucy had to suck in her stomach as the destruction magic came so close it was going to break through the fire and hit her chest.
Wilham channeled his magic as best he could, but it was a hard thing to push out destruction magic away from the body with even the experts only being able to cover six feet of distance. He only had a few more inches before the fire of a second of the star's points would be gone but he had already overused his abilities. His magic broke as the fire exploded back up with a vengeance. Lucy inhaled a ball of smoke that made her viciously cough, but had to suffer it down to stand as tall as she could with the flames now merely an inch from her body, close enough for the fabric of her dress to catch fire if she wasn't careful.
Pecilia's panicked upon seeing Lucy getting cooked alive and looked at the only one she knew would be skilled enough to save her. Algernon's showing spite alone looked powerful enough to end any and everything.
"Any more takers?" Enzelwood challenged. "Unless of course you yourself can put it out, Miss. Lahue?"
Lucy glared at him in silent hatred but lifted her palms to try. She couldn't even summon a handful of destruction magic at the moment, let alone enough to put out this fire. Enzelwood snorted, reprimanding her uselessness.
Most of the class judged her utterly inept and inadequate for that as well, when all of those who judge her wouldn't be able to do it either.
"It's not fair to ask her to do it when she has such a big handicap," Freya said, standing against the obvious bullying.
"Well then why don't you give it a try," Enzelwood calmly offered back.
"I think I would hurt her," Freya said regretfully, but wishing nothing more than to help.
"And it's exactly when you don't embrace your fear that you prevent yourself from reaching your fullest potential," Enzelwood said. "But we will get past that fear together." He clenched his hands, and the fires grew enormous. Some of the students in the front rows even felt the heat.
The initial burst burned so high and bright it dried Lucy's eyes and lungs to make breathing feel like chocking.
"Now are any of you brave enough to try?" The professor stared around at his students, with his eyes purposefully landed on Algernon Black. He was trying his best to look uninterested as if he couldn't be bothered to walk the short distance to the front of the classroom to easily free Lucy. Of all the students here, he was the only one proficient enough that could do it without hurting her, but in the end, he could be trapping her in something much worse. Against his wants, Algernon averted his eyes and rested his chin in his hand trying to keep his face neutral as his jaw clenched wire tight.
Enzelwood let out a snarky smile at the dour boy. And Algernon again tried his hardest to act like he didn't care while in silent panic as the fire grew closer to Lucy.
But now Pecilia was pissed and stood up.
"I'll do it." The entire class turned to her. And as she passed Algernon's seat, Pecilia put a hand on top of his shoulder in a meaningful gesture, before coming between the professor and the fire. She knew she wouldn't be able to put out all of the flames, but she knew with help she could.
Lucy met Pecilia's eyes, seeing the self-assured confidence and hoping it wasn't fake. Pecilia knelt to put her hands to the ground.
Lucy heard the hiss of the fire being smothered, and it only got louder as the magic inched closer.
Pecilia didn't look at Algernon because she knew he would be concentrating on destroying the flames along with her. He was close enough where he could move along his destruction magic on the floor without it being seen and reach the two points of the star closest to him. Their destruction magic traced the outline of the star from which the fires came forth, and in a few seconds, all the flames were gone.
Lucy collapsed to the floor as the last of her adrenaline keeping her up on nearly no oxygen faded. Her hands went down first as she landed to come in contact with the still-ragging hot metal of the star. She immediately pulled her hands off with a cry of pain, but it was too late as deep red lines were burned across both her palms.
Freya was the first to react and rushed to Lucy, helping her to her feet as she couldn't figure how to get herself up without the use of her hands.
"I'm taking her to the nurse," Freya told, and mildly threatened their teacher.
"A practitioner needs to have a constitution that can deal with even the most depriving situations, even more so as protégés of Attwood. If anyone can't hold themselves to such standards, then they should leave before dragging all of us down with them." Enzelwood replied.
The professor's emphasis on leave sent Lucy's stomach to the floor, so much so she forgot the pain in her hands as it all transferred to her heart.
"Then you go in the middle of the star," Freya said and even though she was much smaller than the man, she had the same level of authority in her voice as it deepened in a threat. "And let me control the flames." Freya's anger got the best of her, and the center of the star lit with a blazing fire from her unintentional act of magic.
Half the class looked impressed by Freya's skill, and the other half condemned her for helping out the low-born.
Enzelwood looked away from Freya's eye to clear his throat, trying to pretend she hadn't just intimidated him. "That's all for today's lesson." The teacher announced. "Be prepared for far more dangerous possibilities in the future."
He directed the last comment to Lucy. She didn't notice as she was holding back the pain of the burns and hoping they, and their much worse accompanying words, wouldn't scar.