Page 11

R oom Three was less of a classroom and more of a dome.

Traces of illusionary magic exuded from the walls.

The ceiling was a copy of the night sky.

Beautiful stars forming constellations hovered above them, glowing in a silvery light.

On the opposite side of the room sat a large gold telescope, nestled amongst a mountain of scrolls and books.

The smell of parchment filled the room. To Lilith, it smelled of home.

Looking around the room, there were more trinkets and tools hidden behind piles of weathered leather books.

At the centre of the room stood an elderly gentleman with long white hair.

He wore an oversized burgundy robe that draped over his hands and was tied at the hip with an ornately carved leather belt.

His long grey beard reached his waist. The mystical energy that permeated the room seemed to pull towards him.

She squinted in the darkness, trying to focus on his features.

Lilith gasped when she saw his eyes. They were pure white.

She knew of only one type of being that possessed these attributes.

He was a Mage. It can’t be. They’re all gone, she thought to herself.

Her father had told bedtime stories of great Mages that fell from the sky.

They were immortal beings that were cast into this realm before the age of man.

They were protectors of the world and guardians of nature.

One stood amongst them that wielded unholy magic.

He conspired against the gods and after the creation of mankind, taught them how to use mana.

The Mages unified kingdoms and brought an age of peace that lasted thousands of years.

Eventually humankind forgot about the gods.

The ancient gods were angered by the Mages.

For it was times of anarchy and conflict that made worshippers.

This is why a great Void appeared on the earth, and from that Void, a dark power emerged.

Mages tried to protect mankind, but it was too late.

The King turned on them, blaming them for the appearance of the Void.

The Mages were hunted down and imprisoned.

The students froze, silently observing the teacher. He was holding onto a great staff that he tapped on the floor to gain the students attention. The staff was made of an old tree branch that had once held a crystal on top. This one had been broken and the crystal was missing.

“Please find a comfortable spot on the ground.” He had a raspy voice. “I am Andishmand.” There were tables that formed a circle around an empty space in the middle. The students stepped in the centre and spread out.

“You’re a Mage!” shouted Silver; he was the first to voice what others had presumed. They paused, fear seeping out of every student.

“Everyone calm down. I am as much of a Mage as you are a great warrior, young Silver Grasswoods.” He spoke slowly and methodically.

“I suppose I will answer your questions.” No one had asked anything.

Well, not anything out loud, thought Lilith.

Andishmand interrupted her train of thought: “You may not have questioned anything out loud, true, but your faces dance with questions.” Unless that’s purely coincidental, he can read minds.

Lilith tried hard to clear her mind. Of course, her mind was endlessly racing. Andishmand chuckled.

“I am a shell of a Mage.” His white stare surveyed the class. “You will not get an explanation or hear my story until I am ready to tell it,” he went on.

Fair enough, that’s his to share. I wonder if his powers are bound. Is that what he meant by a shell? Why is he here? Where is the rest of his kind? Dead? What happened to his staff? Lilith’s mind raced with question after question.

“I fear I have lost most of you to your thoughts.” Andishmand held his hands up to regain the attention of the class.

“I think our first class will be learning to control our mind.” He looked at a few students, smiling.

“Have a seat on the floor. Calm your mind. Look up towards the ceiling and gaze at the stars.” His voice lowered and became more melodic.

"Where is your attention focused? This classroom? Your status amongst your peers? Or are you thinking of your home? I want you to create a barrier around your mind. Protect your thoughts and encase them. It could be in the form of radiant energy or a mental wall. Build a shield around your mind.” He waited in silence as students attempted to follow his direction.

Lilith imagined her mind safely hidden behind a mental fort, shielded by protective walls of energy.

Uncertainty filled her as she added more layers to her imaginary fort. After a lengthy pause he spoke.

“I will gently push into your mind. Try to block my presence. Are you ready? ”

She felt a presence pushing its way into her shield. It felt like a phantom force bashing against the layers of her imaginary walls, breaking them down piece by piece.

“Make your barriers thicker by drawing more mana into them.” Andishmand coached the class.

Clearly he must retain some of his power as he’s able to infringe into everyone’s minds at the same time.

Lilith was momentarily distracted as she felt the force straining against her mental barrier become more prominent.

She used all of her mana thanks to her prior class and her pool was only starting to refill.

She quickly used up what little magical energy she possessed.

Her mental fort disintegrated and collapsed under the weight of this opposing force.

His presence immediately left her, leaving a slight ringing sound resonating in her ears.

A piercing pain filled her mind as the sensation of a headache formed.

Lilith dropped her head into her hands and began to massage her temples.

She felt something dripping onto her lap.

As she wiped her nose, her hand was covered in blood.

Your powers are bound, whispered a low voice in her head.

She recognized the voice as Andishmand’s.

She looked up at him, expecting his focus on her.

Instead his white eyes were glowing and his focus was up towards the stars above them.

A prophecy soon to be fulfilled, unless you can learn control.

There is one other. A life intertwined. Lilith felt the bump of someone nudging her.

Taran held out a piece of cloth for her nose and winced.

“Ah, that was a fruitful effort on everyone’s part.” Andishmand spoke aloud to the class. “I will begin each class with training our minds before we move on to the rest of the class. ”

Silver raised his hand. “Sir, what is the point of learning mental shields? It’s extremely rare to meet someone who has the ability to force themselves into others minds.”

“Most of you who graduate from here will go on to be leaders or find military positions. Other nations may recruit people who can look into your mind to gain information. In the past, our kingdom provided very little education about mental shields and that left us, as a nation, vulnerable. In time, I hope that you will be successful in safeguarding your own thoughts, but perhaps also learn how to project yourself into another mind.” A thick leather bound book flew off a nearby bookcase and landed gently into Andishmand's outstretched hand.

“There are those that argue mankind are the most destructive force to inhabit this world, and that is why the ancient gods created the Void as a way to restore balance," Andishmand said as he opened his book.

A few students shot their hands up. Andishmand pointed to Orin.

“It is said that Mages were the reason we have the Void. Are you suggesting that we, men and creatures of the earth, caused the Void?” Orin asked.

“It is true. Mages played a vital role in the current situation. Mankind did not have the connections with their mana until the Mages taught men how to harness it and how to use it. I believe it is one of the reasons the ancient gods became angered by the Mages. Some believe there are other reasons for the creation of the Void. Reasons that go beyond our actions, that it was formed by accident. In any case, people began worshipping Mages over the gods and pushed for them to become the rulers of our kingdom, which angered the king. The creation of the Void is debated by many and so far we have yet to find the answer. Only those that were present during its formation can shed light onto why it was created.” Andishmand flipped a page of his book.

“I hold here, one of the diaries from a Mage during the time of great disturbance.

He describes the days prior to and following the Void's creation.

The onslaught of bad omens is never-ending: birds fall from the sky, plagues of beetles destroy our farmland; landslides, earthquakes, too much rain, followed by too little.

Our people stand united under one banner, and yet it is as if the gods are trying to tear us apart.

Distant towns starve from famine, but the surrounding territories refuse to aid.

I doubt this peace, what we’ve worked so hard to maintain, will last much longer.

Why have the gods forsaken us? What is the point of all this?

A few pages turned in Andishmand’s book.

There are rumours coming from the south.

A great crevasse has formed, spewing out creatures from nightmares.

We have received several reports of townspeople nearby the crack vanishing.

A messenger from a southern lord has arrived.

He says that he heard whispers in the night telling him his people will perish. To make peace with the gods.