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King Marcus has been advised to move forces to the southern parts and evacuate the towns closest to the Void.

We have sent Mages to investigate. More reports circulate of shadows taking over towns.

People hearing a voice. Who is talking? What lurks in the darkness and depth of this earth?

Was it always there? Advisors and the Great Mages are calling it the Void.

They have found something. They have found knowledge of what it is and they are afraid.

The lords are conspiring against the king. This will not end well.

The class was silent as Andishmand closed the diary and made the book return gracefully to the bookcase.

“What did they find?”asked Felicia.

“That is unknown, at least to the author of this diary.

It was shortly after his last entry that King Marcus abdicated his rule and passed the crown to King Gaius.

He was the one to gather the Mages and form the barrier.

Only a year had passed since the Void opened until the Mages were able to hold it back.

In that year we lost a great many of our southern villages.

He sent in one last search party before the barrier went up.

We were fine for thirty years. In that time, King Gaius succumbed to the same sickness as his father and thanks to the lord advisers, the king turned on the Mages.

Under King Amadeus' rule, we have seen no change. Fifty years after the barrier was placed, we find ourselves here. The barrier is cracking and there are too few Mages left. Mounting tension increases as the southern darkness claims more land. It is only a matter of time before it reaches the Capital. Many of you are thinking ‘what can we do?’ We will be studying historic battles and the strategies each side used to overcome their opponent. Who knows, maybe one day you may find yourselves commanders of your own armies, implementing similar strategies against your foes.” Andishmand looked out his little arched window.

“ Ah, I seem to have rambled for quite some time. Class is dismissed.”

The students quietly left. Lilith looked at her schedule and headed to her next class, Restorative Mana.

“That was intense,” Felicia said as she walked next to Lilith.

“Agreed. But I look forward to the next class.

Restorative Mana sounds down right therapeutic," chuckled Lilith.

She thought Andishmand would make her stay behind to discuss her secret.

Her bound magic. Maybe he tired himself out?

Maybe he knows more about binding magic and knows how to reverse it?

She made a mental note to ask him later.

Lilith was speechless when she entered the Restorative Mana classroom.

It was a beautiful greenhouse located at the edge of the castle.

Its walls were giant glass windows held together by ornate ironwork.

The floors were made from dark grey stone and every space was filled with overgrown wooden planters of flowers and herbs. It smelled wonderful.

“Alright, first years come on in and find a table,” welcomed a short eager-looking fellow with round cheeks, a long red braided beard, and long, wavy red hair.

He wore a jolly and enthusiastic expression as he walked around the room.

“Welcome to Restorative Mana. I am your instructor, Sir Galen Hawthorne,” he said with a nasally tone.

“For your first class, I want you to get familiar with restorative herbs.

This may be a review for most of you. In front of you is a scroll and several pots of medicinal herbs.

Match the list of ailments with their respective medicinal herbs' and then write out a description of the herbs restorative uses. You may use the book at each desk as a resource and you may work as a group at your table.”

There was room for five students at each table. Lilith sat with Felicia, Taran, Juniper and a skinny, white haired nymph named Nym.

“Lilith and Felicia, I don’t think you’ve met my cousin, Nym,” Juniper said as she showed off the shy looking young man seated next to her.

“Nice to meet you,” Lilith smiled. “I’ve heard that nymphs are quite gifted with a healing power. Is that true?”

“Our healing methods are passed down through generations. So, in a way, yes. We have more healing magic than some,” Nym quietly replied. “Seeing as we live deep in the woodland realm, we have learned to live off of what is around us.”

“Excellent!” exclaimed Felicia. “Remind me to pair with you for this class,” she joked.

With help from the nymphs, they were able to quickly sort and identify the herbs.

A flower with pinkish petals and yellow centre was a plant called Elfwort and was used to fight common colds, various bites, and its roots can help with swelling.

A hearty looking bush with red berries was identified by Felicia, as she had used this plant to create her muscle relief medicine.

The last bushy plant with tiny yellow leaves had the group giggling, as they identified it as a contraceptive herb.

Sir Hawthorne rounded their table as they went through the plant’s properties.

“Good work. That handy herb can be brewed as a tea and is served here at the school.” He gave a boisterous laugh as he walked to the next table.

“If you’ve finished, you may leave. Oh, and on your way out grab one of the textbooks.

Read the first two chapters, especially if you want to know more about that handy herb. ”

Felicia smirked at Lilith as they grabbed their textbooks and left class. “Well, at least the school is upfront about their expectations of student’s sexual relations.” She giggled. "Are you going to start drinking the tea?"

Lilith looked aghast at her, "As it stands, I have no use for it. But being prepared is not a bad thing. What about you?"

"I'm open to possibilities. In truth, I have been drinking the tea for a while. It stops my monthly cycle, which makes life around here easy," Felicia shared, as Juniper joined their group.

"Same. I was told getting supplies here is hard, so I brought a bag of my own herbs. They must grow and cultivate these herbs on school grounds," Juniper added.

“What’s next?” Felicia asked, pulling out the schedule. “Oh, good; we have a supper break and then our final class of Elemental Incantations.”

“Final class for you. I have to report back to Mistress Rhodes for a nightly run,” Juniper complained as she turned to block the women.

“We should use this opportunity to go to the infirmary and check in on Tamara.” The women nodded and started for the left wing of the castle.

Nym and Taran came out of the Restorative Mana classroom and rushed over to join them.