Ballistic Coefficient

After a quick lunch, the first-year students continued on to their next class, which was Magical Theory. As they filed into the classroom, Pale was surprised to see the teacher already there. It was Professor Tomas, and he was eyeing them all with no small amount of disappointment.

"You're all late," he surmised as they sat down.

The students shared a quick glance with each other before one of them – Joel, by the sound of things – decided to speak up.

"Professor, we're right on time. Class starts at one on the dot."

"If you're not early, then you're late," Tomas grunted. "I have a year to teach you all the very basics of advanced magical theory, which isn't nearly enough time to do more than scratch the surface. It's my duty to prepare you all for the upper-level courses, where the really dangerous things start being taught. If you don't have the discipline for it, then this school is not for you. The things we will be dealing with here are very volatile, and we cannot afford any mistakes."

That got Pale's attention right away. She made a mental note to pay close attention, even if she couldn't cast any magic herself; if nothing else, perhaps learning more about it would help her learn how best to counter the various mages she'd come across.

Professor Tomas took a seat at his desk, which was situated in the back of the room, in front of a row of chalkboards. Pale couldn't help but note that there didn't seem to be any textbooks present in the room, which was more than a bit confusing.

"First off, you all need to understand what it is we'll be learning here," Tomas said. "This class is not about the practical application of magic. Rather, it is very specifically about the theory of magic. What does that mean, exactly? Well, magic is an extension of your sjel. You can think of it as physically projecting the very essence of the sjel itself. Everyone on this planet can use magic; it is an ability inherent to us all. But what separates the true practitioners of magic from the common riff-raff using parlor tricks is the ability to look within and truly understand how magic is being cast."

Someone raised a hand; Pale turned and saw it was Cal. Tomas pointed to him, and Cal said, "Question, Professor – you said that the things we'd be dealing with here are incredibly dangerous, but you also said that this class isn't about the practical application of magic. Could you elaborate on that, please? I mean, how can magic be dangerous if we aren't actually going to be casting any of it in this class?"

"Good question, I'm glad you asked it," Tomas complimented. "Ultimately, what we're doing here is simple on its face – I will be teaching you to delve into the depths of your sjel to begin fully unlocking its true potential."

The room went dead silent at that. Pale looked around and saw that many of the students suddenly seemed incredibly fearful of what they'd heard. A few who had been taking notes, Kayla included, had suddenly paused, their eyes wide with shock. Tomas seemed unperturbed, however; he merely cleared his throat before continuing.

"I understand that many of you have your misgivings about hearing me say that," he said. "The sjel is a sacred thing, after all – it's what makes you the person you are. And while, on a certain level, it is possible to tamper with it, I'm sure you have all heard horror stories of people who went too far too quickly. Rest assured, that will not be happening in this class. What I seek to do is push the limits of your sjel in a controlled environment. It is not without its danger, but at the same time, it is not nearly as dangerous as some of you seem to believe it is."

Kayla swallowed nervously, then raised a hand. Pale noticed she was shaking. Tomas called on her, and she took a breath.

"What… do we stand to gain from doing this?" she asked. "I mean… there must be some kind of benefit to doing something this dangerous."

"Indeed, there is," Tomas answered with a nod. "If you lot are like the other students who have come before you, then you're here for a few key reasons. Some of you simply wish to research magic to increase your own knowledge of it; some of you want to test your capabilities and improve yourself. Some of you want to serve in some capacity, whether that's as a soldier for your kingdom, a mercenary or adventurer, or as a professor of magic yourself. In each case, all of you will benefit from testing the limits of your sjel. As for the specific benefits…" Tomas smirked a bit; Pale had to admit that it looked more than a little strange on him, given how straight-laced and serious he normally was. "I'll start with the obvious one – how many of you have heard that a person can only have a single magical affinity, aside from a few rare instances among the nobility?"

A few tentative hands went up, Kayla's included. Tomas stared at them for a moment before shaking his head.

"That is complete nonsense," he said bluntly. "Yes, it is true that some people naturally have two affinities and others do not. It is also true that this happens primarily among the nobility. But the idea that it's exclusive to them is false. In reality, any of you in here can unlock a second affinity."

For the first time, an excited murmur went up through the crowd of students. Pale looked around and noted that several of the students of noble blood – Joel among them – suddenly seemed much more dour than they had been before. It didn't take her much thought to figure out why.

They'd gone their whole lives thinking their second affinity made them special, and that knowledge had just been cruelly ripped away from them in the course of a single afternoon. If she'd been less disciplined, it would have been enough to make her crack a smile.

"Settle down, please," Tomas stated, causing the students to go quiet once more. When they were all settled, he began speaking again.

"Believe me, a second affinity is just the tip of the iceberg," he promised them. "By the end of this first year, all of you will have found a second affinity, sure… but you will also have improved your casting with your first affinity, too, to the point where you could be considered expert mages in it. Not master or grandmaster mages, mind you, but experts. Faster casting times, more mana to draw from, more powerful spells in general, the ability to cast silently and without an external catalyst… all of that will come to you in due time. Let it be known that in this class, there is no such thing as a risk without an accompanying reward."

That, at least, seemed to placate the students who had earlier been worried about working directly with their sjel. Pale still wasn't sure exactly what that even meant, but hopefully she would find out in due time.

"Now, for today's class, I am going to keep things simple," Tomas offered. "I am going to go around to each of you. You will tell me your affinity, and I will gauge the depths to which you have managed to explore your sjel so far. Do not worry if you do not seem to measure up exactly to your peers; everyone's rate of development is different in this regard, and by the end of the year, it won't matter, anyway, as you will all be good enough to be considered experts."

Tomas approached the first row of students, motioning for the first one – Valerie, Pale noticed with a small pang of some unidentifiable emotion. She buried it as quickly as it came, however, instead focusing as Valerie took in a breath.

"Earth," she said. "That's my affinity."

Tomas nodded, then rest a hand on her head. Valerie closed her eyes, and to Pale's shock, a light began to emanate out from all around her. It only lasted a moment, but it seemed to tell Tomas everything he needed to know.

"You are quite skilled already, for a girl your age," Tomas surmised. "However, as you would expect, there is still much work to do."

Valerie seemed a bit disappointed at that, though it soon faded as Tomas tested the next few students and found them to be, for lack of a better term, novices, though he was quick to assure them that it didn't matter at this stage. Pale, for her part simply paid close attention, watching for anyone she recognized.

Eventually, as Tomas went around the room, he stopped in front of someone Pale couldn't see through the crowd. The small voice that came a moment later told her exactly who it was, though.

"U-um…" She heard Nasir say. "My affinity… I'd rather not say…"

That took her off-guard, as it did with the other students. Tomas, however, was unperturbed.

"You are a dark elf, yes?" he asked. "I understand that magic for your people is slightly different than it is for the rest of us. That's nothing to be ashamed of; your affinity is a part of you, after all, and it does you no good to keep it concealed."

"O-okay…" Nasir sucked in a breath. "It's… my affinity, it's…. blood magic."

A worried murmur went up through the crowd of students, one Tomas was quick to silence with a glare.

"One thing I cannot stand is the idea that there is such a thing as good magic and bad magic," he said. "There isn't. Magic is simply magic, and whether it's good or bad depends entirely on how it's used. I will not tolerate anyone looking down on anyone else's affinity or skill level in my class. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

The students all nodded. That seemed to placate Tomas, who immediately went back to judging Nasir. After a moment, he nodded.

"Your magic is somewhat unfamiliar to me, I will admit, and yet I can tell you are very practiced in it," he said. "I hope to learn from you as much as you learn from me."

That seemed to placate Nasir; while he shrank back into his seat afterwards, he didn't seem nearly as upset as he had been when first called upon.

Tomas continued to move through the room, eventually their row. Kayla was up first, and she seemed slightly nervous as he approached her.

"My affinity is fire," she told him, her voice coming out softly. Tomas nodded and rested a hand on her head; to Pale's surprise, the light that enveloped Kayla seemed to blaze compared to most of the other students, something which made Kayla flush bright red with embarrassment.

"My, my," Tomas said. "You have made much progress with it already. Tell me, who taught you the basics?"

"My father," Kayla immediately answered.

"Hm. And practical application, I would assume?" She nodded, and Tomas took his hand off her head. "Fire is a very volatile element on its own, and yet I can tell there's something else there, too. Not a second affinity, more like a subset… you have cast other forms of magic before?"

"Basic lightning spells," Kayla admitted.

"Interesting," Tomas said. "Very interesting, indeed…"

He said nothing else, instead moving on. He stopped in front of Pale, and she stared up at him for a moment in silence, unsure of what to say. Tomas stared back, as if expecting an answer. Finally, she let out a small, irritated sigh.

"I don't know my affinity," she told him. "I don't think I have one."

"Nonsense," Tomas replied. "Everybody has one, even if it simply has not been unlocked yet."

"Not me."

"Then you won't mind if I check?"

Pale let out another sigh, but ultimately shook her head. Tomas placed a hand on her head, and she stared up at him as he tried to do something. Whatever he was trying, it didn't seem to be working; there was no glow around her like there had been with the other students. Tomas stood there, his brow furrowing in concentration; he continued to try for a few seconds before finally conceding, taking his hand off her head and giving her a confused look.

"I have had a great many students walk into my classroom in my years at the Luminarium, and yet you are the first I have seen with no trace of magic to speak of," he admitted. "See me after class, please – you are not in trouble, but I wish to discuss this further with you."

The students began to talk once more, but Pale nodded. Tomas moved on to the next person, and as he stepped away, she caught sight of Joel, staring at her from the other side of the room with a wide grin. Pale's gaze narrowed, and she looked away.

It wasn't worth giving him the satisfaction.

XXX

After class had ended, Pale did as she was told and stayed behind. Kayla had tried to stay with her, but Pale had talked her out of it, instead telling her to get some food along with Cal and Cynthia. She'd done so reluctantly, and only after Pale had promised to only be a few minutes late.

In any case, Pale approached Tomas' desk, where he was already waiting for her.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked.

"Indeed," he said. "Sit, please."

He motioned to the chair on the other side of his desk; Pale obliged, taking a seat across from him. After a moment, he let out a small exhale.

"This is a quandary," he admitted. "I've heard of people having low affinity for magic, but in all my years, I've never heard of someone having zero affinity for it."

"First time for everything," Pale told him.

To her surprise, he shook his head. "Not like this. Magic is a gift given to us by the gods. If you are unable to use it at all… something is afoot, I am simply not sure what."

Pale bristled. "I thought you said I wasn't in trouble."

"I did, and I meant it," Tomas explained. "But even still, this is strange to me. To think that somebody would go their entire life without the blessing… it is unheard of."

"Maybe the gods simply missed me."

"The gods do not make mistakes," Tomas assured her. He leaned back in his seat and thought for a moment before speaking again.

"What are you hiding from me, Pale?"

Pale was taken aback by his question. At first, she wasn't sure how to respond.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said.

"Yes, you do," Tomas replied evenly. "Look, I am not out to get you. I simply want to understand what's going on. You have to realize, the Luminarium is a magic academy, first and foremost; I know you joined as a scribe, but I need to understand what's going on so I can accommodate you, perhaps even find a way to help teach you magic."

"Somehow, I don't think that'll happen," Pale told him.

"What makes you say that?"

Pale hesitated. In the entire world, there were only two other people who knew the truth about her circumstances. She'd been careful to keep it close to her chest, if only to keep her true nature confidential. But now, she had to admit that she was starting to wonder if that hadn't been detrimental in some ways. It certainly was now; at this point, Tomas knew something was going on with her, and attempting to deny it would only make him more suspicious.

Besides, two people already knew; a third wouldn't hurt, especially thanks to something Evie had told her about several months back.

"Swear an oath to me and I'll tell you," she said.

Tomas blinked, surprised. "You wish to form a blood oath?"

"I do. You have to understand, this is important to me."

"Does Kayla know?"

"She does, and there was no avoiding it, but I trust her; we've fought and bled alongside each other for months now. She has proven herself to me through thick and thin. I cannot say the same about you."

"That's fair enough, I suppose. Alright, suppose I do decide to form an oath with you. What then?"

"I'll tell you everything I've told Kayla," Pale promised. "In the hopes that you can maybe help me make it home."

"And where is home?" Tomas questioned.

"The oath first," Pale insisted. "Otherwise, I say nothing."

Tomas thought for a moment before nodding. "Very well. May I borrow your knife?"

Pale nodded, then reached for her blade, handing it to him hilt-first. "Be very careful with that," she warned. "It's far sharper than it appears. It will take your fingers off with ease."

Tomas nodded in understanding, then lightly passed the blade across his palm, just enough to draw blood. He passed the knife back to her, and she sheathed it, watching as he began to drip his blood across a sheet of blank parchment, chanting under his breath the entire time. A strange light began to glow around him, and after a few seconds, he turned to her.

"The ritual is complete, and I am now bound to keep your secret until you will it not to be," he told her. "Now then, what did you want to discuss?"

"It's simple, Professor," Pale said, leaning in a bit.

"I'm not from here."