Light Magic: The Basics (2)

As I walk into class the next day, Ms. Smith immediately greets us with a question. "Welcome back class, have any of you managed to actually learn a spell on your first day?"

I scan the room and see only three students have raised their hands - Zion, Remi, and Ezra. It appears as though they managed to learn a spell or two overnight. I take note that Zion has a natural gift for magic, and I can't help but feel a bit envious.

Ms. Smith seems impressed by the three students' progress, but then her gaze lands on me, and I can't help but feel a little uneasy. Did she create the impossible task of learning three spells in a day just to assess my abilities? I shake the thought out of my head. Surely that can't be it.

Moving on from magic, Ms. Smith announces that today's lesson is on history, which doesn't excite me in the slightest. But then she tells us a story about a god invading our world and giving birth to the first magic user, Ilthar. Ilthar's father, disapproving of his son's new powers, threatened to bring humanity to its end. Ilthar couldn't let that happen, so he sacrificed himself and killed his father or at least banished him to the farthest cosmos from our planet.

Ilthar's wife gave birth to a beautiful child who passed down the art of magic to the generations that followed. Ms. Smith tells us that the father's name was Hermes, but it's unclear how Ilthar died, or if he died at all. All that's known is that he went to great lengths to save the world from the destruction that his father threatened.

My mind wanders, thinking about the god-like power that Ilthar must have possessed to defeat his own father. I can't help but wonder if I could ever become that powerful, and if I'll ever have to face a similar challenge. The story may be ancient, but it still has the power to inspire and awe those who hear it.

Just as we were about to leave, Remi tapped me on the shoulder. "Am I able to walk home with you?"

I turned to face her and saw the anticipation in her eyes. "Sure, why not?"

As we walked, Remi's excitement grew, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of joy knowing that what we were learning was making a difference in people's lives. The thought of becoming a hero filled me with a sense of purpose and drive.

"What spell will we be learning today?" Remi asked eagerly.

I opened the book and began to flip through the pages, scanning the intricate symbols and complex incantations. "There seem to be some tough spells here. I don't know if we can keep up this pace of learning one spell a day."

Remi shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Just find one that you like."

I continued to search until I found a spell that caught my eye. "Luminous Tide," I said, reading from the page. "It shoots out a projectile that looks like a vertical wave. It seems interesting and deadly."

Remi's eyes lit up with excitement. "I'd love to learn something like that!"

We spent hours practicing the spell, repeating the incantation over and over again until we could say it in our sleep. Sweat poured down our faces, and our bodies ached with fatigue, but we pushed through, determined to master the spell.

As the night grew darker, we finally succeeded in casting the spell. However, the toll on our bodies was immense, and I could feel my muscles trembling with exhaustion. "How do you feel right now?" I asked Remi.

She looked at me with lifeless eyes, and I knew we had pushed ourselves too hard. "Remi, I don't think we're going to get this," I said, feeling defeated.

Remi's body was limp on the ground, her breaths ragged and shallow. I knelt beside her, the sweat on my forehead mingling with the dirt on my face. It had been a long day of practice, and we were both feeling the toll of pushing our magic to its limit.

But then, something changed. Remi's body sparked to life like a bolt of lightning, and suddenly, she was standing upright, her eyes blazing with determination.

"Sora, I HAVE TO TRY ONE MORE TIME!" she cried.

I couldn't help but smile at her passion. "One more time," I agreed.

We raised our hands, fingers interlaced as we spoke the incantation. "Luminous Tide." The words echoed through the empty campus, bouncing off the buildings and into the night sky.

Then, it happened. A wave of luminous energy burst forth from our hands, colliding with each other to create a magnificent explosion of light. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, an otherworldly display of power that left me breathless.

As the explosion faded, I collapsed onto the ground, my body spent and exhausted. But I couldn't help but look up at the sky and smile. We had done it. We had learned two spells in just two days, and the night sky shimmered with the remnants of our success.