12 Entering the Order

The next morning, Michael awoke ready to take on the day. The headmaster's speech wasn't until that afternoon, so he had a few hours to kill. First, he needed to get breakfast for himself and Orthus. The bait he had given him was decent quality, but it was running out fast. He had seen other familiars in the cafeteria, so he knew they had something there for him to eat.

Michael dressed, grabbed his trusty sword, and headed out the door with Orthus. As they walked, they drew attention from those they passed. Chimeras were rare and only his dorm mates had seen Orthus so far. He filled up a plate with a ham and cheese omlette, some toast and butter. He grabbed a second plate for Orthus, filling it with whatever the Chimera indicated. By the time they sat down, Orthus' plate was stacked higher than his own!

They ate in companionable silence until the triplets, Jeremy, Mason, and Miles arrived. His 6 new companions wouldn't stop discussing the first task, even with such good food in front of them. Michael just let them talk, intent only on finishing his food and creating a battle-plan to fight his opponent. Thanks to their cockiness, he knew they could use Light, Darkness, Earth and Water magic. He'd already seen how they could hide in shadows, and he had a feeling they might be able to do what Orthus did, where he bent light around himself.

In addition to that, Earth was the element best-suited to defense. The only good news was someone still in school wouldn't be able to conjure stronger metals, like iron or steel. He'd either need to hit them before they could use earth magic, or he would have to break it.

Naturally, there were many ways to break through an earth wall. Fire's destructive power was the most popular choice, but Michael knew that Water magic could break it down just as well, if not better. And, if he was right about Darkness magic, it could literally consume his foe's barrier if he applied it properly. It wasn't typically used offensively, but "darkness consumes" was literally the most basic understanding of the magic.

Thanks to his taming of Orthus, Michael had learned how magic combined together. He was sure that he could combine Water and Darkness magic for a powerful erosive effect when the time came. That meant the only magic he still had to worry about was the Water magic.

Water magic was considered one of the most versatile magics. On the surface, it seemed no better or worse than the others. But, in actuality, the idea of "water flows" meant that it could be applied to numerous magics. At its base level, it meant that something that had started would keep going. Many mages used this to create fluid attacks that could endure and wear down an enemy's magic. Moreover, it could be used to enhance a fighter speeding up the body or cutting through an enemy's armor. In essence, Water magic would be the greatest variable in his fight.

Michael hadn't learned any applications of the base elements that would directly combat such a boundless magic, but he had some ideas. He could either try to combine two elements to create an impenetrable wall or he could completely re-imagine Darkness magic. It was said that magic worked based on the mage's understanding of it. The stronger their understanding, the stronger the magic.

So, what if Michael imagined Darkness magic as an all-consuming black hole? Even a small application of such powerful magic would be able to completely negate an attack or defense at the same level. Normally such powerful magic was reserved for high-level mages, but few people had the scientific knowledge that he did.

Back in his room, Michael spent a few hours testing his new Darkness magic. Though it was difficult to control, he found that he genuinely could use it the way he had envisioned. When Orthus threw magical attacks at it, they were all drawn into the small spot of nothing-ness that Michael had created. Satisfied that he was truly prepared, Michael prepared for battle. At least, he would have if there was anything to prepare. In actuality, he just needed his magic, his sword, and enough time to finish the fight and still make it to the headmaster's speech.

He stepped out into the hall, searching for his opponent, but quickly realized that would be rather difficult. Countless mages seemed to be hiding in the shadows, waiting for their recruits to try their luck. There was no way to tell which one he was supposed to fight!

Instead, Michael made his way out of the dorm. He headed over to the arenas where he had seen magicians sparring the other day. Now that he was away from all the other recruits, only one mage seemed to be tailing him. Michael kept his back to them, preparing a powerful mix of air and fire magic. From what he'd learned, air magic could fuel fire magic, just as air fueled fires in real life. The ball of flame in his hands gradually changed from red to orange, then from orange to white.

When Michael truly felt that he couldn't control it anymore, he turned and fired the fireball straight at his enemy. The fire was a bright white, though the center had a tint of blue to it. It was far stronger than what a typical untrained fire mage could do and he was even able to slightly control where it went. His opponent tried to dodge out of the way, but the resulting explosion left them heavily injured.

The Darkness magic faded away. Burns covered the greater part of their body, and their uniform was burned through in places, though it was quickly repairing itself. Just to be sure that he'd won, Michael prepared a second fireball as he went over to them. "Will you admit my victory?" The line was simple, but poignant.

With a pained groan, his enemy pulled off a ring that had been on their finger. "This is your proof of victory. Now can you please call the healers? I don't know what you did, but that fireball HURT!"

In his defense, Michael had expected his opponent to either avoid the fireball or raise a strong shield. Still, he couldn't exactly say that now... Instead, he ran off to the infirmary station located nearby. It seemed that mages often got injured in duels, so a permanent location had been set up just outside the arena. Confused but satisfied with his success, Michael headed to the central building. He followed the crowd of students to a large indoor amphitheater. He was guided to a seat near his dorm mates, and sat down with Orthus by his side.

It was time that he became an official student of Ilkhorn Academy.