Chapter 11: Class is in Session

My hands and feet fidget at the desk. I ended up getting no sleep because of the short nap I took. Then Jiro never woke me up, so I had to aimlessly roam around the house until I found someone to guide me to the study.

Shockingly, even after getting lost in the hallways, I'm still five minutes early than when I was told to arrive. The room looks like an ancient library. Most of the house looks like it's been kept in shape, but this place is full of dust, and many of the bookcases are broken with books falling off of them.

I hear the door creep open. I look back, expecting to see Jiro, but I'm greeted by someone similar to him. Only he wears glasses like me and is a little taller than Jiro. In his hands are a handful of books and a bright red wand.

"Ah, coming early to class, I see." A smile radiates from his face. "I thought you would be like Jiro, but I suppose I misunderstood." He walks over to a small table seated a few feet away from my desk.

"I thought it would be rude to be late to my first session."

He plops the books down on the table and then rearranges his glasses. "Yes, well, if only I could get my little brother to do the same."

I burrow my eyebrows. "Jiro's your brother?" Now that he says it, I can see the similarities.

He comes around to the front of his table and sits down on its edge. "Unfortunately, I'm a member of the Sasaki family."

Such weird wording. I'm sure that it can't be that bad to be related to each other.

He holds out his hand to me. I'm close enough to grab it, so I do. "I'm Takeshi." He holds my hand firmly while shaking it up and down lightly.

"I'm Mako Sato."

He inspects me. "What a beautiful name."

I pull my hand back and wipe the sweat off my palm and onto my pants.

"I see that you're still wearing the Greenwood Academy uniform."

I awkwardly chuckle at his statement. "Yeah, I didn't have any other formal clothes to wear."

"Oh, no need to apologize. Jiro should have ordered a tailor to the house to get you some new clothes."

My eyes widen. I have never even had any clothes tailored, let alone have one order, especially for me. "I wouldn't want that. I'm sure it would be way too expensive."

He waves his hand at me in disagreement. "Of course not. You are a guest of this household. Anything that you desire is yours." He stands up. "In fact, seeing as I'll be your tutor, I'll be in the house more often. So I ask that you please get me for anything you need."

I nod my head. This family is too kind in their offers. First, Jiro bringing me a month's worth of food in one sitting, and now his brother telling me that a tailor is going to come just for me.

"Well, I was waiting for Jiro to arrive, but it looks like the bum has slept in. Shall we get started without him?"

I nod my head, bending down to my bookbag and grabbing my wand out. I haven't touched my want since I went overboard on the valeomile root, but now that I look at it, it's beginning to crack along the sides. It shouldn't matter for too much longer, though. I was told that I would be getting a new wand in the coming weeks. If I can hold out till then, I should be fine.

"I think the best place to start is a classic burn spell." he sets a feather down at my desk. Then he steps back and looks at me.

This place is mostly wood, and after my last spell, I don't think this is such a good idea. I've only been here less than a day, and I don't need to be kicked out that fast. "Mr. Sasaki, I don't feel comfortable doing the spell. I'm not good at controlling my output of magic."

He shakes his head at me. "Please call me Takeshi. Also, if you around comfortable with a spell like this, we can always start with something more basic."

"Yes, I would love that."

He turns around and grabs one of the books from the desk. He flips open the book and quickly skims through the pages. "Levitation, disarming, disguise." He stops on a back close to the back of the book. "Ah, here we go." he turns the book to me. "A lumination spell."

I grab the book from the edge of the desk and briefly read the page.

Spell Name: Luminous wand

Casting words: Lavement Nacht

One of the first spells new witches, wizards, and magic folk learn. The spell uses the least amount of energy from the body, so it is practical for instances of emergencies. However, it should be noted that it only produces a small amount of light from the user's wand because of the limited amount of energy it uses.

"You know one of my favorite things about this spell is how it was created." I glance up from the book and look at Takeshi. "It's said that in the first ages of magic, there was a German traveler that never believed in love. The only thing he cared about was money and being able to sell his small creations. The only issue is that his small trinkets were worthless. Everywhere he traveled, nobody wanted them. However, one day when he made his way to France, a young woman bought his whole stock."

Takeshi pushes himself off the table and begins to walk around the room. "The German traveler was shocked that she had brought all the trinkets. For the first night, since he left his hometown, the man rested easily. The next day, he got to work and made fifty new trinkets to sell." I feel Takeshi's hands press against my shoulders. "Once again, the French woman brought all of the trinkets. Knowing she didn't have this kind of money to spend, the man asked why she did such a thing. The woman smiled and asked him to follow her."

Takeshi pulls the chair out from what was supposed to be Jiro's desk and sits down. I rest one of my hands on my face and watch the word come out of Takeshi's mouth. "The woman leads the traveler into a deep forest. The farther the two got away from the town, the more the man worried. Suddenly a small cottage comes into view. The closer the two get to the house, the more the man sees his small trinkets lined up outside."

Takeshi looks at me intently and then smiles. "The woman explains that she can feel the magical energy flowing from the trinkets."

"Objects can hold magical energy?" I interrupt him.

He nods his head. "Oh yes, of course."

I had no idea.

Takeshi continues. "She guides him into the house and sits him down at the table. After a lengthy conversation, the french woman asks the man to stay with her. She has been trying to create a new spell but has been struggling to cast it because she doesn't have the magical energy to do so. The man agrees, and for the next few months, the two gradually grow closer and closer."

He gets up from the desk and walks over to the table to grab his wand. "Because the two had been so secluded in the forest, they hadn't realized that their countries had gone to war."

I gasp. "Oh no."

"While the French woman is out collecting water in the nearby creek, a group of French soldiers enter her house and take the German traveler captive. When she finds him missing, she rushes to the town center. There he is tied to a post. She tries to run to his side but she through off to the side. As the sun sets, she struggles to see his face. So instead, she yells the first part of the spell she has been working on."

Takeshi waves his wand in the air. "Lavement, lavement! Hearing the words of his companion, the German travel responds, 'es ist Nacht.' The woman follows his voice until she finds him. Once she does, she hears his pained breaths. She realizes that the man does not have much longer to live. So she held his face in her hands and told him she wished she could see him again. To which the German traveler tells her to wash the night way, and she shall see him once again."

I smile. "Lavement Nacht."

Takeshi smiles back at me. "Of course, the translation is a bit off, but the words still get the job done."

Holding my wand, I look at the book again. "Is the story true?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I have no clue, but I like to think it is." Then he claps his hands, drawing my attention from the book to him. "Now it's your turn. There is no correct way to hold the wand. That's what makes it one of the more similar spells."

I stand up from my desk to get into a more open space. I don't need something out of the blue happening and ruining it. With my hand held out and my wand gripped tightly, I flick the wand outwards. "Lavement Nacht." a bright glow of a whitish blue color comes pouring out of my wand.

Takeshi claps his hands wildly. "Yes, great job Mako."

I giggle a little bit. I didn't end up blowing something up. My hand falls down to my side, and the glow disappears.

"That was absolutely splendid!" He runs over to me, pulling me into an unexpected hug.

"It wasn't that great."

He sets me down. "Wasn't that great? Mako, for a beginner to get it on their first try and with a glow as bright as that, my goodness, you are destined for great things."

I feel my face get hot. I've never been complimented like this before.

"Looks like you two are having fun."

My head flips over to the door. Standing there is Jiro in a buttoned-up shirt and a pair of navy slacks. He looks annoyed.

"Jiro!" I go to run over to him, but Takeshi stops me before I can even start.

"You're late." Takeshi's voice is empty. All the excitement that he had just given me is now gone.

"I had things to do." Jiro walks over toward us. He glances at me briefly.

"That's okay, Jiro. We only ended up doing one spell." I smile at him, expecting him to smile back. However, he completely ignores me. I reach out to place my hand on his shoulder. "Are you alrig—"

He flicks my hand away. "Don't touch me."

I step back away from him. He wasn't like this last night. What happened?

Takeshi gently picks up the hand that Jiro flicked away. "Is your hand okay, Mako?" My attention is only on Jiro. I notice him gazing at us from the corner of his eye. He scoffs.

I quickly pull my hand back down and smile at Takeshi softly. "Yes, I'm fine. We should probably get back to the session before the time runs out." I sit back down in my chair and keep my face turned forward. I'm nervous that looking at Jiro any longer will only make him angrier.

I'll have to talk to him after class to see what's wrong.