SOPHIE'S POV

Sophie watched as a red-haired boy in noble’s clothing collected mana in the air and concentrated. She was the next to demonstrate her magical capability after this boy, but she wasn’t nervous or anything. In fact, the previous three examinees didn’t really pique her interest but they still managed to pass.

She was beside the examiner, and behind them were the three other students from various noble houses. She had thought that the candidates would at least show something amazing, but the thought just left her disappointed.

The red-haired boy chanted.

“Mellow and blaze, fire wisps!”

Sophie raised her brows.

Twelve simultaneous sparks created big balls of flame behind the boy. He then directed these flames towards the center of the hall and allowed them to explode in a fairly impressive fashion, creating a shockwave that shook Sophie’s eardrums.

Shards of rock flew outwards from the explosion, but they were diverted by the instructor’s timely wind magic.

The boy turned his head to the black-robed examiner. The examiner nodded, satisfied at the very least.

Even though the boy’s control was sloppy, he was able to at least shorten his chant.

Chants helped only when you had no knowledge to bring about a phenomenon without them, so it was a given that shortening needed some great understanding about an element.

Needless to say, the boy could use more mana manipulation practice.

It seemed that the boy wanted to impress the examiner and opted to shorten his chant in exchange for lengthening the time it took for him to conjure the phenomenon. It was counter-intuitive, but shortening chants for beginners is always going to impress.

“Alright, great work Mr. Ordin. There are still some spots that you can work on with your magic, nothing that the lessons in the academy can’t address but you’re off to a nice start,” The examiner remarked.

The Ordin boy snorted as he shrugged.

The examiner didn’t pay the noble brat’s attitude any heed and turned towards Sophie. “Then, it is your turn, Ms. Einsworth,” Sophie nodded and walked towards where the boy was.

“Oh, Einsworth is it? So you’re the prodigy who almost lost her life to a dog?” The Ordin boy chuckled. “That’s awfully weak for a prodigy, don’t you think?”

Sophie didn’t pay attention to the red-haired boy’s mocking and just looked ahead. The boy scowled before brusquely walking towards the previous examinees.

“Then, you may start,” The examiner beckoned.

Instantly, the floors at the center of the hall ruptured as Sophie’s mana swelled. A large chunk of the floor in that area sunk and then subsequently rose with great speed and force. The debris around the epicenter were thrown upwards.

Before the debris could land, numerous gigantic spikes of intertwining earth rose from the ground. The debris shattered as it met with the sharp ends of these spikes.

Pitfall. It was a complex technique usually constituted by a three-way chant. For Sophie, however, her skill was enough to forego the chant and instantly conjure the multi-step magic.

It was a devastating magic designed to work against a large number of enemies by letting the earth throw them upwards before summoning spikes that would meet them as they fell. Earth, being more of a defensive type of attribute, needed such types of offense to be effective.

Every one else in the room was impressed, much to the red-haired boy’s chagrin.

“I can’t say I’m surprised, Ms. Einsworth. I’d say in behalf of the academy that we’re pleased to have you,” The examiner smiled as he complimented. Sophie bowed as she smiled back, genuinely happy.

“I am grateful for the kind words,” After bowing, Sophie looked towards the spikes. The spikes crashed down before disintegrating. The halls were left in a devastated state with chunks of earth missing from the floor.

Sophie then directed her mana to level out the uneven ground, and soon, apart from the brown ground that contrasted the white paintings of the hall, everything was as good as new.

Sophie walked back to where the previous examinees were.

“As expected from the Einsworth’s prodigy. Such a barbaric and unrefined magic. The Ordin’s flames could simply devour your earth and turn it into magma,” The Ordin boy said.

Magma, huh?

Sophie then turned her attention towards Ordin. She made sure to have a blank look on her face.

“Then, please...” Sophie then grinned as she put her hand on the Ordin’s shoulders. The boy’s body rattled while Sophie released bits of her mana. Sophie leaned a bit closer as she locked her gaze with the boy.

“I beg you to try,” Sophie threatened as the boy’s sweat moistened the his nervous scowl.

If Sophie wasn’t nervous earlier, right now she was shaking. Her throat was dry and cold sweat crept on her skin. She was pinching her thighs as she waited for her turn in the interviews.

She was outside the director’s office, seated on a make-shift waiting bench by her lonesome in a narrow hallway. Right now, the Ordin boy was having his interview and her three other batchmates were done.

She was relatively calm at first, but after her third batchmate’s interview was finished and he exited, Sophie couldn’t help but notice the tears in his eyes. Then she was convinced that she had to be nervous.

She had thought that some random examiner would also be conducting her interview, but she didn’t think that it would be the Director himself. Granted, the academy had given no clue as to who was doing the interview, but she was shocked nonetheless.

Another misconception was that the interview was just for formality’s sake. It seemed that wasn’t the case, given her batchmate’s results. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.

You can do this Sophie… You were even able to survive that day, right?

Granted, her battle prowess had nothing to do with the interview, but still, she found strength in the memory. As she calmed down, her thoughts also became steadier and she was able to think with clarity.

She thought back on the Ordin boy’s words. His mention of magma. She was interested about the idea, and it had something to do with the thesis that she wanted to work on.

Before the Cerberii invaded her home, she was still clueless about what she wanted to work on as a student of Riz Academy, but through the grace of the young man from the Raven’s and after some time to think about it, an inspiration flashed through her mind.

The boy’s magic simply didn’t have any attributes and the magic he used against the cerberii was powered solely by the strength of his mana. It was like his mana gripped onto the sides of the beast and then pulled it in half.

She at first thought that it was wind magic at work but she denied the theory after thinking about it. There was no wind that was summoned nor was there any phenomenon that could link to the wind.

What convinced her especially was the boy’s sinister mana and how it lacked any distinct feeling of attribute that clung to it.

This made her think that today’s mages were thinking about magic the wrong way. Before she could think further, the door’s of the Director’s office opened and revealed a grinning Ordin boy.

She turned her head towards him and he snickered.

“Easy,” he remarked.

Sophie shook her head mockingly and then stood up.

“The word you’re looking for is lucky,” she said. The boy scowled before walking away.

As he did, Sophie sighed and then gulped. It was now her turn.

She didn’t wait any longer before entering the office. As she closed the door, she noticed a gray-haired man with his arms rested on the table. He wore a simple robe with a white shoal around his shoulders. He had prominent cheeks and jawline that sharpened his round, beige eyes.

“Welcome,” he then turned his head to a stack of papers on the right side of his table. “Ah, Ms. Einsworth. I was looking forward to meeting you,” The Director said then stood up.

Sophie walked to his desk. The Director held an arm out and Sophie immediately grabbed and shook it before they both sat down.

The Director rubbed his chin as Sophie felt his mana invade her and made its way to the depths of her core. The Director nodded and then looked at Sophie in the eye.

“I am the Riz Academy of Magic’s Director, Lazarus. I’ll be hearing about your purpose of attending the academy today, Ms. Einsworth. I doubt that you’d disappoint,” he smiled.

“I am Sophie of House Einsworth. I’m thrilled that your good name would be holding my interview.”

She wasn’t. Well, not entirely.

The Director chuckled as sweat dripped down Sophie’s cheeks.

“Ahh, I know you aren’t. Honestly, it’s a sort of prank that we do every year. Of course, who else is going to hold the interview?” The Director shrugged. “Most candidates think that it is going to be some instructor from the academy. I’m glad that even the previous graduates find this sort of thing funny. It became some rite of passage.”

Sophie awkwardly smiled.

Lazarus. It was the name of the wind attribute mage who was able to master all the basic attributes of wind, fire, water, and earth and even their advanced versions of sound, lightning, ice, and metal.

It wasn’t impossible for a mage of any attribute to utilize any other attribute. It was just that the mana’s attribute was a sort of leverage over a particular element, allowing easier mastery over it. Lazarus though, was able to master all of these elements and even push towards the advanced types. It is possible for someone to be born attuned to an advanced type of magic, however.

“No sir, I really am thrilled. It is not everyday that anyone gets to converse with a Malik of your stature,” Sophie clarified.

“Ah, I see. It’s true, I really am quite the something,” The Director laughed as he pat himself on the back.

Some say that Lazarus’ other magics are just as powerful as his wind, though some would argue that his wind naturally held a level of advantage. Needless to say, he was one of the most powerful Maliks of today’s era.

The Malik is a title and rank granted by the peers of Ensfell’s Guild of Magic to any mage who has made a significant impact on the mage arts.

As long as a mage wasn’t actively employed by a country’s military, the Guild of Magic may bestow titles and ranks to the mage depending on ability and achievements.

Though the titles granted by the Guild are arbitrarily used by the military to gauge a mage’s capability even without it being official.

Curiously, Maliks were encouraged by the Guild to remove their surnames and simply be known by a singular name in documents and publicly.

“So, does this mean that you’re not nervous even with my presence?” The Director playfully raised a brow as he asked.

“Well, no… quite the opposite actually,” Sophie smiled wryly.

Like any mage, it was Sophie’s dream to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these mages.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” The Director chuckled.

“Please treat me well,” Sophie said.

“Ah, you just have to impress me, Ms. Einsworth,” he smirked.

Lazarus was known to be hard to impress, that much was popularly known. Someone who was able to consecutively use any known magic and to an extent be able to synergize the phenomenons by rapidly deploying different magical elements in succession.

However, that’s why Sophie still found that her goals might be able to impress him.

“So, Ms. Einsworth. What do you have in store for us?” The Director asked as he relaxed his posture.

Sophie in return, straightened her back.

“I plan to be able to discover a way to combine the elements in its truest sense,” Sophie revealed.

The Director leaned forward.

“Director, I’m sure you understand. Right now, though it’s possible to use the different elements and combine their effects, there isn’t really any way for us to conjure a single spell that immediately makes use of two or more different elements," Sophie explained.

What the director can do is simply a well-executed casting of separate but different phenomenon while making sure that a sort of interaction of these spells would take place. Simply put, by using two or more different spells, you’d be able to combine the effects.

Strengthening flames by casting a fierce gale, or summoning chunks of earth and then igniting it in flames. What Sophie wanted to do was find a way to combine the elements way before a phenomenon is cast. A combined magic of varying elements in a single stroke.

If she’s successful, it will allow for grand changes in the type of phenomenon a mage could utilize. It will become a strengthened form of combination magic that is concrete in its purpose and effects. It will also be quicker and easier to cast.

Most importantly, they’d be able to discover ways to utilize chants that invoked such spells, instead of chanting to cast a multitude of spells and then hope for the best. Chants will also help a mage familiarize themselves with the combined magic being cast.

“I see. Certainly, no one has yet found a way to do such a thing. I have to ask though, why do you think that you’d be the one to make that type of breakthrough?” The Director asked in a cold, sharp tone.

“That’s because I survived, sir,” Sophie said without hesitation.

The Director dipped his head slightly, beckoning her to continue.

“I survived, and I realized that earth, though powerful if utilized effectively, would always be encumbered by its natural weaknesses. I was painfully weak, even though I’m considered a prodigy, and I wasn’t able to damage the beast that threatened my life,” Sophie lamented as she spoke, but her gaze was unwavering.

“I felt a desire inside to become stronger. But I knew it wasn’t as simple as creating more spells. If that was the case, then why hasn’t earth become more offense-oriented even through frequent developments in magic? It’s simply a matter of nature. Earth just isn’t well-suited to damaging offense, unlike wind and fire.”

The Director inhaled.

“So that’s why, instead of trying to turn earth’s innate characteristics around, you want to find a way to combine it with a more offensive element and augment each other’s strengths?” The Director asked, more of a conclusion than a question.

“Yes.”

The director rested his head on his hands.

“The idea is novel, I’d give you that. But you do know that there are reasons why it’s thought to be impossible, right? For one, all mages are born with an innate attributed that are almost tailored for their mana. It makes things easier for us, though it can be a sort of limit depending on the mage,” The Director explained.

Sophie wasn’t so sure about this, knowing about Kris. But she didn’t want to mention it for now.

“I know, Director. That’s why I have to discover why these attributes cling to our mana. I don’t think that simply because our ancestors used that particular element a lot, their mana suddenly wanted to become more attuned to that element. I think there’s more to it than that,” Sophie argued.

It was said that each noble houses’ ancestors dabbled exclusively in one type of magic, and that resulted in their off-spring having mana that excelled in a particular direction. But it doesn’t answer the question why some commoners could awaken and have connections to an attribute even if they had no ancestry.

The history books also don’t make any mention why their ancestors had to practice an exclusive element.

They knew that the mages of old had chaotic, attribute-less mana so it was counter-intuitive to practice magic while obsessing over one element. There was also the difference of the tranquil ambient mana in the surroundings in the present times.

Why did that change happen? How did it affect the mages of today? Why did the number of mages who could awaken dwindle down to mostly just people of ancestry?

“You have a point there. Though, another thing that you’d have to realize is that even if you find out the whys, it doesn’t change the fact that the mages of today have an element attached. This doesn’t debilitate their ability to use other elements, but in the context of combining these elements in a single spell, their magic is sure to rebound because of their attributes,” The Director pointed out.

“That is why I think it’s possible,” Sophie said, almost cutting the director off. The Director squinted.

“The rebound happens only because their mana’s attribute would work against the other elements. Still, as you’ve mentioned, this doesn’t debilitate our ability to singularly work with other elements…” Sophie then paused for effect.

“But when we try to combine two elements that aren’t our attributes, nothing happens,” Sophie said in a firm and purposeful tone.

The Director bugged out his eyes in realization before smiling wryly.

“I don’t know why I haven’t made that realization, Ms. Einsworth. Maybe it’s because I thought it was simply impossible. That is a truly insightful conclusion,” The Director said as he smiled.

Sophie perked up.

“Yes, director. If we’re able to figure out how to allow our attributed mana to interact with other elements without causing a rebound, then I think it’s possible. It still would be impossible to combine two elements outside of a mage’s attribute, but it’s a start,” Sophie commented.

Granted, Sophie has tried to work backwards and consciously thought about not repelling another element as she tried to combine it with earth, but found no progress. There was a missing link to this puzzle, and Sophie was determined to find out.

Sophie knew that a mage’s mana did not need to have an attribute, but she knows that when she’s figured out the reason why they do have them, she’d be able to discover a way to utilize true combination magic.

“Then, let me say that I’m delighted to welcome you into the Riz Academy of Magic, Ms. Einsworth. I expect great things from you,” The Director stood up as he grinned.

Sophie stood up and bowed.

“Thank you, Director.”

Now all that’s left is to ask that… monster about his mana.

There was no doubt that the young man would attend the academy and if there were any clues that could mean success for her, he’d be able to provide for it.

She dreaded the thought of approaching him but Sophie decided and steeled her resolve.