Jon’s last class for the day was Basic Spell Theory taught by professor Ariana Moyle, a short woman in an immaculate black-and-gray robe, her chestnut hair in a tight bun. She sat on a stool at the front of the class, arms and legs crossed and back against the wall. To her side, almost at arm’s length, stood a wooden dummy of the sort used to train troops, sword and shield in hands and an old bucket as a helmet. Jon had a sneaking suspicion that she would use it for some sort of demonstration, just like professor Morgan did with the stone slabs.

“Magic. The manipulation of mana. It is more than just a few words of power to be chanted before setting an enemy on fire. It is a gateway to making the impossible, possible. It is the single greatest source of power known to us. Even to the greatest swordmaster, there are only so many different ways to swing a blade. When it comes to magic, though, there’s a much wider array of options. And, with the discovery of La Louisianne almost twenty-five years ago, the possibilities became near endless.”

Jon received more than a few side glances at the mention of the name. La Louisianne, known as the Secret Realm by the Yao tribe, is almost a holy ground for cultivation, so rich in mana that it can speed up the practice several times over. Not only that, those who visit it may also be imparted with the knowledge from advanced spells and techniques. It was how Jon’s mother discovered blood magic, the technique that saved and ultimately took her life.

Although the Yao tribe tried their best to prevent the Secret Realm’s existence from leaking out, it was ultimately impossible to keep it hidden forever. Rumors began to spread among the desert tribes and then even further, towards the northern kingdoms. At first treated as nothing but a myth, it was ignored by the larger powers for a long time. That is until Crown Prince Louis of Lisbleus decided to march south to investigate.

The numerous, but disparate, tribes were subjugated one by one until Louis finally defeated the Yaos and discovered the Secret Realm. In honor of himself, he renamed it to La Louisianne and shared its existence with the other kingdoms, more out of self-preservation than anything else. Just like the Yao tribe was unable to defend itself against Louis’ forces, Lisbleus had no way of surviving a war against all the other kingdoms. And trying to monopolize such a place would be a certain cause for war.

“For instance, those well attuned to more than one element are now able to cast two spells in conjunction, maybe even mixing them. Such a feat is a wonder to behold. And while it would be my hope that you all appreciate the nuances and intricacies of magic, I’m in no way an idealistic fool.” The professor’s cold eyes jumped from one student to the other. “Most of your interest for magic extends solely to how you may use spells to acquire an edge in combat. So allow me to demonstrate.”

Standing up, she extended an open hand towards the dummy. A sudden gust of air hit it head-on, sending it crashing against the wall. “The air element can be used to push an opponent away, disarm them, and possibly even knock them down. Unfortunately, it causes little damage by itself as only air is being pushed. An aeromancer could, of course, create enough air pressure that the wind itself cuts sharper than a blade, but doing so takes so much effort that it becomes impractical.”

At the back of the class, Jon and Bella took notes on everything being taught. Different from the first class of the day, the professor cared not for going slowly at the beginning.

From her shadow on the floor, a long tendril rose into the air. It extended forward, wrapping itself around the dummy before pulling it back to the original position. “Among the seven elements, darkness is unique in the sense that it’s able to create solid matter.” She took the tip of the tendril on one hand and squished to demonstrate. “In normal circumstances, it is soft like a sponge, but a sufficiently skilled umbramancer can condense it to make it harder.”

To Jon’s surprise, the base of the tendril detached from the shadow on the floor, its whole length shrinking and curling up until turning into a black ball that fit in the professor’s hand. She once again extended her hand towards the dummy. Rather than sending the dummy crashing against the wall, this time she used the gust of air to propel the ball like a cannon round. It buried itself halfway into the hardwood with a loud thud, the impact toppling the dummy.

“Damn,” Bella muttered, eyes open wide.

“This,” Professor Ariana continued, “is a practical demonstration of two spells being used in conjunction. Any questions?”

There was a flurry of hands flying to the air.

“Couldn’t you just propel a rock instead?” Bella was the first one to ask. “Like a geomancer would do.”

“No. Besides the fact that air and earth are opposite elements and, as such, don’t work well together, there’s still the matter of the weight. A rock is simply too heavy to be lifted this way. But you did touch on an interesting point. Given the number of possible combinations, it’s no surprise that two spells used together might cause an effect similar to a third spell. In this case, it would be like a geomancer flinging a rock at the dummy. Next question.”

“Is it harder than normal spells?”

“It is harder in the sense that you’re trying to cast two spells at the same time, so mistakes are more likely. In terms of fatigue, though, it isn’t any different from casting two individual spells. Next question.”

“And is it possible to use opposite elements together?” Jon asked.

“Given how many advancements are being made into magic research, it would be arrogant of me to say that it is impossible. What I can ascertain is that, up to this day, we know of nobody who has ever managed to do it. Next question.”

The professor continued to provide answers to the questions, all of which Jon and Bella made sure to write down.

As the end of class approached, the professor asked for silence. “I’m pleased to see so many students taking an interest in this subject. If you wish to learn more about it, I recommend a trip to the library. The Nature of Spells by Greta Stenzel would be a good starting point. Now, before concluding, there’s one last thing I wish to demonstrate.”

Once again, she summoned a shadowy tendril to place the dummy back at its original position. She once again curled the tendril into a ball. The previous one had already disappeared, leaving only the hole on the wood. Rather than propelling the ball again, this time she held it in front of her face.

After a couple of seconds, a wisp of black smoke floated away from the ball, the first of many. As time passed and more smoke was formed, the black ball gradually shrank. In less than a minute it had completely disappeared, transformed into a dark fog that surrounded the professor.

She extended a hand forward. In a single stream, the smoke rushed towards the dummy, but it failed to send it crashing at the wall or topple it over. Instead, the dummy only trembled in place as the smoke hit it in the middle and slid to the sides.

Jon began to wonder what was the point of it. That’s when a single chip of wood fell to the floor. Like with the straw that broke the camel’s back, that single chip of wood seemed to signal the beginning of a chain reaction that led the dummy to disintegrate wherever the dark smoke touched.

In the end, the wooden dummy was reduced to a measly stump rising from a pile of wood chips.

Professor Ariana sighed, a tired look on her face. She sat back on the stool. “First, I demonstrated how to use two spells in conjunction. This is something different. This is what happens when you truly mix the spells together. While more difficult than simply using the spells in conjunction, it creates a result much greater than the sum of its parts. If any of you hope to do something similar, and you’re lucky enough to be born attuned to more than one element, then I suggest that you all start studying. Class dismissed.”

Jon looked to the professor and then back to what was left of the training dummy. He had a good affinity with two elements, and he definitely hoped to do something similar to what she just did.

At that moment he decided. The first thing he would do after becoming an Archmage would be finding out how to combine his elements.