Magic is the process of energy usage of a human being whose blood carries special spectrum cells. The type of abilities and skills are defined by the shade of these cells. The generally accepted classification is based on seven main colors, and adjacent types are extremely rare.

Textbook by Yuki Omnious, “Magic: The Basic Level”

May 10, 2025

“Niji… heya, Niji!”

Her friend’s voice made her flinch and return from her inner world to the real one. The mage girl woke up in the middle of the crowd, standing on a clean site not far from the Academy’s walls. The headmistress’ speech blended with the sound of rain. It was chilly, but not drizzling, as the wizards protected the gathering with the fast-deployed magical barrier. The shower added to the solemn ambience of those who visited the campus to honor the graduates. There was a reason for celebration: after four years of academic torture the students could finally get a written proof that they had a right to be called ‘professional mages.’

“Do you still think about… that?” Rem Oswaldt whispered.

“Me? Well… perhaps.”

“You’re shivering. How are you? Are you cold?”

“Oh, I’m totally wonderful.”

“Only you can call it ‘wonderful’ with a sour face like that…”

“Just the weather. Also, not having enough sleep. Nightmares are a thing.”

Niji wasn’t interested in the professors’ pep talk, despite the fact that she kind of liked studying. She enjoyed it all—tiring practice, challenging workouts, brain-melting theory. When you find your path, everything becomes enjoyable. But at that moment she was so absorbed with her thoughts that she just couldn’t concentrate on the praising speeches. Memories were spinning in her head like a deathly whirlpool, nudging out her present with her not so distant past.

Five years ago, Niji had moved to New Tokyo from a small town with 12,000 residents and had been drowned in the hectic life of the metropolis. She hadn’t been outstandingly talented in magic, or the best in her class, or a charming local star. Her famous family name had been long forgotten, stumbled upon only in history textbooks—see the paragraph about magical continental wars—or in some specialized literature about samurai heritage. But she was enormously proud about her hard work. On her way to graduation she was on good standing with most of the teachers, who could have written ‘competent,’ ‘straightforward’ and ‘stubborn as fuck’ in her characteristics file. For years she had been enduring the educational hell to make a distinguished career and place herself among the best wizards of the country.

But that day had changed everything. Niji had failed her practice training on a field trip and her qualification work became a mess. Yes, they’d survived, but that had been the only achievement. Her conscience stung her each time she was forced to lie to her professors: she and Rem hadn’t found the courage to admit they had destroyed one of the most valuable artifacts.

And there was more; much more to it.

Niji was distracted by loud whispering and applause: the headmistress announced that the archmagus Harold Omnious the Third was invited to the stage. A gigantic man with a short gray beard stood before the audience. His face and body would suit a title of ex-World Champion in Boxing. His black robe was embroidered with symbols, feebly glowing in . This clothing was a huge contrast to local uniforms of grayscale jackets with tight trousers or intriguingly cut skirts, and Harold Omnious’ conservative wizardly look was ridiculously emphasized by the high-tech style Academy buildings all around the place.

Niji felt some fidgeting to her left. Shiningreel, the closest of Niji’s female friends, mumbled, “Didn’t expect my granddad to be here.”

“Big Shot from the Omnious honored the Academy masses with his presence. What a surprise.” Rem adjusted his glasses to imitate the seriousness.

“Wait a minute!” Shiny hissed. “He has a right to know what’s going on here. The Academy has been sponsored by our family for years!”

“Chances are he made it because of you. No typical homeschooling for you; must be a big deal.”

Shiningreel rolled her eyes. She didn’t like it when her lineage was brought up too often. Despite being a daughter of the most powerful New Tokyo clan, she had chosen her own path—public service. It meant finishing the Academy, while her relatives tended to stick to their closed, elitist society. Few magical families had managed to survive the persecution in the Middle Ages, but the Omnious did, thanks to their contribution Wars of the New World. Profitable dynastic marriages, warfare accumulation and purchases of controlling interest in every sphere, magical or non-magical—they did it all to establish their indisputable power.

The archmagus’ speech was full of esoteric flavor, as the Omnious family always emphasized their spirituality and respect for Mother of Light, the patron of all mages.

“And we are Her children, human flesh and sacred blood. The Rubies; masters of the elemental essence. The Ambers; staunch and powerful like the immortal. The Heliodors; with the might to transform and recast. The Emeralds; the wisest of the wisest. The Aquamarines; blessed with celestial power. The Sapphires; speakers to the other realms. Even the Amethysts, though lost in darkness, are the children of our Mother. Your destiny was predetermined when you were brought to this world. You were taught in compliance with your talents, and you must remember your true mission. What defines me? Just the color of my blood.”

“Not a word about Lacklusters. Typically,” Rem muttered.

This pompous ceremony was meaningless for him. People came here to congratulate those who finished their training in New Tokyo Academy of PRISM. But Rem was among those called ‘Lackluster,’ and his blood carried too few spectrum cells to do actual magic. He could feel the aura and arcane traces, but that was it. The Lacklusters were only accepted in the Academy in order to audit suitable classes, so Rem was able to attend but not graduate. Thus, while Niji received her proper degree, her friend wasn’t technically a student at all.

“The time we live in now is a blessed one,” Master Omnious pontificated. “Mages have become this world’s rightful citizens, but my grandfathers and great grandfathers, burnt and annihilated by the feeble kind for imaginary heresy, could not even dream of such a peace. It was a long and severe journey, the journey of PRISM, born here—in the Academy, haven of the brilliant mages. And you all are also a part of this journey. It took a tremendous amount of work to create a world of such tranquillity. I do believe that you, our future generation, the children of our Mother, will keep it in its glory. May the Light show you the path!”

The audience applauded with appropriate zeal, and the old man gave his place to a long-haired woman. Her official black-and-white uniform betrayed her job title—a public servant. Miss Aoi was in charge of the Magical Anti-Crime Special Force and she came to the ceremony not only to give her regards to the students but also to remind everyone about PRISM recruitment. Everybody dreamed of having this towering policewoman as their boss.

Each graduation she repeated more or less the same speech:

“Your time as wizards is short, so you have to manage it wisely. At the moment you are on the active stage of your magical capacity, with its peak at the age of 25. But in just a dozen years, your energy will fade away—and after that your life will become, pardon my saying, so very bland. No more powers; no more arcane magic. Do not waste your time, because a mage—being a hundred times more powerful than an ordinary person—can effectively influence the society on very different levels. I invite you to enlist for the Magical Police Department. The most gifted of you will join my Special Force Unit and hunt the most dangerous criminals—the Violets…”

“Haven’t you changed your mind about enlisting?” Shiningreel bent closer to her friend, her curls touching Niji’s cheek. “Failed training is not the end of the world. I’m sure PRISM folks won’t give a shit.”

“I am sure about my decision, Shiny.”

“Shame… well, less competitors for me, then.”

“Competitors for you? Duh.”

Shiningreel gave a happy chuckle and continued listening to Aoi:

“… So if you are not selected, please do not get upset. There are a lot of places your abilities can be applied in. For example, your help will be deeply appreciated by the Medical Corps of PRISM or its Science Department. And, of course, there is always an option to contract with the army. Don’t forget that we have positions for the Lacklusters as well.”

“Whoa,” Rem squinted, satisfied. Aoi was always benevolent to non-magical people and she already valued the guy’s skills so much that she had recently discussed with him some possible occupation in a supply division.

Aoi was generally loved for her ability to talk business. Her speech was followed by tiresome talks of few other masters who reassured the audience they would be guided by Light and such. Then the wizards dispersed the magical anti-water dome, because the rain had already ended, presented a cheerful luminous show, and let the graduates go to the long-awaited feast.

To avoid the crowd, the three friends moved slowly towards the Academy main building. Niji fell a bit behind Rem and Shiningreel, both deep in a conversation. She always thought of them as almost look-alikes—both blonde and pale, with the exception of eye color, green for the boy and blue for the girl. Niji would joke about their kinship, if Rem didn’t hate the fact that he was not a proper magic user.

It was the first time she was listening to their bickering with such a heavy heart.

“So, will you chase Izumi-sensei the moment you get the job?” Rem gambled.

“Like I have any chances,” Shiny shrugged. “I heard his ex is in his team, the one he couldn’t forget for years.”

“Yeah, heard that too. Is she a Manipulator...?”

“She is a Summoner, Oswaldt-kun. Of those who speak to the Unknown.”

Takeshi Izumi corrected the assumption himself, catching up with the students on his way to the Academy. Rem blushed deep red, and Shiny giggled. The youngest professor was adored by the students and even some of his colleagues, both genders considered. Quite a height for an Asian, he had a stylish mess of raven hair and astute pale blue eyes which could be hidden neither by an angled fringe nor his square-shaped black glasses. His lectures were always full house, despite the sensei’s manner of speech being too official and ponderous. Luckily, the soft melody of his voice at least made the most boring lectures digestible, if not breathtaking.

“S-s-s-sumimasen, sensei… my bad.” Rem bowed his head and placed his hands in an apologetic gesture.

“Daijobu desu yo,” the professor smiled, showing that he was not offended. “Congratulations on your graduation, my dearest mages. I wish you all the best in your magnificent future.”

While Izumi was passing Niji by, their eyes met. A shot of sorrow about her might-have-been life hit the girl somewhere in her stomach. She could feel Takeshi’s unspoken reproach through his broad smile: sensei was working as an investigator in Aoi’s Unit and was very upset about Niji’s refusal to join the squad. It was surprising how much information one could transfer in just a half of a second without any words, especially if you were dealing with a Viridian mage, smarter than anyone else by default.

After tracing his departure with a worried look, Niji was dragged again in the realm of her bleak thoughts. The graduation was over. Their lives would drastically change. Shiningreel was destined to find her place in the Special Force. Rem would be somewhere in PRISM too. But what was there for Niji?

“Whoa, guys, look at that!” Shiny exclaimed and stopped.

Students roared in agitation, noticing celestial greetings from the Goddess. Many of them took out their gadgets to shoot photos or 3d-panorama pics: an incredibly bright rainbow was arching across the sky.

“Now that’s cool!” Rem approved and raised his smart in the air as well. “Our Mother says hello, right?”

Niji’s mouth twisted up in a semi-smile. It was a shame the three of them could not follow the same path. Totally a shame.