Under the cloak of night a trio of people ghosted through the alleyways of the industrial district. An array of spells masked their scent, footprints and the sound of their passage. The final spell made them blend in to their surroundings the mottled black and grey nature of their cloaks assisting with the camouflage.

Axia, Sophia and Ursula passed a few people walking late at night back from their work but the streets were mostly deserted. Like a whisper they approached the back of Tartok’s shop . Although the man had fled the city, the enchantments still thrummed with power as the group approached the secret entrance at the back of the shop, a magical door blended seamlessly with the wall.

All three cast detection spells but found nothing sinister so Sophia gently pushed his magic into the door causing it to swing open directly into the dead man’s workshop. The Axia confidently strode over to the library and started to stuff the books into a bag. The two quickly followed her and started to do the same.

“These space bags are awesome, they’re just like a bag of holding,” Sophia whispered to Ursula.

Axia hearing conversation turned and glared at the pair causing them to duck their heads. Suitably chastised they resumed their work.

They soon moved on from the books to his unenchanted items and then his enchanted items leaving the room almost completely bare aside from his desk. The tall blacksmith walked over to it, cast a quick shielding spell, and then knocked on it like she was told the previous day.

An illusion covering the wall just behind his desk dispersed showing a small door. Axia gestured for the children to walk through, her large size stopping her from entering.

The children entered to find a small but well equipped room. Along one side was an entire bookcase filled with alchemy books, another was dominated by a few tables covered in a mix of glassware, burners and coolers. At the end of the room was a number of cubbies and shelving holding, what the children assumed to be, alchemical reagents. A small space in the shelves contained another desk similar to the one outside and on it sat a journal. A quick detection spell later the pair soon had everything in the room inside their bags.

They left the hidden room and then, with Axia, left through the secret entrance. Once outside Axia handed the duo her bag and then split off from them. As Sophia and Ursula were running back to the orphanage a thunderous explosion split the air as Tartok’s shop was immolated, the fires burning so hot it dried out the dewy ground for tens of meters in the surrounding area and turned the metal inside to slag.

The trio all made it back to their respective homes in time for a few more hours of sleep.

 

<-{|}->

 

It was a few weeks later when both children awoke in their old bed with a groan.

“Why is both my head and my body hurting Ursy?” Sophia whined, his face flat on one half of the pillow muffling his voice and one arm curled around Ursula’s toned body.

“Shhh,” Ursula gurgled out, “Not so loud – Wait, why does my head hurt?”

“I asked you first.” Sophia replied petulantly.

“Exercise is not supposed to hurt your brain,” Ursula reasoned, “So why – oh, Soph we’re ten today. We’ve gotten our ancestral memories today.”

“Fuck that, we already going to have to attend school during the day – which may I remind you – we already know and have been through. And now we have to start listening and watching what are, essentially, pre-recorded lectures from our great-great-great-grandparents in our sleep?”  Sophia scoffed.

“I agree Soph. But with what’s happened we’ve just got to get stronger.” Ursula said lightly.

Sophia sighed his fingers massaging his forehead, “I know… I’ll start with the alchemy lessons. They may be able to help me parse out the books we got from Tartok. Either way, at least they were able to flush out his potion from myself and my fellow students systems.”

“Axia told me the other day that they have a few members in the nearby cities, so if Tartok shows up they can keep and eye on him and deal with him if necessary.” The blacksmith’s apprentice said.

Sophia sat up, “Good that fuck deserves any bad thing that happens to him.” He said vindictively.

“Yup,” Ursula murmured, her hand reached out and tucked Sophia’s long blonde hair behind his ear and she lightly cupped his face.

Sophia’s cheeks coloured and he averted his eyes, “That reminds me. There’s been something I’ve been meaning to speak with you about.”

“What’s up?” Ursula asked softly.

Sophia negligently shrugged his shoulders, “It’s been five years and I’m just used to people referring to me as a girl now so you can still call me what you want.” A wry grin formed on Sophia’s face, “Don’t get too used to it though, we’ll be back home before you know it.”

“You’re stepping further into the dark side Soph. But don’t worry we have cookies,” Ursula replied glibly.

“Ursy, if you actually made cookies I would probably do anything,” Sophia deadpanned.

A Cheshire like smile appeared on Ursula’s face, “Oh I think that could be arranged.”

Sophia shuddered as a shiver ran down her back, “Why do I feel like I just made a deal with the devil?”

Ursula smiled enigmatically in reply.

 

<-{|}->

 

“I can’t do this anymore,” Ursula groaned out, lightly banging her head on the desk in front of her, the illusion magic changing her facial features and hair colour working overtime to keep up.

She was sitting at the back of a medium sized room with several desks in front of her positioned in a grid like pattern and occupied by children around her age. At the front of the class was a teacher, a heavyset man, his jowls and fat belly jiggling as he expounded on the great topic of mathematics.

“Now class if I had one apple in one hand and another apple in the other hand. How many apples would I have?” He asked joyfully.

“Two!” The children chorused back.

 A guttural groan escaped the tall girl’s throat.

“Now, now, Miss Ursula, please pay attention. This could be important for your future.” The man lightly reprimanded.

 “That’s what they all say.” Ursula muttered and rolled her eyes, before raising her head and speaking up in a dull monotone, “Yes sir.”

“Good-o. Now class if I had two apples in one hand and one in the other how many apples would I have?”

“Three!” The class replied.

It took Ursula a herculean effort not to groan again.

Meanwhile, Sophia was in a similar situation. Her chin resting on the table and her arms curled around her illusion changed head so her eyes could just look over them to see the teacher sitting at his desk forming the letter ‘a’ with magic in the air.

“Now this children, is the letter ‘a’, say it with me –“ He said in a dull, soporific tone.

“A” The kids replied sleepily.

“And this children, is the letter ‘b’, say it with me –“

“B”

“Just kill me now,” Sophia whispered to herself.

Soon enough the lesson was over – much to Sophia’s relief – and they left the classroom, passing by the other class of children as they switched classrooms. As Ursula and Sophia passed each other they looked tearfully at the other and whispered, “Stay strong.”

An hour later two dead-eyed children walked from the classrooms, they slowly trudged their way behind the other students and entered into the magic courtyard to see an older human woman with a frizz of white hair and wrinkled skin standing at the front of the room.

“Come along. Come along. We haven’t got all day.” She said waspishly.

There were no seats or desks, so the children sat in a semi-circle around the woman, Sophia unconsciously sitting in Ursula’s lap at the back of the group. 

“Now I hope to have you all to at least apprentice rank by the end of the year and adept rank by the end of three years you’re here,” She began but was interrupted by the raised hand.

 “Yes?” She gritted out.

“Miss what are the rankings again?” He asked in a high pitched whine.

“We put our hands up when were talking Mr…?” She said imperiously.

“Charlie Manfrenjensenden,” The boy squeaked out.

“Any relation to Harvey?”

The boy nodded happily, “He’s my Dad!”

“Like father like son,” the old woman muttered to herself, before continuing at a normal tone of voice, “Well Mr. Manfrenjensenden. First we have the novice, someone who has no experience in a profession or skill. For some of you this will be your current rank in magic. They then become an apprentice when they make or do the first milestone, for us that would be casting a spell. For those who have professions it would be making your first dagger if you’re a blacksmith or a bow if you’re a woodworker.”

The stern teacher paused for a few moments to gather her thoughts and continued, “The next step to adept is more difficult. You have to demonstrate you understand the content and apply it, using my previous example it would be making your own spell. Professions are slightly similar in that you have to comprehend your ancestral memories and apply them to create their signature item, not to the same extent of course.”

“Wait it’s expected for kids our age to take a year to use magic?” Sophia whispered doubtfully.

“I guess so,” Ursula replied.

“Keeping a low profile is gonna suck,” Sophia pouted, her partner tiredly nodding behind her.

At this point nearly every child was staring blankly at the old teacher, their eyes glazed over. She lightly coughed to grab their attention again.

“While there are more. Is that a sufficient answer Mr. Manfrenjensenden?” She asked the still slightly dazed boy, an eyebrow quirked.

“U-Um yes miss.” Stuttered the boy.

“Good. Magic is using your…”

 

<-{|}->

 

An hour later the pair gathered outside the throng of students leaving the general school. Other kids could be seen running about with their friends enjoying the warm noon sunshine of a spring day.

The pair left the area and started walking towards Axia’s smithy releasing the illusion spell covering the faces.

“Thank the Gods that’s over. I don’t think I could take another second. It would kill me. “ Sophia said dramatically, her arm resting on her friends shoulder and the back of her other hand resting on her head.

“Soph. It was the first day.” Was the pointed reply, causing the blonde to pretend to faint into Ursula’s arms.

“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,” Sophia said playfully. Ursula stared into the young enchanter’s green eyes, smirked, and dropped her.

“Oi!”

“Come on Soph. It’s just an hour each of horrible maths and language classes and then an hour of magic lessons in the morning and now we can head over to Axia’s. Although we promised not to show off at school, we can do whatever we want when we get there.” The brown eyed girl said reassuringly.

“Maybe I can invent a spell that’ll make me look like I’m awake, but I can just go to sleep,” the blonde said cheerfully.

“You’ll just get your ancestral memory lessons then.”

“Fuck. Well, it’ll be better than those lessons anyways. Although there was a bit of a knowledge gap at the start with alchemy because I wasn’t taught the basics to become an apprentice. I’m starting to get the hang of it now though.” Sophia pondered. 

“Hopefully in a few years we can get good enough to start selling stuff. With an income we could help out with Rosalind and maybe even get some good food for ourselves.” Ursula said, her mouth salivating.

“Not to mention buying a house – If there’s one good thing about this world Ursy. Housing prices shouldn’t be several times what they were less than fifty years ago.” Sophia commented dryly.

Ursula shuddered, “Yeah maybe we shouldn’t head back… or if we do, try to bring back several tonnes of gold.”

“That probably still wouldn’t be enough."

“Either way, that’s not happening if we don’t get anywhere. It’s been a few days since the incident, you feeling up for some training?” Ursula asked, her eyes ineffectively scanning Sophia for problems.

“Yeah, I seem to be going fine, no effects from the potion at all. And Rosalind’s finally given me the all clear.”

“Took bloody long enough,” Ursula murmured.

“After a situation like that I can understand if she nervous about my health,” Sophia said.

“I know it was just a little lonely without you to walk with in the afternoons.” Ursula blushed. “Not to mention getting back after Axia’s super training sessions hasn’t been fun.”

“Ah the truth is revealed. You just need me to carry you home. Don’t you?” Sophia needled.

“… Maybe.”

“What’s happening at these training sessions?” Sophia asked incredulously.

“She’s a demon Soph. Now that I have those memories, she’s making me do everything they’re teaching me ten times over. And then again, the next day!” Ursula bemoaned.

 “Aww, poor little Ursula has to do some physical activity,” Sophia said childishly.

“You’re going to join me in the next session. You should be getting worried,” Ursula warned.

“Axia isn’t going to make me do too much this soon… Right?” Sophia asked hesitantly, but then she thought about her trainer and her face fell, “What am I saying – of course she is,”

Ursula chuckled darkly beside Sophia, “Good luck.”

“Hey ol’ buddy, ol’ pal. You wouldn’t happen to be able to try to get her to take it easy on me, please?” Sophia asked, trying to flutter her eyes demurely.

Ursula let out a short bark of laughter, “And risk getting more training?”

“I know!” Sophia shouted jubilantly, “You could hypnotise me, so I do better!”

Ursula rolled her eyes and remained quiet.

“Okay, I have the perfect plan – I just don’t go at all.” Sophia finished triumphantly.

Before Sophia could move a single step backwards her shoulder was held in an iron grip.

“You’re going to suffer with me.”

Sweat started to bead off of Sophia’s brow, “Come on it was just a joke. You can take a jo-”

Sophia tried to bolt but the hand holding her shoulder remained steadfast.

Sophia looked pitifully up at the sky.

“Help.”

 

<-{|}->

 

The pair reached Axia’s smithy by early afternoon, Ursula now almost dragging Sophia along. Upon entering they saw the usual sight of the fiery woman working at the forge, the shockwaves from the hammer blows rippling through her bronzed skin.

“Ursula, weapon cleaning. Sophia, standard exercises.” She said curtly and then resumed smithing.

They walked into the room beside the forge and Ursula turned to her friend.

“Alright. You’ve got four hours of physical activity go have fun,” She said sarcastically.

Sophia, her face set in a visage of grim determination, took herself off to a clear area in the room and stretching to limber up. What soon followed was a few sets of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and lunges. To cool down she did some yoga-like poses to incorporate flexibility training.

It did not take long for her breathing to become laboured and her face flushed and sweaty. Sophia paused for a surreptitious break, but Axia’s eagle eyes soon glared at her. With a wince, she continued to push through managing to complete another set before collapsing onto the floor. While she was gasping for breath Axia walked over and stood above her.

“You appear to lack motivation. From now on I will be directly overseeing your workouts.”

“O-Okay,” the boy turned girl gulped.

“I have, however, seen enough to allow you to choose your weapon of choice.” The woman continued coolly.

“Can you teach me how to use a dagger?” She asked, her face hopeful.

The muscled woman nodded and walked over to a pair of gleaming steel daggers sitting on the wall.

“Wait does this mean I’m an apprentice now?” Sophia asked to which the woman nodded once more.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?” Ursula piped up from the corner.

“As you get stronger the rankings become much more difficult to climb. The first three are baby steps. It does you no good to happily dwell in mediocrity.” She stated stoically.

 The two kids looked at one another and nodded.

“We’d better get a move on then.”