Chapter 5 - The Headmaster

"Finally, you are here! I was beginning to think you had changed your mind about upgrading your Magical Core." Madame Teresa scolded.

"Sheldon explained the different types of Soul Crystals, and I had to test the limits of my new Pyromancy Spell Tome."

The angry scowl on Madame Teresa's face relaxed, and she sighed.

"Thankfully, the Headmaster is still busy helping a Third Year student upgrade his Magical Core in his office. We will have to wait outside for a bit longer."

"There is a Third Year with a Low-Grade Magical Core like mine?"

"Of course not! The Headmaster is trying to help him reach the 7th Magical Core Grade, Indigo."

"I am confused... Sheldon mentioned that the Academy keeps a few Divine and Demonic Soul Crystals to help students like me."

"That is true, but some students receive permission from the Emperor's court to raise their Magical Core to the highest possible Grade. The Headmaster guides them personally to prevent their Cores from being crippled or turning into a Mana Feind. Since the difficulty of upgrading your Magical Core increases with each color."

"I see... So the Third Year inside the office is-"

"Belisarius Amulius is the eldest son of the General of the Seventh Legion! The Amulius family is among the last bloodlines that pass down the Golemancy Spell Tome. Since it is so rare, the Emperor will spare no expense in raising the potential of the young man whose family has been leading the Legions for centuries."

"Oh, may I ask why Golemancy is so rare?"

"I would have gotten around to addressing them tomorrow, but we have time to waste till it is your turn. Apart from the Forbidden Spell Tomes, every other Non-Elemental Spell Tome is listed under the Ancient or Extinct category. They all require Divine or Demonic Soul Crystals to increase the level. Since the Empire made it near impossible for a Mage to have easy acess to those Crystals, it resulted in a sharp decrease in interest for those Spell-Tomes and a rise in Elemental Spell Tomes since they had no restrictions or were less expensive to develop."

"When you checked my affinities. You said Solarmany was lost to time. Did it not need Pyro Soul Crystals?"

"In the previous era, the Age of Conquest. When the four great Empires of this world were rising out of the tribal and small kingdom stage. There was a purge of Mages, both powerful and weak in numbers too great that it would need several centuries to recover. Many Spell Tomes were lost, destroyed, or never found a successor. Those that did were kept close to certain bloodlines to have an advantage over Elemental Mages. The Amulius family Golemancy is the perfect example."

"How many Ancient Spell Tomes went extinct or are still around?"

"How could I know every Spell Tome that ever existed or survived? But I can tell you the official list released by the Empire includes Dracomancy, Faemancy, Weremancy, Solarmancy, Lunarmancy, and Bloodmancy to be extinct. Golemancy, Telemancy, and Eldrichmancy are listed as near extinct along with the Forbidden Spell Tomes."

"Tele and Eldrich? What are they?"

"Spell Tomes that control Telekinesis, Telepathy, Illusions, Fear, and paranoia."

"Sounds like they should be among the Forbidden Spell Tomes." 

"Mages who use Telemancy can communicate through their minds regardless of the distance. Instant communication between Merchants, Legions, and Governors of the Provinces to relay the will of the Emperor is very useful. Whereas Eldrichmancy can be used to interrogate spies or to spread chaos among weak-minded soldiers in the enemy ranks on the battlefield."

"Spies?"

"From the Empire's rivals to the East. The Sassanids, The Mauryas, and The Hans. Surely you cannot be so ignorant. Did no one teach you History, Geography, and the other civilizations of our world?"

"I was too busy trying to survive in the Wildlands."

"You came from a Mountain Village of Summoners, correct? Were there no elders who educated the young?"

"I don't think you understand the priorities of Mountain folk in the Wildlands. The territory is outside the domain of the Empire. The Elders only taught me how to make magical contracts with beasts, how to hunt, how to build a shelter, and how to cook."

"If they are so primitive, how come you seem so civilized?"

"I was born in the Capitol and raised there until I turned Eight. But I didn't receive any education apart from language and etiquette. Neither helped me in the Wildlands, so I focused on the essentials for survival."

The door of the Headmaster's office opened, and a young man of 16 years of age walked out.

"Madame Teresa? Were you waiting to go inside? I finished upgrading my Magical Core to Indigo, so the Headmaster is free now." 

Belisarius's tall and imposing figure is heightened by the Black Cloak, the standard uniform of all the Third Year students. His face is covered by a black mask with two eye holes for him to see. It has Gold outlines of serpent-like creatures all over it.

"Congratulations! Your father will be proud to hear it!" Madame Teresa praised as she bowed her head a little. 

Nero was surprised to see a Komodo Dragon appear by his side. It took a few seconds to realize the creature was made from Golem Clay and Fire Elemental Soul Crystal. It studied Madame Teresa and Nero with its Ruby eyes.

"Speaking of my Father... he sent a letter for me to join his Legion immediately. There is a chance that the Empire will go to war with the Sassanids to the East. I am to serve as a junior officer under his command."

"This is so sudden! Have you finished leveling up all your Spell Tomes?"

"Only my Fused Spell Tome Lavamancy. I might come back to level up my Golemancy Spell Tome."

"I wish you good fortune and hope you use everything you learned here for the Empire. I must take this boy in now to raise his White Core to Red or Yellow."

Belisarius nodded and studied Nero for a moment before tilting his head.

"I suggest you heed the advice the Headmaster offers you. But the old man tends to go into rants, so wait for him to tire out and don't interrupt him." Belisarius warned Nero.

"Uhh... I will." Nero replied.

Belisarius and his Komodo Dragon Golem take their leave. Madame Teresa urges Nero to follow her into the Headmaster's office. Nero finds a seventy-year-old man who is fat and bald. He is wearing a golden robe with several golden medals with different symbols. He is confined to a floating chair that looks like a magical artifact made long ago.

"What brings you here, Teresa?" The Headmaster asked with the voice of a child, which disturbed Nero.

"Young Nero Ramus of the First Year wishes to upgrade his White Magical Core to a higher grade." Madame Teresa explained.

The Headmaster studies Nero and squints his eyes.

"Come over here and shake my hand, boy. Don't worry, I don't bite... lost most of my teeth! Hahaha!" 

Nero obliges by gently shaking a hand that is only skin and bones. He experiences a rush of Mana entering his body and shivers as it explores every bit of him before returning to the Headmaster.

"You have the Blood of a Summoner in your veins and something I thought was extinct." The Headmaster announces with a curious gaze.

"All his affinities are either forbidden or extinct. Luckily, he can use Pyromancy. Otherwise, we would have had to kick him out." Madame Teresa interrupted.

"There is something else in him I was referring to... Hmmm, Ramus is not a name I have heard before. Is it your true name?"

"Nero is my true name, and Ramus is my maternal family name. They are Summoners who live on the tallest mountain in the Wild Lands."

"Odd... usually, the children take their Paternal family name."

"That name died when my father was murdered. I do not wish to attract the attention of his enemies."

"Hmm... I agree. Your blood is quite... cursed, to say the least."

"Cursed? Do you mean Bad luck?" Madame Teresa asked.

"I will need to speak to Nero alone... for confidentiality." 

"Really? After all these years, you decide I am not trustworthy for confidentiality?"

"Don't you have to take care of the 2nd year combat trials?"

Madame Teresa immediately leaves the office with a silent tantrum raging. She slams the door behind her and storms away.

"Poor woman... if only she wasn't working as a spy for the Emperor. Then I could have treated her like a daughter and let her take over with a smile."

"The Emperor?" Nero asks the Headmaster. His face has a bit of fear and panic setting in.

"He sent her here to spy on me, replace me, and militarize this Academy as a recruiting center for his Legions."

"She wants to make Mages like Belisarius Amulius?"

"Yes... His Golemancy and Lavamancy are interesting. But you will outshine him one day with your cursed blood."

Nero is confused by that statement. He vividly remembered his father saying he was a direct descendant of a hero from ages past. It made him more powerful than the Emperor's Grand Mage and killed him. Out of fear, the Emperor sealed the power in his blood, exiled him, and ordered an assassination.

"What cursed blood are you talking about? 

"The one that made your father the Royal Battle Mage. Though he had no Magical Core or Spell Tomes. It was just a fancy title to hide his true power."

Nero's eyes widened as it was the same explanation his father gave before he died.

"Did you know my father?"

"Well... I served in the Emperor's court, and so did your father. I shook his hand many times. I had doubts, so I asked a few questions to confirm my suspicions."

"That handshake... did you use Bloodmancy?"

"Among the 4 affinities I possess, it is one of them."

"But you didn't use a Spell Tome."

"At a certain point, a Mage will establish a close enough bond with their Spell Tome to use Spells without summoning it."

"What is the Cursed blood you keep referring to?" 

"He never told you?"

"My father didn't get the chance to explain it in detail. We were ambushed by the Emperor's assassins."

"Tell me everything that happened to you after that."

End of Chapter 5