Chapter 13 - Introductions

Nero waited until the students in the classroom picked their colored marbles and sorted themselves into their respective circles. He paid attention to the ones who also obtained Red marbles and found a seat near them. There were two familiar faces and two who he hadn't paid attention to before. 

"I will give you all twenty minutes to introduce yourselves, your Magical Core Grades, and the Spell Tomes you use." Madame Teresa instructed as she sat behind the teacher's desk and observed the class. 

"It appears we will be working together until we graduate. Let's get the introductions out of the way. As you all know, I am Alexander Sivercrest of the Aromage Traders! I permanently combined my Floramancy and Aeromancy Spell Tomes to create Aromancy. My Magical Core Grade is Red. Feel free to ask for a five percent discount on my potions."

Alexander pulled a few potions from his storage ring and placed them on his table for everyone to examine. A girl with long brown hair and copper skin takes this moment to introduce herself. Nero recalls her from the first day. She has a three-headed dog called Cerbera, which she says isn't a Chimera.

"I am Sita Yadava of the Sindhu Tribe. We have passed down Spell Tomes that the Empire deemed extinct, namely Weremancy and Faemancy. But an ancestor of mine had fused it long ago into the Wyldermancy. Not many know what that means, so I will give a small example. I can partially turn myself into a Beast from Myths, like a Minotaur or a Werewolf. In addition, I can add the abilities of a Fae, like teleportation, hyper regeneration, body enhancements, turning invisible, or creating wings that allow me to fly. Anyways, I am the seventh reincarnation of the original creator of the Spell Tome. It has to do with Soulmancy, but I assure you all! I do not possess a Forbidden Spell Tome. Nor do I have any control over reincarnation. My Magical Core Grade is coincidentally Indigo which is the seventh grade. You can ask me anything about Mythological Beasts because that is my favorite subject. I will stop talking now... I have a bad habit of over-sharing."

"Well... this is the best time to overshare. Might I say that your abilities sound amazing to me?" Alexander says as he looks around at the rest of the circle. Nero and the others all nod in acknowledgment. A young man seated next to Sita waves his hand for everyone to pay attention to him as he introduces himself. He is fair-skinned, with sandy brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a slim figure. There is a happy-go-lucky expression on his face.

"The name is Jamey Stone! I am an assassin... kidding, or am I? I don't do well being all serious and quiet. I use a Spell Tome called Sandmancy I created by combining Geomancy and Aeromancy. My Magical core is Blue. I can whip up a sandstorm or trap people who step on my sand pits."

"Any other details you want to add? Family or interests?" Alexander asked.

"I am from the lands to the East... near the borders of the Sassanid Empire."

"Really? You don't look like a Sassanid to me. More like a Northman from the frozen wastes." Alexander. 

"You have a good eye. I am not sure what happened to my blood family. But I was raised by a family of desert nomads who herd Camels and provide escorts to merchants traveling the silk road. I planned to join them until they found out I was a Mage and sent me here to avoid getting captured by Slavers who hunt Mages for the Sassanids. That's why I am here."

"Interesting... I heard the Sassanids turned Mages into slaves. But I thought it was propaganda to prevent Mages from seeking employment there." Alexander said as he scratched his chin with his left hand.

"You are up next!" Jamey asked the last girl in the circle. She is fair-skinned, has Grey eyes, long Grey hair, and a White spider tattoo on her forehead.

"I am Omari Kemet-" 

"Hold on! Kemet? The ancient kingdom across the White sea?" Sita interrupted, but Omari didn't seem to mind it.

"You know about the Kingdom of Kemet?"

"It's among the oldest civilizations like the one my tribe came from... the Indus. But they both fell after the Age of Conquest."

"You are a historian too? Almost everyone I met in this academy said Kemet is just a bread basket province of the Empire."

"Don't mind them since most are ignorant about the history of the first civilizations. Speaking of which, only the royal family bears the name Kemet. Are you-"

"Unfortunately, I am the last that bears that family name. I made my way here to become a Grand Battle Mage and get the Emperor to restore my nobility as is my birthright."

"I don't think the Emperor will give your kingdom back to you. The Empire won't hand over what it had conquered unless there is a civil war or a total collapse." Alexander interrupted.

"I will do what I must to make it a reality. That was the wish of my family for generations."

"I see! what about your Spell Tomes and Magical Core Grade?" Alexander asked.

"Magnetomancy! I fused Electromancy and Mettalomancy to create it. My Magical Core Grade is Green. I specialize in heavy armor and Chakrams."  

"Chakrams? But that is an ancient weapon from the lands of the Indus. How did you get them and learn how to use them?"

"Kemet and the Indus traded myths, culture, resources, and the art of war in the distant past. I... borrowed some of the weapons and knowledge from the tombs of my ancestors, along with a lot of gold. That is how I made my way here to this academy from Kemet. It was a long and expensive journey."

"Wow! I thought the Pyramids would place a curse on grave robbers. Nothing bad happened to you?" Sita asked in a curious tone.

"They won't mind it... I am the last descendant with a noble purpose. Resurrection!"`

Alexander clapped his hands while Jamey nodded his head, and Sita smiled with a look of concern on her face. Nero wondered if Omari would be willing to battle the Emperor if he refused to grant her wish. He had to shake away those thoughts as it was his turn to introduce himself.

"I'm pretty sure you all know who I am, my affinities, and my Magical Core status, so I will skip all that and answer anything you wish to know about me. That is if you are not upset with me being in this circle."

"Summoners are powerful even without Magic. So long as you can protect yourself and help us, it is enough. Oh, and I will share a few extra Mana potions whenever we need your Pyromancy Spells." Alexander said as he patted Nero on the back.

"When you entered the class, you mentioned that your Summon got injured and needs time to recover. How much time?" Sita asked with the same curious tone and tilted her head slightly. Nero had spoken to many girls before, but her curious eyes caught his attention and made his heart beat faster. Then he pinched himself when he recalled that his immortality depended on staying away from a relationship that could sire offspring.

Avoid eye contact and focus on Ben instead.

"I am not sure. Ben took a fatal wound that was meant for me. It's a miracle that he is still alive. All I can do is feed him food and hope his body recovers." Nero answered as vague as possible.

"What kind of beast is Ben?" Sita asked.

"An Albino Mountain Wolf! Glad to know he is still alive... I was worried you lost him." Alexander interrupted.

"Wow! I would love to see him. Maybe Cerbera can play with him as he recovers. Wolves need companionship too."

"Maybe you hope Ben breeds with Cerbera to make Albino Pups?" Jamey suggested with a chuckle.

Sita looked at him with an annoyed face which Nero found cute, and he had to remind himself to avoid looking at her. Thankfully Madame Teresa came to his rescue with an announcement.

"If you are all done introducing yourselves, I suggest you go to the Mock Combat fields and learn each other's spells. Tomorrow I will take you down to the first level of the ruins to experience combat as a group. It will be filled with Giant Silk Spiders the size of Wolves. The Silk in their glands can absorb Mana. You will use it to create a unique Mage robe according to your design and return the Academy's White Cloak since they do not have any Mana absorption properties."

Sheldon raised his hand and received permission to ask a question.

"Can we make it a contest to see which Mage Circle kills the most Spiders? Oh, and a prize too?" Sheldon asked as his Mage Circle slapped their foreheads in embarrassment.

"That sounds interesting... each circle must collect the Spider Fangs as proof of your kills. Two fangs will be counted as one Spider. The Mage Circle that collects the most will be awarded jewelry made from the Spider Fangs that can absorb and store Mana depending on the quality of the fang you collected. Now disperse!" Madame Teresa announced, and the class roared with approval.

Madame Teresa walks over to Nero and taps him on his shoulder.

"Get moving to the Viking village and find Amon before the sun is gone."

"Yes, Madame, and thank you again for everything."

"You can thank me by bringing back a special package. Hand it over to your Hostel guards when you return, and they will deliver it to me."

End of chapter 13