Chapter 8: Great Minds

It was supposed to be a week like any other, at least, that’s what the cadets thought. Half a year had passed since enrollment, and now it was time for a shakeup. They entered the mess hall to find a large notice board covering the dueling scores, displaying the various weapon classes. However, the names had been changed.

The school was split in half, with all the cadets who had elemental magic removed from the weapon classes to focus solely on magic training, along with some general exercise and staff training mixed in to keep them fit. Anyone with sword, spear, mace, or bow magic, or under special recommendation, would stay in that one class for daily training, with continued shield training incorporated. Those who displayed monk abilities would be training under Sir Kiev.

“It seems you and I will be training under Lady Zodiac in the same class. This is going to be interesting,” said Noah.

“Gods be praised,” Alexis said, “no more of the shield class. I swear, digging that pit was a nightmare.” It was a sentiment shared by every cadet. Beside her, Sophia was weeping in joy.

After breakfast, the cadets split up into their new classes and new garb. Because of the winter chill, their uniforms had been supplemented with leather armor to keep them warm, including gloves and helmets. Noah and Alexis now stood side by side on the training field, facing Lady Zodiac. Usually, she would be armed with her khopesh blade, but today, she had an academy sword hanging from her waist.

“Good morning, all of you. Up until now, your academy lessons have been basic, each of you being trained in how to use any weapon you might need and seeing if warrior magic would manifest. That time has passed. To truly master a weapon takes decades of dedication and skill, but I’m going to get you as close to that point as I can in the time we have left. It’s going to be miserable, painful, and exhausting, but this is the art of swordplay, and when you leave my tutelage, you will be true artists.

At the start of this year, I faced each of you in a sparring match to see what level you were at, and now it’s time for a review. I want all of you to fight me with the intent to kill and the readiness to die, for if you hold anything held back, you will end up losing something in the process. Rather than one-on-one, I will be fighting all of you as a group.

You are free to use any sword magic, but just so you know, I will use it as well.” She drew her glass sword. “I’ve been teaching you how to win, but today, I teach you how to lose. I want to see how you face a hopeless situation. I want to see you get up as many times as it takes, knowing you’ll be knocked back down. No one leaves here today without drawing my blood or shedding their own. Now, begin.”

Where once there would have been hesitation, today, there was only courage, and the cadets drew their swords and charged as one. The only exception was Noah and Alexis, his hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“She won’t end this quickly. We’ve got plenty of time. Let’s watch her moves and get a feel for her style and mood.”

“You think we can take her on ourselves?”

“Anyone who goes down in one hit wouldn’t have been much help anyway. Besides, I’ve been looking forward to you and me working together again.”

The cadets circled Valia, most, if not all of their blades glowing with warrior magic, both named and unnamed. They closed in and attacked, a single blade fending off a dozen. Valia spun back and forth, knocking the cadets’ swords out of the way and sending them sprawling back with sheer strength. She was knocking them down, but her months of tutelage gave each of them the resilience to get back up. Every time they attacked, it was faster than the last. Their skills were sharpening with their mindset.

One of the most important lessons she taught them was to blend their moves together, wasting no energy on pauses and transitions. Every attack led to another. The longer they fought her, the better they were getting at reading the path of her blade and predicting her moves. They began to close in once more, this time able to resist her attempts to open up space. It was time to step up the intensity. Valia raised her sword, and a magic circle appeared.

“Zodiac: Baom!”

She swung down her sword and struck the ground, causing the frozen earth to be launched skyward as if a missile had just impacted. The shockwave knocked the surrounding cadets off their feet, all but one. Ken Rilgis, still standing, went against her in a titanic clash. He swung at her with all of the speed and skill in his body, a rapid-fire attack that forcefully drew Valia’s focus. Their glass blades collided in a horrifying display of edge-to-edge combat that should have destroyed their swords, but their styles were perfect, and their enchanted weapons didn’t even chip.

While she was distracted, one cadet held his sword as though it were a baseball bat and began to charge it with mana. It became a roaring torrent, like a jet of colorless flames, and he charged towards Valia for a swing to the back of the neck.

“Zodiac: Udan!”

For all those watching, it was as if Valia existed within a different flow of time, moving with incredible speed. She stepped past Ken’s swinging blade, grabbed his wrist, knocked him off his feet, and threw him aside. She then dodged the other cadet’s swing, avoiding the mana torrent and then closing in to slash him across the chest. The blow was light, and with these dull blades, his leather armor withstood the force, but it still knocked the air from his lungs and dropped him to the ground.

Their timing was off by a few seconds, but several cadets took advantage of the opening and attacked her from all sides. They each swung with a horizontal strike and left no space to dodge.

“Zodiac: Sandulam!”

She fell backwards, simply dropping as if she had fainted, and all the blades missed her. However, rather than hitting the ground, she stopped in midair, seemingly frozen in time. The heel of her right foot was touching the frosted soil, but the rest of her body was completely horizontal, as if hovering on an invisible platform. All the cadets were astonished by the sight, but before they could try to make sense of it, she lashed out with a flurry of attacks. She swerved around like a joystick, striking down each cadet from the low angle.

Other cadets took their place, trying to put up a continuous assault. She continued to move, unhindered by logic. No matter how far she leaned back, be it dodging or blocking an attack, she’d shoot right back up and counterattack. As long as her heel or toes were touching the ground, gravity itself seemed to have no effect on her. Before long, almost every cadet had been knocked down, and the ground was littered with broken blades.

Valia turned her attention to Noah and Alexis. “Sometime today, please?”

“I just wanted to wait until you were done putting the kids to bed,” said Noah. He turned to Alexis. “This would be better if you had your bow.”

She gave a small huff of amusement and punched him in the arm. “Come on, let’s have some fun.”

She and Noah approached Valia, both of them with swords in hand. They stared her down, all three assuming their stances. Then, in the mere blink of an eye, they were going at it like warring gods. Their glass blades were swinging so fast that all of the cadets were at a loss for words. Noah and Alexis were attacking Valia from opposite sides to divide her attention, moving as fast as physically possible, with Valia once more using her speed enhancement technique to keep up.

She was switching back and forth between Noah and Valia, struggling just to hold them back, let alone send any of her own attacks. For the cadets watching, it was like three tornadoes colliding. Something had to change. Valia cast her Baol spell and leaped backward through the air, high over everyone’s heads. While she was airborne, Noah drew one of his flashbang cards and aimed it at her. He fired three shots, hitting her with two, and she stumbled on the landing.

“I told you to only use sword magic,” she cursed as she rubbed her eyes.

“You also told us that this was supposed to be a no-win situation, in which case, I might as well cheat,” said Noah.

He and Alexis charged towards her while grabbing broken blades and throwing them like knives. She blocked and deflected all of the shards, and the two once more went at her. They fought side by side this time, repeatedly trading positions to keep her distracted. The onslaught of their attacks was never-ending and only increasing in speed. Alexis lacked a natural affinity when it came to using a sword, but her reflexes and coordination still put her ahead of everyone else, making her one of the few people who could keep up with Noah.

Valia reactivated her balancing spell, trying to open up a little more space between her and her opponents. Noah hit her with another flashbang as soon as she was out of their reach. She didn’t dare stop moving, for every time she paused, he’d fire another spell at her. She kept running, both to dodge the spheres of light and any cadets trying to attack her while she was vulnerable.

She could barely hear or see, and her head was throbbing. Noah wasn’t giving her an inch. There were a few spells she could use if she genuinely wanted to make the fight unwinnable for him and Alexis, or even just kill them, but that would mean admitting she was beaten. She’d just have to try a little bit harder.

Valia tore off some bits of fabric from her shirt and stuffed them in her ears, as well as closed her eyes. She finally came to a stop and sheathed her sword, but the battle wasn’t over. She assumed a stance, ready for a quick-draw attack. “Zodiac: Avagath. Udan. Enter this killing field, if you dare.”

The magic circle once more appeared, but this time, it was around her with a ten-foot radius. Several cadets, gathering what strength and courage they had left, attacked her from all sides. Though she could not hear or see them, the moment they stepped into the magic circle, she felt them with crystal clarity. She felt the blood flowing through their veins, the constricting of their muscles, their fearful breaths, and the angles and speed of every move they made. It was not sensitivity to vibrations or any other awareness derived from the five senses, but one completely unique to her.

The cadets entered her reach, and in an instant, it was over. She drew her sword with inhuman speed, slashing one cadet across the stomach, another across the chest, across the legs of the third, and then similarly knocked out another three attackers, taking out six cadets in the blink of an eye. All those watching were shocked and horrified, and for the first time, Noah heard fear in Alexis’s voice.

“Noah, I don’t think we can top that,” she said as the wounded cadets struggled to drag themselves away.

Noah gave a slow exhale. “I might be able to, might not. Hang on.” He drew a new card and aimed it at Valia. “Mist Bomb.”

Several spheres of illusory water hit the ground around Valia, just outside her magic circle. Upon contact with the ground, they were vaporized, turning into a dense cloud of fog.

“That won’t stop her.”

“No, it won’t. It’s to stop everyone from seeing what I’m about to do.”

Noah approached Valia while continuing to fire mist bombs around her, expanding and deepening the cloud of fog. The cadets all watched with anticipation, trying to figure out what Noah had planned. Once he entered the cloud, he cast his invisibility and split from his clone. All he had to do was inflict a wound on her, and she’d hopefully end the fight. Noah readied his sword and stepped into the circle.

“Zodiac: Baol!”

Valia immediately activated her magic and jumped back as high and as far as possible. She landed outside the cloud, hair on end, eyes wide, and heart racing. She pulled the fabric out of her ears and glared at Noah as the cloud vanished.

“What did you do?!”

“Lazy Zodiac, are you all right?” Noah asked.

She fell to one knee, clutching her head. “What did you just do?!”

Noah sheathed his sword, likewise concerned by the state she was in. “What’s say we resume this fight on another day? I think we could all use a break. Lady Zodiac, you should probably go to the infirmary.”

She rubbed her forehead, wincing from the pain behind her eyes. “Everyone, work on your endurance training until I get back. I’ll know if you slack off.”

She began the slow walk back to the academy. Alexis came up beside Noah. “What just happened?”

“Her awareness reached me. Or at least, she felt something had entered the circle. I’ve stood right in front of her while using that magic before and she didn’t sense me then. That circle must enhance her spiritual detection to its maximum.”

“Do you think she’ll be ok?”

“I’m not sure.”

Other cadets swarmed Noah to ask the same question as Alexis, but he pulled away and went after Valia. Her steps to the academy were slow and unbalanced. He saw her struggling to remain on her feet. Just when it seemed like she was about to fall over, he caught her.

“I got you,” he said, keeping her steady on her feet with her arm over his shoulders.

“I can get there myself. Stay with the class.”

“You sound just like Alexis, rarely accepting help. If you’re mad about the fight, let me make it up to you.”

She gave a soft chuckle. “It’s not that. I heard about that show you did. I don’t need people to see this and get ideas in their heads. They’ll probably think you’re taking me back to your room, or that I have morning sickness.”

“If I were to take you back to my room, it would be in the princess carry. I’m romantic like that. If you prefer, I can heave you over my shoulder like a rolled-up carpet.”

She leaned against him. “Just know that if you grab my ass, you’re dead.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

They managed to get inside and out of the cold.

“So, are you going to tell me or not? What did you do back there?”

“You have your magic, and I have mine. Let’s just leave it at that. If it’s any consolation, though, I had no idea you’d have that kind of reaction, so I apologize for that.”

“You and I need to have a serious talk soon.”

“You know, that’s the kind of thing people might misinterpret.”

“I’m serious. When I use that spell, I can feel everything within the circle as though it’s a part of me. I can feel the distance in air the same way I feel the distance between my hand and my shoulder. I feel everything happening to my opponent and everything they are doing. You ... it felt like you walked on my grave.”

“Well my intentions were nothing of the sort, I promise you that.”

“And that flashy spell of yours really hurt.”

“I doubt many of the cadets will be sympathetic to you for that. You did just beat the shit out of them.”

“It’s called teaching.”

“Yes, yes, I’m aware. It is a tried and true style. You have your way of teaching people, and I have mine.”

Despite her headache, Valia still laughed.

“I’m sure your morning teachers already gave you this speech, but now it’s my turn.” Sir Elyot was addressing Noah, Sophia, and the rest of the class. “Half a year has passed, and you’re now ready to move on from fundamental study to a more intensive course. However, rather than me teaching you, this will be hands-on work.

Your task is to create a spell or tool with as much magic power as possible. You have to come up with an idea, perform the calculations, select the materials, and put it together with proper recordings. The purpose is whatever you wish it to be, but you must give it your all, and it must be a success.

If you fail to impress me, or I get the feeling that you’re slacking off, there will be punishment, so think carefully and work hard. This is the only time that materials will be provided to you for personal interest, so don’t let this opportunity pass by.”

Noah raised his hand and was called. “What about discovering a new magic principle or expanding on something established?”

“The main idea is to create a defining spell, one that will give you victory in battle and earn you recognition. However, contributing to the field of magic will also be acceptable, especially if your work will inspire others. What kind of teacher would I be if I dismissed the next revolution in magic? Just make sure you back it up with proper research and results.

I want you to spend the rest of the class researching your idea. Look for examples of similar work and study the resources you’ll be using. Come to me if you have any questions.”

All the cadets got up from their chairs, either heading to the library or getting in line to speak with Sir Elyot. Sophia followed Noah like his shadow, but didn’t speak until they were alone among the shelves. “You have an idea already?” she asked.

“A few, actually,” he said as he began his search for a book in particular. “What about you?”

“Well ... I have a bit of an idea, and I was hoping you could ... help me out?” Now that Alexis wasn’t around, she seemed more flushed and nervous than usual.

“Sure, what’s your idea?”

“I want to expand on healing magic, and since you seem to know a lot about the human b-b-body, I was hoping you could provide some insight.”

“I think I see what you’re getting at. You want to use magic with a more secular mindset, rather than relying on religious doctrine.”

She lit up. “Yes, that’s right!” She immediately covered her mouth, realizing she had been too loud. “I mean, that’s correct. That lecture you gave on the human reproductive system, it made me realize that a lot of forbidden knowledge simply hasn’t been properly researched.”

Despite its necessity, magical healing was more about mana and prayer than actual knowledge. Under the Lumendori faith, exposure to human blood or having an uncovered wound was considered sinful. Healers sometimes had to work with their eyes closed so as not to be sullied by the sight of blood. Exposed organs and muscles were also not to be seen, as was being in the presence of dead bodies, so no cadaver-based research had ever been practiced.

“The label of taboo is a purely abstract concept. Knowledge can’t be taboo or evil, only the methods with which it is acquired. I’d be glad to help you. Honestly, I could use your help as well. I have a bit of trouble casting magic, so I need someone who can activate it for me.”

She bowed at a near 90º angle, an amusing quirk. “Thank you so much!”

“Sure thing. Come on, let’s sit over here.” With some books in hand, they selected a table to work undisturbed.

“What is your project on?” Sophia asked.

“Alchemy.”

“I had heard that alchemy is one of the most accident-prone fields of study, so it hasn’t progressed much with time, but the dwarves supposedly know it best. They use it as a way of purifying gems and ores.”

“That’s just scratching the surface. An alchemist will take a potion and apply the commands to [divide] [contents] or dry ingredients with the runes [remove] and [water], but I’m not interested in breaking things down. I’m interested in assembling them. I want to figure out how to use alchemy to combine ingredients.”

“What kind of ingredients?”

“The chemical elements, the building blocks that make up everything in the universe. You’ve probably already heard of several. Copper, iron, gold, silver, all chemical elements. Steel is a combination of iron and carbon, the black material of charcoal. Water is made of two different kinds of air, called hydrogen and oxygen. Those light gaseous substances bond together to create a heavier liquid substance.”

Sophia seemed to be teetering between blind acceptance and natural skepticism. “Are you sure about this?”

“Perfectly sure. The problem is that alchemists focus on the elements of the gods, which only describe the states of matter, rather than elements of the universe and their actual identities. I think they were looking in the right direction, but for the wrong reason. I have a theory that the runes of the gods have actually been misinterpreted. Water, air, earth, fire, and lightning, otherwise known as liquid, gas, solid, plasma, and electricity, the states of matter and energy. As for the holy element, I’m still on the fence as to whether it represents mana itself or the concept of abstraction and thought.

There are no runes I can find corresponding to the chemical elements, but that means they either wait to be found, or they are depicted as formulas instead of runes. If so, I believe the elemental runes may be components of those formulas. You help me look, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know about the human body.”

Noah and Sophia studied together in the library for the rest of class and the open hours after. She helped look through and learn unknown runes, and he recited everything he knew about anatomy. Medicine had been a frequent research topic for him across the millennia, working as several different kinds of doctors from children’s hospitals to war zones, so his knowledge was immense. When Sophia wasn’t looking through runes, she wrote down everything he said, page after page of knowledge.

Noah would usually conceal his true personality in all of his past lives and abstain from sharing such information to blend in, but he found himself swayed by curiosity this time. He wanted to see what Sophia would achieve using the knowledge he gave her and how her magic would evolve.

Still, handing out this kind of information would get him in trouble, so Sophia agreed that, for now, his name would stay out of all of her work, and she’d never tell others where she learned everything she had. He spoke to her in a low voice, so no one could overhear, and paid no heed to Galvin, skulking around.

When dinner arrived, he and Sophia met Alexis in the mess hall.

“Look at this, this what Noah says the inner ear looks like,” said Sophia, pausing between bites to show Alexis the notes she had been taking.

“What are these loops?” she asked as she looked at the sketch Noah had made.

“Semicircular canals, each one filled with fluid,” she babbled with her eyes sparkling with excitement. “As you move your head and body, the fluid shifts, pooling in the lowest area and letting you tell up from down. To think that our sense of balance comes from our ears!”

“That is incredible,” Alexis said, but without nearly as much enthusiasm.

“Oh, there’s Mary. I have to show her this!”

“Be careful with who you show this stuff to. I’m already on thin ice after that lecture,” said Noah.

“Don’t worry; she shares my thirst for knowledge.”

Sophia excitedly raced off, and Alexis followed her with her eyes. “She’s happy,” she murmured once it was just her and Noah.

“I thought that was what you wanted. I seem to recall you saying how nice it was to see her smile.”

“It is. I just ... I don’t like the idea of you two being alone together.”

“I can understand that, but you don’t have to worry about me trying anything with her. I’m rooting for you two kids.”

“It’s not necessarily you that I’m worried about. You keep giving her things that I can’t.”

“Instead of thinking about what you can’t give her, you should be focusing on what you can, but aren’t willing to. You told her you needed time to think, which is fair, but if you want to be the only one in her heart, you have to actually be there. If you want her, claim her.”

“You aren’t really in any position to judge me. You are far from innocent.”

“If you don’t trust her around me, you should study with us. Sir Elyot is going to give you the same assignment, and while I know you usually focus on swordplay in your spare time, you should probably crack open a book.”

For the rest of the week, Noah, Sophia, and Alexis spent their free time studying together in the library. Research assistants aside, they also served as excellent deterrents against female cadets. Ever since his demonstration at the Knight’s Sheath, the flirting had become incessant, especially from Allison. Their affection wasn’t unappreciated, but more sex on academy grounds would just get him in trouble, as well as cut into his study time. As long as he was in the academy, he had to focus on his research.

As for his sword class, not only was it now five days a week, but the intensity of the lessons had reached new, borderline-tortuous heights. The peace of study was a sweet relief, and he, along with all the other cadets, were overjoyed when the weekend arrived. On Saturday, Alexis helped him with his meditation, and on Sunday, he visited the Knight’s Sheath. He listened to some music from Daniel, fucked around with Bella, and went on to see Cyrilo. She kept him up to date on all the fresh news, rumors, and gossip, as well as things not yet known by the public.

“People have been asking about you, or rather, asking about the young masked man skilled in bedroom techniques,” said Cyrilo as she poured herself a glass of apple wine. As his information broker, he’d treat her to a bottle of wine each week while she got him up to date. “They want to see you make your grand return. Women have even been volunteering to be your next assistant, and I don’t just mean the women who work here.”

“Whatever happened to your fear towards the church?” Noah asked as he exhaled a cloud of gonlief smoke, further thickening the air in the room.

“You want me to eat my words? Fine, I’ll fry them up, load them with spices, and lick the plate. Between you and Daniel, the Knight’s Sheath could become the most profitable business in the entire city.”

“But has there been any response?”

“Some protests and letters of condemnation, nothing I’m not used to. Anyway, have you thought about another show?”

“Unfortunately, I’m on very thin ice with the commandant. For the moment, I’m safe from expulsion with that parcel I gave you, but if I push my luck any farther, he may retaliate by some other means. For now, I’ll have to take a sabbatical from the stage.”

“So leave the academy. Come and work for me.”

“I told you before, I can’t. Maybe when things cool down, I can do another show, but for now, I can’t jeopardize my studies.”

“Well, as a researcher, I can certainly respect your priorities. What are you working on at the moment?”

“That’s actually one of the things I wanted to ask you about today. I was hoping you might let me borrow any notes or books you have on alchemy. It’s for an academy project.”

“Surely the academy has a library full of information on alchemy.”

“Not as much as you might think, so I’d like to utilize every possible resource. Alchemy is a scarcely-understood magic from what I’ve seen, but I’m hoping to reinvent the technique by incorporating knowledge from my old world. While there is no magic where Daniel and I come from, our knowledge of everything else is centuries ahead. When I started my research, I was hoping that magic would provide all the answers I wanted if I just changed my mindset, but it seems like being open-minded is actually holding me back. I need to look at the world as I usually would, not as sages do.”

“Hmmm, very well. I will compile my notes for you, on the condition you keep them secret and share your findings with me. I’ll have a book ready by next week.”

“I appreciate it, thank you.” He looked past her to the wall of books and scrolls, possibly holding the answers he needed, and not just concerning alchemy. She caught him looking and knew there was more he wanted.

“I get the sense you want to ask about something else. Well, spit it out.”

“Very well, I’ll be blunt. You told me your aging curse came from a stone slab you found. Do you have it with you?”

“Yes, I keep it here, but for your own safety, I shouldn’t even let you see it.”

“I just want to see how it’s written, the runes used, and record the formulas.”

“Is this still about alchemy?”

“Alchemy is just a side project. What I really want to study is time magic.”

“Time magic? You’re a little young to be looking into that.”

“So it does exist.”

“No, it doesn’t, but elderly researchers at the end of their careers love to waste their time on it.”

“In all of my research and in every spell I’ve seen, time is only used as a frame of measurement. Time, as a malleable concept, has never been considered, at least beyond simple theory. I have yet to find any mentions of manipulating the flow of time or possibly traveling through it.”

“That’s because the time rune is impossible to identify. It’s an inert concept, and won’t react to any triggers.”

“You’ve looked into it?”

“Time magic was the first lead I followed in my hunt for a cure, but no such luck. Rather than actually manipulating time, my curse accelerates and reverses the process of aging. It sounds like an inane distinction, but while the runes for subsets like [duration] or [lifespan] are known, the actual rune for [time] is a mystery.”

“So it’s a theoretical rune, right? A rune whose image has yet to be discovered or has been completely forgotten. Ironic, the rune for time being lost to time.”