Sam had to fight the urge to step back as Master Astori stepped around the rge welcome desk, his long robes rustling as he approached. The power of his stern gaze only grew as he drew closer, its focus now entirely upon Sam. He managed to stand still, but a lump in his throat was making it rather difficult to breathe.
? “You are the one with the base mana affinity?”
? Numbly, Sam nodded. Then, realizing that might not be considered a proper reply, he stammered out “Y-yes, Master Astori.”
? “Interesting.” Master Astori began to walk around him in a circle, surveying him from every angle. As Sam began to turn his head to follow him, he was stopped with a simple word from the administrator. “Still.”
? He snapped his head back to stare ahead, and by sheer coincidence, he locked eyes with the red-haired young mage. He was staring at Sam in something like confusion. No doubt wondering why this stranger was worth the attention of two Masters of the Academy, he thought. The same question was ringing in his own head.
? “Quite unusual,” Astori finally said, coming to a halt before Sam. “Have you any trouble converting your mana into other elements?”
? “Some, Master Astori. It’s much easier to condense my mana into itself. I’m…” He wasn’t sure if what he was about to say would sound like bragging or not. But at a quick gnce in Peran’s direction, he received a subtle nod. “I’m able to convert at a nine-to-one ratio. For my ki, I’m only able to barely manage eleven to one. For the elements… Perhaps fourteen to one.”
? “Nine to one?” Astori asked, and Sam saw surprise in the man’s eyes. “Show me.”
? Figuring that he wanted to see the process from start to finish, and not the condensed mana he’d gathered, Sam obeyed. It took perhaps thirty seconds, but he gathered mana into the tip of one finger and held it there, inches from his body, as it condensed. He tried to achieve an eight-to-one ratio, but yet again, the mana was already at its limit, and he couldn’t push it any further. Once completed, he looked up and was surprised to receive a gasp from the young mage behind the desk.
? “Yes,” Astori said, turning to incline his head in the redhead’s direction. “Your reaction is appropriate, Kiinor, if a bit interrupting.”
? Kiinor snapped his mouth closed and flushed slightly, his face nearly matching his hair. Astori, meanwhile, turned to face Sam again. “Now reverse the process, if you would.”
? He’d never been asked to do such a thing, but he had achieved it a few times. It took much longer–perhaps a minute and a half–to shred the condensed mana back into its raw, natural state. Astori watched the process with attentive eyes and nodded. “Just as quick to dissolve it as well. Quite unusual.”
? That was the third time that comment had been made, Sam thought. Thinking it was high time he got an answer for once, he asked, “Excuse me, but why is it unusual?”
? By way of answer, Astori took a step back and to the side, letting him see Kiinor again, and addressed the young man. “Kiinor. Convert to fire.”
? Kiinor jumped as he was addressed, but quickly did as he was told. Sam watched, curious, as his earlier action was repeated. Mana condensed on Kiinor’s fingertip, but adhered to his skin where Sam’s had floated an inch or two beyond. Then he frowned, confused, as the thirty-second mark passed. Then a minute. After nearly two minutes, a small mote of yellowish-red mana fully condensed and appeared, producing a faint glow.
? “Very good,” Astori said. Sam gnced at the master in confusion. That was good? But it had been so slow! “Now, reverse the process.”
? At that, Kiinor’s face paled. “Master Astori, I can’t. T-That hasn’t been covered in css, yet.”
? “Yes, I am aware,” Astori replied, his tone sharp. “I am merely demonstrating a point to our young guest here.”
? Sam puzzled over that, wondering. The first time he’d condensed mana into a point, it had taken him nearly three minutes. But the more he practiced, the quicker the action had become. Now, if he rushed it–and was willing to sacrifice his efficiency–he could even achieve half the time he’d taken. That was at a twelve-to-one ratio, however, so he preferred to take his time.
? Astori lifted a hand, and, just as Sam and Kiinor had done, condensed his mana into a point. Like Sam, it hovered a few inches beyond the tip of his finger, and Sam was impressed. He had a vague sense of how much mana had begun the process, and he’d be comfortable estimating that the older man had achieved a six-to-one ratio, possibly even more efficient. And more impressively, it was *fast*. Little more than ten seconds had epsed during the entire process.
? “Wow,” he said softly, gazing in awe as the mana was then dispersed back to its raw state. Then he paused, frowning. Astori noticed the look, and the tiniest hint of a smile curled his lips. “You noticed?”
? “I’m not sure,” Sam replied slowly. “But it looked like you got more mana than you put in.”
? “Correct.” The administrator had a fierce light in his eyes now. But Sam thought it was triumphant, rather than stern or angry. “It’s easier to notice, because I both condensed more mana, and the entirety of my pool is compressed twice. Regardless of how much mana you put in, you will always dissolve at a one-to-ten ratio.”
? “Wait… That means you can just… create endless mana?”
? “Not quite,” Peran jumped back into the conversation. “It taxes the mind to condense and dissolve mana. For most mages, it isn’t worth the effort unless we need a quick refill of our mana.”
? “And even then, only as a close to st resort,” Astori added, nodding. “Well said from one of my former students.”
? “You trained Master Peran?” Sam asked, looking between the two. His confusion–spurred on by preconceptions of the few elves he’d met thus far in his life–was increased.
? “Indeed, I did. Lucian here was an odd student and went his own way after my education. But he is still a… gifted mage.”
? There was no mistaking the pause there, Sam thought. How awkward. Choosing to pretend he hadn’t noticed it, he took a half step forward. “I’d like to enroll at the Academy, Master Astori. I intend to work harder than any student you’ve ever seen, and if you accept me, I won’t disappoint you.”
? “Oh, there is no doubt that you will be enrolling,” Master Astori told him. His stern mask remained firmly in pce, but Sam could sense the good humor behind it now. “Master Peran, I know you have csses to prepare. Adept Evans has been filling in for you, and I’ve promised him a personal high-level lesson. I will not be the one fulfilling that promise.”
? Sam gnced at Peran then, noting the struggle of emotions on the elf’s face. But after barely a moment of silence, he bowed deeply. “Certainly, Master Astori. Samuel, I will see you tomorrow for css.”
? He left then, pausing only to hand a rolled parchment across the desk to Kiinor. “His curriculum.” Then he was out the double doors, turning to move deeper into the Academy.
? “R-Right,” Kiinor said, obviously just as nervous as Sam. “Thank you for your guidance, Master Astori. I’ll get his paperwork sorted out and show him to the dorms.”
? “See that you do, Apprentice Kiinor.” Master Astori turned and returned through the door from whence he’d come, pausing only to offer one parting comment. “Welcome to the Academy, Apprentice Bragg. I look forward to witnessing your career as a mage.”
? The instant he was gone and the door had clicked shut, Kiinor let out a breath that seemed almost too rge to be contained in his thin frame, and slumped back into the chair behind the desk. “By all the elements! How could you remain so calm in the presence of two Masters? Are you insane, or just some country bumpkin?”
? “Just from the country,” Sam said, grinning. He could tell Kiinor’s comment was out of stress, and not actual disdain. “So… what paperwork has to be done?”
? “Quite a bit. But fortunately for you, most of it is on my end. I just need you to fill this out.”
? With a snap of his fingers, a paper appeared in mid-air and fluttered down. It nearly slid off the desk, but Sam jerked forward and snatched it up. “Thanks. We weren’t properly introduced, by the way. I’m Sam.”
? “Oh, good,” Kiinor said, learning forward to accept Sam’s handshake. “I was worried you’d prefer the full name. Samuel is just too… formal, you think?”
? “That’s why I go by Sam,” he said, grinning again. “I’m assuming Kiinor is your family name?”
? “Yeah. Call me Erik. Since we’re in the same year, and all.”
? “We are?” Samuel was more than a little surprised. “You’re a few years older than me, though.”
? “Well, usual admission to the Academy happens when you turn twenty,” Erik expined. “For me, that was st year. Rare talents can get in as early as eighteen, if they’ve had their Assessment. But there’s usually a test for all students, and you can only take it until you’re twenty-two. After that, you can’t get in.”
? “Oh,” Sam said, not sure how to feel about taking a test on his very first night in the city. Erik clearly noticed the look, for he waved a quick hand to dismiss his previous statement.
? “As I said, that’s the usual method. You were admitted at the recommendation of a Master, so you can just get in. You’ll still have to take the same tests as the rest of us, but you get admission regardless.”
? He paused then, looking Sam up and down. “You… don’t have any robes, I’m guessing?”
? At Sam’s shake of the head, he nodded, then summoned another piece of paper and began jotting down lines with the quill. “Not to worry. You can get equipped with everything you need, and the cost will be paid by Master Peran.”
? “Oh,” Sam said again. He wasn’t sure what else he could say. He felt bad that Peran would be paying for his equipment, but then again, the elf had clearly known this would be the case. Yet again, he thought of Peran’s other students. “Err, how many students does Peran have? Do you know?”
? “Well, I know of one,” Erik said, still scratching on the paper. He paused, consulting the parchment that Peran had given him, and scratched down a few more lines. “He’s a third-year, so you probably won’t meet him outside of personal lessons. Apparently, there’s another one that graduated two years ago, but that might just be a rumor. Master Peran earned his title almost ten years ago, so I’d believe it if it were true.”
? He finished the st line with a flourish, then snapped his fingers, summoning a stamp and tapping it to the parchment. As soon as that was done, the paper rolled itself shut, and Erik slid it across the table along with the quill. “You’ll have to visit the supply store tomorrow before csses. Give them that list, and they’ll give you everything you need.”
? Sam accepted the items, tucking the scroll into the front of his tunic, and looking down at the form. It was fairly basic and asked for all his basic information. Given name, family name, elemental affinity, age, that sort of thing. He did pause to raise an eyebrow at one of the items at the bottom. “Food allergy? What is that?”
? “Oh, right, you wouldn’t know about that, living in the countries.” Erik rubbed his chin for a moment, apparently thinking, then added, “Are there any foods you can’t eat? Stuff that would… I don’t know, make you cough, or close your throat up when you eat them?”
? “No. I don’t like potatoes much, but I’m not… allergic to them.”
? “Then you can mark that as none. Still, they take that kind of thing seriously, so if you find one, come back and let us know. Do you drink?”
? The question caught Sam by surprise, and he leaned back, curious at the reason for it as he slid the form back. “On occasion. I mainly prefer coffee.”
? “Sweet,” Erik said. “Well, we all have the weekends off, and outside of studying, a lot of us gather in the tavern here on the Campus. You earn merit points in csses and for doing duties, boring stuff like that. You can spend the credits at either the supply store or the tavern. But if you *really* want good food and drink, there’s this tavern on the edge of town–”
? “The Heron Tavern?” Samuel guessed. He assumed he was correct by Erik’s reaction. “I just came from there. You’re not wrong about the food, though I didn’t have any ale.”
? “Damn,” Erik whispered. “Old Peran must really believe in you if he was willing to pay for Mandra’s food. Well, you’ve seen the best of High Thael if you ate there already.”
? Chuckling, he collected Sam’s form and tucked it into a sheaf with other parchment. Then, with a further snap of his fingers, he summoned a block of wood with writing. *Be back ter*. He pced it at the front of the desk, then walked around. “Come on. I’ll show you to the dorms and find a guide for you. They should all be getting back from dinner about now.”
? He followed Erik back out of the building, starting with surprise to find dozens–easily a hundred or more–students crossing the grass from every direction, all dressed in a variety of colored robes. The chatter was loud enough that he couldn’t make out any individual conversations, but he was in awe at the sheer numbers. He’d never known more than two people close to his age before, so seeing over a hundred shocked him. Pushing away the pang of pain that came with thoughts of leaving Sera behind, he resolutely pushed on, following Erik toward the castle-like building.
