Chapter 66: Ch66 – Malick The Great

“Alright newbies! That’s enough chit-chat. It’s time for Some Elemental Theory!” Malick squeaked out, clapping his hands together.

The room settled slightly, students turning their attention to the front. Malick paced back and forth, his long black robes sweeping the floor like a broom.

“First things first,” Malick said, stopping abruptly and turning to face the class. “Who here thinks they only need to understand their own element?”

A few hands went up hesitantly.

Malick’s eyes widened in mock horror. “Wrong! Completely wrong! You’re all going to die horribly if you think like that!”

A nervous laugh rippled through the room.

“Listen,” Malick continued, his squeaky voice somehow commanding attention. “The first rule of being a good mage is this: know your enemies. If you’re a fire mage and you don’t understand how water works, you’re an idiot. If you’re a water mage and you don’t know what wind can do to you, you’re a corpse waiting to happen.”

He gestured dramatically. “Every element has strengths. And every element has weaknesses. If you only study your own, you’ll walk into a fight blind. And blind mages don’t live very long.”

Ryan scribbled notes quickly, his pen scratching across the paper.

“For example,” Malick said, walking to the chalkboard and drawing a quick diagram. “If mages are of the same tier… water will beat fire, earth will beat water, fire will beat earth and so on. Of course this isn’t always the case, the power of a mage isn’t simply their element but also their creativity.”

He tapped the board with his finger. “Regardless, it is a cycle. A balance. And if you don’t understand it, you will be on the losing side.”

Eleanor leaned closer to Ryan and whispered, “He’s actually a good teacher.”

Ryan nodded. “Better than Toris that’s for sure, he hasn’t tried to kill me yet.”

Malick spun around suddenly, his robes billowing. “So, what does any of this mean? What it means is, don’t just study your own elements spells. Study everything! Learn, consume all knowledge there is. Over on that shelf is books about each and every element’s common spells,” he paused and winked at Ryan, “Even light!” He grinned, his enthusiasm radiating across the room. “Take any of those books that you want, just remember to return them!”

“Now this is just one of the most useful reasons to learn other mage’s spells and elements.” Malick wrote two words on the board, ’Combination Casting’.

“This,” Malick said, voice rising slightly, “is one of the most underused strategies in modern magical warfare. And it drives me absolutely mad!”

He began pacing again. “Two mages working together can create effects far more powerful than either could achieve alone. Fire and wind? You get an inferno that spreads like a plague. Water and earth? Quicksand. Mud traps. Immobilisation. Fire and water? Superheated water or steam that scalds and blinds.”

“But it requires coordination,” Malick continued. “Timing. Trust. You can’t just throw spells together and hope for the best. You need to understand how your element interacts with others. You need to practice.”

He stopped and looked directly at Ryan.

“And you, Ryan, with your light magic, have some of the most interesting combinations available, well not just yet though because I can tell that you are only… tier one? If I am correct please nod.”

Ryan nodded.

“Aren’t I great, you should all start calling me Malick the Great!” Malick winked.

He then strode towards the bookshelf, scanning the spines quickly. “Light magic is rare. So rare, in fact, that most mages, including me of course, have never encounter a light user in their entire lives. Which means…” He pulled a thick, dusty book from the shelf. “…most people don’t understand it at all. That! is one of your most powerful attributes as a light user.”

He walked back to Ryan and set the book down on the desk with a heavy thud.

Catalogue of Light Incantations – by Lucius the Bright.

Ryan stared at it.

Malick opened the book, flipping through pages covered in dense text and detailed pictures. “I can tell you have never seen one of these books before have you, Ryan?”

Before Ryan could respond, Malick was already talking again.

Malick continued, “This book’s spells are sorted by tiers. I’m sure you know not to bother casting a spell any higher than your tier, because it would obviously cost too much mana.” He took in a breath. “Tier 1 spells are simple, low mana cost, easy to learn. Tier 2 requires more control, more mana. Tier 3 and beyond? That’s advanced stuff. You won’t be casting those for many years.”

He stopped on a page near the beginning and tapped it. “Here. This one. Perfect for beginners.”

Ryan leaned forward, reading the text.

Lux Vinculum

Tier 1 – Light Bond

Creates a rope of solidified light. Semi-tangible, hot to the touch. Can be used to bind, restrain, or strike. Requires constant mana flow to maintain. High difficulty.

Incantation: “Lux Vinculum”

Malick grinned. “A light rope. Hot, solid enough to grab things but not very strong. It’s a foundation spell. Teaches you how to shape light into weapons, which you’ll need later for more advanced constructs.”

Ryan studied the diagram showing the hand gestures required.

“Now,” Malick said, stepping back. “I don’t expect you to master this today. Most students take weeks to get this spell working properly. But give it a try.”

All the other students were now staring at him. The pressure Ryan felt was more immense than any exam he had taken ever.

Ryan stood, moving to an open space near the front of the room.

He raised his hand, mimicking the gesture shown in the book, and focused on his mana.

“Lux Vinculum.”

A faint flicker of light appeared in his palm, then fizzled out.

Damn it Ryan, that was a terrible attempt.

“Unbelievable!” Malick said. “Try again. Feel the mana, don’t force it. Let it flow, encourage its shape.”

Ryan took a breath and tried again.

“Lux Vinculum.”

This time, the light held. A razor thin, unstable rope of glowing golden light extended from his hand, wavering slightly before dissipating.

“Fantastic!” Malick clapped. “One more time. Focus on maintaining it.”

Ryan closed his eyes briefly, visualising the spell, then opened them and raised his hand.

“Lux Vinculum.”

The light flared, bright and steady. A solid rope of golden light extended from his palm, glowing warmly. It held its shape, firm and controlled.

Ryan moved his hand, and the rope followed, responsive.

The room went quiet.

Malick stared, his mouth slightly open.

“That…” Malick’s squeaky voice faltered. “That should take weeks to learn…”

Ryan blinked. “So was that… good?”

“Good?” Malick laughed, the sound high-pitched and delighted. “No! It’s incredible! You’re a genius! Or you have insane mana control! Either way, this is extraordinary!”

Eleanor glanced at Ryan, her expression was of someone… very agitated, not out of jealousy for the attention, but for Ryan basically exposing himself as a hero.

Ryan dismissed the spell, the light fading. His chest felt warm, a faint sense of pride creeping in.

Malick turned to the class. “Alright, everyone! Pair up! We’re going to try combination casting. Find a partner with a different element and see what you can create, try not to kill anyone!”

Students began shuffling, moving towards each other.

Eleanor stood and looked at Ryan. “Want to try?”

“Obviously,” Ryan said.

They moved to an open space near the side of the room.

“Alright,” Eleanor said. “You create the light rope. And I will add fire to it? I might turn it into a flaming rope of light.”

Ryan nodded. “That sounds very cool.”

He raised his hand. “Lux Vinculum.”

The golden rope appeared, steady and bright.

Eleanor extended her hand towards it, her expression focused. “Ignis.”

Flames erupted from her palm, wrapping around the light rope.

Then the rope flared, the golden light turned orange as heat radiated from it. The air around it shimmered.

“It’s working,” Ryan said, surprised.

Eleanor grinned. “Keep it steady.”

Ryan held the spell, feeling the strain of maintaining it as Eleanor’s fire fed into the construct. The rope burned brightly, superheated, the combination stable.

Malick appeared beside them, eyes wide. “Perfect! Absolutely perfect! This is exactly what I’m talking about!”

But unbeknownst to the Ryan or Eleanor or even Malick, the rope was burning the floor below.

Other students were attempting their own combinations. Some succeeded, creating small bursts of steam or gusts of flaming wind. Others failed spectacularly, their spells fizzling or clashing in chaotic bursts.

But nobody noticed what was happening beneath Ryan and Eleanor’s feet.

The superheated rope of light and fire hung in the air, radiating intense heat. Where it hung closest to the ground, the wooden floorboards began to smoke.

A faint hissing sound.

Then a crack.

The wood beneath them blackened, charring rapidly.

Ryan shifted, and the rope dipped slightly lower.

The floor gave way.

A section of blackened wood collapsed inward with a splintering crash, opening a hole roughly the size of a dinner plate.

Eleanor jumped back. “Oh no.”

Ryan dismissed the spell immediately, the burning rope vanishing.

The hole smouldered, thin wisps of smoke rising from the charred edges.

Malick blinked down at it, then looked at Ryan and Eleanor.

For a moment, silence.

Then Malick burst into squeaky laughter, his squeaky voice echoing through the room. “Now that’s what I call effective! You melted through solid oak!”

Although Ryan was surprised by the hole they had caused in the floor, he was too focused on something else. How come the rope didn’t burn my hand… maybe a casters spell doesn’t hurt the caster, but even then, why didn’t Eleanor’s fire hurt my hand?

On the other side of the room, Navius stood with another student, a water mage. They were supposed to be creating boiling hot water together.

Navius raised his hand lazily, “Ignis.”

Flames erupted from his palm, they surged forward at completely the wrong timing. The water mage had not even casted their spell yet.

The flames touched the water mages robes but Navius cancelled the spell before any lasting damage could occur.

The mage glared at him. “You did that on purpose.”

Navius smirked. “Did I? My apologies. Timing is so difficult, isn’t it?”

From across the room, another pair’s attempt went wrong. Their combined spell produced nothing more than a puddle of muddy water sitting on a table.

Navius glanced over. “Impressive. You managed to make water and earth create… wet dirt. Revolutionary.”

A few students laughed.

Malick clapped his hands. “Alright, alright! I think that’s enough chaos and laughter for one lesson. Excellent work everyone! Some truly spectacular successes and some…” he glanced at the wet dirt puddle, “… educational failures.”

Malick looked around at the dishevelled classroom, scorch marks on walls, a hole in the floor, puddles scattered about.

“Class is dismissed! Practice on your own time, and please try not to burn down the dormitories! Tomorrow’s lesson is going to start at the same time but might finish a tiny bit early!”

The students began gathering their things, murmuring amongst themselves as they exited the room.

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