Today was the day I would get to torment early teens with endless questions again. What fun!

  All joking aside, I was looking forward to teaching the young minds again. Nourishing their budding talent and potential is one of the most rewarding things I had ever done in my life.

  So, early the following morning, I entered my classroom on the top floor of the main building, overlooking the main courtyard. I seemed to have a thing for high up places... Perhaps it was the feeling of looking down on people that it gave off, that I liked?

  Various skeletons lined the back of the classroom, some on stands and some on shelves. And along the wall where the entrance was, opposite the windows, were cabinets topped with a wide variety of magical instruments and on the wall hung educational posters and diagrams. Next to the windows hung curtains in the colours of the school, navy blue, with one set being blackout curtains and another merely for lessening the intensity of the sun.

  I sat down behind the desk that stood in front of the students’ desks, which were lined up in slightly inclining rows so everybody could easily see the blackboard behind me. I put Fluminix down on my desk and started playing with her, as I waited for the first class of first-years of the day to enter.

  It wasn’t long before the first students arrived, hesitantly entering the classroom looking unsure if they were in the right place. As more entered, some cast curious or wary glances at me, others looked at Fluminix with either excitement or dread.

  As the last student entered, I closed the door without getting up. A subtle display of my magical prowess, for no-one saw or heard me cast, only that a spell formation blinked briefly into existence and the door fell closed with the gentleness of a graceful touch.

  I stood up and cleared my throat to get their attention on me.

  “Welcome, everyone, to my very first basic magic theory of this school year,” I started, speaking loudly and clearly enough so that even those in the back could hear me properly. “Some of you might be wondering what happened to mister Vlkovsky? Well, he’s enjoying his regained free time, as I’m resuming my position as teacher of basic magical theory. And necromancy, of course. But, since you’re first-years, that’s not entirely relevant to you.

  “Anyway, let’s get this class going. Who here wishes to inform me of what you’ve been up to during my absence?”

  Quickly the hand of an eager, and serious looking, student shot up, and I gestured for him to speak up.

  “Um, miss...?” he started hesitantly, causing me to realise that I had just assumed they would know my name. Polite boy that one, not giving in to assumptions.

  “Morgana. And there’s no need for calling me miss. It makes me feel old,” I clarified, as I spotted Fluminix jumping down from my desk out of the corner of my eye.

  The serious, yet polite, boy nodded and cleared his throat.

  “Right, um, surely mister Vlkovsky has left you with documentation covering that?” he asked, and I noticed some nodding in agreement.

  I had read it, but that was beside the point. This was a test to see how well they’d been paying attention and how accurate mister Vlkovsky’s notes were, so I shrugged as if I didn’t care about it.

  “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” I said nonchalantly. “Now, did you want to answer the question, or shall we pass it on to someone else?”

  The boy looked put off by my carefree attitude, which made me wonder, did the older students not inform him how my classes worked? Before either of us could say anything, a sheepkin boy in the back of the class scoffed arrogantly. So, I looked directly at him.

  “Care to give it a go?” I challenged him. “Surely, someone with your demeanour is bound to know?”

  The sheepkin boy scowled at me and huffed up his chest.

  “Do you even know who my aunt is?” he challenged as if he held the authoritative high ground. “Just do your untalented job and leave me be, alright?”

  My pleasant smile morphed into a wicked smirk.

  “Oh, I know very well who you are, young Cheviotteau,” I reprimanded. “I also know that nobody has ever tried to fire me. As that would be a foolhardy detriment to the quality of the education this school can provide.” I shrugged and looked at the rest of the class again. “Besides, the headmistress and I are good friends.”

  A human girl raised a frightened hand, as she edged closer to her neighbour.

  “Um, miss... I mean, Morgana?” she asked cautiously, before she pointed at the spot she was trying to get away from. “Could you, um, please make your dragon stop trying to bite me, please?”

  I gave her an apologetic smile, as I had apparently been too focused on the arrogant sheepkin boy to pay attention to what Fluminix was up to.

  “My apologies,” I said, as I cast a barrier spell that pushed Fluminix away from the frightened girl. It elicited a squeaking protest, but I ignored the troublemaker. “Anyway, let’s get back to the lesson at hand, shall we?”

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  A dragonkin girl halfway into the back raised her hand and nodded at her to speak up.

  “Mister Vlkovsky has finished telling us about the magical elements,” she said without looking fazed by the various prior distraction. “Fire, earth, water, air, light and darkness. We were supposed to get started on the various schools this week.”

  “Right,” I said with an appreciative nod. “Well, technically, there are seven elements, but I highly recommend you don’t try your hand at the seventh until you’ve mastered all the other six. Primordial magic is not to be trifled with and I, before anyone asks, won’t teach you how to use it. It’s chaotic, destructive and one of the main reasons I get called away to deal with an out-of-control magical phenomenon.

  “However, more importantly for the aspiring mages amongst you, would anyone care to explain what one needs to do to increase their proficiency in each magical element?”

  “One needs to learn and meditate on each element’s characteristics,” the serious looking boy answered, after having raised his hand. “For example, for fire one needs to embody the destructive heat of the element.”

  I chuckled and cocked my head to the side, before I turned to the blackboard and drew out the explanation.

  “Not quite,” I explained. “While destruction and heat are two characteristics commonly associated with the fire element, destruction could be ascribed to all of them, and heat is also something that could be ascribed to light. What I’m trying to say with this is that there is overlap and no right or wrong way to master an element. You should choose associations that fit for you.

  “However, one’s mastery over the elements isn’t something that shows itself clearly, as it mainly lowers your mana drainage and makes it easier for you to increase your spellcasting mastery.

  “As you are now, you’re at the start of the beginner level. Each level will make it easier for you to cast spells. In a specific school, I might add. At the beginner level you need both a runic spell formation, a vocal chant and a specific gesture, usually drawing out the spell formation.”

  I saw some eyes widen in realisation, as they probably came to some sort of conclusion from when I closed the classroom door and the barriers I kept throwing up to stop Fluminix' shenanigans.

  “Each increase in mastery means that you’ll stop needing one of those three components until, at the master level, you’ll only needs one of them.”

  “So, the spells you’ve been casting are all at the master level?” one of the students asked. “I heard rumours that you could cast divine magic, though.”

  I let out a quiet groan, before I cleared my throat.

  “Right... I am capable of casting, what people refer to as, divine level spells,” I explained with a slight grimace. “However, divine magic is a bit of a misnomer. In fact, it’s more of the wild card of spellcasting ranking. A more apt name would be inherent or innate spellcasting, as it is something that every magical animal is capable of, no matter how strong.

  “I’ve been trying to rectify the misconception, however the fact that it is something that seems divine makes that hard. I gained the inherent ability to use necromancy when I turned into a lich, because of my master level proficiency in the school at the time I went through the ritual.”

  “How does the ritual work?” another student asked.

  “For that, you’ll need to attend my necromancy classes,” I answered with a sly grin. “And before anybody asks, if you’re curious about my past, I’ll have to redirect you to your history teacher.”

  Some of the students lowered their hand dejectedly.

  “Now, as for the schools of magic,” I continued. “Who would like to name them? And maybe have a go at describing what they’re about?”

  “Um, one of them is abjuration, correct?” a human girl asked hesitantly. “I believe it has something to do with defending yourself?”

  I nodded and wiped the previous explanation from the blackboard, so I could now write out the different schools on it.

  “That’s right,” I said. “Abjuration is the school for defensive spells. It’s divided into three branches: buffing, warding and negation.”

  “Necromancy, obviously,” the headmistress’ nephew said with a scoff. “Raising the dead and all that nonsense.”

  “It’s a bit more complex than that, but yes necromancy is another one,” I responded, completely unfazed by the callous remark. “It is one of the most diverse schools and its branches are reanimation, soul magic and, what’s colloquially known as, the dark arts.”

  “Illusion,” said one of the students sheepishly. “Well, um, illusion, right?”

  “Right, it is a rather self-explanatory school, isn’t it?” I said with a chuckle. “Illusion is divided into sound, touch, sight, smell and taste. One branch for each sense.”

  “Conjuration!” said one of them enthusiastically. “Summoning big monsters and spirits!”

  “You’re quite right,” I said with a nod. “Summoning animals and spirits are a big part of conjuration, as it is a school that’s all about creation and summoning various companions. As such, its branches are elemental, spiritual, bestial and objectual.”

  “Um, evocation,” one of them said timidly. “I, um, know healing is part of it. As, um, is casting fireballs.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to give the timid boy an encouraging smile.

  “You’re absolutely right,” I said, as I returned my attention to writing on the blackboard. “Evocation has some overlap with conjuration, as they can both create things from nothing. However, what makes it distinct is that it always has a target. And it is divided into healing magic and offensive magic, which in turn is subdivided into touch and ranged.”

  “Divination,” said a human boy, who looked like a stereotypical witch. “Scrying and farsight.”

  “Those are indeed its two best-known branches,” I said with a nod. “Divination is all about acquiring and revealing the unknown. It is, in my opinion, both a cheat and a pitfall. However, its third branch, and ironically its most used branch, is identification.”

  “Transmutation,” one of them said. “Pretty much what it means. Turning something into something else.”

  “It is a rather self-explanatory school, isn’t it?” I asked rhetorically with a chuckle. “Even more so than the school of illusion, as transmutation doesn’t even have any branches. As for the last one, it is one of the two most distrusted schools, along with necromancy, namely enchantment. Not to be confused with the art of enchantment, the art of imbuing magic into an object that magical crafters tend to learn. The school of enchantment is about affecting the mind of others, both to aid and heal them, and to influence and control them. Hence, the school is divided into the branches of charm and compulsion.

  “Over the coming weeks we’ll dive more into each school and you’ll each have the opportunity to try casting your first spell by the end of the year. Or at least the first here at this school, as I know some of you have already started your magical training at home from your family. But remember, each of you, no matter your magical talent, is of equal worth here at this school.”

  After a few more questions the bell rang, signalling the end of class and the students streamed out of the classroom for their next one. A few minutes later, I began my next class of my jam-packed schedule.

  Why schedule a lunch break, when one doesn’t need to eat, right?