The final bell of the day rang through Valandias Academy. Students poured out of classrooms, their chatter filling the corridors as they dispersed, some to their dormitories, others to the dining hall, and a few to the training grounds to practice what they had learned.
Eris, however, had other plans.
The library, she thought, stepping out into the golden light of the late afternoon. If there's any place in this academy that might hold records of the past, of my time, it would be there.
She had no map, no guide, and no particular knowledge of the academy's layout. Valandias was a sprawling labyrinth of towers, courtyards, and cloistered walkways.
After several wrong turns, including one that led her into a courtyard where a group of upperclassmen were practicing levitation spells, she sighed. Perhaps I should have asked for directions.
Then, just as she was considering turning back, she heard it.
Raised voices. Angry.
A fight?
Curious, she followed the sound, her footsteps silent against the cobblestones. The voices grew clearer as she approached a secluded side path, half-hidden by overgrown ivy.
Two male students, broad-shouldered, their uniforms slightly disheveled, loomed over a smaller figure. A girl.
"You told us that spell would impress Yuki, but she didn't even glance at me!" one of the boys snarled, jabbing a finger into the girl's shoulder hard enough to make her stumble back.
"Did you recommend a spell you knew I wouldn't be able to use?" the other boy snapped. "Because of you, my teacher probably thinks I'm a weakling!"
The girl, petite, with short brown hair and thick glasses, shrank under their glares. She clutched a stack of books to her chest like a shield, her eyes fixed on the ground.
Eris watched for a moment, assessing.
Then she stepped forward.
"Is there a problem here?"
The boys whirled, their expressions shifting from anger to annoyance as they took her in.
"Who the hell is this girl?" the first one sneered.
"Get the hell away from here," the second growled, cracking his knuckles. "Unless you want to suffer in her place."
Eris tilted her head slightly. "In that case, I'll take your offer. I'll even allow you to attack first."
The boys exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.
"Heh, very well then," the first one said, rolling up his sleeves. "I'll break your bones and teach you a lesson."
The second boy smirked. "Let's make this quick."
With practiced coordination, they moved.
The first boy raised his hands, his fingers weaving through the air as he chanted: "
A pulse of golden light shot from his palms, wrapping around the second boy like a second skin. His muscles visibly swelled, veins standing out along his arms.
"Power amplification," Eris noted. "A support spell. Not bad."
The second boy grinned, then snapped his fingers. "
His body blurred after moving at incredible speeds. He shot forward, crossing the distance between them faster than sound, his hand slicing through the air in a brutal karate chop aimed at Eris's neck.
The impact was thunderous.
Stone shattered. Dust billowed. The force of the strike cratered the ground where Eris had stood, sending rubble flying.
The boy smirked, withdrawing his hand. "Ordinary mages rely too much on their fancy spells," he said, brushing off his sleeve. "Physical mages like me? We destroy them before they even cast their abilities."
Then the dust cleared.
Eris stood exactly where she had been, untouched. The boy's hand was still pressed against her neck, but her skin hadn't so much as reddened.
His smirk died.
"That's impossible!"
Eris's fingers closed around his wrist. "You couldn't even break through my mana aura?" she said, her voice soft. "And you call yourself a physical mage?"
She tightened her grip. "Pathetic."
"
A thousand invisible blades erupted along the boy's arm, slicing through flesh and muscle in the span of a single heartbeat. Blood sprayed. The boy screamed, collapsing to his knees as his arm hung in tattered ribbons.
His companion staggered back, eyes wide. "What the hell is that spell?! I've never heard of anything like that!"
Eris flicked her fingers, scattering droplets of blood. "One I created a while ago."
It was actually thousands of years ago, but she couldn't say that.
The remaining boy's face twisted in fury and fear. He raised his hands, chanting frantically. "
The golden light wrapped around him, this time to increase his magic as he poured every ounce of his power into his next spell.
"
The air itself split apart, dozens of razor-sharp wind blades screaming toward Eris. They cut through stone, through wood, through anything in their path...
...Only to slam into an invisible wall inches from her face.
"
The barrier held firm. Then, with a thought, she pushed.
The wind blades reversed course, hurtling back at the boy with twice their original speed.
Desperate, he crossed his arms, while casting a barrier.
A translucent shield flickered to life, but it was weak, hastily formed. The blades tore through it like paper.
For a single, horrifying moment, Eris saw his body come apart, limbs severed, torso slashed open..
Then she sighed.
"
Time itself seemed to stutter. The boy's body rewound, flesh knitting back together, blood retreating into veins. By the time the spell finished, he was whole again, but unconscious, collapsing to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
The first boy had already passed out from the pain, his ruined arm still dripping onto the cobblestones. Eris waved a hand over him. "
His wounds sealed.
Silence.
Eris turned to the girl with glasses, who was staring at her with wide, unblinking eyes.
"Are you okay?" Eris asked.
The girl nodded mutely.
"You look like a bookworm," Eris said, brushing dust off her sleeve. "Do you, perchance, know the way to the library?"
The girl swallowed hard, then nodded again. "I-I was heading there before…" She glanced at the unconscious boys.
"Perfect," Eris said. "Lead the way."
A beat. Then, softly: "My name's Aemi."
"Eris."
Together, they walked toward the library, leaving the two bullies in the dirt behind them.