Barlor drank in the sights while they rode through the central bridge, the largest and most imperious of the three that led across the river. While the other two were plain and unadorned the central bridge was decorated with three massive archways, each of them having a different design and unique images carved onto the front and back. Just beyond the bridge were a number of large rectangular buildings made from marble, and while the architecture itself was mostly plain, the buildings were overgrown with a variety of plant life that appeared to be very deliberately placed. Scattered between the buildings were neat little patches of grass, and roads that outlined a path from building to building. At its center was a circular stone wall, one that prevented the students and staff from falling into the giant sinkhole behind it.

The coachman glared back at Mr. Jamison. “Get off the wagon.”

“Right. Come on let's go.” Mr. Jamison stood up and hurried them off.

Barlor jumped off the wagon. “Where to?”

“The registry over there.” Mr. Jamison pointed to a small building off to the side.

“Alright!” Barlor had never heard of a registry before, but whatever it was you could find it in a Mage Academy which meant it just had to be interesting. He followed just a few steps behind Mr. Jamison watching for anything new. Eventually, he could spot a few people in black clothes wandering about, some tended to the flowers while other carried books or stacks of paper. Beyond that there wasn't much else.

They arrived at a dark wooden door with a simple iron door knocker on its front. Mr. Jamison raised the iron ring and let it go; waiting for a couple seconds before another servant dressed in black opened the door and let them in. They walked into a large marble room with a counter on the opposite end, behind it was a woman wearing a black dress and a rather serious expression.

Mr. Jamison nodded towards a few wooden seats off to the side. “You can wait over there. This might take a little while.”

Namar simply nodded and took a seat at one of the chairs, closing his eyes and waiting patiently. Barlor instead chose to walk around the area, examining a few of the flowers decorating the registry, when he got bored of this he moved on to a large window across from the chairs.

The scenery outside was picturesque to say the least. The leaves of trees fluttered and swayed with every gentle breeze. Still waters were moved with the wind and every little wave caused a glimmer like the twinkling of a distant star. He got bored of this too.

Barlor repositioned himself, hoping to make it look like he was trying to get a view from a different angle. He got as close as possible to Mr. Jamison without it seeming suspicious and listened in, viewing the exchange from the corners of his eyes.

“Sign these papers here.” The woman passed Mr. Jamison a quill, an inkwell, and some papers.

“Right.” Mr. Jamison quickly scanned through the papers before manipulating the ink and signing his name on the papers.

“And could you tell me why you’ve arrived so late?” She picked up the quill and readied some papers of her own.

“... Rogue Magnacaws. They stole our horses and flew away.”

“I thought they migrated south this time year?”

“Must've been a stray. It looked somewhat injured.”

“It or they?” She raised an eyebrow.

“It. Just one… I must’ve misspoken.”

“Right,” She wrote on her papers. “Mr. Allenbury should be here any time now. You can wait over there with those two.”

Barlor struggled to stifle a laugh.

“Will do Ma’am.” As Mr. Jamison was leaving the door behind the counter opened.

A tall man with silver hair and blood red eyes walked through the door, his face seemed to be locked in an expression of eternal smugness. He wore loose black robes that flowed as he walked, and a red phoenix circled by flame was emblazoned over his heart.

“Hey you’re the late students right?” He waved at them all.

Namar stood up and nodded once.

“That's us.” Barlor crossed his arms.

“Come with me.” He walked back through the doorway.

Namar immediately followed him. Barlor looked to Mr. Jamison for confirmation.

“Go on. I’ll be waiting here.”

“Alright.” Barlor followed them through the doorway. Barlor could feel his heart rate slowly increasing.

He walked into a room with doors on each wall. The room was lit by a glowing cylindrical slab attached to the ceiling, almost like a kind of lamp without a flame. Another servant in black clothing stood in the corner holding clothing in his arms.

At its center was a table and three chairs. Two of the chairs were on his side, Namar sat in one of them. Barlor pulled an empty seat across from Mr. Allenbury.

“So… you two aware of your situation?”

“What do you mean?” Slowly Barlor was getting more and more nervous.

“I mean the expulsions.” Mr. Allenbury grinned wider.

Barlor's heart skipped a beat. There was no way he was going back to live on that farm. He couldn't possibly…

“You’re three days late you know… you’re already falling behind already. I trust you’ve been informed about the situation regarding students.”

“Yes, the weakest half will be expelled at the end of each year.” A smile tugged at the corner of Namar’s mouth.

Of course, of course. Nothing to worry about, they wouldn‘t have come here if they’d already been expelled.

“You think you two can manage? We’re quite brutal with our program. Anyone who isn’t worth the funds will be cut at the end of each year, regardless of whether or not you aren’t in the lower half.”

“Undoubtedly.” Namar looked Mr. Allenbury dead in the eyes with the widest smile Barlor had ever seen on his face.

And yet the butterflies in Barlor’s stomach wouldn't cease.

“We’ll see about that.” Mr. Allenbury glanced at the servant, then to the table.

The servant walked up and laid two robes on their table, a couple belts, and two pairs of shoes.

“Get dressed in the bathroom, then wish your host mage goodbye. We’ll start immediately afterwards. Bathrooms are over there.” He pointed at the door to his right.

“Yes. We’ll do that.” Barlor grabbed the clothes and walked off. Looking around he realized that even the bathrooms were made from marble. There were little stalls with doors off to the side separating individual chamber pots, more opulence than he’d seen in his entire lifetime, and something he definitely didn’t want to give up.

He dressed himself in the stalls. Tightening the strings so that they fit well, but weren’t overly tight. He placed the notebook in his pocket, and tied the smiling yellow mask over his dagger sheath to hide the dagger from view. He walked out of the stalls and looked himself in the mirror. He was of average height, plain brown eyes and black hair, perhaps a little scrawny like the old man said. The mage robes were a light grey with maroon outlines. It was a little bit like a cloak, but the cloth fell to his thighs at most. They could be buttoned together, or tightened using strings, and while there were only a few small pockets on the outside, the insides were practically lined with them.

Mirrors, new clothing, fancy buildings, what a place to be, but as he considered the possibility of expulsion and the thought of having to return home. He slowly began to panic. Subconsciously he laid his hand on the mask, and began to feel himself calming down.

No need to panic just yet. Do the best you can. There’s no use being afraid of what can’t be helped. They’re just like the shadows. Just like the shade.

Barlor walked out of the bathroom and saw Namar leaning by the door. Same robes, except his were tied a little tighter and buttoned together instead of being left hanging.

“Let’s wish Mr. Jamison goodbye and get going. We’re burning time already.”

“Right. He might have something else to tell us.”

Barlor and Namar walked out to the main room where Mr. Jamison was waiting.

Mr. Jamison walked over to them. “I suppose this is where we part ways for now.”

“I think so.” Barlor put his hands in his pockets.

“It was nice getting to know you Mr. Jamison.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Mr. Jamison lowered his voice. “Remember, if you see anything suspicious find some way to contact me.”

The two nodded in response.

As Mr. Jamison was leaving the building he glanced back at them. “Good luck you two, I’ll be certain to keep an ear out for your future achievements.”

“You too Mr. Jamison!” Barlor waved goodbye.

"Now that that’s over with let's get going.” Mr. Allenbury didn't wait to see if they’d follow, choosing to simply leaving through the door.

Barlod and Namar quickly followed Mr. Allenbury going back into the same room with the table and heading left this time. Behind the door was a plain spiral staircase that led downwards. Down and down they went until eventually they reached a wide corridor. The same glowing stones out in the room upstairs were regularly spaced throughout the corridors. Mr. Allenbury didn't hesitate at all, walking through each corridor and making sudden turns with absolute confidence. Making his way through a series of maze like corridors was a pace Barlor happened to already be familiar with, and he internally mapped each of the turns as they made their way to the classroom. Namar however, seemed to struggle a little, occasionally losing Mr. Allenbury. When this happened he walked a little slower and waited for Namar to catch up.

Eventually they reached a more decorated area of the underground. There were the occasional benches here and there, potted plants, and bulletin boards with almost nothing on them. They reached a set of double doors, above it the word gymnasium was carved over the doors. Mr. Allenbury stood to the side.

“Go on in.” He smiled.

They opened the door and found themselves in a large room, by Barlor’s estimate maybe eighty by sixty feet. The room was full of similarly dressed students, most fired away at practice dummies about twenty feet away from them. Whether or not they were successful he didn’t know.

“I’ve been informed that you were taught how to use magic before you got here. Is that true?” Mr. Allenbury asked.

“Yes, but only enough to keep us from falling behind.” Namar said.

“That’s not my concern. You’ll be placed in the advanced course regardless.”

“Fine with me.”

“Sure. Why not?” In truth, Barlor wasn’t at all fine with being placed in the advance course. They’d only been taught enough to keep up with normal students, there was no way they’d be able to handle the more advanced work, let alone contest with the advance students.

They followed Mr. Allenbury to an area closer towards the end of the gym. The advance students wore the same robes, practiced on the same dummies, yet fewer students were actually practicing. Most of them sat on the ground in groups, talking amongst themselves. Some groups were filled with laughter, while in others the tension was palpable.

“Control is perhaps the most important factor for a student. Here, stand on this white line.” Mr. Allenbury tapped his foot on the white line. “Open a hole in the dummy the size of a coin, no more, no less.” He pointed at the dummy. A flash of white light streaked across the gym and pierced straight through the dummy. The dummy itself didn’t even move as the beam pierced its chest. “Don’t knock it over.”

He opened his palm. “Then knock it back to the white line behind it.” A white orb formed in his hand. He held it out and the ball rushed towards the dummy, knocking the head back onto the white line about twenty feet behind it. “Only the head may land on the white line.”

As the dummy flew he noticed a chain attached to the bottom of the dummy’s base. He heard clicking mechanical noises from beneath the ground. The chain tightened, and moved back into a hole beneath where the dummy had stood before, dragging the dummy back with it. With a bit of effort the chain straightened out the dummy attached to it, standing it upright as though nothing had ever happened.

“Then I want you to dent it.” He created another orb over his hand, condensing it and gathering into a ball the size of a marble. He opened his hand towards the dummy. The orb transformed into a burst of white light, blasting the dummy and leaving a dent in the arm. “Hit both arms, don’t knock it over, don’t remove the limbs.” He did it again, much faster this time and with a casual wave of his arm.

“Got it?”

Barlor could only nod. The demands were insane, but he had plenty of time to practice. He could only hope that he’d master it in time. Namar simply took a spot with an empty dummy and fired. For a moment Barlor thought he’d actually be able to do it. The sudden movement and confidence led him to believe that somehow, he’d managed, but Namar had only failed. Not even unleashing enough power to scratch the dummy. Namar continued onwards, unperturbed by his previous failure, again and again he failed, but he did so with fervor. Each time he failed he waited for a bit, before unleashing another attack with entirely different results.

Barlor followed his lead and took a spot with an empty a dummy. He first tried to place a hole in the chest of the dummy, but unlike Namar, the hole was far too big, and it drained about a fourth of his mana. He waited for longer between attacks, doing his best to fine tune the mana put forth in each of his attacks. He was unsure of how long he spent in between attacks, only that with each attack he was being slowly drained. It took some time but he managed to drain himself completely.

He could’ve just waited for his mana to replenish naturally, but Mr. Jamison showed them a different, more… expedient alternative. Normally one would just wait for their body to create mana over time. If one was in a hurry they could meditate, eat more, or just get some rest. Barlor however, wanted to make as much use of his time as physically possible.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. His breathing became ragged, his whole body felt like it was being prodded with thousands of hot needles. He was simultaneously being filled with energy, and drained at the same time. A paradoxical feeling, it was like being so full you couldn't eat but starving to death at the same time.

Barlor collapsed on the ground. Desperate to make as much progress as possible he stood back up, weary and exhausted. He pointed at the dummy once more, gathering as much mana as physically possible to a small point on his finger. One about half the size of a coin. He rotated the point counterclockwise and pushed it all outwards as quickly as possible. A rotating beam of blue light struck the dummy and pushed straight through its body within a second. The dummy shook a little, but didn’t fall over. Success! Sort of, the dummy didn’t fall over this time, although the hole was a little too small. Still, in Barlor’s book that was a win so he decided to sit on the ground and get some much deserved rest.

He heard the toll of a bell, he wasn’t sure where it came from, but it was there.

Mr. Allenbury clapped his hands. “Alright! Alright! Calm down. Before you all leave for lunch, I’m going to test you.”

Most of the regular students stiffened at the thought. The majority of the advance students on the other hand, were less than impressed. Some even rolled their eyes. What really scared Barlor, was the way Mr. Allenbury reacted to the eyerolls. He saw, just for a second, a sadistic grin spread across his face before vanishing almost immediately.

“Advance students line up in front of me!”

Might as well get this over with. Barlor rushed for the line, ending up second in place. The man in front of him was tall and chiseled. He wore two gold necklaces and a pair of silver bracers.

“Stand on the white line.”

The man in front of him did so casually, waving to his friends and showing off to some of the girls in line.

“Demonstrate the practice techniques for me.”

“Will do sir.” He raised his hand relaxedly. As he was about to fire on the practice dummy a blinding light struck seemingly out of nowhere. The shot went wide and struck the ceiling above the dummy.

“Argh! The fuck!” The man in front of him wiped his eyes. “The hell was that for?!”

Mr. Allenbury’s smile became ever more condescending. “Did you really think it would be that easy? No one’s going to wait while you line up a shot. Expect some form of distraction and improve your self control. What if that was a support beam?”

“The hell? That’s fucking stupid, you didn’t tell me shit!”

“Your opposition wouldn’t have told you either.”

“I’d still be expecting it!”

“Next form.”

“Fuck you.”

“Next form.”

The man in front of him became red faced. He lined up another shot, forming another red orb in his hand. Yet another flash of light struck and the orb went flying in the wrong direction, collapsing harmlessly against the wall. The man in front of him was breathing heavily now.

“Next form.”

The man gathered a small orb in his hand, he closed his eyes and held his hand outwards one more time, but instead of another flash of light Mr. Allenbury stomped on his foot. The blast struck the floor.

“Damn it!”

“You should’ve been expecting that by now.”

“I didn’t know you’d fucking step on my foot!”

“You’ll have to learn to power through the pain. You won’t always be able to avoid the hits.”

“You… you can’t fucking do that! Do you know who-”

“I’m stopping you right there. Let me make two things clear.” He raised his head to the rest of the class. “I don’t give a damn who or what you are. I don’t care where you came from, or how you got here. That shit doesn’t matter to me. I’ll also let you know what I do not tolerate. Complacency. I’m going to put all of you through your paces and it’ll only get worse from here. If you can’t even handle this, and if you don’t like that, then you’re free to leave.”

None of the basic students made a move, but some of the advance students did, the man’s friends.

“I’m out of here.”

“Yeah I don’t need this shit.”

“You coming Gamris?”

The man, Gamris. Tightened his jaw. He took a deep breath. “No. I won’t”

“You serious Gamris? You’re gonna stay with this crazy bastard?”

Gamris looked down. “Yeah.”

Mr. Allenbury leaned over. “Oh. I forgot to mention. Students who didn’t succeed in even one of the practice techniques, won’t be going to lunch. You’ll be here, working with me. If you work hard this time, I might be inclined to feed you.”

“Really, this asshole. You’re staying with him.”

Gamris looked back at them. “Yeah. I am.”

“Your loss man.”

Mr. Allenbury walked up to Gamris and laid a hand on his shoulder. Gamris brushed it off.

“I’ll make sure to arrange you boys a transport back to your respective homes. Wait at the registry when you’re finished with lunch ”

The boys left the gym.

Mr. Allenbury looked at the rest of the class. “Congratulations. You’ve just signed your death warrants.”

Despite the morbid statement, Barlor saw on Mr. Allenbury’s face, the most genuine smile he’d ever seen him display. He was genuinely happy that some had chosen to stay, including Gamris.