Lecture Theatre 2-D, Mage Academy Campus

The classroom chatter was the first thing Drake Noticed as he walked through the doors into the theatre. Strangely he sensed multiple eyes on him, He could make out a few Hushed Whispers

"-Is that him?"

"-Doesn't look important"

"-not a Pirean?"

Drake sat down near the top benches on the middle row with Tohsin, He noticed a few familiar faces around him namely the three boys who ganged up on Tohsin sitting two rows across from where they were Chatting amongst themselves. Drake could make out what they were saying

"-all know that he's just a bastard son of some important noble who fucked his brun slave, Let's make it clear to him that he has no business here"

Drake had heard this all his life, that he was an Abandoned child of a Brun, Raised by the biggest drunkard of town. He grit his teeth, Something he always did to prevent himself from succumbing.

A pat on the back seemed to dispel the anger

Tohsin looked him in the eye with a questioning look

Drake calmed down

"Sorry, It's just… How did these rumours begin about me?"

"I guess someone overheard our conversation in the mess, so I'm partly to blame for it… I'm sorry"

Drake sighed

"It's not your fault. But it seems like I've been branded a pariah yet again"

Drake raised his head and saw a familiar mop of brown hair. Cath was sitting alone below them. He spotted Sarah who was just entering the Hall. Following her was a Soldier carrying a stack of books and a pointer.

Sarah Quickly sat down next to Cath. The soldier walked up to the lectern and tapped it audibly with his pointer and The chatter in the room stopped and the eyes on Drake redirected towards the stage.

"Good evening Ladies and gentlemen, I am your Magic Theory Instructor, First Lieutenant Ishmael Angus. You can refer to me as Instructor Angus."

Angus was a Balding Senior aged man with a wrinkly face, He wore the same Black Uniform lined with red trim that all Corps members wore, Except his Rank which was a Silver emblem. His old eyes were an unsettling red colour yet Drake sensed no ill Intent behind this man.

"Welcome to Magic 101. I know that some of you have already gone through this in Prep Academy, I can see a few familiar faces from my time as a Guest Teacher. Cadet Sarah and Cadet Catherine" He directed his attention toward the two girls

"I expect you won't experience much difficulty In this class"

"yes, sir" Sarah responded

"Think of this class as a Refresher for what's to come. Moving on, Who can tell me What Anthem Powers are?"

Tohsin raised his hand and stood up

"It's a Contract established with an Elemental spirit that allows humans to Utilise their Powers in the form of an Anthem"

Angus Nodded.

"Wonderful answer, Anthem Powers are the Foundation of the Mage Corps, Ever since the Descent of the False God, The Divine spirits have Allowed Humans and our Sub Races to form Contracts with their Subservient counterparts because they needed our help to fight the False God. Now, over 400 years later we Humans have found Other ways to utilise this power outside of War, But we at the Mage Corp still use our powers for their original purpose. To protect and preserve the peace of the ten states."

"Anthem Powers are received once you form an Anthem Contract with an Elemental spirit. Since these Spirits exist in the Aether Realm, The lifeblood of the Earth where pure energy flows, We need precious material to form a Sort of Gateway to this realm. So we use a Liquid Metal known as Mercury as it provides the best connectivity. We also need something known as a Transmission Stone, A special sort of Crystal that only the Divine Spirits know the source of. This Stone allows you to Project yourself into the Aether realm, Where Elemental spirits can decide to enter a contract with you. Of course providing you can handle spiritual pressure, but you can't enter this academy if you aren't able to."

A hand shot up, It was Varon. the boy who made Tohsin spit out blood

"yes?" Angus acknowledged him

"What if you were unable to enter a Contract? Or if you are unable to take the Spiritual Pressure? What then? I heard that there's a student in this class who Got in through Alternative means and wasn't subject to evaluation like the rest of us."

Varon eyed Drake, a Smug expression frozen on his face

"Good Question. This has indeed happened before, inability to enter an Anthem contract automatically Disqualifies you from being a BattleMage, The previous students were simply compensated by giving Corporate jobs within the Kingdoms or were Hired as Logistics members of the Mage Corps. As for Spiritual Pressure, it's the main reason we conduct Awakening ceremonies after you're over 17, If you were unable to withstand the pressure of a Spirit Pulsing its power into you, It would rupture your organs and Blood vessels and will cripple you for life or worse, lead to a gruesome death. But if you can get it checked out by a Spirit anthem user, They will be able to ease the pressure, only temporarily until of course, we sever the contract."

"So I guess connections aren't so great after all, It's pitiful that they got kicked out so easily"

Varon said, Still eyeing Drake.

Angus Quickly got back on subject

"Let's move on now. So how do you Utilise Anthem Powers? does anyone know?"

Yet Again, Tohsin was the one to respond

"Using a method called projection, Harnessing the spirit allows you to form Runes of Archaic Script within your periphery. Several Runes combine together to form spells. By diverting Mana into the script, you are able to use the Spell either by using a Force multiplier such as a Spear, or with your bare hands."

"That's right, What's your name Cadet?"

Angus asked

"Tohsin, no surname"

"Interesting, You seem to already know a great deal about Anthems, Can I bother you to come here and Draw all four of the Foundation Runes on the board?"

Tohsin stood up and made his way toward the stage, Ignoring the seething stares that were focused on him from the trio.

Tohsin Drew four symbols on the blackboard with practised ease.

" Well done, Go back to your seat cadet."

Tohsin Nodded and came back.

"As you can see on the board, Courtesy of Cadet Tohsin, We have the Four Foundation Runes Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. variations of these four runes also serve as the foundation for the Secondary Elements Lightning, Light, Shadow and Nature as well."

"After forming a contract with an elemental spirit, You will be able to project these runes into your Vision. Arranging these Runes in sequences according to our Spell Index, You will be able to perform certain spells. I will go into detail during your Practical session tomorrow."

"After you develop the Foundation Rune, You will be able to refine your spirit using Aether essence. The most common source of Aether essence is the air itself, But of course you can use certain parts of Beast that have a high concentration of Essence as well."

"Refining takes time, It is a lengthy process requiring the utmost concentration, Which is why most Corp members agree that Meditating is the best way to Refine. Refining is used to make Anthems stronger, It enables the Foundation Rune to begin Expanding into Verses, Which eventually expand into Chapters and then into a Volume."

Drake recalled Nord's magic teachings, as he remembered that Nord went into more detail about how many were required to advance to the next tier. 10-20 runes make a Verse, 25 verses make a Chapter and 100 Chapters make up a volume.

" If you manage to refine your Anthem to 3 Volumes, You will be able to use the Deviant form of that Anthem. For example."

Angus held his hands out as if they were holding an imaginary orb. A gust of wind began to spiral in his hands.

"This is the standard form of wind, and the deviant form.."

A High pitched shriek began bursting out of the orb and all the students in the room immediately covered their ears as the Shriek Brought with it a stinging pain in their eardrums.

"Sound."

Angus wore a Smug expression on his face as he waited for the students to recover

Drake Winced, his ears still ringing

"Well that's one way to make your lesson interesting"

Tohsin was seemingly unfazed

Angus waited a few more moments before continuing the lecture

"I hope that eases the Arrogant air I'm seeing here a little. Note that I shall not turn a blind eye to blatant provocations in my class. Do you understand Cadet?"

That question was directed at Varon. Who nodded, Still cupping his left ear

"Good, I hope to see some changes. I will end my lecture here. If you have any further questions please ask them now."

in response, A hand raised from the far left row

"Yes, Go on"

"Instructor, You mentioned only 8 types of Elements, but the Magic Index mentions at most 11. Why isn't the other 3 being included?"

"The 3 elements you speak of are Spirit, Time and Space. They are considered Specialty elements.

They are extremely dangerous to wield and some come with the drawback of being unable to use or enter into Anthems other than them. All three of these elements do not follow the preset rules of the 8 elements. therefore we decided not to include them in this session. If you do happen to awaken to one of these elements, You will be given special training on top of your regular classes."

" I see, I understand."

Angus' lecture took no longer than an hour, Spending 15 additional minutes answering the Students' Questions.

"If that's it, Then I shall end class here. I look forward to your Awakening Ceremonies 6 days from now"

A mischievous smirk began to form on his face

"Of course, I'll only allow you to participate if you get a passing grade in your Magical theory exams"

he held out his hand, Fingers outstretched.

"Five days. I can cover the ins and outs of Magic in 5 days. It's your job to be able to apply them in your exams. Good luck."

A collective groan can be heard echoing all around the hall.