Chapter 5

  Bloodline Hunt: Part 2

  Abaddon stared out the window, impressed by how fast the scenario flew by. He found himself thinking about how modern transportation would’ve affected the wars in the past.

  The bus came to an abrupt stop while Abaddon was deep in thought. The children exit the bus entering a crowd of students that threatens to crush anyone who isn’t going with the flow. Somehow Anna manages to pull herself and Aaron out of the group. Unlike the sleepy and quiet city, they drove through, the academy was loud and busy. Hundreds of students and soldiers moved across the courtyard with purpose.

  Anna became dizzy just looking at people exiting and entering the dozens of entrances the academy seemed to have. Through the sea of people, she caught a glimpse of a red-headed woman and a plump older man standing by the front door of the central building.

  Anna pauses for a moment. Ozlan held a high rank in Eris’ army, naturally making Abaddon wary of him.

  After a moment of contemplation, Anna reluctantly waded through the crowd toward Ozlan. The headmaster's big smile widens when he notices her approach.

  “Ah, Miss Anna, I’m glad you made it.” The headmaster extends his hand, expecting her to shake it, but she simply stares at it before looking him in the eyes again. “I’ll show you to your class.” Ozlan gestured for Anna to follow him. Aaron softly spoke up just as the two were about to enter the academy.

  “Ah! Um…” Aaron stammer. Anna looked behind her, surprised the little boy was still following her.

  “Did you need help finding your class?” The headmaster looks down at Aaron, who quickly hides behind his sister.

  “No, it’s just….” Aaron stops, not even sure why he’s still here, but Ozlan, from a glance, fully understands the situation. “Don’t worry,” he said, still wearing his gentle smile. “You can talk to your sister about everything you learn during our many breaks.”

  “Really?” Aaron looked up hopefully.

  “Of course. Now you get to class before you are late.”

  Aaron excitedly rushes to class, eager to meet his sister during a break. Anna sighed realizing she’ll have to teach Aaron not to trust strangers so readily.

  “Well, shall we go?” Ozlan held out his hand. Anna ignored it and brushed past him, entering the building.

  The headmaster quickly walked in front of Anna to lead her. As they walked through the hallways up to the second floor, Ozlan explained the academy's curriculum and other forms of activities.

  “By the way, since you have been put in the advanced class, we moved your rank from Apprentice to Caster.”

  “Oh, that’s all?”

  “You know what that means, right?” The headmaster stopped to look at the girl, who seemed unimpressed.

  Apprentices were mages in the process of learning how to manipulate magic and cast spells, while casters, as the name suggests, are mages who can cast a spell or two. While they are the starting ranks, the difference between the two ranks is massive and is considered a huge achievement many beginners strive for. However, for Abaddon, who held the rank of Archmage and was considered one of the strongest mages of his time, this rank-up was nothing more than an insult to him.

  “I thought I would get a higher rank.”

  Ozlan guffawed loudly. “I like that attitude. I was concerned you might fall behind since you were sick the first few days. But with that attitude, I’m sure you’ll catch up quickly.” Ozlan stops in front of a door, gesturing for Anna to enter.

  A middle-aged man whose craggy face seemed permanently contorted into a scowl stood before the class. The older man wore a black and green military uniform, which made him look more like a soldier than a teacher.

  “Ah, Headmaster.” The teacher placed his fist on his chest and stood up straighter.

  “Relax, Grish.” Ozlan pushes Anna in front of the whole class to see her. The teacher frowned when he saw the little girl.

  “So, this the missing student I’ve been hearing about. I heard you’re quite talented, Miss Anna.”

  “Indeed I am,” Anna said as she examined the room. Inside the class were fourteen kids around Anna’s age. “This is the advanced classes, right? Where’s the older students?”

  “The older students have their own advanced classes. We try to keep teenagers away from kids your age.” Ozlan answered.

  “I see.” Anna looked at the ground, disappointed she was stuck with children. She walked to the back of the class, allowing the headmaster and the teacher to talk to each other for a few minutes.

  “Where was I? Oh yea, magic is….” As soon as the headmaster left the room, the teacher continued his lesson. Anna drowned the teacher out as she looked around the room, trying to figure out what her next move should be.

  “Nandi, tell me what magic is.” A girl with golden brown skin and disheveled black hair jumped to her feet, nearly knocking down the stack of books on her desk. The dark bags under her eyes made it clear she didn’t sleep a wink last night, but she spoke with enthusiasm nonetheless.

  “Magic is an invisible and formless energy that flows through our world.”

  “Yes! Caleb, how exactly does magic flow?” A blonde boy stood up. His sharp blue eyes made him look far more mature than his actual age.

  “Magic flows through the leylines, invisible veins that stretch across our entire world.

  “Correct, again!” Caleb turns around to stick his tongue out at Nandi before sitting back down. The teacher's heart was swelling with pride as each student easily answered his question. That moment of joy didn’t last long. Instantly he was disappointed when he noticed one of the children looking out the window in a daze.

  “Ms. Thothen.”

  Anna's eyes dart from the window to the man who called her. “What did you call me?” The teacher took a step back, surprised by the hostility in her voice. Thothen was the surname Abaddon abandoned when he took the throne from his father centuries ago.

  “Just call me Anna.”

  The teacher took a deep breath and puffed his chest up. He found it silly, but Grish instinctively felt he would lose authority over his class if he didn’t deal with this girl’s attitude now.

  “Well, Ms. ‘Anna,’ do you find my class boring?”

  “I’m sure you would be bored if you were forced to learn something you already know,” Anna said, still looking out of the window. The entire class looked at Anna, aghast, as she talked back to their teacher.

  “Since you seem to know everything explain each school of magic to me.”

  Anna stared at the teacher, silently debating if she should ignore him. After a tense moment of silence, she stood up and spoke in a hollow tone.

  “There are five schools of magic.

  Evocation: Is the manipulation of energy. Out of all the schools, this one is the easiest to teach due to its simplicity.

  Abjuration: Is healing and protective spells like wards or barriers.

  Transmutation: Using magic to change the state of something to something else.

  Conjuration: Is creating something out of magic. Even though it sounds simple, this school of magic is the hardest to utilize for various reasons.

  Enchantment: Is magic used to affect a person's mind like hypnosis or charms.”

  Anna sat back down. The teacher stared at her, seemingly not satisfied. “And?” Grish said, waiting for Anna to continue.

  “That’s it. Unless you want me to talk about the off branches.”

  There are other schools of magic, but they were considered off branches. For example, an off-branch of Enchantment is Necromancy. Since they both dealt with manipulation. Although one focuses on the living while the other the dead.

  The teacher sighed and looked back at the classroom. “Can someone please tell Anna what school of magic she missed?” Two kids quickly raised their hands.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Go ahead.” The teacher pointed to Nandi, who stood back up, eager to explain. “The sixth school of magic is Astral.”

  “Correct, again, Nandi.”

  Nandi sat back down, satisfied. The cold glare coming from Caleb wiped the smirk off her face.

  “Sixth?” Anna sat up straight. A sixth school of magic didn’t exist back when Abaddon reigned.

  “Indeed, Ms. Anna, although I understand how you miss it. Most mages don’t consider astral a school of magic. but here we do.” The teacher looked at Anna with a smug grin, expecting her to be ashamed of her proud outburst, but instead, what he saw was a slight smile blooming on her face.

  Abaddon has always been fascinated by magic but after becoming one of the strongest mages of his time. He started to believe that there was nothing else for him to learn. But seeing that there was a sixth school of magic not only meant magic had evolved over the centuries but now there was room for him to grow.

  “Explain this sixth school to me.”

  The teacher’s tense expression softens. Grish was always happy to see a kid willing to learn so much so that he ignored Anna’s demanding tone.

  “I’m supposed to teach this subject later in the year, but I don’t mind discussing it now.” The teacher walked up to the board and wrote Astral in bold letters.

  “The sixth school of magic, Astral, is mages' interactions with the leyline. This is an incredibly vague subject, so let’s start simple; What is the definition of a spell?”

  This time, only one kid eagerly raised their hand. “Explain, Caleb.”

  “Spell is magic given form.”

  “Indeed. As explained before, magic is a formless energy. But us mages can mold it into practically anything.” A ball of fire suddenly forms in the palm of the teacher’s hand. “Truly anything. Like this ball of fire or an energy beam. Or, if you’re creative, a cat with butterfly wings.” The class chuckled at the absurdity.

  “Speaking of mages.” The teacher continues to write on the board. “Caleb, explain what a mage.”

  “A mage is a human born with the ability to absorb mana from the leyline.”

  “Indeed. Us mages automatically soaked in magic like sponges absorb water. Even right now, as I talk, your body is taking in mana. This is one way we interact with the leyline. There are plenty of other ways, but for now, I’ll end this by asking why is it that we can use magic but no one else can?”

  “Um…”

  “Sorry, that wasn’t a question for you, Caleb. You can sit down now.” The young man sat down. He threw another glare at Nandi before turning his attention back to the teacher.

  “Truth be told, even after centuries of research, we still don’t fully know why only some people can use magic. For a while, many believed that genetics was what decided it, but this was disproven. There have been many times where a family of mages gave birth to a child who can’t use magic, or a family had a mage despite none ever being in their bloodline.”

  “Maybe, it’s the soul,” Anna blurted absentmindedly. She thought about the oath she made with Typhon, which took on the shape of a tattoo. His body was destroyed eight hundred years ago, yet somehow, the markings appeared on this body.

  “That’s an interesting theory, Anna, but have you heard of imbued objects?”

  “Of course I have!” Anna snapped. Insulted, he tested her intelligence. The teacher smiled and turned to the rest of the class.

  “To those that don’t know, imbued objects are materials like trees or ores that can absorb mana from the leyline like us mages. If we go with your theory, that will imply that these objects have souls.

  Anna sat back down, silently digesting the lecture until the bell rang.

  “Ms. Anna, can I talk to you?” As everyone was leaving class, the teacher called Anna to his desk. “I think we got off to a bad start; I’m Grish.” The teacher held out his hand.

  “You know who I am,” Anna said, ignoring his hand.

  “The headmaster told me about your situation. I understand you were homeschooled for most of your life because of your sickness. It must be hard for you to speak with others. But if you don’t learn to socialize, you’ll fall behind. Well, even further behind than you already are.”

  “…” Anna pursed her lips. As much as she hates to admit it, her knowledge of magic is now outdated.

  “Which is why I’ll have Nandi help you for the rest of the day.” At the mention of her name, the little girl peered over from the pile of books she was buried in before immediately retreating beneath the pile when Anna looked back at her. “Since she’s studying to become a specialist, it wouldn’t hurt her to miss a few classes.”

  Anna’s ears perked up when she heard ‘specialist.’ She had never heard a mage be called that. She opened her mouth to ask what that meant but quickly closed it, her pride stopping her from showing how ignorant she was on the current state of magic.

  “Nandi, right?” Anna said as she approached the piles of books. Even with the books shielding her, Nandi could feel the intense gaze of the girl who almost picked up a fight with the teacher.

  “I-I guess.”

  “The teacher believes you're capable of teaching me. so, what are you going teach me?”

  “I don’t know.” Nandi closed her eyes waiting for the other girl to lash out at her. “I just read books from the library.” Anna's face

  “This way.” The little girl guided Anna out of the room and through the busy halls, down the stairs. The passerby gave the two girls a wide berth, afraid they might be crushed by the tower of books Nandi was carrying. Anna snatched one of the books out of the pile expecting it to be a spelled book, but as she scanned through it, all she saw were detailed pictures of human anatomy.

  “What exactly is this for?”

  “They’re for my studies,” Nandi said, her voice strained from lifting the heavy books.

  After a quick scan, Anna tossed the book back on the pile, causing Nandi to stumble forward, the sudden extra weight throwing her off. Just as she almost regained her balance, someone threw their leg in front of her tripping her over. Nandi’s books soar out of her hands scattering across the hall as she falls face-first to the ground.

  “You should keep your head out the books when walking.” Caleb chuckled.

  “I-I’m sorry.” Nandi meekly muttered.

  “Oh, don’t apologize to me. You should apologize to everyone else. It’s because of you they have to clean up your mess.” Caleb exaggeratedly gestures towards everyone in the hallway. A group of kids giggled amongst themselves as they playfully kicked her books around.

  Nandi’s eyes widened in horror. She pushed Caleb away and scrambled for her books. One of the boys stomped on the book she grabbed holding it in place.

  “Let go of it!” Nandi screamed.

  “Fine.” Nandi yanked the book away and held it lovely close to her chest. She smiled briefly at the boy, which quickly gave way to horror when she noticed the shadow looming over her. The boy’s foot hovers over Nandi’s face. Wearing a wicked grin, the boy brought his foot down on her.

  Anna grabbed the boy’s leg. “Careful where you walk.” While forcing the boy to awkwardly hop around one leg, she turned her attention to Caleb. “You’re the leader, right?”

  The demonic glow in her eyes made Caleb flinch. He glanced at the crowd around them before boldly taking a step towards Anna. “And you must be the disgusting spawn of Abaddon. You have a problem with me picking with your little friend?”

  Anna smirks, seeing through the desperate need to prove himself. “Not at all. However, whatever quarrel you two have settle it on your time, not mine.”

  “And what happens if I don’t?” Caleb took another step towards Anna. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Anna raised an eyebrow, amused by the hostility coming from the little boy. Nandi nervously tugged Anna’s dress to get her attention.

  “Anna you shouldn’t mess with him?”

  “I don’t see why not. He’s clearly looking for a fight.”

  Caleb chuckles amused by the girl's bravado. “You really don’t know who I am, do you?”

  “No, am I supposed to?”

  “I should enlighten you!” Caleb thrust both his hands outwards like he was getting to perform in a play. “My name is Caleb Viluf! My family are the personal protectors of this country’s lord.

  Anna releases the boy's leg letting him fall to the ground. She loudly clapped her hand while putting on a fake smile. “Not bad, I don’t see how that makes make you special though?”

  “Did you not hear me? My father is an adept mage.”

  “Oh, I heard you.” The red glow in her eyes nearly blinded Caleb. He backed away, surprised by how close Anna was to him. He blinked unsure when she got so close to him. Anna steps closer once again getting into Caleb’s face.

  “I wasn’t asking about your family,” Anna whispered. “I want to know more about you. I want to know what achievement you’re so proud of that it allows you to stand here so arrogantly in my presence.”

  Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was dry, and no words would form. Anna tilted her head waiting patiently for the boy to answer. “Nothing, huh? How disappointing.” She backed away from the stunned boy, the moment Anna’s gaze left Caleb. An intense pressure that he didn’t know was weighing him down. He collapses onto the ground shuddering in fear.

  “A word of advice, boy. If you want respect, stop hiding behind your family name and make a name for yourself.”

  Anna turns around and helps Nandi pick up her books. Caleb stared speechless at the two girls as they moved through the crowd that parted for them.

  “That was amazing!” Nandi looks at Anna with starry eyes.

  “I see nothing impressive about picking on a kid.”

  “You wouldn’t understand since this is your first day at the academy. Caleb has been abusing his family's position to get his way, even though some of the adults are afraid of him.

  “Sounds like everyone in this school is a coward.” Why didn’t you fight him when he knocked you down and walked all over your books?” Nandi froze from Anna’s piercing.

  “Because I can’t beat him.” The little girl mumbles.

  “From what I can tell, you have a pretty good chance at taking him down.”

  “Really? What makes you say that?”

  “You shouldn’t judge yourself when you don’t even know what you’re capable of,” Anna said as she stepped into the library

  Nandi stood quiet momentarily absorbing everything Anna said before following behind her.

  The library itself wasn’t that big, but the long shelves that stretched to the second floor made it feel like Anna was stepping into another world; a world overflowing with knowledge.

  “Is all this information available?” Anna hesitantly reaches for a book expecting someone to stop her.

  Eight hundred years ago. It was nearly impossible to study magic as most mages went to great lengths to protect their research.

  “Of course.” Nandi proudly puffs out her chest. “Everything you see you can read.”

  Anna excitedly walked through the library, stopping at the section labeled Enchantment. She searched for books on necromancy hoping to find anything that might explain how she was revived.

  In the past, necromancy was heavily researched, as many mages believed it was the key to immortality. Abaddon was no exception. He had some of his best mages search for a way for him to cheat death.

  In a way, I succeeded. Abaddon mused. If you consider the state, I’m successful.

  Unable to find the necromancy section, Anna lets out a frustrated sigh and instead heads to the Astral section eager to learn more about the new school of magic.

  With a quick glance at the titles Anna immediately could tell that most books here focus mainly on theories and the history of magic rather than spells. Disappointed but still curious, she grabbed a couple of books and threw a toss onto the table alongside Nandi’s pile of books.

  Time quickly flew as Anna and Nandi dug into their mountain-sized stacks of books only occasionally stopping to grab snacks at the cafeteria. At some point, Anna leans back in her chair. Her mind was exhausted from all her studying and her heart was strangely heavy with anxiety.

  Am I forgetting something? Anna places her hand on her chest, unsure why she’s felt so uneasy.

  “Sis?” Anna quickly turns towards the familiar voice. Aaron stood at the doorway, tears streaming down his face. A sense of relief washed over Anna when she saw him. It almost felt like someone had placed an ice cube on a sore she wasn’t aware of.

  I forgot I was supposed to spend time with him today during a break.

  Anna stepped forward but stopped when she noticed something was off about Aaron. He looked at his sister, eyes wide and shaking uncontrollably like he was afraid of something.

  Two soldiers suddenly burst into the room like they were checking it for hostiles. Another man wearing a heavy black coat steps into the library, his face covered by his hood.

  “So, your sister was in here, huh?” The hooded man places his hand on Aaron’s shoulder while looking down at Anna, wearing a mischievous grin.

  “Good, I like to have a word with you.”