Chapter 116: The Class On Dark Arts

Aina

Aina sat at her desk in the front row of the lecture hall, resting her chin in her palm as the professor paced back and forth on the raised stage.

"Since the decree issued by the King," Professor Geller began, sweeping his gaze across the rows of students, "we are now required to teach you all about the dark arts and magic specifically."

He turned toward the long wooden demonstration table behind him. Resting on the surface were two completely dead, shriveled potted plants with brown, brittle stems.

Professor Geller looked out at the class. "Luka, come down to the front. And Sarah, you as well."

Luka, a tall boy from the third row, stood up and walked down the steps. Sarah followed right behind him. They both stopped in front of the table, looking nervous under the gaze of fifty other students.

Professor Geller pointed at one of the withered plants. "I want both of you to repeat these words after me while focusing on the soil. For life it may, for life it brings, bring this plant back to life."

Luka cleared his throat first. He held his hands over the pot and spoke clearly. "For life it may, for life it brings, bring this plant back to life."

Nothing happened. The plant remained completely dry and dead. Sarah stepped up next, placing her palms near the brown leaves. "For life it may, for life it brings, bring this plant back to life."

Again, nothing happened. Not a single leaf moved.

Aina watched from her desk, leaning forward slightly as a quiet murmur ran through the room. What on earth is going on? Is this supposed to be a trick?

Professor Geller stepped between the two students. "As you can see, nothing happens." He reached out, gently cupping his fingers beneath the dead stem. He repeated the exact same words in a calm, steady rhythm. "For life it may, for life it brings, bring this plant back to life."

In an instant, bright green shoots burst directly out of the dry dirt. The brittle brown stem plumped up, unfurling vibrant green leaves right before their eyes.

A few students in the back row gasped.

"What?" Luka muttered, staring at the plant in disbelief.

Professor Geller let go of the pot and looked at the class. "If you have no magical affinity, then you cannot perform magic. Even if you say the exact same incantation as a person with a blessed affinity, it simply will not work for you." He raised his hand, holding up his thumb and forefinger close together. "Only five percent of the world’s population possesses any magical affinity at all. The remaining ninety-five percent are completely unable to perform a single spell. And the stronger your magic is, the more blessed by the Moon Goddess you are. Truly, it means you are one of her absolute favorites."

He tapped the wooden table with his knuckle. "Now, I want everyone to come down in rows and try to bring this second plant back to life. Let us see if any of you carry a magical affinity."

The students began getting up row by row, shuffling down the steep stairs of the lecture hall. They lined up in front of the demonstration table, each person taking a turn repeating the incantation over the second withered pot.

One by one, student after student failed.

When it was finally Aina’s turn, she stepped up to the table. She stared at the dry soil, took a quiet breath, and spoke the words. "For life it may, for life it brings, bring this plant back to life."

Absolute silence. Not even a tiny sprout emerged from the dirt.

Aina sighed quietly, stepping aside. Damn, embarrassing at least I’m not the only one. The boy behind her stepped up and repeated the rhythm. Suddenly, a tiny green shoot poked through the top of the soil.

Beatrice, who was standing a few spots behind in line, leaned over and whispered, "Oh, wow! Look at that, the person behind you actually got a little sprout!"

Professor Geller smiled, nodding at the boy. "Very good! See? You possess a faint magical affinity."

Aina walked back up the stairs to her desk, shaking her head. This whole magic thing is so simple. You either have it or you don’t.

Once everyone had taken their turn and sat back down, Professor Geller stood at the center of the stage. "Just because you do not have a magical affinity does not mean you are completely helpless. You can easily use enchanted devices or items that have had incantations placed upon them by someone who does possess magic. You are not at a total disadvantage in the real world."

He turned back toward the green plant he had restored earlier. "Now that you understand basic magical affinity, let us discuss the dark arts. Why is dark magic fundamentally different from standard magic?" He held his hands above the healthy, vibrant leaves. "Dark magic takes. That is its defining nature."

He closed his eyes, his voice dropping into a rhythmic, ominous chant. "For life I bring, for life I take, this life cannot be yours to make." The moment the final word left his mouth, the green plant withered into black dust, crumbling into the pot in a fraction of a second.

Professor Geller pulled back his sleeve, revealing a fresh, red burn mark stretching across his forearm. "This is the dark arts. To take or manipulate a life requires dark magic, and there is always a price to pay for it."

A student in the third row raised her hand. "Professor, I heard about the witch at the tournament. They said she performed a soul-exchange with Jax. Did she have to pay a massive price for a spell like that?"

Professor Geller adjusted his posture, his expression turning serious. "Good question. A soul-binding spell is exceptionally dangerous. Under normal circumstances, a witch who performs such high dark arts should be severely weakened or even crippled by the backlash. But this witch must be powerful. Really, exceptionally powerful."

He paused, looking out the window. "She managed to use a loophole. She did not actually kill Jax. His soul is still tethered to this world. Under normal circumstances, his spirit should have descended by now to become one of the souls of the moon, or reincarnated entirely. But because she is holding his soul captive, the dark magic never fully completed its cycle of death. So she managed to avoid the full punishment of the backlash."

Another student called out, "If there is a loophole like that, why can’t other people use it?"

"Because," Professor Geller stated firmly, "this witch knows exactly what she is doing. We do not even fully understand how one manages to separate a soul from a living body without destroying the spirit completely. That is ancient knowledge we simply do not possess."

"How will we ever know then?" a boy near the aisle asked loudly. "Do you think the kings are strong enough to defeat her? Word is circulating that they are marching to the southern territories right now to take back the land and bring her down."

Professor Geller raised a hand, cutting off the rising whispers. "It is not my place to speak on political or military matters. However, I believe in the strength of the crown. And do not forget, we have our own palace witch."

Aina didn’t join in on the hushed chatter around her. She kept her head down, her pen moving quickly across her notebook as she wrote down every single detail about the soul-binding loophole and dark magic trade-offs. The entire topic genuinely intrigued her.

When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the period, Aina packed her bag and headed straight out of the building.

Instead of going back to her dorm, she made her way over to the campus medical clinic. She walked into the quiet room and sat down on the examination table in the back. Nurse Clara stepped over, carefully unwrapping the thick support strap around Aina’s injured hand.

"Everything looks like it is healing nicely," the nurse Clara said, testing the joint’s movement in her fingers. "In about three days, you can finally take off this strap completely."

Aina smiled a little, feeling a wave of relief. "Oh, great!"

"Yes," the nurse Clara added with a cheerful nod, "and you can return to playing rugby."

Aina’s smile instantly vanished. No, that is definitely not great.

She let out an internal groan, staring down at her boots. Oh gosh, I can’t believe this. I completely forgot about rugby.

Then she paused, her thoughts shifting slightly. Well... at least it won’t be as bad now that Malric isn’t around to harass me on the field.

Aina gritted her teeth, staring bitterly at the clinic floor. She hated even thinking about Malric. After everything that had happened at the lake, him throwing himself in front of her, saving her life, and now lying half-dead in a coma while everyone blamed her, the whole situation just made her furious.