Black Magus

Roheisa Deapou.

***

Roughly four days passed before I was comfortable enough to showcase what I learned to my father. Quite disappointingly, however, he was insistent on having me wait until the assessment. So with that no longer being an option, I attempted to do as Amun did and instruct my vassals in their magics.

Or, I tried to, at least.

I had no ‘fundamental’ understanding of swords, mirrors, pearls, feathers, or even bronze. I only knew a bit about lava, steel, crystals, and magnetism. Or, that’s what I thought. So with nothing else to do, I spent another day training on my own before I gave in and sought out Amun for a personal lesson.

It was just before dusk when I began the search around the castle for him. I must’ve rounded the place thrice over the course of a few hours until it finally hit me. Not even ten minutes later. I was at the front of their guest cabin, meekly knocking on the door. Coincidentally, it was the one named Jonet who I found first. Samantha’s spitting image. I remembered she had sound magic only after I told her of my intentions. When she simply looked up into the sky and whispered that I wished to speak with Amun. And in the next moment, his baritone voice rippled from behind, startling me to my core.

Pivoting on my heels, I turned to see him standing to my side about a meter away. Smiling as if he’d been there the whole time and it took until now for me to notice. Leaving me stunned while Jonet simply bowed and backed away. “How can I help you, princess?” He monotonously asked again.

“I hear you’re gifted in elemental manipulation,” I said after shaking my composure upright. “I would like some lessons. Please.” I lowered my head.

“Sure.” He amiably shrugged. Then squatted to reach into a dark amorphous pool that suddenly spread below his feet. From it, he retrieved a pair of books and promptly handed them to me.

I hurriedly took them to look through the titles. Titles that interested me greatly at just a glance. 'The Fundamentals of Elemental Manipulation, by Amun of Odissi.' 'Elemental Fundamentals II: Elemental Fusion, by Amun of Odissi.' 'Introduction to the Periodic Table of the Elements and The Phases of Matter, by Amun of Odissi.'

“Those are yours to keep.” He nonchalantly said. “Read and come to understand them. Take as much time as you need.”

“Th- that’s it?” I stammered. “I know you know more than just this. Teach me what you spoke of earlier.”

“I already gave you books regarding your affinities, Princess.” He spat with cold condescension. “That aside, my priority is on the assessment.” He gave me a foul grin as he slowly began rising into the sky. And without thinking I reached up to him.

"Wait!”

“What?” He turned down to me, groaning impatiently.

‘How rude.’ I gasped. Then took a deep breath to subdue the heat rising within me. “I have something to show you,” I said, turning my heels with a coy smile.

“Okay.” He sighed. “Show me.”

“Not here.” I shook my head. “Follow me.” After skipping along for a few paces and hearing nothing but silence behind me, the burning annoyance turned with a vengeance. Forcing me to spin on my heels and immediately spin back in embarrassment. ‘Too close!’ I internally gasped. Turning slower this time, I again saw Amun’s inverted face occupying most of my vision. He was floating just over my shoulder. Drifting with his back to the ground as if he were lounging in a bed made of air. Turning back to my front, the burning in my chest began spreading to my face. Forcing an increase in my pace that eventually resulted in me power-walking towards the gymnasium with a half-drow steadily drifting over my shoulder.

I waited until I made it to the center of the training grounds before I stopped and hoped with all my heart Amun didn’t run into me. Thankfully, he seamlessly drifted past me and looped around my body as if were somehow tethered together, even while his concentration remained focused on the large gems embedded into the walls.

“Those enchantments regenerate any structural damage to the place.” I eagerly explained. “This one of the places I grew accustomed to my steel magic. And it's where I’ve spent the last few days with my vassals or with my father, training. I’m surprised your vassals haven’t come here.” I then wondered aloud.

“Well, they can all fly. So.” Amun amiably shrugged. “They’re probably off in the woods somewhere. Training on their own.”

“You give them a lot of independence,” I commented.

“It’s good for them.” He shrugged again. “They’ll be leading their own subordinates one day. I’m only preparing them early.”

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?” I asked. “You actually intend to go to Ulai?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Amun scoffed.

“Because there’s no reason to.” I shook my head in confusion. “The barrier holds the monsters back for us. The weaker monsters are taken care of by the guilds. And even if you somehow eradicate them. The portals will still be there. More will follow.”

“How long do you think the barrier will last?” Amun contemptuously laughed.

“It’s held for almost two and a half centuries.” I scoffed.

“Don’t be naive, princess.” Amun calmly said. “Two hundred years is not a long time. That’s not even half of your father’s lifetime. We’d be fools to place our hopes on a single barrier holding back armies that potentially number in the hundreds of millions. If it breaks, this beloved society of ours will cease to exist. As will every society in Maru.”

“And you plan to do this yourself?” I laughed in disbelief.

“With my guild.” Amun curtly nodded. “Yes.”

I could only look at him in a stupor. His perpetually calm demeanor made it nearly impossible to read him. As such, I couldn’t tell if he’d been toying with me the entire time or if he was completely serious. Sure, he seemed resolute in his convictions. But the tone he had when talking of his outrageous goals only made me think he took the entire affair too lightly. Even though he himself conveyed an understanding of the dangers involved.

In other words, he was out of his mind.

“What did you want to show me?” He impatiently asked.

“I’ve mastered your electricity.” I spat back, then stepped a few ways away from him.

As he taught me, I created fields of magnetism around my hands and spun them around at a furious pace. After only a few seconds of charging, I swung a hook at an invisible opponent, sending a cluster of sparks arcing to a training dummy standing a few meters away.

“That’s good.” Amun frowned, yet nodded at the obliterated target. Yet he sighed greatly, morphing his roused expression into one of sheer bemusement. “But... why is it so small?”

“W- what?” I shook my head.

“Make it bigger.” He simply said. “And put it around your entire body.”

“Show me.” I took an unconscious step forward. Followed by another. “At full power.”

He made a face but returned his feet to the ground nonetheless. Or a centimeter or two above it, at least. I wondered for a second if he ever intended to walk again before that thought was ripped asunder by the feeling of nature's fury surging behind me.

Turning, I saw massive fields extending from both his feet and the crown of his head, and both were spinning wildly in opposing directions to build a colossal deposit of lightning- or electricity within his body. Instead of remaining within his body to act as a source of heat as I experienced, however, the energy began lashing out at our surroundings, proving to him that my aforementioned claim of mastery wasn’t a mere boast. Even then though, my boast was a petty notion in comparison to what transpired next.

Unlike me, he could add pure electrically-attributed mana to what he was generating, thus he extended both pointer fingers out before him. Immediately, the energy building within him ceased its lashing and instead began arcing across to hands to then course back through his arm and body to merge with the flood of mana emerging from his core. Around and around, the energy looped and charged until I felt as if two or even more of my wells had been released into his body. And only then, did Amun thrust his right arm forward.

The pent-up energy released in the form of an undulating serpent of pure lightning. Its radiance shocked the approaching night into adopting a noon-like ambiance, demanding all eyes in Maru to follow it skyward until it struck the very heavens and blossomed into a brilliant blanket of blue; the thickest blanket of lightning I’d ever seen. It spread across the clouds in an instant, illuminating what I was sure to be the entirety of Maru with a light show of dazzling blue waves and patterns I could only describe as divine. What followed, however, could have only been described as devilish. A fiendishly deafening, bone-shattering cackle of thunder that could easily outmatch the roar of any dragon, venerated or not. And much to my dismay, well over a minute passed before the last traces of lightning flickered out, sending the last residual booms of thunder rolling across the sky until they too dissipated in the distant clouds.

As quickly as it changed, the arena returned to its dim and quiet ambiance, relegating me to a place that left me staring in awe and fully aware of my mouth being completely agape as I stared, wide-eyed at Amun, doubled over and gasping heavily while the ambient energy topped up his reserves up in record time. Yet he was nowhere near recovered.

Regrettably, it took a few more moments or perhaps minutes to finally pull myself to my feet and help the Grand Duke of Odissi to his; gasping. “How- how much mana did you use?”

“All of it.” He cackled like a mad lad. “I wanted to test my limits. It was either this, destroy everything, or put Maru through an hour of darkness.”

A cold shudder ran down my spine from the mere mention of it. A shudder that was followed by a wave of relief. Quelling my unease like the distant thunder finally waning out. The darkness was something I was comfortable with. Or at least, that’s what I used to think. With the stars, one could just barely see at night. With torchlight and enchantments, however, entire cities could be illuminated until dawn. But that darkness was… invasive. It permeated my mind just as much as it did the environment. Filling my head with all kinds of horrific thoughts. It was a sensation I never wanted to experience again for the rest of my days.

After only a few minutes, I felt the mana around Amun stabilizing. Causing my admiration to swell once again from the question of how wide his pores must’ve been for him to recover that much mana so quickly. Still, it was evident he was still plagued by the after-effects of mana exhaustion. As he was sluggishly draped over an invisible something in midair as if he was half-asleep.

“That was amazing, Amun!" I finally managed to say. "The mages will surely be impressed with you!”

“Yeah.” He lethargically sighed.

I frowned at myself after seeing the lousy demeanor of the powerful initiate floating before me. It was obvious from the start that he felt as if he had something better to do. And now, he was far more fatigued than he was when I demanded his presence. That said, he and I were considered equals within the hierarchy of our Empires. Yet, he still took the time to heed my request. With that request now carried out, I realized I was only holding him up. So I politely bowed to him. “Thank you, Amun.” I smiled warmly. “You will make a great magus someday.”

“And you will find your calling in due time, Princess.” He smiled in turn. Then drifted off back into the sky.

Alone once again, I sat against the wall of the arena and began reading through the books Amun gave me.

They were… extraordinary, to say the least. Fundamental ways, as he said, to manipulate the elements. And more so, how to fuse them to manipulate things like dust, mud, or high-powered flames. After spending nearly the entire night reading and putting the new knowledge to the test, I gathered my vassals at sunrise and began drilling them with everything I’d learned until I almost collapsed from fatigue on the spot. I repeatedly ordered them to keep training until dusk as I was dragged off by a group of servants and forced to sleep. And sleep I did. For nearly an entire day, I slept. Leaving a measly two days of preparation before the assessment began. Naturally, I ripped myself out of bed and devoted a full day to training with my vassals. But by that night my father sent word that everyone’s training was restricted so we could have time to rest for the ceremony the following day.

I knew that come morning, the officials from throughout the empire and high-ranking officers from the militaries and guilds would be showing their faces more and more than they already were. So I decided to lay low around the residential quarters until the assessment finally began. As torturous as that was.