XV
My time at Luka wore on. I did well at Great Forest Languages, but even with Nase's help (he was the top student at it), I did not fare so well at Empiretongue. Tasnican was the same. I excelled in Music, even though we were learning how to play the timarpos.
It was at this time that two atlases were put in front of my face - one of Fa'diel, the other of Yamauchi. Syoro Ki had kept me behind one Yamauchian Studies class, me thinking I had got into trouble. He had told me to wait at my desk as the rest of the class went, and came over with the two books, open on the world maps.
"He could be anywhere there, or there," Syo. Ki pointed to each atlas in turn.
I was taken
aback – how did he know about
“I see you’re surprised,” he smiled. “I know you go to the chapel each day, and why.”
I sat in stunned silence, before he did what I guess he expected me to do – my eyes pawed over each of the maps, soaking in the place names and their locations, particularly Yamauchi’s. There were fantastic-seeming places I had never heard of before – Johto, Kanto, the Isle O’ Hags, Kong Isle…
It was then that I realised that Fa’diel and Yamauchi are, indeed, very large places.
“Syoro…I…have a lot ahead of me,” I said.
“That you do,” he answered. “I just thought it would be good to get it into perspective. Finished looking?”
I nodded, thanked him, and was invited to leave.
Mana Development finally got us off the basics, such as Storage Withdrawal and Presence Sensing, and their underlying theories, and into what everyone took the course for – casting the higher-level spells. Our teacher was Syoro Thataso, a man experienced in teaching, who looked to have taken the full brunt of a few too many spells – his black hair was wild, his beard was straggly, and he walked with a slight limp.
I will always remember the first time I heard him speak Rhenzin, the language of Mana – he had set up a tape recorder, wiped his lips in concentration, and spoke. Like when Multehx confronted me, his words were not Pandoran to my ears, but my brain recognised them as such. He then stopped the recorder, rewound it, and played what he had just said – it sounded very strange, indeed.
Another member of the class who was studying Tasnican with me (I forget his name) asked, “If we learn this spell, does this mean I’m wasting my time learning languages?”
Syo. Thataso replied, “No, speaking Rhenzin will continue to sap away your energy. That’s why we only teach it once you get to high school – your reserves would be too small to keep it up, otherwise. If you already know the language, you don’t run the risk of exhausting yourself when you speak it.”
I decided to remove Tasnican and Empiretongue from my schedule, once it came time to shrink my selection down.
After we had
learnt what do to in order to speak it, we moved on to some more substantial
spells, i.e. battling ones.
Syo. Thataso taught us how to cast the Freeze spell, one of Undine’s, and demonstrated a weak version of it on the stump – with a blue circle of light around his feet, the room suddenly got darker, and ice cubes smashed themselves into the tree stump from out of thin air. Knowing that it would be weak when we would cast it ourselves, he told us in turn to give it a go.
We all got in line – Nase was behind me. People came up and cast it – there were a few that couldn’t quite get it, though the room was chillier with their casting, while some managed a sprinkle of ice crystals.
My turn came up. I closed my eyes, brought out my arms, and summoned the powers of Undine. I was answered with a ring of blue light, though I didn’t see it. I sensed the Presence Maker and the tree stump on the Field, before making diagonal karate-chop motions with my arms. As I opened my eyes, I saw ice cubes smash into the tree stump in almost an accurate copy of Syo. Thataso’s spell. He was pleased with it, and I told him that I had been given extra tuition by my primary school teacher. I stood aside, silently rejoicing, and watched Nase have his turn.
He summoned Undine, and was answered with a ring – except his was a brilliant blue colour, the light reaching up to waist height. He performed the karate-chop motions.
As we watched, ice that must have been a foot wide smashed into the tree stump – it shattered. We all turned and ducked with a yell. As the spell faded, we stood up again to find the Presence Maker beeping at the other end of the room and pieces of wood dotted all over the floor. Nase was standing, staring at his hands in disbelief.
“I was expecting you to cast a weak version of it, Porami,” Syo. Thataso said, exasperated.
Nase turned towards him, confused awe on his face, and said, “It…was.”
I stood next to him as Syo. Thataso approached.
“How did you do that?” I asked him.
He turned his head, still looking confused.
“I just…did as he said…”
“Have you had any extra tuition in the past?” Syo. Thataso asked him.
“No, Syoro. My teacher said I was quite good at the Undine spells…but…”
“…Not that good?”
Nase nodded.
“We shall see what we have to do about it.”
And, thus, Nase was on his way to becoming the Guardian of the