Today is a peaceful day in Pesinwok. The constant sound of waves crashing can be heard across the city. A cool, gentle breeze is blowing in from the sea to the land carrying that salty scent that long time residents have become accustomed to.
The sound of children playing and friends engaging in pleasant conversation can be heard. Birds soaring across the sky, weaving in and out of the fluffy, white clouds that paint it. The days are becoming longer and hotter even for the forever warm city of Pesinwok.
Not that anyone would complain about the rather lack of cold weather or the extended daylight. That just meant that they could enjoy the sea year round! Yes, today was truly a day to be enjoyed!
"You're so wrong!" A female student donning a blue spellcaster's robe shouted. "That concept does not apply to the current situation as Transmogrification and Transmutation are opposing ideas that ruin each other should they used together!"
A male student wearing a zebra print robe rebutted, "I am so not wrong! That idea is outdated, as Madame Hannah Willcan proved in her most recent research, Transmogrification can actually benefit the ideas of Transmutation and even Mutilation should it be applied using the Idea of Mana Dissociation!"
"You are both not applying the concept of Imagination Expansion as proposed by Gerald Denton in textbook!" A taller, more elegant, female student with a purple robe innsisted.
That's right. While such a wonderful day is passing by, the students of the Spellcaster's University of Marconix are arguing about...something magic related it's hard to tell what exactly?
"Now students..." An older man wearing a navy blue robe interjected himself within the conversation. "...you should all know by this point that there is no correct or incorrect way to think about spellcasting. That is one of the many beauties belonging to the path that we are traversing along!"
The two arguing students paused and turned to their teacher. They nodded to him then turned and apologized to each other.
"Sorry, I let my arrogance blind me instead of giving you an honest chance to explain your reasoning." The blue robed girl started.
"No no, it was me who came on too forcefully! The information that I was basing my research on is still relatively fresh so it makes sense that not many would have seen it! I should show the paper to you some time!" The zebra robed boy bowed in similar apology. The two smiled to each other and the argument ended.
Though that was only one of many heated debates within the halls of the Spellcaster's University! They were quite the passionate bunch as spellcasters should be! They loved to debate and put their minds together to find solutions to issues or pick each others brains about an idea that they had!
However, there was one person that none of the students liked trying to debate against and that student was Alix Deminal. It wasn't that her ideas weren't interesting it's just the way she spoke was very...antagonistic.
"You're still focusing too much on the dance!" Alisa flinched as Alix raised her voice.
"But that's how the spirits taught me! And that's how all the books say to do it!" Alisa tried to explain herself but Alix wasn't having it.
"I don't care how you were taught or what a bunch of lazy old farts are telling you! You asked me to help you and I'm telling you you're doing it wrong!! The dance is just a template! It gets you used to mimicking the element in its purest form but that's it! Once you get that down you just have to lock into what movements are most important and expand on those!"
Alisa groans in frustration. "But that sounds so tedious! It'd be easier to just keep doing what I know. And it's more fun to dance see!" Alisa begins twirling and leaping around Alix like a ballerina. Alix watches her coldly.
"That would be fine but I'm helping you learn water savantry which doesn't make use of spins and leaps in its movements. So how would that help you?" Alisa freezes on one foot. She loses balance and falls to the ground yelping as she does so. She lets out another frustrated groan while rubbing her knees.
"You're such a strict teacher, mom!"
"I didn't force you to ask me for help. You came to me yourself." Alix lets out an annoyed sigh and walks toward Alisa. "That's enough for now. I have a class to go to. I expect you to keep practicing on your own. Here are the notes that you'll need." Alix hands Alisa a sheet of paper with all sorts of details on ways she could improve her casting and even small notes about why she may be struggling so much.
"Okay." Alisa says with reluctance. "I'll try my best."
"That's all I ask. Goodbye for now." Alix gathered her stuff, including her monsters, and left the Fool's Hideout.
"Why do you help so many people with their magic? Mo questioned. "I mean it's not like yer a spirit savant yerself so the amount of help you could be is miniscule at best! But here ya are, helpin' Alice with not just improvin' her current savantry but also helping her learn an entire new one! And that's not even mentioning the fact that yer still helpin' Holiday! I just don't get it?"
"I don't expect you to understand, Mo." Alix replied. "Spirt Savantry and Runic magic are forms of spellcasting that I haven't had the chance to see much in my life. Yet somehow, there are two people around me that want my help in learning to use them better. They peaked my interest. What else can I say?"
"I get it, Allie!" Nuka flew down and landed on Alix's shoulder. "You love magic and those two gave you the perfect excuse to learn more about types of magic that you hadn't read too deeply into before. It's sort of a gift from the heavens!"
"Hmm? I guess you're right?" Nuka beamed as Alix agreed with her. She looked down at Mo with a condescending grin. Mo glares at the bird.
"Yer such a suck up!" He insults.
"No, just Allie's best friend!" Nuka held her head high as she shrugged off Mo's weak insult attempt. Mo rolls his eyes and sinks to the bottom of his bowl.
"Whatever..." Trouler trots alongside Alix. He looks up at the dejected fish.
"It's okay Mo! You can be my best friend! Of course, you're still second to my savior but your a close second!" Mo feels warmth in his underbelly as the little red attempts to comfort him.
"That's nice, Trouler. Thanks!" Trouler snorts in joy! Walks Alix through the door of the first of three spellcasting classes that she's enrolled in.
It's been four months since Alix had her conversation with Edgar Noslen and thus four months since the day she did battle with Francis Aeouli. The city of Pesinwok had since been repaired from the damage it had been inflicted that day. Francis Aeouli took the fall for the entire thing which was incredibly easy when it was exposed that she was actually a member of a criminal drug trafficking organization1
Alix has been enjoying her school life more than before thanks to the headmaster allowing her to take even just a few magic related classes. Of course, that didn't mean she was suddenly excused from the Martial Uni but that was fine for now. She'd grown rather used to her daily schedule as well as the company of Vance and Risky Business.
After another long day of classes, Alix headed to Marconix's massive library to read and relax. And massive was not just talking about the size of the book collection.
The library was the biggest building on campus by a long shot. The building was three stories with each different floor holding books for the different schools on campus allowing it to aptly be named the Tri-Library or Tribrary as some have come to call it. Alix frequented the second floor, home of the spellcasters tomes and research papers.
She'd been spending her free time learning about different magic theories, laws and concepts to further her own understanding and to hopefully find something that could assist her in spell-crafting.
She climbs the stone stairway to the second floor, where the way to the bookshelves is paved with blue carpet. She walks over to a section home to several magic myths and tales, grabs one of the books without looking, and goes to sit in her usual spot.
"So what're we readin' today, Lexi?" Mo props himself up on the edge of his bowl and looks down at the book.
Alix glances down at the book cover. "It's called, The Mythic Town of the AmalgamateMystic." Alix reads the title aloud to all of her monsters.
"Who's the Amalgamate Mystic?" Nuka asks as she roosts on the table.
"I believe they have some relation to the town of Amal but I've never read this story so I can not be sure."
"Ah! Alisa's mother is sitting in the library, flipping through pages of books as quickly as a bolt of lightning strikes the ground!" Alix lets out an annoyed sigh. It seems Denver has also arrived in the library.
"What do you want, fool?"
"I want nothing more than to become entranced by these stories as though a witch has placed a hex on me! That is the glory of this wonderous place after all!" Denver gestures to the space around them grandiosely then looks back to Alix. "What might you be reading today, oh mother of my dear friend?" Alix stares at the boy with dead eyes.
"I am reading about the Amalgamate Mystic today. So, if you could stop bothering me-"
"The Amalgamate Mystic! I love that Myth!" Denver grabs a chair and pulls it next to Alix. "You know, the book is actually missing a few details! If you really wish to learn about the mythic being within that book then I could regale you with the story! I have several details committed to memory like the tricks of a dog! There are even some theories that I can throw in to add some extra proverbial spice to the retelling!"
Alix closed her eyes and thought for a moment. 'Can I not just have one day go by without someone blabbering off to me about something?' She meets Denver's eyes as the boy is literally sitting at the edge of his seat waiting for the girl's response to his offer.
Again she sighs. "I am not one to say no to learning something interesting in relation to magic. Go ahead boy." Alix pushes the book to the side and turns to fully face Denver.
"Tell me the story."