"Alright! Class begins."
Professor Kazel waited for the bell before stepping to the center of the podium. Looking at the students—who resembled a flock of lambs waiting to be fed—he smiled warmly.
"You've probably heard a few rumors from upperclassmen. And yes, you guessed right. Today's Magic Theory class enters practical application—your first Magical Spirit Card!"
A chorus of excited howls erupted from both Noble House and Knight House.
A whole month at St. Marian—and only now were they finally making their first spirit!
Professor Kazel gave them two minutes to calm down before continuing.
"Excitement is fine. But don't let it make you sloppy. Your first magical spirit often becomes a lifelong companion."
He snapped his fingers. A faintly glowing card appeared between his thumb and forefinger.
Without a chant, a small creature emerged naturally from the card—
A white-winged being with golden eyes, a tiny horn on its forehead, and the body of a kitten.
"This is my first spirit. Snowfeather Golden-Eyed Beast."
A Knight House girl raised her hand.
"Professor! Is today's assignment this same beast?"
Kazel chuckled.
"Of course not. It seems the upperclassmen didn't spoil things too much. Today's assignment is—Phantasmal Beast."
"Phantasmal Beast?"
Darc's page-turning hand froze.
Whispers spread across the room.
Phantasmal Beasts were legendary, formless illusion-creatures. Said to be invisible. Untouchable. Almost mythical.
Diana blinked.
"Doesn't the book say Phantasmal Beasts can't be seen by human eyes?"
"Correct," Kazel nodded. "In their root form, they cannot. But with a bit of magical handling—we make them visible. That is what it means to be a mage."
He wrote Phantasmal Beast on the board and drew a vague kitten-like outline.
"Before being seen, its shape is undefined. A cat, a dog, even a dragon. Every person may see something different."
"But magical spirits are different from real phantasmal beasts. The moment you create it, you will perceive it. And once perceived—it will permanently fix into that form."
"What form?"
"That depends on the deepest expectation within your heart."
He tapped the chest on the podium.
"You each have enough materials for two attempts. Success means two spirits. Failure means nothing."
The classroom went silent.
Even Vite and Robert forgot about their debt for a moment.
Kazel stopped storytelling and began writing the full process on the board, step by step.
Half an hour later, instructions finished.
The remaining hour: hands-on crafting.
He stepped down from the podium to observe.
In the back corner by the window, Darc began his work.
Kazel's description reminded him of Schrödinger's cat.
Poor cat. Dead for years, still forced to answer whether it was alive or not.
Because of his experience making magic cards, Darc moved far faster than the others. He methodically sorted, sliced, boiled, and prepared every material into neat little portions.
The core ingredient for this spirit card was—
A single transparent strand of hair, sealed in a vacuum pouch.
The label read: Phantasmal Beast Hair.
There were only two strands in the entire kit.
Clearly, the real thing was exceedingly rare.
The core formation for spirit cards was the No. 1 Formation.
Also known as the Merlin Formation, created by the great mage Merlin and refined over generations.
A high-tier mage could slap this formation onto a statue and, through sheer mana, bring it to life as a golem.
It was a miracle formation. A doorway not just to magic, but to the essence of life itself.
Before starting, Darc practiced drawing the formation several times until he was certain.
Only then did he begin.
Around him, chaos.
Some students were tossing ingredients into cards like they were making curry.
Vite and Robert were the worst offenders.
Diana and Rose had learned their lesson. They simply copied Darc's steps, slower but steady.
Emma was the fastest in the room—already drawing the formation onto her card.
Though, from time to time, she glanced toward the back corner.
And in that corner—
Darc finally picked up speed.
His "cat" was about to crawl into the box.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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