Page 5 of The Scars Within
Miss Leader-Pants grouped the last four of us into the final quad. Including herself, Delaney, and a quiet girl with pale skin and black hair who hasn’t said a word.
As the initiates gathered into quads, a group of cadets in distinguished leather jackets descended from the left staircase. Some exchanged smiles and nods with friends they recognized while others dragged behind like they would rather be anywhere but here.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a tall, dark-haired man lingering in the shadows. He leaned casually against a pillar, his arms crossed, observing us with a piercing intensity.
Professor Scruffy coughed a loud “AHEM” to get everybody’s attention. “May I introduce to you our second-year cadets? They were in your shoes last year, brand new, and terrified of what would come. But I am happy to announce that they have gotten their shit together over the past year and are ready to guide you into the ways of Mageia War College.”
“Not all of us have,” a sandy-haired male student snorted from behind Professor Scruffy.
He elbowed his brunette friend, who had a look on his face like he was trying to be professional.
Scruffy gave the guy a side-eyed glare and continued, “Each faction has been assigned two leaders to show you where your classes are, your living quarters… you get the picture. You will be escorted to your sleeping chambers to drop your gear, and I will see you in the auditorium before lunch. Team leaders will also be the first to report to faculty if you break laws within our college. I assume everyone here knows of the three inexcusable rules that Mageia holds within
Kalluri’s Doctrine of Elemental Magic.”
The first-years all agreed simultaneously.
Kalluri’s Doctrine of Elemental Magicserves as the unyielding law for elementals enlisted in Arya’s military, leaving no room for error or interpretation.
Kalluri’s Doctrine of Elemental Magicstates:
-One must not use their elemental magic to harm another student, faculty member, or dragon within the college campus. Outside the campus lines, justice is to be served from that jurisdiction.
-One must not hide any signs of elemental magic not already known by the War College.
-One must agree that all incoming and outgoing mail will be reviewed by the faculty member on duty before it is released to the recipient.
If any rules are proven broken by the faculty, then by decree, the elemental is sentenced to finish their service within the Barren Watch.
“Congratulations on your official initiation into Mageia War College. You are now a cadet. We are the Elements!” proclaimed Professor Scruffy.
“We are the Elements!” every cadet in the hall around me repeated.
Here goes nothing.
Chapter 2
Once dismissed, cadets filtered out of the Great Hall. Not eager to draw attention on initiation day, I slipped toward the back of our quad. I feel much more comfortable when I’m overlooked in a crowd.
But from the back, I couldn’t see who had been assigned as our team leaders. The crowd swallowed their names and faces before I had the chance to care. So when Delaney stepped forward with quiet confidence, I followed without question.
She looked like someone who knew where she was going. That was enough for me.
As we ventured through the labyrinthine corridors of the college, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of reverence for the history surrounding us. Each part of this castle tells a story, and its walls bear the scars of every elemental that has enrolled in our military legion.
I could hear one male voice speak up ahead of us, giving us a brief overview of Mageia’s history. However, he focused more on previous battles and war leaders instead of divulging the history of the Mareki Gem.
Mageia War College was established five centuries ago by the Aryan elementals that defeated the Tyrians in the Battle for Mareki. On the continent of Kalymdor, where magic courses through the very fabric ofexistence, a conflict of monumental proportions erupted between the north and south. Deep within the catacombs of Mageia lies the Eternal Tomb. All four magical essences that power our world are kept and protected in this tomb. Each element of magic is powered by its essence: the essence of air, the essence of earth, the essence of fire, and the essence of water.
The Mareki Gem interconnects all four essences. It is a vessel of concentrated arcane energy forged through a fusion of mystical elements and imbued with each elemental essence. Nobody in history knows how the Gem was created, but the first two rival legions of elementals and mages endured the terror of what would come with the Gem being disturbed. These legions were the Tyrians of the north and the Aryans of the south.
Each vying for where the Gem should reside.
Tyrians believed that moving the Mareki Gem closer to the north would help bring their lands back to life. The grip of a Tyrian winter is one that not many can bear. The north is shrouded in snow and ice most of the year. Only a few months of each annual rise will bring enough sunlight and rain to provide the least bit of vegetation for their farms.
Arya refused to be complicit in the movement of the Mareki Gem for fear of causing an imbalance of the magical essences within. The elementals and mages did not believe that the location of the Gem affected its power. The Mareki Gem was there before the continent was founded, so it should be preserved in its natural home.
This disagreement led to a deadly battle close to the continent’s center. Arya fought off most of the Tyrians above ground, but one mage slipped down below to the catacombs of the Gem. Armond Zervos was able to sneak past the warfare and into the Eternal Tomb. He planned to carry the Mareki Gem and let the elemental essences follow, but as soon as he lifted the Gem from its pedestal, the world went to shit.
