1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Quinn

I look around the lecture hall, my chest feeling bright at all the excited faces. I’ve been teaching here at the University of Future Adventurers, or UFA, for the last few years but already, I know without a doubt that I’ve found my calling. Sure, a witch like me could be useful out in the field with an adventuring party of my own, paid to complete quests or hunt down monsters, but there’s something so wonderful about teaching other people the beauty of their own magic.

This particular class is my intro to conjuration. They all look so eager and excited. Of course, teaching the more advanced classes is rewarding in its own way but there’s something incredibly special about this particular class. This is where they’ll learn if they can handle everything that actually comes with being someone who uses magic. This is the class that will teach them if they’ll succeed or they will break.

Plus, their enthusiasm is infectious. It’s hard to take my magic for granted when I’m looking into eyes filled with wonder as I do the most basic conjuration spells for them.

“Welcome, everyone, to conjuration for dummies,” I say with a wide smile, happy to get a few chuckles from some of my students. “I’m Quinn Willowhasten. Feel free to call me Professor Willowhasten if you desire but I’m also fine if you simply call me Quinn. I’ve been teaching here for four years but I’ve been a witch for much longer. I’ve been on a few adventures but found myself desiring something a bit more stable, which brought me here.”

I always start beginner classes the same way, talking about my past a bit. There’s nothing worse than a fresh group of students who think they know better because they went on a few supervised trips to the Outer Lands with their high school teachers. Adventurers gain respect just for being. Something I don’t necessarily agree with because even those who don’t go on adventures or have any sort of powers deserve our respect. They provide just as much to everyday life as adventurers if not more sometimes! But I’m also not afraid to flash my credentials if necessary.

I walk around to the front of my desk, hopping onto it and looking around the lecture hall, letting my feet swing back and forth in front of me. I can already tell there’s a mixture of students in this class. Some of them already know they wish to pursue conjuration as their specialty but some of them I’ve seen on the roster of other classes, trying to find what type of magic calls to them. Even if they go off to a different magical specialty, I hope I can help them find some love for conjuration, simple spells that could help them in the future.

“By a show of hands, I’d love to see which of you have already had a bit of dealing with conjuration magic in the past. Maybe you had a high school teacher who showed you a few cantrips or possibly you saw conjuration in action on an adventure?”

A few hands fly up and I nod.

“Who here is just taking this as one of their electives as they figure out what school of magic fits them best?”

Even more hands fly up, more than I was expecting. That’s wonderful, almost a full class of people learning the wonders of my favorite school of magic for the first time.

There are others here who aren’t witches at all and that’s alright too. Some of them come about their magic by serving a deity, others have made deals with fey patrons in exchange for magic but they don’t want to rely too heavily on their patron so they’re learning the art of being a witch as well. That’s incredibly wise.

“And who amongst you have other means of magic? Whether you worship a deity or made a magical pact? There’s no shame in it as long as your pact was fair and just, of course. We don’t judge here at UFA and if you ever feel you were being taken advantage of, please don’t hesitate to talk to your guidance counselor. That’s what they’re here for.”

Only three hands raise at that and I nod to each of them. They’re wise to learn other forms of magic so they’re not too tied down to their patrons.

There’s even a few who have no well of magical mana inside of them yet, but they’re hoping that will come as they learn. Sometimes, a person can learn the practicality of magic so well, they’re able to cast without any sort of magical well inside of them. Or they could use magical items to help them cast and knowing the theory of magic aids in that. Other times, they’ll only know magic in theory.

No matter what road they decide to go down, they are welcome in my class.

“Let’s start with the basics, shall we? I’m sure you all know this already, but sometimes it’s best to go over the fundamentals. Taking our magic for granted is one of the most dangerous things we can do as casters. The power we hold, no matter how small, is nothing to be complacent about. It’s one of the reasons I love being a teacher. It’s hard to be complacent when I see how excited you all are to learn.”

I stand up, not liking to be still for too long. I start to slowly walk back and forth on the lecture floor, making sure to try to connect to each of my students.

“Everyone here, bar maybe one or two of you, has a well inside of you. That well is what you’ll be tapping into to cast whether that well is a gift from a patron, something you were born with, or something you have to actively work at, not unlike a muscle, depending on the person. For full disclosure, I’m one of those people who was born with a very, very tiny well of mana that I had to work at stretching and growing.”

Already, a few of the students have gotten out their notebooks and started taking notes despite this being magic basics that they’ve probably heard from every entry level teacher this week.

“Conjuration specifically is the calling or manifestation of creatures, items, or energies to the caster. This also means conjuration has the ability to send those things away. When you take a teleportation circle to the Other Lands, you’re using conjuration. It can be as drastic as calling an extra-planar entity from one realm to this realm or as simple as,” I pause, twisting my hand in a circle and flicking my pointer finger against my thumb at the same time, conjuring my phantom hand for everyone to see, “a phantom hand.”

Many of the students grin with excitement at the sight of my magic and in response, my chest fills with warmth. With a flick of my wrist and a simple thought, my wispy, blue hand moves across the room and up into the seats with the students. This spell is a simple one and comes to me as naturally as using my physical hands. It picks up a pencil from one student and tosses it to another, making everyone chuckle in the room.

“Today, we’re simply going to go over the very bare bones of what to expect from this class, go over what materials you might need, then I’ll answer any questions you might have about this course. If there’s anything on this list of components that you’re having a hard time finding, or maybe need some help buying, that’s another thing to talk to your guidance counselor about.”

With that, I use my phantom hand to flick my scarf over my shoulder and dive into today’s lecture. Everyone scrambles down some notes as I speak and once again, I’m overwhelmed by how happy I am to be a professor here.

“Will we be getting any real life lessons in this class? Things that we can take on our adventures someday?” someone asks at the end of class.

I wobble my head a bit, thinking the question over. “This class is the basics, essentially making sure you understand how conjuration works. It is that understanding that’ll help you when you’re out in the real world. When a hydra is bearing down on you with three heads, you won’t have time to think, you’ll have to act purely on instinct. How do you come to trust your instinct? You master the basics. I could conjure my phantom hand without much of a thought. I’ve mastered it so well I don’t even need to use components anymore. That’s what this class is about because without that deep understanding, without these roots and foundations, it’s hard to build bigger, fiercer spells. Does that make sense?”

The person who asked the question nods her head, but someone in the back snorts. “Sounds kinda boring.” If I remember correctly, this gentleman raised his hand when I asked about pacts. Interesting. I make a note in the back of my mind to keep an eye on him.

“We certainly can’t be starting with summoning imps or archdevils, now can we? Did you go straight to riding a two wheeler when you were learning to ride a bike? Or did you first learn to crawl and then walk, then ride a trike and then riding a bike? This is the same principle only applied to magic. Again I will gently remind everyone, magic is power . Power in uncareful hands is not only dangerous but it can be deadly .”

I’m not sure I’ve swayed my student in the back, but I get a few looks of appreciation and understanding elsewhere. I lean against my desk once more, crossing my feet at my ankles. “With that, you are all dismissed. I’ll see you all back here tomorrow!”

Everyone puts their things away and starts filing out of the room through the door at the top of the seating area. As most of them are moving out of the room, one person is moving in.

“Mister Addemac,” I say with a grin, greeting the head of the casting department here at UFA. “What can I do for you this fine evening?”

“Stop calling me that, it makes me feel far older than I am,” Stephan says, rolling his eyes. “Do you have plans tonight? I need something done and you’re my last hope.”

“What is it?”

“There’s been a rather large donation,” Stephan explains, running his hand over his goatee. “There were many magical items from an estate. I need someone to go through everything. Some of the things can be used as teaching opportunities or have students practice their identification spells, but I’d much rather someone go through them first, just to double check there’s nothing harmful slipping through the cracks.”

I tilt my head to the side and adjust my glasses as I think. “No doubt you’ll need someone organized to categorize them all as well?”

Stephan winces. “Yes, that would be most helpful.”

“Fine, I’ll do it. But only because everyone else has partners or children waiting at home for them. As the token bachelor, I find it is my duty to stay late in order to help with this.”

“There’s no need for the dramatics,” Stephan says with a chuckle. He reaches over and squeezes my shoulder. “Please order takeout tonight and leave the receipt on my desk. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”

“Thanks, Stephan. Where can I find these items?”

“I can have them sent to you in your office or here in the lecture hall, whichever you prefer.”

“Have them bring it here, there’s more space in the hall.”

“Very well, thank you again, Quinn.”

I nod at my department head before turning back to my desk. I pack up all my paperwork and notes from the day, placing them inside my bag. Then I place it on the floor, wanting the desk to be cleared off in preparation for all the magical items I’ll be going through very soon.

It doesn’t take very long before people are coming through the doors and bringing boxes down to me. I’m fairly certain these are students I happen to know are on the Tracker and Field team and the moment I realize that, my stomach begins turning flips inside of me. If they’re helping move everything, will their coach be helping as well?

Will Bennet be making an appearance? I can’t tell if I’m nervous or excited or some nauseating emotion in between. All I know is that I hope to see him and maybe, just maybe, I can convince him to stay late and help me sort everything.