KINGDOM OF MAGIC

Things worth fighting for...

Castro's body laid on a bed, still unconscious from that war of a fight. Unsurprisingly, their fight was the last one.

He was in a dream. Reminiscing about his past. How he made his resolve to be the prime mage and how his village had been destroyed due to war breaking out from neighbouring kingdoms.

Castro, Xero, Jolie, and other children with some adults were found as survivors of this impact. They were taken to Rein kingdom, where they would be residing. They didn't have money, and the kingdom showed no signs of lending a hand. So, they lived in the slums. There were also natives of Rein that lived in the slums.

They worked hard day after day just to make sure they had food to eat, and they were barely surviving, too. But, they all knew were they were coming from, and their resolve knew no bounds. So, when they heard about the magic knights contest, they just had to go!

But his surroundings were beginning to get shrouded in darkness. It was only then he showed signs of waking up.

He jolted up the second pitch black darkness engulfed him in the dream. He saw Zora, already up, looking at him.

"For a second there, I thought I was too hard on you. You really pushed my limits, Castro."

"You too, sir. I was way beyond my limit." Castro said, slowly sitting up.

"Call me Zora."

"Okay, Zora"

The two of them smiled weakly at each other, it was clear they both still suffered pains from the battle. Though Zora's only significant pain was his partial blindness.

Just then, the door swung open violently.

"Castro!!!!!!!!! You didn't die!" Xero and Jolie said in unison with tears in their eyes...

"That was really something, Castro. I think you've surpassed me." Xero said

"Maybe." Castro said under his breath while looking outside to enjoy the view

He saw the bustling marketplace, where anything and everything buyable was waiting to be assigned to a new owner. Buildings and towers of different shapes and sizes were scattered all over the city. Flowers that looked like they were handpicked by the gods grew wildly on some buildings and on the central fountain. He looked up and saw a faint rainbow resting like a crown on the vast horizon. He smiled. This is what he's becoming a magic knight for... To protect this symphony of nature that creates the most spectacular art piece. The art of life!

A few days later...

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

Zora and Castro were finally discharged but were told to take things easy this week. But there were things to be done... Zora had to address the winning side of this competition, while Castro had to learn from him.

Zora and Castro walked into the classroom at the same time, causing chatter between the people...

"Hey, isn't that the guy who fought Sir Zora?"

"I thought he was just courting death, but he is much stronger than he looks..."

Of course, the only people not engaging in chit chat with the rest was Xero and Jolie, who already knew the kind of i***t they're stuck with...

He saw Xero and Jolie and sat with them. Zora then walked to the podium and began speaking.

"Welcome all to Zora's institute of magic. First, a big congratulations to you all for making it through this tournament. It means you are one of the best. Not just strong, but you're a quick thinker and a cool headed person who is rational."

Everyone gave a loud applause.

"Now, we'll go down to business... What, exactly, is magic? Well, magic is a phenomenon that allows us to harness mana, in other words, the energy radiating from our life force, to cast spells. And then there's magic affinity. Everyone has what they can do with their magic. And if they try another type, they won't be able to do it. That, is magic affinity. For example, a fire mage can't cast water spells and vice versa. Though there are people who have two magic affinities." He snuck a peek at Castro, then looked around to make sure everyone was following.

A student raised up his hand. Zora pointed to him and asked him to speak.

"Umm... What about our grimoires? They just flip pages when we want to cast spells without us flipping them."

"Grimoires are given to you when you are about to graduate magic school, you should know that by now. Immediately they are given to you, they connect with your soul instantly. It is only when a mage dies that his grimoire fades into nothingness. Your grimoire contains spells you created yourself, spells you acquired from your journey, or the ones you unlocked from the depths of your soul. Got that?"

The student nodded.

"There are also ways of using mana... You can use it to strengthen yourself, which is the mana strengthening technique. It's perfected form is the mana skin, which allows for all-round top notch physical boost while needing a small amount of mana. It can be used to cast spells, like I've said earlier. It can be used to form a simple domain, "plures zona" or "Mana zone". It is also a spell in and of itself. It allows the user to absorb natural mana for even more powerful spells. Though this natural mana will never be assimilated into the body and remain hovering around the user, waiting to be used while the mana zone spell itself uses your own mana to sustain itself. It can be used to create intrinsic domains, which can be likened unto a small world you can make into whatever you want. Though this saps mana pretty fast, so when this spell is in use, it's usually to make a quick finish." Zora cleared his throat.

"That being said... Well move on to the classes of mages. Sadly, almost all of you are beginner mages. The lot who have yet to hone their basic magic abilities to the highest peak... And there's the lucky lot of you, the advanced mages. Those who are exceptional in the basic knowledge of magic and have honed it to perfection and are learning more about your magic type..."

There was a dramatic pause...

"Then there's the elder mages, mages who can do anything with their magic. For example, an elder water mage can wash away curses."

Ther was a huge uproar among the students

"Then the arch mages, beings on a totally different scale of power. With their magic, they can do everything!"

"And then..."

Castro's eyes lit up

".... There's the Prime mage, a being who transcends all reality."

There was a loud round of applause, the explanation was very detailed

"You said it, narrator!" Castro agreed.

"So, which class are you, Sir Zora?" A student, raising his hand, said.

Zora's eyes twitched a bit and he smirked...

"Elder mage class!"