The Magician

Ran squinted his eyes open to the familiar sight of the school infirmary. He tasted the bile in his mouth as he felt utterly drained. The typical humming after an unpleasant episode rang in his ears. After taking a couple of measured breaths, he started to get up.

Stretching his limbs and moving his muscles helped ease the remnants of panic in his system as he slowly consented to the meddling thought in his head; the school had been jeopardized.

The night’s tranquility shattered as the front gate groaned open. Ran moved to the arched windows, peering out just in time to see a hooded figure slip inside, shutting the iron gate behind her. She dragged a heavy leather suitcase across the cobblestones, the sound echoing in the stillness. Her eyes seemed to glow despite the moonless night, and Ran was caught off guard by sudden trepidation.

The woman dragged her clanking heels and luggage toward the teachers' dormitories. From behind the windows, Ran tracked her movements until she reached the stairs and disappeared into the shadows.

As if hypnotized, he rushed out of the infirmary and toward the teachers' dwelling. He found her on the first floor of the lounge, standing before an open mandaloun window. She stood rigid, gazing into the night.

Her skewed hood had slipped back, revealing ethereal white hair that danced with the wind. A shiver ran down Ran’s spine, there was something undeniably otherworldly about her presence. Yet, despite the fear tightening in his chest, he couldn’t look away.

The silence around them was deafening, broken only by his haggard breathing. Ran felt an eerie malice tangling the air, warping the familiar surroundings into something strange and hostile. Time froze as he waited for the woman to make her next move, unsure of whether he should reveal himself or escape.

As if on cue, the woman turned around and peered straight at him. A chortle escaped his throat exposing his stance. However, before Ran could utter a word, she disappeared into thin air, leaving him standing alone in the dark.

...----------------...

The next morning, Ran met up with his friends in the courtyard, joined by the newest addition to their group.

He found the trio sitting on the grass by the fountain, basking in the sun. Reyes was engrossed in an old, musty book, while Daveed had a spread of colorful cards laid out before him, explaining their meanings animatedly to Daniyel.

Ran perched at the edge of the fountain and murmured to Reyes, "What is he up to now?"

"He stole tarot cards from Mozmoz's office," Reyes chuckled. "Now he's trying to swindle the new kid with a reading."

"I did not steal them," Daveed sighed, exasperated. "I told you already, I recognized the drawings from my sister’s collection. The old man-hag must have confiscated them from her."

Dani sat cross-legged on the ground, absentmindedly plucking apart the petals of a purple hyacinth. Now that the magical arrays had been repaired, Ran allowed his abilities to stretch out, filtering out unwanted noises one at a time. After a few seconds, he detected Dani’s shallow breathing and even shallower heartbeat, a slow, steady rhythm so faint he might have missed it if he weren’t paying attention.

"Also, I’m not swindling anyone. Clairvoyance runs in the family," Daveed continued.

Reyes gave Ran a knowing smile and mumbled under his breath, "Must’ve skipped a generation."

Unamused, Daveed straightened up. "Shush, I think I’m onto something." He squinted at the colorful cards spread across the grass as if waiting for a divine revelation to unfold.

Reyes’s obnoxious voice broke his concentration. "Onto what exactly?" he teased mercilessly. "Mosquito repellents? That’s what your divine tarot abilities conjured?"

Ran reached for a card, but Dave swatted his hand away. "Not mosquitoes, a fly. A buzzing fly that will chase him around, messing up his sleep," he insisted, waving his hands in imitation. "I’m serious! It’s in the cards! I can see it in my mind’s eye."

That was all it took for Reyes to collapse into laughter, clutching his stomach as if it hurt.

Daveed turned his back on him, refusing to engage, and instead addressed Dani. "Anyway, I’m serious. Watch out for a source of annoyance in your future."

Dani shot the three of them a skewed look before smoothing his expression and nodding politely. Before Daveed could go on about his long-winded fly rant, Daniyel dusted himself off and got up.

"I’ll make sure to watch out for buzzing flies," Dani assured Dave, "But we're gonna be late for first class if we don't move now."

...----------------...

Their mindless, smiling faces made her sick. Rina's every step felt listless upon the crunching grass. The sun bore down on her skin, prickling uncomfortably, making her stomach churn. Nonetheless, she pressed forward, summoning her new students to gather on the field with their makeshift swords.

“I will be replacing your swordsmanship professor as of today. You can call me Rina,” she sighed, taking in their childish faces. "I look forward to fighting with you.”

“They brought in a woman to replace Nasrat,” Daveed whispered to Ran. "She’s too thin, like she could be blown away by a gust of wind,” he mused.

Professor Rina’s head snapped toward Daveed, her gaze sharp as she looked down her nose at him. "We shall start with the two of you," she commanded. "Everybody else, gather around them.”

“Oh, did she hear me?” Daveed whispered incredulously.

“I have excellent hearing, Mr...?” Rina prompted.

"Daveed Kais,” he answered immediately, a flush coloring his cheeks.

“Well then, Mr. Kais, let's see if you are as nimble on the field as you are with your tongue.”

Had Daveed tried to straighten his back any more, it might have snapped. Instead, he forced an embarrassed smile, acutely aware of the class’s curious stares.

Ran, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. He could always count on his friends to drag him into trouble. Sighing, he picked up a toy sword from the pile and squared off with Daveed. Just as Daveed dipped into a bow before the fight, Ran attacked, pouring all his frustration from the past two days into his strike.

A few minutes earlier, while they were heading to the training grounds, the sounds around him had flared for a millisecond, making his heart drop. But nothing happened. The arrays remained stable. Still, paranoia slithered into his veins.

Daveed stumbled back from the force of the attack but quickly recovered, blocking Ran’s strike.

Just as the two were settling into the rhythm of the fight, Rina raised a hand. “Thank you for the demonstration, boys. However, I do not take kindly to those who are sneaky, Mr. De Ophelia,” she chided, giving Ran a stern look. “Do not do that in my class again.”

With that, she dismissed them and called up two other students to demonstrate their abilities.

Ran and Daveed went to wash up in the boys’ lavatories. Ran splashed water on his face and hair, and just as he reached for a towel, a bucket of water was dumped over him. Knowing he was in the wrong, he didn’t resist as Daveed wrestled him to the ground, chastising, “You little cheat. If someone else had been on that field with you, they would have blasted your ass off.” The implication was clear. Had Daveed used his magic, Ran wouldn’t have stood a chance.

“I know. That’s why I chose your behind to beat,” Ran responded cheekily, taking advantage of Daveed’s momentary shock to gain the upper hand. But Daveed quickly grabbed him by the hair, smirking. “You’re not the only one who plays dirty.”

Ran groaned in protest, but Daveed was determined to turn this into a lesson. He would have kept roughing up his stupid friend if Ran hadn’t suddenly tensed.

“Someone’s lurking outside,” Ran muttered. He got up and slowly turned the door handle to check.

“There’s no one here. Your made-up excuse won’t save you from an ass beating,” Daveed joked.

But Ran frowned. “Someone was here.”

Daveed scoffed. “Not like you have super hearing or something,” he jabbed before magically drying himself off and leaving the lavatory.

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