Chapter I: The Letter

Calla eyed the letter resting on the table in front of her with contempt.

Her father sat in a chair across from her, reading glasses donned as he scoured through the village’s books on mages. Voyage was a quaint warrior village, so a mage hadn’t been seen in decades. Affinity is, supposedly, inherited. (Calla felt choice words about this claim.) “Dear, burning holes into the envelope with your eyes will not make it go away,” he sighed, “Military duty is a requirement of all exo-endo citizens.”

They were given temporary refuge in the village chief’s annex. Calla still struggled to accept that she, someone who was supposed to be a warrior, managed to vortex their house into rubble in her sleep. According to her father, from the various books he’d been reading, informed her that mage awakenings are chaotic proportional to their power. Hers was particularly voracious. “I just… can’t believe I’m not a warrior,” she stated for the millionth time since her birthday, “I wouldn’t have cared if I didn’t have magic at all, but a mage?”

“You better start believing it, dear,” he sighed again, “it is your reality now.”

She steeled her heart and grabbed the letter, gently tearing it open with the chief’s letter opener. He had sat it and the envelope on the letter in a somber manner earlier that morning. She folded it open, slipping the paper out. It had the government’s seal stamped onto it, which somehow only made her more bitter. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered under her breath.

Calla Blum,

The Laurel Empire calls upon you. You must enroll in one of the empire’s mage academies within a month’s time and graduate. If you fail to heed the empire’s decree, you will face severe punishment.

— Rose, Head of Magical Affairs

“‘Mage academy?’” she sputtered, “Papa, I thought you said military duty!”

“Hm? That’s what it was for warriors when your mother and I were sixteen.” He looked up from his latest book, “Is it not?”

Calla grimaced, “Not at all! It says I have to enroll in a mage’s academy.”

Her father sat up straight, “An academy?” he murmured something to himself, “I… need to talk to your mother about this.”

Her mother was, for once, in town. She’d returned for Calla’s birthday as she promised, but after the disaster it turned out to be, she elected to take time off from her adventurer quests. The aforementioned woman seemed to sense her name get mentioned and chose that time to return from her morning training session. “What’s wrong, Jane?” she asked as soon as she stepped her first foot in the door.

“Ah… well, Callie, you explain,” he tossed the responsibility of possibly irking her mother onto his child.

“Seriously? Okay, fine— The empire says I have to go to a mage academy,” she revealed.

The air within the annex went ice cold. “What?” her mother seethed, “Those damn Laurelites dare take my daughter away!?” she moved faster than Calla or Jane could see, grasping her daughter into the tightest hug she’d ever had.

“W-Woah, is there, like, no academies in the state or something?” Calla asked.

Her mother dramatically huffed. “Indeed,” she released Calla from her arms, holding her hand to her forehead and leaning backwards to emphasize her aghastment, “The agony!”

Her father nodded, “Mage academies are only in Laurel itself. Daphne didn’t see fit to use magecraft in war, after all.”

“That's why we lost,” her mother contributed, “The old government of Daphne thought it cruel; our beloved goddess, Ne, is the god of magic, after all. Her gift was not something to be corrupted like that. Laurel did not hold such beliefs.”

Calla had only heard brief murmurs of Ne before. A small statue remained in the heart of their village, their home fortunately unreached by Laurel’s forces during the subjugation. If she remembered correctly, the doctor took great care in maintaining it. “Now,” Calla supposed, “She’s more relevant than ever.”

“This means, I am loath to admit, that we may not see you often during your schooling,” her father said, “All I can hope is that you make a good friend up north.”

Her mother added, “The culture is vastly different in the Empire. They don’t respect warriors, consider them nothing but war fodder. Mages, at least, are considered valuable weapons.” The woman travelled far and wide as an adventurer, so she was the only one in the family regularly exposed to Laurelite society. “You will likely have trouble fitting in, as they despise strong mages.”

Calla took on a confused expression, “If they’re seen as weapons of war, why would they dislike strong mages?”

“There’s a simple answer,” Calla’s eyes met hers, “fear. Nobles don’t have magic, so they belittle and demean strong exendos as much as possible,” her mother explained. “I am regularly a victim of this in the Empire’s capital. It’s not too prevalent elsewhere, but it’s also where most academies reside.”

“Um, you said the culture’s super different up there?” Calla steered the conversation backwards.

“Ah, yes. Mage culture is different to warrior culture, and non-exendos have their own unique quirks. Most warriors are from Daphne, while mages come from all over Edelweiss and are more nomadic than us Duphs,” her mother continued.

Her father piped in, “Your mother is quite strange for travelling all over the continent! Duphs are homebodies,” he spoke proudly, “Which is why I decided to become a member of the village guard!”

Elara, her mother, hummed, “The war was the catalyst for me. After my hometown was destroyed, I never did settle down again.”

Her father was born in Voyage like Calla, while her mother was born in Journey, one of Daphne’s few major cities close to the border with Laurel.

“Back to their culture,” her mother returned to the topic, “Mages are nomadic, seeking new knowledge like no other. They share spells and tricks with each other very openly, unlike us who keep our techniques to the family. Academies are one such place that facilitates this, while research centers are another.  Ah… what else is there? Oh, they think big jewelry is gaudy. They got so up-tight about my gold bands.”

“According to my book, mages value the pursuit of knowledge over wealth,” her father added.

Warriors liked to show their power by wearing the wealth they earned with their feats on their body in the form of gold bands. Calla’s family was no exception, and it was part of their daily wear. 

Elara sat down on the couch, mulling her mind for anything else about mages she could think of.  “Ah, they hate gloves,” she suddenly spoke. “You like gloves, don’t you, Calla?”

“I do. I wear them all the time when I’m out,” Calla nodded.

Her mother closed her eyes, thinking, “Mages see gloves as an insult, though I’m not sure why.” She looked up, “Dear,” she addressed her husband, “Would you be so kind as to find a list of mage academies?”

Jane looked perplexed, “Where in Voyage am I supposed to find that? Are you asking me to travel all the way to Rove?” Rove was the largest city between their village and the Laurel Empire since the fall of Journey.

It was then that Calla decided to check the envelope once more, “Ah, there’s another paper.” She opened it, “It’s a list of schools.”

Her father let out a heavy sigh of relief, “I haven’t been as far as Rove in many years, thank goodness.”

There were only five options.

Laurel Mage Academies:

All schools offer similar curriculums, certified to meet stipulations set by the Empire.

Cirrus Academy for Young Mages

• Exclusively young (16-20 years old) students

• Population of 150 students

• Application fee of 50 Lels

Cumulus Mage Academy

• Has the direct support of Folia

• Population of 1,200 students

• No application fee

Stratus Academy of Magecraft

• Has the largest campus

• Population of 2,000 students (1,000 undergraduates, 1,000 graduates)

• Application fee of 20 Lels

Nimbus School of Magic

• Population of 1,700 students

• Application fee of 25 Lels

Altos Academy

• Located outside of the capital’s walls

• Population of 500 students

• Application fee of 10 Lels

“Mother, how much is a Lel worth?” Calla asked. Daphne had yet to adopt the Laurelite currency, still retaining their bartering system. 

She hummed, “Five Lels is around the price of a mug. Is this about an application fee?” Her mother leaned over her shoulder, glancing at the list. “I’d be willing to pay no more than forty Lels, fifty is ridiculous!”

“I think Cirrus is for nobles,” Calla supposed.

Elara shook her head, “Mages cannot be nobles. But I suppose some illegitimate children might end up manifesting; having a mage on your side isn’t a bad idea.”

Calla didn’t want to be any closer to Laurel than she’d have to be, so Cumulus was out of the window immediately. Cirrus was too expensive. Stratus seemed to be geared more towards research, which she wasn’t interested in whatsoever. (The very fact she is a mage remains disturbing.)  This left Nimbus and Altos. She considered it for a moment, then decided she’d prefer a larger student body than a smaller one. 

“I’ll go to the… Nimbus School of Magic,” she revealed.