Chapter 5: Practicality

Loren POV

My face turned as red as Rudolph’s nose as Alex adjusted my casting stance. I was afraid that he would literally toast to a crisp while touching my skin. If he had in fact noticed me burning up like my mom’s cooking, he didn’t say anything.

“You always want your arm to be as far outstretched as possible when casting sorcery spells,” he explained to me. “The further out your arm is, the better the mana will flow through you. What you don’t want is to cast with your elbow tucked into your side, I’ve had many Sorcerers set themselves alight by doing that.”

With the way that I was burning up by having him simply touch me platonically, I doubted that I would notice if I had caught on fire.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” he said with a chuckle.

Great! He thought I was all flushed because I was anxious about the practical lessons. I mean, I was, but that obviously was not why I was blushing and flustered.

“I mean, this is my first time that I will actually be casting a spell, so it’s hard to be calm,” I said awkwardly.

“Keeping a clear head is key, Loren; you wouldn't want the fire to react to your emotions,” he said.

Okay, now I was really getting nervous. What if I really set myself, or the building, on fire because I was crushing hard on some handsome and smart werewolf dude? I did not want to become part of the joke associated with the Sorcery students.

I was about to ask for more advice when Professor John Lichenstroff walked into the cleared lecture hall. The desks and chairs had been removed so that we could have a clear open space to practice.

“Alright class, this year is going to be a little different in how the practical lessons are going to be conducted,” Lichenstroff explained. “Instead of everyone casting their spell at the same time, for safety purposes, each student will cast their beginner spells one at a time so that the others may learn from your mistakes or your success. That, and being able to put out a single fire is much easier than a dozen.”

Alex chuckled but no one else did. As a werewolf he was exempt from participating in the practical lesson but still had to be here for his attendance record. But I figured that he also just enjoyed magic so much that he would have chosen to be here anyway.

His dedication to his passions was extremely attractive...

Wait! Focus!

“Okay so when I call your name you will come to the front and attempt to cast the four basic chaos spells: candle flame, shock touch, cryo touch and breeze,” Professor John instructed.

“First up: Alice Chrono.”

A tall girl with a ponytail stepped forward. She looked incredibly nervous as she tried to control her breathing.

“Take your time and relax,” John said calmly, “haste is a luxury that only a Master Wizard has.”

Alice nodded and outstretched her arm. She took a deep breath and spoke the incantation.

“Frigidus tactus!” she chanted.

Freezing cold air began to cascade from her palm as her first spell was successful. Alice smiled in relief and stopped the spell quickly, seemingly afraid she would jinx it if she celebrated with the spell still active. The entire class applauded.

“Well done, Alice!” the Professor exclaimed encouragingly. “Next one.”

Filled with confidence, Alice prepared to do her next spell. However, this time I noticed that she was a little bit faster and her elbow was closer to her body than the last time.

“Fulminus tactus!” Alice shouted.

A flash of lightning erupted from her palm followed by the pungent smell of burning hair. Alice’s hand was burnt black and her hair stood on end and was smoking. She collapsed on the ground.

Alex rushed forward before anyone else could react and touched her with a glowing green hand. Alice's burned hand immediately healed and she was brought back to consciousness, looking extremely embarrassed.

“And that is why we should always have a student of Primal Magic on standby. Thank you Mr. Silver,” Professor John said.

The Professor then went on to explain where Alice went right and where she went wrong.

“Next up; Loren Ambrose,” he called out.

Sh*t!

I walked forward, trying not to make eye contact with Alex just in case I turned the hyperbolic shade of a tomato.

I outstretched my palm, just as Alex had shown and spoke the incantation, absentmindedly looking in his direction as I did so.

“Lucerna Flamma!” I chanted.

And flames erupted and obscured my vision.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sat in shame and embarrassment with an ointment on my face where my eyebrows had been. I had lost focus at the last minute and my emotions caused what was meant to be a tiny flame to erupt into a fountain of fire.

I did not want Riley and Jam to see my lack of eyebrows so I texted them to say I would be studying in the library. In truth, I was hiding in the library until my eyebrows grew back. The nurse had said it would take a few hours for the ointment to kick in.

I think worst of all, aside from botching up my very first spell in front of the entire class, was the fact that I made a fool of myself in front of Alex, especially after he had spent so many hours tutoring me and ensuring that I was caught up with all the theories. He must have thought that I was a fool and a waste of time after this morning.

I put my face in my hands and felt tiny tufts of hair above my eyes. Small relief filled my chest. It was not much, but I could probably make it to the cafeteria before it closed and my eyebrows would be back by the time I got to my dorm. I was starving as I had been in here since Sorcery class ended.

I packed up my things and exited the library.

The sun had already set and the campus was quiet, most of the students had either turned in or had gone to the pub or cafes on the other end of campus. I was glad because then at least no one would see my incomplete eyebrows just yet.

I walked along a line of trees, enjoying the cool night air and thinking about what food I would get for dinner...when I heard a rustle in the trees.

I stopped in my tracks. It was most likely a squirrel, but my encounter with the trick door had made me weary of ordinary things in this place of magic.

The rustling stopped and I sighed in relief. I was about to turn and continue my way when a loud roar pierced the air and a huge hulking man of dried mud and rocks came crashing out of the woods straight in my direction.

I ran immediately, not even taking the time to figure out exactly what that thing was, I just knew that it didn’t want to exactly give me a hug.

I ran and ran while hearing its crashing footsteps close behind me.

“HELP! SOMEONE HELP!” I yelled desperately.

In classic horror movie style, I tripped and fell over seemingly nothing! The earth monster was closing in on me. I was going to die if I didn’t do something.

I stretched out my palm, focusing all the energy I could in the spell.

“Ventorum impetus!” I yelled.

A gust of wind shot out from my palm and directly hit the creature, but only caused it to stumble slightly. It glared at me with renewed anger.

F*ck!

Just as it was about to advance, there was a loud howl and a giant black wolf jumped over my head and directly crashed into the mud monster.