Training as a Slime(70)
As the morning sun broke through the windows in the lecture hall, a small shimmer of gold peeked through the entryway onto the polished redwood floor. The ray of gentle warmth greeted the curious trainees in the room, inviting their gaze to the entrance. As their eyes stole a peek at the slight golden slime basked under the daybreak, a wave of excitement stirred among them.
Unfamiliar with being the focal point of interest, the slime blushed with rosy pink cheeks causing a slight commotion. Giddy from all the enthusiasm, Cori hastily sat in the empty front row. While some whispered of his boldness, others quietly observed their competitor.
Alice huddled in a cosy compartment in the backpack, indulging in a quiet sense of pride and accomplishment, knew that its beloved Master had slowly escalated in popularity. A powerful roar of wind shattered everyone's attention and enveloped the lecture theatre, signalling the arrival of the grand magister. The room fell into silence as the imposing draconic figure in the air transmuted into its human form.
Kareem burst into the theatre, his face marred by shadows of exhaustion, his eyebags darkened with the telltale signs of a sleepless night. As Cori caught sight of his weary complexion, a pang of silent guilt pierced through him.
Kareem tapped his wand on the table in a periodic manner, his hawklike eyes seemingly like a predator on the hunt. "Welcome to fundamentals of magic. Since you all were able to make it to school, I believe every one of you possesses some sort of magical ability that enabled you to pass your entrance test," the grand wizard said as he paced across the floor. "But have you ever wondered why you all have magic in the first place?" the wizard added.
"Because of the magic circuit!" a slime shouted. "We are born that way!" another added.
Kareem: "Well, that's not entirely wrong. We are all made of magic in a way. But fundamentally, this world is made of different elemental magicules."
As Cori listened intently he found the lesson to be slightly reminiscent of his chemistry class back on Earth.
"While every one of us can wield different magic, we tend to have different aptitudes due to our evolution routes," the trainer elaborated and summoned a giant crystal. "And this crystal here will test everyone's elemental aptitude," said the dragon-kin wizard while slapping the dignified crystal. "Well, the trainee at the back, come down to demonstrate to the rest," Kareem signalled.
The black slime made its way to the stone and touched the giant obelisk.
"Now, let the energy from the crystal pulse through your body and connect your magic circuit with it," Kareem instructed the black slime as the entire class held their breath in anticipation of the results. The crystal glowed a bright searing red as an image of an ebony flourishing tree emerged.
"Interesting. It appears your magicules are made of wood and fire elements," Kareem said noting the combination.
The black slime asked, "Does the image mean anything?"
Kareem: "Ah, an astute inquiry indeed. The correlation between the quantity and calibre of your magicules and the excellence of your projection is profound. Put simply, the sharper and more lifelike the outcome, the greater the resonance with your inherent abilities. Now, for today, we shall adopt a somewhat more relaxed approach as we assess your affinity. If time permits, we may explore the intricacies further. Trainee, you may now resume your seat. The remainder of you, please assemble yourselves in a line."
Cori's eyes shone with astonishment. "What fresh fantasy is this?" he thought while strategising his end goal. With the mysterious demonic saintess on his tail, he decided it was a good opportunity to observe his classmates' magic affinities. With this decision in mind, Cori bounced his way to the back of the line and astutely assimilated their information at the back of his mind. He noted the majority of them were able to use up to 5 elemental powers.
"Now, don't despair if your images are vague. As you improve your magic circuit, the stronger your affinity becomes," bellowed the grand magister, comforting the dismayed students.
Cori noticed a pawful of trainees during the exercise: a pink slime projected a serene ocean on a sunny day, indicating a strong affinity with water and fire elements. A spotted slime conjured a fuzzy image of a phoenix and a black dragon, suggesting proficiency in resurrection magic and a lineage tied to dragons. Lastly, a clear slime produced a brilliant, dazzling light, which Kareem later elucidated as a sign of affinity for all elements, laying a solid groundwork for future mastery as a grand wizard.
Cori, standing as the final participant, hesitated before the crystal, feeling a subtle reluctance to make the connection. Yet, a compelling urge surged within him, a relentless force driving him to reach out and seek the answer it held.
Kareem: "Go on, no time to waste."
Cori clumsily jittered, snapping out of his daydream. Pulling out his paw, he made contact with the cold white gem. Relaxing his body, he felt an unearthly energy enter his liquid-like visage.
"Relax, don't reject it," the grand wizard advised.
The crystalline energy sought Cori's magic circuit like a magnet, snapping onto it to draw out a portion of the manna until Cori's spiritual energy and holy energy stopped the process. "What is this? It felt so invasive," Cori thought as the electrifying energy left his body temporarily numbed. "Was this was the rest felt?" Cori wondered with his vision laid onto the crowd.
The gigantic crystal started to vibrate at a high frequency before exploding into several crystal gems suspended in mid-air.
A series of cries were heard, with some scared out of their wits.
"Now, now, it's quite normal for the crystal to undergo such adjustments. It's merely recalibrating after assessing everyone's affinity, ensuring a clearer depiction of the outcome for our esteemed friend here," said the dragon-kin as he soothed everyone's anxiety.
The dispersed crystals absorbed all the light in the room to project an image of Earth and finally zoomed out to show an abundance of universes, stars, and planets. The image lasted for over a minute before all the broken pieces were reassembled.
"What magic is that?" some whispered, knowing what they had witnessed was not in any of their syllabus.