Áine
Ethren and I are watering the plants in the greenhouse. It is such a crying shame that the creation of the Magic Realm did not leave this lovely greenhouse intact, but it still somehow maintains its beauty even in its fractured state.
I did not expect plants to grow in this realm outside of the ones that appeared upon its materialisation, but in spite of the odds, they persisted and, better still, thrived. With the right treatments in the soil and to the plants, they grow plentifully - perfect for keeping the alchemical classes going. The students help keep the plants in good condition as well as the Sages.
"And that's all you asked them? Áine, there's a reason that the Untamed waiver is far longer than the Practical, Mischief or Alchemy one - I mean, you wrote it!"
Morgyn brought me their signed forms yesterday, a contact detail for their father and a photocopy of their Henford Citizen ID card. I quizzed them on the waiver to make sure they truly understood what they were getting into. Today, I will have them sign the ascension agreement as well.
"They were well-researched on arcane history and they seemed passionate. Yes, Morgyn has no practical experience with magic, but neither did you when you first came here. I need someone to carry the Untamed torch when I'm gone, Ethren - you know that."
"You've been alive for over three centuries. I reckon you've got plenty more years left, don't you? Can't this wait a little longer?"
"The future is not ours to see, Ethren. I have to be prepared. I fear this realm will collapse if I am not around. I cannot have that happen - not when it has been a haven for magic-folk for so long."
"Right...but for something so important to you, you're sure it's not worth waiting it out for someone with more experience? I mean, Morgyn's mundane, aren't they? And a teenager at that?"
"I've been waiting long enough! None of the other Untamed students want to dedicate themselves to the craft. Morgyn is the only person I've met in such a long time willing to take it up. It'll take a little longer to teach them, but it's fine. As my only dedicated student, I'll have plenty of time for them - that might speed things up a bit, come to think of it."
Ethren nods his head sideways at me. I appreciate him, but he's ever the naysayer.
"Fine, but go careful - a sixteen-year-old ascended Untamed caster is going to need patience in spite of your desperation. I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, it's just...what reason did they give you for studying here?"
"Preservation of the craft and 'insatiable curiosity."
"I see."
Ethren and I admire the swollen buds on the plants, soon to bloom into glorious flowers.
"...And you don't think a craving for power has anything to do with it?"
"Every student with magic in their blood has a craving for power, Ethren. Practical students want to become more able and useful, Mischief casters want to have the upper hand against those that may harm or torment them, and Untamed casters want to harness the power of nature itself. If they weren't interested in becoming more powerful than other people, then they never would have become spellcasters."
Morgyn
I couldn't use the Magic Realm's library for practicing a convincing signature, so a couple of days ago, I went back to Willow Creek and hoped that my parents never saw me - which they thankfully didn't. I had to read through the waivers as well as photocopy my ID card.
Sage Ó Sé said nothing about the false signature, so that was good. That said, the combined excitement and anxiety over my ascension as a spellcaster has left a sickness n my stomach. It would be nothing other than a benefit to me, but so much is going to change - it's a lot to be on-edge about...especially after reading the agreement. I must sign to say I agree to be ascended, and there's a whole list of common side effects, and some of the general expectations of the procedure are rather horrifying.
The good news is the modern mortality rate is negligible, and the last death via ascension was thirty-five years ago - someone who was not honest about his physical health before undertaking the rite. Yesterday, I had a health assessment from one of the Annorins, who said I was in great condition and fine to underago ascension.
Today is the day, and I'm trying to ignore the cold nervousness within me. I try to calm my breathing. Everyone on the picnic benches keeps looking at me - I wish they wouldn't.
"They're just curious about the new student. I wouldn't worry. Please, Morgyn, try not to be nervous - it's worse on paper than it is in actuality," Sage Ó Sé explains to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It may be rather painful during the actual ascension, but it will be over before you know it, and you might have a headache, nausea, tiredness, or minor hallucinations for a few days afterwards. It's rarely any worse than that."
Sage Ó Sé unfurls what looks like a small ethereal marble in her palm.
"This is magic in its purest form," she says. "Put your palm over it. Let it absorb into you. You'll only feel a tingle. Once you do it, will grant you the power to see magical motes - small spheres of arcane energy that are excess 'droplets' from the thick veil of magic in this realm."
I take off my gloves and do as she instructs. The tingling strikes from my palm all the way up my arm, and a purple glow shoots upwards through it, causing my veins to glow bright purple for a few seconds.
"You will need to absorb at least five motes of magic energy into yourself for me to be able to ascend you. You need magic in your body for the spell to be able to bind it to your blood. It'll feel strange. You may get pins and needles, and you may feel jittery or light-headed. Come back to me after and I'll perform the Rite of Ascension up on the duelling grounds. The portal to it is just that way, through the courtyard."
The magical motes were rather plentiful around the realm. It was a good excuse to explore, though I remained on the main island for now. I'm still questioning all the floating debris and broken bridges; walking under them makes me feel uneasy, but it never seems to move. The hand which absorbed the magic seemed to shudder every time I was near one of the motes.
When I move over to the mote, I grab my hand to stop it from shaking for a moment before holding it in my palm. It radiates a slight warmth.
I remove my glove to absorb the mote, and the pins and needles is far stronger - almost feeling like a more literal case of such a thing. My hand glows brighter then before, then dims again. I feel a strong, sickening kind of emotion I have not felt in a long time - excitement, perhaps?
I'm met with many smiling faces, and others looking a little panicked. I suppose those who have been ascended remember what it was like. Some of them are happy to see someone else starting out their arcane journey, and others are probably thinking I'm crazy for going through with it. I only wish the process of absorbing the magic was a little faster...
I've found and absorbed three motes so far. Already, I'm starting to feel it deep within me. My body has a peculiar sensation of television static all over, I'm beginning to tremble, and I can feel an odd sensation of something inside of me trying to get out. There must be a faster way to absorb these motes, but I suppose there's only one way to find out.
I ingest the mote. It burns all the way down, leaving a sore feeling in my throat.
Sharp pain forces me to my feet. It feels as if something is digging into my skin all over. My forehead burns and my vision blurs, the crisp image of the Magic Realm dissolving into swirling colours. The sensation inside of me only grows stronger, as if the magic itself is trying to claw its way out.
I try to control my breathing, keeping it at a steady rhythm. The glow of magic in my palm is so strong that I can see it right through my gloves, and magic crackles all around me. My stomach is on fire. Every limb tremors and my emotions overwhelm me completely for the first time in far too long. I've gone from anhedonic silence to a fireworks display of the human experience within seconds. I want to jump for joy. I want to scream into the purple void and cry into my palms. I want to burn Spencer and Wilhelmina to a crisp.
A voice speaks to me, but I hear little of it other than a droning sound. I make my way to the duelling grounds, assuring the concerned passers-by that I'm alright, refusing all their offers to help. I'll be fine. I just need to get to the duelling grounds, I keep telling myself... once I arrive, I lean against the side of the portal until she calls to me.
"You're doing fine, Morgyn. Come here."
I stagger up to her, and she gives me a warm and welcoming smile. I don't know how to respond - my feelings are all over the place. Why is she looking at me like that? Why the concern?
"I think I'm - I think I - I did what you said, Sage Ó Sé-"
A bought of tingling pain brings me to my knees again. I'm drenched in my own sweat, and I'm boiling.
"Please, try to calm yourself. It will all be over shortly, okay?"
Magic crackles around me with growing frequency, and my headache is building up to a migraine. My sight has cleared, only everything in my line of vision is at least fifty times brighter.
"Are you ready, my child?"
"Please, Sage Ó Sé - get this over with! I can't wait any longer..."
"Very well. Hold still, and brace yourserlf - it is not a comfortable experience, but I will guide you through."
Áine
Even if the students know what to expect, I always feel for them in this part of the ascension process. Much like when I gave birth to my daughter so many years ago, when I felt her head emerging - it is the most straining, the most agonising and the most exhausting part of the entire procedure. However, it is only for a short moment before the most exhilarating, reward part - the rebirth into the world of the arcane.
I speak the words of the rite to them:
I am Áine Ó Sé, Sage of Untamed Magic, and I deem you worthy.
...born anew as a spellcaster.
Morgyn
My veins set alight as the magic within me binds to my blood.
I stifle my screams into cries of agony, and I try to do as I always have done - retreat into the world of fantasy my mind to cope with it all. I can still hear her voice comforting me, telling me I'm doing well, and that it won't be for much longer.
There's a dark and silent void ahead of me. I walk forward through the emptiness until a gruff, groaning noise creeps in through the shadows... the dragon. It looks as if it is in pain.
It thrashes about, letting out an ear-splitting roar. The dragon has been in here for many, many years, and has comforted me through just about everything. It has offered me a space to imagine something better, something far away from the realm of reality. It has offered me a space to dream of a life in which I am in control, in which I am the one who is feared, much like itself is.
I approach the dragon with a gentle voice, and I reach my hand out to it. It raises its head with a grimace and gazes into me with amber eyes. Tears of sparkling crystal trickle down its face and fall through the void. It lets me in close and I embrace it, its rumbling growls of trust vibrating throughout me...or perhaps that is the magic that is entwining itself with me.
Please, do not worry yourself. Thank you for everything you've done for me, and thank you for everything you will do for me from here onwards. You've let me dream of a better life, and after this, I will truly have one. I will learn the power of the Untamed Dragon for myself, and I will make my dream a reality. I will do whatever it takes.
Áine
At last, the ritual is complete. I gradually lower them to the floor with magic, and gently lay them against the cobblestone. They're still trembling a little, and the surplus magic still surrounds them, but the worst of it is over. They vomit on the ground and fall to their side, and I lift them from the floor. Morgyn breathes heavily, whimpering a little.
"Calm yourself, child," I whisper, until they synchronise their breathing with my own. "It is done. Morgyn Ember, student of the Untamed Dragon, I welcome you as a fledgling spellcaster, and I look forward to teaching you."
Morgyn groans and twitches, and their bloodshot eyes flutter open. "Is that...is that it? Am I a spellcaster now?"
"That, you are. Congratulations. It is a time to celebrate...at least, once you have recovered."
They fall unconscious in my arms, bless them. Most don't vomit or fall unconscious after the ritual, but some take the ascension better than others. I take them to their new room, reassuring the students that they will be okay. Their concern turns to excitement at the thought of a new student.
Morgyn
the next day
When I wake, my throat is dry and scratchy, I'm still tingling all over and my forehead feels as if it's made of concrete. The silk sheets are dreamily soft, at least.
I'm a spellcaster now. I can feel the magic inside of me, in a strange way, but I suppose I'll get used to it and not even notice it soon enough. It's still a lot to come to terms with mentally. It opens up so many new paths for me, but at the same time, it's no good unless I practice and learn to hone it properly. I hope that Sage Ó Sé is a good tutor. I'm sure she'll be better than the ones my parents hired.
I find three cards next to my bed, one from each Sage congratulating me on my ascension and welcoming me to the realm. Sage Ó Sé writes that I cannot do any spellcasting for at least four days and that I may expect little sparks of magic from my fingertips now and again until I can begin spellcasting lessons. She tells me to get to know other students in the meantime, and to familiarise myself with the building.
In her card, she leaves a note saying there's a gift for me on the dresser - a plate of delicious-looking vanilla cupcakes- and a substantial stack of cash! The Simoleons are a bursary from the Annorin Fund for Arcane Education, which is given to each new student so they can cover the expenses needed, such as books, wands, and such. I do not need to pay for the room - that is paid for, once again, by the Annorin family. Their ludicrous wealth funding this place would explain a lot.
The thought of getting to know others is a little nerve-wracking given how much time I've spent alone. Part of me had always hoped to go to school so I could meet new people and get out of my house, but I was never so lucky. It can't be that bad. I'm sure at least one other person here might be interested in striking up a friendship.
My head hurts too much, so I change into my pyjamas and tuck myself back under the covers. This is another step forward on the long and winding path of self-discovery, but the excitement can wait until I can open my eyes for longer than five minutes.