Magical (A Quest of Vacations, or Starsigns, or Something Else)

[SeekerofDreams]

"So, are there a lot of Wind Spirits around here?" You ask. You've heard there are people who can freely interact with spirits not of their own affinity, but as far as you know, you've never met one. The only time you've ever seen other kinds of spirits is when Uncle Cilantro took you to explore the Remittsu Royal Palace as a kid.

Your parents weren't very pleased with him. Apparently, they were worried you'd do something to offend the spirits. You never saw any problem with it. It was fun getting to talk to walls and rosebushes.

Sugar nods, her eyes lit up in a way you never thought was possible for someone without a Starsign. "Of course there are! You can find them just about everywhere open to the sky, even if they only really appear while there's a breeze blowing. They find it's not as fun otherwise, you see." You definitely believe it. If they're anything like the spirits that like to play in the rivers near Uncle Cilantro's place... "What about the Water Spirits?"

"They show up just about everywhere there's water. But they act different depending on what kind of water it is. Running water spirits are playful, the hot spring talks sort of like an old lady, and spirits that come out during the rain are..." You pause for a moment to search for the word. "...Loud. And bossy. I think they might get it from spending so much time with the Lightning Spirits."

"Wind Spirits are sort of like that, too," Sugar confirms. "Especially when a big gale brews up."

Sorbet looks thoughtful. "What about ice? Have you ever met an ice spirit?"

You nod. "They're not very sociable, though. Not that I've come across many of them... you don't find a lot of ice around hot springs." Or in the Realm of Light in general. The constant sunlight probably has something to do with that.

"I guess not... We get a lot of ice in the Realm of Darkness, though, outside of summer. It's actually a lot warmer around her than I'm used to."

"Ice-based magic is Sorbet's specialty," Sugar tells you. "She's not quite good enough to make sculptures yet, but if you ever need someone to be hit by a large ball of ice, you know who to go to. I'm not sure if that's a normal thing for people with her Starsign, but it's not like there's ever been anyone I can ask."

If it wouldn't risk you losing your tenuous grip on your seat, you'd point out the renowned educator who is currently in the same vehicle as you. Then again, Balsamico is still employed, so maybe he's not quite as smart as everyone says he is.

Still, you think he'd be a good person to answer Sugar's question. "So, you want to learn a lot about magic?"

"That is sort of why we're here," Sorbet points out. "And there are a lot of wizards in the village where we come from, even if there weren't that many Starsigns... apparently those are a lot more common closer in in the solar system. Probably because those people are actually being born on those planets."

Sugar sighs. "Of course, in exchange, they don't really have spirits..." This raises questions as to how they know this, but you aren't going to be the one to ask them.

And then you hear the driver's voice over the sounds of broken speed limits and crying children. "Hey! Twerps! Will-O-Wisp Academy is just up ahead!"

And that's about all the warning you get before he literally crashes through the school gates.

Unsurprisingly, everyone is out of the bus as quickly as they can, staring up at the high clock tower and blue roofs of Will-O-Wisp Academy.

"It's... a lot more pink than I remember," The vox man comments. "And you removed the fountain?"

"The fountain, unsurprisingly, gave out under the force of Balsamico's driving about a hundred and fifty years ago," Mokka informs him. "In all honesty, I was expecting it to happen centuries before. As for the color... Around eighty years ago, a particularly mischievous class of students decided to try and repaint the whole thing overnight as a prank. As you can see, they succeeded, and the principal liked their audacity so much he decided to keep the results."

Honestly, this is a lot more interesting than the things you learned by reading at home. Why couldn't this kind of stuff make it into the history books?

Principal Biscotti turns back to the rest of you. "Now, as we managed to make it back before the point where we would collapse from exhaustion..." No, no exhaustion, just fear. "I believe that there is still time in this evening for dinner." Oh, good, you didn't get lunch today. Probably wouldn't have been able to keep it down even if you had. "I will show you to the cafeteria. Professor Maplewood, make sure none of the students wander off, will you?"

You aren't sure he has to worry about that. You think you might all be too overwhelmed and hungry to explore. But the vox nods and brings up the rear of your group regardless.

---

You're sure the cafeteria is more impressive during the school year. After all, all the kids who live close enough to get to school on their own, or whose parents let them use Pizza's services, will have to eat here, too. Or maybe it's just the fact that apparently they didn't know for sure that you were getting here early enough to eat.

Still, right now it's just a bunch of round tables with juice boxes and packaged sandwiches sitting on top of them. You don't think you've ever actually eaten pre-packaged food before, Uncle Al is insistent that you stick with homecooked meals, but there were always going to be new experiences involved with leaving home, and this is one of the more predictable ones.

Everyone spreads out to eat, groups that end up sitting together talking quietly amongst themselves. You yourself end up sitting with...


[ ] Sorbet and Sugar, as well as the salamander from earlier and the puppet who got on the bus in the Realm of Light.

[ ] The purple mole creature from earlier, a yellow-furred rabbitfolk girl, and a felin and vox who seem to be pointedly not talking to each other.

[ ] A group of humans who are animatedly discussing the different types of Light and Dark Magic. One of them is softly glowing with the Starsign of Night.

[ ] Nobody. You're just going to try and eat on your own.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

You didn't really have to think about it, when deciding where you would sit. Sugar and Sorbet are the only other students you know, and you might as well stick with them for as long as you can. The salamander from before is also sitting at your table, as well as the puppet that joined in the Realm of Light. There are five spots at the table, just enough for all of you.

"So, what's a salamander doing at a school of magic?" The puppet voices the question you're sure is on everyone's mind.

"I have the Starsign of Gren." The Wood Planet? Well, it is supposedly the original home of the salamanders... Even if they're meant to be a magicless race. "But nobody outside the nest believed I could really do anything with it, and the ones inside..." He trails off, and you firmly resolve to not ask. "Oh, my name's Chai Leafgreen, by the way."

"I'm Merlot. Just Merlot, we don't really do the whole... last names thing in Oturan. Great-grandfather forgets everyone's names a lot as it is..." They sigh loudly, as if this has been a big problem for them in the past. "What about the rest of you?"

Well, no reason not to answer them. "I'm Rye Seabreeze."

"Sugar Ronsanu." She gestures to her sister. "And that's Sorbet. We're twins, if you hadn't noticed, but we have different types of magic." You haven't heard enough about wizard twins to know if that sort of thing's unusual or not, but you guess you can't blame her for clarifying. Aside from their eyes and clothes, they're perfectly identical.

"It's nice to meet you," The girl in blue adds, reaching for a sandwich. "Still, I think we should be eating now... it's not like any of us got lunch today."

That is the best idea you've heard all evening. Sandwiches themselves are a new experience for you- Uncle Al insisted on a certain minimum of effort in his meals- but you think you like them. Or maybe it's just that it's the most you've gotten to eat all day.

None of you are entirely sure what you're supposed to do with the packaging, but you end up agreeing to just leave it in the middle of the table and let whoever's paid to clean this up deal with it, at least until one of you can figure out where some kind of garbage bin is.

Other than that, none of you feel much need to talk with each other, and the meal proceeds near silently from there, aside from a group of humans who are still animatedly discussing their magic in between bites of their sandwiches.

Despite the different subject matter, it's still a similar level of noise to family dinners at home. It's nice to know that some things haven't quite changed yet.

---

Living quarters for the staff and students take up the entirety of the top floor accessible. You aren't sure exactly what number floor it is, but it's higher up than you've ever been before.

Your new room is small, with just enough room for a bed, a dresser, and a desk that sits right beneath the window, giving you a nice view right over the school grounds, all the way to the nearby town. It's really dark right now, but you can still tell you'll be able to see right to the town in the morning because of all the lights in the distance.

The darkness of night is more than a little disconcerting to you, but there is a lantern on your desk with a fresh candle, so you figure you can just light it each night until you get used to it. When lit, it casts the entire room in a warm glow.

The flickering shadows are still a bit unnerving, but you still manage to fall asleep, and you think that's the important part.

---

When you wake up, the school grounds are shrouded in a light mist, hiding the town from your view. It's still a nice sight, even a bit reminiscent of home. Vision obscured by water vapor is not an unusual thing, living around hot springs. Even if you can't control the mists the same way you control the springs themselves. For fog, you'd need the assistance of Wind Spirits.

...Huh. You just got an idea for a project you could do with Sugar later, if she's interested.

There's a knock on your door, and an unfamiliar woman's voice informs you that breakfast will be served in half an hour, that you should return to the cafeteria by then, and that if you don't remember where it is, you could always ask a returning student.

Of course, that would only be helpful advice if you knew which of the people here were returning students, but you think you've got a good idea of where it is. And if you're wrong... well, you'd just have to follow the sounds of activity and you're bound to get somewhere eventually.

Thankfully, your first guess is right. You'd hate to spend the entire day wandering lost around the academy.

---

Breakfast is plain oatmeal with a selection of things to mix in. Sugar fills her bowl with her namesake, while Sorbet sticks to sprinkling in a few assorted fruits.

"You're going to make yourself sick with that," She warns her sister, who doesn't particularly seem to care so long as her food is sweet. Uncle Al would have conniptions if he saw her meal. "...Also, maybe leave some for everyone else."

"Sorry, I just... never saw so much in one place before." She returns the brown sugar to the center of the table, and you happily take a spoonful. Just enough to make sure your food actually tastes like something.

Once you're done eating, a pair of teachers stand in the middle of the room and call for your attention. "Good morning, everyone," The male of the duo greets you all. He sounds incredibly tired, like the people who don't realize that just because the sun is always up in the Light Realm doesn't mean time isn't actually passing. "My name is Mustard, and this is my sister, Ketchup. We will be in charge of keeping you occupied today, as you ended up coming in quite some time before term starts, and we don't know how much we can trust all of you yet."

His sister groans. "You weren't supposed to say that last part," She reminds him, before speaking up. "Permanent residents who have been here at least one year will retain all the freedom they originally had- particularly because treating Mokka like a new student would be ridiculous- but I'm sure the rest of you could benefit from the time to settle in. There will be two activities today. One with me in the library, and another outside with my brother. I can't promise either will be entirely what you expect, even if you've been through this before. Once you are done with whatever remains of your food, please gather around whoever you will be joining."

With that, the two of them separate, and the cafeteria begins to spit into groups. Of the students you know, Sorbet and Merlot wander over to Ketchup, while Mustard is joined by Sugar and Chai.

At least you'll be with friends no matter where you are.


[ ] Go with Ketchup.

[ ] Go with Mustard.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

The library, it turns out, covers an entire third of the second floor. The flooring is checkered turquoise and gold, while the wallpaper is white patterned with dark green vines. The shelves covering the place appear to be constructed out of some shiny white stone, and the windows are framed by deep purple curtains.

Honestly, it sort of hurts your eyes to look at, particularly when you add in the varied colors and shades of the books lining the shelves, covering the chairs lying around, and even sitting in piles underneath the window.

"Yes, I'm aware that whoever designed this place had no artistic sensibilities whatsoever," Ketchup sighs. "When term begins, you could start a student petition to have it renovated, but Biscotti insists on keeping the tiles. And changing everything else to match them would be expensive."

"I think it looked better back when we were students-ppi." It's the vox man from yesterday, carrying a large stack of sticker pages. They look freshly-printed, which means they were probably purchased from the ratfolk. "Do you know where I should put these?"

"Just leave them on the chair for now. Everyone, in case you haven't been previously introduced, this is Professor Pistachio Maplewood. He graduated from Will-O-Wisp Academy at the same time that my brother and I did, and has since been lecturing at various magical schools. We are very lucky that he agreed to come back and teach here."

Professor Maplewood seems to blush under his fur, though he hides it really well. "I wouldn't say I'm that amazing. I'm sure there are a lot of people that could do a better job-ppi."

Your supervisor gives an odd smile at that, before turning back to face the rest of you. "So. The librarian is currently out on vacation, and won't be back for another three days. Normally, this would mean the library is closed, but some of the permanent residents are in the middle of a very important research project, and we believe in giving them all of the possible opportunities to succeed. Thankfully, I know enough about the filing system to fill in for a short time, but a large shipment of new books just came in and I don't have the time to sort through all of them."

Ketchup picks up the sticker sheets and passes them around the room. "Day stickers go on books about healing, Machinery stickers go on history books. Books on animals get Beast stickers, books on insects get Insect stickers, books on monsters get both. Books about another planet get stickers of the Starsign for that planet. I don't think we received any other kinds of books, but if you find any, come to me and I'll see if we can't figure out how to label them."

So you're being used as a free filing system, more or less. You suppose that, if you wanted a particularly interesting activity, you could always have followed Mustard outside. And it's a different sort of work than you're used to.

Of course, the best part is, since you can't always tell what kind of book something is by the title, you have a good reason to read the first few pages. It could even give you ideas on things to read later, once you're allowed to roam the school freely.

Ketchup doesn't seem to have a problem with talking as you work, but you decide, for the moment, not to risk it. You've got a box of history books to label.

---

"Miss Ketchup was right when she said it wouldn't be the same as last year," You hear while trying to tear a Puffoon sticker out of your fur. So far, the sticker seems to be winning.

"What did you do last year, then?" Merlot's somewhat more familiar voice asks.

The speaker, a vox girl with chocolate-brown fur and a fluffy tail, adds another book to the top of her pile. "Last year was a small research project... though I guess not having the normal librarian would get in the way of that. Pass me a Love sticker, would you? I think this is a romance novel." You're curious as to how she'd know how to label romance novels without asking, but you're also just as curious as to how she would only think it was one.

Either way, you don't know her, so you decide against asking any of your questions. Maybe if you actually get to know her.

Sorbet wanders over to you with a small stack of her own. "Do you have any Beast stickers left? I already used all of mine."

You have exactly three Beast stickers remaining. "I think we're starting to run out of stickers in general." At least, for the kinds you're actually meant to be using. And it's only two hours in.

Still, the book piles are dwindling, too, so you suppose it's just a question of what runs out first. And what you're supposed to do after that. Answers do not appear to be forthcoming.

Some of the other students seem to be settling into conversation as you successfully excise the Puffoon sticker from your fur and place it on the book. Hopefully it clings on there just as much as it clung to your fur. You don't have a lot of experience with stickers, they're rare.

But either way, you are almost out of stickers, and almost out of books. So what are you going to do when you run out?


[ ] Seek out Miss Ketchup and Professor Maplewood for further instruction.

[ ] Talk with some of your fellow students.
-[ ] Merlot and the vox girl.
-[ ] Sorbet.
-[ ] The purple mole creature.
-[ ] A pair of humans that you remember having a loud discussion yesterday evening.

[ ] Maybe you could read some of those books you were labeling...

[ ] Explore the library.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

Well, you suppose these books are sorted just about as well as you'll ever be able to manage. The covers are in all sorts of colors, from pale blue to hot pink to a black darker than the school hallways at night. They all clash horribly with each other.

They clash horribly with the floor, too, but everything clashes horribly with the floor here, so maybe you're just better off turning off your ability to register color entirely.

Or pretending that the floor, and the various brightly-colored books, don't actually exist. You think you can manage that effect by blocking them out with words on a page. Deciding that testing it out would be better for your eyes than a number of other options, you reach for the nearest book.

The Mystery of Valencia Beach... That sounds more like a fiction title than an actual history book, you think. Not that you'd know for sure. You learned how to read off of hot spring schedules, letters between family members, and whatever books guests forgot in their rooms and never came back for. You simply haven't had the chance to sit around and compare book titles.

Still, it was left right there in reach, and you don't have anything better to do, so... might as well flip through it.

Who knows? You might even learn something.

---

Will-O-Wisp Academy was founded in the year X0X0X by the wizard Biscotti, a man whose prior history is a complete unknown. From the very beginning, the school's doors were open to all who could afford tuition, and a few who couldn't. It was a promise of a bright future for aspiring young wizards, so long as they could complete their education.

It goes without saying that not all of them could. While any child could enter, that does not mean that all of them would have the drive to succeed, the requisite talent, or parents who wouldn't simply pull them out of school for one reason or another.

These unfinished educations, in the time that this book is written, generally do have some sort of explainable source. But when the school was founded, things were different.

Children were going missing without a trace.

Sometimes, there was warning that a student was planning to run away. But a lot of the time, the young wizard in question would be there one day, and gone the next. Most of the time, this would coincide with the school camping trip. These trips started just five years after the school's opening, and for the next decade, there would be at least one mysterious disappearance.

Some of those students have reappeared in the time since the initial incident, but none of them have ever said a word about the time they were gone. The circumstances behind their vanishing remains a mystery.

---

Valencia Beach was first discovered in the year LX0L by a crew of magicless pirates sailing an unnamed ship. They hid their plunder there, and centuries later, their descendants traveled to the beach in order to dig it up, but never returned. Bones have been discovered in a hidden cave that match that timeframe, and bear marks of a nonmagical struggle.

A popular theory is that the treasure hunters ended up killing each other over the treasure, but the cave itself held no traces of gold. Jewelry matching the description of the missing artifacts has appeared in markets in the Realm of Darkness, but nobody has been able to conclusively trace their origins.

The beach was rediscovered in the year 0L0XX by an expedition party led by the legendary wizard Gran Degree, though the cave was not found until several thousand years later, by a group of Will-O-Wisp students from the year that the student disappearances stopped. After rediscovery, the beach was turned into a vacation spot.

While there may have been occasional disappearances on the beach over its tenure as a tourist destination, it is the large number of student disappearances from Will-O-Wisp Academy that this book will be focusing on...

---

Miss Ketchup returns to the main area of the library half an hour later, almost tripping over the wall of books that Merlot, Sorbet, and the vox girl ended up constructing. "I see you've all been keeping busy." She doesn't say anything else, and you find yourself curling in on yourself in an attempt to escape that powerful purple gaze. "Are all of the books labeled?"

You nod, as does everyone else, because those books have been labeled for a while now. Aside from the book you were reading, you even bothered to alphabetize your stack just so you had something to do with your paws.

"I sorted mine by color!" A pink-haired human speaks up, probably in hopes of avoiding the teacher's disapproval.

"I see. I suppose it was too much to expect you to remain occupied all morning." She seems more resigned to this than anything, which you guess makes sense if she's been a teacher for a long time. You don't know how long she's worked here, but with how confident she is in what she's doing, it must have been for a while. "In that case, we have an hour left until lunch. Use this time to read, and to talk to each other quietly."

Oh, good. You can go back to your book.

---

One of the vanished students who made her way back into society found that, while her disappearing was an inconvenience, that did not stop her from reaching a high spot in society. Vanilla Nighthawk didn't disappear until the camping trip had ended, but spent three years without any trace of her showing up.

It was her younger brother, Ganache, who located her, along with the rest of his class. None of them have ever breathed a word of what happened, leaving that time in her life as a complete mystery.

When she reappeared, her powers over the Dark Spirits were even more powerful than they were before, and she eventually rose to the top of Kovomaka's Elite Mage Force. At the time of this writing, she is still the leader of the group, and is widely considered to be the most powerful wizard on the planet.

---

This book brings up a lot of questions. While the detailed events happened eight hundred years ago, that isn't all that long for a wizard. Only about a tenth of a lifespan. Less, even. The people that this book writes about, the ones that never came back... if they had, they'd still be alive today.

Still, you don't have much time to think about it, as Miss Ketchup urges you all downstairs for lunch. You know it's just going to be more sandwiches, you've heard other students complain that food before term starts is always just more of the same thing, but you don't mind all that much.

You're sure you'll be sick of sandwiches by the time there's more food available, but there's so many types, you think you'll be able to get by.

---

After lunch, the full group of new students is led to another room entirely. Soft green beanbag chairs dot a wooden floor, while the northernmost wall is made up of windows, leading a courtyard with a pond and a big tree.

There's also a pile of magic dolls in the corner for some reason. Probably to practice combat magic or something.

"This is one of the school's meditation rooms. Feel free to use it for its intended purpose, or talk to each other, or beat up some magic dolls, or take a nap. Just so long as you do it quietly. You may even wander through the courtyard outside, as long as you stay in sight of this room at all times."

All things considered, you think this is one of the better options for free time. Those beanbag chairs do look soft... even if it's a bit too early to be curling up for a nap.

So you're not going to fall asleep just yet. Instead, you'll...



[ ] Wander outside to the pond and see if there's any spirits you can talk to.

[ ] Talk with some of the other students.
-[ ] Chai and a felin boy.
-[ ] Merlot and the vox girl.
-[ ] Sorbet and Sugar.
-[ ] That group of humans is talking about magic again.

[ ] ...What's Mokka doing here?

[ ] You've never actually tried to meditate before...

[ ] You haven't fought anything with your magic before, but now's as good a time as any to learn. Have a practice fight with one of the magic dolls.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

This room is used for meditation, isn't it? The unlit candles around the room look like they could contain some kind of incense, though you don't have enough experience with them to be sure. Having so many guests, who generally all have different senses of smell, means that lighting them isn't really an option a lot of the time.

You don't think it's really an option here, either. You can tell because the candles that are currently lit are actually melted down most of the way, and you assume they'll be replaced by the time that all of the other students show up. The others look like they've only been lit once or twice.

Still, despite your complete inexperience with the things this room is supposedly meant for, you may as well at least try and use it for its intended purpose.

...You have no idea where to start. Still, you suppose you should begin by getting comfortable- or, more specifically, by testing out those soft-looking beanbag chairs before someone else can.

It turns out that, besides being soft, they're also heavy to pick up, and it takes some effort to get one far enough from the rest that hearing everyone else talking won't be an insurmountable distraction. This is not helped by the fact that a felin has decided to activate one of the magical dolls to spar with, leaving you more than a little nervous of the razor-sharp blades of wind at his clawtips.

Still, he's not letting his spells get away from him, and the active doll is not venturing anywhere near you, and the others are still discussing things quietly, so you sit down on your soft green beanbag chair and resist the urge to watch the fight while you try to clear your mind.

...With an emphasis on the word try. It's not like they make handbooks for this kind of thing, and one of the local users of Wind Magic is being very distracting at the moment. Still, you lean back, and close your eyes, and the worst that can happen is that you accidentally fall asleep, right?

Your eyes tightly shut, you run through, in your mind, the materials that make certain spirits stronger. Wood Spirits draw power from pinecones. Insect Spirits gain strength from gummy worms, while Stone Spirits get power from gummy frogs. You aren't sure why the specific type of creature matters, but apparently it does. Love Spirits gain strength from kind acts, while Dark Spirits are strengthened every time they are defeated.

You know that Beast Spirits and Poison Spirits both can draw power from the tails of certain creatures, but you've never been able to remember which ones. You'll just have to hope you never make one mad enough to need to make an offering.

Most spirits, however, have their magic made more potent by metal. Gold or silver, but only specific kinds, and it's different for everyone. All of the metals are referred to as gold or silver, so you can't always keep it straight in your head, but Uncle Al tells you that the Blade Spirits like Camti gold, and you've seen musicians carry coins from the old vox civilization because it's an easy source of Harmonic gold for the Sound Spirits. Another easy one to remember is that Machinery Spirits like Alti silver, though you mostly recall that because most modern machinery is made of Alti silver in the first place, and that's why antiqua coins are so valuable.

And, of course, the Water Spirits are empowered by the presence of Crescent silver, though just about nobody carries coins made of it nowadays and you have no idea where you'd even find any. You think there might be some on Cassia, but what are the odds that you're ever going to go to Cassia?

Wood and pinecones. Insects and worms. Stone and frogs. Love and kindness. Dark and defeat. You don't normally see those spirits, but it's good to keep in mind... though you don't expect to ever have to worry about offending a Love Spirit, and defeating a Dark Spirit probably isn't something you'll ever be able to do.

You open your eyes, and for just a moment, the candles seem to be looking at you expectantly. But they're gone once you blink, and you aren't sure what you'd offer them, even if you had coins on hand. You know they like some kind of metal, and you're pretty sure it's a type of gold, but... which one?

Something to look up later, you suppose. Odds are you're never going to simultaneously encounter a strong enough Fire Spirit for you to see and have the right kind of metal on hand to offer, but that's still no reason not to keep it in mind, just in case.

...It's only been about an hour, but you can already tell you can't stay like this for the rest of the afternoon. You should try and find something else to do...


[ ] Go see if the pond has any spirits attached to it. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to.

[ ] ...Seriously, what is Mokka doing here?

[ ] Try and join in on an existing conversation.
-[ ] Sorbet, Sugar, and a yellow rabbitfolk girl.
-[ ] Merlot, the vox girl, and the felin who was fighting the magic doll earlier.
-[ ] The purple creature from the bus, and a pair of humans.
-[ ] A pair of humans and Chai.

[ ] Well, the dolls are free... you suppose you could try and fight one, but you're not sure how well you'd do.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

You decide to keep the beanbag chair, for the time being, even if dragging it over to another group is more difficult than you were hoping. Given how you've seen others simply kick the lumpy things across the room, this is very annoying.

Thankfully, Sorbet and Sugar aren't that far away from you, so you can just plop down again close to them and a yellow-furred rabbitfolk girl who Sugar is in rapt conversation with. Sorbet glances up at you. "Oh, Rye. What are you doing here?"

You shrug. "Meditation wasn't working out." All it did was get you wondering where you could find a deposit of Crescent silver, and there are much better things you could do with your time than pondering the location of rare metals. "What are they talking about?"

"Well, you know Sugar can talk to Wind Spirits. And Lassi has the Starsign of Puffoon. They... I think they're comparing what they can do with it?"

She sounds oddly unsure, and you pause for a moment to listen in to the conversation. Sugar appears to be attempting to explain various concepts to the other wizard, whose main words for the kind of things she does seem to be sound effects. At least, that's what it looks like. Honestly, you don't fully understand some of those concepts, either, but you guess it's more important to know that kind of stuff when controlling wind is your main power.

"There... might be a bit of a knowledge gap involved," You observe. "I mean, there can't be that many differences between type of wind magic compared to... say... ice and liquid water."

"I don't just use ice," Sorbet insists. "I can use liquid water, too. Just... very cold liquid water... and I think it's just my power keeping it liquid... but that's not the point." You're not sure there was ever a point to begin with.

"But it still probably acts differently from warm water," You point out. "Or those people who can make it rain. Not that you see them very often..." From what you can tell, they mostly set up in places that already get a lot of rain, since otherwise they won't be able to stay for very long without wrecking the climate.

And then there's the ones that make rain clouds indoors. Those people are just showing off.

"But you never see anyone who can make it snow," Sorbet observes. "I mean, I could make hail if I had a cloud to start with... But I don't, because I can't make clouds." And the only place where you'd have that many clouds readily available in the first place is the Wind Planet. Capital of the solar system or not, you can't see any real reason for her to ever visit the Wind Planet.

"I'd help, but I can't control water vapor, either." Spirits might appear in the fog, but it's nothing you've ever had a real grasp of. You're pretty sure it's a rare power, but you've never been around enough other mages to check before. Maybe once the school year starts up.

---

The next morning, Miss Ketchup's brother has an announcement. You aren't sure why he's the one giving it, with how tired he looks, but his sister seems to be in deep conversation with Professor Maplewood, so he's clearly not getting any help on that front. And you can't see Mokka or Principal Biscotti anywhere... you know the school has to be better staffed than this, but apparently they think three people is enough to control your group of students.

"I'm sorry to say that the rest of the week's normal activities are cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control," The man states, his hat, which is slightly burnt at the edges, slipping down over his eyes for a moment. "Until the start of term, all students are to remain in either their dormitories, the cafeteria, the library, or the meditation room. Those who do not know or remember where the latter rooms are should ask for help from a returning student. Travelling with at least one other student is not required, but it is highly recommended. In addition, my sister will remain on duty in the library until further notice. If you need assistance with anything, I will remain here, Professor Pistachio will be in the meditation room, and Miss Madeleine will be around the living spaces. That is all."

This announcement sets off a flurry of conversation around the room, wondering what could be such a big deal that this would be necessary. Sugar frowns and places her spoon back in her overly-sweetened oatmeal. "What do you think's going on?"


[ ] Something important, clearly, if they don't want students getting underfoot.

[ ] Something dangerous, clearly, if they want everyone where they can find them.

[ ] You have no idea. You just know it has nothing to do with you.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

"It's probably something dangerous," You point out. "They could just be trying to keep us out of the way, but in that case, we probably wouldn't need to travel in groups."

"Technically, we don't even have to do that now," Merlot speaks up, drumming their fingers on the table.

"But they said we probably should," You reply. "They need to make sure they know where we all are. It's sort of like when something dangerous shows up in the fields, and we have to close off the inn." It doesn't happen all that often- the Realm of Light is a generally peaceful place- but you have had to lock the place down once or twice.

"Our village does something similar," Sorbet notes. "The monsters in the Realm of Darkness are pretty powerful, and we're on a major migration path, so we have to pretty much shut the place down for a while every Cassian year or so." This information would probably be a lot more useful if you actually knew how long a year is on Cassia. Still, if you spend enough time around Sorbet, or others bearing the same Starsign, you're sure you'll figure it out eventually.

Admittedly, that's mostly because you just have to work out how long they end up glowing for and multiply it by five, but the inner planets have been known to behave erratically at times. It might not be a perfect calculation.

Chai blinks. "Someone actually built a village on a migration path? And people stay there?"

"Not everyone can just dig out a new den whenever they like," You remind him. "I can't imagine it's good for businesses, though..."

Sugar and Sorbet both wince. Merlot and Chai don't seem to notice. You decide against bringing it up- it's probably not something they want to talk about.

"I think I'll head back to the meditation room," The salamander decides, as the babbling about Mustard's cryptic warning starts to die down. "What do the rest of you want to do?" If you didn't know better, you'd think he was worried about following people he doesn't know.

"Well, we're getting free access to the library now," Sugar remarks. "And we can't... really go anywhere else." She seems more than a little disappointed by this.

"I have something I need to look up," Sorbet agrees. Merlot just slips away from the table and goes off to join their vox friend on the other side of the room. You guess they don't plan on leaving the cafeteria today.

Everyone seems to be preparing to leave that wants to, so you should probably decide what you want to do, as well. If only so, if some sort of incredibly powerful monster has gotten loose in the school or something, it doesn't find you wandering the halls on your own.

If there's a monster around, it probably hasn't gotten into the building, but it's best to be safe, especially when you don't have any combat magic.


[ ] You may as well look something up in the library...
-[ ] Vanilla Nighthawk.
-[ ] How to appease certain spirits.
-[ ] The early years of Will-O-Wisp Academy.
-[ ] Basic information on other planets.
-[ ] The various metals that can be found in the solar system.
-[ ] Monsters native to Kovomaka.

[ ] You may as well return to the meditation room...
-[ ] ...And spar with a magic doll.
-[ ] ...And see if there's a spirit in the pond.

[ ] You may as well return to your room... if anything dangerous comes up to the school, you'll be able to see it right from the window!

[ ] Staying in the cafeteria will give you a good chance to interact with other students.
-[ ] Merlot and the vox girl.
-[ ] The felin user of wind magic.
-[ ] Lassi and a large figure made of stone.
-[ ] A human you vaguely recall as having the Starsign of Night.
-[ ] An unfamiliar human talking quietly with an Envoy of Love.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

Slowly, the cafeteria drains of students. You don't know where all of them going, though you know Chai was planning on visiting the meditation room, and that Sugar and Sorbet both had a bit more interest in the library. You'd follow them, but... if something dangerous is out there, and it somehow gets into the school, you'd rather not be traveling the hallways in order to get to your next meal.

You also consider going to talk to Merlot and their vox friend, but the only conversations you and Merlot have ever had were over meals, and you've never spoken to the vox. Following them would be... strange, to say the least. It'd almost be easier just to talk to someone new.

And there's a lot of new people. Most of them have vanished to wherever they decided to go off to- and it's probably safer for them, if they're the ones who live here full-time- but a number of them remain, scattered among the tables, some of them talking to friends who returned to school on the bus with all the new students.

It'll probably be even busier once the school year starts up properly. You try to imagine this place packed to the brim with students, and find that you can't. You just can't picture a place that much bigger than the one you come from, even after visiting the Remittsu Royal Palace. There's too many people involved.

You stand up, intending mainly to wander the room for a bit, but a hushed conversation at a nearby table catches your attention.

"I'm sure the Sound Spirits will be just fine. They've been around for a long time, and I've seen some of the furniture. It's accented with Harmonic gold. And what sort of thing could hurt a spirit, anyway?" A little Envoy of Love with a long, light blue braid is leaning backwards in her seat, next to a white-haired human who seems unhappy with the dismissal of his concerns.

"We don't know. The only ones that actually fight are the Dark Spirits, and beating them just makes them stronger. Why aren't you worried about the art room at all? It's not like there's any Ganick gold in it."

The tiny sprite rolls her eyes. "Yes, but there's nobody in the art room, and anything that just wants to trash a bunch of paintings or instruments probably isn't going to pose the Academy any real threat." And that's when she notices you. She leaps up in her seat, pink eyes flashing. "Oh? Are you one of the new students? I don't think I've seen you around before!"

You nod, unsure if there's anything else you can do. Standing on her seat, she might be only just tall enough to see over the table, and her race is best known for being pacifistic, but you've always been taught to never, ever do anything that could possibly offend an Envoy of Love.

Admittedly, that might just be because their village is your closest neighbor, but it seems like generally good advice. "That's right. I'm Rye Seabreeze. What's your name?"

"I'm Raspberry Dazemirror. And this is Caramel Highpitch. It's nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you..." Caramel choruses after his friend, turning so you can see his bright orange eyes. "Rye, do you think the music and art rooms could be in any danger?"

Why is he asking you this? "I... think it depends on what's going on," You venture. "...And where the music and art rooms even are."

"The music room's on the second floor, right next to the library," He clarifies. "The art room's on the same floor, but on the other side of the building."

"I think the art room's safe, then, unless the problem is someone looking for as much destruction as possible." And even then, you doubt that it would be a priority target unless someone has a particular grudge against the Beauty Spirits. And people who can see multiple kinds of spirit are rare. The only one you know of is Gran Degree, and given some of the stories about him, you have your doubts that he ever existed.

"And what about the music room?" Right, that's what this whole argument was about, wasn't it?

You shrug. "It's next to the library, but there still wouldn't be any students in it, so it wouldn't have interest to predators. As for sapient threats... It probably depends on the culture they're coming from. Or if they have a particular grudge against the Sound Spirits. And even then, they'd probably consider the library more important." Because Raspberry's right. As far as you can tell, nobody has ever found any way to kill a spirit.

...Not that you consider yourself any sort of expert on the matter or anything, but when they don't take corporeal forms most of the time, there's not that many ways it could end.

Caramel doesn't seem satisfied with your answer, but before he can go ask for a third opinion, the ground starts to shake, and you turn to see that Merlot's vox friend has raised an earthen shield between herself and the felin from the meditation room. He sighs. "...Looks like Bel and Nutmeg are at it again..."

Raspberry nods, a look of resignation on her face. "And Sir Mustard is going to intervene in three... two... one." On cue, the adult that's supposed to be supervising you rushes over to the two tables.



[ ] So... who are those two, anyway? They don't seem to get along...

[ ] ...Sir Mustard?

[ ] Why is Caramel so worried about the music room, anyway?

 

[SeekerofDreams]

For a moment, the commotion on the other side of the room holds your attention, before you shrug and sit down on the other side of the table. "You... seem pretty worried about the music room." You know performers can get passionate about what they do- you've watched Granny Grapefruit break up far too many riots to forget- but you don't think the wellbeing of spirits is something he needs to be concerned about.

"Well... There's a lot of old instruments there," Caramel points out. "And I... sort of left my lyre there after the last orchestra practice..."

"And you couldn't be bothered to go get it before now," Raspberry sighs. "Never mind that orchestra practices ended when the last term did." She glances up at you. "He's not very organized. He says he has the spirit in his lyre for that, but... as you can see, there are flaws to this."

You wonder, for a moment, if the reason the Envoys of Love don't use violence is because they don't need it- she just cut down her friend with words alone. "So, it's not all the spirits he's worried about? Just one in particular?"

"Who says I'm not worried about the others?" The apparent user of sound magic grumbles. "The pipe organ has been around since this school was first built, that's three spirits who probably know more about this school than some of the teachers."

Raspberry nods. "And if that's the case, they can take care of themselves. None of the Beauty Spirits in the art room are anywhere near that old, and I've seen what they do to people who bring worms to snack on." You decide you don't want to know. After all, you've heard many things about the Beauty Spirits' distaste for the small, wriggling gummy creatures, and none of those stories have ever ended well.

Caramel shudders, and you instantly reaffirm your decision. As well as reminding yourself to never bring gummy worms to the art room.

Not that you would have, anyway, but it's good to keep it fresh in your mind.

"I guess I don't have to worry about those things too much," You comment. "There's... not really a lot of ways to get rid of a Water Spirit." You don't even think it's possible to offend them, though you suppose it'd be impossible to know for sure, since odds are anyone who did would just be quietly drowned without anyone ever being told what happened.

"Oh, you use water magic?" Raspberry jumps up to sit on the table itself, which you suppose is a bit better than her just standing on her seat all the time. Maybe. "Even during the school year, I don't get to talk to a lot of people who do. I mean, you can't always tell what kind of magic someone uses by looking at them, but... Could I ask you a favor?"

Caramel sighs and buries his face in the table. "Rasp, please, we just met him."

You shrug. "I... guess you can ask." You can't say for sure you'll accept but... it couldn't hurt to hear her out, certainly?

"Can you draw what a minor Water Spirit looks like?" Your confusion must show on your face, because she's quick to clarify. "I mean, I know they don't all look identical, statues and paintings and stuff don't all look the same, either, but if you could manage, say, the most average spirit you can think of, that'd be really helpful for my next project."

"She's trying to do a painting including every kind of spirit," Caramel clarifies. "But she can only see Beauty Spirits, so she's asking everyone else in the school for help... I'm not sure what she'll do about Machinery Spirits when she's scared of Mokka, though."

"I'm sure there's someone else in this school who has that kind of magic," Raspberry points out. "I mean, there's more students here than the populations of some cities. It'll show up eventually! ...Besides, I don't think Mokka can draw to begin with. His hands don't seem right for it."

Well, you suppose you'll give her some credit for being willing to face her fears... even if you don't see there being much about Mokka to be afraid of. "I... guess it's good to have a plan?" You venture, unsure what else you can say.

Raspberry grins and nudges her friend in the side. "See, somebody agrees with me." Caramel just groans and doesn't move. "Anyway, I don't have any drawing paper on me now, but there's some in my dorm room. We can go there after lunch, Miss Madeleine won't mind as long as we let her know what we're doing. I mean... if that's all right with you." She gets a lot quieter with her last sentence, slipping back down to her seat. "I mean... that is okay with you... right?"



[ ] Accept Raspberry's request.

[ ] Decline Raspberry's request.
-[ ] Any reason in particular? (Write-in)

 

[SeekerofDreams]

"I... guess that'd be okay." You don't think you're all that great at drawing, and you've never actually tried to draw a spirit before, but if she doesn't have a lot of options... you guess it couldn't hurt to try.

Raspberry brightens up immediately... or, well, you think she does. It's hard to tell when you can't actually see much of her. "Oh, thank you! This will be a great help to my project. Cara, you should come along too. We can do more at once this way... and you won't be able to forget to show up again."

Once again, Caramel's head meets the table. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"

She shakes her head. "Somebody has to."

---

Before you can start drawing things for Raspberry, you have to check in with a teacher. The one on staff in the living quarters is a tall human woman with dark brown hair, who emerges from the shadows the second that Raspberry calls her name- Miss Madeleine.

Looking at the place she emerged from, you can't say you know for sure where she came from. There's just a wall there. And she can't be carrying a Warp Magic device- among other reasons, they're the size of a large magic doll. It's not a simple kind of magic to work, unless your name is Pizza, and he's banned from setting up his hats inside buildings.

So, no, you have no idea where she comes from. It may be something to look into later, but probably not. "So you're starting to gather reference materials for your next project?" She smiles at that, as if she can't imagine anything more important than her students being able to reach their dreams.

"That's right." Raspberry shifts back so she's not standing on the tips of her toes anymore, which causes her to lose a bit more height. "Rye and Caramel are going to be drawing the spirits that they can communicate with, so I can add them to my piece. I haven't found anyone else willing to draw for me yet, but it's a new project and most of the students aren't here right now."

Madeleine nods. "I see. That seems more productive than what most of you are doing at the moment." It sounds like she's thinking about someone in particular, but since you haven't been spending time around here, you have no idea what she's talking about. "Just make sure to stay quiet. And, once things have settled down a bit, feel free to come to me so I can show you some examples of Light Spirits." With that, she turns, walks away, and vanishes before she's anywhere near out of your line of sight.

"...I didn't know she could talk to Light Spirits," Caramel comments. "I just... saw her Starsign of Night, and... thought that was it."

"So... she can use both light and dark magic?" You know it's theoretically possible, but the Light Spirits don't like the Dark Spirits, and the Dark Spirits don't like either kind of light magic. Add in the fact that you'd have to both be born with the right Starsign, and be able to talk to the right kind of spirit... It's probably the world's least likely magic combination to be realized. And combinations are highly unlikely to begin with.

"I suppose so..." Raspberry keeps staring at the spot where the teacher vanished. "I was wondering why the school said she was qualified to teach both kinds of magic. That just... doesn't happen, most of the time. Come on, my room is in the east wing." And down the hall the three of you go.

---

Apparently, the permanent residents of the school get larger rooms than regular boarders do. You sort of get why- if they're living here full-time, they probably don't have other options- but it's still surprising to see that Raspberry has room for a bookshelf, an easel, and the numerous paintings leaning against the walls.

...Of course, the fact that the bed, desk, and chair are sized for an Envoy of Love probably helps a bit with that.

"If you think this is big, you should see the staff apartments," Caramel tells you. "They have built in kitchens and bathrooms so they don't have to deal with us outside of class or office hours."

"You know that's not the full reason," Raspberry sighs. "They have to live here all the time to make sure we're all okay. It's just that Principal Biscotti actually trusts them not to clog their toilets or burn the school down trying to make lunch." You wonder if she's thinking about anyone in particular.

"...It still feels bigger than my room at home." You know it's not, you just don't really have anything in your room because it used to be a guest room and that makes it easier to get around it. Just a few books whose owners never showed up that you particularly liked.

Raspberry hands you a sheet of drawing paper and some colored pencils. "Well, I'm afraid you're not going to have much time to enjoy it. I need the best drawing I can possibly get." And you suppose that's your cue to get to work.

If you're trying to draw an average-looking Water Spirit, you suppose a good base to use would be...


[ ] The spirits that come out in the rain. They're the smallest kind, but the most varied in appearance and personality that you've ever met.

[ ] The river spirits. You aren't very familiar with them, but for most non-wizards, or wizards of other specialties, they're what people think of when they think of Water Spirits.

[ ] The spirits from the hot springs are much larger than most, but that lets you get a better look at the features that they share with other kinds. They don't vary much in appearance, but they are noticeably different than the other kinds you have contact with.