"Jason! Are you the Jason who forgot to put a family name?"
Kienan drives his elbow into my side, jolting me awake
"Huh?.. Right, that's me"
"Alright," the secretary snorts. "Plith's Academy for Magic and Learning is a prestigious place for intellectuals; it would do you some good to attend such interviews like this with a bit more attentiveness"
I stare at the ground, watching my grubby boots try to dig a hole in the ground.
"Up, up! We are very busy! If you dawdle any longer, I will have to cut into your interview time!"
I groggily get up, making way for the heavy-looking, dark wooden door
"Not you; only applicants may enter the headmistress' office," The secretary says with a shriek, barring Kienan's path to the door
His dark eyes look between me and the door
"You could try reading the room a bit, Yarinn; just let him come with." A woman's voice comes from the door behind me
I quickly whirl around to locate the voice.
There, standing in the doorway, is a rather tall half-elf woman. Her black hair is tied neatly in a professional-looking bun, her pointed ears peeking out from between the only loose strands of hair on her head. Her blue Robes are wrapped tightly around her, almost resembling a pencil dress; a white sash crosses her body with writing I can not read.
"Come in, dears." I do not notice her hand reaching for my own to lead me inside. Once her hands touch mine, I jerk away, quickly grabbing onto the hilt of my grey blade, snugly fitted inside my mother's old longsword. Blue veins in my arm glow slightly as my hand buzzes with mana.
Kienan swiftly side-steps the secretary and firmly grips my arm, quenching my bubbling and nervous mana. My hands were, and still are, shaking.
"I do apologize," the woman says. "It seems I need to take my own advice." She motions for us to go through the door.
I gingerly take the first step, with Kienan close behind me
There is some brief flash of emotion that crosses her face as I pass her, but I can not tell what it is
It is a rather spacious room, lined with expensive-looking wooden bookshelves, each one completely stuffed with large tomes of papers
"Please, have a seat," the woman says, briskly walking to take a seat behind the worn desk
I take the seat across from her, Kienan taking a place in front of the door behind me
"Now, this is a very curious pairing: a mage and a Witch Hunter. May I ask how you two know each other?" She asks
"We…" I mutter, looking down at the desk. "We grew up together"
She waits for a moment, as if expecting more
"Ah, my apologies, I should be the one to introduce myself first. I am Lorain Plith, headmistress here. And yes, the great Theodore Plith, the one to found this very school, is my grandfather. Who do I have the pleasure of interviewing today?"
"I… I am Jas-"
Kienan cuts me off before I can continue
"First, I need to look at you, make sure of something before we can continue"
"And what may that be…"
"Kienan Shi"
"And what, if I may ask, are you looking for, Kienan? I assure you, anything said here will stay with me." She gives us a smile
There is a brief pause until the headmistress flicks her hand towards Kienan. There is an almost buzzing in the air as Kienan is suddenly dragged towards the table.
I quickly whirl around in my seat to see Kienan slide towards us, a brief look of surprise on his face. His eyes are almost lightless until a crackling mix of red and blue fills them, the invisible force dragging him suddenly stopping.
"It would do you some good to not look at a woman with those eyes, not if you want to keep your manly parts." The headmistress snaps, a flash of anger crossing her face, before reverting to a professional calm
"Good, you do not have the mark of greed," Kienan says, approaching the desk and taking a place behind me.
"Had some encounters with the hunters, I see? Well, I assure you that their corruption has yet to taint our halls." She turns back towards me. "Shall we continue this interview?"
I sheepishly nod
"This scholarship is to help those from a lower upbringing or impoverished beginnings and give them the chance to learn from the greatest minds our nation can muster. It is for those who have a sharp mind and a drive to work. So, would you describe yourself as such?"
"I… I think so? I mean, I know I can."
"Are you aware of your magical proficiencies?"
"Water and Wind magic"
"How skilled would you say you are with magic in general"
"I'm… Ok, I guess?"
She lets out a sigh and smiles.
Her tone softens a little. "That sword, you made it yourself? May I see it? Please?"
I reluctantly unsheathe Mother's Longsword, pausing a moment before placing it on the table.
There is a look of, I think, recognition as she looks at it. Her hand slowly approaches the blade before caressing its edge.
"This is quite impressive, though a little messy; it is very well made"
"It is a prototype." I softly say
"It is a rather well-made prototype then." She leans in. "This engineering, is this Kraeian work?"
"Yes, Liisrax helped me build it"
"Can you show me how it works?"
I place my hand on the hilt, feeding some mana into it
It hums to life; the red gem on the crossguard shines brightly, then followed by the blue one on the hilt of my grey blade. Some of the small etchings in the blade of the longsword come to life, the humming turning into a soft whistle as it begins to float into the air; there is a familiar light tug on my psyche
Kienan walks across the room back towards the door. As he turns around, I can see a crudely made small dagger glint in the light
He swiftly rears back and throws the knife towards us
Surprised, the headmistress brings up her hand, erecting a thin blue barrier between us and Kienan's flying blade, but she stops before it can fully rise
The longsword swiftly flies up, the whistling growing louder. More of the etchings shine with a blue light as a small line appears on the edge of the blade
It swings into the air, beginning to spin to deflect it, before turning at the last second to slice through it. The whistling grows even louder as it cuts through the crude throwing knife with a shrill, scarping Shrikk!
The whistling begins to die down as the halves of the knife fall to the ground.
Ms. Lorain gives me an appreciative nod as the blade's light dies down and it lands back onto the desk with a clatter.
"Well done, seems to work excellently, even if it is just a prototype. I think I have seen enough"
She looks to Kienan before flicking her hand; an application and pen perk up from the side of the desk and waltz towards her.
"Usually, when applying for the Bell scholarship, one would put their home and their family name." She looks at me expectantly
"Jason, It's just Jason. I don't have a home anymore"
"Then where did you live the longest, then? I'll put down that." I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out
"Haven," Kienan answers for me
There is an almost solid silence that hangs in the air for a long second
"I did not know there were any survivors. I am so sorry for your loss."
She pauses. "May I make a guess as to what your last name may be?" Her voice is notably softer than before
"Are you the son of Siph Bell?"
I slowly look up, to really look at her face for the first time
She has piercing blue eyes and a soft mouth, one that is set in a mix of a grimace and a soft smile
"I knew your father; we were both special students, lab partners, actually"
"Your father was so talented with magic, especially with that eye of his; many were envious of his skill, even I at times."
The pen falls limply to the ground as she wheels around to grab something
She places a parchment set in a wood and glass frame in front of me. It is an excellent drawing of what looks to by father when he was younger, though it takes me a second to realise this, his image in my mind starting to fade at this point. He is laughing with a small group of people
"I started my journey with something I call art magic, though I drew this one by hand; he would be my model if I helped him with his research."
Ms. Lorain looks at the picture with a soft smile mixed in with something else
"He loved magic and his research; sometimes I wish he would look at me like that… But it seems he always had something or someone in his vision." She lets out a small, awkward laugh
"My apologies. If you are here applying for his scholarship, I am guessing you are a little lacking in money"
My head had been slowly drifting downwards as she had talked, but I raised my eyes back up to her.
"This scholarship only covers the tuition and gives access to our cafeteria; it still leaves housing and other expenses to be paid by you"
Her face softens again. "I owe your father more debts than I can repay in this lifetime, so let me help you. As headmistress, I can not directly help you, but I can do a few things"
She reclines a little in her chair, fiddling with a pen
"There is an open space in the student council; that is yours if you want it. It is one of the highest-paying positions available for students. And I can set you up with a place to stay, free of charge as long as you put a little elbow grease in that place, even for your friend to." She looks past me to Kienan
"I am sorry, but that is all I can give you at this moment"
"Thank you," I quietly say
"Please, come to me if you ever need anything." She smiles at us
"Oh, right," she quickly tears off a page and writes a few words on it. She folds it up neatly and takes a wax seal from the side of the desk to close it
"Take this to Liann of the Crones Church in town. I hope you can get comfortable there, you two"
Kienan takes it from Ms. Lorain as I grab Mother's longsword, unintentionally clutching it to my chest
"I hope you two boys have a good rest of your day, and Jason"
I look to her quickly
"Congratulations, I was going to accept you before I knew your name. Welcome to Plith's Magic Academy. I am sure you will do well here"