All of the boys partnered up, leaving Aldric and Harden with each other. Each coupling had secluded themselves in an area of the classroom and began drawing the new rune into the dirt floor.
Grum practiced with Felix, a smaller falcon with a distinctly angry face. All around the room, small towers puffed into existence while attempts were made with the warding run. The sounds of clacking wood sounded as small bunches of boys reached for wands to help their casting.
The wand seemed to help, but the falcons still struggled maintaining the charm. Harden watched nervously as yet another pairing failed. He glanced at Aldric, who also watched, but seemingly more intently. He seemed to map every flick of the falcons' wrists, and every small readjustment.
He moved his mouth as he whispered to himself, an action he often did without realizing.
"Al?" Harden said, poking the boy to get his attention. Aldric's focus switched quickly as his gaze fixed on Harden.
"Should we begin?" Harden asked, raising his eyebrows in concern.
"Yeah, okay," Aldric said, refocusing his mind. The pair of them continued toward an empty area of the classroom and set up their station.
"You should create the structure. My craftsman's rune is almost perfect; you need more practice than I do," Aldric instructed, sitting down in the dirt.
"If you're better with the craftsman's rune, wouldn't it make more sense for you to create a structure?" Harden protested softly.
"No, I already create structurally sound creations," Aldric insisted. Harden thought for a moment before deciding his friend was right. Honing his own skill with the craftsman's rune would further push him toward phoenix status.
"Alright, I'll try," he muttered, smiling softly before joining Aldric in the dirt. They sat with their legs crossed, dust dirtying their trousers. At first, they sat silently, etching their runes in the dirt to ensure proper casting. They each practiced their runes a dozen times apiece.
Neither of them felt like the task at hand was excessively difficult, but they couldn't help but notice nobody had accomplished it. All of the structures around the room, small and large alike, would collapse after a few moments.
No matter how hard the warders cast, the charm didn't take shape the way it was intended to. Defeated huffs and frustrated exclaims of disappointment filled the once excitable classroom.
"Remember, boys, there are no expectations for success today. Think of it as a new game. Today we'll go over the rules and basic incorporation. Later we'll worry about full utilization," Professor P said, then paused.
"Oh, and please try to have fun. It's the most important part," he added before continuing on about his business. Harden gazed at the beaver and then back at his rune.
"I think I'm ready," he said, glancing up at Aldric, who studied the practiced runes across from him.
"Me too," he stated, brushing his doodles from the dirt.
"Should we get a wand?" Harden asked, pausing just before activating his rune.
"Not yet, no point in accepting defeat before even trying," Aldric said, smiling largely. Harden gulped and continued focusing. His chest raged with fire and pressure. He felt his hands sweat as they began to heat up as if being placed just above a fire. His vision went fuzzy for a moment as he remembered his first lesson in the phoenix den.
He breathed deeply, focusing some of his energy into replenishing his life force. He felt an odd tingling sensation from his fingers to his toes. A gentle cooling sensation rushed down his spine, and he felt himself amped with energy.
"Good, focus. Now, when you're ready, visualize what you want to make, and tell the dirt to make it," Aldric helped, seeing his friend succeed in his technique. Another deep breath filled Harden's lungs, and the searing heat intensified on his palms.
"Now release it," Aldric said, his voice more excited than it had ever been. A bright flash of red, and a small cloud of black smoke puffed into the air. Harden moved his hands and watched as his rune began to take shape.
To Aldric's amazement and his own, Harden successfully created a small dirt boat. Fit with smoke stacks, a long bowsprit, and a sharp hull. Aldric gazed at the ship thoughtfully. He had seen something like this before, they both had.
Through the window, before it had been taken, Harden had created what they had seen beyond the veil. Aldric's focus left him as he grew mesmerized by the small ship. The creation was far from perfect, with large chunks of sand missing from parts of the hull and bow.
As for the structural integrity, the ship looked like a small gust would cause it to vanish completely. That's when Aldric remembered his task in the lesson. His eyes twitched as he glanced down at the practice runes. In front of him, using only one finger, he drew the four lines that made up the warding charm.
He felt his anger boil without being told, like lungs filling with air unprompted. His chest singed with the fiery inferno of rage. His chest tightened against his heart, and his breath grew short but steady. His mind began to funnel itself and filter out all outside thoughts.
All he knew was protection. All he cared about was maintaining the structure of the boat. He knew he needed this to work, especially if he couldn't trust that Harden could do it again. There wasn't any room for error. His skin turned a dim shade of pink before slowly going red. His palms began to sweat, and his brain felt like it was melting.
He tried maintaining focus on his life force, but it seems impossible for him to maintain both charms. The invisible rune became visible for a moment with a flash of yellow. It puffed dark grey smoke before contorting similarly to Professor P's. The invisible sheet covered the small boat and took in its shape.
The loose sand was quickly packed back into place, and the shape of the ship was maintained. Just like he had vacuum sealed it, the ship had been wrapped in a protective layer. Aldric quickly fell to his rump, breathless. He hadn't noticed that everyone's eyes had shifted toward him.
They all watched in amazement as he and Harden completed the task during the first lesson. Professor P, however, wore a look of unsurprise as he flashed his two front teeth encouragingly.
"The phoenix's, I presume?" The small mammal asked, closely inspecting the ship in his paws.
"Yes sir," Aldric said, humbly and still out of breath.
"Quite impressive. Good work, boys, but unfortunately," the beaver paused and pointed his clawed finger upward as if waiting for something. As if he had memorized the schedule, the room rotated ninety degrees.
"We will have to pick up from here next time," he yelled, as the boys rushed to the door and into the hallway. Aldric and Harden trickled out last, slowly trying to push through the crowd.
"Here dear boy, you've earned this," professor P said, handing the ship to the boy as he went to leave.
"Thank you, sir," he said, taking the boat from the beast.
"No, thank you. Never in all my years have I seen such an aptitude. A very curious level of magic you hold dear, boy. Use it well," he instructed, releasing his grip on the boat. Aldric and Harden exited the corridor as the door sealed behind them.
Again, the tower rotated, and they were on their way to their next class.