Upon the Flying Ship: Rewritten Records of the Illiterate Author

Chapter 10

"And now," Year 1's teacher stood in front of a class of about twenty-six students. "You will pick a partner and spar in front of the class. I want to see what you learned this year."

The first year had been all about their powers. Mondy was given full reign with her knives and a teacher who was good with them.

Mondy turned to Synx. She looked petite and fragile, but her magic was literally punches.

Synx nodded, and they stood to the side as a pair.

"Okay. First we'll have DeMondine and Synx."

They walked up on stage, and stood on either side of it.

"Synx, a punch Mage. DeMondine, a plant Mage who has lost her power due to iron, uses throwing knives instead. Get ready, get set, GO!"

Mondy pulled out her knives, waiting for Synx to punch first. True to her character, a vague purplish outline of her fist shot forward, and Mondy leaped aside and forward.

Sure, close contact wasn't a good idea for a person who could send you flying through the air with one hit, but Mondy wasn't about to waste her knives.

Her feet left the ground in a leap, flying alongside her knives, and Synx aimed a punch. Her mark lit up, and Mondy threw out her hands in a desperate effort to save herself.

Purple crackled across the iron, and all she felt was a light push.

Synx stared at Mondy. Mondy stared at her hands.

The teacher blinked. "What just happened?"

"UNFAIR! BOO!" Someone in the audience shouted. "SHE USED IRON!"

Mondy backed away slowly. "It- I can't control it!"

Her protests were drowned out by the crowd.

"You would be priceless in battle. I'm sorry my students don't understand that." Her teacher looked pityingly at her. "I also don't want this to blow up, so sorry."

Mondy was confused until he turned to the crowd. "This will result in two weeks of detention, because this dark magic is not something that can be overpowered."

Even while washing the dishes, Mondy now remembered that she was stronger than her peers, because of a power that she hadn't realized was so important, and that was given to only her.

Zydexo woke up with the sunrise with one thought in his mind: 'Join the DeSSers.'

He had no idea how the thought had found him, but it seemed pretty important.

Atoning for his crimes? For killing Liblie?

It seemed like fate, and it was never a good idea to refuse fate.

"Vanille."

She was already up and brushing her purring cat. Clouds of chocolate fur covered her head-to-toe, and when she turned towards him, there was a mask on her face, saving her lungs from the fluff. "Yea, what is it?"

"Someone's telling me to join the DeSSers."

Vanille raised her eyebrows. "There's someone else with us? 'Cause I certainly haven't been."

Zydexo shrugged. "I actually don't know. But it was there in my head when I woke up and it sounds pretty important."

"Well, you're in luck then! Our next bunch of letters is for the DeSSers. We're going South."

"Hello. Assuming you know where you are, and aren't carrying any letters, you want to join the DeSSers?" Mieron sat at the desk, looking over the rims of his glasses at Zydexo.