Tale of the Fiery Arcanist

Section 1, Chapter 2 - SCARY ENCOUNTERS

Caldas' POV

The ferry ride was quite short. I guess it was approximately a 12-hour ride from the capital to the port of the isle. I only got about 5 hours of sleep, which bummed me out, but I can only blame myself since I stayed up for a few hours practicing some spells. For some reason, I can't cast the flippin' fiery gout spell. What the spell was supposedly meant to do was hurl a continuous flame towards the direction of the wand or staff. Instead, sparks flew out the end of the wand with each final movement, which in turn made me mad! I became so frustrated that I flicked my wand so hard that a huge flame came out, almost burning down the whole room! Okay, that was an exaggeration, but it was quite close to catching some of the wood on fire. I decided to call it a night after that minor incident.

It was around 7:30 AM when I woke up. I quickly brushed my teeth and got dressed for the special ceremony for the new and upcoming students that would initiate once we arrived at the isle. I decided on a cream button-up shirt with slightly baggy, dark blue denim jeans and a large leather overcoat. I left my room and saw other students preparing to disembark, levitating their belongings with them. I decided to give the levitation spell another shot, even though I knew I hadn't mastered it. However, I felt a surge of confidence as we slowly approached the port and began to concentrate on the movements, feeling each flick and rotation in my wrist. The crate began to levitate and move slowly, following the direction of my wand. I began to walk towards the common area of the ferry with my crate following me in the air. I came to a halt near the exit and slowly dropped the crate next to me and looked at my hands in disbelief.

"Holy Arcanum, I just did that!" I whisper-screamed to myself.

"Looks like shorty has learned a new spell...a spell learned only by children! Haha!" a man profoundly chuckled. I presumed he was a student, since he was wearing a fiery badge that was given to all of us. Three other guys started laughing along with him. My cheeks felt hot, and I looked down to my feet, feeling completely embarrassed.

"Maybe you're actually a child based on how short you are," the man said while he and his buddies continued to laugh. He was about to shove my shoulder with his hand, but before he could do so, I felt a blast of cold air over my shoulder. I looked to my left to see his right hand immobilized, completely covered in frost.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you--it's not the brightest choice of action," Rina calmly threatened the student.

"What did you do to my hand?" the man asked while panicking.

"Promise me that you won't try to touch him again," Rina stated with a deathly stare.

"And what kind of authority do you have?" the man snarly questioned while holding his frozen hand.

"I have about as much authority as the professors here, actually. The headmistress of your institution assigned me to watch over you guys, in the case that troublemakers like you start problems. Now, I will say it again. Stop messing with him or you will be dealing with the assistant headmaster once we arrive," Rina briefly explained.

"Yes! I will stop bothering him! Just get rid of the spell! My hand is freezing!" the man yelled.

Rina flicked her wand and the frost on his hand disappeared. The men started to run away shortly after Rina had reversed the effects of her spell. Rina sighed.

"Why can't people just be kind to others? Is it really that hard? I'm sorry you had to deal with those losers. I hope your future encounters at the institution are unlike this one. I'm sure they will be much better," Rina remarked while attempting to comfort me.