Mirren Academy of Spells

Chapter 7: Training

Chapter 7: Training

Masama pa rin ang loob ni Alice dahil hindi ko masabi sa kanya ang dahilan kung bakit kailangan kong humingi ng tawad kay Santi. The nerve-racking feeling didn't leave hours after my conversation with Santi. Was this what other people saw in him? Was I starting to fear him, too?

"You've lost your mind," Alice blurted out while we were heading to the dining hall where Claudia was waiting for us at our usual table.

Maybe I did. I lost my mind there for a minute. Santi seemed to care when we were at the sentinel building days ago, pero mukhang mali ako.

"It's her messed-up memories," Claudia muttered matapos ikwento ni Alice ang nangyari sa classroom. "She forgot who her friends are and who are foes."

"Do you think we should send her back to the infirmary?" suggested Alice, like I wasn't there.

"Kapag nalaman nilang hindi pa siya okay, they might report the incident to the higher ups. You can't afford that to happen, can you, Olivia?"

Silence swept our table after Claudia's statement.

"But what about training?" inquired Alice bago humarap sa 'kin. "You remember how to use magic, right, Olivia? You can't skip training days anymore."

"You can teach me," I blurted out without much thinking.

"Teach you what?" kunot-noo na tanong ng dalawa.

"What you can do."

I knew it was close to impossible. But there was no other option but for me to stay until I learned what brought me here, at walang ibang makakatulong sa 'kin kundi si Alice at Claudia.

Nabuhayan ng loob si Alice. "Right! Your body will surely remember how to use magic, like a muscle memory or a reflex!" She sounded optimistic, while Claudia's face was masked in doubt. It seemed like she knew more than what she was showing.

The next day, Alice and I decided to skip our afternoon classes. I had inhibitions sa balak niya. I didn't take her as someone who would voluntarily skip class.

"Are you sure about this?" tanong ko kay Alice.

Sa halip na bumalik sa classroom, tumatakas kami palabas ng school tower dala ang mga gamit namin.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "I would do anything to skip algebra. I hate that subject," she said with passion. "Why add letters to already complicated numbers? That's torture made by humans." I couldn't agree more.

"Paano kapag hinanap tayo?" muli kong tanong habang naglalakad sa likod na bahagi ng kastilyo.

"Just say there's an emergency or something. Madali lang lusutan 'yan basta nakapag-attendance tayo kaninang umaga," ngiti niya. I didn't know Alice could be reckless.

Ilang courtyard at garden ang nadaanan namin bago narating ang lugar na tinutukoy ni Alice. On a hillside within the campus stood a peculiar structure. It looked like the opening of a cave with stone columns surrounding it.

"Why is it all the way here?" I whispered.

"Training rooms use dimensional magic," Alice answered. "It would be too dangerous if the rooms were exposed on high grounds and in close proximity to the castle and dormitories."

We stepped into the path leading to the cave made of boulders and stones. Isang maling yapak ay maaari kang dumausdos pababa sa batuhan.

Pagpasok namin sa loob ng kweba, there was nothing but a hollowed cavity between rocks. Dinala ako ni Alice pababa sa isang makitid na hagdan kung saan isa-isang bumukas ang mga ilaw habang naglalakad kami.

"Here we are."

We stopped in front of a thick steel door attached to the stone walls. Tinulak ni Alice ang mabigat na pinto at walang babalang pumasok sa loob.

My senses were immediately bombarded by the crisp scent of greens and the sight of towering trees. I was standing in front of a full-scale forest. Unti-unti akong pumasok sa loob ng kwarto, nakatunghay sa bughaw na langit na tinatakpan ng malalagong dahon.

"Where are we, Alice?" I whispered, unable to disturb the silence of the trees.

"It's a dimensional room. Every room in this corridor leads into a different training environment," she explained. "Pwede natin itong i-adjust, but we need to have the approval of a training professor at tumakas lang tayo."

"Are we in a real place outside?"

"Of course. We're only being transported by the rooms. These are random places in the world that are protected by barriers kaya hindi natin kailangang mag-alala."

Nagsimula agad si Alice sa pagbigay ng training sa 'kin. We started with the most basic, which, according to her, was the foundation of all things magic-spells.

"This is the most basic thing you should know. There are verbal spells and non-verbal spells."

We were in a clearing, deep into the forest, and I tried not to be distracted by all the natural noises and lights. I couldn't believe we were actually outside.

"Verbal spells are used in two drastically different ways. They're commonly used by beginners and people who create powerful spells because they're very specific. They give higher control by using carefully stringed words that direct the flow of energy to create a proper spell." Her eyes glowed wickedly. "Let me remind you how a spell feels."

"Will that be dangerous?" mapagduda kong tanong. Alice could be unpredictable at times.

She giggled. "Just a simple casting spell, Olivia. It will be easier for you to understand how spells work when you remember how they feel," she pointed out.

I eventually agreed. Alice was quiet for a short second, trying to concentrate.

"Walk."

The moment Alice said the word, kusang humakbang ang mga paa ko.

Ngumiti si Alice sa nakikitang kawalan ko ng control sa sarili kong katawan. "See? When I say 'walk' with no specific subject, everyone within the spell's scope will walk, except for those with restraining power."

"Restraining power?" tanong ko.

"The power of your body to fight against spells," Alice pointed out with ease. Hindi ako tumigil sa paghakbang nang pabalik-balik na parang pinaglalaruan. I had no power over my body at kusa lang itong gumagalaw.

"Here's a good spell," she continued. "When you follow the flow of energy, it would sound like this..." Huminga nang malalim si Alice bago muling nagsalita.

"Feet on the floor

circles on track.

Keep the head out

of an everlasting trap."

My feet walked in circles aggressively, like I was being punished. I wasn't dizzy, but I wasn't stopping either. "Alice," I called out. "What the hell is this?"

"You're now under a proper spell," she answered, smiling. "You won't feel anything from your head down to your waist, but your feet would soon ache from strain. For worse cases, a normal person with no restraining power might chose to amputate their legs just to stop. That's the difference between crappy verbal spells and spells with good flow of energy."

Sa wakas, huminto ako sa paglalakad. Napahawak ako sa tuhod ko, hinihingal at pinagpapawisan. What Alice showed was terrifying and fascinating at the same time.

"Non-verbal spells, on the other hand, are those you can use without much control," patuloy na paliwanag ni Alice. "They are mostly destructive spells, healing magic, protective spells, or those that have larger scope."

"Do you know how many types of spells exist?" tanong ko.

Alice shrugged. "A new spell could be created every day, so it's like asking how many species of insects exist. There's no way to know until they appear."

Alice made things sounded so easy.

But the more I learned about them, the more I believed I shouldn't be in this world.

***

Mirren Academy of Spells