A Heart in Flames #2 (Howl's Moving Castle fanfiction)

Chapter 23: The Prized Students of Madame Suliman

Their years of training had brought them to this moment. Years of practice and painful mistakes, hours of studying and rivaling competition - this was their first test of approval from Madame Suliman.

She sat in her chair, completely at ease. Her little statues stood perfect in a row, waiting to be summoned. She had already gone through the lot of her novice apprentices, determining their worth by their skills. She had seen a variety of magicians and their sources shining with potential and vigor, but she had yet to see her prized students.

The name Howl Pendragon appeared on her magical orb. The orb ranked students in their current professional state of magic, so it was no surprise that he was near the end of the orb's list. Currently, he was ranked fifth, but by the end of the apprenticeship, she expected him to be her highest rank.

She saw the young man fidget at the mentioning of his name. She smiled. "Come forth." He broke away from the line and took ten strides toward her, still a fair distance away. She waved her hand, palm facing upward, and he began.

Howl exhaled quickly. His eyes were closed and his hands moved around an invisible sphere. He transferred his weight between his legs, bending one knee and then moving to the next. Under his breath, he whispered a low and dangerous spell, and Madame Suliman was pleased. Very pleased.

The open room darkened entirely, even from the outside. A black orb took the place of the sun in the sky. The students clutched to one another, frightened of their fellow classmate. Howl paid no mind to their whimpers or signs of fear - he was only here to earn one person's approval.

He pushed one hand toward the ground and the other into his chest. The darkness was infinite; he had no boundaries to his abilities. Suliman had taught him how.

In an instant, the light flushed through the cold space. The room returned to its tranquil state and their fear was no longer visible. Even so, now that Howl's source was revealed as darkness, he had now become a profound threat.

Madame Suliman clapped slowly, as she did for her previous apprentices as a form of praise. There was something in the way she rewarded Howl, however, that made it obvious of her favor toward him. It was no surprise to the rest of the class.

Madame Suliman waved him off to rejoin his class. Noe Bridges appeared on the orb next. The girl with the long, curly pigtails walked proudly past Howl, intentionally hitting his shoulder on her way. He forced himself not to retaliate, though so many would have enjoyed seeing another fight from him - especially against his biggest competitor, Noe.

She bowed with a curtsey to Madame Suliman prior to her demonstration, then sat cross-legged on the tile floor until the spell raised her a few inches off the ground. She exposed a vision on the glass wall, Suliman turning around to see the premonition. Though no one could see the sorceress, Suliman's eerie smile was ever present. This was a skill she knew would become very useful in time.

She nodded and the orb called upon her next apprentice - Kenta Itō. He skillfully performed a natural disaster using all four of the main elements. His fluidity transferring between contrasting elements clearly showed his growth from his premature battle with Howl on their first day, so it was no surprise he had slightly surpassed his former rival. Madame Suliman nodded with approval.

Nade Obel. The overzealous and cocky wizard approached the center of the room, his muscles flexed. He cracked his neck on both sides before positioning himself. His source caught the room by surprise - after he jumped into the air and smashed his fist into the ground, the room's gravitational pull fell off balance.

The apprentices fell into the air, while Madame Suliman was the only one prepared for such mastery. Nade casted a prideful grin toward her, in which she nodded. He returned the balance to the room, his fellow classmates falling from whatever height they had floated, and rejoined the line of students.