Knights of Lore

Chapter 2 - Knights in training

"Mana," stated Kariah-Belle Nadire from her desk, floating upside down close to the dark-skinned man. He seemed to be standing midair but was standing on a platform made of energy.

"By manipulating one's life force, one can create an invisible energy..." caramel-skinned young lady continued, "this energy can be shaped by the user. The increase in one's attributes, the manifestation of powerful weapons, transformations, and wielding the elements are all just a few forms of crafting."

"Very good, Ms. Nadire," Professor Mar-Gin said. "Tell the class about black mana."

"When one continuously uses mana for deeds involving hatred, envy, greed, etc., it will resort to mana turning black. This will resort in every skill manifested by mana having a black hue or tint. This effect can be suppressed with an addictive drug known as Darklight. It does not stop the black mana from corrupting the mind, driving one to obsess over their darkest thoughts."

Kariah-Belle paused and thought of what her teacher wanted to hear. "If one refuses to take this drug, they eventually become a darkling, a creature who only knows destruction. Evil bears are a subclass of darkling. While the body is in search of carnage, the consciousness belongs to the Fallen Place. If someone can escape this void of darkness, then they become a Darkness Tamer and are able to utilize multiple dark craft along with a few other perks."

Mar-Gin nodded to himself as he listened to the curly-haired young woman speak. "As expected of someone who aims to sit on the council. Very well done. Mr. Col, finish for your classmate." He turned to face the Lax-Rim, and the energy platform danced with square patterns.

Before long, the young man answered, which earned a nod of approval from the professor. "Mana was given to us by Kul, the Goddess of creation and mana. With life force, there comes positive energy and negative energy. It is the combination of the two energies that gives life."

"Good, good, Mr. Col," the professor said. "I am pleased to see you've been keeping up with your studies. Who can tell me about the four light keepers?"

"The four lightkeepers are the heroes who saved mankind from the Darkness invasion seven hundred years ago," began another classmate. "They were gifted Kul's immense power to push back the Darkness. In the end, three of the lightkeepers gave up their piece of Kul so that the fourth could drive the Darkness from Lore. Kul's whereabouts remain a mystery. The descendants of the four lightkeepers are Stoneheart, Solaris, Felicity, and Nadire."

"Excellent, Zana. I'm pleased to see you all know your history."

Loud chimes rang throughout the university, signaling the end of class.

The young men and women formed their desks into a half-circle around the lower part of the spherical classroom. They then started to file out as classes were over for the day. As with the end of every week this year, Kariah, Lax-Rim, Mae Lu, Akio, and Jet stayed at their desks. Professor Mar-Gin looked them over. Kariah-Belle looked around at the remaining students, five of them in total. They all stayed behind for one reason: they were in the advanced course.

Each of them could skip Officer Knight to become Master Knights and earn a spot on a squad without having to complete the normal three years at the university.

"As you've no doubt heard, recruitment will be at the university by the end of the week to pick out potential candidates to fight for the four nations," Professor Mar-Gin said, causing the students to exchange looks. Kariah-Belle had heard rumors, but she thought that they were just that...rumors. "They will be personally taking you out on much more difficult missions than what this school assigns to the advanced students. This means you can showcase your talents and abilities for a chance to graduate even early in the year."