War of Emperium

- Side Story 2 -

Premier Wizard at the age of twenty...

DANG! Hell, the youngest Premier Wizard I knew was about... fifty eight years old! I stared up at our new teacher with glazed eyes of wonder. There was no denying his title of Premier Wizard, he bore the mark on his Bone Wand and on his cloak. Good lord, he must have been the youngest in... five centuries hence?!? 

Nerva smiled at us again.

"I am a simple man, and when I mean simple I am quite easy to please and get along with. Like any other teacher I like complete homeworks, accurate notes and high grades. And also, like any other teacher, I hate students who are not paying attention, much like what Miss Flambeaux is doing right now."

Nina Flambeux, the most popular and prettiest Mage who sat three seats to my left, straightened up and blushed with shame. Her gloved hands shot under her desk, as if she had been electrified. Master Nerva stood up and went to her.

"Can I have that, please?" he asked politely, gently.

"Have what?" said Nina. "I'm not doing anything!"

"Give it to me, Nina, or else get the hell out of my class." Master Nerva said pleasantly.

"The door is just waiting."

Nina was defenseless. We all watched as she handed a pink envelope to Nerva's waiting hands. He didn't read the love letter, though, he just slipped it into his cloak and returned to his desk. Everyone in our class was dumbfounded. No teacher before has made Nina succumb to them or even make her blush with shame. Now this was a first, and it was saying something.

"From what your previous teacher has explained to me, this class has a very great deal on the theories of spells, runes and damage calculation." Nerva spoke.

"Nobody has yet taken you to your practical lesson, and that for me is a big waste of time. As early as your first year, you should have gone out a bit and fought some nice monsters outside Geffen."

He stood up and fetched something from the depths of his cloak. It was a blackened and dried twig. Whispers broke out behind me again. What was he playing at???

"Can anyone tell me what this is?" Nerva asked.

I wasn't sure, but I raised my hand all the same.

"Yes darling, you are raising your hand?" he smiled at me. I blushed.

"Dead branch." I answered shortly.

"And what does the Dead Branch do?" Nerva asked, his voice getting dangerously childish.

"Come now, it is easy..."

Axel spoke. "It's used to summon monsters. That's right! It's used to summon monsters!"

"Very good!" said Nerva, taking hold of both ends of the branch. "Now watch---!"

He snapped the branch in half. From where the pieces dropped to the floor, a wild Desert Wolf appeared and leaped at us, fangs ready to kill.

Shouts echoed in the classroom.

I dived under my desk and felt the Desert Wolf's tail brush against my leg. I shuddered with fear. All around me, my classmates were screaming. I saw ten pairs of legs shoot toward the door, but then Master Nerva's voice rang through the air.

"Oh no you don't! Finish off the Desert Wolf!" He said. I heard the door slam tight.

I heard barks and growls, and the grinding of canine against canine it was horrible. And to think this was our first day with him! Cries arose. There were loud crashes as desks tumbled and chairs cracked. 

"Oh damn, this class really does lack firsthand experience." I heard Master Nerva sigh with disappointment.

"Frost Diver!"

There was a loud crunch. The growls and yelps from the gigantic wolf came to a stop. Gently and slowly, as if watching out for a full-scale war to erupt before me, I looked up. A moan escaped my lips.

The Desert Wolf was locked in a single block of solid eyes, frozen stiff. Master Nerva waved his Bone Wand at it.

"Lightning Bolt!" he said lazily.

A pure bolt of lightning shot from his wand's skull tip and smashed into the ice, obliterating it and the one it held inside. One by one, me and my classmates emerged. Nearly all of us had stupefied and terrified faces. Master Nerva looked around us with something close to disgust.

"Anyway, I did that to test you." He explained.

"Now you tell me. We have a long way to go before you lot are strong enough to journey outside Geffen on your own."

He faced the blackboard and started writing the description of the Ice Element. His hands moved around the blackboard in a blur, my god, he must have memorized the whole book already! 

"Don't wait for me to pick you up off the floor." He said. "Fix yourselves! Now!"

There was a commotion as he straightened up our fallen desks and chairs. We sat back down as if nothing happened, but I was still shaking, and I could have sworn Axel's knees were still buckling.

I couldn't help myself. I raised my hand. "M-master?"

He faced me. I blushed again, damn, what is happening to me?!?

"Yes, darling? You wanted to ask something?"

"What is a Premier Wizard like you doing here?" I asked.

"Aren't Wizards of your rank and title are busy outside Geffen, doing adventures with your guild and party? I just wanted to know."

There was a great murmur of assent with my question. Axel looked all ears, and Nina looked up expectantly. Master Nerva scratched his nose and sat down on the teacher's desk.

"Yes, you are right, Cleis." He answered, winking at me.

"I was with my guild and party until the heads of the Magic Academy requested me to teach. So here am I."

"Then we're honored!" Jin, our best classmate, roared.

"We have a Premier Wizard for a master!"

Master Nerva smiled mysteriously. "Ah, well... we shall see about that."

He returned to the board. "Homework, kindly read and understand this one, copy it please and hand me an essay about the Ice Element tomorrow. Include a basic damage calculation with it. Good-bye."

He picked up his things and went away, closing the door gently behind him. I turned in my seat and faced Jin and Axel and everyone else.

"Finally!" said Jin. "This class has a serious teacher at last!"

I smiled. And so did everyone else.