The Son of Ice and Dusk

Where I am recruited into a cult

When someone tells you that not only do you apparently have powers, but the powers you have are a weapon of destruction — run.

But if you don't have anywhere to go and you can't just run, sitting down and listening to the first real day of theory at magic school sounds good as well.

In my case, I didn't have a choice.

The day after, Professor Winter decided to show me the differences between the Enchanters. The older students had to write the letter, but Ohda decided to stick around and help me with my newfound powers.

"There are basic kinds of spells every one of the Enchanters is able to do," he said. "Magic is only energy, be it positive or negative. If you put a lot of effort into turning the walls of this house green, you can make it happen. Ohda will show you the right Mudra."

"How do I know which are the basic kinds of spells?"

"You can study the table I created with the different Mudras," Ohda replied. "But, when you'll be more comfortable with your magic, you'll feel the energy pulling and you'll understand what it is you can do."

I tried, closing my eyes and moving my fingers like she showed me. I was feeling very stupid.

I held my breath, shocked. When I opened my eyes, the walls seemed to be a little greener indeed. A horrible mud green, though.

"Don't be surprised if you still suck at it," Jake said, grinning. "After all, you need a lot of exercise to be good, and you have to really believe in what you do."

"Can you turn these walls green?" I asked him.

Jake turned the walls from mud green to bright green with an elegant nod of his hand. The whole thing was crazy, but still I couldn't help but admire his powers.

The Professor laid an old pack of tarot cards in front of me. "Those are the originals — the Tarocchi in the style of Mantegna. As I was telling you, the Enchanters and the Tarot Cards have a shared history, but that's a story for another time. Suffice to say that there is a reason we are named after the cards."

Mister Winter revealed four cards. The first was the Hierophant. I was aware of what it meant, for I was not a total cretin. It was the card for the Hierophant.

"The Hierophant is often feared and admired by humans, because our powers are unpredictable, stronger during a certain season, and we can mess with the natural elements. Still, we must follow the hierarchic order of nature, hence the name."

The second card was Justice. "The Jurist. What you are. Not that there's anything wrong with being a Jurist — almost everyone in this room is. And your energy is so strong, you are the only ones who can create portals. As for what a portal is, we'll go into details later. Those magic users have a narrow, but excellent, understanding of right and wrong. Their senses almost never fail. That is why a Jurist can never go on the wrong path, though, if they do, their energy will become destructive altogether."

"What about when a Hierophant follows the wrong path?" I asked.

The Professor looked at me as if he wanted to burn a hole through my soul, with his eyes. I was reminded of when he got angry because I told him I wanted to try time-changing, and decided not to ask any more questions.

"A Hierophant on the wrong path could change the hierarchic rules of nature I mentioned before."

I shivered at the brief description.

"The third type is the Enlightener," the Professor proceeded, revealing the third card. The Sun. "This card is also known as Enlightenment. They are the healers, and they work as doctors of the Aether Realm. The card, like them, represents knowledge and accomplishment."