Bookbound Bunny

Lily and the boys shared a questioning glance; Arthur shrugged, Thomas shook his head, and Lily sighed. It seemed she wasn't the only one left in the dark.

"Terravix won't be happy; they've missed out on quite a few of the early students," Beatrice commented.

"Bah, they have enough good students," Professor Elius scoffed. "And it's not like early students are always the ones with the highest prospects; there might be a few late bloomers or unlucky ones."

"All true," Headmaster Fabrelis agreed.

"Um? Sorry, can we get an explanation?" Thomas interjected.

"You didn't tell them before coming here?" the headmaster asked.

"Why ruin the surprise?" Beatrice replied.

All three students frowned.

"I think they've been exhausted from all the surprises," Fabrelis chuckled.

"Big time," Arthur blurted.

"Competition is the catalyst for growth and progress—as has been evident by the success of Regarth and the other institutes," Fabrelis explained. "That's why there's so much rivalry between us and the main driving force behind having an official ranking. Regarth isn't alone in this, but there is competition within as well, and for that, we have the three factions—Terravix, Maranix, and Zephyrix."

"Terravix represents the land, Maranix represents the oceans, and Zephryix represents the sky," Professor Elius added.

"Oh sweet, so I got put with the sky faction? Sounds great!" Arthur cheered.

"Not to ruin your celebration, but any similarities or oddities like that are mere coincidences," the headmaster said. "At the end of the day, they were just themed names we came up with that people could get behind. There's no deeper meaning; your personality and merits haven't been judged. It's simply random. I originally wanted to just call them the red, white, and blue houses—but I was overruled."

"And thank the gods for that," Beatrice exclaimed. "How boring would it be in tournaments or competitions to just cheer for 'the red house.'"

Lily and the boys showed immediate agreement—a name was far better than just a color.

"And while the headmaster might repeatedly insist that there's no deeper meaning, it hasn't stopped students and staff from speculating otherwise," Elius also pointed out.

Arthur seemed quite pleased by that. Lily wasn't sure why he was so obsessed with the sky, but maybe it was related to his bloodline.

Fabrelis sighed, "I just want them to stop reinforcing their made-up stereotypes. I feel like it stifles their imagination if they keep thinking that just because you're in Terravix, you have to win with brute force and overwhelming power. Or that Zephyrix relies on speed, finesse, and agility. Or Maranix relies on wisdom and deception."

"Well, I do like being faster than anyone else," Arthur responded.

"No. Stop right there," Fabrelis protested. "I repeat, there is no greater meaning—they are just names and a theme. Don't shoehorn yourself into following a theme; you can rely on wits or power just as much as the rest of them."

"Question," Thomas said, raising his hand. When the headmaster acknowledged him, he continued. "Does that mean Regarth doesn't partake in individual competitions and merits? Is everything done through their faction?"

"Heavens, no," Elius quickly answered. "There are still individual competitions; it's just that the faction ones tend to be on a larger scale and draw more of a crowd. The camaraderie formed between the factions is quite infectious."

"And that doesn't mean you can't fraternize with the other factions. Although I will admit that some students and teachers take it too far," Beatrice added. "Although I swear that all fades away the second there's a competition against the other schools. Heated rivals suddenly become best friends; it's a glorious sight."

"I see. Thank you for the answer," Thomas replied.

"Are we allowed to change factions?" Lily asked.

"No, I'm afraid it's final," the headmaster answered sternly. "We've had problems in the past where a certain faction would try to monopolize all the talent, or a large family would attempt to manipulate things."

"Oh…" Lily murmured, her ears drooping.

"What's wrong? You don't want to be stuck with Thomas?" Arthur asked, nudging him in the arm. Thomas frowned while Yona set her eyes on Sphii, who was somehow still sleeping.

"No… not that," Lily replied. "Unless I misheard, I think my big sister is in Terravix. I wanted to be with her."

Beatrice walked over with an apologetic smile and gently patted Lily on the shoulder, "I'm sorry, dear. It's not like you won't be able to interact with her outside of competitions."

"And look at it positively. You can use each other as rivals of sorts to push yourself to greater accomplishments," the professor suggested.

"Sister?" the headmaster asked.

"Rose, the Dragia from last year," Beatrice answered first.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Well, then most definitely not, I'm afraid. Based on your evaluation, I don't think we want Terravix to have another potential star player. Someone would no doubt complain about rigging the selection process."

Lily frowned but ultimately was forced to accept it. She really wanted to be part of the same faction as Rose, but as Beatrice had pointed out—nothing was stopping them from interacting with each other outside of competitions and events between the factions.

"Any further questions before we end it here?" the headmaster offered.

None of the kids said anything, so Professor Elius spoke up.

"Lily here wanted to take Enchanting as one of her electives. I don't think it should be an issue, but she needs your permission."

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"Ah. Yes, the whole Tresnia fiasco," Fabrelis concurred. "Alright, Elius, you can escort the boys back to the dorm, I'll have Lily here draw a glyph, and if she satisfies my expectations, then she can take the course," he turned to face Lily. "Are you up for it?"

"Of course!" Lily answered with zero hesitation.

"Very well," Elius agreed and gestured for the two boys to follow him.

"Bye, Lily, good luck," Thomas said with a wave.

"See ya," Arthur said with a mock salute.

"Oh, and you two should wear your new badges," Fabrelis called out before they left. You might as well let the other students know you've officially joined them."

They began fastening their badges to their shirts and then finally left, following behind the professor. Lily turned back to the headmaster, who was scratching his head, seemingly pondering something as his tail swished back and forth.

"Let's see… what should I have you draw?" he pondered out loud.

"Why not have her draw the same glyph that caught Tresnia's eye?" Beatrice suggested.

"An excellent suggestion," he replied happily before facing Lily. I'm honestly surprised you didn't take up their offer if you're so creatively inclined. No doubt they offered you an atelier or something similar."

"My sister and I promised to come here together. Also, I thought the dungeon might have better rewards. Plus, I want to be a mage, not an alchemist."

"An excellent response," he replied happily. "I'm glad you picked us, and I think once your dungeon classes start, you'll feel justified in your decision."

He opened his desk and pulled out a small wooden box before pulling out a black slate and placing both on the tabletop.

"You should be somewhat familiar with this chalk," he said, opening the box and revealing a complete set. "These come from the dungeon and have been a great teaching aid here. Each stick is imbued with a considerable portion of Mana, and yet glyphs drawn with them are also capable of absorbing more Mana. Using this chalk is akin to the days of old when glyphs would be drawn in ink made of rare resources like plants and minerals—if you can believe it."

Lily nodded. Do I ever… You have no idea all the trouble we went through with Fairymoss.

[Fascinating… so the dungeon itself produced them? Or perhaps they are using resources in the dungeon to create them. Through specific types of alchemy, one could turn even dungeon stonework into a resource—although they tend to get quite upset about that.]

Oh… that sounds really cool. I wonder if I can make my own chalk then… wait! The dungeon can get upset?

Lily wished she could respond to Arakil through telepathy and greatly lamented the one-sided secret conversation.

The headmaster continued talking, "Of course, it still pales in comparison to blood glyphs, but it saves a fortune in healing potions and gives even the squeamish a chance to learn."

"Not that it's helped. The subject is far too boring for most," Beatrice said.

"It's unfortunate, and those truly interested would much rather go to Tresnia to learn to become merchant enchanters. Of course, those that do learn here get to experience what it's like to have a near-infinite supply of resources from the dungeon."

Lily's eyes were sparkling. It sounded wonderful.

"Assuming they are strong enough, of course," Beatrice added once again. "Or if they've made a good team to explore the dungeon with. However, that comes up with the problem of needing to compensate everyone involved."

"All very true. Nothing can cause an argument like fighting over some piece of rare loot," he shook his head dejectedly. "Many adventuring parties have been disbanded over such complaints, and bridges of friendship burnt to cinders."

"Fabrelis, you're waffling again," Beatrice interrupted.

"Apologies," he said with a blush before pushing the box and black slate forward. "If you don't mind, could you draw your glyph on this? Pick any piece of chalk to work with. Actually, if it works, you can keep the box and slate as an incentive!"

Lily's eyes were beaming; she wanted the chalk and slate.

[I trust this should be no issue at all for you. It sounds like you've claimed a free prize.]

Beatrice gestured for Lily to take a seat, after which she gingerly picked up a piece of chalk. At the moment, she still preferred working with pens and ink, and she knew she wouldn't be able to give her best performance in chalk, but even so, she knew she could pass this little test.

"If I remember correctly, I drew an alchemy flame glyph at a precise temperature and duration," Lily explained out loud as she began drawing the initial setup. She would keep the temperature and duration for last once she knew what she was creating.

"I'm not an alchemist, so I have no idea," the headmaster admitted. I'll just show a picture of your finished product to our teachers before you activate it and let them explain it to me. I just want to see the result."

Lily paused and looked at him curiously, "You'll show them a picture? How?"

The headmaster had a roguish grin on his face as if he was anticipating this question. He was about to open his mouth and respond when Beatrice beat him to the punch.

"Illusions, my dear," she explained, stealing his thunder. "Fabrelis can create picture-perfect illusions of pretty much anything he's seen at least once."

"Wow!" Lily exclaimed excitedly. "But… will that be enough? The glyph and its sigils need to be pretty much perfect."

"Let's just say that I've never had any issue recollecting anything to date," he explained, giving a mysterious smirk.

[If he's like any of the illusionists I knew of, he most likely has some form of mental control or spell that allows him to perfectly recall picture-perfectly. In the more extreme cases, they would even put themselves under a state of self-hypnosis.]

Lily was fascinated but realized she still had a task to complete. She continued drawing while Fabrelis and Beatrice watched with interest. It didn't take her too long, and when she was done, she looked at the result proudly.

"I'm done," she announced.

"And you didn't even need to look at a reference," Beatrice commented.

"I had a lot of practice. I took an apprenticeship under an alchemist, and she had me constantly drawing these," Lily explained.

"Wonderful. Now, before you activate it, let me take a glance," the headmaster said, holding out his hand.

Lily handed him the black slate. He paused and gazed at it, adjusting his spectacles a few times before nodding. He then held out his hand, and floating above it was an image replica of Lily's drawing.

"Would you like to confirm this matches your drawing?" he asked.

Lily looked it over but quickly confirmed there were no issues. She was fascinated at how he'd replicated it, as she'd never had direct experience with illusion magic—the closest facsimile would be her work with the shadow crest.

"It's as if I drew it myself," Lily confirmed.

"Great. Then would you do us the honors of activating your glyph?" he asked and handed the slate back to her.

Lily took it and opened herself up to her Mana, her core revolving and filling her. She briefly activated her Magesight and noticed a few lines that didn't have the consistency she usually would want in a glyph, likely due to insufficient pressure on the chalk.

She touched the glyph and gave it a slight boost in Mana before activating it, and thanks to the chalk's ability to absorb it, she was able to balance the entire glyph in no time at all.

[Excellent work. We should look into securing more of this chalk for our endeavors.]

Lily then activated the glyph, and a triangle pyramid of flame appeared above the glyph and floated above it.

"It worked!" Fabrelis said excitedly, his eyes brimming with fascination. "But why is it a triangle? The ones I've witnessed are always balls."

Lily's eye twitched momentarily, but she suppressed her annoyance. Arakil's perfectionism had rubbed off on her far too much, and it had gotten somewhat worse than her outburst against Camilla long ago. She let out a small sigh and forced herself to calm down.

"Long story short… spheres are terribly inefficient in Fire-related glyphs, and there is a natural synergy with triangles or anything with a pointed tip."

"Good to know. I'll be sure to mention that when I show this glyph to our teacher," he replied and gestured to the floating image in his palm. "Well, you've satisfied me. The chalk and slate are yours to keep, and you've got my permission to do Enchanting."

Lily smiled triumphantly.

"Shouldn't you wait until after the teacher's evaluation?" Beatrice asked, pointing to the illusion.

"I get the feeling he won't complain. And if he does, I'll pull his leg a bit," Fabrelis explained. "But, unfortunately, I'll need to call this meeting to a close. I would have loved to have witnessed some of this star magic I've heard about, but that will have to wait for another day. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity."

"No, um, thank you for the gifts! I'll use them very well!" Lily replied cheerfully.

"Be sure to pass the message along to Elius," he said to Beatrice, who confirmed by nodding.

"Come, Lily, let's go grab a bite to eat before heading back to the dorm," she said kindly.

Lily bobbed in agreement and just hoped that Beatrice would be taking her to the cafeteria where Aura was not working.