Trinity of Magic

Zeke sat on a bench in one of the academy's parks. He was lost in thought. Three days had passed since his encounter with Maximilian. The prospect of working with someone as renowned as the old man was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The thought of being a part of a research project that could revolutionize Magic theory was tempting.

However, Zeke couldn't shake the feeling that something about Maximilian's offer was too good to be true. The fact that Maximilian had been searching for someone with Zeke's specific affinities made him feel like the coincidence was too much.

He observed the other students milling about. The surrounding groups appeared happy as they bragged about their progress. He was envious of their easy smiles and unguarded expressions. Once upon a time, he had been the same. He missed the times when he also could assume the best about people.

Zeke was longing for the simple life he used to have before he was accepted into the prestigious Elementium Academy. Now, he was surrounded by endless mockery. Constantly on guard about the motives of those around him.

He sighed and leaned against the bench, closing his eyes. He didn't have a clear answer to his dilemma, and the fact that he had been considering Maximilian's offer for days now without coming to a clear conclusion only added to his frustration. Zeke knew that he needed to make a decision soon, but he just couldn't bring himself to trust the old man.

He made his way across the sprawling campus of the Elementium Academy. His thoughts were preoccupied with the offer made to him by the eccentric old man known as Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim.

Eventually, he arrived at his destination: A grandiose hall that could fit hundreds of students. There had been an announcement for a special lecture taking place instead of the usual classes. Zeke was curious to learn what this was about. Apparently, a famous Mage would be here to hold the lecture.

As the minutes ticked by, more and more students filtered into the hall, filling the surrounding space until the hall was nearly bursting at the seams. The lecture was mandatory for every first-year student. The students of higher grades were also encouraged to take part. From what Zeke could see, many had taken that advice.

Not too far from him sat Theodor Steiner, the Earth Magic prodigy from the Steiner family. Zeke observed from his seat in the corner as the other students vied for his attention. Theodor was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with brown hair and piercing green eyes. The renowned Steiner family was known for producing some of the strongest Earth Mages in the empire. Theodor was a prime example of their prowess. He exuded confidence and authority. Despite the other students' attempts to engage him, Theodor remained cool and aloof, barely acknowledging their presence. He had noticed that a lot of Earth Mages had that same stalwart personality.

Zeke turned his attention to the other students as they chatted among themselves, awaiting the professor's arrival. Out of the corner of his eye, Zeke spotted a familiar figure. Toward the front of the hall, he saw a mop of brown hair that he immediately recognized. There, between dozens of other Wind Mages, sat Lilly.

His childhood friend had changed a lot since coming to the academy. She seemed to have lost a lot of her shyness as she chatted to the girl next to her. Despite appearances, Zeke could immediately tell that she was faking her smile. However, compared to her personality, her looks had changed even more. Her hair was done up in intricate braids. She wore a luxurious coat over her student robe. He could even see golden ornaments decorating her delicate ears. Zeke wondered where she had gotten the money for such a wardrobe.

It was then that Zeke noticed the boy next to her. The brown-haired boy seemed to have noticed his gaze as well. Their eyes met. Zeke didn’t recognize him, but he could immediately tell that he disliked this person. The brown-haired Wind Mage had the same arrogant appearance that Zeke had come to recognize from the worst of his tormenters. It was the look of a spoiled noble, children that had grown up with inflated self-worth. These kinds always believed that they were the absolute center of the universe and everybody else was just there to amuse them.

The arrogant smile that appeared on the boy’s face only strengthened Zeke's belief. The boy broke eye contact as he looked over at Lilly and then back at Zeke, raising a single eyebrow. Zeke didn’t know what the boy was trying to tell him. His confusion only seemed to amuse the other boy further. He laid his arm around Lilly's shoulder and pulled her into his lap. Lilly was initially surprised by the sudden contact but let herself be dragged over without protest. Her gaze lowered shyly and a bit of red crept onto her cheeks. Still, she continued her conversation with the other girl as if nothing had happened.

The brown-haired Wind Mage began to stroke Lilly's hair. He never broke eye contact with Zeke as he petted the girl like a prized pet. Zeke finally understood. At this moment, a lot of things became clear to him. Lilly’s behavior suddenly made a lot more sense. Zeke averted his eyes. He didn’t need to see anything more. He refused to be baited by this stuck-up prick any longer. Zeke stared silently ahead as he awaited the start of the lecture.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait for long. A man stepped onto the podium at the front of the class. He was not one of the lecturers Zeke was familiar with. The man had a stern appearance that Zeke had only seen on the faces of soldiers before. He was almost certain that the man was affiliated with the military in some way. His guess was proven right the next moment as the man introduced himself.

“Attention!” the man yelled in a commanding voice. He waited for the room to quiet down before continuing. “My name is Daniel Windtänzer. I currently serve as commander of the northern plains. Your headmaster convinced me to hold this lecture while I’m still in the capital. I expect you all to be on your best behavior and pay proper attention. Is that understood?”

There were nods and murmurs from all around. However, Daniel didn’t seem satisfied with this level of response.

“When I ask a question, I expect a proper answer. I want to hear a ‘Yes, sir!’ from each and every one of you. Is that understood?” he asked again.

“Yes, sir!” most of the students replied.

“Still not good enough. Don’t make me repeat myself again, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?” he asked in a stern voice.

“YES, SIR!” the students yelled.

“Better!” Daniel commented. “This will have to do for now.”

The students had all been swept away by the man’s momentum. Zeke could see that every student sat in their chairs with ramrod straight backs. Daniel had an aura of command around him that made you want to live up to his expectations. The commander looked over the gathered crowd, taking in the sea of students. After he was done, he nodded his head and properly started his lecture.

“Very good! At ease!” he commanded. The students adopted more comfortable positions as they waited for his next words.

“I don’t know how much you have been told about this lecture. But I am here to talk about an important topic for new Mages. I am going to talk about the influence of affinities on personality,” he said.

The class remained silent, but Zeke noticed that many of the noble students had bored expressions on their faces. This topic seemed to be common knowledge among the nobles.

“I am aware that most of you already have a rudimentary understanding of this subject. The noble families are of course best familiar with the traits of their own element. Let’s go over the three basic rules. Who can tell me about the first rule of magic affinities?” he asked.

Several students immediately raised their hands. Daniel pointed at a petite girl in the first row. She excitedly started to recite what she had learned. “The first rule states that the grade of your affinity determines how much you are going to be influenced by your Magic affinity,” she said.

Daniel kept looking at her as if expecting something more. The girl was startled and went over what she had said. But she was not able to identify any mistakes in her answer. The longer the silence held the more nervous the girl became. The person next to her whispered something into her ear and she had a look of realization on her face.

“SIR!” she exclaimed belatedly.

“Well done,” Daniel praised with a nod. “How about the second rule?”

“The second rule states that the degree of influence will vary from person to person. There are no absolutes when it comes to this subject as there are too many factors to determine a clear outcome, sir!” another student explained after being pointed at.

“Good!” Daniel said. “Third rule?”

“The third rule states that in a subject with multiple affinities, the outcome can vary on a case-to-case basis, sir!” yet another student explained.

“Well done. It seems you were taught well,” he praised. “Let’s do a little experiment next. I want you guys to gather into groups according to your affinities and discuss. Don’t rely on what you have been taught by your elders. Try to figure out what kind of changes you have experienced yourselves since awakening your Magic core.

“You have ten minutes. One more thing, people with multiple affinities stay where they are. You guys do the same thing by yourselves,” Daniel commanded.

Zeke was glad that he would not be the only one left out. As most of the students gathered in groups, he could see a scant few remain behind. He saw Peter who he had met on the day of the enrollment. The boy had an Earth and Nature affinity if Zeke’s memory served him right.

Theodor Steiner also remained in his seat. Zeke knew that the Steiner heir had a Blood affinity on top of his Earth Affinity. He had seen the second-year student in his classes. Apparently, having a blood affinity was acceptable if you had an elemental affinity to go with it.

Zeke could see a couple of other students he didn’t recognize also remaining in their seats. All in all, around 10% of the students seemed to have more than one affinity. Zeke was aware that he was the only Tri-affinity Mage in the academy. This meant that everyone else that had remained was a Dual-affinity Mage.

He noticed that Daniel was scanning the faces of the students that were looking around. Zeke immediately stopped his procrastination and started on the exercise. He tried to figure out how he had been influenced by his affinities.

This proved to be a challenge for him, as he couldn’t be sure what changes were brought forth by his affinities and what came from his changed lifestyle. He felt lonely, angry, sad, and lost most of the time. He hoped that this was not the result of his affinities. The thought that he might feel like this for the rest of his life almost brought tears to his eyes. He was lost in thoughts of doom and gloom for the remainder of the time. He was only brought back to the present when Daniel clapped his hands and called for all the students to gather again.

“Let’s hear it from the representative of the Fire Mages, what did you find out?” the man asked.

A pale boy with red hair stood up and presented their findings. “We didn’t all experience the change the same way, but there were a couple of things that seemed to be universally true for all of us. The Fire affinity seemed to make us more aggressive and assertive. Even students who claimed that they did not like confrontation have reported that they have started to be more willing to assert themselves.”

“Good,” Daniel praised, “how about the Water Mages?”

This time a girl with bluish hair stood up and explained. “We have found pretty much the opposite to be true. It seemed to be a common theme for us Water Mages to avoid confrontation. Even the more aggressive ones among us have started to compromise and search for solutions instead.”

“Well done!” Daniel exclaimed.“How about you two, Wind and Earth? I want you to shorten your answer to a single word.”

Two students stood up and looked at each other. The boy who represented the Wind Mages was the same one that had been sitting beside Lilly. He was the first to speak.

“Freedom!” he proclaimed.

“Stability,” the other boy said a moment later.

Daniel nodded at them and they took their seat again. He looked around the hall with expectant eyes.

“Most of you have noticed, I presume,” he said. “Fire and Water, Wind and Earth. Those affinities are the exact opposite of each other in terms of personality. Now, let me pose a question to the students with mixed affinities: Does any one of you have a combination of Fire and Water or Wind and Earth?”

There was absolute silence in the hall. Daniel seemed to have expected this, however. After waiting for another moment, he continued his explanation.

“I thought not,” he said. “Those combinations are exceedingly rare, but not impossible. Can any of you tell me what would happen if a Mage had an equal affinity in both Fire and Water?”

There was silence in the hall. Nobody seemed to know the answer. Zeke had two theories that were equally likely. As always, he had no intention to share them, however. Finally, somebody raised his hand, and Daniel gave them permission to speak.

“They would cancel each other out?” the student asked more than stated.

“Very good! That is indeed what happens,” Daniel affirmed.“There are several different pairings that cancel each other out. The most prominent ones are Light and Darkness as well as Life and Death. But for most mixed affinity Mages, it is not that straightforward. Let’s hear a couple of examples from our mixed affinity Mages. What about you?”

The indicated student stood up. It was a lean boy with blonde hair. He didn’t seem to know what to say. “Erm… I have a greater Fire and Earth affinity. I like to fight, but that’s nothing new for me. Thats it,” the boy said before taking his seat again.

“Interesting,” Daniel commented. “Let’s hear from a couple more.”

One after the other, he pointed out the students that had remained in their seats earlier. Soon it was Zeke’s turn. He got up and started his explanation, “I have a perfect Blood affinity, and a greater Mind and Space affinity…” After getting to this point Zeke had no idea how to continue. He just remained standing and didn’t know how to go on. Fortunately, Daniel came to the rescue.

“A Tri-affinity Mage? Those are pretty rare. It might be difficult to determine the changes clearly. Let me give you a hint. Usually, people with a Blood affinity are more active and feel a need to move their bodies. They have problems with remaining seated for extended periods of time. Does that ring a bell?”

“Not really… sir,” Zeke replied.

“Curious,” Daniel said while rubbing his chin. “Then how about this: Space Mages often have a problem with cramped spaces and prefer to be outdoors where they can see the sky?”

Zeke just shook his head. He thought about his cramped room. He didn’t exactly enjoy spending time there, but it didn’t bother him much.

“Hmm, how about this,” Daniel tried for a third time. “Mind Mages often have a cold and calculating personality. They weigh the pros and cons of every word while conversing with others, trying to find the best way to get what they want.”

“I’m nothing like that, sir,” Zeke insisted.

“Then what are you like, boy?” Daniel asked curiously. “How did you change since the evaluation ceremony?”

Zeke remained silent. He didn’t want to disclose his miserable experience to this stranger in front of all the other first-year students.

“What’s that? Cat got your tongue? Out with it!” Daniel demanded.

Zeke mumbled something, but his words were too quiet for anybody to hear.

“Speak up, boy!” Daniel ordered.

With a sigh, Zeke repeated his earlier words. “Depressed,” he said.

“Depressed,” Daniel repeated with an incredulous expression. “That makes no sense! How would a combination of your three affinities lead to…” His words trailed off as he could hear the snickering of the surrounding students. He immediately realized his blunder.

“Silence!” he commanded harshly.“My apologies, boy. It seems I was inconsiderate of your circumstances. You will find out about your affinities’ influence once you have found your place here, I’m sure.”

Zeke merely nodded at the man’s words. He was too busy being worried about his actual problems to spend any energy worrying about some gradual change to his personality that might or might not occur in the future. Zeke spent the rest of the lecture in silence, taking in the lesson without participating.

After the class had ended, the students streamed out of the hall. As usual, Zeke took his time. He didn’t want to be trapped between the throngs of people. He would not make that mistake again. He remained seated at his spot as he watched the others leave. Most were happily discussing the contents of the lecture.

After most students had left, Zeke got up. He had worked up quite the appetite. Even the piece of hardened bread that he had brought seemed like a treat to him now. To his surprise, the way to the exit was blocked by a boy with an arrogant smirk.

“I don’t think we have previously met,” the boy said. “My name is Samuel.”