Or: how to defy gravity using magic
☺
There are six disciplines taught at the Seminary of Magic on Androva: Combat, Remedies, History, Living Magic, Physical and Manipulation. Today's post is about Physical.
I suppose the best way to describe
this discipline would be to call it the magical equivalent of a workout. It
develops strength and reflexes, which then improve performance across the other
five disciplines. Of course, it’s also a lot of fun!
Everything that underage magicians
learn in Physical is an extension of the basic Solo Transference Spell. Magicians push their force field right to the ends of their fingers and
toes, then move their body using only their magic.
All classes are held in the
Seminary of Magic’s largest training room--the one which extends to the top of
the building, spanning all four floors. The very first lesson is invariably the
most difficult, and nearly everyone falls. Some only fall for a few feet before
they successfully reinstate their force fields. Others panic and would not
survive the fall without help.
The aim is to rise to the top of
the room and touch the ceiling with both hands. That’s not the most difficult
part, however. The real challenge comes when you have to look down, see your
feet balancing on thin air, and trust the strength of your magic to keep you
where you are.
Professors only allow three
students to try it at any one time, simply because if they fall, three is the most that any professor can rescue
simultaneously. Underage magicians crash landing on the stone floor
wouldn’t do much for the Seminary’s reputation!
Lessons gradually become more
difficult. The second year at the Seminary involves diving, for example. You
ascend to the top of the training room, dive to the bottom as quickly as
possible, and (most importantly!) land unhurt and on your feet. Most underage
magicians play it safe once they’ve achieved the minimum diving time. It takes
a lot of nerve to throw yourself into the dive without any hesitation and then
reinstate your force field just in time.
By the time you come of age, you
can pretty much fly. But it’s more than that. You can cover short distances at
incredible speed and project spells at a split-second’s notice. Mastering this
discipline can turn an average magician into a great one.
Shannon and Galen are the only two
out of all my characters who didn’t fall when they first tried Solo
Transference. I think if it were me, I would probably fall! But I would love to
have the freedom to move without being tied to the ground. Just imagine being
able to sit on the roof to eat lunch, away from the crowds, or take a walk in
the woods at treetop height. Where would you explore if you could go up instead
of just forwards and backwards? Below is a short extract from a Physical lesson
in Seeking Magic. I hope you enjoyed
today’s post and thank you for reading!
The lessons up to lunchtime went
fine, until Jax nearly made a spectacular error of judgement in Physical, due
to his increasing tiredness. Professor Octavian had the class using Solo
Transference to run circuits around the room.
This meant running across the floor
in the normal way, then up the wall at the end, across the ceiling upside down,
and then back down the far wall to where you started from.
Jax got confused about which wall
was which, and expected to find himself on the floor, when really he was on the
ceiling. For a second, he didn’t have enough Solo Transference energy to hold
himself up.
He fell so fast he nearly hit
the stone floor face first, only just managing to increase the energy of the
spell in time.
Hovering for a few seconds, he
could feel the tip of his nose touching the cold stone. The shock caused all
the breath to temporarily leave his body.
A couple of underage magicians
nearby exclaimed in fright, certain that Jax would not have time to save
himself. Everyone else gradually came to a stop as they realised that something
was going on.
“All right, Jax, I think you can sit
the rest of the lesson out,” said Professor Octavian calmly.
Jax stood up, waiting for his heart rate to return to
normal. Too close for comfort, he thought, walking to the edge of the room on
slightly shaky legs.
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