"Even if you are an unexpected existence..."

ERIS

I stood in front of the rusty gate of Sorciere Academy, thinking how to survive this academy without revealing my magic. Baka kasi bigla silang magdesisyon na i-drop ako kung hindi nila mapapatunayan na may halaga ang silver lifestone ko. Napabuntonghininga ako at itinapat ang silver lifestone sa isang brilyanteng kulay abo sa gilid ng gate.

Sorciere Academy was protected by magic. Any unauthorized person couldn't enter without permission—another way to protect this academy from the demon race. Some demons could breach Zithea's security and that was why Sorciere Academy couldn't let its guard down.

Bumukas ang gate nang makumpirma na isa akong estudyante. Inside Sorciere Academy, wisterias with purple flowers grew in rows and guided my path to the Sorciere Courtyard. The next layer was the willow trees which gave off some eerie vibes but I was already used to it.

Nang makarating ako sa Sorciere Courtyard, agad kong napansin ang pagsimangot ng ilang estudyante nang makita ako. Akala siguro nila nawala na ako sa kanilang landas. Of course, I will come back.

I actually thought I should behave and keep a low profile to avoid trouble. I just needed to study and graduate from this academy and then I could buy a land deed to cultivate crops and grow them. I would hire people. With my magic capabilities, I didn't need to be employed by anyone. Well, in the first place, no one would employ me because people would think I was useless.

Kumuha akong ng ilang gamit sa silid ko bago dumiretso sa klase tungkol sa magic spells. These magic spells were common for all Warlocks and Sorcieres—in short, the basic and necessary spells for everyday use.

My classmates also greeted me with hostile gazes, and I could only turn a blind eye—it didn't hurt now that I knew what I was capable of. Mistress Grecielle, who could control the wind element, stood in front, teaching us today. Tumabi ako kina Faena at Gianna.

"Kumusta ang Mama mo?" bulong ni Faena.

Umiling ako. "She's gone," mahinang sagot ko, halos walang lumabas na tinig.

Natahimik ang dalawa sa narinig. They looked troubled. Alam kong nag-iisip sila ng paraan upang pagaanin ang loob ko.

"It's alright. You don't have to worry about me," saad ko. I turned to them with a gentle and reassuring gaze.

"But it will be harder now. Wala ka ng pamilya. Tapos hindi ka pa sigurado sa taglay mong kapangyarihan. How will you survive now?" Gianna asked with worry.

Napangiti ako sa sinabi nila. "Don't worry. Even if I don't have magic, I'm not that weak-hearted. Parang hindi n'yo naman ako kilala. Kung mahina ako, baka napatalsik na ako sa academy noon pa," pagbibiro ko.

Bumuntonghininga sila. "Kung ganoon, mas tatagan mo pa dahil maraming estudyante na gusto ka nang mapatalsik dito," seryosong saad ni Faena. "Kung kailangan mo ng tulong, huwag kang mahihiyang lumapit sa 'min."

Ngumiti ako. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

Mistress Grecielle with her brunette orange hair tied in a bun, waved her hand and demonstrated a magic spell to cure a wounded cat in front of the class. She wrote magic runes and ancient letters and symbols in the air. But this kind of magic couldn't be achieved by everyone. Even though this was a basic magic spell, not everyone was gifted to perform it.

For example, people with a red lifestone, capable of using fire, couldn't heal a patient unless the disease or injury could be cured using heat or fire. Wind, Water, Forest, Metal and Earth had their own healing effects as well. For the Dark, it could also be used for healing but with a risky approach and sometimes, with unknown dangerous side effects.

Since I was capable of using all these magics, I could heal in different ways. And because I was the god of death's daughter, Dark was my dominant magic. I hadn't confirmed yet if I was also gifted by Divine magic which the gods possessed. There were no Divine spell books available in the human kingdom to confirm it. I also couldn't be that greedy so I was already satisfied with my current abilities.

Mistress Grecielle asked for volunteers to try and heal some of the cat's wounds and of course, I was not called to do it. Sinaulo ko na lang ang mga letra na isinulat niya sa hangin at ang mga spells na binibigkas niya. I could practice later. We also had our own spell books.

Nang matapos ang klase ni Mistress Grecielle, nagtungo na ang bawat estudyante sa kanilang klase na may kaugnayan sa lifestones nila. I didn't have a class about my silver lifestone but I must inform Mistress Viola that I would attend her class. Dark was my dominant magic so I must do everything to attend her class.

Nakasalubong ko si Mistress Viola at nagmamadali akong lumapit sa kanya ko.

"Mistress Viola," nag-aalangang tawag ko sa pangalan niya.

"O, Eris. May kailangan ka ba? Hindi ba't isang linggo kang mawawala? Kumusta ang iyong ina?" mabining tanong niya habang nakangiti sa 'kin.

Natigilan ako at napatungo. "Ah...my mother is already gone."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Malungkot din ang tinig niya.

Umiling ako. "Pero hindi po ito ang dahilan ng paglapit ko. Maaari po ba akong pumasok sa klase n'yo?"

Saglit na nag-isip si Mistress Viola. "You can. I only have a single student anyway. I don't think Mira will mind. She's an understanding student." I wanted to say otherwise but I kept my mouth shut. Siguradong hindi magugustuhan ni Mira ang presensiya ko sa klase.

"I'll sit at the back to not disturb your class," nakangiting saad ko. Sabay na kaming naglakad patungo sa classroom. Nasa loob na ng silid-aralan si Mira na naghihintay na kay Mistress Viola pero napansin ko ang pasimpleng pag-irap ng mga mata niya nang makitang nasa likod ako ng Mistress.

Pumasok kami sa loob. Gaya ng sinabi ko, umupo ako sa pinakalikod na bahagi. Inilabas ko ang isang rolyo ng blankong papel at tinta. I was looking forward to all the spells she would teach.

"Eris will join the class. Since the academy doesn't have a class for her silver lifestone, I think it's better for her to spend her time here. I hope you won't mind, Mira," nakangiting saad ni Mistress Viola.

"Wala pong problema sa 'kin, Mistress Viola. Kung makatutulong sa kanya," Mira answered so gently that I almost puked. I wanted to laugh at her pretentious answer but I stopped myself. Napangiti ako at humalumbaba. I was also curious about the warlock's spells. I actually planned to disguise myself as a man to check out their classes—only if necessary—since I didn't have an official class most of the days.

I must gain more knowledge.

"Alright. Let's start. Here is a list of spells. I want you to perform each spell so that I can measure your ability. Upang malaman ko kung saan tayo dapat magsimula." Ibinigay niya kay Mira ang mga rolyo ng papel. Gusto ko rin ng kopya kaya agad kong itinaas ang isang kamay ko.

"Maaari ko rin po bang makita?" I asked. Pareho silang lumingon sa 'kin. Kapansin-pansin ang panliliit ng mga mata ni Mira. Hindi niya nagugustuhan ang ginagawa ko.

Mistress Viola shrugged. "Well. I think it's alright." Binigyan din niya ako ng kopya. She used magic to produce a duplicate copy. I accepted the spell scrolls with a smile. Bumalik na si Mistress Viola sa unahan at umupo.

Mira demonstrated the dark spells from basic to intermediate. Pinanood namin siya ni Mistress Viola at nakaisip naman ako ng isang kalokohan dahil pinagti-tripan din ako noon ng mga kaibigan niya gamit ang mahika.

I noticed how confident she was at casting basic spells. I waved a hand as she wrote runes in the air. I added a letter in between some symbols. Since they couldn't detect magic from me, they won't suspect me. I also wanted to confirm if my bracelet could really veil my magic. The spell she performed suddenly exploded and the chairs inside the room flew in different directions—hitting the walls. I was about to shield myself but Mistress Viola's magic protected everyone in the room.

I remained seated on my chair, unscathed. Nakahalumbaba pa rin ako habang pigil ang ngiti. Each classroom was protected by a strong magic spell to withstand this kind of explosion thus only the chairs took damage.

"Mira, are you having trouble with that spell? It's a basic one," malumanay na saad ni Mistress Viola.

Namula ang mukha ni Mira. This was the first time I witnessed her flustered face. She was always high, confident, and elegant no matter what. But this would be the last time I would play tricks on her. I didn't want the gods to punish me for being bad. And I was already having goose bumps just by knowing that my father and mother were watching over me from the underground. Sana palampasin nila ang isang 'to.

"Let me try again, Mistress Viola," Mira said in an apologetic tone, also wondering what went wrong.

"Alright. Continue." Dahil siguro sa kahihiyan, hindi makatingin sa 'kin si Mira. I was not judging her because I knew this incident was my fault. I also confirmed they really couldn't detect my magic although a bit risky.

Mira continued her demonstration. Samantala, pinag-aralan at sinaulo ko naman ang mga spells na nakasulat sa bawat rolyo ng papel. Some minor spells were already included in the spell books I bought. Good thing I bought some advance spell books because those spells were not included on the list. Or maybe the advanced spells would be accessible in our fourth year?

Over the whole period, I didn't pay attention to Mira. I only memorized the spells to practice later. After class, we had our dinner. I didn't return to the dormitory after that. I entered the enchanted forest, wearing a black cloak and a human face mask—hiding my silver lifestone.

We already visited this enchanted forest in our second year at the academy. I knew there was a cave where I could perform the spells. I also needed to confirm my abilities. I wanted to study advanced spells as soon as I could.

Wicked and tricky creatures lurked in the enchanted forest. Some tricked students so they wouldn't find their way to the exit. Some created illusions. Most creatures here were magical, having affinity with magic. But good thing we were trained to avoid or fight them. I wouldn't go far, anyway. I just needed to go to a cave located on the left side of this forest.

Napansin ko ang maliliwanag na mga mata ng ibang nilalang sa loob ng kagubatan. They could hide their forms in the night. They were certainty cautious of my identity. I released a strong force out of my system to scare them away and they didn't disappoint—they immediately ran away.

Habang naglalakad, kumukuha rin ako ng mga tuyong kahoy sa daan. Nang makarating ako sa loob ng kweba, agad kong inayos ang mga kahoy. I flicked my fingers in the air and fire immediately lighted up the dry woods.

I took out the cauldron and tripod made of metal from my storage bracelet. I brewed the potions we learned today and practiced it on my own. After perfecting the potions, I proceeded with the dark spells. I recited the dark spells from basic to intermediate like Mira did in class. She missed three spells on the intermediate spells, without my intervention, and I was satisfied that I could perform all the spells on the list well, without mistakes.

Inilabas ko ang libro ng intermediate at advance spells para sa Dark magic. I checked out the intermediate spells I already performed today. May ilan pang natitira sa intermediate na mas mahirap kaysa sa listahang ibinigay ni Mistress Viola kay Mira.

For advanced spells, there were spells for necromancy; a list of dark curses and poisons which were prohibited because they could bring danger and harm to anyone; Shadow Walk in which someone could go to places using shadows and hide inside another dimension but still possible to spy on everyone around. There were also spells to control a familiar or get one. My target on these advanced spells was the Shadow Walk. It would be easier to sneak in classes through this magic.

It was already twelve midnight on my watch when I decided to head back to Sorciere Courtyard. Ibinalik ko ang cauldron at tripod sa loob ng storage ko bago iwinasiwas ang kamay upang linisin ang kalat na nagmula sa abo ng mga kahoy. I didn't want to leave any trace behind.

Nang lumabas ako, napansin ko ang mga nilalang na may matatalim na pangil, malalago at maiitim na balahibo at mapupulang mga mata. The Dark Wolves even drooled because they thought I was delicious meat thrown in their midst. I could only smirk at them. I survived this academy without magic which meant I was not physically and mentally weak.

So, what more if I can finally use magic? Well, I can use a broomstick to escape but I don't mind an exercise in the middle of the night.

***