Kingdom of fire and shadows: Useless magic and Salamanders.

The next day, everyone was awakened for breakfast. Rations of hard bread, oatmeal, a hard boiled egg, and ginger tea for everyone. The nobles were dissatisfied with the rustic and unrefined breakfast. The plates and cups were made of metal. The coats and thin tables of the night before were replaced with rustic wooden tables, and the comfortable chairs with rustic chairs. There was no class or finesse in the dining room. For poor devils like Xavier and Aleum, it was a filling meal; eggs were the heavy part of their lunch, and now they ate them for breakfast. The oatmeal had milk, cinnamon and was sweet, a luxury.

After breakfast, all the magicians were gathered in the theater along with their books. Master Delfin was in the classroom, ready to start his class. He would be the only teacher for the next six months.

'Good morning, young magicians,' said Delfin. I imagine you have complaints about your accommodations. I repeat, we don't care.′

Delfin's gaze went to the fire magicians. 'Fire magicians, I see you are exhausted, have dry, scratched lips, and you have raccoon eyes. I bet you can't sleep because of the heat. I'm glad; that means we're doing a fine job. Try to drink enough water. Until your body adapts, you will be like a normal person; avoid dehydration. Does anyone know why we do this?'

Clinton raised his hand. After receiving permission from the teacher, he replied.

'It's training. It is easier to master an element if you are in contact with it and master its principles, characteristics, and forms. The heat helps to control the fire.'

'Correct, mister?'

'Clinton van Ferra.'

'Very well. As Mr. Van Ferra explained, that is the purpose. You'll only have to suffer this for a month. Your body will learn to control changes in the environment automatically; you will stop feeling the world as normal people, and you will gain some natural control over your magic energy. At that point, the doors to your residential areas will be opened, and you will be able to move freely through the first floor of the tower. Most of you would not resist the temptation to escape the cold. the humidity, the heat, etc. if we left the doors open from the beginning,' Delfin explained.

'When you are free to move around, you can visit the library. All the knowledge of the Tower is at your disposal on its shelves. Some magicians who have a high energy reserve are interested in reading the manuals of other elements. It's a good exercise, and it will also help you in battle. Knowing the enemy is half the fight'.

After this introduction and clarification, he decided to start his first class in full.

'As you know, Liev's tower is named after the legendary magician Liev. This institution was founded over five hundred years ago by Liev himself. Triple elemental magician with an affinity for wind, fire, and shadows. Magicians with two or more elements are rare, and the most common are dual magicians, as is my case. Generally, shadow is combined with another element. 'Does anyone know why?' asked Delfin to the class.

Again, Clinton raised his hand, but so did Maurius. The professor chose Maurius to answer.

'The shadow magic is neutral in relation to the other elements. While elements like fire and water are opposite, shadow can be combined with all elements without contradictions or rejection of the elemental energies,' Maurius replied.

"Right, Mr. Maurius. Normally, certain elements can be synergistic or opposite to one another. Water and fire never combine, and their collision usually causes very violent reactions. Fire, on the other hand, is dual to air. It can be synergistic by feeding it and increasing its power, or if an expert wind magician removes the air around the fire, it goes out. Fire and land are generally opposite; land usually neutralizes water and wind, although they are not entirely opposite. Unless the strength of the water magician far exceeds that of the earth magician, the first won't be able to hurt the latter; the earth can stand a lot of attack from all other elements, so the earth magicians are considered as defense magicians by excellence. Delfin paused, looking at Maurius.

'Normally, a magician possessing opposite elements, like water and fire, is impossible... Or at least that is what we used to believe until Mr. Maurius apeared," continued Delfin, pointing to the young man, who had turned red with shame.

"Mr. Maurius broke all the schemes, becoming the only mage capable of using five elements at the same time, the only case recorded in the history of the world. How is this possible? We believe the answer lies precisely in the fact that he can use all the elements. His energy is balanced by the effects of synergy and opposition, although obviously Mr. Maurius has a predominance of the wind. Which we believe he inherited from his father.′ continued Delfin.

'The magicians have the ability to use the energy of the elements of nature in our favor. This affinity for elemental energy and the ability to manipulate it allow us to make the elements manifest in their purest forms.' Delfin lifted up his right hand, which began to burn almost instantly.

'Like everything in nature, the manipulation of magic has a price. As we force nature's energy to manifest, the energy of our own body is consumed. The process of consuming and recharging that energy is an exercise that makes our capacity grow; it is like the knight who exercises to gain speed or muscle strength. But, of course, it has a limit. The final capacity we have will depend partly on our affinity for the element in question and partly upon the intrinsic quality of our energy,' Delfín stressed, shutting off his right hand.

'All magicians with affinity for an element will be able to use the magic of that element. However, the power of magic will depend on the intensity of its affinity. A magician with an elemental fire affinity of one percent or less can, at best, heat a surface or light a small fireplace. They will never be able to use that magic effectively in battle.' Delfin opened his hand, and a flame appeared in his palm.

'A magician with an affinity greater than one percent will be able to use basic magic, like this fireball. It's simple magic.' Delfin threw the fireball in the palm of his hand against a metal table in front of him. The ball hit the table, making a little noise, and stood burning on top of it.

'However, the fact that it is simple magic does not mean it is useless.' Delfin raised his two hands and concentrated on the flame. The flame grew bigger and warmer, and the table began to turn red from the heat.

'The intensity and duration of the flame will depend on the energy and affinity of the magician and his ability to manipulate magic,' said Delfin, moving his hands and making the flames go out. The metal table was bright red, and its surface had deformed.

'A magician with a two-percent affinity for fire magic could kill a magician with a ten-percent affinity for water magic if he concentrates all his energy on a single fire ball and is very lucky... although it is usually suicide, because after that initial discharge, the weakest magician would be powerless and would be helpless against the ice spears of the water magician if the initial attack fails or there are more enemies.' Delfin took a break to drink water.

'Of course, there is the environmental factor. A water magician is almost invincible in the sea or in a place with lots of water; likewise, it would cost him a lot of energy to make an ice spear in a desert. A good magician must take advantage of and take precautions over the terrain on which he fights. Delfin remained staring at the class for a moment. The students looked at him with attention and interest.

'I know what you're thinking: when will we be able to use fireballs, the famous firewall, or the firestorm, among other attacks or defensive skills? Well, not in less than two months. If you are diligent, you can use some basic magic, like fireball in its weakest form, in a month and a half. As a general rule, those able to read five pages in a row of their magic manual have enough energy and control to use a basic spell.'

'Does anybody know the basic requirement for the use of magic?' asked Delfin.

This time, several students raised their hands. The professor gave the word to an entusiastic young magician from the Veldat Kingdom. Veldat had borders with the Poem dynasty, and they hated each other. The young magicians of Veldat would not allow Poem's magicians to answer all the questions.

'Visualization. It is necessary to visualize the manifestation of the element in a physical form,' replied a young man of one hundred sixty centimeters tall with brown skin and more developed facial hair than would be normal for his age. His voice was deep and dull.

'Right, Mister?'

'Glover van Fuara, from the Veldat Kingdom, sir,' said the young man.

'As Mr. Glover has just explained, magic is based on visualization, on focusing your mind while you imagine that your hand or a particular point is gradually warming up until a flame appears.' Delfin raised his hand. Gradually, the air around his hand started warming up until the master's image looked distorted, like when someone looked far away on a hot day on dry ground. Suddenly, his hand lit up and was covered with flames. His own magic did not affect him, so he played with the flames at his pleasure.

'Water magicians often imagine small drops of water gathering around their hands, like the morning dew. Earth magicians need a small rock to practice and imagine that it moves or changes shape according to their will. The wind magicians practice with a piece of cloth, paper, hair, or something light that rotates in circles, making a tornado. The shadow magicians try to make their own shadow change shape, or...' Delfin closed his eyes, and the light in the theater dimmed until it became almost dark. Delfin opened his eyes again.

'But reducing ambient light is very difficult in normal places and can only be brought to this limit. You'd better use your shadow. Controlling the ambient light is easier to do in your room. You have to try to reduce the already dim light to the point where you can't see anything anymore. Unfortunately, this skill has many limitations: it does not work with the moonlight or with the light of blue flames; we do not know why.' Delfin explained, taking a break and drinking water again.

'Enough theory for today. I know you're anxious, so let's do some practice. I want you to visualize the effect of your magic. Wind mages, take a piece of paper from the table. Those of the land take a stone. Once you're ready, start with the visualization exercise,' the master instructed.

Several students went to the table for the materials and then returned to their seats. The sons of noble descendants of magicians had already received some instruction. Clinton's hands, for example, were warmed up to the point that some distortion could be seen around them. Maurius and Glover managed to float or spin some pieces of paper. The rest of the nobles without the ancestry of magicians did not have much success.

After unsuccessfully trying to move his shadow, Xavier switched to trying to warm his hand. He began to feel dizzy, but decided to continue his effort. A few seconds later, the world was turning around him, and he was on the ground, vomiting his breakfast.

When he recovered and could realize in detail what was going on, Professor Delfín lifted him up from the ground and placed him over the now cold metal table. After making sure that the boy had recovered, he commented on what had happened.

'What you have just seen is called complete depletion of magical energy. Usually this does not happen unless you try to use magic that requires a high amount of magical energy when you have insufficient magic energy or, as in this case, when a dual magician with very low elemental affinity tries to use that element and goes over his limit. This situation is not life threatening on its own, but if you do something like that in a dangerous situation, like a battle or a subjugation mission, you are done for,' Delfin explained, looking at Xavier with a disappointed face. Xavier bowed his head, ashamed.

'We will end the class for today. Return to your accommodations. Practice and read as much as you can. Fire mages, be sure to drink plenty of water; the temperature of your rooms will not drop, and after using magic, you will have a feeling of thirst. The shadow mages will stay with me a little longer; I got a few words for you,' the master announced, concluding the class.

When all the students had left the theater and returned to their rooms, Xavier and Aleum paid all their attention to Delfin. The teacher took his time to talk to the boys. He remained silent, looking at them. After a few minutes, he broke his silence.

'You are wasting your time,' said the teacher, looking at the young magicians. 'My intention is to save your lives. Most of the shadow magicians coming out of this tower end up returning to their villages as farmers. Their only work as mages is on subjugation missions. Those who survive these incursions after three or four missions end up with myasma disease. It's one of the most horrible deaths a human can have. Go back to your life in the countryside and use tax exemptions to improve your families. You have no future as magicians.'

'But master, you are a shadow magician,' replied Xavier.

'Mr. Xavier, I am a dual magician, not a shadow magician. You are a dual magician too, but we're not the same. See this badge? It has the symbol of shadow magic, but my affinity for shadows is forty percent, whereas my affinity for fire is twenty percent. Even without the shadow magic, I would be an excellent fire magician.' Delfin explained. His tone of voice indicated a slight anger.

'You don't have the affinity to be a fire magician; you only have traces of fire magic, and that doesn't help much. Aleum, it's even worse for you; you don't have a chance at all. Be wise and go home; you can go now,' the teacher concluded by signaling them to leave with his hands as he concentrated on reading some papers.

The discouraged boys returned to their bedrooms. The teacher made it clear to them.

The reason Delfin was a master at Liev's Tower was because of his high ability and talent to manipulate magical energy, his ingenuity to create some magical items, and because, in addition, he was an excellent teacher. But if he were only a shadow magician, even with these talents, he would have never been admitted to teach at Liev's Tower. His affinity for the element of fire, along with his other talents, allowed him the honor to be there.

A few hours later, the students were released from their rooms to go to the dining room. The meal of the day was rations of rustic, cold, and hard bread, curated cheese, and ground meat, seasoned with some spices. Most nobles ate only part of the bread and cheese. Xavier and Aleum ate even the bread crumbs. For them, everything was a great meal, and the food improved their mood a little.

They went back to their bedrooms. After a little reflection, both boys decided to return to their studies. They didn't have a better choice. Going home to be a farmer was always the same, so they could do it in the future as well. Besides, the food was better at the tower than at home; they had nothing to lose.