Chapter 2 Namrys

Namyrs was a world of many mysteries and possibilities. Many believed it was one giant bubble of water housing everyone and everything, whilst some believed it was a world made of water but Namyrs was really a world held together by a strong energy torrent, energy derived from water.

Namyrs was a world for humans and mages. No one knew which existed first or the true origin of both, but they existed and cohabited together, thanks to The Council. The Council was a unit that consisted of the strongest mages and humans, who ensured that both parties did their duties to maintain balance.

Humans lived simple lives whilst mages were specially trained, they had to be. Although they were all born with natural energies, they needed to constantly train to develop their abilities. The Halls of Ivy was Namyrs' academy for mages. The academy housed and trained mages till they were ready to be active parts of the system.

To get in, everyone born of mage parents or at least one mage parent was tested for their energy, and once their energy torrents were detected, they were accepted into the academy.

Sora's first time in the academy was like everyone else's, full of expectations and high hopes for what their future held.

Everyone took part in the basic training in the academy. The basic training consisted of theoretical lectures on the system, history, and abilities of mages, after which the practical classes began. It was from the basic training that Sora gathered his first knowledge of mages.

There were four mage levels, and they advanced based on their abilities to master each level.

The first level of mages were the Dependers. Dependers, marked by their yellow badges, were beginners who were taught to manipulate water in its natural form. They depended solely on their own mage's energy to gather water and manipulate it in controlled environments. Their kind of manipulations were dependent on the amount of energy they had within them.

The second-level mages were the Summoners.

Summoners were marked with a blue badge. They had a higher level of energy that gave them the ability to manipulate water in other forms. They could draw water from plants, air, sand, anything, as long as it contained water.

Mastering this level meant that they could now be assigned specific societal duties. Summoners grew to become either Healers, Hunters, or Masters.

At every new intake of mages, the masters of the Ivy also conducted selection ceremonies based on skills, strength, and interest for level two mages to determine which societal duty suited them best.

Sora dreamt of being a Master. Their intelligence, ability to solve issues innovatively, and aid evolution fascinated him the most. They controlled most of the city and the best Master went on to join The Council.

The Shadow Mages were at the third level. Their black badge was feared more than it was respected. Shadow mages were capable of manipulating blood in humans and animals. Manipulating blood meant that they could manipulate their victim into doing their bidding for a period of time, depending on their energy sustainability. Shadow mages could only be achieved by mastering the breathing techniques of the animal or human they wanted to draw the blood from.

Because of the level of difficulty and sensitivity of being a shadow mage, they were able to master incredible hearing and sensitivity to breathing techniques and the flow of blood in their victim.

Not many mages attained this level. Some gave up trying because of the difficulty in mastering breathing techniques and blood flows, while others were simply content with being Summoners because of the darkness that came with being a Shadow mage.

The best Shadow Mages, however, went on to be the best Hunters, with only a few as Masters.

The final and ultimate level of mages were masters of water. They were known as Archmages. Archmages were marked by a very distinctive white badge, a badge that was almost non-existent in Namyrs. To have reached this level, one would be chosen by water itself. Mages of this level became one with water, capable of controlling, manipulating, conjuring, and mastering nearly every form of magic in existence and they also held a particularly powerful command over various other mystics as well.

The level of Archmage was the ultimate stage, and it was unreachable.

In history, only one known mage attained the level of an Archmage but he simply disappeared from history without a trace whatsoever.

Everything Sora learned in the first few weeks of theoretical training was useless in the practical sense. It didn't take too long for him and everyone else to realize he couldn't use his energy torrent.

His first time in Dependant practical training had been a huge flop. His inability to move the tiniest drop of water in a room filled with several water jars aroused suspicions.

After a few more classes, word had spread throughout the Ivy about a fake mage and the Masters grew worried.

His reputation grew, bringing him ridicule, till he began to skip classes altogether. There seemed to be a mutual understanding between him and the Masters because no one questioned his absence.

The masters tried severally to determine the source of his condition, in an attempt to fix it, but no one knew how to handle a problem they had never faced.

Some masters had even tried giving him some of their energy. His body absorbed it, but he was unable to do anything with it. They concluded that his energy source was blocked outwardly, and there was nothing anyone could do.

He gave up trying afterward.

In his time in the academy, Sora spent his days gathering theoretical knowledge. All he lacked in powers, he made up for in knowledge.

Sora woke up the next day to lesser pains in his head. He took this as a sign that his injury was healing. If there was anything mage-like about him, it was his ability to heal quickly, although not at the same rate as other mages. He healed faster than mere humans.

Sora cleaned up quickly and stood in front of his mirror to examine his injury. He knew the scar would be permanent. Xyrra had confirmed it, too. The scar formed an inward vertical line on his forehead with two spaced strokes across the vertical line. A new addition to his flaws.

Sora stared at his reflection in the mirror. His platinum blonde and curly hair stood out against his warm tan skin. His hair was cut short on the sides of his head and longer on the top, a cut he maintained with a pair of scissors he kept. Not attending training left him with ample time to pick up several skills.