House of Amarin

The weeks started to go surprisingly fast in their second year. Especially because they all had many things to do besides attending classes, plus their extra subjects were much more demanding than Dayen's lessons, giving out multiple goals and homework that they had to do and prove to the teachers. Then there was the fact that their groups expanded, and by the end of the first month, they had around two hundred students, all calling themselves part of the Misfits. They soon realized the first year was a breeze compared to what they had to face now.

It turned out that among them all, Lia was the one who had the most work dumped on her. Ceiline and Opparu were grumbling the most after her. They always brought up managing the many smaller groups of Misfits, sending them to sign up for competitions, work, and odd jobs and start earning CP. Then, they were tasked with setting up the group's vault, filling it with goodies for which the members could exchange their CP. Yet even those two remained silent when Lia came in, looking like an Undead most of the time.

"Does anyone know a time-travel spell?" She asked, plopping herself down on a chair on the ground floor, hitting the dining table with her forehead, and letting out a loud bang. "I want to go back to last year and refuse to be part of... anything!"

"Long night?" Koa asked, bringing over a cup of steaming, hot coffee with some cookies next to it.

"You have no idea!" Lia moaned, unable to raise her head, and just looked at the cup with big, black bags under her eyes. "I had to attend extra classes with Teacher Dayen… I am abysmal at manipulating water, and until I manage to cast a spell correctly, I can't join the rest of the class! Then, there is that silly fox! He told me to buy a special book! I found it in the Library of Rejects, and Cici gave me a discount…."

"That doesn't sound bad!" Koa said, standing behind her chair and starting to massage Lia's shoulders.

"Mm… It was still 1600 CP… OWIE! Koooaaaaaaa!"

"S-sorry…" She stuttered, and hearing the price, the sleepy Keily also woke up, sitting at the opposite side of the table.

"1600?! Boss… you were ripped off, I think!" He blinked his heavy eyelids, trying to regain his focus as the previous day, in dueling class, he was facing Aurora, who mopped the floor with him. He was still hurting everywhere every time he took a breath.

"It is a book written by Somia Marduk. The only copy that is not in the hands of the House of Marduk. So… it was expensive." Lia explained.

"Who?" Koa asked, and thanks to her fingers, Lia managed to sit back up and start dunking her cookies into the coffee, munching on them.

"A Headmaster of the Academy! From around 2E460 and part of the Marduk family. She was the one who made the bracelets!"

"She was a genius." Opparu's voice joined in, walking in from the outside, catching Somia's name.

"Morning!" They greeted him as he joined their table.

"Where are the rest?" He asked, thanking Koa, who also brought him coffee, acting like a cute housewife.

"Aurora is sleeping." She explained while pouring it out for him, "She dueled everyone in class yesterday. She set up some kind of new record in the school with it! Sion, Raufon, and Ceiline are helping our groups sign up for competitions and missions! We want to raise a big enough capital and start appearing on all of the lists available in the Academy!"

"I am told to rest!" Keily chimed in as he was not told but ordered. Aurora brought him back home yesterday, looking a bit guilty as he was knocked unconscious, and not even magic managed to wake him up.

"I am playing the stay-home mom!" Koa giggled, shaking her hips, "The Tower needs someone capable and in tip-top shape if someone comes looking for us!"

"I'm trying to survive… Besides the lessons I took, the core managing of the Misfits, training Keily and the others, I also have obligations, being a member of the Student Council… I need to go to the Tower of Fire later on and introduce myself…." Lia groaned, finishing her cookies for breakfast. "But… what about Somia being a genius? I only read a little of her after getting through the introductory part! Her theories about No-Space is HAAAARD!" She said, her face looking like she was ready to burst into tears.

"She is a legend amongst artificers. Nobody came close to her craftsmanship since then!" Opparu said, his voice filled with admiration. "I studied her life when I was a kid! She had not much strength, but she could make anything! There is a Marduk warship called the Somia-class. It carries only a few magic cannons, but its firepower trumps most ships! Even today! I once saw one bombard a death-cultist encampment while on a diplomacy mission for my home. Nothing remained after it finished, you know… only the burning, melting ruins!"

"Coooool…!" Lia and Keily said simultaneously. "But the fact remains!" Lia continued, going back to sulking, "Her book is hard! Much harder than trying to mix fire and water!"

"Tell you what!" Opparu clapped, "Give me the book, and I'll go through it. Maybe I can 'translate' it for you?"

"Awesome!" She jumped at the offer, her face turning bright in a millisecond as she picked out the giant, heavy book from her holding bag. Dropping it on the table, it almost flipped it, and Opparu was watching the leatherbound monstrosity that was at least 900 pages long.

"This…" He opened it, gasping as it was hand-written.

"Yeah, I told you…." Lia looked at him, "It was written by Somia. And I meant, literally."

…
….
……

In the afternoon, Lia was approaching the Tower of Fire on one of the satellites, small islands floating around the main landmass. Tiny, automated boats took the students up and down, and when she stepped out of it, the hot air made her sway for a moment. It was like stepping out of a cool room into a desert. The change was way too sudden for her to be ready for it.

"Woah…" She took a deep breath, quickly recomposing herself. Shaking her head, she started walking towards the Tower, not knowing what her role would be, only that she was assigned to help out as a Council member. Looking around, she only saw a few students; all of them were deep in thought even while walking into and out of the tall Tower a few dozen meters away.

Arriving at it, the main lobby was made out of polished obsidian, and she could see multiple doors, all labeled differently, leading to different floors, depending on the individuals' strength and what they were looking for. A place for meditation? A library? Spell crafting? Strength test? She curiously read all the signs when a young boy, wearing a 3rd-year student's uniform, came over, walking out from behind his counter.

"Can I help you?" He asked politely, looking down at her, and when he noticed Lia's mismatched eyes, she saw his smile widen. "Oh, you are Miss Lia, yes?"

"Did we meet?" She asked, a bit unsure of the fact.

"No, not yet. But everyone here should know of you. Your triumph over Olivia is something anyone capable of casting fire spells knows well!"

"Oh." She nodded, finding it a bit weird as she couldn't determine if the boy was a friend of Olivia in the past or not.

"For one," he said, as if reading her mind, "I am glad she is gone! She was an insufferable, know-it-all bitch!"

"Oh…" Lia repeated her words, now feeling a bit weirded out but… also agreeing with him.

"Are you here to meet with Master Zorgan, I assume?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"You are part of the Student Council. It was easy to guess!" He chuckled, showing the way toward an unlabeled door. "This way! Just go until you get to the top; it will lead you to his office! Oh, and one suggestion! Try not to bring up Olivia, okay?"

"Why?" Lia asked, looking into his eyes before stepping through the door.

"He really liked her. After she left the Academy… Master Zorgan always feels a little bit… cranky! The moment her name comes up, he gets especially irritated for some reason! Haaah… I think what Olivia did, it affected him greatly! This is why I call her a bitch… Few managed to tolerate her; Master Zorgan was one of the few!"

"Hmm… Okay. I'll keep that in mind!" Lia nodded, thinking it through and then thanking him. "Ah, yes, my name is Lia! You?"

"Hass!" He replied, cupping his hands and watching her disappear on the spiral staircase.

Lia had to walk so many steps she was feeling like throwing up by the time she arrived at the top. The fact that the air was scorching in here did not help. She was soaked to the bone as her uniform was sticking to her body like a wetsuit, and by squeezing her hair, a flood of sweat dripped to the floor where she stood at.

"This is… torture!" She moaned. Wielding fire, she was supposed to be used to its nature, yet she was always more drawn to the cold, snow, and ice. Her favorite months back home were always those when it snowed constantly. After somewhat fixing her posture, she walked to the giant, ashen doors, grabbing the bronze knockers and releasing them with a hiss. "Uuuuu!" She blew on her palm as it was burnt by simply touching it. "I hate it here!" Lia moaned, tears gathering in her eyes but evaporating instantly. Now, instead of knocking, she simply kicked the door with all her might, letting it echo, its noise traveling down straight to the lobby.

"Come in." Came the calm reply the moment the sound of her kick died down.

Lia, hesitating, ended up holding the handle through her uniform and walking in with a pout. The room inside looked like a blacksmith's workshop. The walls were made of naked bricks while the stone floor reflected the light coming from the multiple furnaces and stone bowls, all housing a differently colored fire, painting a peculiar picture. Master Zorgan was half-naked, standing next to a kiln filled with bubbling lava and stirring it with his bare hands.

"Lia Amarin. Yes?" He asked, straightening up and 'washing' his hands in it, turning towards Lia. "You are surprisingly weak."

"..." Lia stopped in her tracks, twitching her mouth, not knowing how to reply to that.

"Sweating this much… how are you going to control true flames later on?" He added, finishing his thoughts. His words seemed exceptionally sharp, yet his eyes remained calm. But it was enough to irritate her even more than the unnatural heat.

"I came because I am part of the Student Council."

"I know," Zorgan answered, watching her, momentarily silent. For a brief instant, he remembered the face of Olivia, gulping back a sigh before it could come to the surface. He was someone who was loyal to House Ro and to the duty of the Houses. Zorgan knew that Olivia had signed her own death warrant with what she did. Yet now, seeing Lia, he couldn't help but feel somewhat frustrated. It was unavoidable as he had worked with Olivia since she was brought to the Academy… and he failed her.

"Master Zorgan?" Lia asked, unsure why the silence.

"Yes. Sit, please." He said, but Lia saw no seats available when she looked around. To her surprise, Zorgan waved his hand, and two chairs formed from the fire around them, producing a round table in the middle. He unceremoniously sat down, watching her. At that moment, Lia recognized what was happening… he was testing her. The most direct way possible.

"Okay," she said in her head, her expression going frigid, and her eyes turned deadly serious. "We don't need to be friends." She added but remained silent in reality. Her change did not escape Zorgan's eyes, but he remained undisturbed, waiting for her to sit down.

Lia walked closer, her face cold, missing the pouting, the grumbling, replaced with callous indifference. Sitting on the chair made of orange flames, she squirmed a little before settling down. It was a weird feeling to place her butt on it. It was hot, like a leather seat, left out under the summer sun. Even worse, it was getting hotter the longer she was sitting on it. For now, she tried to ignore it, crossing her arm, looking at Zorgan, and waiting for him to speak.

"Your mana is still weak. You are a Magi already, yet you still have problems ignoring the heat?"

"I always had a little bit of a problem with it. Nothing that Master Zorgan has to worry about, though. I can withstand it, thank you very much."

"Endurance is one type of strength." He nodded, watching Lia's mismatched eyes. "Now… This year, my Tower is going to hold a special competition at the end of the year. It is going to be about controlling the different fires in my possession."

"Different… fires?" Lia asked, her brows furrowing, but mostly as she started to feel the flames of her chair licking her legs, getting a bit painful as time went on.

"Oh? You don't know about the different fires?" He asked, honestly surprised but for Lia, it sounded like mockery. "Well, as you can see," he pointed at the multiple, differently colored fires in the many bowls around the room, burning continuously. "I have a collection of fire seeds. I assumed, being from a House wielding the Element of Fire, you were taught about it by Lady Reyra. No matter!" Before Lia could speak up, he continued, "I am from the land, under the rule of House Ro. They are the masters of fire, and I am serving their House. I am going to send you the required data in the coming days; you have to read up on it in your own time… as you are going to be one of the judges."

"Me? Judging? Yet I never heard about the different fires?" She asked coldly, her voice remaining calm.

"Yes." He answered, not breaking eye contact. "If you screw up, I can take the blame."

"Yet I would be humiliated," Lia replied in her head, but her following words did slip out of her mouth. "Is it because of Olivia?"

"What happened to her is nobody else's fault but hers," Zorgan answered after a brief pause, standing up from the chair. As soon as he did so, Lia followed suit, relieved that the burning feeling finally left her buttocks. "I just want to see," Zorgan said, looking down at her.

"My naked butt?" Lia scoffed, unable to hold it back, patting her rear, feeling that her skirt was burnt through, and now… nothing was hiding it.

"I want to see your true capabilities, Lia Amarin." He explained, his voice low and flat. "To validate my actions so my heart can rest."

Lia was unsure as to what to make of it, but in the end, she just cupped her hands, signaling that she agreed to be the judge. Not that she could refuse it. The moment she did, her bracelet pinged, marking down the end of spring when the competition was going to be held, and she would attend as a judge.

"You are free to enter the Tower of Fire whenever." Zorgan added, "A privilege to the Student Council members. If you have questions, you can find me up here most of the time. My lessons are 50 CP per hour."

"I'm fine. Thanks." Lia said, turning around, remembering her burnt-out skirt, trying to cover her bottom with her hands as she walked. Reaching the door, she couldn't help but yelp after grabbing the searingly hot doorknob that she completely forgot about.

Not long after she was gone, Zorgan was about to return to his thoughts when a call came through forcefully.

"Zorgan." Echoed Lauron's voice from his bracelet.

"Master Lauron."

"Don't go too far." He warned plainly.

"I won't." He replied, remaining cordial. "I am only angry at my own failure. Your sister needs a little bit of pressure to get over her predicament. That is all. I read Master Dayen's reports at the end of last year." He read about Lia's predicament of too intensely burning mana... but he was unaware of her recent advancements.

"Just remember what I said, Warlock of Many Flames. You don't know how important she is to my family…." Lauron said before cutting the connection leaving Zorgan there, furrowing his brows a little before returning to calmness.

"..." He slowly pushed his hands back into the bubbling lava in his personal kiln, stirring it just like how others would play with water. "Control. I need control." He murmured, "I control the flame and not vice versa…." He repeated over and over, realizing he may have been a bit impulsive in this meeting because of what happened to Olivia.