"Who else knows about this?"
"Just you, Professor."
"Good. Yes, quite good. This is very important, Ragnar: tell no one else what you can do. At least not until we understand it better."
The words of Professor Jarn echoes through Ragnar's mind as he tosses in his bed, struggling to sleep. The look of anxiety on the Professor's face disturbed his thoughts and made him feel uncomfortable about the entire situation. Why should he want to conceal a breakthrough such as this?
Perhaps he wants to spare me from becoming a guinea pig for the University. That would inevitably be what I would be reduced to. They would all line up to cast all sorts of incantations to try and probe into the heart of my mana and see the reason I am able to accomplish this.
Of course it all seems so simple to me now. All these old fools are unable to look beyond the obvious. Everyone learns how to encase themselves in stone as a form of protection, but until today no one was able to blink, much less retain full mobility. How amusing it would be to me, to see all of those who tormented me about my arm watch in wonder as my new arm does things they could only dream of accomplishing. Who is laughing now?
A rare smile crosses onto Ragnar's face as he drifts off to sleep, at last.
The first rays of light flash through his window. The melodious song of a bird penetrates the stone and glass of the building and reaches Ragnar's ears. He rubs his eyes with his good hand. A sudden thought causes him to put an abrupt conclusion to his lazy waking motions and he jolts out of bed, scrambling to find his school uniform for the day.
My sculpting exam is today!
This thought consumes all his mental focus as he slips into his khaki tunic and light brown trousers. He hastily slips his feet into the soft leather boots, and then has to stop once he realizes he has them on the wrong feet. He sits on his bed and removes them, taking a little more care this time around. He rushes out of his dorm room and nearly runs over Darin in the process. Ragnar ignores the curses being flung at him by his rival. He enters the main hall and whips around the corner and...
THUD!
Loose scrolls of parchment and leather-bound books fly into the air, raining down on Ragnar and the person he collided with. His heart skips two beats and he has to remember to breathe as he looks into the green eyes of Aria. She blushes furiously as she bends down to grab her belongings while mumbling an apology. Ragnar bends down and uses his good arm to help her with the gathering.
"Thank you, Ragarm. I mean Ragnar. Sorry," she says hurriedly, blushing even more as she stumbles over her words. Ragnar knows everyone calls him that, even the professors here at the University. Everyone but Professor Jarn views his deformity as an inperfection that disqualifies Ragnar from being an equal.
"I, um, its nothing Aria. That is, it was all my fault and if there is any way I could make it up to you."
"No, its quite alright."
"I could maybe buy, um, that is treat you to a cup of honeydew later."
"Oh no, that isn't necessary. You've done enough already."
"Well if you change your--" he stops short as she hurries off to join two friends that are passing by. The three girls all shoot a glance back at him and begin to giggle, making Ragnar wish he could blend in with the wall as to avoid the mocking stares. He starts walking, his mind wandering, when a high-pitched voice shouts out:
"Look, part of the wall is moving!"
Ragnar looks around and sees nothing out of the ordinary, and then it dawns on him. He stands still as everyone stares where the boy is pointing but, seeing nothing unusual, they return to their routines. Ragnar berates himself and, when he is sure no one will notice, he drops his magical aura and the stone encasing his body dissipates.
He heads outside and sees the exam already underway. Students are spread out through the courtyard, each one chiseling away with their magic at a large slab of marble. There is one vacant spot left and Ragnar hurries there, keeping low to the ground in hopes that his tardiness won't be noted. He sighs as he watches Mistress Shayna shaking her head at him and jotting something down in her accursed tablet.
He allows his aura to encompass his thoughts and he attempts to clear his mind of everything but the desired design. He fixates on on the founder of Suin, having decided on paying homage to the scholar who made the first major breakthrough in the art of Earth magic. The marble starts to fall away in large pieces as he breaks away at the top, having decided to start with the head and work his way down. The face begins to form, but Ragnar's mind wanders briefly to his encounter with Aria and suddenly Suin's founder has eyelashes that are too long. Easily fixed. Focus.
His mind wanders again, though Ragnar doesn't notice until he sees the founder has pigtails and delicate earrings. Mistress Shayna calls out in a crisp voice:
"Remember to focus only on the image of what you are attempting to sculpt. Inability to do this can lead to errors that cannot be erased."
She didn't have to mention his name, but Ragnar knew it was aimed at him. He wished she would get attacked by a badger, and all of a sudden the statue has deep claw marks across its left cheek. Ragnar berates himself and works at correcting the error, but the marks are deep enough that they will still remain noticeable. He continues on, forcing himself to ignore all other thoughts.
Things were going good at last when an alarm sounded deep in the heart of the town. He knew what that sound meant: the town was under attack. Panic slowly crossed the minds of his peers and Ragnar couldn't help but frown as he watched the head of his statue fall to the ground, separated from the developing shoulders. Just like he had seen done to his dad all those years ago, the last time that alarm sounded...
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