The Hunters Volume Two: War

Chapter Six: A Lesson on Magic.

  The moment Mia Delgado woke up, she already knew that today was going to be different. The feeling was there, at the back of her mind, small and almost nonexistent yet incessant in its refusal to depart. It niggled her  persistently though not to the point of being uncomfortable. Even as she brushed her hair back in front of the oval mirror in her room, she couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something. As if there was something that was trying to reach out to her from within her mind. 

  "Ugh," she muttered to herself as she placed down her brush on the wooden dresser. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, as if it would give her an answer, an explanation for this unusual feeling. "What is wrong with me?"

  "Come on Mia," Elena called from the other side of the bedroom door. "We have to get going soon. It's Monday and and you're not going to want to skip out on today's class."

  "Today's class?" Mia's brows furrowed in confusion as she pulled out her phone to check her calendar.

  A moment later...

  "Oh shit!"

                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "There are three main branches of magic," an auburn haired middle aged woman stated in a clear and concise voice to the young adults in the large amphitheater-like lecture hall at the Department of Parapsychology. 

  "First, we have Arcane magic, which is the magic that every human is capable of utilizing, provided they possess the required attributes. I trust you all remember what those are?"

  "A strong body, immense willpower and an abundance of life force," one of the students at the lower levels answered. 

  The woman smiled and continued. "Very good. Next we have Blood Magic, which is practiced almost exclusively by the vampires due to the immense drawbacks it brings. And there is the most mysterious of them all, the true cusp of supernatural abilities..."

  She turned and waved her hand towards the large white board. As if a giant hand was writing with an invisible pen, the words 'Variant Magic' appeared in bold fonts on the board.

 Once the words were completed the woman turned back to face the class.

  "For those of you who do not know, the true definition of Variant Magic is an ability. It is not true magic, since it does not comply with the laws that guide this reality. Variant magic is a gift that is inherent to the soul of the user, binding itself to their very being to represent who they truly are.

  "There are over seven billion humans on Earth. Yet the number of confirmed Variants under the employ of the Arcane Circle as of present is  less than a thousand. The abilities of these Variants are exceedingly rare and every single one of them is just as special. In truth, there are a lot of useless Variants out there. The soul is a concept that has and might always be beyond our understanding. There is no predetermined way of obtaining Variant Magic. It has been suspected to be hereditary, but there has been no proof of this hypothesis. Some abilities can be as mundane as telekinesis or telepathy while some can be so powerful that they can allow the user to completely create an entire pocket dimension out of nothing but the power of their own soul."

  The woman paused for a moment to regard the class. Practically every single student was paying attention to the lesson, a stark contrast to their typical behavior during mundane college classes. It was not much of surprise though, considering the topic of discussion. After all, nothing appealed to the young mind more than unknown knowledge. Her eyes lingered briefly on the brunette at the far left edge of the class who was taking down as much as she could from the lecture.

  "For the past few centuries, the most well-known Variants, the Hunters, have been able to maintain their fearsome reputation not only because of their immense power, but because of the inability of their enemies to devise a suitable counter to their abilities. The true deadliness of Variant Magic lies in its unpredictability and inability to be replicated by Arcane magic.

  A hand was raised somewhere at the front of the class by someone who Mia was not able to see from her position. Fortunately she was able to hear their question clearly. 

  "Professor, earlier you mentioned telekinesis and telepathy as possible Variant abilities. But aren't there spells that can perform those same functions?"

  "That's a very good question to ask. Indeed there are spells that can allow a mage to levitate objects or delve into the mind of another. But let me ask you a question: when you use magic to move an object, how does it work?"

  The student took a few moments to think his answer through before replying. "I would use my magic to reach out and manipulate the natural energy in the air around the object to move it."

  A knowing smile crossed the woman's face as she tilted her head in approval. "Exactly. Arcane Magic utilizes both the caster's own reserves as well as the energy of the world. The rules are very different for a Variant. The ability might seem like telekinesis at first glance, but who's to say that they are not simply controlling the air itself to move the object. Or even directly manipulating the very molecules of the object itself?"

  A collective hum of astonishment spread through the class at the incredible revelation. Mia especially found herself even more in question of the nature of her own powers. Michael had told her that a Variant could not use Arcane magic and yet...

  She looked at the pen lying  in front of her. With a single thought, it floated upright and began to draw circles around the word 'Variant' in her notebook. And she was very very certain that she had performed that spell through the normal method of casting Arcane magic.

  So the question remained; if she was actually a Variant, how and why then was she able to still use Arcane Magic?

                                ~~~~~~~~~~~

  The class ended soon after, much to the discontent of many students although that might have been  because they would have to return to the boring life of a regular college student. As she packed her materials into her bag, Mia's mind continued to review everything that had been said during the lecture in hopes of finding out something that might be of use  in resolving her dilemma. Her phone pinged and she picked it up to read the text message from Whitney saying that the latter would be meeting with the professor from the Arcane Circle to talk about the upcoming Tournament of Magic. 

  The event was basically the magical equivalent of the Olympic Games but for mages only. It was an annual tournament style contest that pitted young magic users against each other to decide who was the strongest in the generation.  The tournament was a very popular event, such that even the Arcane Circle Elders held it in high regard. Hence doing well in the tournament would pretty much determine a young mage's future. Not to mention the bragging rights reserved for the winner. For the past three years, one wizard had claimed first place consistently among all others. A faint smile appeared on Mia's face as she thought about the event, wondering whether she would be able to see him again. 

  So engrossed was she in her thoughts that she failed to notice the wet floor sign out in the hallway until she slipped on the slippery tiles. Before she could reach the floor however, a hand closed around her forearm and pulled her up and away from the wet patch. 

  "Woah! Thanks for the save..." Mia turned to see her rescuer. "Veronica?"

  The dark haired vampire princess looked thoroughly unimpressed with the witch's blunder. "So much for being a prodigy," she said, her voice full of sarcasm. "Where is he?"

  "Where is who?" Mia asked unsurely. Veronica merely leveled her with the meanest glare she had ever seen from the vampire until Mia realized who she meant. "Oh, Michael? Why am I supposed to know where he would be?"

  "Aren't you always  following him around like a lost puppy every now and then?"

  Mia sighed and rubbed her temple with her right hand. She really didn't want to deal with this right now. "Alright look. Veronica, this bossy bitch act of yours is kinda getting old. I get that you think you don't need protection—"

  "I don't," the vampire hissed fiercely.

  "—being a princess and all that," Mia rolled on, completely ignoring the other girl's interruption. "But here's the thing; no one is going to force anything on you. You're strong and you're fast and you can probably take care of yourself far better than I could. I know that and Michael does too. But no one ever said you have to do everything alone."

  The princess stared blankly at the witch for a full minute, increasing the latter's hope that she had finally been able to— "So you don't know where he is?"

  —nope, she was still an uncaring bitch. Mia deflated with a tired sigh and shrugged helplessly. "No. But I can use a spell to track him."

  "Alright then. Do that-hey!" Veronica exclaimed as when Mia suddenly yanked her forward without warning. Seconds later, a group of high spirited jocks dressed in full football uniform rushed in through the entrance doors and stampeded through the hallways yelling and chanting the school team motto to the applause and and cheers of the students in the hallways. 

  "Looks like we're even now," Mia said with a small smile.

  Veronica glared at her, predictably, and pulled her arm free from the other girl's hand. "Yeah right. As if a bunch of muscle-brained humans would be able to do anything to me."

  "Whatever you say princess," Mia acquiesced amusedly and turned to watch the procession. "You know that looks kinda nice if you really think about it."

  "Of course a human would find enjoyment in such folly. This is basically a legalized battle royal. The only remotely enjoyable aspect of this madness is the sheer brutality that is so wantonly displayed."

  This time it was Mia's turn to scoff as the procession ended, allowing both girls to continue moving towards the exit. "Isn't that a bit stereotypical of you? I mean vampires weren't always exactly the most well mannered of all supernatural beings."

  "That was in the past," Veronica emphasized. "We have a complete and competent system of organization that ensures that our race doesn't fall into the chaos that seems to exist perpetually among you mortals."

  Mia simply gave her a blank look that reflected just what she thought of the vampire's little tirade. "Right. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

  "I don't, you pleb," Veronica huffed and spun to walk out the door. That plan failed when a pretty blonde girl dressed in a blue and silver cheerleader outfit that looked like it was created with her in mind appeared in front of her.

  

  "Ah! Just the people I was looking for!" The girl squealed in a deceptively pleasant manner. 

  "Winston, get out of my way," Veronica ordered gruffly.

  Melanie pouted mockingly at the harsh tone. "Yikes, someone's in a bad mood today."

  "And it's only getting worse the longer I continue to stay around you."

  "Veronica, be nice," Mia chided, leaving the vampire speechless at her audacity. "Can we help you Melanie?"

  "I just wanted to give you these," the blonde extended her hand and the two colorful flyers she held. Mia took two of the flyers and skimmed through them quickly.

  "These are for the cheerleader tryouts?"

  "Yep. During my horrifying time being possessed last month, everything seemed to blur together and I still have some difficulty sorting out my memories from that time," Melanie said in a more serious tone before she reverted back to her overly cheerful self. "But I do recall some things towards the end of that time, including that epic fight that eventually led to my freedom. You have skill, and my cheer squad could definitely use some of that skill."

  The brown haired girl raised a confused eyebrow. "You're recruiting me?"

  "Yep."

  "Why?" 

  "Yeah, why?" 

  "Hey!" Mia glared at the vampire who merely scoffed and looked away.

  Melanie seemed to blanch momentarily under the inquisition before her façade returned albeit a lot less convincing than it had been earlier. "No reason, my little brunette friend. Veronica, the invitation extends towards you too if you're interested."

  "I'll pass," the princess declined almost immediately and headed for the doors, dragging Mia behind her. 

  "Hey slow down! Bye Melanie, we'll talk later!" Mia called out as she was pulled through the double doors. 

  Neither the vampire nor the witch were able to catch the way Melanie's smile drooped sadly. The blonde's shoulders sagged in melancholy as she turned to walk into a nearby classroom.