บท 14: Chapter Fourteen: Books

"Altering the aspect of anything is a long and complicated process. Many spend years learning the basics of alteration, also known as transfiguration." the teacher preached to the new batch of students.

Jasmine was asked to help regulate their first lessons, so she became a helper. Very few wizards actually stayed to teach the new generation of magicians and that job was left to the older students. Most of the time the most successful and talented young wizards and witches were to teach the new. Jasmine just happened to fit that description.

The classroom was made out of old wood and structured like a circle. There were five circles of benches. All the benches went in a slope, the farthest being the highest, while the closest to the middle lowest. This way all students could see the teacher in the middle of the classroom.

Jasmine was walking in between the benches, helping the young students. She was rather prideful in her talent in alteration and spent most of her free time deepening her understanding in the subject. Whenever a student would struggle she would chip in and give some helpful advice.

All the students were wandless and staffles, due to their recent arrival. That made their practice even harder, but it would also reap more benefits. Jasmine was well aware of this and gave them words of encouragement.

"Jasmine, didn't you arrive here one and a half years ago? How can you be so good at this?" one of the new students asked. Out of the new batch she was the oldest. Not as old as Jasmine, but there was only a one year difference.

Jasmine giggled at the question, slightly flustered. "I wouldn't say I'm that good. I just try my best!." she answered honestly.

"Do you reckon I can reach your heights if I work hard like you?" the girl asked. This time Jasmine had to hide her blush. The girl was way too blunt with her words and it embarrassed Jasmine. But she answered honestly

"Anyone that works hard can easily surpass my meager achievements!" she answered.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Jasmine finally finished her work and got some well deserved alone time. But she didn't spend that time resting, instead she trained.

Her diary was wide open and her quill entered action again. She wrote and wrote. writing her tales and adventures of the day, while mentioning some minor improvements, or minor philosophy she randomly thought of.

The winter outside was only getting worse and the students told her the horrors that it brought. Thankfully winter would be over soon and she could leave the tower for some sightseeing. Her teacher in name had left the tower some months ago and she had no way to get more materials for the time being. So she wanted to go shopping in the city the tower was in.

Jasmine finished her daily input and closed her book. She carefully hid it, using some charms, just to make sure. Then she started training. She would conjure strings, using conjuration and transfigure parts of her table into marinets. She would have them fight. Sometimes dueling, other times going into an all out war.

The strings she conjured were called Fiddlecord. These strings were seen as evil magic and many despised the practice of such magic. They could manipulate anyone, monster or not. Many wars had been wagged due to some evil magician controlling royalty. But Jasmine liked the practice. She didn't understand the idea of forbidden magic. Magic is innocent and pure. It's the users that's at fault!

When she was done playing she carefully altered the table back to its normal form and left her room.

Jasmine walked through the empty corridors. There were only seventy people in the tower right now. It was about a fifth of all magicians in the Shifao Dynasty. There were five new students this year, an impressive number. Usually there would only be two or three.

"How is everyone doing at home?" Jasmine asked Jantyr. She would usually make small talk with her deity when she was bored. This way she also stayed tuned to what happened at home. She had plans to return there after all.

"We're doing great! The wall will finish this week and your uncle Lenart has somewhat mastered his powers. So now he's training just like you. But the two of you seek power in fundamentally different ways, even if you both use mana!" Jantyr responded. Nothing new to Jasmine.

"I'm also capable of controlling the weather. I even chose the name weather forecast witch and I have full plans to live up to that name!" Jasmine said. Childishly seeing it as a competition.

"This is no competition for affection, foolish girl. You excel at your own fronts and even the tower acknowledges your talent. So don't be stingy and leave some praises for the rest of us!" Jantyr teased.

Jasmine huffed and said "Don't forget that!"

"If we continue like this, we will have copied this tower's collection of books within the next year. Then you can return here and study in the village. While leaving to visit other towers to find books you haven't read." Jantyr said, getting into a new topic.

"About that, how many books do we have right now?" Jasmine asked. She hadn't kept a count for all the books she scrolled through.

"Right now we have 2345 books and only increasing with each of your visits to the library!"

"What do we do about the restricted sector?" Jasmine asked

"Hmm, maybe you should grab some books about wards and learn that field of magic. This way you can access the forbidden library!" Jantyr suggested.

"That's a great idea. But that will have to be later, I have some curses and jinxes to study first!" Jasmine said. As she reached a courtyard she had been walking towards. In front of her was a bunch of enchanted dummies that would move. This way a witch or wizard could train their aim and spells at the same time.

Back at the village all houses inside the first wall had been destroyed, leaving only the lodge. But even the lodge was being remodeled. They were currently making a mansion for Jasmine to return to. But not just that, Lenart and Howard had been tasked with a secret mission. They were to construct an underground library where all the books would be stored. The lode would be made into another room, as it wasn't some holy place. Just the safe space for Jantyr's most important Totem.

Jantyr had already spread hundreds of totems all over the village. Over a thousand people were living in the village and each one of them had their own totem. Jantyr wanted to make sure he got daily worship from his followers and this was the most efficient way.

The mansion was in its early stages and it would take time before it was finished. Hopefully it would be before Jasmine returned as it would be a surprise, Jantyr had kept a secret!