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“THANK you for having me, Professor.”
Classes done for the day, Emma went to Professor Katie’s private chamber as her teacher had requested. The faculty residence building was on one corner of the sprawling campus grounds. Just like the student dormitories, it contained private rooms for teachers only. Despite the long, storied history of the Magic Academy, the walls of the faculty residence were so blindingly white that the building looked newly constructed.
“Ah, you’re here.”
“Yes, I am.”
Emma bowed her head politely at her smiling teacher. At the moment, she was less concerned about the reason the paper had turned black and more about having her water affinity verified.
Which reminds me. In my first timeline, Annette’s test indicated she had no compatibility with any of the elemental magics, so the only magic she could specialize in was life magic. Perhaps that happened because she’d never fully developed her inherent aptitude for time… I would hate for the same thing to happen to me this time, as far as water is concerned.
“Right then, Miss Emma, let’s discuss your elemental affinity.”
While she spoke, Professor Katie flipped through a thick book in her hands and presented a particular page for Emma to view. There was a warning on the spine when she peeked briefly at it. “Property of the Academy’s library. For faculty use only.” Several illustrations depicted every pattern of elemental affinity—those who possessed a singular affinity, multiple affinities, and partial affinities.
“Look here.”
Emma saw a pitch-black image in the location her teacher pointed to. Oh, this is me. She read the accompanying description out loud.
“‘The paper will be dyed black for those who possess an affinity for all attributes, otherwise known as an omni-affinity.’”
What? She blinked, stunned, and raised her face from the book. Professor Katie tapped a finger against her temple with a slightly strained smile, correctly guessing that Emma understood the implication of what she just read.
“Naturally, ‘all attributes’ includes time, too.”
“That…can’t be… I mean, I… Last… What?”
Emma silenced herself when she realized she almost blurted out, “Last time.” During her time at the Academy in her first life, she experimented on herself to determine if she truly lacked an affinity for the other elements. Regrettably, her results indicated she lacked even basic compatibility with all of them, much less advanced.
“Lor… I mean, Glen,” the professor corrected herself. “It was a stroke of luck that he lent a helping hand today. If you had lifted out your black form, rumors would have spread like wildfire all the way to the government. You would have been summoned forthwith in that case.”
“Wh-What do you mean, ma’am?”
“Because someone with an affinity for all attributes is a much more valuable asset to the monarchy than someone who possesses time magic alone. Especially when you’re the first student in this Academy’s long history to have her attribute determination form turn black. Should you be so inclined, it would be easy for you to find employment as a knight or high-ranked official at the palace after graduation.”
“I don’t have the least bit of interest in such work.”
Emma didn’t have to think before she rejected the idea. She wanted to be a lady’s maid. After time traveling and her government-mandated engagement to Bernard, she had had more than enough of the country’s interference in her life.
“Then we’ll keep this a secret between you, me, and Glen.”
“Um, Professor Katie… I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth…but…are you sure the Academy will allow this?”
Emma admittedly felt let down by such a quick, easy resolution. There’d been an uproar upon the discovery of her affinity with time magic at the age of nine. She had been whisked away to the palace without any say in the matter, and not long after, had to give up her dream of becoming a maid. The fact that this new revelation would be swept under the rug was somewhat anticlimactic in comparison.
“The Magic Academy is a special place that lies outside the monarchy’s jurisdiction. Anything learned here can’t be disclosed to outsiders. You’re familiar with this rule, yes?”
“I am…”
“No doubt there are teachers who wouldn’t hesitate to turn you over to the government. But I’m firmly opposed to such a notion.”
Despite the serious nature of the topic under discussion, Professor Katie spoke casually about it, as if she were commenting on the weather. Next, she drew out an application form for elective classes.
“For now… How about I list time as your primary affinity and water as your secondary?” she suggested. “The latter shouldn’t raise any red flags since it’s common enough among the female student body. Oh, you can apply to the advanced magic courses if you have one more attribute. Would you prefer we go that route instead?”
“I… Yes, thank you. Um…”
Befuddled, Emma struggled to voice her thoughts. Do I really have an aptitude for all the attributes? It’s not possible. Unable to accept reality, she doggedly questioned her teacher.
“Professor Katie, I honestly think this isn’t right. There’s no way I could have an omni-affinity. Might I request that you test me one more time?”
“We can, if that’s what you really wish. Sometimes students do find it hard to believe when they discover their compatibility with elements besides any activated in childhood.”
Professor Katie stood up from her chair and moved to a cabinet in her room. Emma assumed she would take out a jug and the special water for testing, but was surprised to see the woman place a sheaf of papers before her.
“You should be familiar with these since they were used in the class-placement exam.”
“Yes… They draw out magic the user has an affinity for but has never used. Crafted from magical materials, these sheets of paper transform into the element the individual is compatible with.”
Emma utilized this paper in the experiments she conducted on herself to determine her affinity for other magics. The only reaction was water. Not a twitch of a change for any of the others. Expecting the same result, she nevertheless placed the first sheet on her palm as it would be discourteous to her teacher if she didn’t at least make an effort. Then she said the requisite chant.
“Fire magic, spark.”
Emma could manipulate life magic to light a stove, but she could never produce fire. Knowing nothing would come of it, she uttered the familiar words. One of her older brothers had an affinity for fire magic, and she’d heard him say them often enough.
Good lord!!! The palm-sized square paper burst into flames that reached the ceiling. This isn’t a spark at all! Caught off guard, Emma fell to the floor on her backside.
“Oh, dear, are you all right?” Professor Katie remained unfazed as she easily extinguished the fire Emma had created.
“I… Yes… I think so… Professor, what just happened…?”
Tears spilled from her eyes. She could not comprehend any of this. A burning stench lingered in the air. Emma idly speculated that her fringe was most likely destroyed now. She thought about asking Rashida to fix her hair, but the damage was probably beyond her capabilities. The shock of what she’d done had her brain thinking about all the wrong things. A distant, sensible part of her understood she was in a mental freefall, but she couldn’t stop it either.
“Mm-hmm. Such incredible force confirms your affinity with fire. Would you like to try your hand at the others? Though if your attempt just now was any indication, I think it’s quite likely that we’ll both end up soaking wet, our hair in disarray, surrounded by clouds of dirt. Or in whichever order you choose to test yourself. What say you?”
“I… I believe I’ll refrain from further tests.”
She could imagine the potential for further disaster with the other elements based on what she had done with fire. It confounded her to no end, especially because of her fruitless efforts in her past life. Convinced by her teacher’s sound argument, Emma decided no more tests was the best course of action.
“So what would you like to do about your elective courses? Remember, if you add another element to your profile, you can apply to take the advanced classes.”
“Um… May I request that you add wind as my third element?”
“Wind it is. Then, as I explained in class today, all you have to do is fill out the form with the electives you want to take and turn it in by next week. Make sure to include your class-placement exam results too.”
“Understood. Thank you very much.”
Emma still felt like she’d been bespelled by a magic fox, but she was grateful for her teacher’s kindness all the same. Professor Katie’s formal stamp of approval regarding her elemental attributes meant the world to her. She would no longer hound the woman with her own misgivings.
As far as why she’d chosen wind as her third attribute…to match with Ian. Simple as that. Even if they had to skip classes because of her time traveling duties, she could easily practice wind magic with him through any supplementary lessons they may need to take to make up for their absences.
Emma thanked Professor Katie and left her room. While she fussed with her burned forelocks, she belatedly realized something. Wait just a minute. If a pitch-black form means the person is attuned to all the elements, then…
In the next instant, she ran into the very person on her mind. He had apparently been waiting for her outside of Professor Katie’s room.
“All done?”
“You…”
“Hello, Miss Emma Grace Seagrove. Might I borrow you for a bit?”
“…Of course.”
Though Emma had decided to stop pretending, she couldn’t help proffering a polished, ladylike smile. And for some strange reason, she suddenly stopped caring about the faint, charred smell wafting from her singed fringe.