"Disappoint you?" Adam stood on the platform, the quill, the legacies, all hidden behind a confident smirk. "I wouldn't dare, Teacher."
"I've heard you were blessed with many affinities." Diane took five steps back, creating distance for the demonstration. "I've also heard that one was mysteriously missing. Perhaps Leviathan truly blessed you in the crib." Her gaze turned predatory for a heartbeat.
Adam's smirk froze, his knuckles whitening where they pressed against his tense legs. "Perhaps," he said somberly.
Diane's smile returned, her chuckles echoing across the classroom like crystal bells. "Don't tense up so much. Your missing affinity doesn't matter. At least, not in my class. Darkness. Most curses are tied to that element, but we're not here to nitpick, right? That's why I brought affinities up. Cast a curse. Any curse. Surely you know at least one. I'll demonstrate how to counter it before it afflicts me."
"You presume too much about my knowledge." Adam shook his head. "I've just enrolled and this is my first lesson. Before that, I always steered clear from what I believe is distasteful magic."
"Distastefulness is a matter of opinion. Even if I share yours, this is all the more reason to learn its intricacies, effects, and cost." Diane turned toward the students, her words for everyone. "Yes, cost. It can be temporary or definitive, but one thing is sure: the more malignant the curse is, the higher it is. Not only mana. Part of oneself: soul, organs, life expectancy. Curses are double-edged swords. They cut both the victim and the caster. So, what would happen if the caster pays, but you evade the effect?"
She glanced knowingly at the students, who raised their hands to answer. Yet, she picked none. It was too obvious. "His hopes of cutting you deeper than he would be would melt like snow under the sun. But don't let this mislead you. There are methods, ancient, powerful. Skilled dark mages like Isolde can force the cost upon others or negate it entirely. They'll wait for your deflection, for you to think you've got the upper hand, to strike you down."
Silence followed her explanation.
A few students nodded with somber grins that betrayed their pride in the art. Adam realised they trod the path of dark mages, not that it mattered.
The cost intrigued him much more. So far, he had burned any dark magic grimoires he had uncovered. Not that many in truth, but he remembered Baldur's collection and the wildfire he had fed with their pages. He also remembered almost dying from dark magic years before that. Ambushed by teachers from the School of Dark Magic and Necromancy, how they had summoned an entity from the netherworld, and how powerless he had been under its cursed gaze. No, dark magic wasn't for him. It could be useful, but in his heart, he couldn't see himself striking enemies with curses or legions of undead. Still, the element itself did him no wrong. Perhaps there was something else to it—another way?
A question for later, perhaps never. For now, he had to learn Diane's method to protect himself from magi curses.
The sound of quills scraping against parchment broke the silence. Students took notes diligently, and when their hands grew still, Diane curled a finger toward a grinning boy. "Albert, would you mind joining us for the demonstration?"
"An honor." Albert climbed on the platform, smirking as he shouldered Adam back to take his place. "I know a curse that instils death in its target. Limbs grow stiff and blood cold before it could understand what struck it. Death comes slow, but is certain. The cost is nothing a warm fireplace and a few blankets can't solve—just a day of temporary coldness." He gave Diane a noble bow. "Shall I use this one for the demonstration?"
Diane shook her head. "Pick a curse with minimal side effects, or your training will end rather soon. This goes for everyone. Competing on who can cast the most dangerous curse will get you no praise, only sanctions. Begin now, Albert."
With a begrudging nod, Albert drew a wand from his belt. From behind the boy, Adam saw the intricate carvings. Enchantments danced along magical wood crowned by a beast core polished to a sheen. Darker than the darkest moonless night, it pulsed as Albert drew his wand toward Diane.
"Very well. A curse that gives stomachache, it is."
No incantations, no words, yet black fog erupted from the sharp tip of the wand. It slithered, taking its sweet time to cover the five steps separating it from Diane, who nodded.
"Slow and controlled for the demonstration. Five points for you, Albert." Light mana coated her rising palm as she continued. "There are many methods of countering curses. The easiest is to overpower it with stronger mana. Lacks finesse, but works best. The second is more intricate—the one you'll need against someone at least as powerful as you, if not more so."
She spun the fog as it reached her. Darkness enveloped light, snuffing it like a candle for a moment. Then, a single luminous point shone dimly. "Timing is key, precision is vital. When most of the dark power gathers, right before it enters you, strike where mana is weakest. Just like this."
The single point blazed like a star in the night before erupting like a solar blade. With a circular motion, it sliced through the fog, dispersing darkness like dawn.
"Light affinity stands opposite to darkness. It gives me an edge, but any element can do the same, even bare mana. But since affinities empower us, why not use them?" She walked toward Adam, shrugging. "Now, train in pairs and find how to do it on your own until the bell rings."
As the other students climbed on the platforms and began training, Adam eyed Diane, a brow raised.
"Any questions before we begin?" She asked.
"One." Adam tucked his fingers around his chin. "I doubt most dark mages would curse me in front of my face—I mean, unless they're as powerful as Isolde."
"They won't." Diane nodded. "If someone wants you dead, he'll curse from the safety of his castle walls without you ever knowing who, when, or what before it's too late."
"If I don't know who and when, doesn't it make your method useless?" Adam sighed.
"Not all." Diane grinned. "Better knowing it than nothing, not to mention this is just the first step in the right direction. Or did you expect to learn everything in one lesson? Curses are complex matters, student. The older they are, the harder they are to counter. Because you don't know how they operate, because you can't feel them before it's too late." She shook her head. "Let's leave that for future lessons. For now, I'll curse you with light, and you'll counter it using darkness. Succeed on the first attempt, and I'll return the twenty points you lost earlier. Succeed on the third and you'll lose another ten."