Chapter 62: Magical Entrances

Sen stared at himself in the illusory mirror he’d conjured in their dorm room. His three-piece suit was as black as a starless night, except for a golden trim that radiated pure light. From the trim, an aura of gold fell like stars in his wake when he moved. He looked as if he’d wrapped the cosmos around himself. As much as he hated to admit it, it was a fitting formal look for his moniker from the past.

Mori agreed. “The God of Magic can really rock a suit.” Mori wore a black suit as well, but his had white trim that seemed to want to override the black. Sometimes it succeeded. The white trim would expand before the black pushed back. Mori looked like a handsome black and white chameleon that couldn’t make up its mind. 

Ilm was getting ready with the girls. Susannah had taken them all dress shopping, Milim, Samara, and Ill — and then rented a fancy room in the inn near the academy. They’d be arriving together to make a show of it. Oliver had brought word that a large gathering of students had already formed in the courtyard, waiting for Susanna’s appearance. Regardless of rank, she was popular all on her own, and not just because of her family name. Sen looked himself over one last time, brushed a stray hair back into place, and then sighed. “Well, I suppose we should get going.”

The plan was for him to meet Milim at the gate. From there, he’d walk her to the ballroom. A special building, especially designed for the annual Brightsail Ball. It had already started, but most of the higher-ranking students showed up later by design. They were meant to be celebrated. 

“One last thing,” Mori said, reaching into a temporal slit. He pulled out an expensive bottle of cologne that had Zeke’s name written all over it. Literally, it seemed Zeke had lent him the bottle. He gave Sen two puffs before he could reject it and then placed the bottle back in the temporal space where it disappeared. “Perfect! Now we’re ready!” 

Sen chuckled. Mori seemed more excited about this than the girls had. When they left their room, Ano was waiting for them. “Well, you boys dress up nicely. What do you think about us?” Ano’s blue trim suit sounded like the ocean. Like Sen had held his conch shell magic artifact up to his ear to listen. There was a pleasant sea-smelling scent to it as well, and Sen actually found the sound of moving water relaxing. Maybe he should’ve got a suit like that as well. Behind Ano, his pillow floated. Apparently it was conscious today, so Ano had a good dream…or a bad dream last night? He still found the artifact terribly confusing, to be honest. The pillow had a matching suit of its own, which had been especially tailored to fit it. The idea of Tomlin painstakingly tailoring a suit to fit a magical floating pillow brought a chuckle to Sen’s face.

Ano seized on it. “See! I told you it would be cute with a suit on! I bet a hundred gold it gets to dance with more ladies than I do tonight!” 

The entrance hall was a wave of chatter as students waited for the women attending the ball to arrive. Susanna and the others weren’t the only ones off campus right now. It was tradition for the women to make their way to the academy while a crowd watched. Some of them would have dates waiting for them in the courtyard, like Sen would wait for Milim. When Sen, Mori, and Ano entered the entrance hall, a good portion of the chatter turned to them. He tried his best to ignore the whispers of his classmates. Ano made sure he didn’t miss it. “Did you hear that? Milim better hold on tight, you’ve got some fans, Sen.”

Mori was blushing. “We all do. I wonder how odd it would be to use an invisibility spell right now?” He made a horrified look. “Ano, that young woman says she wants to eat you.”

Sen chuckled.

Ano raised a brow and looked in her general direction. “Hell, I just might let her.”

Mori looked ready to faint. He hurried forward, leading them out of the room. Ano and Sen walked casually behind him. 

The courtyard was even more packed than the entrance hall. First and second years waited patiently. Most of them weren’t on the leaderboard, so they couldn’t attend for another year or two. Ilm had only been allowed to attend because Mori requested a special exception for her as part of his payment for working security for the festival. Sen even recognized a few third-years dressed up for the ball themselves. From their whispers, they wanted to see Susanna’s entrance so badly they’d forgone their own. It wouldn’t be long now. A full moon illuminated the night sky tonight, and mana-streetlights lit up the cobblestone path leading up to the academy. The gates were open, but city guards stood on either side, and more patrolled the perimeter. Mori had even summoned wall guardians, beefed-up versions of door guardians that would patrol the wall for intruders. If somebody tried something tonight, they’d be in for a rude awakening. 

A substantial crowd lined the street outside. Tomlin had informed them it wouldn’t just be civilians in the crowd. There could be nobles, or the representatives of influential people dispersed throughout as well. Plenty of people wanted to see the glamorous outfits, but plenty more wanted to see the real showcase of the Brightsail Ball entrances. 

Magic.

Ano nudged Sen. “Pay attention, these entrances matter almost as much as your ranking. These students out here may just be first and second years, but the three magic academies are a big deal. These people will be court magicians, adventurers, and influential people in the age to come. Someone makes a misstep at something like this?” Ano shook his head. “Well, they do that and they’d have been better off staying home tonight. Not to mention all the people in that crowd. I guarantee you recruiters are lurking among them.” 

Someone screamed with excitement. “Is that her?” someone cried out. In the distance, a lone figure approached. The path was clear, and city guards kept the crowd back from the street’s center. 

“Susanna’s going first?” Mori asked with a frown. “I’d have thought she’d go last.”

Ano smirked. “The towers prefer to set the tone. It’s not like they expect anyone to keep up with them.” He went silent as a golden door appeared in the center of the street. From it, a woman emerged. 

 Susanna’s dress was golden, reminiscent of her constructs and family power. Two thin straps held up her dress, and it had a floral trim. She wore a dazzling necklace that must have cost thousands of gold, and Sen couldn’t help thinking she looked like she should be ruling over a kingdom. He’d seen actual queens who looked less royal than she did right now. Her sleeves flared outward and draped over her arms, and a specially grown flower cinched her dress to the side. He thought his suit was expensive. Her dress probably cost more than all of their suits combined. 

With each step Susanna took, the ground beneath her feet glowed as if a heavenly being had descended and refused to touch the earth. To her left and right, golden mannequins appeared, and it looked as if she walked among a crowd of royal subjects. The golden people waved and cheered her on. They screamed and clapped, and some ran ahead of her in excitement. The crowd watched in awe. 

As she got closer, some of the golden people looked more like soldiers. They had spears and shields, and as she approached, their spears crossed in the air above her. A golden man with a trumpet sounded in on the roof. So the queen look was intentional. She was making herself seem like royalty. When she crossed the gate, the golden people and the crowd all cheered furiously. Her human-like creations then faded into golden specks of light and flowed after her. It looked like a million fireflies in the air. Many of the students and those in the crowd reached out to touch them, to capture a small piece of Susanna’s magic. As they did, the golden lights popped like bubbles. When Susanna reached Sen, Mori, and Ano, she tilted her head slightly. They returned the gesture. 

“Hello, Susanna, quite the entrance,” Sen said with a smile. He’d half expected to see Girch here waiting on her, but it seemed she’d gone without a date tonight. 

“You’re uh…” Ano cleared his throat. “Beautiful…I mean, the uh…show.”

Sen raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected Ano to trip over himself. 

Susanna smiled politely and then turned to Sen. “Well, I believe your sister and Samara are next.” 

Sen turned to look at her. “And Milim?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, she’s coming. I secured her a position of honor. She’ll be the last to arrive.” 

Sen nodded. Susanna wasn’t afraid to use her influence. How many fourth-years would have fought over a spot like that if not for her? He swallowed. Why was his heart beating so fast? It’s not like Milim wouldn’t show up. He suddenly wished he’d brought a glass of water.

[You could always make one, ya know? Magic! Duh.]

He rolled his eyes at Tutor.

Mori’s eyes lit up when he saw Ilm appear. Samara was next to her. They walked up the road. To Sen’s surprise, Samara was wearing her sword on her back. 

Ano shook his head. “Guys, did no one tell the sword chick that tonight was the one night to not be the sword chick.”

Susanna sighed. “Only for the last few hours, though not with those words.” 

Samara grinned when she saw the crowd and gave a big wave. A lot of the young men shouted and yelled, or whistled at her. She wore a dark purple dress with raven-like feathers sticking up on one shoulder and hanging from her sleeves. She wore her hair up as usual, and a pink aura illuminated parts of the dress. Samara drew her blade and slammed it downward in front of her. Black flames appeared all over the street. The crowd backed away on either side, but she had firm control over the Shade Flame. The fact that she and Ilm walked through it without getting harmed was proof. 

Ilm giggled and waved a hand of her own. Her dress was simpler than the others, a sleek black dress with a golden pattern around her neck and chest. Dazzling glimmers of light appeared all over her outfit, and she was actually leaving a trail of rose petals behind her as she walked. Like a goddess of love, those petals traced her path wherever she went. Sen caught her casting a spell of her own. Spectral banners suddenly hung from the rooftops. From the ground, a spectral dragon crawled out and soared into the air above. It swung its claws and left black and gold claw marks in the air to match her dress. The dragon itself was nearly transparent; it wasn’t an attack, but rather a fancy illusion. Regardless, Sen was impressed at the detail. If she trained with that spell, it would make for a formidable attack one day. 

Mori sighed. “Master, I can see the violent glee in your eyes. Perhaps let’s not imagine new spells tonight.” 

Were you sharing my thoughts with Mori?

[Nope. He caught you on his own.]

The dragon flew until it hovered in front of the full moon in the sky, and then it roared and turned into snow. The ghost snow fell into the courtyard and covered it. Ilm and Samara arrived at the gates. Mori clapped his hands, and Sen nodded his approval. 

Susanna embraced both of them. “Excellent work, girls.” 

After that, some of the higher-ranking third and fourth-year girls arrived. Some of them had dates waiting for them in the courtyard; others arrived with a friend, like Samara and Ilm had. He noticed occasionally, rather than perform magic themselves, their date would put on a magic display instead to welcome them. But he wasn’t sure if that had been pre-planned or not. He realized now he should’ve done a bit more research. 

He made small talk with his friends and watched the entrances with the others gathered there until finally Susanna looked at him with a knowing smirk. “She’s next.” 

Sen turned his attention to the road ahead and saw her walking down the street. 

Milim wore a strapless dress as dark as the suit that Sen wore. On her waist, her stylist had affixed a bouquet of blue and pink orchids. Around the base of her dress, orchid patterns were sewn on as well. The entire outfit sparkled in blue light. At her waist, the black dress split and revealed a vibrant pink that matched her hair. She walked without casting any spells, and Sen slowly looked toward Susanna. 

“Some girls insist on showing off their own magic, but having your date do it is much more romantic. You’re up, Sen.” She winked.  

Sen’s mouth fell open. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” he asked.

“Dude, come on, man. You should’ve known. This is basic stuff. What is this, your first time taking a girl to a ball?” Ano said. 

Yes.

Sen thought for a moment. The other students were already grumbling about the lack of magic. He was making Milim look bad. That wasn’t acceptable at all. After all, he was the God of Magic. 

She liked orchids, and he’d stored a bouquet of them in his temporal world for her, but now, he realized that wasn’t quite enough for someone like Milim. If he were going to give her flowers, he should grow them himself. 

“Garden Growth Maxima.” One moment all the students in the courtyard had been standing on the grass or stone walkways. The next, they stood in a field of blue and pink orchids. The flowers emerged from the earth and shot forward in a path toward Milim. White brick houses looked as if they’d been built upon a majestic, magical garden. Members of the crowd bent down to pluck them and reacted in surprise when they realized the flowers weren’t just illusions. 

When the flowers reached Milim, they stopped spreading and circled around her. With each step, new flowers sprouted up in an instant, and the old ones disappeared. She looked like a flower goddess strolling through a human city. But Sen wasn’t quite done yet. 

“Butterfly Swarm Maxima. Illusory Cloud Maxima.” He poured significantly more mana than he needed to achieve the desired effect. A pink mist formed around Milim, spreading as she walked. It obscured the surrounding buildings, and even the crowd around her. But she was perfectly visible, as were the flowers. Pink butterflies floated all around her in every direction. She held an arm out and giggled as several landed on it. She laughed and laughed and laughed as she walked. And then she looked up and her eyes locked on Sen’s. It took him a moment to realize he was smiling back at her. He didn’t wait. He strolled forward and met her at the gate. 

“How was that?” he asked her.

“It was everything. Thank you, Sen.” She was positively beaming.  

He held his arm out, and she took it, and they walked to join the others. It was time for the ball to begin.