Prismatic Education Begins With A Spark 24 (MTG/Multicross)

Prismatic Education 24

I sat in the stands with my friends, just another face in the crowd as I waited for Nivall to make her appearance on the Rose Stage. Since we were more than halfway through the project presentation period, the audience was significantly bigger in size. As expected, there were observers from outside the school; they might not be judging the performers at the same standard as the professors on the panel, but their impact on the performers’ future could not be ignored.

I clapped politely as the girl on stage, visibly fighting to maintain her calm expression, took a bow and left.

“That was pretty good, except for that last part,” Nivali commented as she stopped clapping, “Hope the judges don’t penalize her too badly for it.”

I silently agreed, but compared to all the others before her who had managed to pull their performances off without a hitch? Anyway, it’s not like I can do anything about it here.

Of all my friends, only Dyna wasn’t present, because she was practicing for her presentation tomorrow. The rest of them had finished theirs, so they were able to join me for this at my request, and so far, they were enjoying it quite a bit. 

It was fantastic how some of the performers mixed magic into what they did. A synchronized dance with only one real dancer among multiple flame clones, a singer whose voice summoned multiple spirits to sing along in chorus, the conductor whose baton made instruments float and play in a whole orchestra, even the simple poetry recital generated an impressive lightshow that had the audience clapping in awe.

“Next, from Prismari College, Nivall.” The announcer introduced.

“It’s Nivall’s turn!” Nivali said excitedly.

The genasi I had only known since the start of my third year walked out on stage, wearing a simple white dress. She curtsied to the judges, and settled into a neutral position.

Then the music began to play, and she-

Danced.

The music was light and innocent at first, and her movements were tottering, seemingly conveying the stumbling first steps of a youngling. As it continued on, both the music and her movements shifted in tone; now it carried excitement and filled with hope, the pursuit of a dream.

I blinked. Wait, did I just see…? No, it’s not there, not as an illusion, but…

From the few whispers I could hear, it wasn’t just me who saw that image. It was as though Nivall cast an illusion spell with only movements, with none of the magic that one would normally expect. A quick glance at the judges’ table showed them wearing impressed looks. 

With jumps and pirouettes, combined with graceful movements of her entire body, whether it was her limbs, torso, or head, Nivall was drawing out a scene where she was the only actress, yet not alone as well. Then as the music swelled towards a crescendo, she paused for a moment.

Then finally started using magic.

Between one twirl and the next, her dress was covered in mist, which cleared away with a sudden jump to reveal a colorful one, shimmering with her movements. Colorful lights burst from her feet as they pranced across the stage, adding to the whole spectacle.

I recognized the music that was now playing, mainly because I had shared my memories of the song with Nivall once before. She had loved it a lot, and often told me how it inspired some of her own dances.

“Baby, you’re a firework…” I murmured as I watched her dazzle the audience, “Come on let your colors burst…”

Nivali nudged me. “Roy, look! Is that…”

Just like the flame dancer from before, Nivall had generated an illusion of another dancer alongside her. The movements continued to tell a story, of a partner whom she taught and learned together with. The expression I could see on Nivall’s face made it clear that she was thoroughly enjoying herself the entire time, and even the faceless figure serving as her partner was giving off an impression of joy.

So that’s how she feels… My leg was bouncing on the floor, filled with the urge to dance along just from watching.

Then as the music began to die down, the atmosphere shifted again. The feeling of a gap forming between the two, as though intertwining paths were beginning to pull apart as their respective walkers headed towards separate goals. Nivall went into several dizzying spins, one hand holding onto her illusionary partner’s. 

The spins began to slow, and we saw the hands go from clasping each other, to palm-to-palm. Not a gesture of opposition, but shared contact between partners.

A pause as they stood face to face.

A melancholic smile.

Then a push apart, turning around and moving in separate directions. A spark of light lit in the partner’s chest, before it evaporated away, leaving Nivall alone on the stage once more.

The tottering motions again, before a sudden flourish that generated a colorful burst of flame, leaving Nivall standing alone in a sparkling halo of light, arms raised in a glorious display. 

Perfection and Expression, blended together in an inspiring act of art.

The audience rose to their feet for a standing ovation, and I with the rest of my friends as well. However, my smile felt a little stiff on my face, even as I watched Nivall curtsey once more before leaving the stage.

“That was the best one, definitely!” Vyse said after things had calmed down, sounding uncharacteristically fervent from his usual reserved self.

“She’s the most talented, no doubt,” Hofri grunted, not even bothering to include a snide comment at the elf.

“Roy, you alright?” Nivali asked me concernedly.

“...yeah. I’m fine.” I guess I’ll talk to her later. As for what I should say… I think we both know the outcome.

The rest of the lineup were great to watch, but they felt duller in comparison to Nivall’s performance, and I could hear some in the crowd still discussing it as we left the place. 

“Are we all going to attend Dyna’s thesis defense tomorrow?” Nivali asked.

Hofri shook his head. “I can’t, got an important meeting with Dean Tullus around the same time.”

“Roy? Vyse?”

“I think I can make it,” I answered.

“I have no other commitments. I’ll be there.” The elf added.

“Alright. We’ll meet up there about half an hour before?” 

We agreed to that time, and our group split up. Instead of heading back to my dorm, I hung around waiting. Eventually, I spotted Nivall, who was in the crowd of other performers leaving the venue. They were chatting with her as well, but she pulled away from them when she caught sight of me, coming over to where I was.

“Did you-”
“I saw.”

We spoke at the same time, before pausing to share a chuckle over that. I gestured for her to speak first.

“What did you think?”

“It was absolutely amazing.” I told her with complete honesty.

“Of course it was. It was my work, after all.” Nivall smiled at me, before it faded a little. “So now… what about us?”

“Nivall… let me just say this now. You’re right.”

“About what?”

“Our paths… were going to separate eventually. You have your dreams to pursue, and you shouldn’t give them up for me. As for me… I’m still searching for mine.”

“And I won’t ask you to give that up either,” Nivall interrupted.

We looked at each other in silence for a while, before I shrugged and just grabbed her in a hug.

“...please don’t…” She mumbled into my shoulder, but she didn’t push me away, and instead hugged me back.

I couldn’t help wondering if she meant it as a ‘please don’t go’ or a ‘please don’t hug me’, but for that brief moment, we just enjoyed that final embrace. Then we pulled apart like how the final moments of her dance, and nodded to each other.

As far as breakups go, this wasn’t that bad…

…

Despite having cleared my project presentation, as the number of remaining days for my fourth year dwindled, I found myself busy settling several other matters.

Okay, this one I can sell, this one I can keep. This one… I eyed the textbook in my hand. Guess I’ll donate it to the Biblioplex. They’ll pass it on to some student who needs it.

The dorm was only for students, and once I graduated from Strixhaven, I couldn’t stay there anymore. Sure, I could register for another four-year course to study more, especially since I had the funds for that, but doing so just to stay here longer was just foolish. So now, I was sorting through my possessions, clearing out the unneeded, and deciding what I wanted to bring along with me when I left. Even with a Bag of Holding, there was still too much to take all of it with me.

So interesting books that I’ll be giving up… I looked mournfully at the rather sizable stack. At least I got to record the spells into my grimoire, even if some of them are just guide notes right now.

The non-magic documents I chose to retain were related to traveling, containing information on how a lone mage might be able to survive out in the wilderness. One particular set of notes detailed a long-passed Planeswalker’s journeys, and I held some hopes of possibly visiting those places in the future. 

“And that’s the last of them. Now…” I looked at my crafting table and grimaced. “This is gonna suck…”

Fortunately, I was temporarily saved from the task by a knock at the door. Lyric helpfully opened it, and I looked to see Dyna enter, cheerful as always.

“Hi, came to get you. Cleaning out your room already?” 

It was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway. “Yep, rather not leave it till too late. Mind helping me out a bit? I’ve sorted the books already.” Seriously, be late once, and they never let you live it down.

“Sure. What do you need me to do?” The fire genasi rolled up her sleeves.

“Carry some of these to the Biblioplex for donation.” I indicated the pile at my feet.

“As long as you help me out with mine in exchange!”

I nodded. “Just tell me when.”

The results for our courses had been posted already, with only the project grades left for the professors to get to. According to unofficial feedback from our counselors, we had already passed, so the only event of note left was the graduation ceremony. After that… well, Dyna’s purpose for coming to my room was to have us all together in yet another get-together, which she had been holding more of ever since we had talked among ourselves, and were resigned to the fact that the five of us were going to go our separate ways after graduation.

“So you said you invited Nivall along to this one?” Dyna asked me as we were leaving the Biblioplex, no longer weighed down by books. “Why? I thought you two weren’t together anymore.”

“There’s something I have been planning to tell everyone, and I thought now was a good time to do that. Plus, we’re still friends.”

“Lemme guess, does that secret have anything to do with you going into secret spell research?”

“No.” I said, affronted. “Wait, is there some kind of rumor about that?”

“Maybe? I heard your project is being reviewed by multiple professors, which was why it was taking so long to grade.”

“My guidance counselors never said anything like that.”

She shrugged. “It’s just a rumor.”

Without the project hanging over my head, I was now free to resume my own side activities. Various prototypes of the dungeon staff had been constructed, and I was testing them out to find the ones that worked for me. I still had several more spells from the restricted section I was planning on copying down to learn later. I even had an appointment with Losheel so I could gain a copy of her latest cogwork automaton. So many things I wanted to do in a limited period of time.

Professor Ruxa had also asked if I was interested in an assistant researcher’s position, but I turned it down. Similar requests had come from some of the other professors who had seen my project work, along with a few who wanted to research the potential of the Spin further, but I didn’t feel inclined to accept any of them either. 

The call of adventure was too strong to turn down.

The gathering tonight was in one of the restaurants on central campus, one that had private rooms for parties. Vyse and Nivali were already there when Dyna and I arrived, and Nivall turned up a minute later. Hofri was the last to arrive, something Vyse ribbed him about before Nivali calmed both of them down. 

“Now, now, let’s all go in and enjoy a nice meal together, okay?”

“Fine, only because you asked, Nivali.” Vyse conceded.

The waitstaff led us to the private room we reserved, and we quickly ordered several dishes, which didn’t take long to arrive. As we dug into the delicious cuisine, we shared what our future plans were.

Dyna’s job application had been accepted, so she was going to move to an entirely different country, away from Strixhaven. Since it was related to that country’s military, there was a requirement in place specifying that she stay within their borders for two years, so she wouldn’t be able to visit anytime soon. The woman wasn’t the least bit reluctant about it either, which made me feel better about my own leaving. In contrast, Hofri, whose project work was extremely well-received, had accepted the offer of professorship from Lorehold College, and was going to be moving into the faculty living space. He would be serving as a teacher’s assistant first, before handling classes on his own as an instructor, until he finally attained the title of professor. The workload looked intense, but the dwarf was looking forward to it.

As for Vyse, he was going back to his family’s home to take up his role as the heir, and while he was tentatively open to visits from the rest of us, there were many tasks to see to. Not to mention the trouble involved when it came to interacting with nobility. The only one he would be seeing regularly from our group was Nivali, because she was taking up a researcher’s role on his lands, to see if she could help improve the harvests from the farms with her plant magic. Her druidic skills were just a bonus advantage in getting her that position. Apparently, her family had given their blessing to leave their farm for it, but she planned to make the occasional visit to go back there.

Nivall’s dance performance had seen her receive invitations from multiple performance troupes, and not just dance ones. She had been going over the various offers, and finally chose one of the touring ones which would be performing in several countries around Arcavios. Her reasoning was that it would give her a lot of experience in mastering several types of dances, and a good way to gain publicity. The planned route was likely to take a year at least, likely more before she came back anywhere near Strixhaven. 

So me going traveling? Hardly a thing compared to everyone else's future path.

“So what was it you wished to share with us?” Nivall asked me after we were finishing up dessert, “Did you find a job?”

I waved my hand in a negative gesture. “No, it’s not that. This is a secret I’ve been keeping since I first came to Strixhaven.”

That bit of info made the rest of them sit up and take interest.

“You’re sure about sharing it with us?” Hofri asked with narrowed eyes.

“It’s gotta be something big. Let me guess, were you involved with underground crime?” Dyna added, pointing at me, “How else were you able to spend so much this year!?”

“No! That money was legitimately earned!” I protested.

Vyse slapped the table lightly. “Just let the man speak. It’s his secret, and he’s willing to share.”

“Roy.” Nivall calling my name made me look at her. “Does this secret have something to do with your reason for leaving?”

She really knows me well, I thought with a slight ache in my chest. “Yes.”

I looked around at the friends I made in this school, on this plane of Arcavios. 

“The truth is, I’m a Planeswalker.”

Out of all of them, Hofri was the only one who didn’t react with confusion. 

“Ancestors’ spirits! Roy, are you really…?” The dwarf demanded.

“Could you explain what a Planeswalker is?” Vyse asked.

“You all know I met Galazeth Prismari in a teleportation accident, but the truth is, that was my first Planeswalk, from another plane called Midgard,” I began telling my story.

I quickly explained to them what Planeswalkers were, and what they were capable of. Traveling across dimensions to different planes, and with a talent for forming mana bonds with lands. The Biblioplex had several accounts of what some Planeswalkers were able to do, and my friends reacted with shock when I shared some of that info with them.

“So your memories…” Nivali trailed off.

I nodded. “They might have come from another plane entirely, which is why I wanted to go traveling, in hopes of learning where they came from.”

“Are you really that powerful? Wait, what am I saying, you’re Roy. Of course you are.” Dyna commented, smiling a little stiffly.

“Hardly. The Planeswalkers in those records, they have tens of lands to draw on, hundreds of creatures they can summon, and who knows how many spells. I’m nowhere near that.” I looked at Hofri. “How’d you know about them anyway?”

“Some of the spirits I called upon, they had the unfortunate experience of running into one, and I went to look into what they were. Didn’t expect you to be one.”

“It’s not like I go traveling to other planes freely. Do you know-”

“How does it feel to planeswalk?” Dyna suddenly interrupted with a question.

I looked at her, then I spoke with the force of a memory I could never forget. “It’s freaking weird.”

“Really? You can travel to other planes, just like that,” Vyse snapped his fingers, “And that’s all you say?”

Hofri snorted. “That’s Roy for you.”

“Planeswalker or not, you’re the same person I know.” Nivall agreed, and the rest of my friends nodded.

I really do have good friends.

I spent some time answering their questions, sharing the true story of how I gained my grimoire and windfall of funds, and the full details of my adventures in Clover Kingdom. Speaking about all of it, even to friends that I would not be able to see gathered together for a long time, really felt like it took a weight off my chest. 

How long it would take me before I returned to this plane, I did not know, but I had every intention of fulfilling the promise I made to the members of this bunch, to tell them more stories of my adventures in other planes.

Afterword: Yeah, a long distance relationship with Nivall wasn’t going to work. At least they had an amicable breakup. Also, the reveal of his nature as a Planeswalker was rather peaceful as well. These are normal mages who have no idea about how wild some things can get in the multiverse, so it makes sense that the reveal was peaceful.

Next chapter will be a short graduation ceremony, and then it’s on to the next plane! Feel free to guess which world it’ll be.