Prismatic Education Begins With A Spark 13 (MTG/Multicross)

Prismatic Education 13

“Really?! You’re the one the older Prismari mages were talking about?” Nivall asked me, looking at me as though seeing me for the first time.

“I suppose I am, yes.” 

“So that means… you really met Galazeth Prismari? The founder dragon?”

“I did, yep. That’s how I got a scholarship to attend four years of Strixhaven,” I admitted.

“Amazing.” The genasi breathed. “Tell me, how did you meet him? What’s he like?”

“Well…” How do I tell her that I thought that he was trying to eat me, so I tried to kill him first?

My relationship with Nivall was a surprisingly fast development, mainly because she was very particular about me matching her standards as a dancer. That meant frequent practice sessions with just the two of us. Most of the time it was in a reserved dance studio on Prismari campus, utilizing her privileges as a Dance major student. 

Despite her strictness about performing well, Nivall had a friendly personality, which I ended up opening myself to as we spent time together. So other times, when the studios were fully booked, we would use our dorm rooms instead. It just felt natural enough to visit each other there like that after we got to know each other enough.

“Pffft!” Nivall stole another glance at me, before turning away again, stifling laughter. “I can’t… I can’t believe you did that, Roy!”

“Hey, my instincts told me that I was about to get eaten,” I defended myself, “And I automatically reacted because of that.”

That just made her lose control, bursting out in laughter.

I rolled my eyes while I waited for her to get it out of her system, but it was something else that did it.

“Haaa…” She looked off to the side, blinking as she caught sight of something, and picked it up. “What’s this? Guides to basic dance and singing? Are you sure you’re not Prismari?”

Oh, those were the ones I copied for Kahono and Kiato. “I’m sure,” I said firmly, “Those are meant for some kids I tutored over the break period.”

“Sounds like a story. Tell me about it?”

“Well, after the school year ended, I decided to take a wandering trip, and ended up at this temple…”

Still hiding my Planeswalker nature, I spun a story about how I managed to get myself accepted by the temple worshippers as a guest, which was how I got involved with the two kids. Nivall was quite interested when I told her how their religious rites dedicated to their Sea God involved dancing and singing, which was mixed with magic as well. At her request, I demonstrated what few moves that I could recall of Kiato’s practice, which involved a lot of dynamic stretching movements.

“Like this?” Nivall proceeded to attempt the same set of moves. “No, it should be more serpent-like, so… like this.”

The dance movements I was used to seeing from Nivall were graceful like clouds, but she quickly figured out the essence of the moves, and switched rhythms in an instant. Now her twirls and twists felt more like waves of water, and she continued to extrapolate from there; a rising up motion reminiscent of tides colliding together, low heavy sweeps like undertow currents, a serpentine curve like a giant sea snake plunging into a dive…

All of that, in less than five minutes of demonstration and description. And then she started adding magic to her moves, creating a serpent of water that swam along with her motions. Thankfully, Nivall made sure to dispel it properly instead of letting it splash over my stuff when she was done. 

I stared at her. That’s genius talent for you. 

“I see. It’s more Expression than Perfection, especially when faith and worship comes into it.” There was a glittering light to her gaze. “I think I might try exploring this further in my own time.”

“Do you think you can give me some tips to pass on to the kid?” I asked with a tilt of my head. “You definitely understand what it takes better than I do.”

Nivall gave me an appraising look. “You’re more Prismari than you claim to be, aren’t you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing~” She changed the subject, “By the way, did you make the changes to your costume like I told you to?”

“Lyric.” I called without taking my eyes off her.

My inkling obediently opens the closet to reveal my Masquerade outfit. The rainbow spiral patterns on the sleeves were still there, but now there was a sash of rainbow-patterned angled squares around the waist, cycling through the colors over time.

It was a bit gaudy for my tastes, but Nivall was insistent about our cloud-and-rainbow theme. Besides, it reminded me of a female character who was a Celestial, so I decided to keep it in case it helped me remember more details.

Nivall smiled, a very pretty expression that always drew my attention. “Good. Let’s start practicing.”

Nivall didn’t only just demonstrate the normal dances we were going to do at the Masquerade; sometimes when the mood struck her, she would try moving according to the emotion that she was trying to express, and it was always a sight to see. Faced with such passion, it was inevitable that I ended up influenced by it, and I had a partner who was willing to help me explore that interest.

Martial arts and dance do have rhythms, after all. I spun around, twirling my staff as I executed weaving footwork. Also, if I’m gonna do this, I might as well look good while I do, right? 

A wide swing released a spray of fire, with some of the flame streamers resembling snakes. With my other hand, I called out another orb of fire, and used my staff to launch a few thrusts through it. Sharp fiery spikes shot out a good distance beyond my physical reach, and I returned to my rest position.

“Adequate. You need to work on your stability when you bend your legs.” Nivall said critically from a safe distance away. “Your magic was rough as well.”

“Got it.” I replied breathlessly. I’m close to something. I can feel it.

Coming up with moves that blended staff-fighting, magic, and dance was difficult, but Nivall was very helpful in figuring out what worked, and how to put it all together. 

“There was one move where you struck the floor to raise barriers, wasn’t there? Why not put that in at the end?” She suggested.

Something clicked in my head, and my grimoire opened up on its own, flipping to an empty page. A new spell wrote itself on the page, and I felt my mana move according to its directions.

I leapt upwards, spinning with my staff extended and trailing fire. At the apex, I reversed the swing, pumping Red mana through my staff. The resulting gout of fire was much bigger, with writhing serpents that coiled for more than just a moment. With the lingering remnants on my staff, I jabbed forward several times, each thrust causing a brief searing flare. 

Another leap, one last surge of mana through my staff, and I slammed it down into the ground. For a moment, nothing happened other than the quiet spilling of mana outwards. 

[Prismatic Magic: Messmer’s Crimson Spears!]

The mana suddenly exploded, surging upwards in the form of fiery spears. Like the serpents, they remained for a few moments before dissipating into nothingness, leaving only the smell of smoke and fire.

The sound of slow clapping made me turn. Nivall stood there, applauding with an impressed expression.

As I glanced at the newly recorded spell in my grimoire, I couldn’t help but wonder who exactly this Messmer was. I assumed he fought with spear and fire. Perhaps he was even a cool guy.

…

“You may begin,” Dean Tullus announced, flipping over the giant hourglass.

The sound of rustling paper filled the hall as the students turned over their exam papers. 

This exam for Advanced Arcane History was the last one of all, and under the tense atmosphere, I could sense a slight anticipation for the Masquerade happening soon after this. Instead of joining them, I focused on answering the questions.

This one’s a trick question… as much as one might wish that this relic was still around, it was destroyed to deny to the invaders. Next one. I quickly answered question after question, relying on my memory of historical events combined with my understanding of magical enchanting to do so. Last question… an essay theorizing what magical items have yet to be discovered? I’m starting to sense a theme here.

Said theme appeared to be touching on the exceptions to what was possible with magic. Advanced Abstraction’s exam provided several formulas, asking me to identify which ones couldn’t work viably in altering a space, which I had to calculate using certain theorems taught in class. Applied Augmentics approached the topic from the opposite angle, requiring written proof on why certain augmenting spells could not be applied to specific forms. After those two exams, my head felt so full of numbers that I could barely focus on anything else.

At least the other two were easier to handle, posing questions like identifying why magical effects or certain scripts and symbols were exclusive to each other. Considering my experience with the clashing effects of Water and Lightning, or Life and Arcane, the only issue I had with the exams for those two subjects was the lack of time to write down everything I could think of.

“Student Slyhand, fail. Leave this hall at once.” 

Several students lifted their heads to witness the dean send a thread of light out with a gesture, binding the hapless student’s wrists and mouth. Several pieces of paper slipped out of his sleeve, evidence of his attempt to cheat.

“I will remind you all that cheating is not tolerated in Strixhaven.” Dean Tullus looked around the hall with a severe expression.

Someone clearly didn’t study enough and decided to take the easy way out…

As the sand in the hourglass continued to pile up in the bottom bulb, I quickly wrote down the various pieces of evidence to back up my statement. I had faint memories of writing argumentative essays like this in my past life, and it felt almost nostalgic to do it again.

And so, due to the lack of success in making this magical effect permanent on enchanted items… I shot a quick glance at the nearly empty hourglass. It is unlikely that any items with that magical effect will be discovered in the present time.

“Time’s up. Please put down your quills. There will be no more writing. I repeat, there will be no more writing.”

The dean and her teaching assistants quickly collected the exam papers, and we were dismissed afterwards. I met up with my friends at Firejolt Cafe afterwards, and I treated myself to a sweet fruit smoothie to give my brain the sugar rush it needed.

“I totally missed an easy question!” Dyna moaned.

“There, there,” Nivali patted her comfortingly on the shoulder, “I know how it feels. I accidentally missed a crucial ingredient for my potion, and had to restart from the beginning. Barely managed to finish in time.”

“How about you, Roy?” Hofri asked me gruffly. “You weren’t studying as much because of your dance partner, right?”

My grades might have slipped a little with all the dance practice I was doing with Nivall, but overall, I was confident that I did well enough. I said as much to Hofri, who nodded to me.

“Are you sure you aren’t going to transfer to Prismari, Roy?” Vyse asked me with a teasing smirk.

“I’m sure. Nivall’s just that passionate about dance, and I got dragged along. Quandrix represent.” I made a geometric pattern of magic between my hands.

“Alright! Let’s not talk about the exams anymore!” Dyna burst out. “Instead, let’s talk about the Masquerade!”

“Sure,” Nivali went along with it, “Is it true that they bred some special flowers just for the occasion? I wasn’t in charge of the decoration team, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Oh, you won’t believe your eyes when you see it!”

My eyes met Vyse’s, and we toasted each other silently.

And just like that, the end of my third year at Strixhaven rolled around, culminating in the Magister’s Masquerade.

The event itself was held at Kollema Hall on Lorehold campus, named for the professor who came up with the idea in the first place. He was also famous for his innovative ideas in the magical study of history, and to commemorate the man’s work, the university built an enormous statue of him in the center. I knew that on special occasions, his spirit would be summoned into the statue, either to give a speech or to impart an important lesson. 

But that last part was barely on my mind, as I looked at my dance partner for tonight. And I wasn’t the only one staring at her.

Everyone was already using the magical disguise effect provided by the pins given out at the start of the year, so it was hard to identify anyone else I didn’t personally know. Especially with the common denominator of a mask on the face. However, there were some who barely changed, with only small adjustments in height, form or color. I looked around for my partner, and quickly spotted her in the crowd, at the same time she spotted me. Not that anyone could mistake those graceful movements of hers.

Nivall had shifted from an air genasi to a water one, with blue hair and slightly narrower features, which fit very well with her cloud-themed costume. The upper half of her face was covered by a white mask sculpted like clouds. She had also added a few accessories to stand out more, like gems giving the appearance of sparkling snow crystals on the fluttery fabric.

“Nivall, you look… amazing.” I told her as she sashayed over to me. 

“Thank you. You look handsome yourself, Roy.”

My own magical disguise had made me a little more muscular, with darker skin and lighter hair. It was an appearance that she had advised me on as well, so it naturally looked good. I wouldn’t mind spending more time looking like this, but the pin’s effect would only last six hours. As for my mask, it was a pale blue, but with rainbow stars in a constellation pattern.

“I tried my best so as not to disappoint.” I extended a hand. “Shall we go in?”

She accepted my invitation. “Lead the way.”

We entered the Hall, checking in with the reception using our invitation cards. Dyna just so happened to be one of the hosts manning the table. Her disguise was just to make her fiery hair longer and brighter, and combined with her dress, gave the impression of an erupting volcano.

She glanced at the cards, then at us, then did a doubletake. “Roy, Nivall. You both look impressive.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Where’s your partner?” Nivall asked her.

“Doing some final checks on the magical decorations. He should be done soon, and then he’ll come join me.”

Dyna pointed out some of the features that had changed from the Hall’s usual decor; music played by the band near the demonstration stage literally colored the air with magical effects, the study tables for mage students had been replaced by smaller ones, bearing ice sculptures and refreshments for the guests, and hanging around the giant statue in the center of the Hall were banners showing famous Strixhaven personages from all five colleges.

As with the fashion show, there were more than just the third-years present; some guests, despite looking young, spoke with voices that betrayed their senior age, while others had obvious behavioral tells giving away their identity as faculty members. The conversation topics were also a good clue as to which college they were from, but it seemed to be an unspoken rule not to point that out.

Nivall and I drifted from group to group, drawing compliments for our appearance. After a while, the music fell silent, and a spotlight illuminated a second-floor balcony, where Dean Tullus appeared. Unlike the rest of the guests, she wore no mask, but her literally glowing appearance wouldn’t have been hidden anyway.

Wait, so that multi-scroll costume was the Dean’s? She makes it look good somehow. I listened as she welcomed the guests with a speech.

“Wise Kollema,” She indicated the statue in the center of the hall, “Began this Masquerade as a Strixhaven tradition to unite students of all colleges together, in an expression of our uniqueness, whether separate or together.”

She kept the rest of the speech short, finally announcing the opening of the dance floor with a spray of colors, and the band began to play again. I felt a tug on my arm, and looked to see Nivall smile at me. Smiling back, I let her pull me out onto the dance floor.

Ah, some kind of spell effect over the whole space, not just granting flight, I thought as we did a quickstep routine that saw us shoot upwards over the heads of the other dancers, But it adds a coloring effect too.

“A bit gaudy,” Nivall commented as we came to a halt around the statue’s chest in a burst of red and yellow, “But it’s getting me in the mood to dance.”

“Then,” I tightened my grip around her waist, “Let’s wow everyone, shall we?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

We danced nearly nonstop, with me using some Life magic to replenish stamina along the way, and the green flashes were dismissed as part of the entertainment effect. The few breaks we did take were to enjoy the refreshments, or to speak to those who became fans of our dancing. Some other dancer couples tried challenging us to aerial dance-offs, but our choreography was more put together than theirs. It was funny when the band adjusted the music each time that happened.

We bowed to the gracefully withdrawing couple, before the same sharp series of sounds we had learned to recognize rang out. Turning around, yet another couple came dancing towards us, their eyes locked intently with ours.

Here comes a new challenger! I glanced at the masked conductor, who was keeping an eye on us as he directed the band’s playing. Enjoying at our expense, huh?

Then Nivall tapped my arm as a reminder, and we began dancing yet again.

There were a few attempts by some guests to harass others, but the organizing committee was on top of such things, stepping in to handle anything before they could spoil the experience for the majority.

We finally stopped for the night shortly before the event was to end, resting at a table as attendees came up to compliment our dancing. One memorable one happened to be a magical artist, who had painted a portrait of the two of us, releasing streamers of colorful magic as we spun in the air. He offered it to us free of charge, and I graciously let Nivall claim ownership of it, though I carefully stored it within an expanded space in my pocket for the time being.

The end of the Masquerade was just like the start; the music stopped playing, and spotlights illuminated the speaker. For the end, it was Kollema himself who spoke, the spirit of the mage possessing his statue to share his wisdom. He spoke of unity, not just in the present, but through time itself as linked through tradition and shared purpose. That unity, despite the occasional clash and rivalry, would drive Strixhaven to further heights, just like contrasting colors.

The hall burst into applause, and the attendees began to leave. From the sound of it, some of them were headed for clandestine after-parties, but I was pretty exhausted, even with the recovery spells.

“Welp, it’s over.” I commented as I walked alongside Nivall, heading for the teleportation circle. “I have to say, I really enjoyed myself.”

Nivall ran a hand through her hair, which was now back to its original white coloration. “I’m pleased to hear that. And here I thought I wasn’t doing a good job as your dance partner.”

I blinked at her. “Are you kidding? You were amazing. If anything, I’m the one who fell short.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “Hm, then how about this? One last dance with me, to make up for that shortcoming?”

My legs were aching, but I felt like I could wring one last dance out of them. “Alright. Where? Unless you want to go back-”

Nivall leaned in close to me. “To your rooms,” She murmured.

“Oh. Oh.”

That night really ended on a high note for me, and I made sure to do my best to have Nivall experience the same.

Afterword: And that’s the third year done! Planning to have another visit to the other plane next chapter, and maybe another new one as well! It really depends on my muse, though. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!