Mage's Cup Begins

Lionel awoke the following day with an anxious feeling. He hadn't slept well. He rolled over and looked out the window. It was still dark out. The old man in the other bed was breathing deeply.

'He must still be asleep, I wonder what time it is' Lionel thought to himself. The boy lay there for a few minutes trying to fall back asleep, but the anxiety he felt for the day ahead kept him from being successful.

Lionel got up quietly from the bed and dressed. He figured there was no sense laying down when he couldn't go back to sleep. A couple of scrolls were spread out on Lionel's bed. He had been reading them before falling asleep the night before. The boy grabbed the spell scrolls and a few of Drindle's potions that were on the nightstand. The old man had made a habit out of leaving potions out for Lionel. Lionel stuffed the scrolls and potions into his pockets and left the room.

About thirty minutes later the boy arrived at the empty field. 'may as well spend some time working on casting spells..' Drindle had told Lionel that the first day of the competition would be introducing the contestants and going through the first stage of Mage Identification, and wouldn't start until noon. So the boy felt relatively safe practicing until ten or so in the morning. Lionel sat cross legged in the center of the field and began to focus his mind and Vervane. a dark figure stood on the tower behind now the seated Lionel.

That figure was the same male that Drindle had sensed the other day. He spoke calmly into the air. "Hmm.. What do we have here... Seems this one is dedicated. I wonder how far he will progress" He stood watching over Lionel for sometime before he felt magic begin to alter the air in the practice field. The man seemed to be struck dumb. The epicenter of the magical torrent was the seated boy. The man couldn't tell exactly what the spell's intention was but it made the hair on the back of his neck tingle.

The fabric of reality shimmered behind the man, a woman walked hurriedly through an open void. "What is going on Matthew, Why is Drindle using magic this strong?!" She asked quickly looking at the man's back. Only then did she notice the vortex of magic was coming from a seated figure in the center of the field. That figure wasn't Drindle though, instead it was the boy they had been watching.

The man, Matthew, kept his eyes on the boy in front of him as he spoke. "Nora, tell Galorian the plan won't work. We have a problem"

*

Drindle woke to an empty room. It wasn't the first time Lionel had beaten him out of bed, but it was the first time that the boy hadn't woken him. 'Must be getting soft in my old age' The old man thought to himself while standing and stretching his back. A sudden tingling sensation filled the air. Drindle could tell that it was magic, and he knew the castor was none other than his apprentice. A sly smile began to blossom on his face. He spoke as his smile turned into a laugh "Looks like this competition is going to be interesting Heh heh hee"

*

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*

The Mage's Cup was being held at the coliseum. The building was a large bowl with an expansive earthen field at its center. There were seats upon seats along the perimeter for spectators to watch. Those seats were almost entirely full. The top of the coliseum was open to the environment, and the sun was high in the sky. Lionel stood in the center field looking towards a couple of people on a raised platform. There were more than two hundred competitors in neat orderly rows. Lionel was but one in that large group.

There were six or seven people on the stage. All of whom wore strange hats and robes. The hats were flat on top but formed a triangle with a plush bulb at each corner. Lionel noted that the robes were more like a toga, and were multicolored. A boy beside Lionel whispered towards him.

"Those are the professors, they will be administering the competition." Lionel glanced over at the boy. He was short and had shaggy hair. Lionel guessed the boy was about ten or eleven. The boy smiled towards Lionel and spoke quietly again. "The name's Seba, nice to meet ya"

Lionel smiled back and spoke. "My name's Lionel and likewise" as Lionel finished speaking one of the professors stepped forward and raised his arm to gather everyone's attention.

"Challenger's of the Mage's Cup" The voice was deep and throaty. "I am Matthew, Head Professor of the Royal Mage's Academy. I would like to welcome you on behalf of Wastrial and the Academy." Matthew then bent forward slightly towards the crowd of competitors and the other professors followed suit. The man then stood upright and spoke loudly again. Lionel could feel that there was some enchantment that carried the man's voice to everyone in the crowd. "Today is a momentous day. Today is the day that you can change your destiny. Our competition will be designed to challenge each and every one of you." As Matthew finished speaking Lionel felt the man's eyes lock onto him as if emphasizing 'You'. There was a brief pause before the man started speaking again. "Some of you may be granted positions or titles. While some among you may only be granted entry into the academy. Either way, most of you will have the ability to train and become stronger..."

Lionel glanced around him at the other competitors. Their eyes seemed to glaze over with imaginary rewards. Everyone that Lionel looked at, including Seba, seemed to be dreaming about riches they had yet to earn. The boy didn't get hung up on positions in society. Lionel had lived far away from the influence of titles and positions, and because of that he hadn't experienced the hardships of being stuck in an economic class, never to escape.

Lionel turned his attention back to the still speaking Matthew. "Since this is the largest group of competitors we have had, The Mage's Cup will be a week long event. Day One and Day Two will be aptitude and classification of each of you. Day Three through Day Five will be individual battles between all Contestants. The top four contenders will then compete against chosen Royal Academy Mages on Day Six. Finally Day Seven, for the first time ever, if any of you can beat the Royal Academy mages, you will have a chance to face off against one of the school professors" As he finished speaking, Matthew stepped back as if to present the 6 other teachers on the stage. All of the professors stood tall. The crowd seemed to go wild at the thought of a teacher facing off against a prospective student. Matthew stepped back forward and spoke loudly over the crowd's noise. "Let Day 1 of The Mage's Cup begin!"