Kingdom of fire and shadows: Useless magic and Salamanders.

It took Xavier several hours to reach Liev's Tower. Even in a tomb chariot, he arrived at his destination at midnight. The tower was located far north of Humol, just before the Infinite Desert. There wasn't anything important around, just some insignificant village far away. The nearest city was Telasa, the royal city, a few hours away in a Tumulos carriage. To the north, beyond the tower, only death awaited in the infinite desert sand. A few hundred meters east of the tower, Morr's jungle began, a place as dangerous as mystical, full of monsters, wild animals, and its own rules that challenged any normal knowledge or belief. It was said that the jungle did not obey any law or principle; everything was irrational within those trees. Just getting close to the trees where the jungle started gave an unpleasant feeling, both to magicians and ordinary people.

Xavier looked up at the tower. It was surprising to him. The stone and metal construction extended toward the sky, about ten floors in a solid structure; there were no windows he could see, and the entrance was a huge iron door, as if it had been designed for the entry of giants. The first two floors were for students. The other floors were for the guards and knights of the tower, the homes of the masters, as well as their personal studies. The tower kept all sorts of treasures and secrets on the upper floors. A statue was erected in front of the tower. A man with a badge in his chest, carrying the runes of three elements: shadows, fire, and wind. The documents handed over to him after the elemental affinity ceremony spoke of Liev, a triple elemental magician, a legend, the most honorable mage in history, and a role model for all mages in the world. He decided to start the first academy of magic by himself, the Tower of Liev, located between Morr's jungle and the infinite desert. It was one of the areas with the highest concentration of elemental magic in the environment. It was said that the quality of the magic energy in the environment affected the ability of the magicians to understand and manipulate the elements. The mystical locations surrounding the tower made it the ideal place to train magicians. Liev understood this and decided to create the first magic academy there.

Xavier would be entering the academy with other magicians from different regions and kingdoms. Although the students might have a bad relationship with each other given their origins, the disorder and misbehavior at Liev's Tower were unforgivable and entailed immediate expulsion. All the kingdoms had an agreement.

"The Liev Tower and other primary academies are neutral territory. The magicians acting as masters of the towers will not obey any country. The nobles and kings have no power over the Liev Tower or other major academies. Finally, it was strictly forbidden to attack or interfere militarily with the tower. This did not include private academies or smaller academies, many of which had direct relations with the armies of their respective kingdoms and the high nobility."

Besides, attacking the tower would be suicide. The world's most powerful magicians, the "titled magicians," lived and were teachers in major academies, such as Liev's Tower. You'd have to be crazy to try to face those monsters. However, the masters were free to participate in non-war related operations for the kingdom where they lived, exploring mystical places in search of unique materials, hunting and exterminating monsters, and eradicating areas devastated by miasma that could not be managed by subjugation squads. These were some of the missions performed by the tower masters. If a kingdom decided to involve a master of one of the academies in a war between kingdoms, a total war would be unleashed, but this would only bring the death of thousands and unparalleled destruction. It would be even worse if a Titled Master got involved; these exalted mages were the reason the words "mass destruction" were invented; the only thing more destructive than a Titled Master was a Warlock that went berserk.

The great teachers who attained legendary status had no surnames. They were known for their titles only. In Liev's tower, there were two titled masters.

Emeral, the conqueror of flames. A powerful fire magician.

Robalt, Lord of the Winds. The most powerful wind magician to ever exist.

The rest of the masters were mages of great power, but they were not comparable to the two great titled masters. During the next two years, Xavier and all the newly recognized magicians would begin their lives and training at the tower. Teachers would teach them how to control and use their magic; they would train them as warriors and then throw them into the world. Xavier reaffirmed his will and approached the door. The knights who guarded the entrance were imposing. Their armor, as black as coal, seemed to emit a light glow, surrounded by an aura that generated a certain fear in those who approached. They checked his papers and his badge.

'This is Liev's tower, shadow magician. Once you cross these gates, you will lose your status, your social power, and your freedom. The masters are the authorities in the tower; their power is absolute, and their orders will be obeyed. There are only three ways to get out of this tower: to graduate, die, or be expelled, one of the guards warned. Do you understand this?'

'I understand.'

One of the knights turned and pushed the huge metal door with one finger. The door gave way as if it were as light as paper. Xavier expected metal grinding from the hinges or some noise, but the door moved quietly and smoothly, opening at once. Afterwards, the guards pointed him forward and allowed him to enter the tower. Behind the door was a long, wide, and high corridor, illuminated by flames that remained static, florating in the air on their own. At the end, the corridor opened to a large theater room, which could accommodate more than a hundred people, with several seats and a stage in front of it. The room was well lit by the floating flames. The floor was made of marble, and the walls were made of stone. The decoration was scarce, except for some dynasty banners and carpets. As he entered the room, a knight directed him.

'Sit down and wait for the rest.'

Xavier sat in one of the available seats. Next to him was a cloth bag with his scarce belongings. Looking around, he realized that most of the young magicians didn't have much luggage either. In most cases, they only had one suitcase, although a few brought a lot of luggage. The vast majority of the young magicians were unknown to him, probably from other realms or those who awakened months before or after him. In the distance, in the front rows to his right, he saw familiar faces: Clinton and Astrid. To his left, he saw Maurius and some of the other talents present at the ceremony in the guard tower, but he did not remember their names. More young magicians continued to enter the theater.

After a few minutes, the guards entered the tower, and the huge metal door was closed. Five people went up to the stage in front of the young magicians.

'Good morning, young mage apprentices,' said a tall, dark-skinned man. He was over fifty. On his chest, he had a shadow magician badge with a small fire rune, a dual magician.

'My name is Delfín van Kramen, and I am the chief director of this academy. Welcome to Liev's Tower. As you must have read, your training will last two years. During the next six months, I will train you and give you basic lessons in magic energy manipulation and control. You will learn to control both the energy of the environment and that of your own body. Once these six months are over, you will have classes with a specific teacher, depending on your element. Then you'll have combat training, and we'll continue to see each other during the general theory classes and monster studies classes. This information should not be new. You have already received the documentation explaining this, and I want to believe that you have been responsible. Without further ado, I will introduce you to the rest of the teachers.'

Delfin changed his position and pointed toward the masters behind him.

'First, Master Gaelion van Dumn. He will be your master of water magic,' Delfin presented one of the teachers.

A white skinned, short, fat, near fifty years old man with a long black beard and a round, prominent, and red nose walked forward. He was dressed in a fine, dark red silk suit. ′ He will teach the water magicians how to use their magic, and, in addition, he will teach the magicians of other elements how to fight against water mages.′

'It will be a pleasure to teach a group of promising young men and women like you,' said Gaelion with a reverence, and then he returned to his position. His voice had a funny pitched sound, similar to the voice of someone with an obstructed nose.

'Next, master Amelia van Fursthe. She will be your earth magic master,' said Delfin.

A tall woman, who appeared to be less than forty years old, white skinned, a thin body, slim waist, huge breasts, blonde and long hair, and light green eyes, approached the front. She was wearing a white gala dress with long sleeves and gloves; the dress was a tight fit, further emphasizing her body attributes.

'It is a pleasure to meet you,' said the teacher with a smile. She had a soft and melodic voice. Then she turned around, like she was modeling. The swing from her hips and her curves attracted the attention of students, knights, and teachers.

'Master Emeral, the conqueror of flames, a titled mage. She will teach you everything related to fire magic,' said Delfin.

A brown-skinned woman, who would be around forty years old, tall, with a strong, muscular, and toned body, her crispy air puffed into an afro, approached the front of the stage. She wore pants and leather boots that highlighted her thick and strong thighs and a hunter jacket. Two daggers hung from her waist. She looked more like a fierce warrior and hunter than a teacher.

'Welcome, magicians. This year's selection brings some exceptional talents that we will be happy to instruct. We expect great things from you all,' said Emeral before returning to her position.

'Now, your air magic master, another titled magician, Robalt, Lord of the Winds,' announced Delfin.

A very tall, thin man with pale, milk-white skin approached the stage. He had short black hair with thick eyebrows; he wore a noble dress of fine cloth in a green color. He made a small greeting and returned to his position without saying anything.

'Now, I want things to be clear,' said Delfin, becoming even more serious; his look was severe. 'This is not a school! Liev's Tower is an academy for magicians, soldiers, and warriors who have great power and must understand that this carries a great responsibility. A powerful magician is able to destroy an entire city by himself. In the past, tragedies have occurred thanks to immoral magicians or those who lost their minds and got drunk with power. In this building, you will learn magic, discipline, and self-control,' said Delfin, taking a break for a more dramatic effect while looking at the young people.

'Seven pieces of clothing. That's all you'll need. Everything else is unnecessary and will be sent to your families or destroyed,' Delfin announced as some of the nobles issued gestures of surprise. The nobles with magical relatives already knew how things worked in the tower. The children of the nobles, without magicians in the family or who did not gather enough information, would be up for some surprises.

'I barely have five,' said Xavier to himself.

'There are no fine clothes on the battlefield, no special meals made by chefs, no servants, no comfortable beds!' yelled Delfin. 'You will learn to use your skills in stressful conditions; you will learn to control your emotions; and we will teach you to control your magic to light a fire or hunt prey, not just for fighting. You will be instructed by the knights in the basic use of weapons and survival techniques. How to use your magic in large-scale combat. You will learn to control your consumption of magic and to work as a team. Each member of the team will have to carry their own weight without delaying others and contribute to the mission. This isn't a vacation.'

Some complaints began to be heard among the young mages.

'Seven pieces of clothing? How can anyone live in such conditions? It is inhumane,' complained Astrid with a voice that could be heard. As a consented and spoiled girl, she had brought a lot of suitcases with her best clothes and dresses, among other things.

'I remind you that Liev's Tower owes no explanation to any nobleman or kingdom. We reserve the right to expel anyone who does not follow the instructions given. I advise you not to test us,' threatened Delfin.

'Will they really take our things from us?' asked a young magician from another kingdom who was near Astrid.

'I don't believe it,' replied another boy. 'It's just a teacher's strategy to instill fear'.

'This generation is the most talented that we have had in the last ten years, but apparently also the most impertinent,' said master Emeral, losing her patience. 'Guards, check the belongings of all the students. Only seven full pieces of clothing and personal belongings, such as family crests or stamps, are allowed. All other assets will be confiscated. The tower will provide basic needs during your stay.'

Usually, the selection of personal belongings was done in the rooms of the respective magicians. However, to give a lesson, Emeral decided to do it right there. Following his order, several knights entered the theater and began to go through the personal belongings of the students. New complaints were heard.

'Anyone who continues to disobey will be expelled in the act,' Emeral threatened.

The sons of the nobles with mages in the family had been warned by their parents and relatives.

"Whatever you do, do not oppose the teachers; especially be careful with the conqueror of flames and the lord of the winds. Their titles make them untouchable, and they have no quallms about abusing that power." This was one of the most common warnings.

However, some young nobles did not listen and decided to rebel.

'This is an insult; the noble house of the Van Lirian cannot allow such humiliation. Violating my privacy and checking my belongings as if I were a criminal! The Van Lirian are descendants of kings, the third family ascending to the throne of the Kingdom of Orphen. The fact that our family has no descendants of magicians does not make us inferior. I am the only magician in our venerable family. I demand to be treated with respect.' yelled a boy walking in front of the room.

'What an idiot!' whispered Maurius, feeling a little pity for the boy.

'Oh, the venerable Van Lirian family. As the only magician among them, it is true that you must have a special and privileged position,' Emeral acknowledged, looking at the boy, who smiled with his head up, looking at others over his shoulder. Asserting dominance was important in the nobility power struggles, and it felt great for the young Van Lirian to demonstrate he was not like the other nobles.

'Guards, remove young Van Lirian out of the tower. He's expelled. I think it is a suitable treatment for such eminence,' ordered the master with a smile. Meanwhile, the boy stood with a face of surprise; his eyes and mouth opened in disbelief.

'What a shame!' lamented Robalt. 'The boy has a decent affinity for the air. Why had it to be one of mine?' He moved his head from side to side, making gestures of disappointment.

'The wind is rebellious and hard to control; it is your nature as air magicians,' said Amelia, winking at Robalt, whose white face blushed like he was a teenager.

'Expelled? You cannot expel me; I am Donald van Lirian, heir to the Van Lirians; you will regret this,' cried the boy, as he was being dragged by a knight. His struggle was insignificant compared to the knight's strength. The tower knights enchanted armor was very different from the basic armor of other knights. They gave the wearer a physical strength much higher than that of a normal person.

A few seconds later, the tower door opened, and Donald Van Lirian was thrown out. The boy landed on the ground in front of the tower door. All his belongings were thrown at him, and the door closed in his face when he tried to come back and protest.

'I hope everything is clear now,' said Delfin, looking at the young magicians.

The baggage check continued. All the students followed the instructions. Although many had faces of discontent, none dared to make a scene. Xavier looked at the few mages he knew. Clinton had the stone face he usually wore in public and ignored Xavier's gaze. Astrid also ignored him; her face indicated how irritating it was for her to have to part with most of her belongings. Of all of them, Maurius was the only one who returned a slight smile to him when they looked at each other.

'The knights will guide you to your rooms.' Delfin announced after the inspection was over.

'You will be put together according to your elemental affinity and sex, regardless of the kingdom to which you belong. You will have to learn to circumvent your differences and work in a team, even if you hate each other. No disorder or disturbance will be tolerated. In a war between kingdoms, you can kill each other as you wish, but in a subjugation squad or in a fight against a monster or warlock, you will work together or you will all die. The monsters and the undead do not understand political differences or social castes,' warned Delfín. After these last words, the teachers withdrew.

The new magicians were assigned to the first floor of the tower. The first six months used to be the toughest. Elemental affinity was the name of the game. Each group of magicians had been assigned a zone according to their element, and each zone varied with respect to the next one. Within the group of shadow magicians, there were only two members, both poor peasants. Normally, no noble-class shadow magician entered academies unless he was a dual magician with a useful affinity for another element, which was uncommon. The shadow magicians were useless, after all. The nobles considered being a shadow magician a disgrace to the family; they didn't even claim their mage badges. The shadow magicians who entered the academies generally came from the lowest strata of society.

Xavier looked at his new roommate, who was even worse dressed than he was. They followed the knight without saying a word until they arrived in the area that would be their home for the next year. The door of the living room was made of metal, like all the doors they had seen in the tower so far. Something immediately caught their attention: the place where they were supposed to stay was very dark.

'This is your area. Here you will sleep and live for the most part.' Prepare your belongings; you will have to take care of cleaning your own clothes. In the bathroom, you have what is necessary. Dinner is served at eight o'clock, and those who arrive late will be left without food. I warn you that today is a special day and that you will never receive such treatment again. Take advantage of tonight; it will be the best food you will eat for the next two years. The doors will open at dinner time. Any questions?′ The boys stood silent, and the knight closed the metal door, leaving the two boys alone in the darkness.

A gentle noise of gear was heard after the door was closed. Now, with the door closed, the scarce light entering the cabin had disappeared. The boys stood still as their eyes adapted to the darkness. Darkness is a scary thing, and the boys were no exception. Having adjusted to the darkness, they approached the door.

'We are locked in here,' said Xavier, tapping the metal door. There was no way out. His eyes had adapted a little to the shadows, and he could see the silhouette of his roommate.

'What do we do now?' asked the other boy.

'No idea, wait, I suppose... I am Xavier de Vonder,' he presented himself, stretching out his hand after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

'Aleum de Taeria,' replied the boy, stretching his hands.

'You are from another kingdom, aren't you?' asked Xavier.

'Yes, Orphen kingdom,' replied Aleum.

Some kingdoms had a hostile relationship with each other. Fortunately for both boys, Orphen and the Poem Dynasty were quite neutral towards each other. Although Xavier did not really care at all about the conflicts among nobility, royalty, and kingdoms, it could be a problem to live with an "enemy".

The boys looked around again; their vision gradually improved, and they began to identify some structures. A table, chairs, and several doors. Two of the doors were marked, each with the name of one of the boys. The ink emitted a slight brightness that made it visible in the dark. The last door was marked as the bathroom. After searching around in their rooms, they found simple beds with a mattress too thin for the taste of the nobles, but for the peasants, it was a blessing: wardrobes, a night table, a chair, and books. For the nobles, the accommodation was lacking; for Aleum and Xavier, it seemed like an elite mansion.

'Who can read in this darkness?'

In Xavier's room, there was a book of shadow magic and a second book of fire magic. Xavier held both books in his hands; he felt how his energy passed to the books, and the runes on the cover lit up, shining midly. He left the shadow magic book and kept the fire one in his hand. When he opened it, letters appeared on the front page as his magic energy was drained.

There was a note on the front page of the book: "Shadow magic must be studied first."

Shadow magic was simple to use and was very effective for practicing the mastery of magic energy. Learning the secrets of one element made it easier to understand another.

Meanwhile, the other young magicians were in the same situation; their rooms were anything but normal. Maurius and the other mages of his element went into the area they were supposed to live in. A stream of wind blew continuously in the living room; there were no windows; the wind could only be magical in nature; it seemed to come out through the walls of the tower. After the corresponding explanation, the knight closed the door. The young mages entered their rooms; beds, a closet, a table, chairs, books, and the continuous blowing of the wind awaited them. Maurius had five books on his table, one for each element.

'I have a lot to study,' mourned Maurius.

Clinton and the fire magicians went through the same thing. The lodging place where the Fire Mages would live was burning; the temperature was high, and the air was dry. As soon as they got in, they were sweating.

Astrid found herself in a place with high humidity and cold.

The place where the earth magicians would live was all made of rock; the walls, the chairs, even the bed, everything was made of stone. They received extra instruction.

'You must always be barefoot,' the knight advised them. 'The more contact you have with the earth, the easier it will be for you to master your elemental affinity.' After he had finished his explanations, he closed the door.

All the boys arranged their belongings in their closets and then sat down to read their books. In theory, the children of nobles with magicians in the family had a slight advantage. Their parents had already attended one of the academies, so they had normal copies of the theory of magic, although the books at the tower were special. The pages were impregnated with ink and paper containing traces of materials with an affinity for magic, similar to those used in the elemental identification tests. To be able to read the books, they had to use magic energy. That unpleasant feeling that they felt was the book extracting their magic; it was exhausting, but it helped them recognize the energy, its flow, and how to use it. The only factors that influenced the speed of study were the magician's energy reserves and their dedication.

A few hours later, the noise of the doors opening caught their attention. The huge pieces of metal gave in to give them some freedom. The young magicians left their rooms and met the knight at the door. They were guided to the common dining room. Several tables with white tablecloths, napkins, and luxuries similar to those of a noble house welcomed them. The tables were served with abundant food of all kinds and varieties: roasted meats, poultry, cheeses, fruits, and deserts. The masters were also present at a table at the bottom of the room, away from their students.

'Young magicians,' Delfin welcomed them. 'This feast is to commemorate your arrival. Enjoy it. I remind you that Liev's Tower is a magic academy; your preparation includes getting used to the rigors of war. From tomorrow on, you will receive rations as you would on a battlefield. For many of you, the food and accommodations will not be pleasant... and we don't care! There are no luxuries in a battle zone; there are no servants or slaves. Enjoy tonight'.

The boys began to enjoy the large menu. Aleum had never seen so much food and luxury in his life, and Xavier had only seen it at the Van Ferra party. He looked again toward his acquaintances. Only Maurius looked back at him; the others ignored him.

It was to be expected... 'Oh well,' Xavier thought as he devoured another piece of calf.

'I was concerned about nothing; there are two shadow magicians at my disposal; now I just have to wait for the right time to complete Van Vatnik's spell,' Clinton thought as he ate in the calm and refined style of a nobleman.

Failure to find the rest of the manual in Liev's Tower would only delay his plans. He would look for some way to complete the diagrams; the word failure didn't exist in his vocabulary.

After the copious dinner, the boys returned to their rooms and began their readings on magic again.