Magic Academy: Nymphomancy

Author's Note: All characters are 18 or older. This is meant to be a light, fun read that doesn't take itself too seriously (I hope!). This is my first longer piece, and I'm excited for many more to come, both in this series and outside of it. As always, all feedback and comments are greatly appreciated!

The smell of crushed moonbell filled the air as I sprinted across the Verdana Courtyard on yet another chilly December afternoon. All around the student commons, the moontrees stood hunched like old scholars, and it was the soft crunch beneath my feet that released the scent of changing seasons.

Unlike the ordinary oaks and maples that had long shed their autumn coats, these imported silver giants held on to their white-veined buds well into the cold months. But now, as the full force of winter approached New England, the moontrees' leaves fell down like any as they prepared to enter hibernation, and their bark now shone with the first signs of their famous luminescence.

Everyone was always so romantic about the moonbells, but to be honest with you? I couldn't stand them. Even now, as I rushed to my next class, I wrinkled my nose at the metallically sweet smell, like a rose perfume sprayed on a rusty nail.

Of course, it was the moonbells that caused me yet another humiliation today. It was barely 4 PM, and I had already been tormented by a vandalized dormitory door, Troy Heymon and his miscreant gang playing monkey-in-the-middle with myHydromanticsproject, and a terribly upset stomach. Okay, fine, the last one was my fault for trying the suspicious smelling oysters at lunch, but you get the point.

And as I rushed across campus to reach myMetaphysical Healingclass in time one of the moontrees directly ahead of me gave a sudden, violent shudder. I looked up just in time to see an enormous cluster of moonbells break free from a high branch all at once. The things always shed in massive clumps when they finally let go, and this particular cluster was easily the size of a small boulder.

I swerved hard to the left, my boots skidding on slick stones as I tried to avoid becoming covered by nature's most overrated flower bomb. But in my panic to dodge the falling moonbells, I careened straight into someone coming from the opposite direction.

We collided with a thud, and I watched in horror as Brooke Campbell - popular, brilliant, head cheerleader Brooke Campbell - went tumbling backward onto the courtyard grass. Her books and scrolls scattered everywhere. "Oh fuck, I'm sorry!" I stammered, scrambling to help her up.

My hand was slapped away by a scowling raven-haired girl. It was Arabella Giordano, another cheerleader, another one of my beautiful classmates, and yet another girl I and every other guy at Syldan Academy had a hopeless crush on.

Bella's hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and her catty eyes, piercing gray, glared at me with a mix of irritation and disdain, like I'd personally offended three generations of her Italian family. She was wearing a tight black dress that hugged her thin frame and ended mid-thigh, paired with a gothic jacket slung loosely over her shoulders. Fishnet stockings showed off her soft thighs, doing absolutely nothing to shield her from the biting New Hampshire winter. How was she not freezing to death? The air was sharp, and I was bundled in a wool coat and scarf, still shivering.

"Watch it bandage boy", Bella sneered with disgust, "you think she wantsyouto touch her?"

"I'm- I'm sorry, I was late to class and-"

"Oh shut it lifey." Another voice this time, low, smooth, and velvety. It came from Sage, a tall, athletic redhead. Even the casual hoodie she wore couldn't hide her busty figure. I had for sure fantasized about those heavy D-cup tits many a lonely night in my room. Her green eyes glinted meancingly, but with a twinge of amusement.

I braced myself for whatever was going to happen.

"You knocked Brooke over so how about an eye..." Sage's mouth formed a small O and she pushed out an ever-so-slight exhale. In a blink, she snapped her wrist down and forwards and a massive, concentrated blast of air hit me dead center in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of me and catapulting me 10 feet back into the grass.

"... for an eye." Sage grinned maliciously while the other girls in Brooke's troupe laughed at me. My face flushed a deep red with embarrassment as I fought to recover my breath. Brooke didn't laugh, but shot me a satisfied side eye as she brushed herself off, then said, "come on girls, we can't be late for practice." She headed off, her golden curls bouncing, my presence and the situation completely beneath giving any more of her attention. Bella tossed me a mocking wave with her fingers before also leaving me in the dirt. Only one other figure even spared me a second look. Sadie Spencer, someone I had once called a friend, glanced at me emotionlessly before also following the other girls.

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This was my life at Syldan Academy. For the last 5 years, I had barely hovered above the bottom of the social ladder. Sure, it didn't help that I was a bit of a geek, or that I was a scrawny, unremarkable guy, but the biggest roadblock that haunted me from day one was something that couldn't be helped - my school of magic: Life Magic.

Now I know what you might be thinking.Life magic? Okay, that's actually not bad right? I mean healing is super useful. Sure, it might not be the coolest thing in the world, but it can't be that bad right? Hey, can't you do that thing where you suck the life force out of someone?

Yeah, not quite how it works here. It's a well-known fact that life magic users were the weakest of all 16 schools of magic. And the other students never let us forget it. A big issue with life magic is not that healing isn't useful, but rather, that it's not unique. That's right, everyone,everyonewho had magical ability could actually heal at least themselves. One of the Four Basic Spells that all sorcerers learn as soon as they sit down for their firstIntroduction to Spellcastingclass isHeal. Used to heal cuts, burns, headaches, soreness, and even more serious injuries at higher levels. Sure, it might not be the most theoretically mana-efficient spell, but it pretty much made the most basic function of life mages obsolete.

And to make matters even worse, atonof the other domains had their own advanced healing magic. Nature mages, for one, had physical healing that matched what we could do but also had the ability to,you know, control nature and summon lions and wolves and shit? Spirit casters could heal certain metaphysical injuries even better than we could, and Earth, Water, Night, and Psionics users all had great healing capabilities as well. So far from what everybody at school could tell, there was seemingly little unique about life mages except for the fact that we were the only sorcerers to be completely defenceless in a fight.

But the scorn and ostracism doesn't all come from this. A large part stems from the cold, hard truth that most life mages wereobjectivelythe least qualified, least deserving students at any magic academy in the world, at least upon entry.

To understand why, one has to understand how the magic of Earth works.

The ability to detect, hold, and ultimately perform magic is innate. You either have it, or you don't. It's part-genetics, part-luck - if both your parents are sorcerers, then you're supposed to have a better shot.

Every month, across most developed nations, everybody who is 11 years old undergoesIndexing. Now, I'm told that back in the days when magic was first discovered in the 1700s, it used to be an arduous, hours-long process involving lots of painful needles. In modern times, it quite literally takes 30 seconds - the wonders of arcanonology! By placing a hand on the Indexing Orb, one's attunements for each of the 16 fields of magic are quickly measured and reported on a digestible scale of 0-100.

99.9% of the population will score zeroes across the board. They are completely normal humans without a spark of magic in them. Of the 0.1% that do have readings, half of them won't have any areas with a score of 5 or greater. Although they have the slightest sensitivity to magic in their blood, it isn't nearly enough. A lifetime of dedication might result in them being able to barely light a candle or lift a pebble an inch above the ground. They too must return to an ordinary life.

Now this is where it gets a little complicated. Let's dig into the power scale a little more. It ranges from 0-100 (and technically goes beyond for generationally powerful wizards like Rasputin and Oppenheimer), but in order to actually cast anything, one needs to have a minimum of 15-25 power, depending on the field. And that's thebare minimum. At 15 power, trainee mages can just eke out the Four Basic Spells:Move,Shield,Detect, and, as previously mentioned,Heal.

Here's the problem - on average, magical power grows naturally by about half a point per year. That means, in order to reach 15 power, most people would have to be around 30 years old.Okay, then I guess people can do a career change, you might think. But of course, it's never that easy. At the end of puberty, as the body halts physical development, it also puts a stop to natural, passive magical development. All further gains will have to be achieved via training, just like muscles.

Well okay, you might go thinking again,I don't see why everybody with any small level magic power can't just train. Why do they have to have 15 power?Well, if you don't meet the power baseline, you can't perform any magic. So how are you going to train? How are you going to grow a muscle that you can't actually use?

So anyways, back to theIndexing. Anybody who displays a power level of 5 or more gets to become a prospective sorcerer. In order to pursue that path, they must takeCatalyst- a breakthrough arcanobiological drug that accelerates magical growth during puberty.

As always, there's a catch. There are four different variants ofCatalyst, one for each Anchor category of magic. To put it simply, an Anchor is the way through which a magic is channeled. First, you have the Voice Anchors - Nature, Night, Death, and Spatial - which are cast through words of power. Next, the Mind Anchors - Air, Cosmic, Psychic, and Spirit - performed through mental matrices and concentration. Third, the State Anchors - Water, Earth, Metal, and Force - which require specific stances and bodily flow.

And lastly, the Emotion Anchors - Fire, Lightning, Obscurant, and Life. My anchor. We draw our power from emotions. It's also, you'll never guess, the most looked down upon Anchor. We are seen as unreliable or even unstable. And if we do master our emotions, we are seen as cold and unfeeling, able to "fake" our feelings like a construct. Of course, life mages are even at the bottom of this lowly barrel. "Oh look, it's the sad little bandage boy, trying to cry his way into some magic again." There's just no winning here.

In any case, a prospective needs to take theCatalystvariant that includes their chosen branch of magic. For almost everyone, there will only be one branch that they have any potential ability in. The next step involves pure luck. TheCatalystwill bind a branch within the chosen Anchor and help rapidly grow its power. Which one of the four though, is left up to fate. A prospective with 8 power in Water magic, for instance, might find that the Catalyst bound to her powerless Earth magic instead. In that case, they are simply shit out of luck.

So mathematically, one of out every four prospectives successfully reach the power level necessary to continue into an academy of magic. After two anticipation-wracked years, at the age of 13, the spurt provided by the drug wears off and qualified trainees enroll for the first of their seven years in primary magical training.

1 in 4. 25%. 25% of 50% of 0.1%. There's roughly 1 million sorcerers in the world. 40,000 in the US. Against a population of 8 billion, it was essentially celebrity status.

So while I scrambled around in the frosty grass to collect my scattered belongings, why didn'tIfeel like a celebrity?

Of course, there isonemore thing. And it is a huge reason why us life mages are seen as weak charity cases. You see,Catalysthas an interesting side effect. It also causes a growth spurt in Life power for everyone.

Why?

Because there's something about the binding process that also attaches your Life power to your life force, something that also naturally spikes during puberty. That means even if your primary magic fails to bind, you might still end up with a usable level of Life magic by age 13.

It's like this awkward magical consolation prize: "Hey, sorry you can't rain down lightning bolts like your awesome sister, but here's some Life magic. You'll never need an ice pack again!"

So yeah, in everyone else's eyes, we were underqualified rejects. Whether by choice or not, soft pacifists.

Personally, the worst part was that I wasn't even a second-chancer. My natural attunementhad been Life, a rare natural occurrence at that. Then, my Catalyst even bound correctly and my Life power skyrocketed. In fact, I entered Syldan as the highest power Life mage and one of the highest power levels overall in our entire year.

Well, crown or not, an ant is still an ant.

And I was fully prepared for the rest of my academy years, including my final two years in the advanced school, to continue on this way. Probably the rest of my life as a sorcerer too.

Except, well, today, December 12th, 2025, was the day that everything changed.

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Professor Barnett still hadn't started class yet as I slipped into the large lecture hall through the back entrance. Our instructor was hunched over at her desk discussing something with a middle-aged man I had never seen before. I slid into an empty seat in the second-to-last row, next to another Life mage, Owen. Quiet guy. Didn't talk much, but pretty chill.

I dropped my bag on the floor and whispered, "Hey. What's going on? Why hasn't she started yet?"

Owen didn't look up. He was sketching something in his notebook. "Dunno. That guy just came in before you and they've been talking since. You're kinda late though, what happened?"

It was true, I was almost ten minutes late today, but luckily Barnett didn't notice due to our unknown guest. It was also a very big class - around 75 students - asIntermediate Metaphysical Healingwas a requirement for 5th year Life mages, and this was the only section. All 50 of us were here, plus 25 Spirit mages who hadn't slotted it in during their 4th year.

"I uhh... bumped into some people."

Before we could make any more small talk, Professor Barnett brought the class to attention.

"All right class, settle down," she called out, "as you all know, this is our second-to-last class before finals week. We've already covered everything there is to cover this semester, and our review session will be on Friday."

"For today's class, we will be discussing a topic that will not be on the exam. It is an...overviewof an advanced topic that some of you will learn more about inAdvanced Metaphysical Healingnext year."

She paused for a second and peered over the crowd.

"As a warning, this topic touches on subjects that are sensitive and... intimate. I will say upfront that while we must introduce to you an overview of it, you will not be required to study, train, or use it if you do not wish to. In the upper school, there are always at least two sections ofAdMet, one of which bypasses this topic entirely."

Curious glances darted between classmates. What kind of healing magic could warrant such a disclaim before it was evendiscussed?

"Lastly, what we will talk about today is only going to be applicable to Life mages. My apologies to the Spirit mages in the room, this will not be a technique that you can wield. We chose this class because it's the only one with every Life mage in it."

There was little reaction around the room from the Spirit mages. Surely whatever was to come wouldn't be that exciting or powerful if it was only a Life magic ability.

"As such," Professor Barnett continued, "this class will be optional for Spirit mages. You may be excused now, though you're welcome to stay and listen if you wish."

Immediately, eyes lit up and chairs scraped against the floor as many students began gathering their belongings, the prospect of a free afternoon being far more appealing than watching a lecture about some obscure Life magic they couldn't even use. A large contingent of students filed toward the door happily.

When the shuffling of feet and rustling of papers finally ceased, the population of Spirit mages in the room had been greatly reduced. A mere five had chosen to stay - whether it was due to genuine curiosity, wanting to suck up to Barrett, or simply having nowhere better to be.

"Well then," Professor Barnett said, adjusting her robes, "there is one last thing before we begin." She gestured toward the bearded man who had been waiting patiently by her desk. "I'd like to introduce Professor Berend Wagner."

The professor stepped forward with a slight bow of his head. He was tall and looked intelligent with thin, wire-rimmed glasses.

"Professor Wagner is a cross-appointment between our upper school and MIT's Department of Bioarcanology," Barnett continued. "Some of you will have him as your instructor forAdvanced Metaphysical Healingnext year, so consider this an early introduction."

I studied this new professor closely. Many of the Academy's upper school teachers were university professors who also taught classes at Syldan. It made sense, since the final two years of our academy schooling came at age 19 and 20, and we were essentially taking college-level classes. In fact, after graduating from Syldan, those of us who wished to proceed to a normal university usually applied as third-year transfer students.

As such, the next two years of our time here would be spent at a completely separate upper school campus about five miles away from the core school grounds. The whole academy was structured in three distinct phases: first years had their own pocket campus called the novice school, where they learned the absolute basics and adjusted to magical life. Then, 2nd through 5th years attended core school, which pretty much aligned with regular American high school years. Finally, 6th and 7th years moved on to upper school for advanced studies.

Professor Wagner nodded to the class with a polite smile.

"Now," Barnett said, her tone becoming more formal, "due to both the fact that today's topic differs in a notable way between males and females, as well as the nature of the subject matter itself, we will be separating the class by gender for this discussion."

A wave of murmurs spread through the room. What kind of magical technique distinguished itself between genders?

"I will be taking the female students to classroom 430 next door," Barnett announced, gathering some papers from her desk. "Professor Wagner will remain here with the male students. Girls, please follow me."

Professor Wagner waited patiently until the door clicked shut behind the last departing student before turning his attention to us remaining guys.

"Class. It's good to meet you all," he said, with a slight German accent. His hands were clasped behind his back as he surveyed the reduced class. "What we will discuss today is not the Life magic you may have come to know. It is a very advanced aspect of Life magic that requires not just exceptional ability, but also emotional maturity."