#golden magic

- Marshall - The black-haired guy just grunted slightly and covered his face with the covers - Marshall, you have to get up -

Marshall slowly opened his eyes to meet Lucas's smiling face. He blinked a few times before turning his back on Lucas. He felt again how his roommate was shaking him slightly by the shoulder.

-Shhhh I'm trying to sleep - Marshall said hoarsely.

- But you have to get up - Lucas replied - Professor Delta said you had to get up early. Do you want to be late for class?

-I don't care. I just want to sleep - Marshall said as he snuggled into his covers.

Lucas grunted. He walked over to the base of Marshall's bed and pulled on his covers to uncover him.

-Hey! - Marshall yelled when he felt the cold in the room.

-Now you'll have to get up,- Lucas said as he put the covers on his bed. -Class starts in ten minutes -

A part of him wanted to get angry but just couldn't. As much as he wanted he couldn't go back to sleep, so he stretched out a bit before getting out of bed.

He changed his clothes and went downstairs. The others had already finished breakfast and Delta was nowhere to be found, which was a relief to Marshall so that he wouldn't have to listen to his sermon about getting up earlier for the third time.

He headed for the kitchen without saying anything to anyone, not even a good morning. He took the carton of milk from the refrigerator and a glass from one of the shelves.

-Don't you want something for breakfast?- Lucas asked.

-I'm fine, thanks,- Marshall said as he took a sip from his glass of milk.

Lucas frowned.

-Do you always do that? -

-Do what?-

-Skip breakfast,- Lucas said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Marshall shrugged and took another sip from his glass.

-I've been doing it since…- He couldn't finish the sentence.

Lucas looked at him, waiting for him to say something.

-Since I'm 12,- Marshall said quickly, -I grabbed it as usual when my father stopped caring about me.-

 Since then, Marshall practically had to take care of himself: preparing his own food, going to school alone, and even he had to take care of the shopping and keeping the house in order. His father… had lost interest in all things, just left the house and came back late at night. Although his father was already trying to change his bad habits and reconnect with his son, Marshall wasn't sure if he could forgive him for leaving him for two years.

-I'll change that - Lucas sang. Marshall raised an eyebrow - I'll make sure that you get back into the habit of eating breakfast. Because it is the most important meal of the day!

Marshall chuckled at Lucas's enthusiasm. It was nice to think that someone cared about you.

-Hey! - Felix yelled at them from outside - Class is about to start -

Marshall quickly finished his glass of milk and put it in the sink

The boys went out into the courtyard to take their first potions class. The table was already set, with the cauldrons, spoons and jars they would use for class.

The weird thing was, Delta still hadn't shown up. They waited ten minutes and he showed no indication that he was coming soon.

Marshall took the opportunity to eat something more decent while the others played with paper airplanes.

Twenty minutes later, Delta came out onto the patio with a woman with long curly hair; she was dressed extravagantly in a dress that was made from pieces of fabric of different colors; she wore a blue beaded necklace and several bracelets.

Delta spoke to her about five minutes before the woman approached the table.

-Good morning guys - the woman said in a powerful voice. -I'm Altea. Your Potions Teacher -

The boys looked at each other in surprise.

- Excuse me - Milo spoke - We thought Delta would give us this class because ... well ... he specializes in this -

-Well, he won't. Delta asked me to give you this class. Delta may know a lot about potions but he is not an expert like me. - Altea spoke with a certain air of superiority - Now if you'll excuse me, we'll start with the class, we are already late.

“For Celene” thought Marshall "This woman is worse than Delta"

-You probably saw things about potions in your old schools.- The boys agreed silently. -Well, I want you to forget all that. I will show you the potions that will really help you. None of those silly things to make things bigger. One potion that must be learned to the letter is one of instant healing. You will never know when it can save your lives -

-We'll start with a basic instant healing potion. This potion is quite weak, it can only heal small wounds like shallow cuts or scrapes, but it serves as the basis for other healing potions-

Altea motioned for Milo to light the gas lamps. One by one he lit them all with his blue fire and returned to her place.

Altea rummaged in her bag for something.

-The basis of any healing potion is this,- Altea said as she showed them a deep pink bell-shaped flower, composed of six long petals. - They are roseas. Many people use them as decoration in their gardens but this plant has healing properties. You simply have to boil this flower for five minutes. -

She placed a few flowers in the cauldron of boiling water. She handed the boys a few roseas to start with their potion.

When Marshall placed the flowers in the cauldron, he was able to observe how the flower slowly shed a little of its pink color to stain the water.

-While that finishes boiling, I need you to cut these boldo leaves.- He handed them a cloth bag. - Grab a handful and with that you will have -

Each boy took his respective handful of leaves and passed them on to the next until the bag returned to Altea.

Marshall took the knife from him and started cutting the leaves all together. Altea didn't say how fine they needed to be, so he only cut them in half.

When Altea indicated that the five minutes had passed, Marshall carefully extinguished the alcohol lamp. He grabbed the wooden spoon and pulled out the flowers that were wilted.

He put the boldo leaves in the cauldron and waited another five minutes.

While they were waiting, Altea spoke to them about different things, about how she "fell in love" with the creation of potions, about her studies and how they forced her to travel all over the country collecting the rarest objects to make potions.

The rest of the class saw the different types of potions and what their bases were, what objects were used to make them more and more specific and how to enhance their effectiveness.

Things Marshall didn't care about in the least, he didn't even bother to take notes and surprisingly her Altea didn't scold him, unlike Delta.

___________

The rest of the week passed in the most monotonous way possible. With Delta's boring classes, with the homework that Marshall never did, and Milo and Felix's insistence on going out to the pier, which he always refused (not even Lucas managed to convince him). In the end the three of them went out while Marshall stayed in her room trying to get some sleep.

The only good thing was that Lucas kept his promise to him, every day he made sure he got up early and made breakfast for him. He had to admit that the food was delicious, the best he had had in years, in fact.

Finally Friday came, and Marshall could go back to his house but he had to put up with another long day of school first.

—Well guys - Altea said in front of the class - Today we won't have class here. We will go to the drift. -

The drift. Marshall had heard the locals talk about that forest. It was nothing special, just that it was the perfect place to get potion plants.

-Delta will come with us to take care of you. So ... put on your field clothes and pack your backpack with her potions things, we leave in ten minutes -

-But we don't have field clothes - Milo reproached.

—Then the most comfortable you have -

The boys did not question anything else and returned to the house to change

____________

It had been almost three years since Marshall went out for a walk in the woods. Marshall remembered that he used to do it all the time with his mother. How she taught him to identify some plants and taught him the basics of their magic, divination and dream interpretation. He felt a little strange.

-Isn't it dangerous to go out into the forest? - Asked Milo - I mean something like a dragon could come out -

-There are no dragons in Valparaíso,-Delta clarified. -The dragons are not from here -

—Yes, but… you never know. My brother said that he once saw a dragon -

Altea stopped.

-We've arrived,- she said as she took off her backpack and put it on the floor.

The boys looked around her. It was exactly like any other area of ​​the forest, full of strange trees and plants.

-What's so special about this place?- Marshall dared to ask while the others took out their potions things imitating her teacher.

-We're very close to a Roseas bush. -

Altea motioned for them to follow her to where she was. The boys approached the rosea bush.

-Take the flower carefully,- Altea instructed them. Marshall moved closer to the plant - But grab it by the stem, we don't want to mistreat the flower petals -

Marshall rolled his eyes.

-Oh! - Marshall heard Felix yell and stopped, pulling his hand away from the bush.

-I think something bit me,- Felix said as he rubbed his hand.

Altea moved closer to examine it more closely. On the back of his hand there was a red spot that almost completely covered it completely and it was slightly swollen.

-Nothing happened to you,- Altea said without concern. -It was the leaves-

-Leaves? -

-The leaves are poisonous, so avoid touching them - Everyone looked scared at Altea, even Delta - But it's nothing serious. It will just itch and hurt a little. In a couple of hours it is going to go away - Felix breathed in relief.

The boys continued to collect the flowers, being careful not to touch the leaves.

They collected around 20 flowers when Altea indicated that they were enough and that they will begin to prepare the potions.

-Will we do it alone? - Milo asked.

- Yes -

-But we barely did it once - Marshall protested annoyed.

-And with that you must have enough,- Altea said indignantly.

Marshall said nothing more. He put his backpack on the ground and sat down like the others.

He took all the things out of the backpack and set up his potion-making rack. With the cauldron on the tripod and with the alcohol lamp underneath. Milo did everyone a favor by lighting the lamp.

Once he had everything he needed up front, he realized that he had no idea how to do it.

How did she expect them to replicate it after only doing it once?

He took a deep breath. Maybe his potion would not be the best, Marshall firmly believed that he was going to be the worst of all, but he was not willing to sacrifice a part of his grade. Even if he got two points, it was better than nothing.

He glanced at Lucas to see what he was doing. He was separating the leaves from the roseas and then he cut them finely.

It's not like that, Marshall thought.

He turned to see Felix and Milo. Felix had apparently already put his flowers in the water and Milo had his hands in the cauldron to heat the water faster.

Marshall imagined that the others either did not know what they were doing or only vaguely remembered it.

Marshall began to separate the flowers from his stem avoiding damaging the petals, remembering how delicate they were.

He threw them into the hot water and set the timer for five minutes. He wasn't sure if that was the right time but it seemed reasonable to him.

He grabbed a handful of boldo leaves and began to cut them finely. When the five minutes were up he carefully scooped out the roseas and poured out the leaves. And he again set the timer for five minutes.

Finally, the timer rang. He grabbed the spoon and began pouring the potion into the small vials, trying not to spill too much. In total he managed to fill eight jars. Marshall saw that the others were finishing up as well, but they couldn't complete the eight jars.

Marshall noticed that his potion was the one with the deepest pink color and he wasn't entirely sure that was good. They all handed their potion to Altea and she put a name tag for each one.

Altea told them that would be all in the matter of the potions, but taking advantage of the fact that they were already there they could explore a little more.

Marshall had to admit that it wasn't as bad as he thought. He had forgotten how calming it was to walk in the woods. And even though he didn't listen to Altea's explanation about all the plants, he enjoyed the atmosphere. From the aroma of the flowers, from feeling the sun on his skin and all the sounds that the birds made. He considered going out more on his own, without having classes in between.

Felix stared bored out of the train window. He watched the trees go by quickly and leaving behind several high hills. He sank into the chair and kept looking out. He glanced at his mother, who returned an expressive and comforting look.

Felix was going to Valparaíso along with his mother to study advanced magic with Johannes Delta, a recognized magician, not only for his great experience in spagyrics but also for being the son of the best alchemist in history.

Felix would have liked to study in the city, where he had lived all his life, not because he did not like Valparaíso or because he did not like his uncle, he simply did not like the idea of ​​being so far from home for three years. He was mortified by the idea of ​​new companions, but there was no specialized magic academy in the capital and Delta was the one that his mother trusted the most, so he couldn't complain too much, he didn't have many options.

The only good thing is that he could still return home on the weekends and even be able to visit his father like he always did. A few days ago he had received a letter from his father, he said that he was going to visit him very soon for his birthday, and even that time he could stay longer.

He watched as the speed slowed down as things stopped going so fast next to the train and he saw the station approaching. When the train finally stopped pulling him out of his thoughts, he got up from his seat, took his things and looked through the window one last time. He walked around the train car and lined up behind everyone waiting to get off.

He descended the steps of the train and walked down the platform. When he left the station, he observed the town in the distance: Valparaíso, a rather small coastal town, with picturesque buildings made mainly of wood and all following the same common facade with slight variations in exterior colors and designs. Its streets were made of stone, several tall lanterns descended along the roads, and the sky was bright and clear blue and there were few clouds in it. Valparaíso was just as Felix remembered it.

They walked freely and calmly through the stone streets where no cars passed.

The walk was a bit long, about twenty minutes, and finally, they spotted her in the distance.

"It’s that one," his mother said to Felix. She pointed forward.

Delta's academy was a simple two-story brick house with a red tile roof with a huge front yard full of shrub flowers.

Delta was practically already waiting for them from the wooden porch, sitting in a lawn chair while he read a book. As soon as he saw them he got up from his seat and went to the metal fence to let them pass.

-It is an honor for me that you are here and to be able to receive you as a valuable student - Delta said making a small bow.

-Leave the formalities aside Delta - Felix's mother said laughing slightly - We are family -

- You could be my family but Felix is ​​my student and I cannot leave aside formalities - Delta said with a smile and exaggerated hand movements.

As his mother talked to Delta, Felix just stood there not knowing what to do. He knew his uncle's home / academy but he didn't want to go in uninvited either.

Felix just watched the garden and all the plants that Delta grew. He didn't recognize most of them, they were probably for making potions and medicines, something Delta specialized in.

Shortly after, a black car pulled up in front of the gate, drawing everyone's attention. A dark-haired man in a smart suit got out and went to the trunk. A raven-haired boy came out of the passenger seat in a bad mood. He also went to the trunk and helped his father.

-That must be Marshall-Commented Delta as she approached to receive his new student.

Marshall was a boy with a robust build, his long hair was all over his face and he had an unfriendly face. He wore a thick cloth coat, even though it was not a cold day.

Marshall lumbered over with his large leather suitcase and a violin case.

-Mr. Evans-Delta greeted Marshall's father by firmly shaking his hand. -It is an honor for me that your son here with us-

Felix couldn't make out what Mr. Evans said, but he didn't really care. He just watched as Marshall showed disinterest in the conversation.

-I think it is time for me to return. - His mother drew his attention - Remember, be good, make friends and learn many things-she looked at him with teary eyes -See you on Friday-

They both hugged, it was a long and warm hug. When they separated her mother saw him in the eyes, she brushed a little hair from her face and smiled.

-Is something wrong? - Felix asked.

His mother laughed.

-Nothing ... It's just that you remind me a lot of your father. You're just like him-his mother whispered.

Her mother gave him one last kiss on the forehead before walking over to the fence to leave.

Felix watched his mother walk away from her as she said goodbye to him.

He sighed heavily, he would certainly miss her. Maybe there were times where she didn't see her until late at night when she left work but that didn't matter to him, she was always there for him, to remind him of how loved she was.

-Are you guys ready? - Delta said once their relatives were out of sight.

Delta accompanied them inside the house.

The interior of the house was rustic, with a strong smell of wood and flowers. The living room had a fireplace with an armchair and a small coffee table. Felix could see that there were several portraits next to the fireplace. Felix guessed his former students.

Delta guided them to the second floor. Where each one was shown their respective room.

The room was large, enough for two people, with white walls. There was only a bunk bed, a bookcase, a desk and a wardrobe. It was quite bland but luckily Delta had previously told him that he could decorate it during his stay there, which was a relief, he didn't know if he could last three years looking at the same boring walls. He even considered bringing his green bedspreads from his house.

Felix placed the suitcase on the bottom bunk (though she will probably keep the top one) and began to pull things out of it. At the moment he would only take care of her books and the stuff he needed to study, then he would put his clothes away.

He arranged her books and notebooks on the shelf in no particular order. He also made room for his future partner, he didn't want to be inconsiderate, much less start a fight on the first day.

Just when he finished putting away her books Delta called to them from downstairs.

-Felix! Marshall! Come! - Delta yelled.

Both boys left her room at the same time to go down to the living room.

Delta was with two guys who still carried suitcases. One of them was small, almost the same height as Felix, with straight, short dark brown hair. His face was dotted with countless freckles.

The other was tall and thin; He appeared to be one of the southern healers (or at least his parents) because of his light hair and light brown skin and cold gray eyes.

-This is Lucas- Delta pointed to the taller boy - And this is Milo-

Milo waved to them while Lucas just stared at them without saying anything.

Delta and the boys went up to the second floor of the house

-Milo, you share a room with Felix - Delta reported - And you Lucas with Marshall -

-Why don't you unpack your things and go down to eat in a while? - Delta said before leaving them alone.

All the boys entered the rooms that were assigned to them

Back in the room, Felix quickly climbed onto the bed above the bunk. Milo just looked at him strangely.

-Sorry - Felix said with a small smile - But I’ll sleep in the top bed.

Milo just stared without saying anything and started pulling things out of his suitcase.

The room was flooded in a deep silence, where only Milo could be heard moving his books and other things.

"Should I say something?" Felix thought "We will share a room for three years, I should ask him something"

-And… What kind of magic do you have? - Felix asked. Yes, it was a generic question but it was the first thing that came to mind.

-Pyromancy. Nothing special - Milo answered sadly - And you?

-Alchemy -

-Alchemy!? - Milo exclaimed and turned to see Felix - Where did you get it?

Felix knew his magic was… unique but he didn't expect that kind of reaction.

-I inherited it from my father-he answered without giving it much importance.

-That 's great! Imagine the great things you will do one day! You could even be like Augusto Delta! -

-Yes, I know-He sighed heavily at the mention of his grandfather-It's what Delta usually tells me "One day you'll be as big as your grandfather was" - said Felix in a mocking tone - But I don't know if I want to be. My father was "destined" to be the greatest alchemist in history and never followed in his father's footsteps-

Milo looked at him pityingly.

"Probably because he knows I'll be another wasted talent," Felix thought bitterly.

-So ... what do you want to be? - Questioned Milo.

-I don't know, Felix said while he shrugged. I haven't thought about it. How about you? -

-I don't know either. I just know that I'm not going to be like my father-he said as he laughed underneath.

"Sure" Felix thought "I won't be like my father either"

______________

-Guys, the food's ready! - Delta yelled from the first floor.

The four of them ran down the stairs.

The table was already set, with the cutlery, plates and glasses.

Delta told them that the food was in the kitchen and that they served as much as they wanted, that there was no problem.

The meal was a traditional Valparaíso dish, vegetable and fish broth, popularly known as "golden broth" for the type of fish used in its preparation.

The meal passed in a long awkward silence interrupted by the occasional question from Delta. The questions were as generic as possible “What do you like to do? Do you have a favorite subject? Do you have siblings? "

Delta just wanted to get to know them better but they all answered in a monotonous way. Everyone except Milo.

Milo did answer all the questions excitedly enough and told a couple of stories about him. Occasionally she would tell an anecdote about him with his older brother, such as the time they accidentally stained a dress of his aunt and were at 12 at night trying to wash it without her noticing. Or when they tried to rob their school cafeteria and ended up accidentally breaking a door. According to Milo they were never caught because of the door, but Felix was almost certain that, at least, they were suspended for a couple of days.

He also talked about the fire duels, he listened to them on the radio whenever he could, since he did not have television in his house. He showed his energy and his great passion for this sport.

-You should see them! - Milo exclaimed as he tapped the table - They're the best thing in the world. Someday I want to go see them live and feel the fire on my face - He said making exaggerated gestures with his hands.

-I don't think you want to feel the fire on your face - Marshall pointed out amused - The only thing you'll get is to get burned.

-What if they burn me!? - Said Milo while he raised his hands in the air -I will have a scar like the true pyromancer masters - He said while giving small blows to his chest.

_________

Felix couldn't sleep well that night. It was common when he was not in his house or in an "unfamiliar" environment. Part of him wanted to go down to the kitchen for some hot milk, that always helped, but he didn't want to wake Milo. So he just stared at the ceiling thinking about irrelevant things.

He didn't know when he fell asleep, he just woke up to Milo's loud alarm.

-What time is it? - Felix asked hoarsely.

-It's seven in the morning- Milo said energetically as if he had been awake for hours.

Felix lay back on the bed and rubbed his eyes a bit.

-Don't we start classes until 9? -

-Yes, but it is important to start the day early - Milo said happily.

Felix didn't care much about it and tried to go back to sleep. The downside is that he would have to put up with that for the next three years. He made a mental note to speak with Milo to come to an agreement later.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't get back to sleep. After half an hour he resigned himself and decided to get up.

He went to the wardrobe to decide what to wear. He had to wear something that will leave a good impression on his new classmates. He thought about wearing his traditional magician's robe, but he preferred to reject that idea, it seemed a bit exaggerated to him besides that they were a bit too large and he was not going to make a fool of himself on his first day.

In the end he opted for a green wool sweater and his usual black pants. He headed to the bathroom to freshen up a bit before going downstairs.

He looked at himself in the mirror and looked closely at his reflection. He saw all the little spots she had on his face, his messy golden hair and what stood out the most about him: his red eyes. Neither of the boys had mentioned anything about it but he couldn't get too many illusions, he had only shared a meal with them.

Felix finally went down to the first floor. The air was filled with a sweet aroma like that of a bakery, making Felix's stomach growl slightly. To his surprise, not only was Milo in the kitchen, there was also Lucas, who was making breakfast.

-Good morning Felix-Lucas said when he saw him with a big smile-In a few minutes breakfast will be out.

Felix walked over so he was cooking. They were pancakes, neatly stacked on a china plate. They were all fluffy a light honey color, they certainly looked delicious.

-Did you make everyone breakfast? It was not necessary -

Lucas nodded and went back to what he was doing on the stove.

-There is no problem. I like to do it. It is also a bit out of habit, in my house I always cooked for my brothers and my father -

The three boys fell silent. Milo and Felix set the table to feel that they were not leaving all the work to Lucas.

Soon after, Delta came down wearing an elegant gray wizard's robe.

-Boys! - Delta exclaimed when she saw them - What are you doing up so early?

-Making breakfast-Lucas replied as he carried the stack of pancakes to the dining room.

Delta brought a tray of chopped fruit and a jug of watermelon juice.

They all sat down and began to enjoy breakfast.

Lucas's pancakes were the best thing Felix had ever tasted in his life. They were sweet and fluffy, and perfectly golden.

Everyone ate quietly but it seemed that Lucas was in a hurry.

-Excuse me for a moment-Lucas said when he finished his breakfast and got up quickly from the table.

Milo and Felix looked at each other but didn't question him.

Minutes later, when they were already putting the table together, Lucas came down with little jumps.

Behind him came Marshall, still in his pajamas and practically asleep.

-Marshall, you should get up earlier - Delta scolded - This way you won't have time to eat breakfast and get ready -

Marshall completely ignored him. He went into the kitchen to grab an apple and went back up to the second floor.

Delta snorted annoyed.

-You guys go out, I'm going for some things -

Felix went up to his room quickly to grab his notebooks and went out to the patio with the others.

The backyard was quite spacious, almost the same area as the house, and like the front yard, it was full of flowers and shrubs.

The area where they will take class was already prepared; it was a wooden table with eight chairs and a small blackboard in front of it under the shade of a tree with small yellow flowers.

The boys sat down and Felix took a moment to appreciate the beauty of Delta's garden. As the rays of the sun filtered through the branches of the tree that moved slightly in the light spring breeze. The entire Delta garden was slightly herbal from the large number of plants it grew.

Delta with an oak stick with a crystal sphere at the end in one hand and books in the other arm, and Marshall behind him.

He placed the books on the table and his staff on it. While Marshall sat next to Lucas.

-Alright guys, let's get started- He said with a big smile on his face. - You were selected for your magical abilities. I will help you find your greatest potential with your magic and use it wisely. I know that one day you will achieve great things -

"First, I will give you your schedule with all your subjects that we will have this course"

He opened his notebook, took out some sheets, and handed them to his students. It was a table with all the subjects and their schedules.

-Magic is something that is found within all living beings on this planet, but only some have the ability to manifest this magic. To manifest magic you need a wand, your most important tool as a magician. It is your way to transmit the magic that you carry within. It is also your weapon and your shield, with it you can defend themselves from any danger. So it is important that you always carry it with you -

-And why don't you have a wand? -Lucas asked innocently.

-Because this staff is my wand. These staffs have the same properties as a normal wand, but these gems - He said as he pointed at them. On the staff were seven small gems embedded, all of different colors. - help to focus my power and make stronger spells -

-CAN WE SEE IT IN ACTION !? - Milo exclaimed

-No. There is no need to do that. - Milo grumbled - But maybe one day I will.

The class passed normally. Practicing spells and taking notes. They mainly "refreshed" their memory of spells and basic concepts. In addition to explaining what their course would be like. During the first weeks they would study all the bases of magic and then travel around the country and study with specialized teachers in each of their  branches.

_____________

-Can you believe it? -Milo exclaimed once the class finished  -We will travel to The Serenity! I will learn to be a true pyromancer! - He spoke as he punched the air pretending to create fire.

Felix chuckled a little at Milo's excitement.

-Wow! -

-What? -

-You have fangs like a vampire! - Milo almost yelled in delight.

Felix quickly covered his mouth with one hand.

-Is not true! - 

-Of course. - Milo reproached - I just saw them -

"No. No. No, ”Felix thought as he looked away from him. It was too early for them to notice. He remembered all the times he was teased about it at his school. He believed that in this place it would be different. He didn't want to change schools again.

-But I think they are great - Milo said with a shy smilw - They make you look more threatening and more ... unique ... You know? Besides that you have a nice smile.