Abyssal Arcanist [Chapter 17]

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More Abyssal Arcanist! Happy Sunday!

Shami

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THE NEW PROFESSOR HELMITH

We entered the classroom and ambled over to our seats.

The five long tables in class were familiar places, even if we hadn’t been at Astra Academy long. I took my seat at the front table, placed Twain down, and then faced the chalkboard at the head of the classroom. The professor’s desk was clear, and nothing had been written on the board.

After a big yawn, Twain curled up into a tight ball of fur and purred.

Knovak, Nasbit, and Raaza all sat together at another table, which was new. Normally they sat apart, but now it seemed they wanted to chat. Ashlyn, Phila, and Exie took their usual seats, all clustered together. Since Sorin, Nini, and I sat together, we left two whole tables open, making our class seem small.

The window at the back of the room had a walkway that led to the redwood treehouse. One by one, the larger creatures entered class. First Ecrib, Ashlyn’s dragon, and then Brak, Nasbit’s sandstone golem.

The stomp of Brak’s steps really woke me. I sat a little straighter and turned around to catch sight of the golem lumbering over his arcanist. Although Brak didn’t have a face to emote with, it was clear from the way the golem sped up its steps that it wanted to be near Nasbit.

Brak stopped near Nasbit and then sat beside his chair. The golem fell to the stone floor with a clunk, practically rumbling Nasbit’s desk.

“How are you?” Nasbit asked as he gently patted his eldrin. “Was the evening okay? Did you get along with all the other mystical creatures?”

Brak said nothing, but it was obvious Nasbit understood the golem’s subtle gestures. When Brak tilted his head, Nasbit smiled.

“I’m glad it was pleasant,” he said.

Made me wonder if they could speak telepathically to one another…

“I wonder what we’ll learn today,” Sorin muttered as he placed his Magical Bestiary on the table in front of him. “I’m hoping we’ll discuss true forms a bit more.”

Nini poked at the rim of her glasses, her brow furrowed.

I glanced over my shoulder only to catch sight of Ecrib staring straight at me. I was surprised, because of how aloof Ashlyn had been in the hallway, but Ecrib was clearly paying me all sorts of attention.

He was a large dragon hatchling—almost as big as a horse—with scales that came in every shade of blue imaginable. Fins dominated Ecrib’s back, like he had stolen them from a gang of sharks. And when he moved, his sharp claws scraped the stone floor.

He was obviously a typhoon dragon, since he had no wings, and he had a set of gills, but I sometimes wondered what he would look like soaring through the clouds.

I met his stare for a long moment. Then I lifted an eyebrow.

Ecrib snorted, his pupils constricting into slits.

I shrugged in response. He discreetly pointed his reptilian snout to the classroom door, and I wondered if he wanted me to get up so we could speak in private. Before I could act on that suggestion, the door opened inward to reveal our professor for today.

Professor Helmith.

Well, not Rylee Helmith. This time it was Kristof Helmith.

When he entered, everyone held their breath. There were no whispers or sounds of any kind as Kristof made his way to the professor’s desk.

He wore Academy robes, but they didn’t appear fitted for his body. He was too muscular for the outfit they had given him, and I suspected it was because they hadn’t had enough time to get something tailored. Professor Helmith had been injured, and Kristof rushed back to the Academy to help, after all. This was all sudden and impromptu.

“Good morning, class,” Kristof said, his tone confident, bordering on authoritative. “I will be your Mystical Creatures professor for the time being. My wife, Rylee, hasn’t yet recovered fully, but rest assured, I’m quite knowledgeable on this subject matter.”

He went straight for the chalkboard and wrote his name. Then Kristof wrote a series of points, the clack of the chalk on the board so hard, it sounded as though he was stabbing rather than writing.

“I’m not sure where Rylee left off, but I suspect she hasn’t gone over the various types of dragons yet.”

Ecrib perked his head up at the comment.

When Kristof turned around on his heel, everyone sat a little straighter. The man had a neutral expression that showed neither interest or boredom, and I wondered if he even liked the idea of teaching.

“As you can see,” he said as he motioned to the arcanist mark on his forehead, “I’m a celestial dragon arcanist.”

Exie made a noise that sound like a cross between a gasp and an excited giggle. “Those are so rare!”

“They are,” Kristof said matter-of-factly. Then he motioned to the back window.

A creature flew over the treehouse walkway, slow and steady, as though gliding on a leisurely breeze. It was a dragon—Kristof’s dragon—but it was so large, I couldn’t see it fully through the gigantic window.

The mighty beast had a body that resembled the night sky, with glittering stars and swirls of dark colors. It had an almost liquid-like form, where only a small portion of it was truly physical. I knew, because when the morning light passed through its chest and ribs, and spilled into the room, everything was covered in a watery shimmer.

The purple, blue, and indigo colors washed over everyone, and several people in class gasped in amazement.

The light filtered through the dragon’s body in such a mystical way, it stole my breath. It was like staring up at the sun while underwater—the majesty of nature seeing through a new lens. But that only lasted for a moment.

The celestial dragon flew off, allowing the sunlight to return in its full glory.

“Celestial dragons are mostly composed of starlight,” Kristof said—again, his tone matter-of-fact, like this was all old news.

Everyone kept their attention on the back window, hoping to catch another glimpse of the massive, and wondrous, beast.

Kristof walked around the desk and continued his speech. “Celestial dragons are capable of teleportation, dreaming manipulation, and evoking crystals.”

Dream manipulation?

I turned around in my seat, my heart hammering. I hesitantly raised my hand. When Kristof took note, he pointed to me. “Yes, Gray?”

“Can celestial dragon manipulate dreams like ethereal whelks?” I asked.

“They can, yes. However, unlike ethereal whelks, celestial dragons have no way to keep a person sleeping, or even induce sleep.”

“But since it’s a dragon—a tier four creature—celestial dragons are stronger than the whelks, right?” It hadn’t occurred to me until that very moment, but perhaps I could strengthen the cage around Deimos…

Kristof nodded once. “Ethereal whelks vary in power based on the amount of magic they’ve consumed, but they’re never as powerful as dragons or dragon-kin.”

That made sense. Which meant I would just need to use Kristof’s eldrin to help combat the Death Lord.

When I glanced down at Twain, I realized he was smiling up at me.

Twain was already excited.

“I can be a dragon and help you,” he whispered with a purr.

This was going to work out nicely. I would just have to try it out one of these nights when I had enough time to myself. Kristof’s eldrin was so large, I doubted that Twain could just transform into it while everyone slept in our dorm. The sheer size of the celestial dragon—even if it was mostly incorporeal—would lead to problems.

Perhaps at some point, when I had the showers to myself…

When it was obvious that Kristof’s dragon wouldn’t be returning any time soon, everyone turned back around and faced the chalkboard.

Exie fluffed her hair, but then realization struck. She leaned onto the table and widened her eyes. “Wait, you mean both you and Professor Helmith can manipulate dreams?”

Kristof’s lip twitched into a slight frown. “I just said that, yes.”

“Is that how you two met? You were dreamweaving together and then romance erupted?” Exie wistfully sighed. “That’s beautiful.”

“I… don’t think we should be discussing that.” Kristof, turned and tapped his knuckles on the desk. “It’s not important to the subject matter at hand.”

“It’s so adorable, though. Do you two share your dreams every night?” Exie softly exhaled as she practically melted onto her table. “That would be the most precious thing ever.”

That comment seemed to quiet Kristof. He wasn’t facing us anymore, but I got the distinct impression this was embarrassing him. Or perhaps he thought we were all randy youths that couldn’t focus on a single subject.

Either or.

Although, I knew they didn’t share dreams every night. Professor Helmith had seen me for most nights over several years. Clearly, she and Kristof did other things at night that just stared into each other’s eyes while painting wondrous dreamscapes.

Nasbit cleared his throat and raised his hand. “Uh…”

After squaring his shoulders, Kristof turned around and pointed. “Yes?”

“I was wondering about dragons.” Nasbit tapped his fingers on his textbook. “Not every variant is covered. For example, when I went to investigate abyssal dragons, I found nothing. Do you have information on them? I’d love to hear more.”

“Abyssal dragons don’t roam the countryside.” Kristof returned to the chalkboard. “We’re only going to discuss dragons that you may have to deal with.”

The room went dead silent after his statement. Kristof must’ve sensed the shift in mood, because he slowly glanced over his shoulder and examined everyone.

My brother leaned onto the table and muttered, “Gray, Nini, and I have all seen an abyssal dragon. In person.” He waved his arms around, trying to convey how large it was. “And I saw its leg cut off from a portal closing on it.” Sorin then rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh, would like to learn more about abyssal dragons, too. Just in case we see it again—and its angry about its missing limb.”

Everyone waited, their eyes wide, as Kristof mulled over that bit of information.

Finally, our new professor said, “It’s very unlikely you’ll encounter the abyssal dragon again. But even if we do see one—” Kristof shot me a quick glance, and I sunk a bit in my seat, “—you won’t have to worry.”

Raaza snorted back a single laugh. His kitsune leapt onto the table, her fiery paws bright, and also huffed out a laugh.

“I think it’s our biggest worry,” Knovak interjected. He patted his unicorn eldrin with a shaky hand. “Abyssal dragon magic is… powerful.”

Kristof forced a smile. In a tone far fiercer and more determined than before, he stated, “There’s more than one reason I’m here. If a Death Lord and their abyssal dragon appear, I’ll be here to drive them back. I’ve been a mystic guardian for decades—fought the worst of the worst—and my celestial dragon magic has never failed me.”

He held his hand out, and bits of sparkling dust emerged from the lines of his palms. The motes of magic drifted to the floor, but upon touching the stone, they exploded into crystal formations at least three feet high, sharp at the tip, and iridescent throughout. They crackled with power, practically sucking magic and moisture out of the equal amounts.

My eyes felt dry afterward, and I had to fight the urge to jump out of my seat.

This was his crystal evocation?

Impressive.

“I won’t let any Death Lord harm the Academy.” Kristof waved his hand, and the crystals broke apart into glittering dust before completely vanishing a moment later.

Nasbit rubbed his chin. He stared at where the crystals had been, and then turned his attention to the professor. “So… What if I’m just… intellectually curious about the dragons? I never said I wanted to fight them. I just want to know more about them.”

That resulted in a long minute of silence.

Finally, Kristof sighed. “And that’s a fair point. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the dragons outside of legend and myth.” He returned to the chalkboard and began writing down the names of dragons in order of size. “So, while we can speculate, I don’t have much to teach you. Instead of wasting time, I’ll tell you all I know about the otherdragons. Sound like a plan?”

The class muttered agreements and then pulled out their notebooks.

I felt the animosity our new professor had for me, especially in his speech and demonstration, but I shook off the feeling.

I’d fix this. Now that I knew his dragon magic could help… This problem would be over shortly.