Krissy, like Darya, loved every moment of the presentation. She had no clue whatsoever about it all, except that she wanted to learn it all and she wanted to be the best. When asked what they thought, she excitedly raised her hand and waited for the opportunity to speak. "I want to learn how to do that! It seems like maybe they did something like this?" She started to emulate the movement, Toma started to chuckle at first, but then he became concerned when he noticed how accurately the girl was emulating the motions. "Ye-Yes, quite good enough there, Krissy. Enough of that for now!"
"As for the rest of you, This school, as it were, will be your home now. You have been conscripted by the law into the service of the nation due to your unique talents. While you may not yet realize it. Each and every one of you has the ability to do what you saw here today. And what you saw is the most sacred and holy responsibility that could ever be asked of you. With your help, together, we will keep our nation, no... our world, safe from harm for many many years to come." He struggled for the breath to finish the sentence and nearly gasped in the air that he had deprived himself, the sudden rush of air into Toma's old dusty lungs sounded wet.
Unbeknownst to Toma or anybody else in the group at that time, Krissy's little emulation had a small impact on the balance of the sealing binds that were wrapped around the tree. It was small, impossibly small, but to a Demon sealed away inside with nothing but time, it was enough to begin working on its escape.
"Now then, now that we have had a rest, let us start on our trip back home. If we dally, we might all miss our suppers... I heard that tonight is Tubers and Mash!" Of course, Sensai Toma said that, but it was truly his own legs that slowed the group down the most.
Time would past and the children would grow little by little, learning how to control the magic that was weaved into the world around them. Their abilities grew as their bodies grew and soon they were participating in combat training. Not only in how to cast and use spells in combat, but hand to hand combat as well. No weapons were generally used, as their carrying would simply interrupt the spell patterns, though, in the rare situation where more reach was needed, the simple staff was meant to be sufficient and easy enough to improvise a staff if one was needed.
The students would eventually come to learn about how they could use their spells for various kinds of transport or maneuverability. The Air Mages learned how, if they used a kind of kite or a special bodysuit, they could emulate flight. Water Mages could create iceways that were slick and allowed for faster, quieter movement. Earth Mages had a similar technique, but using a wheeled board or wheeled boots were required to really reap the benefits, so earth mages also learned how to make quick pillars of stone to create cover. While it was not fast or stealthy, it was an almost always effective way to close the distance. While spirit users lacked a physical way to make the terrain easier, they developed two general techniques as well. The first was the way of the mind, taping into the spiritual flow of energy the mage could press their senses out of the body and explore the area around themselves as if floating. The second way was the way of the muscle, infusing spiritual energy into their limbs they could push themselves to move faster than they ever could have done without. Fire mages had no special maneuverability spells, at least none that they were willing to teach. That is until Krissy. It did not have the kind of grace and precision as some of the other schools of magic, but it was flashy. Effectively, it was to set off a large explosion immediately behind or below the caster and let it launch them into the air. The downfall, of course, was that it also affected other people standing nearby, and once in the air, there was little the caster could do about changing directions, leaving them vulnerable to archers or similar.
As time passed and the students learned more and more and created more and more, the demon in the Old Hallowed Tree continued to push and push and get a little stronger every day.
Enough time had passed and the students had proven that they were capable of completing a binding ceremony. Finally, graduation day had arrived.
The children had grown into young adults, blossoming not unlike the pink flowers that adorned the trees around them. Senpai Toma was still teaching, he had remained their instructor their entire life, and in many ways, he had become a surrogate grandparent... one that was not afraid to use their cane to get a point across as Arden had learned early on and often. Of the 11 children who had started with them, only these five were there to graduate. Toma led the small gathering through the graduation, if an outside had been there it would be little more than a collection of hisses, wheezes, phlegmy coughs, and mumbling. However, the five had grown used to it and could understand what Senpai Toma was saying. There was much todo about responsibility. There was much forwarning about neglecting their abilities. There was much shaking of the cane in emphasis of the importance of what they were meant to do. When it was all said and done an attendant of Toma's handed out a five-pointed seal to each of the five, indicating their status and authority. The group bowed out of respect, as they were instructed to do in rehearsal, and then excused.
Relaxation was short-lived, they had their first replacement binding ceremony within an hour, at the same tree that they had first been truly introduced into this world at.
