He fixed her with a smile, a fairly disturbing, teeth-filled smile. “Not a human soul. Human souls are bright, ethereal, and brimming with an intoxicating amount of magic. Well, human mages’ souls are, at least. Mundane humans lack that last aspect. But they’re still bright and ethereal. You can’t physically touch them.”
In a move that churned Irene’s stomach, Zagan reached out a bare finger and dipped it right in the goop.
It reached up, latching onto his finger. Purple tendrils burrowed into his finger. Irene watched as they pulsed beneath his skin, creating vein-like patterns.
Still looking as calm as if he were relaxing on a sunny afternoon with a novel in hand, Professor Zagan pulled a small butter knife off of his desk. It must have been enchanted because the moment the blade touched his finger, it severed it completely, bone and all.
The ooze pulled the severed digit into itself, releasing more of the noxious gas as the finger turned to more of the purple goop.
Irene only managed to tear her eyes from the ‘soul’ when Professor Zagan waved his hand over the brass ball, sealing it up again.
Something in the atmosphere vanished, some feeling of oppression. It was noticeable enough that Irene almost slumped over as the tension left her muscles.
Professor Zagan just let out another dark chuckle.
“Your finger! The nurse–”
Irene stopped, gaping open-mouthed as the professor held up his hands. She counted to ten. Neither of Professor Zagan’s hands looked like a sixth finger had just been severed either.
“An illusion?”
“Oh no,” Professor Zagan said. “Not in the slightest. Had you dipped your finger in, you would be missing it or worse. But,” he said before Irene could protest, “I’m surprised you don’t recognize the contents.” He tapped again on the brass ball.
Irene blinked, gears churning in her head. She couldn’t think of any reason that should be familiar. “Why would I recognize it?”
“This soul-analogue came from the creature you summoned, yeah? You should keep track of the things you summon.”
It took a moment to fully process what he said. Irene stiffened and clamped her mouth shut.
He knew about the class. Did all the teachers know? Was it okay to talk about it without breaking the contract?
Irene kept her jaw firmly clenched shut. She wasn’t going to take any chances.
Thankfully, two students in her class walked into the room.
The professor’s gold eyes flicked over towards them. A slight frown crossed his face before he placed the brass sphere into a drawer in his desk.
Irene retreated from his desk, moving to stand and wait by her usual training dummy as the rest of the class slowly trickled into the room.
Shelby managed to make it–dragged in by Jordan–just a handful of seconds before the bell rang. She looked about as Irene had expected her to look. With her hair standing on end in abject defiance of gravity, eyes half-shut, and clothes looking like she had pulled them from the floor.
Between her sister’s appearance and everything else that had happened to her on her way to class, Irene decided that next time, she would stay behind and demand her sister wake up on time for school.
Professor Zagan started class the moment the bell rang, as usual. He paired everyone off at random and started them off on continuing the tactics lesson from the last class.
Only to be interrupted as three students walked into the classroom almost a full five minutes after the bell rang. Max, Drew, and Kristina all wandered in. Max ran up to the professor with a note in his hand.
A look of unmitigated annoyance crossed Professor Zagan’s face as he glared first at the note then at the three students. The note burst into bright green flames. The all-too-familiar scent of sulfur stung Irene’s nose.
Irene narrowed her eyes. Neither of the professor’s hands held a wand, rings, or any other type of foci.
“Ah, too good to show up to my class on time? Then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind serving detention tomorrow.”
“What?” Drew shouted. “He just gave you a note from the nurse excusing us.”
“A note? From the nurse?” Professor Zagan drew in a mocking gasp. “Oh no! I guess I had best pack my bags. My efforts to slay you will have to go on hold while you take the time to heal.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked over the suddenly still students. “That is exactly what someone making an attempt at your life would never have said.
“You,” he pointed at Kristina, “had a broken nose? An assailant wouldn’t wait for you to run to the nurse.”
A snapping sound echoed through the room, followed quickly by a scream. Blood started dribbling from Kristina’s nose.
“They’d use your pain and distraction to abuse your openings in any way possible.”
She started running for the door.
And slammed straight into a brick wall. The door had simply vanished. The room’s normal wall just continued past where the door had once existed, seamlessly meshing to the point where Irene couldn’t pick out exactly where it used to be.
