Darkness magic is a valuable tool. It can be used to conceal things without irritating the lungs like smoke does. While it could certainly be used in military applications as a replacement for a smoke screen, I mostly use it to hide before surprise parties. It can also keep things cool on a sunny day. I would be lying if I said I did not occasionally cloak a tub of ice cream in darkness to keep it nice and cold on a hot summer day. Since darkness is a subset of the "Destroy Energy" discipline of magic, it pairs easily with magic that outright negates thermal energy, allowing a spellcaster to keep machines running cool and chill drinks to near freezing temperatures in a snap.

So, why were the Inquisitors hoisting me by my collar and barking accusations at me? Well...

"You are in big trouble now, heretic!" a slender woman in a black robe hissed. She pulled me close and I could smell the garlic on her breath. "The Grand Inquisitor will hang you dead!"

"For what?"

"Dark magic... Summoning demons and the lot, I guess," said the other Inquisitor, a broad-shouldered man with slick black hair. He had a nonchalant demeanor, betraying either a lack of enthusiasm or a lack of understanding of his work. "Easy on the accused, Mally. He might slip out of our grasp if you keep tugging him like that."

"Oh, and you'd like that, you big loaf! If only your faith was as strong as your body!" Mally's claws dug into my collar tighter than before.

"I think I understand what's going on here..." I said.

Mally gripped harder and said, "You aren't going to find a way out of this."

They dragged me down the hall to a red door. When we reached it, Mally pushed me into her colleague's arms and produced a key from her robes. After fidgeting with the aged lock, she swung the door open and I felt her colleague's large hands give me a push into the dark room. Falling on my hands and knees, my eyes struggled to make out what this room was supposed to be.

Ker-chunk!

With a flip of a switch, my eyes were flooded with light. The electric lights hummed revealing an octagonal room with loaded bookshelves against seven walls and one wall vacant to allow for an entrance. A table and four chairs sat in the middle of the room.

"The College allowed us to use this room for your questioning." Mally sounded disappointed, as if she asked for a more dramatic venue. She walked around the table with slow and methodical steps. "Here, we shall be your judge and jury. If you try to escape, we will also be your executioners."

I got up off my knees and brushed the dust off. "I've been with Kursott's College for eight years and I've never seen this room before... What is this place?"

"Fittingly enough, it is where they keep their questionable texts. After we are done with you, I will decide what in this library must be burned. Kill two birds with one stone while I'm here, you see..." She looked over my shoulder and barked angrily, "Hyle! Put down that book! Your heathen mind is too easily tempted!" I turned to face the other inquisitor who gave a frustrated look at Mally. He held the aged crimson book gently in his large hands, like he was holding a puppy.

"Why do you get to read all the wicked books? Sometimes I think you just burn books because you don't understand them..."

Mally slammed her fist against the table, "If the Grand Inquisitor heard that, you'd lose your tongue! Must I try two heretics tonight?"

Hyle gave a deep, defeated sigh, put the book back on the shelf, and slowly walked around the table. Hyle and Mally sat down in the chairs on their side of the table.

"Sit!" Mally barked. I obeyed, pulling a chair opposite of the two inquisitors.

Mally reached under the table and produced a thick folder that slapped hard against the table. She flicked it open and read the first page. "Therus, Alton, accused of practicing the dark arts. Instructor at Kursott of eight years. No wife, no children, two living parents, one sister. No criminal record, no known aliases." She looked up at me. "Does this sound correct?"

"Yes."

"Alright, how do you plead?"

"What?"

"Guilty or not guilty?" If looks could kill, her face would be anthrax.

"Well, what am I being accused of exactly? I work with darkness but I do not practice 'dark' magic."

In a flash, she threw her body over the table grabbed me by the hair and whacked my head against the table. She let go and sat back down with a look of intense and frenzied anger. A drop of blood ran down my lips. Her lips peeled back to show her clenched teeth.

"No semantics! Guilty or not guilty!"

"Not guilty!"

"Hyle! Mr. Therus wants to do this the hard way!" She looked at him with an excited look, which Hyle did not return back to her. Hyle instead stared blankly at me with a look of what could either be a look of pity or a look of confusion.

Hyle put a single finger on the folder and slid it across the table to be right in front of him. The excitement on Mally's face twisted back into anger. Hyle quickly flicked through the folder, gently humming and occasionally raising an eyebrow.

"Let's talk about your courses, Mr. Therus," said Hyle, eyes fixed on the files within the folder. "Course titles include, Intro to Darkness, Advanced Darkness, and Art of Obfuscation. Tell us about those."

Mally's face was twisted into a look of pure frustration. Her eyes slowly panned from Hyle to me and they rested upon me heavily. Two burning stars of hatred and sadism disguised as piety.

"I teach courses about darkness. Darkness, as in the absence of light, not the dark arts."

Hyle nodded, not looking up from the files or saying anything.

"So, no summoning demons," I clarified.

"Right, right," Hyle nodded. He still didn't look up.

"Hyle! What. Are. You. Doing?"

"Look, if you want to nearly strangle someone to death and pass it off as service to the holy Primary, you can do it on your own time." Hyle lifted his head and looked at her. "We've been graciously allowed by the College to sort this out, so therefore we are here as guests. You strangling Mr. Therus here would be ill-advised."

Mally groaned. "They only allowed us to investigate him because they expected us to be satisfied with the results and not come back for more. This whole college is lousy with heretics, isn't it, Mr. Therus?"

"Uh, no?"

"Give me the names of four heretics and you will prove your innocence," Mally said as her scowl turned into a broad sadistic grin.

"I think we are done here," Hyle said. He shut the folder and stood up from his chair. Mally's claws dug into his black robe.

"We aren't done here, Hyle!" Her face was desperate.

"I say we are done. One Inquisitor's hunch does not make a case and I find this evidence inconclusive."

Mally screamed, threw her hands up into the air and stormed out of the room. The screams echoed though the hallways, but slowly faded to a distant, enraged whimper. Hyle gave a sigh of relief and leaned forward. "Always good to provide a service for a brother," he whispered.

"What?"

"C'mon, brother. Hail the Great Abyssal King," Hyle said with a grin.

"I'm sorry, I think you must be confused."

Hyle's smile disappeared. His eyes widened with realization. "Oh, uh. Well, uh, have a good day and may the Primary's blessings be upon you."

He stood up and walked out swiftly. Leaving me alone to wonder what the hell just happened. I turned to look at the aged crimson book that Hyle put back on the shelf and began to wonder...

"Careful with that, you buffoon!" I clamored, watching as these so-called "experts" took my books and scrolls, stuffed them into sacks and bags, and all but threw them into the middle of the tower. Did they have no respect for knowledge?!

With a grunt, a growl, and a groan, I watched as my studies were taken away from me, all because some idiot thought he caught me studying dark magic. Though, he technically did, but I was not learning the forbidden arts! No, heavens no! No magician in their right mind would learn such corrupting magic! No, what I was studying was the power to manipulate darkness in a literal fashion. Not the power over shadows, though by manipulating darkness, I would naturally gain dominion over shadows, but that was TECHNICALLY another form of magic.

For three hours I had argued with the tower master, the court meister, and several high mage's about my works, but they might as well of had corks stuffed into those wrinkly old ears of theirs, for they refused to listen. They just kept repeating, "we shall investigate this matter thoroughly." And of all times for this to happen! I was nearly on the cusp of a breakthrough! I can only imagine the benefits that darkness magic - not dark magic - could provide...

A defeated sigh escaped my lips as I slumped my shoulders and closing my eyes. In that moment, a loud and crisp sound echoed throughout the chamber. It was the sound no pursuer of knowledge ever wanted to hear - that of paper being torn. My head jolted up and my eyes shot open, peering over toward where the sound originated. I was met with a young woman holding a parchment--what used to be a parchment in both her hands. She looked at me with fear and sorrow. My eye twitched, but I had lost all motivation, and thus all I did was slump over to a chair and slink into it, with a look of defeat.

I had no doubt that I would be cleared, I was simply irritated that it would take a while. But the lack of respect for my books and papers...that was years of work I wouldn't be able to get back because these people - I refuse to acknowledge them as magician's any longer - could not show the minimum amount of care for these items. Some of them were one a kind! Others were very limited, and were incredibly difficult to obtain.

"Knowledge is power..." I muttered, leaning my head back in my seat, looking up toward the ceiling.

Well, today was a crappy day. First, I wake up late for work at the Institution Of Arcana. Then, those scrolls and books about darkness magic had disappeared! And now…

“Cosetta Maryl! Explain yourself!”…I was getting yelled at by three members of The Council. And I don’t even know why!

“Uh, what exactly should I explain myself for?”

“Playing dumb, eh? You know what we mean! We mean THESE!” The one in the middle pulled out a box or scrolls and books about… wait a minute…

“Did you guys take my books? I was studying those! I had notes in them in very specific spots!”

“Ah, so it IS true! You HAVE been studying the accursed dark arts!” Oh god, not this again.

Every time coworkers learn about what I’m studying, they think that I’m studying the dark arts, which I am NOT! Darkness magic is about the dark. You could use it to see in a dark hallway by moving away the shadows, or to create shade for yourself at the beach, or a million other uses!

“Listen, I know darkness magic is fairly old, and a lot of people haven’t heard of it, but-“

“SILENCE, HERETIC!” Ugh, if they would just let me speak, this could be over in a minute! The one on the right the turned to me.

“Do you know how dangerous these books are? They could potentially destroy our world if you aren’t careful!”

“Yes, I completely understand that the dark arts are dangerous. But, the books I’m studying aren’t the dark arts!” The one on the left and right looked at me, however this time, they were interested and puzzled instead of angered. However, the middle one had become even more upset.

“Do you truly expect us to believe your lies? Look at this scroll! It is literally labeled ‘darkness magic’!” I let out a small sigh, and then began to speak.

“Yes, they are labeled that. But, I am currently studying darkness magic, not dark magic. There is a difference. Darkness magic is about manipulating shadows and the dark, like this.” Using a simple spell that I had studied, I made a shadow on the floor rise up the wall, drawing a picture of a smile in the process. “See? Nothing evil about it. Now, can I have my books back?” The one on the left turned to me.

“Ah, certainly! We apologize for the-“

“NONSENSE!” The middle one began to rant and rave in anger. “This type of magic has never been studied before! It could end up being dangerous and unsafe! We cannot let you use it without proper examination first!”

“Seriously? I’ve been studying these for months with no repercussions! And it has been studied before! Granted, it was a long time ago, but still!” The one on the left began to speak as well.

“Alexrian, she has a point. Maybe we should-“

“Leranna, you can’t be agreeing with her! Anyways, I’ve made up my mind.” The man, Alexrian, then clapped his hands. The second he did, my stuff disappeared in a poof of smoke. Damn it. “Alright you two. Let’s go. You can go back to work now.”

“Wait! When will I get my-“ And they’re gone. Great. Well I guess I can leave now. As I get back to my desk, I open up one of the drawers. In it, contains the copies of all those books and scrolls. Man, I’m so glad I learned that duplication spell. END

[Rhapsody for the Curious]

Xander was thankful he had a chair. By now, he would have already grown tired of sanding in the white, void-like room. However, the idea of laying down and dropping his guard completely didn't appeal to him. He paced the room with his shoulder to the wall to try and define his space. But, the white wall blended in perfectly with the ceiling and floor. Everything was so evenly lit that he couldn't even find his shadow. The matte white chair also matched the environment enough that it was quite easy to lose.

Up until the moment Xander was escorted to the white cell, he was confident in his magical abilities. He touched the void, after all. He was actively researching it even as the Wizard's Council refused to acknowledge its existence. He assumed they wouldn't have the proper defenses for his new 'Void Magic' but he was instantly proven wrong. The room was completely devoid of magic. At least, it was until a white-haired teenager walked in.

She wore a white suit made from clean lines and sharp angles. It was completely different than Xander's own mage robes, or even the casual clothing of the villagers. A logo of red scissors was stitched to the front. Xander briefly wondered if she was a tailor before he realized the room was full of magic. The hairs on his neck tingled with energy as his mana sense came alive after the extended disconnect. The door to the cell closed again behind her; she had to be the source.

"Hello, Xander," she smiled at him. "My name is Rhapsody, I represent Sharp Development. You've been researching some interesting magic," she said. Xander sat up straighter in his chair and he tilted his head at Rhapsody. He assumed one of the Arch-Wizards would conduct his interview. Not a strange teenager from an unknown organization.

"What do you have to do with the Wizard's Council?" he asked.

"Everything," She said. "There is no Wizard's Council without Sharp Development. But, I am rather busy today. Let's talk about why you decided forbidden magic was useful for you."

"I wasn't doing anything evil!" Xander was quick to defend himself.

"So, you were doing something... good with the literal darkness of the universe?" Rhapsody asked.

"Maybe not good...," he admitted. He didn't have any noble goals with his research. "..but not evil! It was benign, I was just curious!"

"Curious about what?" she asked.

"The other si-," Xander caught himself before he finished the thought; but, it was too late. He had all her attention and there was no way she missed that. "..side," he said.

"Other side? Of what?" she asked.

"The other side of the Void...," he answered with a sigh. If he were face to face with an Arch-Wizard, he wouldn't have slipped up like that. But, Rhapsody was unexpected and the magic she carried with her was outright distracting.

"What makes you think there's something on the other side?" Rhapsody asked. Her question came with a smirk that Xander took as obvious mockery. But, Xander already made the mistake. The only way to seem less crazy was to give his reasoning.

"I touched it," he said. "I put my hand into the void.. through the void and out the other side. I sensed life and magic, normal magic."

"And that's it?" Rhapsody asked. "You just wanted to see what was on the other side?" Xander wouldn't have believed himself either. He already knew how powerful Void magic could be.

"That's it...," he nodded in defeat.

"Lucky for you, Sharp Development values curiosity very much," Rhapsody smiled.

"You believe me?!" Xander asked. He was thrilled for a single second until she shook her head; her long, snow-white hair waved like a curtain behind her head with the motion.

"Of course not," she said. "We rely on facts. The reason you're meeting me and not an Arch-Wizard is that we already know why you've been studying the Void. It's simply a matter of whether your story lined up with those facts; and, it does," she nodded. "I'd like to invite you to join the company." Xander leaned back in his seat as if trying to see the wider picture.

"You're offering me a job?" he asked.

"I'm going to clearly say yes," Rhapsody nodded. "...just so you start keeping up now. I already mentioned how much our company values curiosity; something you've proven yourself to be. Even in a society built around telling you not to be," she said.

"Doing what?" Xander asked.

"Sharp Development is a vast corporation with endless opportunities. Your job will be to find a way to help the company. Whether that be one of the available positions or you create your own is up to you."

"Can I research the void?" Xander asked.

"There's nothing for you to research," she shook her head. A saucer-sized black portal opened next to her as she did. "This is something you can already do," she said. She reached into it with her hand. "But, you've been holding back because it's 'Forbidden'. We'll help you get over that hump and...," her hand returned holding a white rose. "...research complete," she giggled.

"Wait..," Xander had a realization. You don't seem to mind that I was using forbidden magic... and you claim you run the council...?" he shook his head. "You can change it, can't you? Why is it even forbidden?"

"That's a simple answer," Rhapsody grinned. "Anyone can be curious when it's okay to be. Sharp Development wants people that are curious, even when they're told they can't be."

***
Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1893 in a row. (Story #083 in year six.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on August 22nd and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until May 26th. They are all collected in order at this link.

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>* No AI-generated reponses 🤖 >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [RF] and [SP] for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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