^^ Cardinal Equation for Momentum ^^

--- Oscar Hidden ---

I stretched out my back, which was a little stiff from sleeping on a weird bed, and got dressed slowly in my clothes, which had been cleaned last night.

My morning routine was luckily simple, as I washed my face and teeth, then the rest of my necessaries, brushing my hair meticulously, and then waved to the sack of pain and self-loathing that was my captor, hiding under a blanket.

The door, however, had different ideas, as I smacked into it, and it wouldn't move.

I sighed. "Wake the Drunk Woman... or Miss first day at a very prestigious Learning Institution... easy choice." I cleared my throat.

---

I stuck the key in my pocket, and walked down the stairs into the Atrium.

As I passed a large desk, with a short Spanish woman doing paperwork, she cleared her throat. "You're Oscar, yeah?"

I blinked and nodded. "I am."

"Here. Don't lose that." She slid a piece of glass over to me.

I turned it over, examining it. "What's this do-HOLY CRAP!" I yelped and tossed it away as it lit on fire. It shattered on the ground, and I flinched. "Uhm... sorry."

The woman sighed deeply. "You're not the first... it's not real fire, it's just getting a taste of your mana. That's your identification... or it was." She pulled out a different piece of glass, and it glowed in her hand.

She began slowly writing my name and credentials on it, checking her spelling often, and then nodded. "Looks good..." She slowly slid it over when she was done writing on it. "Don't freak out, this time, these are expensive." She said seriously.

I nodded and picked it up cautiously. The flames still surprised me, but they weren't warm at all, only mass-cultured photons.

My thumbprint appeared over my face in the picture, and she nodded. "There you go. That'll get you into anywhere you should need to go, and also will act as your tab, if you forget your purse."

I grinned. "Thanks! This is kinda cool. Sorry about the first one."

She shrugged. "It's alright, at least you only broke one. Dara broke 9. Some were even hers." She said dryly, then smirked at an Egyptian Mage, who was cleaning a sword.

She raised an eyebrow, and pointedly flipped the sword, cleaning the other side.

The lady at the desk scoffed softly. "And that's all I'm getting out of her. Anyway, you should get running, classes start in a few minutes."

"Uhm... where exactly do I go for said classes? No one explained it." I grinned.

She blinked slowly. "Shit. Okay... Uhm... Dara? You mind taking him?"

The woman shrugged and stood, sheathing her sword. "Follow." She said simply, and walked out the open door.

I followed swiftly, trying to keep up with her extremely long stride. She noticed, and slowed marginally. "Classes are determined by years. You're a First-Year, and that means you're taking the first set of classes, until you pass them. Once you pass them, whether it's your first or ninth time taking those classes, you move to the second set, and you're a Second-Year, then a Third-Year. Then, when you pass your Third Year Classes, you'll move to the Advanced Classes, which are more specific, and purely optional. Of course, as long as you're here, you study with Elder Cordova, at whatever time he set for you." She spoke softly, but intensely.

I nodded. "Okay, makes sense... and what are the classes for first year's?" I asked.

"Basic Magical Geometry, Spell Verbiage, Fencing, and Practical Magic." She stopped in front of a door. "This is my parlor. If you need anything, either I or my Husband will be here to help." She said simply, and started walking again.

I read the sign above the red door, draped in purple silk. 'Kohl and Dara's Kink Parlor'. "I don't think I'm allowed in there." I said simply.

"You are correct. But one of us will be there." She smiled a little.
-
We crossed the walkway, after a ride up the weirdly magic stairs, and then she stopped me in front of a blue door. "This should be the Basic Magical Geometry Classroom. Your peers will lead you to the other three classes."

I nodded and opened the door, sticking my head in. "Hello?" I asked.

"Come in, child." A young, yet adult male voice answered.

I stepped in, closing the door, and looked around at the large group of people, ranging in ages 10-14, seated around the circular stage that the teacher was standing on. "Am I late?"

"Only a little. Take a seat wherever you like." He shrugged.

I nodded and sat down at the front, where I could see the stage better, and pulled out a journal to take notes in.

"Alright. Now, you all know why you're here, I suppose. This is the beginners course for Magical Geometry. Can anyone tell me, right now, the main difference between magical geometry and normal geometry?"

"One is focused almost entirely on circles, spheres, parabola's, and waves, while another is a general tool." I said.

He nodded. "Good, the new kid is contributing! Wonderful! But please don't just blurt out answers; when I ask a question, write down the question, then your answer, and raise your hand. Once I'm sure most everyone is finished, I'll call on someone, and they'll put forward their hypothesis. Alright?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good! Oh, and you missed my introduction, I'm Heathen Dustman, 3rd-Tier Sorcerer, A Student of Archimedes's teachings, and yes my name really is Heathen, don't ask; spoiler, my Ma was an Irishwoman. Moving on!" He grinned, talking very fast.

"Now, yes, he was correct, however! Magical Geometry most focuses on Circles and Spheres, at the more basic levels, and as you go higher up, it begins to take new shapes. Pentagrams are popular, as are eight-pointed Stars, seven-pointed stars... lots of stars." He chuckled.

"So in this basic class, we'll be learning how to build these circles, yes, but more importantly, we're going to learn how to read an opponent's circles." He laughed at the enthusiastic noise in the crowd.

I blinked, and raised a hand.

He hummed. "Yes?"

"Why would you need to teach people how to read a circle? Wouldn't that be easy, once you've learned the basics of circles? The symbols are always the same for specific spells, and the verbiage is usually only slightly different, according to the castor's tastes, and even then, those changes are only among the higher-tiered mages, not beginners, who mostly use Template Circles, right?" I asked.

He blinked. "True. But that's only if you have the guts and brains quick and strong enough to think of something like that in any real situation."

I hummed softly. "I see... I suppose a coward would have trouble standing still long enough to look at their opponents' circles..." I nodded.

He frowned at the room as people jeered softly. "None of that!" He snapped, silencing them. "Well, while your words are correct, the reasoning behind it is flawed. In a combat situation, allowing yourself to look anywhere except directly at your enemy takes a lot of mental fortitude and confidence, especially if you're dueling physically at the same time."

"What about what you said was different from what I said? Without mental fortitude, courage, or confidence, you would have trouble looking away from your opponent." I nodded, confused.

"Well, using the word 'Coward' was a bit harsh, is all. I noticed a translator on your throat, what language are you speaking?" He changed the subject.

"Russian."

He nodded. "I see. Now, continuing the class, eyes on me! Wonderful! Yes, learning how to read circles is fundamentally simple, but it's also a subject many people struggle with, and it's one of the main focuses for this course. Today, you'll just be reading about Template Circles, which are a beginners best tool."

I looked around, wondering what they were all going to read.

"Ah! And because you just got here, I'll get you your coursework." The teacher nodded and picked up a small stack of books, carrying them over. "These are your textbooks, and you can get the higher-level ones in the Library, if you want." He nodded again, not unlike a small bobblehead

"Higher-Level? Are these too low, then?" I asked.

"I can tell you have some detailed knowledge about this subject, so you'll fly right through... I recommend the textbook for the Second-Years, 'Ducat: Transcribing Artifacts' for a more advanced read." He answered quietly.

I nodded. "Thank you. I'll look that up, then."

"Good. And just read over the textbook, ask if anything doesn't make sense, so I know where you stand." He nodded again.

I looked at the cover. "I've read this, and the following two volumes, as well as the Addendum. All were part of my tutoring." I said candidly.

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I see... a prior student... how old are you?"

"10. I turn 11 Summers in three months." I sighed.

He sighed. "I see... well, I suppose... yes, indeed... fine. I'll require a test from you, to pass you. It's the first day, I'm sure the Professor of the Second Class would let you start tomorrow." He came to a decision.

"Alright. What test?" I asked.

"Do you remember the Circle on the cover of the Addendum?"

"The Wizard-level Summoning Circle that summoned the last copy of the book you touched?" I smiled.

"That's the one. Can you cast it for me?" He asked.

I nodded and pressed a hand to my desk. The circle wrote itself swiftly, and then a portal opened, spitting out my Russian-translated copy of 'The Addendum'.

I caught it, and showed it to him as the portal closed. "This is my personal copy."

He nodded slowly. "Alright.- is this interesting, to you all?" He snapped at the students who were staring at us unashamedly.

They snapped their gazes to their books.

"Hmph... well, that was a masterful summoning, honestly. No wasted mana, no excess movements... small portal, precise..." he walked to a small desk, and then started writing a letter. He signed it quickly, and brought it to me.

I looked at it, and hummed. "You're passing me?"

"Indeed. I can't teach you anything in this class, and I doubt the other two classes would, either. I said as much in the letter. You can have the rest of class, go, explore, learn where your other classes are." He nodded.

I nodded and packed up my textbooks, then started exploring the tower, learning the layout easily. It was planned perfectly, so everything was where it logically should be.

Even so, I ended up in the Cardinal Room. The Momentum Equation glared at me as if to taunt me, laughing at me, and reveling in ruining my social life.

I sat down in front of it, and began altering it. I removed all the useless garbage that literally read 'I am Pythagoras, God of Knowledge', (the man, Pythagoras, had always been a blasphemous Heathen in several ways,) and was left with a set of circles with no clear purpose, until you flipped the equation, and removed the writing which read, in Old Latin, 'I am He who Speaks, and Universes Obey'.

The finished product, a plain circle that looked far too simple to be real, was also mind-bogglingly complex, in that it combined mathematics, science, physics, and magic all into one equation.

I grinned slowly, and stepped back.

"I knew you'd do it." Elder Bacchus said suddenly, likely trying to scare me, but I'd heard him approach.

"I didn't." I snorted.

He nodded, and rubbed his beard. "Militaristic... but beautifully rendered, and I like how you focused on the math, not the magic, while still giving the magic the right pathways... it looks a little different from mine, but it's correct, so far. Now bulk it up." He smiled.

I nodded, and cracked my neck.