Extra's Descent

Two days had passed and it was currently Thursday.

Everyday was the same.

Lectures in the morning. Committee meeting before Lunch. Class festival preparations in the afternoon. And another committee meeting before they head home.

Brandon's schedule was completely packed.

He had barely gotten any wink of sleep the past few days.

The moment he arrived home, he had to handle several paperwork. Such as sourcing materials, and phone calls with suppliers.

Such were his tasks as the elected class leader.

Massaging his glabella, Brandon leaned on the desk and stared at the podium.

A burly man with dark green hair stood poised. All eyes fell on him as he continued his lecture.

He was a Professor that was recently assigned to Class A to tackle a new subject for the midterms.

Magic Circles.

The Professor carried on.

A Magic Circle was a way to embed magic towards a specific spot. It could be an inanimate or animate object.

What made it different from regular spellcasting was that all it needed was mana to supply it.

Once a specific mana count was appropriately filled, the magic embedded would then materialize. It would be more stable and precise compared to regular spellcasting.

Adding to that, the more mana it's filled with, the stronger its potential output would be.

Mages could even collaborate to hasten the process, even increasing its potential output to the maximum.

Those were more or less, the words of the Professor.

But for some reason, Brandon was hearing the words a bit muffled.

Squinting his eyes, he pinched his glabella.

The lecture was important. He had to listen.

Of course, he could just read a book with that cheat skill of his. But he refrained from doing so.

The topic was interesting. And there were things that were explained much better than the information in books.

Such as the way a magic circle was made and how many uses it had.

There were certain layers to it. A specific design would be needed for each affinity.

It could be written anywhere. But most mages prefer using parchment papers. It could easily be pocketed for emergency use.

The lecture continued and spanned for a total of two hours.

"Don't forget to review the syllabus. We'll be exploring magic circle creation tomorrow."

They were dismissed shortly after those words.

As the Professor's figure gradually blurred, he was immediately halted by a hand that reached out for him.

"Professor, wait. I have a question regarding magic circles."

Turning around, what met his sight was a student with pale-white hair, and ice-blue eyes.

There seemed to be slight dark circles in his eyes, but the professor ignored it and replied.

"Let's talk in my office, Brandon."

*

Entering the Professor's office, Brandon couldn't describe its current state.

There were books strewn on the ground. Magic circles embedded on parchment paper etched itself on the wall.

The room was quite cramp and dusty. This was especially so when Brandon found himself covering his nose.

Looking around for a brief moment, he then looked at the Professor.

His name was Thomas Reed. A scholar that specializes in magic circle research.

A respected figure in the academy with multiple award winning theses under his name.

"Take a seat Brandon."

At Thomas' instruction, Brandon did just that and sat at the wooden chair in front of the desk.

Silence filled the room and the two looked at each other.

The silence was later broken as Brandon's mouth parted open.

"Professor, about magic circles…"

"Hm…?"

"Is it possible to embed memories or even visions on a magic circle?"

"..."

He was met with silence at his question.

Thomas seemed to ponder for a while as he pinched his chin.

But judging from his expression, Brandon had an inkling of what the answer was.

Clearing his throat, Thomas replied shortly after.

"That's an interesting question. But I've never heard of something like that being done."

Staring deep into Thomas' gaze, Brandon could tell the passion he had for the topic.

There were no traces of lies from his tone. The man was honest about his lack of knowledge at Brandon's question.

"But the way magic circles work. Once your magic is embedded in it, there would be a permanent exchange such as mana."

Brandon listened carefully to every detail Thomas' spoke.

"I doubt it's possible. But if it were possible to embed memories, then the memory would be one of the exchanges."

"...So."

"So the specific memory you embed would disappear from your mind."

"...I see."

Even if Thomas lacked the knowledge, he still had an idea about the exchange a magic circle had.

If it were true then that meant…

The original Brandon Locke lost the memories about the visions…

A sudden shiver ran down his spine as he thought about it.

Just what kind of lengths was the original Brandon willing to go?

'Goosebumps.'

"Does my answer satisfy you, Brandon?"

"Yes, Professor. Thank you."

Brandon gave Thomas a bow to show his appreciation and left shortly after.

Staring at the seat where the youth once was, Thomas began to recall his question.

"Hmm…"

Thomas found the question quite ridiculous, but as he remembered Brandon's status, he dismissed his thoughts.

From what he knew, Brandon Locke was quite the popular student.

He was strong and smart as well. So whatever question he had there must've been a deeper reason for it.

Pinching his chin, he quietly mumbled to himself.

"Memories, huh?"

It was a question worth pondering over.

If such a thing were possible, then a lot of the world's blurred history would unravel itself.

When he thought about it, it would be good research to pass the time.

***

With his connections to the Student Council President, as well as his status in the Academy, Brandon was given the privilege to use a private room for himself.

The festival would be held in less than thirty days. He hadn't had the time for himself to practice like this.

In the far corner of the dimly lit room, the silhouette of a piano registered in his sight.

It was his piano.

Due to his proposal, one of the festival's events would include a talent show.

It was still in it's preparation phase. But the students warmly accepted the idea as they submitted their applications.

Brandon was one participant of the talent show.

Walking towards the piano, his fingers traced its ivory surface.

Sitting back down, he fixed his blazer for the edge to hang loosely.

Num~

And he tapped the first key.

Just like that, he started playing a musical piece.

He had no audience. Just himself, immersed in his playing.

He had only been playing for a month, but he did not neglect polishing his skills.

Added to the fact that he had a skill to assist him, his piano skills were top notch.

Hum~

He continued immersing himself in his playing.

The only sound that filled the room was the elegant melody of a piano.

As soon as he finished the first movement, he would immediately transition to the next.

This persisted until he finished the piece.

Num~

And he tapped the last key.

Just like that, he had performed the same performance he would do during the festival.

A third party would say his skills were good.

But not for Brandon.

"Again."

He didn't mind making small mistakes.

But when it came to the piano, he was strict with himself.

"There's still room to improve."

Not just the piano, but in his current strength.

His fingers danced mesmerizingly around the keys. And the strings that extended from his finger continued to play the harmonious tune of the grand piano.

Yes, that's right.

The melodic strings of the grand piano were replaced with his cursed threads.

It was not just the piano he was practicing, but in his curse manipulation.

"Again."

And this persisted for the next hour.

Before he even realized it, the system had updated itself.

—---------------------------

Cursed Flames: 16%

—---------------------------

"Again."