Aldric's classes were more of the same as he sat through his lectures. His shadowmancy class was quiet, he sat across the room from the ravens, who all seemingly stared at him when he wasn't paying attention.
Umber scrolled across the board scribbling the instructions for the days lesson.
Shadow walking 101: intro to shadow manipulation.
The chalk clanged in its dish as Umber spun to face the boys.
"Does anybody know what shadow walking is?" Umber asked, its head cocking slightly. The class was silent fo a moment before Umber proceeded to explain.
"Shadow walking is the ability to walk within the shadow world and become one with the darkness," Umber began, rolling out in the center of the room. The light from the window shone on its back and cast a stretched and distorted shadow on the floor.
"Now, while a rune exists to cast shadow walking, the hand signs are significantly easier for younger students. Please be aware, you will learn the rune later in your studies, but for now we'll focus on hands. That being said, let's begin,"
The robot brought its hands together and performed a series of hand gestures before balling his hands together. Right before their eyes, Umbra sunk through the floor like he had waded into a drop off, and disappeared.
The boys watched with amazement, rising in their seats to better see the shadow, still cast along the floor. Then, like a small rodent, the shadow scurried across the floor. The boys laughed as they tracked the shadows trajectory, and pointed out its hiding places.
This game went on for a while until Umber surfaced through the pool of black and appeared back in the center of the room.
"While it is an entertaining feat, it is also a very useful one. Even in broad daylight, if used right, shadow walking becomes an essential tool in shadowmancy," the machine explained, making its way back to the board.
"Todays objective is quite simple by comparison, each of you is responsible for successfully submerging one entire limb into the shadow world," it finished. The robot sketched detailed doodles of the hand signs they'd need to mimic and labeled each one.
The first symbol was both hands clasped at the fingers with the index and middle fingers on both hands straight up. The second symbol saw both palms flat against each other. The third image saw the left hand inverted against the right. The final sign saw the hands dragged and hooked at the finger tips, before clenching into a ball.
Aldric studied the doodle and copied them crudely on his paper. He slowly executed the signs, fumbling slightly when he attempted to speed up. He was slightly frustrated but otherwise excited to learn a new skill. He started again ensuring precision with his fingers as he slowly demonstrated each step.
He practiced for what seemed like hours, but was realistically no longer than fifteen minutes. He'd practiced so intently, he could almost cast the charm at full speed. Around him huffs of frustration and fits of rage filled the classroom.
Then, in a final practice attempt, he successfully accomplished the sequence in fast fashion. He felt his arm tingle like it had fallen asleep. Pins and needles poked at his finger tips and his elbow. When he stared at his arm he noticed it had become slightly transparent.
After a few seconds his focus had vanished and his arm returned to its whole state. He chuckled softly, knowing he'd successfully present at the end of the period. The rest of the session went by quickly as practicing murmurs and intense writing began to grow stagnant.
He's figured that either they had all figured it out too, or they had simply given up on the task. The end of the session came quickly after that, and with a rotation of the chamber, it was time to present. Percy, one of the smaller ravens, who looked like he'd be better suited with the wrens, stepped forward first.
He attempted the hand signs once and fumbled nervously. He realigned his hands and tried again. He executed the symbols perfectly, and as his hands came together his foot sank into the floor. It stopped at his mid calf, like he had stepped onto the level below. The class gawked and applauded. Percy bowed, pulled his leg out and returned to his seat.
After Percy the ravens seemed less nervous to attempt their presentation. One after the other, the boys stepped forward and presented their attempts. A few others successfully submerged feet, fingers, hands, and Rhys had successfully stuck his head through the shadow.
Aldric was called up after Rhys, and the laughter subsided completely. The ravens watched on hesitantly and blank-faced. None of them looked excited, but none of them seemed entirely bored either. Aldric knew it was a façade, and all of them were curious to see his ability.
He gazed across their faces, scanning each of them as if he'd never see the before. His eyes shimmered in the light and he angled himself to cast a shadow on the wall. He focused deeply feeling his chest swell with fire.
He focused his breath, each deep inhale filling his energy. Then, perfectly, his hands followed the signs on the board. When his hands balled up he felt that same pins and needles feeling all over his body. From the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, he felt like he'd gone static.
His smirk grew wider and his eyes fell flat on Harden who watched on excitedly. Jasper and Rhys waited intently, trying their best to hide their anticipation. Aldric faced the shadow on the wall and took a large step. His entire body was absorbed into the wall and he disappeared from view.
His shadow rested on the wall jittering wildly. Then, in a quick zip it whisped across the length of the wall. It shot up and down the walls before getting to the floor, and eventually back where Aldric had begun. As quickly as he had entered, he emerged, his smile still beaming.
He stumbled out of the wall and landed unsteadily in front of the class. His head felt light and his legs were numb, but he felt amazing. A slow paced clap echoed from the other side of the room, and Aldric turned with a large toothy grin.
The architect stood under the archway of the classroom door, his hands clapping together slowly.
"Aldric, a word please?" He requested.