"The dark arts are a magic of pure destruction, while White Magic is pure creation. This
has lead to so many misunderstandings that have lead to so many tragedies. Different
tragedies."
"White magic is not good. It is a tool of pure creation. You can create tools, shelter with
it just as well as ways to subjugate people, weapons that can depopulate cities in slow
agony, or even worse... If you can imagine it and walk through the steps, you can
create it. What's worse than weapons that depopulate cities? Well, I'll let you think on it
and give you the answer later and see if your guesses come close."
"Dark magic is not evil. It is a tool of pure destruction. You can destroy enemies,
sicknesses, obstacles, and anything with it..." drops herbs, powders, liquids and other
similar things on the table. "Can you tell me what this is?"
A student raises his hands. "I don't know about the rest, but I recognize the mildly
euphoric spice of life when I see it. So I guess you just dropped a drug stash on the
table?"
"Correct." I waved my hand and reduced it to harmless dust in the blink of an eye, with
some student gasping at my cavalier destriction of such a fortune in expensive drugs.
"Dark magic, if you don't keep a tight control on it, WILL. DESTROY. YOU. Your body if
you're lucky. Yourself, your identity, your memories, and so many deep metaphysical
parts of yourself, leaving your body an empty shell, or worse, a feral entity that has
NOTHING in common with you if you're unlucky. Is there anyone hre who plans to have
so much as a pint of beer in the next year?" many hands raised.
"You are dismissed from class. Haven't you been listening? Anything that affects your
judgement and focus is a DEATH SENTENCE for both you and the ones around you, and
I refuse to have MY signature on YOUR death warrants."
There was silence, and half the class left.
"Discipline is key. I will starve you for weeks. I will dehydrate you for days. I will force
you to stay awake for days. And I will make you stand under a freezing waterfall for
hours where you will not be allowed to quench your thirst. I will make you cook the
entire faculties' meals while you are starving with you being forbidden from doing so
much as taste testing the food!"
Hald the remaining students stood up and left.
"I'm impressed a full quarter of you didn't walk out. Congratulations, you have finished
the introductory class without dropping out. I will stay until the end of the period and
answer questions."
One student raised his hand. "Sir... Is the worst white magic creation... Something that
makes more white magic?"
half the class laughed at him, the other kept an open mind. "Please explain your
reasoning." I asked politely.
"Well...To create more white magic, it needs more materials. But it creates more white
magic, needing more materials..." horror dawned on the students, while my face was
frozen.
"I take it you have heard of the White Goop incident? The one that wiped half the
continent's life ten thousand years ago?"
The student shook his head. "Well, you are top of the class today, since you have not
understood the White Goop from knowledge, but instead reasoned your way into
theorizing it's existence and how it worked."
"Are you... Are you saying I did better than every other student in this class?" he
asked, incredulous.
I let out a dramatic chuckle. "No. I said you were top of the class. There's a big
difference."
A hand raised in the back. "Yes?" I asked.
"Are you part of the class sir?"
I smiled. "You? You're a close second."