Astral Chroma's Arc

Chapter 1 of 5

Astral Chroma swirled her brush through the jar of stardust-paint, watching the colors shimmer. She'd snuck into the demonstration hall early to practice before the traditional magic students arrived. Her unconventional methods had gotten her kicked out of three academies already, but Master Aurelius believed in her work. The heavy doors banged open. A tall student in ceremonial robes strode in, carrying an ancient stone tablet covered in frost-rimed runes. Three others followed behind him, their faces already twisted in disgust. "Party tricks," the tall one announced, pointing at her half-finished sky painting of snow hares leaping through clouds. "That's not real spellwork. Real magic follows proper form." He tapped the tablet. "These runes took me six months to master." Astral's chest tightened, but she forced herself to smile. She dipped her broom into the stardust-paint and launched herself upward. The brush swept across the air in wide arcs, leaving trails of color that sparkled and moved. The snow hares she'd started painting earlier came alive, bounding through swirls of gold and purple dawn light. One of them hopped right through the space where the tall student stood, leaving a shower of gentle sparkles in its wake. The student's friends gasped and stepped forward, their eyes wide. The tall one's face flushed red. He clutched his tablet tighter and turned to leave, but hesitated at the door. "Showmanship isn't substance," he muttered, though his voice had lost its edge. Astral landed softly, her boots touching the wooden floor with barely a sound. The sky painting continued to dance above them, the hares leaping and playing in loops of living color. She'd proven nothing yet, she knew. But for the first time, she'd made them look up.