Trinity of Magic

Chapter 8.2: A Ray of Hope II

Zeke theorized that it had something to do with the mind affinity itself. It passively increased the level of intelligence and perception. This seemed to lead to a much higher degree of maturity. Although he didn't have any close friends in this class either, he was treated with a measure of respect by his classmates. This small gesture was something he had learned to appreciate.

He entered the classroom and took his usual seat towards the back, pulling out his notebook and pen as he waited for the teacher to arrive.

Professor Thompson began the lesson by explaining the basics of mind magic once again. This involved perceiving the thoughts and emotions of others. Zeke listened intently, taking notes as the professor spoke. Zeke had become fascinated by the concept of Mind Magic and couldn't wait to start learning more about it. It was truly a shame that the scope of what the academy was allowed to teach on the subject was so limited. However, that didn't keep Zeke from consuming all the available knowledge with a voracious hunger.

The only three spells that were taught in school were [Mind Reading], [Telepathy], and [Telekinesis]. The teacher explained the basics of those spells in every other lesson. Zeke had learned that the man was very fond of repeating himself. He had started to get the impression that the teacher was trying to artificially stretch out the curriculum.

"[Mind Reading] refers to the ability to read the thoughts and emotions of others," the man explained. "It is less effective on mages. This is because they are protected by their own Mana. The spell can be used on regular people by even a novice Mind Mage."

"[Telepathy] refers to the ability to communicate mentally with others. It essentially uses the mind as a means of communication. This can be done over short or long distances depending on the Mages mastery. However, it also needs to be said that [Short Range Telepathy] and [Long Range Telepathy] are not the same spell. On the highest level, both forms can even be used to communicate with multiple people at once.

"[Telekinesis] refers to the ability to move objects with the power of the mind. The spell can be used to perform feats of strength or precision. This is an interesting example. It is technically not a Mind Magic spell. As you all know, Mind Magic does not have the ability to interact with the material world. The way the [ Telekinesis] spell works is through Neutral Mana. That is where the kinetic force comes from. We are only using our Mind Magic to interact and control that force."

After the usual recap, the teacher demonstrated how to clear one's mind. Zeke listened intently as the professor explained the procedure. Only with a clear mind was it possible to focus on the thoughts of another person. This was a difficult skill to master. It required a high level of concentration and control over one's own thoughts.

Zeke had years of experience doing something similar. The meditation technique he had developed was based on a similar principal. It was not exactly the same but it also required a certain degree of control over the mind. Even so, he still struggled with the exercise. But Zeke was determined to improve and threw himself into the exercises with gusto.

Over the past weeks, Zeke found that his mind-reading abilities had slowly improved. He was still far from proficient, but he could now catch glimpses of the thoughts of those around him. It didn't always work and still required that he focused for a while.

It was a strange sensation, almost like overhearing a conversation in a crowded room. Of course, he was talking about regular people and not other Mages and certainly not other Mind Mages. Zeke had learned that Mind Mages were almost immune to the tempering of their own kind.

For the first time, Zeke realized the divide between Mages and regular people. He had been studying at the academy for only a couple of weeks now. Even so, he was already able to hear the thoughts of people without a core. How much of an advantage would it be if he could hear their thoughts at will? He imagine talking to somebody who could dive into your mind at his leisure. This was no longer a relationship of equals.

Zeke spent the rest of class wondering what kind of spell the family of the emperor had developed. He had heard that the current emperor was already over a thousand years old. If their specialty was related to mind reading he could hardly imagine what the man would be capable of. Zeke imagined him being able to hear every thought of every human in the capital city. A disturbing thought.

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As the class ended, Zeke packed up his things and headed out of the classroom. His mind raced with thoughts on possible applications of Mind Magic. He couldn't wait for the next class and was determined to continue learning and improving. But before he made it all the way to the door, he heard someone call out to him in his head.

"Have a good evening," he could hear a girl's voice saying. "Perhaps we can have a chat when you're not in such a rush."

Zeke was caught off guard by the unexpected telepathic message. Slowly, he spun on his heel to identify the source. There, a few rows back stood a young woman who had caught his attention before. With her flowing golden locks and piercing blue eyes, she was one of the most beautiful girls Zeke had ever laid eyes on. She was a year his senior and rumored to be a top student. He had witnessed her powerful Mind affinity firsthand. She had displayed her impressive [Telekinesis] once. He had noticed her in class before but never mustered the courage to approach her.

Zeke wavered, uncertainty writhing within him as he considered how to respond to the girl's telepathic message. Not only was he uncertain as to why she had contacted him, but he'd never attempted to use telepathy on another Mind Mage before. He wasn't even certain he was capable of it. Nevertheless, Zeke summoned his courage and resolved to try. Perhaps this girl would be his first friend at the academy. A notion that was more appealing to him than he cared to admit.

He focused his thoughts, directing them towards her.

"I'm not in a hurry," he sent. "I just have another class to attend in a bit."

The girl's smile was his reward. She rose from her seat and approached. Zeke couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. A moment later, he stamped out that childish thought. It wouldn't do him any good to get his hopes up for nothing. He was a nobody in this place. Why would somebody like her want to befriend him?

As the young woman came closer, Zeke was able to get a better look at her. She was a slender girl with long, flowing hair. She had a gentle yet seductive face with a small nose and full lips. Despite her delicate appearance, she exuded a strong, confident aura. Her bearing was most certainly the result of her noble upbringing and exceptional magic competency.

She was dressed in the second year's uniform. A black and white robe adorned with silver emblems representing her affinities of mind and water. The girl smiled warmly and extended her hand in greeting as she introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Sophia. Nice to finally talk to you," she said out loud. "There aren't that many Mind Mages around and I didn't have the time to get to know you yet."

Zeke was a little surprised that she was speaking to him out loud now, but he supposed it made sense. [Telepathy] was useful for private conversations, but it could also be tiring to use for long periods of time.

"I saw you in the Mind Magic class today, and I was impressed by how fast you seemed to understand the material," the girl continued. "What's your name?"

Zeke felt embarrassed by the compliment. He believed that he didn't deserve it because of his prior experience from his meditation. Even so, he wasn't going to tell Sophia any of that. The flattery after such a long time was like a balm for his soul.

He introduced himself and the two of them struck up a conversation. Sophia was very knowledgeable about Mind Magic and was happy to answer any questions Zeke had. He was grateful for the chance to talk to someone who seemed genuinely interested in helping him learn.

"Where did you learn how to use [Telekinesis] like that?" he asked. "I haven't seen anyone as good as you. Even the teacher was mesmerized when you used the spell to pour yourself a cup of tea. Honestly? I wouldn't even have been able to pour the tea with that much grace using my hands."

Sophia chuckled and shot him a flirtatious wink. "It's not as impressive as you make it out to be. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes much easier to use [Telekinesis] than even your own hands."

Zeke shot her a doubtful look. He wasn't sure if the girl was just being humble or if she actually meant it.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Think about it. Your brain controls your body, right?"

The boy nodded. So far he was still following.

"So that means you have trained your brain to a point where it will automatically send commands. You don't have to specifically instruct your hand on how to act, do you?

Another nod from the boy.

"So how is that different from Mind Magic?" she said. The girl didn't explain further and only watched him with expectant eyes.

Zeke was struck dumb by this approach to Mind Magic. If this meant what he thought it did then it was nothing short of revolutionary. He searched Sophia's eyes, desperate for answers.

The boy had to abandon this approach after only a moment. Her eyes were like an endless ocean. He would only get lost, were he to look for too long. The girl had a strange quality to her. He felt like she was drawing him in, somehow. On the surface, however, she wasn't doing anything to that effect.

Zeke shook his head to clear his addled mind. He couldn't glean the answer from the girls' expression. But he had to know. So, he gave voice to his hypothesis.

"Does that mean you are controlling your [Telekinesis] like an additional limb? How do you handle the flow of Mana? You would have to provide a constant flow of Mind-attuned Mana for the spell to work."

Sophia beamed at the deluge of questions. It seemed Zeke had satisfied the girl's expectations with his deductions somehow. Before she could answer, however, there was the sound of a bell. This was the signal that the next class was about to start.

After realizing how much time had already passed, Zeke quickly said goodbye to Sophia. He apologized for having to rush off. No matter how much he wanted to learn more from the girl, he couldn't afford to be late. The last time this had happened in this class, the teacher had spent half the lesson berating the poor student. As he ran through the crowded hallways of the academy, he couldn't help but notice a commotion.

Students were standing in groups, their faces pressed against the windows. They seemed almost desperate in their attempts to catch a glimpse of whatever was happening outside. Zeke could make out the outline of a giant airship approaching the academy's air docks. Had Zeke had the time, he would have loved to take a closer look as well.

But the boy didn't have time to stop and ask what was going on, he only heard snippets of conversation as he passed by. Someone mentioned a famous person visiting the academy, but Zeke didn't know who it could be. Apparently someone from the von Hohenheim family. Zeke had never heard of them before. He was more focused on getting to his class on time.

Almost there! Zeke approached the door to the Blood Magic classroom. He could hear the instructor's voice inside, lecturing on the history of their affinity. The boy slowed his pace, hoping to slip into the back of the room unnoticed.

The door to the classroom had luckily not been closed fully. He pushed open the door a crack further and peeked inside. Something seemed to be happening that had everybody focused. He snuck inside, trying his best to blend in with the other students. He took a seat at the back of the room and pulled out his notebook, ready to take notes on the rest of the lesson.

Zeke was fortunate. The professor was talking to a staff member when he entered. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was certain that the man had not noticed him slipping in. Moments later, the professor made a strange face and looked around the classroom. His eyes finally came to a stop on Zeke. The boy's heart sank. Had he been caught after all?

"Ezekiel, you are expected in the headmaster's office," the teacher said.

Zeke couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over him as the professor called him out in front of the class. He had never been summoned to the headmaster's office before. He also couldn't think of any reason why he would be called now. As he gathered his things and followed the staff member out of the classroom, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

His mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last. Had he done something wrong? Was he in trouble for something he didn't even know he did? Surely, this was not just because he had been late this one time? He tried to push these thoughts aside and focus on the present, but it was hard to shake the feeling of unease.

As he approached the headmaster's office, Zeke took a deep breath and tried to steel himself for what was to come. He exchanged a glance with the secretary sitting by the door. The stern-looking woman just motioned at the entrance, before she returned to her paperwork. Zeke knocked. There was no response. Maybe he needed to knock harder?

He looked to the secretary, hoping for guidance. The woman rolled her eyes and made a pushing gesture with her hand, indicating that it was okay to enter. Zeke took a deep breath and knocked one last time.

When no one answered, Zeke tentatively pushed the door open and stepped inside. His eyes immediately fell on a pair of old men, who seemed to be having a debate. The first was dressed in strange clothing that Zeke had never seen before. The other man was the headmaster of the academy, Victor Windtnzer. He had met him briefly at the evaluation ceremony.

The men looked up as Zeke entered, and he noticed the gaze of the stranger was fixed on him. His piercing blue eyes seemed to look straight through him. Zeke stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of what to do.

"Not now, boy! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something right now?" The headmaster seemed annoyed at the interruption. Zeke's mouth opened to speak, but no words emerged. He was unsure of why he was summoned to the headmaster's office. This situation made him increasingly apprehensive. However, before Zeke could do anything, the stranger interjected.

"What do you mean by 'not now'? Weren't we the ones to call the lad here in the first place, Victor? Do you think I came all the way to this shitty place for you? Get lost and let me have this private chat." The stranger playfully pushed past the headmaster and approached Zeke.

The headmaster seemed a bit embarrassed by his own behavior. He didn't say anything in response. After nodding to Zeke, he exited the office through a hidden door. The passage likely led to his personal chambers.

Now Zeke was alone in the headmaster's office with the unknown stranger. The man stopped before Zeke, inspecting him from head to toe. Under the man's scrutiny, he felt self-conscious about his gaunt appearance. However, the stranger seemed pleased with what he saw. He spoke with a confidence that Zeke had never before encountered.

"Just as I was informed! You are remarkable, my boy!" Zeke didn't understand what was so remarkable about him. The confusion must have been obvious, as the stranger continued.

"I'm not talking about your current appearance. You seem to be in a rather terrible state if I'm being honest. This truly is not a hospitable place for a commoner with your affinities. Fret not, however, for your trials have come to an end! I have traveled half the known world just to meet you!"

Zeke was confused by the old man's words. Had he been monitored? He hadn't noticed anyone. But more importantly, why had the man in front of him gone through so much trouble? Why had he traveled from far to meet with him?

"Who are you, and why did you want to meet me?"

The stranger was undeterred by Zeke's tone. With a grandiose gesture and a small bow, the man introduced himself.

"I am Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim, and I have come to see you because I have an offer for you."