Chapter 8 - Naming the Power

As I sat in my desk the following day, I reached in to grab my textbook and noticed a letter had been sent in response. I secretively read it on my lap, as I was strangely concerned that others knowing about my intentions to practice would make me look even more pathetic.

The letter was brief as it only contained three lines.

Your room

10pm today

It will be the three of us.

I was worried for nothing. If anyone had read this, although curious‌, there was no indication of what we were actually planning to do. It's not anything big, and hardly warrants caution, but my insecurities tell me to keep the lessons hidden.

The day passed in a blur. Hours slipped away from me as I anxiously awaited the meeting with the unnamed instructor, imagining every possible scenario. There are days when you can feel that a significant event will occur, and the feeling shrouds every moment leading up to it. This was no different. I was excited yet anxious, hopeful but also doubtful. For every positive emotion that began to emerge, I countered it with an equally negative one to prevent disappointment.

Before I could mentally prepare myself, despite having all day, the appointed hour came. There was a knock on my door, so quiet that I would have missed it had it not been for the silent surrounding. Quickly getting off my seat, I opened the door and ushered in Anson and the stranger.

QUEST RESUMED

The person accompanying Anson was about five inches taller than me, but they weren't quite as big as me. I have no doubt that they have strength and could protect themselves, but it isn't something that was noticeable on first glance. Despite wearing a hooded cloak that would make their body look larger than it actually was, I was still taken aback. I must have unknowingly had some pre-existing belief that to be a great magician means to also be muscular, though I know there's not much correlation between the two. From what I could tell, he was toned, but he still appeared fragile. Despite any of that, he carried himself in a manner that shocked me a second time.

His back was straight, head up as if there was nothing to fear in the world - as if living itself wasn't frightening. He had confidence that made him appear larger than he was. To be quite frank, it was intimidating. His eyes were barely visible beneath the hood but I could feel his gaze running up and down my body, sizing me up. Although I was almost never self-conscious about my body, there's a first time for everything. It was stifling standing there with him and even if only a minute had passed, it felt like far longer.

Anson, noticing my reluctance to speak first, cleared his throat and introduced us to one another.

"Max, meet Xavier. He will be teaching you how to control your powers for the next few months. Xavier, as you already know, this is Max who will be your new student. He is in the same class as me. I am sure you will soon figure out how best to teach him."

Once Anson was done, Xavier extended his hand to me without even blinking. I uncomfortably did the same and shook his hand, ready for this to be over but he held onto me a few seconds longer than what would be considered normal. I tugged gently a few times, afraid that any abrupt movements would look bad on my part. But he didn't seem to move and just continued to stare at me. Finally, he let go and smiled as if nothing had happened. It made me question whether I had been imagining everything because he appeared so genuine when he smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Anson has told me briefly about you, but to get to know you better I will need you to place your hand on this stone for a moment."

His smile never left his face yet I felt reluctant to do as told.

"What exactly is that stone? Or rather, what is it meant to do?"

"Oh there is nothing to worry about! Similar to what you had done during the aptitude test, this stone has the same function. It is just smaller and more affordable since it is for personal use. I guarantee that you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

After seeing my resistance did not subside he continued.

"You only have to place it in the palm of your hands until the colour changes. Although Anson told me everything, I would like to verify your powers myself before we begin. I hope you can understand where I am coming from."

Although the words made it seem like a request, the way in which he extended his hand to open my palm and place the stone in it did not. There was only one answer Xavier would accept. I pushed any worries I had to the back of my mind as I stared at the stone in my palm. Yet again, it slowly began shifting to a plum colour but slightly more vibrant than previously. This was likely due to the change in the measurement tool. Such differences did not concern me since it was very clear that plum was still plum, vibrant or not.

"Out of curiosity, do you know what this colour means?" Xavier asked, while both he and Anson watched me curiously.

"Umm... Some sort of useless power? I know it's not the sought out ones like the ability to wield fire or telekinesis. I don't think I have ever heard of anyone wanting mine. But no I'm not sure of exactly what it is."

"To put it simply, this is not what I expected. From what I had heard, you had death magic which would have matched up with a slightly more dull colour than we saw today... Death magic is not as it sounds. It gives you the ability to bring one person back from the dead, in exchange for your own life. People with that power typically never use it for obvious reasons. But from what I have seen today, I am almost certain you have mana manipulation."

Anson watched as all of this unfolded, but there was no sign of shock. He was calm as if he knew it all beforehand.