"Those of you who know this, keep your silence," Master Lazarus said sternly and made a pause for additional effect. "What is the greatest advantage, arguably, that mages have over pure skill users?

"Think about it. You have all the pieces, just complete the puzzle. Here’s a hint: Focus on Mana Metamorphosis,"

Tercius never liked when Master Lazarus started a class with a question. Every single time this happened, the whole morning wound up being one giant discussion. He did not mind it, in principle, and he even found the topic incredibly interesting– but Master Lazarus would always ask Tercius what he thought.

The whole class would turn his way, eyes filled with expectations. It was a profoundly unsettling experience. Today, he only expected an enhanced version of that feeling for one simple reason.

His group of six was visibly avoided at all cost.

The nearest student sat some six meters away, and even he was only there because there was no other seating for him to escape to. It was this way during breakfast, and now during class.

Just before the teachers came to eat, a few of the students barked like dogs.

"I thought animals weren't allowed to attend a class," one boy snickered while passing by them.

Tercius did not see where these students got their courage. J'ro could make short work of any of them, they should surely know this. The teachers would protect them in case J'ro attacked-- preventing immediate physical harm-- but the teachers wouldn't be there constantly. Surely these students knew this?

Mistress Porfira gave a small speech after breakfast in which she explained a bit about werebeast skill, explaining the gist of what Mistress Helfira told Tercius the other night. Mistress Porfira made sure to chastise any harassing attempts on students who had this skill and encouraged any student with a similar skill to come forward to any teacher, in private.

That was another thing Tercius was guilty of.

He had exposed J'ro before his peers.

The shame of that had hit him with an almost physical dimension.

It only got worse when J'ro didn't hold this against him. "You learn a lot living alone on the streets, Tercius. One of the first things I learned is that it's better to have just one person who will share food with me when they barely have enough for one, than a whole dozen who will only share when they have plenty for themselves first," the boy told Tercius.

Those words strung some chord in him. It was such a simple lesson, yet he saw people thrice J'ro's age who never learned it.

"Did you think about my question?" Master Lazarus asked teasingly. "Where do we Mana manipulators shine?

"Come now, you, young man, must have figured it out. No? A shame.

"How about you, young lady, do you have an idea? Why repeat a previous answer? Put your own spin on a simple 'no'.

"No, Bo. You can only keep that mouth shut. You've been force-fed answers for too long. You can only observe.

"There you are Sonia… I'll skip you…

From table to table the man went and pointed at random individuals getting snippets from each student he asked. After a while, he stopped asking and turned to the teacher's table. Only Master Slav was there, still eating his breakfast.

"Let's all ask Master Slav. I'm sure he has an idea," Master Lazarus said.

"Master Lazarus can give a perfectly adequate answer to his students if he wishes to do so," Master Slav said. "I'll eat my breakfast and be on my way, I don't want to meddle,"

"It seems that your luck, students, is rotten. Master Slav isn't willing to lend you a hand. Let's resume the questioning. I'll give one more clue: think less of individuals and more of groups,"

Tercius tried to organize a mental overview of the clues and the answer was apparent in a moment. Every single skill was intrinsic to its user, so while it was theoretically possible for some skills users to work in conjunction, it wasn't a sure thing. Master Lazarus implied that spells, and mages, weren't limited by this.

"What have we here, a small student island off the shore," Master Lazarus said as he stalked Tercius's group.

"Lomera, right? Tell me, did my clues and hints illuminate your thoughts? Did you arrive at a conclusion?

Lomera nodded then said, "Master, mages can pool their power together, unlike pure skill users. That was my conclusion,"

Master Lazarus smiled at the small redhead. "Correct. Imagine this, a thousand mages sending Mana that was morphed into a single specific type, a type which would easily fall under a command of one mage. A Controler. This mage could then power a spell of gigantic proportions.

"Just imagine, skies blotted out by thunderstorms, winds howling and torrents of rain starting to fall. Lightning destroying everything it so much as brushes against, the wind pulling out entire trees, hurling them like massive projectiles, and the rain making the ground soft and unpassable.

"Moving mountains themselves to make farmland on their steep slopes, even making something as grand as the Pyramid and the space that houses it.

“That’s where we mages excel. That’s what sets us apart the most. Pooling our resources to make previously impossible– possible.”

Master Lazarus was a bit of an idealist and a romantic in Tercius’s eyes. It was obvious that the bearded giant yearned for a time long gone, where marvels were made and heroes walked the land. The man was born a thousand years too late, was what he probably thought all the time. A dreamer.

Not the worst trait to have, as even Tercius himself was carried by the noble notions and grand dreams, at times. Unlike Master Lazarus, who allowed these notions and dreams to grow wild to the skies, Tercius employed a technique Rona, his grandmother, often used in her garden.

Pruning.

If he saw that he was wandering too much, he would snip the wild bud.

That’s why he chose the Path of the Shaper, the Path of Control. All paths would eventually lead to control, but Shapter’s Path was built with Control in mind.

These paths were only teaching tools designed to help students manipulate and morph Mana in a way they found more natural to them, individually. In a way, these tools were doing the exact thing that an abundance of Energy did– they accelerated the process of skill gain. Skills would come much more easily when an individual worked on something in a way she or he found interesting.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Yet even that was a powerful boost. Why this was he had no idea, but skill levels came to him much more easily when he did something with no regard for the skill itself. That’s what he did for a long time.

That was what these tools were meant to encourage: just have fun– grow more.

At first, Tercius thought that it was strange that mages who used instruments were placed into Speakers. The way they moved while they played their instruments was much more in line with Gesticulators.

That afternoon, in his first afternoon lessons with Mistress Helfira, he said as much to the old lady.

"Actually, these terms were only coined to add clarity to the students. The students often find it easier to accept things when it's explained clearly and concisely. If I told you or them that the paths of mastering magic are as infinite as the stars themselves, there would be a lot more confusion. Letting them find that out as they grow is a much more preferable way, from my experience,"

Tercius laughed at that. “A much better alternative than outright admitting that you don’t know everything, Mistress,”

“Exactly,” the old woman said and cackled. “Who is going to trust a teacher who admits that?”

J’ro was also there but he kept his mouth shut and just observed.

"Now, I'm sure you're curious as to why I snatched you away from your respective teachers. The reason for this is as follows. Both of you will be witnesses at a hearing next weekend. J'ro you, rather your leg will be examined for the presence of the leech today and those results will be recorded. You will need to answer a few questions before a Magistrate. Tercius, you will also need to repeat what you told me. Since you are still students someone had to… take you in, so to speak. With my seniority, I snatched you two and no one was able to say a thing,

“Both the Magistrate and his Left and Right Hands will cast a spell that will allow them to hear if any lies are told. Let me tell you now that you won't be in any kind of trouble for this. You only need to say what you saw and your part is done.”

“What happens then?” Tercius asked.

“If the Magistrate and his Left and Right Hands rule that the man is guilty– as they should, then all manner of skills, spells, and potions are open for his interrogation. He will tell us where he got the leech, what was it used for, and everything we ask.”

“But not before the ruling?”

The white-haired woman scoffed. "What kind of a society would that be? Only in times of war are the rules bent. No, the man can only be interrogated in such a way if reasonable suspicion exists. Until such a time, only a temporary Mana seal can be placed on him,"

“And if the Magister and his helpers rule against?”

“After your testimonies, they will not dare. Assault on a student in such a way… J’ro, I’ve said this before, but there is no amount of apologies that will be enough. After the hearing, most likely the possessions of Keeper Eiler will be transferred to you, as recompense. Your leg will need medical attention, to prevent any long term damage,”

“Possessions?” J’ro perked up. “What are these possessions?”

Mistress Helfira smirked. “Your leg should be your priority, child. Well, no matter I will sort that out. The Keeper is quite wealthy, both in material wealth and Repository points. Half of what he owns at the moment of his arrest will be transferred to damaged parties, and so far you look like the sole beneficiary,”

“What?” the boy asked in a whisper. Eyes and mouth wide open, J’ro used a pinky to poke his ear.

"You heard me. Half of what Eiler owns will be yours, as recompense. When we left the mansion yesterday, I had it sealed. The mansion itself and the lands around it belong to the Academy, but most of the possessions inside of the mansion were of Keeper Eiler. When he is found guilty, you, as the damaged party, will be entitled to half of what he had."

“Me?” J’ro said, pointing a finger at his face. “I?”

Mistress Helfira smirked and shook her head.

Tercius had a large smile on his face as he looked at J’ro. The boy had little possessions and what little he had, J’ro spent on food.

“Mistress, how much will J’ro get?” Tercius said and paid close attention to J’ro’s face.

When Mistress Helfira said a low estimate, J’ro looked like he would faint. “Is that as much as I think it is?”

Tercius laughed, a healthy sound that hinted at a deep voice with a few years of growth. “You can pay your debt to the Academy and eat in that restaurant you like every single meal of every single day for years to come,”

"Ohh," the boy had stars in his eyes as J'ro, no doubt imagined all kinds of dishes. "Would I have gotten the other half if he placed those things on both my legs?"

Tercius laughed and Mistress Helfira joined him.

"Material wealth is of no consequence. Considering the severity of the crime, I have managed to get the Repository to freeze his points. When you graduate, your account will be richer by 137 points from the start. That's enough for a few lesser spells even." Mistress Helfira said.

“That’s a lot of points, Mistress,” Tercius said, his eyes wide.

“Barely, Tercius,” Mistress Helfira said. “It’s a nice sum for someone just starting out, but later… Anyways, since you’re here, let’s see where you are with your skills. J’ro, relax. I will…”

While Mistress Helfira circulated J’ro’s Mana for the boy, Tercius turned his attention to Repository points and a few other topics he had on his mind.

Master Lazarus had explained that most teachers had a monthly salary of around 20 points. One point was enough to pay for any kind of a monthly expense for any Master or Mistress, while they kept the rest. Where mages spent these points was on knowledge from The Repository. Spells, description of skills, clues about how to get these skills, enchantment blueprints, and more.

The mages did not place any kind of restriction on the people who bought this information. Apparently, for any member of any branch of the Pyramid one would only have to answer a simple yes or no question before they bought anything.

Did you spread any information you bought from the Repository?

Lying was, apparently, impossible. Only a ‘no’ would allow you to buy new information immediately. A ‘yes’ led to an inquiry about the circumstances in which the information was spread.

A 'yes' led to a temporary ban from any kind of purchase until a group of mages could comb through the story of how this spread occurred. The worst possible offense was to give the complete information you bought. The punishment for this was twofold. All points that were present at the time were erased and then for a period of twenty years, you couldn't earn new points in any way.

The people who did this were also ostracized by the rest of the Pyramid, as it was considered an extremely bad form to share knowledge with those who did not toil to earn it.

This was how things used to be for the past millennia and are mostly the same to this very day.

Every citizen was entitled to basic education and basic magical education if they wish it. When the basic package ends, everything else is only there if you can manage to get it.

The ‘new’ political movement– barely 150 years old– was trying and repeatedly failing to loosen these chains of old. The representatives of this movement claimed that their prime motivation was to get more of the knowledge into the public sector. To spread knowledge to all and make the world a better place.

Tercius was not buying it.

Make the world a better place…

He did agree with the principle, the world should be made a better place— assuming it wasn’t already in such a place, previously— but only if the world moved to this better place in such a way that every side was satisfied. A compromise. Give and take. Practically, this was impossible to accomplish– what was good for one side, was almost always bad for another. Such was the way of the world.

Chaos.

The reason that he was not buying it was because the people who said things like ‘make the world a better place’ never settled for half-measures– when they should. Well, maybe not never, but rarely. Exceptions for everything do exist, he thought. But how rare are they?

These people would bring order to chaos by any measure they deem necessary, often with only one viewpoint in mind. Their own or, possibly, a viewpoint of a single group.

There was no way that everyone from the ‘Progressive Party’ was that way, but it was enough if the leadership was.

On the other hand, the 'Traditionalist Party' had been there for as long as the Pyramid has stood. On the surface, they seemed like a meritocracy– a giant plus in Tercius's book.

If they truly turned out to be unbiased meritocrats in both letter and spirit, he would not mind joining them.

What he had learned so far about the Traditionalists– from Mistress Helfira, Master Lazarus, and Sonia, the magma affinity student who was a local at the Pyramid– had placed them quite a bit higher in his eyes than the Progressives.

“Tercius, your turn. Show me the exercises you know,” Mistress Helfira said.

Tercius obliged.

A Mana pulse, followed by exercises where he had to make different geometric shapes of Mana, each at a different point of Mana compression. He started with a dot, then extended it into a line, and tried to make them as thin as possible. The almost one-dimensional almost straight line curved and snaked, making circles and eights, then straightening itself out.

Under Mana Sight his Mana and those of others were red, often reminding him of a lava lamp for some bizarre reason. Interestingly, to Sonia– Penelope's friend who often joined Tercius's group in late-night studies– who also had a visual Mana sensing skill, the color of Mana was light yellow.

Where his Mana flowed air would fluctuate, barely, just like it would when heat passed by. He often wondered if the two were one and the same, or maybe something like close cousins.

He made his Mana snake straighten itself out and placed it vertically between himself and Mistress Helfira. Thin strands of Mana escaped his fingers and entered the snake and he motioned from right to left with his hand.

The thin one-dimensional snake gained the second dimension and became an almost perfect rectangle, or a ‘carpet’ as he liked to call it.

He cut off the Mana supply and started changing shapes. Circles, ellipses, triangles of all kinds. He folded them first this way, that way, then unfolded them and made a new shape. He kept playing with the Mana constructs as if they were made of paper.

For over two hours he made the constructs as Mistress Helfira bid him to do. By this point, he was exhausted. Not that he was missing Mana– no– he had only used about half of what he had in him. It was how long this exhibition took.

“Very precise. Very accurate. Your control is commendable,” Mistress Helfira said. “Lazarus had told me about your last lesson with him, but it seems he was mistaken. You’re more than ready to start to gain Mana Metamorphosis now, but I don’t think you should start acquiring it yet. I think that you are very close to the level 20 barrier in Mana Manipulation. It is my recommendation to you to wait and only gain this skill after you break the barrier. You should have a skill near its level, I hope, to use to overcome the barrier,"

The words ‘precise’, ‘accurate’ and ‘control’ made Tercius think of another skill he had. Precision. Is the skill helping in some way? Surely the mages would have figured out a cheat of that kind by now?

Tercius’s shaping exercises with Mana Manipulation had progressed fast– far faster than Master Lazarus said that they would. He prescribed this to high levels of Mana Sight and Mana Manipulation.

Precision (36)

Your senses increase giving you more control over your extremities. Every skill level increases the effect by a small degree and lowers the cost of its use by a small degree.

Since he came to the Academy the skill had leveled once but when it happened he was playing with Amber, not manipulating Mana. The words Mistress Helfira just said to him made him think that the reason he was able to do what he did with Mana was because of Precision and not because of Mana Manipulation itself. The skill said it only gave more control over the extremities, but who knows if Mana Manipulation counted as an extremity. Mages used Mana Manipulation and Mana Metamorphosis with their voices, hands, hells even feet. There was nothing in the skill description of the first skill that hinted as much, yet it was still possible.

The part about his senses increasing was something that had just hit him. His skill Mana Sight was, at times, too powerful for a skill of its level. He always thought that it was because he made it that way, but now… Tercius left Precision to always work in the background– it had been that way for years. It seemed too wasteful not to.

I should try using Mana Sight and Mana Manipulation without it and see how it goes, he thought. Why didn’t I think of this before? Was this what was stunting my growth with the skills?

Tercius glanced at Mistress Helfira. Well, I have one teacher sitting right there.

“Thank you for the suggestion, Mistress. I will take it under close advisement,” Tercius said politely. “I do have a somewhat related question if you have some time, Mistress. I have been thinking about something I read... a while ago. It has to do with an interesting skill that can influence other skills…”