Chapter 28

When Nate arrived at the Mage’s tower he was surprised to find two men standing at the entrance. He’s been to the Mage’s tower several times in the past. In fact, he was just here the other day and there weren’t any guards at the entrance.

Nate tried to walk through the front gates of the tower but the two men on guard stopped him. “What business do you have at the Mage’s tower?” One of the guards asked.

“I’m here to see Inquisitor Citlali.” Nate replied.

Most higher-level mages took up residence at the Mage’s tower because of the convenience. The Mage’s tower was the central hub of the paranormal world. All information flowed through here.

“Your name?” The other guard asked.

“Nate Walker. He might know me as Nate Prescott?”

The other guard reached up to his ear and began speaking with someone through the earpiece. After a brief dialogue, he nodded his head. “He’s expecting you. Head inside, the reception’s desk should tell you what floor you need to go to.”

“Thanks.” Nate said as the guards parted for him so he could walk through.

In the Mage’s tower, Nate saw there was more activity going on than usual. The first floor was filled with people in groups having discussions, and judging by their expressions, he could tell it was serious.

The first floor was like a large plaza where there were several booths for mages to go to. These booths were for higher-level mages, it was where they took on assignments and received runes and other tools they might require on their mission. Nate had never explored the Mage’s tower much, but after seeing the activity going on today, he felt inclined to do so.

“Sir!” The receptionist called out to him.

Nate went over to the reception’s desk. “Yes?”

“Master Citlali will see you right away. Go on up.”

“What floor?” Nate asked.

“The elevator will take you there.”

Nate was confused by that but the reception turned back to her work, ending their conversation. Nate shrugged and walked into the elevator. It took him up to the highest floor, the tenth floor, four floors above where the Mage council held their court.

Instead of stopping, the light on the tenth floor went off as the elevator continued to rise. I knew it. Nate thought to himself. The mage’s tower was far too tall for only ten floors. He knew there had to be other levels.

Nate tried to keep track of how many floors he was rising, but by the hundredth level, he’d stopped counting. The elevator doors opened, and Nate found himself in a lab. The lab was messy, documents strewn all over the place, piles of books on the table tops along with beakers and flasks of liquid.

Inquisitor Citlali sat in the middle of the mess, content. Like a pig relishing in dirt. Once he saw Nate he urged him in. “Come in, come in. Make yourself at home.”

Nate had to place his feet strategically to avoid stepping on things. “I’ve never seen such chaos.” Nate muttered under his breath as he made his way towards Citlali.

“There’s a method to my madness. You might see chaos, but for me, everything is where it should be.” Citlali replied.

Nate smiled awkwardly. He thought he was speaking too low to be heard. Once he finally made his way over to Citlali, he took a seat next to him.

“So, what can I do for you today?” Citlali said, turning back to the beakers he was playing with.

“You told me to meet you after class? For mental training?”

“Ah, yes.” Citlali began chanting under his breath, and with a gesture he made a notebook appear in his hands. He handed the notebook to Nate.

“You don’t need much mental training, you’re already there. The amount of mental threads you command far surpasses mine. You just need to learn proper weaving techniques. How to apply your mental threads. This here is my notebook which contains hundreds of weaves. Use them wisely.” He warned.

Nate took the book and flipped through it. He was surprised to find the Inquisitor’s handwriting was clean and precise. The diagram’s and techniques on the pages were drawn with such clarity that Nate would have no trouble conjuring them.

“I’m warning you,” Citlali said, his expression turning grave. “Do not skip to the end of the book. Those are very complex weaves. You’re not ready for them. You understand?”

Nate nodded his head.

“Good. Weaving, like using magic, is very dangerous. With magic, saying the wrong thing or misappropriate use of mana could lead to the spell back-firing on you. With weaving, if you go too far and try and weave together something too complex, you will strain your brain. Although some pain is favorable to increase mental power, there is a fine line. You cross this line and you’ll find yourself a vegetable, trapped in your own mind shattered to pieces.”

Nate wasn’t worried. His mind had already shattered over and over again, ten years ago, when he had to use his mental energy to keep his soul together. Citlali noticed Nate’s carefree expression, and he shook his head.

“There is a difference between weaving and general usage of mental ability. Weaving is the applications of mental energy, you’re weaving mental energy into complex designs. Taking the wrong step in this endeavor is dangerous, even for the most powerful demons. I urge caution.”

Nate nodded his head. “I understand.”

“I understand, what?” Citlali said, fishing for something.

“I understand, teacher.” Nate replied.

Citlali shook his head. “That’s what you would call an instructor at the Academy, not someone who’s brought you under their umbrella like I have. You should call me Master.”

Nate chuckled. “That might be a little awkward, don’t you think?”

“How’s that?”

“Black guy, calling a white guy his ‘Master’ in this day and age?”

Realization dawned on Citlali. “You have a point. Well it is an old tradition, it’s not like we have to do so. You can call me Big Boss Citlali instead.”

Nate and Citlali shared a laugh. Nate was starting to like his new teacher. Citlali wasn’t pretentious like some of the teachers at the Academy. He didn’t care about status like the members of the council. He had wealth and power, yet he didn’t flaunt it in front of Nate.

“How’s combat class?” Citlali asked after a pause.

“Had my ass handed to me.” Nate gave Citlali the highlights of the fight between him and the scarred instructor.

“That’s to be expected.” Citlali said, nodding his head. “The old ways of combat and martial arts have been neglected in modern society with the advent of firearms. Fortunately for your, Lenny has studied combat with the old Masters.”

“Does that mean firearms are useless now?” Nate asked. He wanted to know if normal humans stood a chance against the paranormal world using man-made weapons.

Citlali paused, giving Nate’s answer some thought. “Against spirit users, yes. Spirit users can shield themselves with the speed of thought, protecting themselves from modern day weaponry. It would take something like a grenade or a missile to break through their defenses. Mages, though, can die just like normal humans.”

“Really? I thought World Energy enriches the blood of mages, making them something more?”

Citlali shook his head. “World energy determines the potency of our spells. Don’t misunderstand, although a mage can die just like any other human, it is rare that we fall to something as mundane as firearms.”

Citlali reached into his shirt and pulled out an amulet that dangled from his neck. “Although mages cannot conjure spells with the speed of thought, we can, however, create tools and gadgets to use in combat. This amulet contains the spell-work for a force-field. All I have to do is infuse mana into it, allowing me the same life preserving skills available to a spirit user. Same goes with weavers.”

“Read my journal and try out some of the beginner weaves. That’s your homework assignment. Now shoo,” Citlali made a shooing gesture at Nate. “I need to get back to work.”

Nate stood up to leave, but just as he was at the door he remembered something. “What’s going on in the lobby? Why’re their security guards at the entrance?”

Citlali sighed. “Latest intel indicates Talos might attack Albacore city, again.”

Talos! Nate’s heart palpitated. His mother was a part of Talos.

Citlali turned around and saw the troubled look on Nate’s face. “Don’t worry. The last time they attacked we were un-prepared, but this time we’re ready for them. The mage’s tower will not be taken so easily.”

…

Nate arrived at the Academy’s library. It was a large building with tall white doors and a fountain statue out front. Nate had been here once before on a tour. Now he was here to read the Inquisitor’s journal in a place of quiet solitude, something which couldn’t be found in the dorms.

The library was filled with students studying or talking in hushed voices. The noise level was quite enough for Nate who chose an empty table near the back and began to read the journal.

Amazing. Nate couldn’t contain the wide grin on his face as he flipped through the pages. It contained so many weaves. From a simple weave like creating a ball of light, to complex weaves like teleportation and mind control.

Nate found a passage in the book that was particularly illuminating. ‘No one knows when Arcane magic was first discovered, but it is believed that the founder was inspired by the demon race and their usage of mental energy to create weaves.

As Nate continued to read he finally began to understand the difference between arcane magic and weaving. According to the Inquisitor’s journal, arcane magic was essentially a knock off when compared to weaving. Before arcane magic, human mages were limited to elemental and nature magic. These two classes were powerful in their own right, but the practical uses of magic were lost to them.

Even today, elemental mages are not able to use spells like teleportation or mind control. It’s only possible when they purchase runes from arcane vendors, or buy tools that are enchanted and would only require the infusion of mana, like the amulet around Citlali’s neck.

Nate’s eyes narrowed in thought as he came across a certain mid-level weave. The weave was a locator spell. It worked off the weaver’s memories and bent the threads of the world to locate people the weaver had come across in the past.

For example, if Nate wanted to locate someone from his past, he would think of that person and begin weaving the spell around the image of that person. It only worked if the weaver had actually met that person before. The weave could be blocked by wards, but if there were no wards placed, Nate could essentially locate anyone he’d ever met.

He licked his lips in anticipation. There was someone Nate wanted to locate. It was the demon that had turned his life upside down. The one that killed his family and manipulated him into being imprisoned at Black Watch Asylum.

“Hey, what you are looking at?”

Nate’s slammed the book to a close, his heart palpitating furiously. He turned to the newcomer who sat across from him - Ahri. “Never sneak up on someone like that. Damn near gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” Ahri grinned, holding her hands up. “Next time I’ll announce my presence with fanfare. What’re you reading?”

“Nothing.” Nate placed the book on the bench beside him, out of view. He didn’t know why he was hiding it but he felt possesive of the book. “Hey, do you know anything about weaving?”

“Weaving? Of course. I’m… like you, aren’t I?”

“So, you know any weaves?”

Ahri nodded her head. “My father taught me how to weave. I can teach you a few weaves if you’d like?”

“Nah, that's cool. Inquisitor Citlali offered to teach me a few weaves.” Nate lied. “I was just interested in tips on what I should expect.”

“Well you kind of know what to expect already, don’t you? I’ve seen you construct a spear out of mental energy. That’s a weave if I’ve ever saw one. The best advice I can give you is to build slowly, thread by thread. Don’t try to manifest the weave all at once. And remember, a slight throb of pain is good, it means you’re exercising your brain. But tread lightly. There is a fine line between a good workout and a dangerous one.”