“Right on time!” Theo entered the College of Song, and found The Dancing Wind sprawled on a bright red-and-silver couch that didn’t match the wood-and-leather aesthetic of the reception area. Almost like someone had deliberately moved it there just so they could lie somewhere that normally lacked furniture. They did match, however, dressed in leather armour with an odd pattern on its surface. They did a kip-up, and landed on their feet, brushing themselves off as they approached Theo.

“The Dancing Wi-“

“Nope,” They interrupted Theo. “You’re calling me Sparrow.” Sparrow stretched and whistled, as all the specks of silver that he thought was part of the couch leisurely drifted into the air, before flying onto their leather armour. Theo realised that they were part of an intricate, interlocking steel scale armour. He swallowed, and tried again.

“Hello, Sparrow.” They smiled, and walked up to him with an amused smirk on their face. Theo hadn’t realised until now, but they were shorter than him. Then again, most people were.

“Much better. Any guesses what we’re doing today?” Sparrow asked.

“Introductory lessons?” Theo suggested. Frankly, he still had no idea what was going on beyond Sparrow deciding to train him for no apparent reason. They shrugged.

“Technically yes, because we need to do this first, but it’s not a lesson per se.” Sparrow gestured for him to follow, and they led him further into the College of Songs. He awkwardly waved at Maria, who was sitting at their desk working on paperwork, and received a curt nod. Together, they walked through corridors of doors and windows overlooking interior courtyards. Eventually, Sparrow opened a door, and beckoned Theo to follow them in.

It was one of the courtyards they’d passed by. There were a few targets set up, as well as a few crystals tied to meters and other measuring devices. In one corner, there was a pond, and grass and flowers grew around it, as well as a wicker chair nestled in the greenery. Sparrow took a seat there and, with his elbow on the armrest and chin on his hand, looked at Theo.

“Now,” Began Sparrow, “show me all the magic you have.” He shifted a little, passing his weight between the balls of his feet, as he started to wonder where to start. He looked at the pond next to the chair.

“I’ll start with water.” Before Theo could begin singing, however Sparrow interrupted.

“Wait, before you begin, what song are you singing?” Theo was confused by this question.

“What do you mean? I’m just making something up and seeing where I end up.” Sparrow nodded along at his answer for a moment, before their eyes widened and their brain processed what was just said.

“You’re just improvising? You don’t have a repertoire of pieces to pull out?!” Sparrow had jumped out of the chair fast enough to knock it into the pond, and it bobbed in the background as their face cycled through a series of expressions.

“Uh, yeah? I didn’t know that I was supposed to have prepared things. I’m not that good with those. Always mess them up somehow.” Sparrow just stared at Theo for a moment, before collecting themselves, shaking their head.

“So, you never cast with a set spell? Not that mud ball two days ago?” Theo just shook his head in response.

“Right, Eleanor is going to have a field day with you. I don’t know how you’ve gone so long without backfiring and blowing your head clean off, but clearly you’re doing something right.” Sparrow continued, deep in thought.

“However, that doesn’t explain the mud ball. Normally, without a set image or song, it would be almost impossible to channel that safely, and so mana-inefficient to be nearly pointless.” They paused, hand resting on their face, eyes flitting around. With a slightly different whistle, they lifted the wicker chair out of the pond and placed it back where it stood originally.

“Okay, before we get to the songs then. Come put your hand on this crystal.” Sparrow walked over to where the measuring devices sat, and handed Theo a crystal. “Now, channel as much mana as you can into here.”

Theo concentrated, and found it easy to guide his mana through his hands and into the crystal. Normally, it was incredibly difficult to manipulate his mana outside his body, but this felt almost natural. It started to glow, and the indicator at the top of the machine hooked up to the crystal started to inch forward, until it almost hit the final line in the meter. Sparrow brought a hand up to their mouth, before using it to massage their temples.

“You know, this is made to measure the mana output of all mages. The only person I’ve seen who could do what you just did is the head of the College of Spells, and I don’t think you’ve had the decades of experience and training to match up to her. You have a lot of capacity, and can output a lot at once.”

Theo stood there, eyes wide. Frankly speaking, he expected to be below average in everything, especially considering how weak his songs felt. So, he was feeling conflicted to say the least (the same way a man who just escaped a pit on a stack of ladders would feel once someone showed him the proper way to use a ladder – incompetent but incredibly lucky). His thoughts and tangents were interrupted as Sparrow continued.

“I would like you to cast the same mud ball you did before.” They requested. Theo tried to recall what he sung, but it was like trying to catch raindrops on your tongue. He managed to remember a little bit, but the rest was lost to him. So he focused, thought about how he wanted to move the dirt, and sang a warm little riff and watched as a ball of dirt floated it. It was more stable, but smaller than the one from two days ago, but it looked similar enough.

“Fascinating.” Sparrow stared intently at the mudball, as the mana inside deteriorated and it fell back to the ground. “It’s clearly a different spell, but the effect is similar enough. You must have incredible control.” Theo felt his cheeks heat up, unused to praise.

“The only thing I can think of that could have resulted in this is years upon years of practicing improvised magic for hours every night,” Theo recalled all the little effects he cast to enhance his made up songs while performing at The Pub, “and phenomenal luck.” Sparrow turned to look at Theo again, and this time the gaze was sharp, a harsh light burning through shadows. Theo physically flinched.

“What secrets do you hide?” They stared at Theo for an uncomfortably long time, before they shook their head. “You are a fool for having learned this way, and yet you’re talented enough to make it work.” Without looking down, Sparrow grabbed something attached to their waist and threw it at Theo.

It was a double-edged sword in its scabbard, plan and unadorned, at odds with the rest of Sparrow’s kit. Theo looked at it with confusion.

“But I’m a bard.” Theo protested.

“Yes, and there is nothing I can teach you in two months that will help your magic. And unless you figure out how to revolutionise the field, we’re stuck with weapons as our best offense. Improvised or not, you know how slow and careful you need to be.” Grabbing another sword at their waist, Sparrow spun it around in a flourish before pointing its (real) tip at him. “Now fight me!”

Theo grabbed the sword on the ground by the handle, unsheathed it, and held it in a two-handed grip as best he could. Sparrow didn’t make a move toward him, so he rushed forward, swung the sword, and lost his balance as they batted his sword away with their own and pushed him back. He coughed as he landed in the dirt, dazed and still processing how short that had been. Looking up, he saw Sparrow quirking an eyebrow.

Picking himself off the ground, he adjusted his grip on the sword, and tried to charge tip-first. Sparrow sidestepped to the other side of his sword, and with a flourish and a twist, sent his sword spinning through the air. Disarmed but still charging, Theo fell into instincts honed by years of watching (and dodging) bar brawls and tried to punch Sparrow.

“Good!” Sparrow yelled, as his hand was caught, and his arm twisted, until he crumpled onto the ground. “That’s the spirit I was hoping to see, not the,” Sparrow gestured with the sword still in their right hand “pile of insecurities that walked in today.”

“In a fight, you need to use any and everything you have at your disposal. You went for the punch with no hesitation. That instinct will serve you well.” Sheathing their sword, Sparrow helped Theo up. Once he was properly standing, they nodded and started to walk away.

“Try to keep up!” They called over their shoulder, as the walk became a light jog, and as Theo realised what was going on and started to run after them, Sparrow increased the speed so they were always just at the edge of what Theo could maintain.

As they ran through the corridors and past reception (and a startled and irritated Maria), Sparrow whistled, and all the steel scales detached from his leather armour and landed gently on the red couch.

“Sparrow! I’m bringing this up at the next staff meeting!” The papers on Maria’s desk had started to float and circle her head, like a bureaucratic halo hurricane. All Sparrow did in response was wink in her direction as they continued to run. Theo glanced back, and hurriedly turned around and picked up the pace as Maria stared daggers at him as well as Sparrow.

They burst out into the courtyard, and half the usual performer’s circle turned around to stare at The Dancing Wind gleefully living up to their name as they literally danced and juked ahead, and a red-faced, sweating boy already flagging and struggling to keep up.

Minutes later, Theo collapsed in the park, and the cool grass was welcome against his face. Sparrow immediately turned back, and sat on the grass next to Theo’s wheezing form. They looked up, appreciating the trees for a moment, before turning their attention back to Theo.

“Stamina is one of the most important things in a fight, and even more importantly, running away from something you can’t beat.” Sparrow patted Theo’s prone shoulder. “Now, how familiar are you with body-strengthening?”

After a minute to catch his breath, Theo was able to reply (albeit barely). “Not. At all.” After a coughing fit, he asked the question that he’d thought of while trying to grab enough oxygen to stay alive. “Isn’t that warrior magic?”

Sparrow chuckled. “It’s internal magic, yes. You’re allowed to learn more than just action magic. All four Colleges have good relationships with each other, you know? And while normally you would have to go to the College of War, I’m currently teaching you in my personal capacity, not as a representative of the College. So, today I’ll teach you how to not get so winded.” They were about to instruct Theo on how to strengthen his lungs, before adding as an afterthought, “and this will help with your singing too.”

“Look at me. Watch carefully.” Sparrow inhaled deeply, and paused, mouth open. The air in their mouth seemed to sparkle slightly. Closing their mouth, they focused. Eventually they exhaled, and breath leaving had none of that sparkle in it. “You’ll want to push your mana into the air as it enters your mouth. It’s not infusing the air, just carrying it. Feel the mana coat your throat and spread across your lungs. You’ll want to grab it in your lungs and massage it into the surface. It’ll sting a little and feel hot, but you’ll breathe easier. I’ll teach you the second level when you get it down, and that can help with amplifying your voice and increasing lung capacity.”

Theo focused, inhaling and holding the fresh air in his mouth. He could taste the grass, and focused on channelling his mana into it. It didn’t want to infuse into the air. After a second, he opened his mouth and coughed out the air. No sparkles. He took a deep breath to stabilise, and after exhaling that tried again.

And again.

On the fifth try, the air in his mouth started to tingle, and that sensation spread down his throat and into his lungs. It itched, but he didn’t feel like he was gasping for air. Focusing on the mana he could sense, he tried to push it into his lungs, but ended up coughing again. This time, there were sparkles, and Theo could breathe again.

Sparrow nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a good start. If you had a normal student’s mana capacity, you would be exhausted right now. But you’ve got a lot left, so we’re gonna keep practicing until it’s dark, you run out, or you get it down.”

Theo groaned.