I used a payphone to let Lou know that I’d be home late, and not to wait up for me. She wanted to ask what was up, but I rushed the call and let her go.

On some level, I suspected that what I was doing was morally questionable. Still, he had explicitly given permission. It wasn’t my fault that he was an idiot, right? And I wasn’t going to be mean or anything, tempting though it was.

Near the entrance, I double checked my enchantment to store my physical features. It was a little wooden ring, with some diamond woven into the flower design on the top. Diamond was easy to create and quite good for holding enchantments.

All I really needed to change was my hair and skin tone to be reasonably disguised, which didn’t need that enchantment’s help. After all, my hair would grow back normally if I didn’t mess with the roots, and my skin was easy to “heal” back to normal color if all I’d done was essentially dye the surface.

But I might as well test it out, since I had it. Once I’d confirmed that it most definitely had my physical features “memorized,” I slipped away into an unused area behind some buildings. I froze some water in the air into a perfectly smooth surface, and then used that surface to hold some magic, making it require less power. Flamus could reflect anything, even light, and so I let the ice hold a little reflective barrier, to serve as a mirror.

Looking at the mirror, I considered my options. This was a test, so nothing too extreme. Nothing I couldn’t fix by memory, if it came to that.

I made the easily reversible changes first.

Short, auburn hair. Brown eyes. Darker skin - not so much as to be negro, since that would get a lot of negative attention, but perhaps looking cuban would work. Just dark enough to be dismissed as irrelevant, but not so dark that I’d look at all threatening.

Strange how straightforward the assessment of worth was, by skin hue. It probably was one of the reasons I was generally so well received, since my skin was unusually pale by their standards. Quite good that I’d taken after my father, that way.

For my more risky change, I decided to simply flatten out my facial structures a bit. That would be the easiest to return to normal, if my enchantment didn’t work right. Flatter nose, cheekbones, chin, and eyebrows.

Average was the best appearance to aim for, since I wanted to be unnoticed. Significant changes had a nasty habit of looking like something out of a nightmare - it was remarkably difficult to make something look legitimately human, without just copying some human directly.

It didn’t take too long. Only about thirty minutes, and I was satisfied with the change. Using magesense, I confirmed that Professor Almost-Useless was still in his office.

Now just to wait till he left.

Settling down beside his building, I let my mind wander, while keeping my magesense focused on him.

I almost fell asleep out of boredom before he left the office.

Yawning, I stood and dusted myself off. Judging by the sun, it was probably six or seven in the evening. Annoying as he was, he at least worked hard, it seemed.

I walked after him at a quick pace. Fortunately, he paid me absolutely no attention. Hardly surprising, all things considered.

It was a bit more inconvenient when he got into a taxi. That was harder to keep up with on foot.

Hmm.

Instead of following him, I paralleled him via the alleyways. When I was sure no one was watching, I’d use a burst of Flamus magic to launch myself forwards. If anyone were watching, it’d look like I’d been knocked forward by an explosion, never clearing more than a foot or two from the ground.

It had been almost five years since I’d practiced flying, so my landings were rough, but the worst injury I got was a broken ankle. Dulling my ability to sense pain in response to an injury was a very well honed habit. It usually took the brain several seconds to register pain, especially after a serious injury, giving me plenty of time to cut off sensation before it really hurt.

I did add this issue to my list of problems to sort out before attempting the Superman plan. Traveling through the city at speed would be necessary.

Sigh. So many issues…

At least I was easily able to keep up with him.

Eventually, his travel came to an end, and he was let out at a nice hotel. I walked to the side of the hotel, as though walking around it, while keeping an eye on his spirit.

He went straight upstairs, and after just a few minutes, stopped moving. His room, presumably.

Time for more waiting. My range for tracking him with magesense, having gotten a good feel for him, was no more than about a mile. Still, it was enough range for me to enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant.

It proved to be decent practice, honestly. Every few minutes, I’d close my eyes and check on him. There was so much life between us, what with all the people in this city, that it was incredibly difficult to make him out. Since he didn’t seem to be going anywhere, that made it easy. He just ate in the hotel’s own restaurant.

Late that night, I headed back to the hotel, and went to the part of the building closest to his room. I sensed him out carefully and grinned when I discovered he was asleep.

Just what I’d been waiting for.

Glancing around to check that no one was looking, I turned the entire surface of my body, and my hair, midnight black. After a second, I added some mottled grey hues, to blend in better.

My right hand rested on the wooden surface, as high as I could reach, and I produced a sticky goop from my hands, binding me securely. I readied my left hand with similar goo, then used a faint burst of magic to lift myself a few feet before slapping the wall with my left hand.

Now dangling from that hand, I released my right hand from its binding, and repeated the process. It was a trifle awkward, but an entirely effective way to scale the building.

When I was level with Rhine’s spirit, I shimmied over to his window and peered in. Sure enough, it was dark and empty. I melted the material of the glass, moving it to either side, leaving the window wide open, and I carefully crawled through the hole. Behind me, I returned the glass to the way it was when I’d arrived.

The annoying professor was sleeping in bed, wrapped up in a blanket. I stole one of his unused pillows and put it on the floor, next to the bed, for me to sit on. I pushed a tiny bit of magic on him, to help keep him asleep, just in case. Settling in next to him, I rested an arm on his chest, my hand against the side of his face.

I really wasn’t good with mind magic, and needed all the help I could get. Being in physical contact with a sleeping target was the best possible scenario.

I took a deep breath and slipped into his mind, as I’d been taught.

Images. Impressions. Emotions.

I struggled to maintain my sense of self as my mind was flooded with chaotic sensations. Focus was critical for this… I needed to guide this flood towards what I was looking for.

Trying to find more about his connection with the government was an exercise in frustration. I didn’t need the name of the man he talked about his contracts with. I didn’t need his impression of how well dressed politicians were. So much useless information…

Ten minutes in, I gave up and took a breather. Then tried again. My spell worked better that time and I fell into an abyss of memory and experience.

A young woman in a wedding dress smiles at him. They’re kissing, and his heart floods with emotion. She is the perfect complement to his intellect; she is his heart, and he is her mind. They are perfection. They are balance. They are symmetry. This is what life is meant to be.

Too much. So many memories with her. I could not help but see her as impossibly beautiful, I could not help but love her, with my mind attached to his. He was annoyed at women who don’t know their place, because he believes our place is a good and sacred one, and to defy it is to defy the way the world should be. How dearly he admires what “should be.”

I shook my head and dove in again, trying not to be distracted by his most intense emotions this time.

A man is claiming to have communication with the dead. He holds her hand while his imagination catches fire. The ramifications of such ability are extraordinary… to have oneself, with thoughts and emotions attached, but without the foibles of biology. To share life with his love, with all mankind, for all eternity.

The man is shown to be a charlatan. It is frustrating. Records date from the earliest moments of mankind, with powers such as this. Surely such ancient and universal claims cannot all be false. The power over the dead is real, somewhere. It must be. It is too beautiful a vision to be false.

Another gasp of air, and I sagged against his bed, sweat on my forehead. I stood and got some water from his bathroom, trying to order my thoughts. I still didn’t have what I needed. I went back to him and got into position. The parapsychology thing was important to him - I might be able to find that easily enough.

Parapsychology. It is his word, his discovery. Many think him a fool, but his dedication and research are unprecedented. He has found so many charlatans, so many liars, so many fakes. He isn’t easily fooled by false claims, and has earned a miniscule amount of respect as a result. He hungers for recognition, for proof. He is growing old, and his time is growing short. He must find it, he must prove himself, he must let his peers know that he was right. There is truth here, and he will find it!

Another side trail. So many memories of frustrations and attempts. Maybe the desire for recognition was even stronger than his direct interest in the subject itself? It seemed like the need for recognition only grew stronger with time, whereas he was increasingly frustrated with his unending, unfruitful search. Maybe if I focused on the frustration, it might make the search easier…

So many liars and fakes. Still, the records of various abilities can be found in virtually every civilization, in virtually every era of world history. Some are unusual, and can likely be discarded as individual fakes, but claims that have appeared in multiple times and places are more likely to have some connection to reality.

Brain waves can be detected with EEG machines, and brains are also responsive to electricity. This is a possible link between objective science and parapsychology. It is beautiful, it fits his vision, it must be true. The mind is visible as distinct from the body, in this way. Power, effective immortality for all people, the end of suffering, a better world, a unified and balanced people, an end to all wars… if only he could find someone to bring the beginning to humanity’s ascension. To link the minds, to serve as the connection, to unify the world…

America would be the heart of this new world, as they were the strongest hearts and the sharpest minds. There would be freedom, peace, and happiness for everyone.

And he would forever share in heart and mind with his angel, and to never fear death or pain again.

I collapsed onto the floor and groaned. That one had given me a right and proper headache. Each concept, each idea, had been laced with a vast array of memories, and I was overwhelmed. I only was able to keep bits and pieces of the endless legends and stories he’d studied. Translations, cultural comparisons… he was honestly busy.

That time, I was down for nearly an hour before I dragged myself up again. I looked at him and smiled wryly. It was hard to hate someone that you understood intimately. He could definitely be an ass, but it was just because things kept being other than the way that he thought they should be. He had this vision of what he idolized as the perfect world, and he despised, deep down, anything which failed to fit that vision.

A shame his vision was pure insanity.

I could work with him, though. He wasn’t so terrible. I just had to work within the constraints of his vision, and everything would work out.

I yawned, but my work wasn’t done. An offer of peace and negotiation… I had strength enough for that. Though I wanted to check one last thing.

I sighed. He really hadn’t been paying me any attention at all during our conversation. In fact, he scarcely remembered anything we spoke about. I was going to erase his memory of any potentially problematic issue, but there was only one. I erased the faint awareness he had of the request to gain permission, since I’d annoyed him enough to actually make note of it.

Now for the final piece.

Into his mind I dove again, but this time, I kept my own awareness. I was going to leave an implanted memory. It would be seared into his mind, such that he should remember it perfectly, even over the course of months. I carefully created an indistinct figure of light in his mind, with an androgynous voice.

“Professor. I am the one that you have sought. There are many aspects of my power and my nature that you are mistaken about, which could result in undesired complications. I desire greatly to come forth, but I must prioritize caution. There are specific concerns that must be addressed, and I believe we can work together to address them.

“During a conversation we shared, full permission was granted to access your mind as I pleased. You do not remember this conversation. I require privacy and your willingness to cooperate with a cautious approach, else any negotiations between us will cease immediately. I will observe you in the coming days, to see if you appear to have accepted this arrangement.

“As a gesture of goodwill, I have created an item from wood shavings of this bed to serve as proof that this is not a dream. Do not disappoint me, Professor.”

I examined the memory and tweaked it a few times, to make sure I was satisfied with it, then seared it into his mind. I felt him trying to wake up, from the stress of the implantation.

Of course, the initial spell to keep him asleep would hold for now.

My final act for the night was fortunately easy for me. As I’d mentioned in the memory implantation, I gathered some slivers of wood from the bed, and rearranged it. It was a fascinating property of life that all life, without exception, was made in great part by something that could be arranged into diamond. I had no idea why they were made of the same stuff.

It was really quite convenient, especially since diamond was also useful for enchanting. It made even random tufts of grass a useful material, if one knew this trick.

It was also a nice trick to know that by contaminating the diamond structure with bits of other things, it would change color. Naturally, this had been something I’d played with, in many cases at the expense of the enchantment training I was supposed to be doing.

A perfect ring of pure diamond formed, with smooth edges, and a large sphere on top. Inside the sphere I formed the image of a yellow rose, which I’d been told symbolized friendship. Yellow was formed by bringing in a light part of air into the structure, and green was formed by distorting the structure in a weird way. That one had taken a lot of trial and error to get the hang of.

In the end, I had a beautiful little rose that was about the size of a grain of rice, inside the diamond sphere. I slipped the ring onto his finger. It was especially beautiful, with the dawn light coming through the window.

Perhaps it was foolish, but I had to see his reaction. I went over to the corner of the room and fused my skin to the wall, to ensure I couldn’t move. Then I matched the color of my surface body exactly to the wall, including the whites of my eyes. If he happened to catch me, I’d just knock him out and erase the memory.

Once I was ready, I broke the sleep enchantment.

Almost instantly, he sat up, like he’d been shocked. The look on his face was marvelous - disbelieving, awe-filled, delighted, astounded. He glanced around, looking for something, and almost immediately noticed the ring.

He tried to get up so quickly that he got tangled in his blankets and nearly tore them apart in his rush to the light switch. When the light came on, he stared at the ring, cradling it.

Tears fell from his smiling eyes. I could feel the relief in his soul tearing at me with its intensity. He looked at that ring like it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.

After a long moment of admiration, he looked around the room, as though hoping to spot me. When he saw nothing out of the ordinary, he quickly got dressed and rushed out of the room.

I grinned at the sound of the door closing. This had definitely been the right thing to do.

Now to go home and pass out in exhaustion.

--------

“You did what?” Lou asked, staggered.

“What part is unnerving?” I asked. “I mean, I admit, going into his head was a bit uncertain, morally, but -”

“The ring, Aera,” Lou said, making a strangled sound as she sat down.

“It sounds lovely,” Alice said.

“Sounds like trouble,” Slick said, poking his dinner with a fork. He hadn’t been eating as much since the fire.

“I gave him an opportunity to pursue his vision, a mild threat, clear terms, and incentive to play,” I said. “Only an absolute fool would do anything other than comply.”

“And have you seen any indication at all that he’s not an ‘absolute fool?’” Lou asked.

“Well… he’s a scholar,” I said. “Surely your people wouldn’t put imbeciles in charge of major projects.”

Slick seemed to find that a statement worth drinking to. Alice glared at him in disgust.

Lou just rested her face on her hands.

“Okay, Aera,” Lou said. “You looked in his head. Can you tell me, honestly, that he’ll be rational, from what you saw?”

I hesitated.

“He’ll be excited,” I said.

She groaned like she’d drunk some poison.

“Excited,” Slick said. “That’s the best you got.”

“Well… yes,” I said, looking down. “You should have seen his face, though. He was so happy to have that ring.”

“I bet,” Slick said.

“I’d love to see something like that,” Alice said.

“I could make you one,” I said with a smile.

“Alice, it’s not like you could wear it anywhere,” Lou said with a sigh. “What’s done is done, and there’s no fixing it now. We’ll see what happens next.”

“More waiting,” Slick said, frowning.

But we didn’t wait for long.

October 2nd. Just days later.

It was a lovely day, really. By that, I mean, it was freezing cold and raining heavily, starting first thing in the morning. I shook the water off the newspaper as I brought it inside.

The weather was beautiful by comparison to the sinking gloom that filled me as I saw the headline.

“The Impossible” In Boston!

Beneath it was a photograph of the ring I’d given Rhine.

Beneath that was an article full of problematic commentary by the idiot professor.

The ring had been appraised at over a million dollars; described as “priceless.” Cash rewards were being offered for whomever could find “the impossible,” as they were calling me, up to and including the ring itself, if I were captured.

They were to look for a man - of course - who had saved the people of the Cocoanut Grove, who could fashion diamond from wood, who could read minds and erase memories. This man was too dangerous to be allowed to stay in the city unchecked, though his intentions were deemed benevolent.

Rhine had claimed I’d threatened him, but sharing this with the world was more important than his life.

Recognition… of course. I knew that. What he wanted most of all was for this field to be seen as legitimate, and I handed him proof.

By the gods. I am a fool.

Lou took in my stunned expression and put down her morning coffee, darting over to where I stood.

“What happened?” she asked. “Did Germany do something?”

Words didn’t seem suitable for the occasion. I hung my head and tossed the paper onto the dining table, where Alice and Slick were enjoying breakfast.

“That’s pretty,” Alice said, looking at the picture. “But that means…”

Slick was carefully going over the article while Lou read over his shoulder. He’d dropped out of school at ten to work, and somehow the slow pace of his reading made me more anxious.

Lou sat down and sighed, putting more sugar in her coffee.

“Cheers, Aera,” Lou said, lifting her cup. “They’re after you now. The whole country knows something’s here.”

Slick glanced up at her, then back at the paper, frowning.

“How bad is it gonna be, Lou?” he asked.

“Hell if I know,” she said, and sighed.