The refreshing benefit of being a novice with symbols is thinking everything is possible with regents. That wasn’t true. A regent isn’t a one-stop shop for all kinds of magical powers. They had specific effects and most regents could only be used sporadically.

Alexis was utilising his bloodline every second of the day.

The amount of mana that would cost would be astronomical. The price of the regent itself would be even higher, and acquiring the materials wasn’t easy to do unnoticed, especially for a teenager.

“Dammit.” Amanda sighed. “I really thought that would be a possibility.”

I raised my arm and Gold flew onto it. The bell for the end of lunch was about to ring, and I wanted to get to my metal magic studies class early.

The idea of discovering the type of metal I was proficient in excited me.

“What class do you have now?” I asked Amanda.

I don’t think she’d unlocked an elemental attunement other than fire. There were also no more general studies classes for the day.

“Physical bloodline awakening, population twenty.” Amanda stretched her arms.

Her knuckles cracked and she hopped off the table. I took in her words with a frown.

“There are twenty people that have unlocked their bloodlines in the academy?”

“Oh Fue no. There’s three in the class. Wait, four, now that my brother has.” Amanda walked through the door. “The rest are unawakened, but should they ever inherit their bloodline then they need to know how to manage it.”

“Is that why your brother keeps on heating up the rooms he’s in? A lack of control?” I followed her through the door and Agni flew out after me.

Amanda took her time answering. “Our bodies need to get used to the change. Of course, not every bloodline is like ours. Only people with physical manifestations are put into the class.”

“Your friends Ouros and Unice for example, they aren’t in the class because even if the Destins have a bloodline, it’s related to intellect.” She waved her fingers in my face and I saw them transform into flames. “I don’t want to shake my friend's hand and burn it to cinders. It’s more like a physical bloodline coping class, but that’s a sad name.”

“Is the Crijik Marked one in there?” I tried to make my tone neutral.

Amanda gave me a look that said she wasn’t fooled.

“He isn’t.” She hummed. “I don’t think any of the Marked ones have physical changes like ours. I guess some do age really fast.”

I thought over her words. My dad had a bloodline, and I could technically inherit it, but it was an intellectual bloodline that related to symbols. There were no physical changes accompanying it.

“Here’s my stop.” We found ourselves in front of my metal magic studies room. “Are you okay to make it back to class without being swarmed?”

“I’m a big girl, I can handle a few people trying to make conversation.” Her tone was light, but I could see weariness etched into her features. “Have a good one!”

I waved goodbye but she was already striding down to the lower floors of the tower. I opened the door and entered the class, half expecting to see a statue of me inside.

Instead, there were metals of all different types scattered across the room.

“You are early, Mr Silver.” Tago of metal’s voice called at me. “I approve.”

From around the room metal gathered together. My teacher appeared and gave me a nod.

“Today we shall find out what metal material you are proficient with. I find that students often wish to proceed immediately into learning how to manipulate metal and connect further with the element, however, that is impossible until we know the very basics.”

“I understand.” I sat down in front of the pebbles. “Is there usually a pattern to proficiency? My first use of metal manipulation was iron, I think, and I’ve been using it ever since.”

“That will be discussed once Mr Destin arrives.” Tago replied.

I hadn’t kept the handcuffs that Eli had placed on me. They had disappeared alongside the old man, and I didn’t want them back.

I remembered that in that moment I had manipulated a lot more iron than I could now. Indra hadn’t been able to help me learn the reason.

I asked Tago.

“That is common. When you establish your cooperation with the mana it is the formation of a powerful bond. They showed you a sign of goodwill.” Tago gestured to the materials. “Practice and dedication will get you to that level again.”

I raised one of the materials to my eye level. It looked like iron but shinier.

“If mana is so willing to cooperate, why doesn’t it do it all the time?” I put the pebble down.

“That is a question often asked, but never answerable.” Tago replied. “Mana is a phenomenon whose intentions cannot be read. We do not know if it has motivations, or goals. We cooperate with it, but we can never know what it thinks or how it feels. Perhaps these emotions and thoughts would be so different and alien to us that we wouldn’t be able to understand them.”

The bell rang in our ears as he finished speaking. He moved to the teacher’s desk and sat down. I could see the chair underneath it was reinforced, but it still creaked in protest.

“As a teacher I will let you know that my answer is derived from my own experiences and should not be taken as fact.” Tago finished.

“The disclaimer really sells the validity.” I remarked.

The door opened and Ouros walked through.

“Lassante will not be attending class today. I have given him another project to work on.” Tago addressed us. “In our first class you both came into contact with the materials I provided you, but only in a shallow manner.”

Targo moved towards the blackboard. A metallic powder flew from his arm to the board.

“Mr Silver asked a pertinent question. Is there a pattern to proficiency? In other words, can past actions and inclinations influence the material you can manipulate.”

The powder spelt out a single word on the blackboard, ‘iron’.

“This was the element that you first manipulated, is that correct?”

I nodded.

“Good. Do you have any iron on you?”

I gestured with my hand and a tendril of iron wriggled out of my pocket. It floated in the air and I allowed it to take on a life of its own.

We watched it move around and Tago wrote more words on the board. “Is that the largest amount that you can manipulate?”

“It is.” I brought the iron back to me. “I have more but I’ve never been able to move it.”

“Understandable.” Tago pointed at Ouros. “What metals have you tested, Mr Destin.”

Ouros closed his eyes and lines of dark green coiled out from his shirt, thin and spindly. They gathered in front of him and made their way to the floor.

It was a smaller amount than my own, but far more valuable.

“Adamant.” Tago’s voice was emotionless. “Was this your first material you manipulated?”

Ouros shook his head. “I was hoping I could grow more proficient in something tough. Picking up adamant off the ground seems like a really cool use of my powers.”

“And profitable.” Tago remarked.

“Yes.” Ouros bit his lip. “That too.”

The piece of adamant on the floor wasn’t as big as the bar that my grandmother had given to my family but seeing even a small amount was a surprise.

“However, that is not how your abilities work.” Tago tapped the board.

He had written three words.

Attunement.

Emotion.

Destiny.

“These are not the words usually associated with metal.” Tago stepped towards us. “Flexible, tough, cold, calculating, and valuable. All of these terms and more should be stricken from your mind.”

“Your material is a companion, and a companion is not made easily. You can identify them, and talk to them, but you cannot force them to help you.”

Tago lowered himself to the ground, and we sat as a group.

“First, attunement. It is the most tedious of facts that we cannot control our attunement. However, that we have it at all can be considered a stroke of good fortune. When you are meditating you must study not only the materials around you, but also your attunement’s reaction to them. Follow its guiding path, and it will connect you with your companion.”

Ouros crossed his legs and I followed. Then he closed his eyes.

“Concentrate first. Meditate later.” Tago’s words broke through his attempt.

“Emotion. We must learn how to read the emotions of the materials we are cooperating with. Your heart will resonate with the heart of the material.”

“Finally, destiny. Magic is intangible, yet intrinsically connected to us. You will find the material today. I believe it.”

My curiosity was raised by his words. Tago was a lot more spiritual than I would have thought. Maybe it was because he was so much more experienced in metal magic than I was.

I sat back and relaxed. My eyes closed, and I took a deep breath in. Each period took up almost an hour. Now I had two to work with.

In front of me the materials glowed like fireflies. I could move them, if I wanted to, but that wasn’t what I was searching for. I didn’t want to know what I could do, I wanted to know which one I felt a connection to.

The world disappeared but I didn’t enter the blank space in my mind. This time, I allowed my emotions to flood through me.

Worry, suspicion, happiness, awe. There had been many things I had experienced in the school that I was holding back. Alexis’ situation unnerved me, but I also knew that the problem was being handled by people far more capable than I was. I had seen wonders here that would cause a frenzy in my old world and had learned to copy them.

Then a new emotion entered my heart.

It came to me like the subtle rhythm of a gentle drumbeat. Happiness and companionship. It was a feeling of nostalgia like meeting a long-lost friend.

My material was in this room. Now I just needed to find it.

I focused on the connection and time flew by.

I heard Ouros yelling happily in the distance and shut it out of my mind. I fell further into my emotions, primal instincts bubbling up to the surface of my heart.

Then I felt a connection.

In my palm was a bead. It was tiny, but I could see past its physical appearance. It’s glow wasn’t as bright as some of the others, and its size was smaller, but the emotions that it felt were no less intense.

There was no grand unlocking of mysteries, no answers to be solved. My companion existed, and now I could see them and understand them.

“Hello.” I opened my eyes. “I’m Andross.”

In front of me the metal floated in the air. I hadn’t realised until now what a true elemental companion was. It didn’t wriggle and fight me like the iron did. It relaxed and cooperated with my thoughts and emotions.

“Silver.” Tago spoke.

“Silver.” I repeated. The bead fell back down into my palm. “I’m Silver too. That means you’re family.”

Ouros had discovered his material as well, titanium. Both of us smiled at each other. This wasn’t a competition, and we both felt glad to improve in our magic.

I placed the bead of silver back down onto the ground. I would have to find a way to secure some of my own.

The bell rang and my footsteps echoed across the tower as I made my way towards the ground levels.

Then something grabbed my arm.

“Wha- Gerial?” I activated my mana sense.

A blurry figure was holding onto me.

“Hey brother.” Gerial’s voice floated towards me. “Can I borrow you for a few minutes?”

Gerial looked towards the higher floors of the tower.

“My dad wants to talk to you.”