After being unexpectedly useful in securing winter clothing for his friends and having finished a pleasant lunch Morgan hurried back to Aspartos office. Having not left the Academy main building during his free days Morgan was a bit surprised that the hallways were almost as busy as during regular days. The old building was however as deserted as ever.

Knocking on the door he waited for a bit until he heard a muffled voice from inside. He opened the door and felt a bit sad that the room was just as chaotic as he remembered. “At least my chair is still clear.” He thought with a sigh and sat down on the same chair as last time. Aspartos was rubbing his eyes yawning as he drank some tea and proffered Morgan a cup. Morgan took it and frowned at the sweet smell.

“As I said last time I had intended on treating your disease slowly but that is sadly not possible.” He gave a shake of his head. “You see, your mana is currently overworked and will at this rate be unable to keep up with the rapid deterioration of your nerves.” Aspartos’s ominous words made Morgan swallow hard and he sat up straighter as he slowly drank his overly sweet tea while listening.

“Thus even if I supplement your own mana with my own at this point it won’t do much good. As even if I supply you with an immense amount of mana it will just slowly dissipate in time and more importantly your body won’t be able to keep up.” He paused leaning on to his chair. “Thus we must either increase your body’s regenerative capacity, slow down the disease or massively increase your mana capacity. Otherwise you won’t be able to last until I have made the necessary preparations for your treatment. Preferably I would like to achieve the first two.” He smiled and sipped his tea. “The last step is probably the easiest for you to work on but it is not only a lengthy process that takes multiple years for the most talented of students. But it also works against my goals so I will ignore it.” Morgan felt his heart sink at this.

“Am I really in such a bad condition?” Morgan asked hesitantly.

He had known that something was wrong with him yet he had not believed that it was as bad as Aspartos made it sound. In truth the whole thing about him skirting the border between life and death did not feel quite real to him. Still did believe that Aspartos would lie to him.

“You really are.” Aspartos said seriously before smiling confidently. “But that doesn’t mean that you are out of time or that all hope is lost.” Aspartos wore an almost childlike grin. “It just limits our options.” His voice was bright as if it was of no concern but then he frowned. “Still this leaves us with only three options for you treatment as the other ideas would simply take too long. Two of these treatments are relatively safe and the last one is rather dangerous.”

Having said this Aspartos leaned forward rested his elbows on the desk and knotted his finger in front of his mouth with eyes sparkling. When he spoke again his voice seemed somehow heavier than before.

“The first option is to put you in a magical coma, and simply allow the disease to run its course on your body. After which we heal you, repairing what we can.” Aspartos snorted and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “In my opinion this is the worst solution, as even with the best healers in the world they will be unable to restore you fully as it is simply impossible to fully heal such extensive damage to the nerves.” Aspartos sipped on his tea. “Doing that will however almost certainly save you, yet it is impossible to tell how much of your senses and bodily control you will retain.” He refiled his cup with more tea and leaned over with the pot raised to Morgan. “More tea?”

“N-no thanks.” Morgan was a bit taken aback at how fast the old man flipped between the guise of a sage and that of an indulgent old man.

“Pity.” He said and sat the pot down. “The second option is a bit complex, but in essence I’ll temporarily kill you and bring you back to life.

Morgan just gapped. “Kill me and bring me back?!” The old man spoke as if it was of little consequence. Yet the act of resurrecting the dead was the stuff of legends! Even in the holy texts it said that resurrection was only performed by the gods at dire cost and only if the need was truly great. Part of Morgan thought that the old man had been joking due to how casually he had brought up resurrection.

“This is certainly an option worth considering, as the cost although great should be manageable since it is not a full resurrection.”

Morgan tried and failed to say how preposterous this all sounded but in the end simply closed his mouth, as he without knowing why found it hard to refute the old man’s words. He instinctively felt a deep trust towards Aspartos, he found it hard to say why but a part of his brain told him that a man of such power really had no need to lie to the likes of him.

“Then there is the most dangerous option.” He let his word hang in the air for a moment and fixed Morgan with eyes that turned from green to gold. “This is the option I not only recommend but would also personally like you to take.” He paused, sipping his tea. “This will make or break depending on your own dedication, perseverance and talent.”

Aspartos emptied his cup once more and poured another. Morgan’s own tea had long since grown cold and as he nervously took a sip he found that when cold what little taste of spices the tea had originally possessed had faded along with the heat.

“As to why I would like you to without beating around the bush, risk your life. It is simple. Unlike the other methods this will at least in theory not only cure you but also increase your potential far beyond your current limits. This is the real reason I have not only returned to the Academy but chose to take apprentices for the first time.” Morgan gulped, the enthusiasm and gravity of the old man’s gaze was somewhat frightening. He also felt like that becoming the apprentice of this old man might be an even bigger deal than he imagined.

“But to explain I must start with the very basics. First of all, what is mana?”

“... Um, mana is the fuel used for casting spells.” I took Morgan a moment to recognize that he had been asked a question.

“In a sense, yes. Where then does mana come from?” Aspartos asked as he stood and looked through the closest bookshelf.

“From nature?” Morgan had never gotten a good answer to this himself and was therefore unsure.

“Not quite, where did I put that damned book.” Aspartos pulled out several books as he responded with his back to Morgan. “Mana, if my translations and understanding is correct, is the breath of the world.” Crouching down by a pile of books he picked the books up one by one only to chuck them away carelessly when it proved to be the wrong one.

“Breath of the world?” Morgan’s voice must have carried a hint of the distress that he felt from the way Aspartos handed the books and Aspartos turned to him with a flat expression.

“Yes, just like how mist forms from our breaths in the cold, mana forms when the world ‘breathes out’. Mana is like that mist, it is a part of what the world releases when it exhales.”

Morgan felt his head spin. “The world, breathes?” He was so confused that he almost asked if mana could only be formed in the cold like the mist but remembered being told that the mist always formed it was just that it was only visible in the cold. So the question he ended up asking came from a part of his mind that was unusually excited, the part of him that always loved to read, learn and magic.

“If the world exhales, then does it inhale as well?”

”It seems you are not stupid after all.” Aspartos smiled widely. “It does indeed. It might be a bit abstract but, you can think of the exhalations of the world as birth.”

“Would that make the inhalations death?” Morgan asked with his mind working hard to grasp the meaning behind the old man’s words.

“Very good.” Aspartos smiled happily. “Just like how we take food from the dirt until the day our bodies one day return to the earth, only to become fuel for the food we once ate mana also exists in a cycle.” He paused and gestured in a circle with a bony finger. “Mana is born from the breath of the world, and is soon shaped or coloured by the nature around it only to be absorbed by us or other beings. Once we deplete a part of the immensely powerful mana it returns to the world as it inhales, only for it to be charged once more and returned to nature.” He took a few sips of the tea. Morgan took the opportunity to really think about what he had been told and tried to imagine how the world itself could breathe and Aspartos continued his lecture.

“The colouring of mana is what allows us to cast spell that are of a particular element. This is also why mages from different regions find large discrepancies in how hard the same spell is to cast for them. This is because most mages are taught and thus adapt to use mana of a certain region and the mana it contains. Thus, in time they became more adept at using that mana of that and similar ¨’colours’.” Aspartos pulled out a paper and began scribbling on it as he continued. “A mage from the coast might as an example find water based spells very effortless to cast. This holds true even when they are in the capital far from any body of water, simply due to them being more accustomed to water coloured mana. This also makes it easier for them to overwrite the colour of the mana around them into the colour they need to cast their spells themselves. Thus they have a far easier time casting such spell than a native mage who is unaccustomed to mana coloured by water.” He cackled. “Another example of this is how even great mages from the great deserts are often completely unable to cast water based spells even by the coast.” Aspartos looked at Morgan and laughed gleefully at the wrapped expression he wore.

“So it is that not because they have more experience with casting water magic?” Morgan asked innocently. “I believe that the textbox on magic theory says that the magic strength is based on innate power and experience.” Morgan felt like what he heard somewhat contradicted what he had read.

“The textbooks are wrong.” Aspartos huffed and looked away. “The person who wrote them did not have a complete understanding of what mana is.” He said this flatly and looked a bit annoyed.

“I-I see… but how come so many of the books have the same misconception?” Morgan had read quite a few books on magic theory in the hopes of finding what his father called ‘a way forward’ and was feeling doubtful.

“There is a very simple explanation for that…” Aspartos said this and looked away uncomfortably for the first time since Morgan met him. Morgan did not press him yet after a few moments and simply waited for Aspartos to explain.

“It is because I wrote most of them.” Aspartos sounded a bit embarrassed and Morgan’s jaw dropped. “And basically all others are based on my work.” He added with a tired sigh and Morgan blinked in astonishment. “You see when you become the most renowned scholar in a field people tend to simply accept your theories, especially when they can’t be easily refuted.” He scratched his balding head. “So you can ignore the books. I now believe that all mana that we consume and hold within us is, at least to certain degree coloured by the world around us. Therefore staying in a place for a long time, like when you're studying to become a mage we become attuned to the local ‘colour’ of mana. This also explains why we tend to excel with spells that can be linked with mana from once place of birth, as most of us spend many years at our birthplace unconsciously attuning to the mana there.”

Aspartos was about to take another sip from his cup when it turned out it was empty once more. So with a grumble he took the pot and after shaking it and finding it empty he clicked his tongue.

“Brew” Aspartos spoke in that deep voice he used when casting spell and soon steam rose from the pot once more and he poured himself another cup. After having seen this mysterious teapot suddenly emit steam Morgan had to ask how it worked even if he was still trying to process what he had heard.

“How did you cast that spell?” He looked at the old man with a curious expression.

“Hum? Oh, I am not really casting a spell. I am simply activating the enchantment on the pot.”

He said this and held the pot up high so that Morgan could see the intricate design inscribed in the metal on the bottom of the pot. Aspartos held up a hand stopping the half formed question on Morgan’s tongue.

“I am glad you are enthusiastic but we are going far off topic and at this rate we will not finish by dinner time.” Hearing the old man say this Morgan looked out the window and were stunned by the sight of the setting sun. “Anyway, let’s get back on track. So mana is a natural part of the cycle of life just like you and I. Mana in itself does not have a mind nor does it play favourites. It is accordingly the human body that sets the limit on how much mana we can use and store.” At this Morgan frowned, his mana capacity was not great. In fact it was well below average among his noble peers. If his body limited how much potential he had why would Aspartos choose Morgan? He was not only weak but who needed treatment before he could even start his apprenticeship. Once again Aspartos seemed to read his mind.

“I have already told you that you are my prime candidates for apprenticeship and why so let’s focus on the task at hand and I will explain the rest more toughly later.” He rested his chin on his fist. Firstly where is mana stored within the human body?”

“Um, the heart, and also in the liver for the stronger mages.” Morgan said after some deliberation.

“Yes, do you know why?” The old man’s question surprised Morgan and after some time he shook his head as he could not figure out an answer. “Because humans are weak.” the old man’s voice was amused. “Mana is an incredibly potent force and thus for us weak humans to house mana within ourselves we must by necessity do so in a sealed vessel, so as to not destroy our bodies. Since the heart is our strongest organ it is the best place to build such a vessel.” He paused looking a bit wistful before giving Morgan a mischievous smile. “Have you read any bestiaries?” This question took Morgan by surprise.

“Well yes, several actually. Why?” he could not see the connection.

“Then where do beings such as for example dragons store their mana?”

“Umm, I think that most experts claim that they store their vast supply of mana in a special organ…” He trailed off, remembering how vastly contradictory the information in different bestiaries could be.

“Yes that is the general consensus.” He said with a nod “It is wrong however.” He smiled at Morgan’s surprised expression. “Dragons actually store their mana in the blood and thus in the entirety of their body.” Here he paused and with eyes sparkling he added. “As do I.”

Morgan just sat there in silence unable to wrap his head around what he had just heard. He sat still trying to understand what he had heard and figure out what question to ask for a few minutes but was unable to do so before the old man simply explained.

“You see as you grow stronger humans not only form a second vessel for mana in their liver, their original vessel is also strengthened and in time expands.” He cackled softly. “For normal mages this is such a slow process that they might in truth not notice it by the time their life ends. In fact the expansion and strengthening of the vessel should be considered true growth.” He wore a displeased frown. “Forming a second vessel is something of a shortcut to becoming more powerful, similar to a get rich quick scheme. Doing so might make you stronger fast but it damages once on potential.” He shook his head and sighed sadly. “Oh and before you ask, your vessel is not particularly large nor is it any stronger than average.”

Morgan felt both intrigued and confused. “Can so much of what we know of magic really be wrong?” He was not sure what to believe at this point, yet he found no obvious holes in the explanation he heard, nor did he want to doubt Aspartos.

“Now we are finally at the point where I give you a better explanation why I chose you and will be looking for people like you.” He paused pouring more tea, Morgan had long since lost count of how many cups Aspartos had drunk. “You see, I have after observing dragons and other beings with strong affinity for mana along with myself of course, come to a conclusion.” He sipped on his tea. “The best and most natural way of storing mana is not in a relatively speaking small and strong vessel within the body but for the body itself to become the vessel.”

Aspartos went into more details and spoke about his research at great length but much of this was far too advanced for Morgan to remember much less understand. And after Aspartos finished his explanation and had cast another spell on Morgan Aspartos sent Morgan of on unsteady legs and with his mind swirling. Morgan had learned more about magic today than the rest of his life. Moreover he had been offered the opportunity to become a “true” mage as Aspartos put it. A being that transcended the mortal realm to stand shoulder to shoulder with the champions of the gods, a human with enough power to defeat demons in single combat. Why had HE of all people been offered this opportunity one might ask and the answer was like Aspartos had claimed rather simple. It was because Morgan is weak. There were obviously other reasons like his body already being somewhat used to constantly circulating mana throughout it. Along with Morgan’s innate tenacity and resilient body that had quite literally kept death at bay since he was little.

Yet the biggest reason was because he had a weak vessel with a paltry mana capacity that could easily be artificially broken with little risk of it killing him. A small mana capacity was apparently the most important thing to the procedure as according to Aspartos it was less likely that a small amount of mana flooding the body would be fatal. When he heard this he was not sure if he should feel depressed or happy. At the very least it gave him an opportunity to rid himself of his disease and to become the first apprentice of an Archmage in centuries. “Should I laugh or should I cry?”

The sun had been setting when Aspartos had sent Morgan off after the extra treatment which had left Morgan in the exhausted state he was in now. He vaguely remembered Aspartos telling him what exactly his treatment did but his mind had at that point been way beyond capacity. So the details eluded him. By the time he stumbled into the cafeteria his mind felt like it had cleared up somewhat and taking his tray he noticed that it was once again seacow causing him to grimace. Thankfully they were given an apple as a dessert so he could cleanse his palette.

After receiving his food he looked around and he found his friends eating at one of the window tables. They had changed clothes and were wearing their Academy uniforms and Morgan noticed that Ross’s clothing looked new and that Marith was absent. In his place there were three students that he did not recognize at the table. A girl was speaking with Mary-Ann of to the side and two boys that seemed reluctant to eat as they conversed with Ross.

“You look like you have been struck by an anvil. You good Morgan?” Louie said as he waved Morgan over.

Louie’s words made the rest of the table look over at Morgan with curious expressions. Once Morgan arrived at the table that he was sure had been moving away from him he pushed away his tray and seemed to deflate as he rested his head on the table. He took a deep tired breath before speaking.

“Uh hu.” He pushed himself up and yawned. “I’m… I’m fine just tired. It was just…” He tried to find a good way of explaining his afternoon but gave up. “It was just a lot, like a lot a lot.” Morgan straightened himself and looked down at the food.

Morgan took a deep breath and slowly began eating, doing his best to ignore the strange texture of the seacow. He wanted nothing more in this moment than to take a bite of the delicious looking green apple but restrained himself.

“I’ll tell you another time, right now I can’t make sense of much of it and even if I could I’m just too tired to talk about it right now.” He rubbed his eye with his free hand and changed the subject. “What happened to Marith?” This caused laughing from the two girls and winces from the boys.

“Kaya found him after you left.” Rina said gleefully. “She gave him a good kick in between the legs before dragging him off to one of the open training rooms in the Academy.” Rina was smiled wickedly.

“Apparently their date was AT lunch not after.” Louie said this with a sigh and Rina smile only widened in a way that was both somewhat cute and cruel. “He was so pleased with himself when he managed to get Kaya to forgive him and agree to another date.” Louie exhaled heavily. “When he told me the first time about his date I didn’t imagine that he had the time wrong.” Louie shook his head and Morgan winched and reached out to pat Louie on the shoulder.

“He simply got what he deserved. Why are you feeling bad about it?” Rina wondered aloud with mixed annoyance and confusion. “You're not his mother, it’s not like you have a responsibility to look after him constantly. Let him reap what he sows I’d hate if anyone I know might start taking after him.” She glared pointedly at the boys.

Although Rina’s glare only momentarily touched the two boys Morgan didn’t know they were somehow still the ones most affected as they seemed to seize up in place. Morgan felt like her gaze rested a bit longer on him and Ross but wasn’t sure if that was his imagination. Morgan looked back to his food and with reluctance he mechanically continued to eat.

“Morgan!” Louie shouted as he shook Morgan who snapped awake. “You should probably get to bed.” He sounded a bit concerned. “You look like you're about to take a face first dive into the potato mash.” Louie added amusedly.

Morgan looked down at his plate and reluctantly nodded. He had only eaten slightly more than half but there was simply no way he could finish it. So he stuffed the apple into a pocket and stood up taking his tray.

“Wait! I’ll go with you” Ross said and stood up looking both worried and amused. “I’m afraid you would fall in the stairs and break your neck or something given how tired you are.” Ross quickly took his tray and followed Morgan.

As the two made their way back to Morgan’s room Ross had to catch Morgan twice and once had to pull him to the side to keep Morgan from walking into a pillar.

“What the hell happened to you this afternoon?” Ross asked as Morgan stumbled into his room. Morgan mumbled an incoherent response to Ross’s question as he somehow managed to get into his bed with some assistance of Ross. Before Ross managed to get a coherent answer out of Morgan he was predictably asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.