“You may ask me any question and I will answer it to the best of my ability.” Ferdinand said. Andromeda didn’t trust him at his word so she wanted to hit him with a few hard balls to make him prove he could be trusted.

“Who is Rapture really? Andromeda asked.

“She is an Arch Mage, just like you. I am unsure of her real name, nor do I know who named her. But I know that she is not an inherent risk to you.” Ferdinand said.

“How did she teleport me without anyone noticing?” Andromeda asked.

“It is related to her name. When a High Magister gives a name to the one they have designated as Arch Mage, it changes them. I don’t know how she is capable of it with a name like “Rapture”, but it must let her be able to teleport things without using Magic.” Ferdinand said.

“How is that possible?” Andromeda said. She was aware that magic was the way that the laws of reality may be broken, but if magic wasn’t the case here, then what could it be?

“Mana, and by extension Magic, is not the only supernatural force that exists in this world. If you need proof, look to the Medea. What they do is not magic.” Ferdinand said.

“What’s causing the changes in this case if not Magic?” Andromeda said.

“In the case of the Arch Mages, there is a force that we High Magisters are privy to. It’s fittingly called “Arch”. It’s a primeval force that has existed longer than life itself.” Ferdinand said.

“I’m just going to pretend that I didn’t just hear you say that you inflicted ancient primeval witchcraft on me and ask another question before I get upset.” Andromeda said, she was beyond furious to hear that she was lied to in such a drastic way, but blowing her top wasn’t going to fix anything.

“I apprecia-” Ferdinand said.

“Upbupbup, I don’t want to hear you say anything that isn’t an answer to my question yet.” Andromeda said. Ferdinand nodded his head and allowed her to continue.

“How did Rapture know about White before I did? Better yet, how did she know about White before White?” Andromeda asked.

“Arch Mages share a specific connection with their High Magisters. This connection is so specific that it’s actually the same connection shared between different people, when several Arch Mages are in the same space they can sense each other.” Ferdinand said.

“So why couldn’t I sense her?” Andromeda asked.

“You said she wasn’t interested in you, but this “White” persona. It may be possible that it has something to do with that.” Ferdinand said. Andromeda elected to double check with White on this.

“One poke for no, two pokes for yes.” Andromeda said.

“Hmm?” Ferdinand said.

“Not you, I’m asking White. Hrmm. Did you sense her White?” Andromeda said.

Two pokes.

“White says yes.” Andromeda said.

“Fascinating! You can communicate with this alternate self!?” Ferdinand said. Andromeda ignored him and asked her second question.

“Was it before you kicked her out?” Andromeda asked.

One poke.

“After?” Andromeda asked.

Two pokes.

“She says yes again.” Andromeda said.

“So this “White” character is a part of you, but also separate?” Ferdinand said.

“The way Rapture described it is that she is like the manifestation of my real self. White on the other hand seems very sure that she is not just me but slightly different.” Andromeda said.

“Is it possible that I could speak with her?” Ferdinand said.

“Not right now, we had a pretty stressful time this morning getting me back out of my own mind and I don’t think it would be a good idea to stress her own more.” Andromeda said.

“I understand, in that case, may I make a request?” Ferdinand said.

“Last time you said that, you made me your Arch Mage.” Andromeda said.

“I just ask that you stay safe. Now that I know that at least one of the other Arch Mages are aware of you I will do my best to help you where I can. But there is only so much I can do without outing your identity completely.” Ferdinand said.

She was still upset with Ferdinand. He lied to her, he did nothing to warn her of the dangers she faced, and because of him she was permanently altered. She didn’t regret having White, but she would have liked to have a choice in the first place.

Despite all that, he was an old man. He wasn’t being malicious in his actions. It just wasn’t in her to hold it against him. However she needed to be entirely clear about the situation.

“I’ll do my best to stay safe, but you need to be upfront and clear about everything you do in the future. No more secrets.” Andromeda said.

“You have my word, I will not withhold information from you again.” Ferdinand said.

The two of them talked for a bit longer about less serious topics and Ferdinand had a few more questions about White. But eventually they finished what they needed to talk about and Ferdinand excused himself in brilliant fashion by literally disappearing in a flash of light, leaving Andromeda alone in the room.

As she made her way back to her room she thought about what she should do. It was obvious that she wasn’t perfectly safe here. If Rapture could just appear out of nowhere and take her away, that was an immediate concern.

The obvious plan would be to run away and hide, but that wouldn’t work. Not only because she couldn’t guarantee that she could stay hidden, but because that sounded exceptionally more unpleasant than anything anyone could do to her if she stayed here. What she needed to do was redouble her efforts to learn magic. Like it or not, she was safer here than she was elsewhere.

When she reached the top of the final flight of stairs she saw Albert and Alice standing near to her door. The guards were nowhere to be seen, but as she wasn’t in her room there wasn’t a good reason to hang around.

“Andromeda?” Albert asked. Only then did Alice turn around to face her. It wasn’t common for her to not notice her first.

“Yep, did you guys need something?” Andromeda said.

“Alice was worried about you, and I thought I’d keep her company while we waited. The guards said you were out on some business with Evelin.” Albert said.

“I was, I actually spoke with Ferdinand for a bit mostly. Just some stuff about being kidnapped.” Andromeda said.

“Ferdinand? High Magister Ferdinand? He was here?” Albert said.

“Just for a bit, he was… worried… about me. He sponsored me after all.” Andromeda was impressed with her ability to simultaneously lie AND tell the truth, while also being misleading and completely transparent about what she said at the same time.

“I see, that would be a reason for a High Magister to come through.” Albert said.

It was at about this time that Andromeda and Albert noticed that Alice was acting strangely. She was standing a short distance behind Albert, but with a look of utter confusion on her face.

“You, uh, you good Alice?” Andromeda said.

“That is you, right?” Alice asked.

“It’s me.” Andromeda said. That didn’t seem to do anything but make her any less confused. Alice walked up to Andromeda and put her hands on Andromeda’s face.

“Alice, what are you doing?” Andromeda said.

“That is you, I can recognize your voice, but your flow is all wrong. I couldn’t even recognize you.” Alice said.

“I didn’t know that flows could be wrong.” Albert said.

“They usually can’t, but Andromeda’s are just like they were when we found her.” Alice said.

When she reappeared in her room, Alice could see that something was wrong with her then as well. The main problem ended up being White, but it seemed like she had a separate problem.

“Is it like with my hands?” Andromeda asked. That seemed to set off a bulb in Alice’s head.

“You know, I think it might be. It’s like your flow and someone else's keeps mixing and switching places. What did that kidnapper do to you that could make you like this?” Alice asked.

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Ferdinand didn’t seem to find anything genuinely wrong with me.” Andromeda said. That was a more front-facing lie, he was just as surprised as she was when he found out about White, but he didn’t seem to think it was a big issue.

“If you say so, I’ll just have to get better with Divination to better sense you.” Alice said. She performed a small bow and walked off toward her room, leaving Albert and Andromeda alone.

Albert looked over at Andromeda with a coy smile.

“I knew you two were close, but I didn’t think you were that chummy.” He said.

“She’s worried about me, I don’t blame her for wanting more concrete evidence than just magic.” Andromeda said.

“I mean, sure, but I’ve seen widows that didn’t look half as heart broken as she did when she didn’t notice you.” Albert said.

“Awfully brave today, aint ya?” Andromeda said.

“What can I say?” Albert said.

“Mhmm.” Andromeda mumbled.

They both sat there for a minute and then Albert sighed.

“Hey, I know it’s not your fault, but you had us all scared for a whole there. Even Grant was sweating until you popped back up.” Albert said. She expected that much. Their class wasn’t super close besides her and Alice, they all still spent enough time together that a scare like that would leave them shaken up. Even if it was just out of a fear for their own safety.

“I’d promise to keep the kidnappings to a minimum, but it’s not like I have a lot of say.” Andromeda said.

“I know you’re joking, but I think you need to think more positively about it. You might not have a lot of say when it happens, but you can be proactive about making it harder to happen.” Albert said.

“Speaking from experience there?” Andromeda asked jokingly.

“I had my fair share of kidnappings over the years.” Albert said. He leaned forward and parted the hair on the back of his neck to reveal a scar that stretched from ear to ear. His hair rested over it normally so there was no way to see it without him showing it off.

“Oh, oh god, I’m sorry.” Andromeda said. She was NOT expecting that kind of comeback and it caught her by surprise.

“Don’t worry about it, I do have a point I’m trying to make though. Being proactive is sometimes better than nothing. You’d be surprised how far the smallest amount of planning can prevent unfortunate things from happening. I’m not saying you should start carrying a dagger, but anything is better than nothing.” Albert said.

“You make a point, I’ll have to look into it in the future. Thanks.” Andromeda said.

“That’s all I ask.” Albert said, he politely bowed and went on his way.

Albert really did have a point, until now she hadn’t been planning much at all. She just went along with what was easiest, whether it was staying with Argo, or agreeing to work with Ferdinand. She hadn’t been making any choices on her own, not important ones at least.

Andromeda entered her room and sat down at her desk. Early on she realized it might be a better idea to dedicate a whole journal to a specific magic practice, as it was getting harder to fit all her mending notes in the margins. Purification was coming along at a blistering pace as well.

She thought about what Albert said. She should be more proactive than she was currently being, she was just picking up new disciplines as the fancy came to her. But she didn’t have anything to defend herself with.

There was no way in hell that she would practice anything violent. She knew that it was possible for mages to do things like flay the skin from a person or burn them alive, but that was not an option for her. She wanted a non-violent way of defending herself.

As she was thinking over this, her eyes fell on a textbook she had been ignoring to this point. It was a book on Arcanism, and the second Reflex. Expliza.