Been a while again, but here's chapter 21! ^^

Chapter 21: Introduction to the Mind

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“Have you remembered to take everything you need?” Lhi’ra asked as she fussed over Draygor. “You’re not nervous about your first day of school, right? There’s nothing to be worried about…”

“Seems like you’re the nervous one here, dear,” Garick observed Lhi’ra’s ramblings with a laugh, carrying little Tah’ra in his arms. The baby girl was still fast asleep, naturally. She was clutching the doll her big brother had given her tightly; neither Lhi’ra nor Garick had been able to separate their daughter from it, as she cried up a storm whenever they attempted to.

“I’ll be fine, mother,” Draygor reassured Lhi’ra with a smile. “I’ve been through worse than this, you know.”

Lhi’ra said nothing at his obvious talk about past events, as she wrapped her arms around him tighter. She only released her hold on him after a long moment, when Draygor reminded her that he would be late for his first day of school if they delayed any longer. Lhi’ra wiped a few tears from her eyes as she went to stand beside Garick. It wasn’t a particularly emotional moment, but it did hold some significance for a mother whose son had already been through so much at such a young age.

“Make us proud, son. Oh, what am I saying? I know you will!” Garick piped up with a wide grin as he wrapped his free arm around Lhi’ra’s shoulders to comfort her.

Draygor replied with a determined nod, before turning to his grandparents, who were standing quietly at the side with pride on their faces. Well, his grandmother did, at least. Lukas’ forced smile betrayed the fact that the old man was clearly still conflicted about what he had learnt during the meeting with the Cult. Wordlessly, Draygor bounded up to them and gave both his grandparents a hug, holding on a little longer to his grandfather.

With all that said and done, Draygor hefted his little backpack and began walking toward the gate, where Dhi’na had been waiting patiently. With a small wave to his family, Draygor and Dhi’na went out of sight as they turned round the corner, making their way to the Academy.

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Lukas watched on as his grandson left for school, still feeling warm from the boy’s embrace. “That’s right… he’s my grandson. Not some monster that died long ago…” he thought with a sigh. Lukas hated – no, despised, what Draygor had done in his past life, and he had half a heart to condemn the boy for his actions. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to hate the boy. It was an impossible task. How could he hate his own grandson?

Another sigh escaped from Lukas’ lips as his thoughts raced about the events that had occurred, trying to resolve the conflict within his mind. He would have to think about it more, he thought, as he rubbed his temples in an attempt to alleviate the slight headache already forming. Perhaps keeping busy would help to distract him from his thoughts.

“I guess it might be time to involve myself in the politics of this country again… I’ll have to find Stefan later,” Lukas thought, his mind already shifting into soldier mode. He and his wife had already decided to stay with Lhi’ra for an undecided period of time, to help take care of Tah’ra, as well as to make up for the lost time with Draygor. How could he sit back and enjoy his retirement when even his young grandson was rising up against the being that threatened their very existence?

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Draygor was bored, to put it simply. Dhi’na had left long ago to attend her classes, while he was stuck in the Headmistress’ office, filling in administrative forms. They were wasting their time, in his opinion, and he had expressed it vehemently to the Headmistress.

“A necessary waste of time, Draygor,” corrected Sah’ra with a taunting chuckle, turning his attention back to the paperwork before them. “You act beyond your age, but your patience is that of a child’s. It gives me relief to see that you still have some childlike qualities.”

Draygor scowled as he filled in another blank on the form before him. He was tempted to show her the truth so she’d stop treating him like a mere kid, but thought better of it. Cursing the existence of the pieces of paper before him, he continued the task. Paperwork was his bane. For all his life, including his previous one, he had never looked favourably upon paperwork. He knew it was necessary for administration purposes, but he felt it wasted his time. A peculiar thought for an immortal being, who had no scarcity of that resource.

“Isn’t this the job of your administration staff? What else are they being paid for, other than being subjected to the necessity of such mind-numbing torture?” Draygor argued, his annoyance palpable as he filled in another blank. He had half a mind to simply burn the forms before him to ashes.

“It would normally be the job of the administration department, yes, but I had to pull some strings to get you into the academy, with the admission period being long over. Let’s just say that there might be some… inconveniences if we go through the official channels. While I understand the reason for your delayed admission, there are some who are less sympathetic,” Sah’ra said mirthfully. “And besides, I admit it is a little amusing seeing you so distressed over simple paperwork, young man.”

Draygor gave another scowl as he lifted the pen for the umpteenth time.

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Draygor walked through the halls of the mages’ academy building, the scowl from before still adorning his features. People might have given him a wide berth if they saw his expression, though there were none to witness his annoyance at the moment. It was still an hour and a half before lunchtime, and the other students were in their second class of the day. The source of his annoyance was the bombshell that the Headmistress had dropped on him just before he had been allowed to leave her office.

“It’s either you follow my instructions, or I’ll be forced to reject your admission to the Academy, Draygor. I know we’ve already decided that you’ll be given the freedom to attend – or skip out on, should I say – your classes, but this is the most I could do to ensure our agreement is allowed,” Sah’ra’s words echoed in his mind. Apparently, some of the teachers had not agreed to let Draygor’s absence in their classes go unnoticed if he did not show up in their classes at least once, to prove his worth.

Students of the mage academy usually attended a beginner’s class during their first week, where teachers would test in detail their aptitude to certain magicks, and give them advice on which path of magick they had the most potential in. Of course, Draygor had been allowed to choose any path for which he would have to attend classes on, since the Headmistress had already been convinced of his potential in multiple fields of magick. He had chosen the path of the mind, obviously, since he would probably ace the tests with his eyes closed with his level of proficiency.

Still, Draygor had to attend all his classes at least once. It would probably be no loss to him if he did that. While the Academy’s library held vast amounts of knowledge, Draygor didn’t think it would contain what he was looking for. The classes didn’t hold his interest either. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse Sah’ra’s intructions, however. Despite the miniscule chances, it was still possible that the library would have some tomes which could reveal some clues. What was worse was the fact that his parents would be sorely disappointed if he left the school before he had even begun, and he didn’t want to bring further hurt to them. Especially not to his mother.

With a reluctant sigh, Draygor resigned himself to what he had to do. Glancing again at the piece of paper held in his hand, he confirmed that the classroom before him was his destination. The professor’s voice echoing out from behind the door indicated that the class had already begun. Draygor attempted to hide his annoyance, taking a deep breath to clear his mind before reaching up to knock on the door.

“Come in!”

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Draygor opened the sliding door slowly, aware that the attention of the entire class was now on him. There weren’t many in the class, around eight other students by his brief count. Taking a step forward, he slid the door shut again, before facing the professor and giving a curt bow in greeting. Draygor still dreaded the idea of attending boring classes, but it didn’t hurt to make a good first impression.

The professor, an aged man in what looked to be his eighties, appraised his newest and latest student without any attempt to be discreet. His gaze shifted from Draygor’s head to toe, seemingly taking in every detail about the boy. The rest of the class did the same, their gazes concentrated on their new classmate. It seemed to take an eternity, but a snicker from a student seated at the back of the class interrupted the professor from his trance.

The professor threw a fleeting glare toward the guilty student, before clasping his hands together. “Ah, you must be the young Draygor Mithras. Late, but nevertheless present. All that matters in the long run, eh? Now come, take a seat. Welcome to ‘Introduction to the Mind’, the beginner’s class for mind magicks. I am Professor Durand. Feel free to call me Durand, I’m not one for formalities,” Professor Durand introduced himself as Draygor moved to take the only available seat, a seat in the front row directly in front of Durand. Another student, a girl, held back another laugh as Draygor took the seat, and Draygor wondered what she found so funny.

“Now, where was I?” Durand stroked his little goatee in thought, trying to recall where he had last left off. “No, never mind. Let us go through what we’ve covered in the past few lessons. It’ll be good revision, and Draygor here will need it to catch up. I’m sure I’ll recall what we were covering as we go along,” Durand said with a chuckle, as the class groaned in response.

“As I’m sure you bright young minds remember from our previous classes, mind magicks are varied, from seeking to exert your mind against another’s, to using your powers to control inanimate objects. Mind magicks are reasonably strong, yet weak at the same time, depending on the circumstances and certain key factors. The spell you’re using, the intelligence and willpower of your poor target, the proximity to your target, whether you’re doing it with the target’s knowledge, and your mana reserves.”

Draygor now understood why the girl had nearly laughed aloud when he had taken his seat. With every sentence the professor spoke, drops of spittle would escape his lips, flying through the air to splatter onto the poor student seated at his current spot. He turned to glance at the girl, and the wide grin upon her face added to his annoyance of being used as target practice, albeit unknowingly. Draygor didn’t give her the pleasure of seeing his reaction, however, turning back to face the professor, who was engrossed in his explanations to the class.

The solution to his current plight of being used as a spittoon was simple. Draygor mouthed a word under his breath, and a thin, transparent shield enveloped him. He had used the faintest amount of mana to conjure the shield, such that only really experienced mages would be able to detect its usage, though Draygor was sure even those mages would have to be paying close attention to realise what he had done. Surely enough, his spell elicited no response from the rest of the class, who were still vastly inexperienced, having only started their magickal education. For a moment, Draygor thought he saw Durand’s eye twitch, though he was sure it was just a visual trick. The old man didn’t look nearly as competent, Draygor thought.

If he had noticed the spell though, Durand showed no other response. The professor continued his summary of the previous lessons, nonplussed. “Let us take the example of a mind manipulation spell. It is a simple spell; as such, it will only allow you to make strong suggestions for the target to follow, and not full control of your target’s actions. That’s the first limitation. Secondly, if your target is extremely intelligent, or has a conviction stronger than your magickal strength, the spell will be extremely weak against them, or even possibly fail. The inverse works for the subject’s intelligence, however. If the target is too mentally challenged, it will fail to understand your instructions.”

“Thirdly, the proximity to your target. The closer you are, the more effective your spell. Bonus points if you are in direct skin contact with them, though that would put you in the range of their fists or weapons, which us mages want to avoid most of the time. Fourth, if the target is in the knowledge that they are being controlled. Even the weakest individual will be able to break your spell with counter spell if they know that they are being manipulated. That is, if they know a counter spell. Most mages would learn such a spell in their early years, as you will in later classes. Of course, if your target is unable to manipulate mana, they will have to depend on their own willpower to resist your spell. Lastly, your mana reserves. I believe I don’t have to give an explanation for that, eh?” Durand finished with a chuckle. A few of the more hardworking students nodded at his explanation, their pens flowing over the pages of their notebooks, writing down the professor’s every word, though they surely had already written it down during the previous classes.

Durand’s expression turned serious as he continued on the topic at hand. “It is because of these factors that a mind mage cannot fully control a sentient being. Though, there is always an exception. There are spells designed to allow one to establish full control over another being, but there is a sinister condition. The minds of those one seeks to fully control have to be totally, utterly broken. By torture, perhaps, or other destructive methods.”

“Of course,” Durand gave a cheeky grin, which seemed almost creepy on his aged features. “We, at the Academy, will not be teaching innocent young students such devious spells. Perhaps you may learn them when you have graduated and choose to pursue further education. It all depends on your drive, young ones. Now, any questions?”

The girl who had been laughing at Draygor’s unfortunate luck raised a hand enthusiastically. “Ah, yes. Always an excitable one, aren’t you, Nhi’la? What is your question?” Durand addressed her.

“What about Elias, professor? My grandfather told me stories of how he charmed legions of men to turn against their own comrades. How is that possible, according to what you’ve just said?” Nhi’la stood and spoke loud and clear, waiting expectantly for Durand’s answer. Draygor snapped his head around at the mention of his old name, and was disturbed (and a little flattered) that she had a look of pure adoration on her face as she mentioned Draygor’s magicks. “I’ll have to avoid that girl,” he thought with a small shudder.

“Interesting question, Nhi’la,” Durand acknowledged, motioning for her to retake her seat. Draygor leaned forward expectantly as well. He knew his own powers did not meet the accepted criteria to be officially called mind magicks – especially since he was unable to telekinetically manipulate inanimate objects – but it was the closest category that he had been able to place it into, in his past life. He had attempted to search for the answer to this exact question as well, but simply stopped attempting to find an answer after he had scoured his old world to no avail. It was also weird how his spell hadn’t affected some (like Kha’na) during his kidnapping. He didn’t have much time to think about at the period in time, and it had slipped his mind until Nhi’la had brought up her unexpected question. There were so many questions, and barely any answers.

“The truth is, Nhi’la… I do not know. Even the Mages’ Council, a circle of the best mages of the kingdom, does not know. The White Death was an abnormality, and much, much stronger than our comprehension. There has been many studies over the years attempting to replicate a similar effect of total control, but none have been successful. The survivors of his mind control who were willing to talk about their experience simply described their time under his influence as ‘natural’. They said that it felt natural, as though their sole purpose was to obey his will. They could barely form any resistance to his magicks. Interesting, no?”

“Of course, I do not condone what he did. I saw the monstrosities committed against our people with my own eyes,” Durand continued in a sombre tone, at which Nhi’la gave a small frown. “Yet, I do not believe he was a bloodthirsty individual. If I was in his position, I’m unsure if I would have done the same. Personally, I would love to sit and chat with the White Death, if he was still alive. We would have much to learn from him. That was an excellent question, Nhi’la. In fact, you will be studying about the life of Elias in your later years of study, since he was relevant in our history, and in our understanding of magick and mana as a whole.”

Nhi’la nodded almost fanatically in agreement with the professor’s opinion, and her eyes shone with anticipation at being able to learn more about her idol. Draygor simply gave both Nhi’la and Durand a curious glance. He was a little disappointed that the old man couldn’t provide an answer, but it was a question he had been seeking an answer to for almost a thousand years, and he hadn’t expected much. Still, it was refreshing hearing nice words about himself after such a long time. Sitting and chatting did sound enticing, though it was a shame he would have nothing about his ‘mind magicks’ to impart.

“I can’t teach what I do not know myself, Durand,” Draygor thought silently. Perhaps certain classes wouldn’t be too bad, after all.

“Right, any more questions – ” Durand was interrupted as a bell tolled, signalling that it was the end of the period. The quiet halls of the mages’ academy began to bustle as dozens of students poured out of their classrooms, eager to satiate their hungers before the next round of afternoon classes started.

“It seems that is all the time we have for today,” Durand exclaimed, an excited gleam in his old eyes. “Go back and read chapters one to four of your textbooks. We shall be practicing minor telekinesis during our next lesson, and the knowledge in those chapters is essential for that. Now, go have your lunch, young ones!”

“Ah, except you, young Mithras. I need to have a word with you.”