Of Mana and Mages

Chapter 1: Of Mana And Mages

Mihail was, as his parent’s had always told him, a Telepath. 

He couldn’t recall the first time he’d heard someone else’s thoughts, nor the first time he saw their intentions openly visualized. Of course, this ability wasn’t all too extraordinary. Roughly a tenth of all Mages were born bearing innate powers, and his own was hardly the most capable in comparison. Whether it was the power to perfectly hypnotize another, a passive barrier that grew denser and sturdier as it took damage, or even the ability to outright freeze time itself for brief intervals, pretty much anything was possible.

In a world of mythic beasts and spellcraft, it was an unfortunate truth that the majority of a Mage’s potential was foretold from birth. Without an innate ‘Charm’, one’s room for growth was limited to manipulation of the Material Elements. While it was also true that those Elements provided a vast space for creativity, the limitations of the Physical Laws were insurmountable.

“Arturian Drakeheart’s Principles of Mana Manipulation, Volume II”

As he sat, textbook splayed open across his lap, the faint clinking and clattering of his mother’s cooking brought Mihail out of his pensive state with a jolt. 

Is dinner ready? He heard her yelp in surprise, followed by a metallic crash.

“How many times do I have to say, ‘No projecting while I’m busy’!?” She shouted, “Gah, it feels like you’re yelling in my ear when you do that!” He cracked a cheeky grin at her as he rounded the doorway, only for a spoon to smack against his forehead.

“That’s for scaring me half to death, now come eat and I’ll quiz you on your reading for today.” His mother said, the auburn hair he’d inherited spilling over her shoulders as she flipped back the bangs in her eyes. She turned back to the cooking basin for a short moment, before lifting up a large plate of steaming meat accentuated with greens and other various sides encircling the dish.

“I still don’t see why you’re putting so much effort into cooking tonight? It’s not like we’re expecting company.” He pondered aloud while he took a seat at the dining table, pulling a band from his wrist and tying his silken, shoulder length hair into a loose ponytail. Her face turned sour as she replied.

“What? Am I not allowed to have fun when I cook? Besides, you’re going to be leaving tomorrow morning, let me dote on you while I still can.” 

“I’m not just gonna vanish into the aether when I go to school, I’ll come back on weekends and holidays!” He assured her. Those sparkling, ocean blue eyes of hers twinkled in understanding.

“Oh, I know, sweetie. I’m just going to miss having you around while your father’s out on expeditions.” He thought for a moment, snapping his fingers as a solution popped into his mind.

“Well, maybe once I get good enough at Wind Manipulation, I could fly back here every day after class?” 

“Sweetie, I appreciate the thought, but it’s going to take a while for you to get that kind of control.”

“No it wouldn’t, I can just read a professor’s mind and figure out how to do it.” His mother’s eyes shot open in a challenging glare.

“Absolutely not. Your Charm isn’t some shortcut you can just take advantage of whenever you feel like it! You are going to learn magic properly, understood? That’s the whole reason we’ve been homeschooling you up until now, remember? So you could turn it off.” She spoke pointedly, causing Mihail to squirm under her scrutinous gaze.

“Y-yeah, sorry. It’s just… I still have a hard time seeing the point, you know?”

“Mhm,” She hummed in understanding, cradling her chin in her palm as the food levitated to their plates. “I can’t imagine how frustrating it must feel. I mean, for you, talking is basically just a formality. But!” She smiled, “At least people can’t lie to you. I bet that’ll save you plenty of grief!”

“I guess, sure…” The moment his mood turned sullen, Mihail felt a gentle wave of warmth embracing him. It was like she was hugging him in comfort, even from across the table.

“It’ll be okay, honey. I promise.” She cooed, well aware of the effect her thoughts were having on him.

“M-moooom, stop! I thought you promised not to do that anymore!” 

“I told you already, dear, this could be one of my last chances to be a doting mother before you ship off to the Center, and here you are all sad. I wouldn’t be much of a “M-moooom” if I didn’t try and cheer you up, huh?” She poked with a flippant giggle, beginning to cut away pieces of her meal.

A silence fell as the two dug in, the sound of evening crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl in the distance breezing through the open window by the table. 

By the time they’d both eaten their fill, the evening had progressed into a wonderfully bright, blue night. 

“Aaahhh, I can’t! Not another bite!” She exclaimed, falling back into her chair, “Okay, Mi-Mi, you ready? And remember, no cheating!”

After taking a moment to float their leftovers off to the garbage, his mother called upon the textbook that still lay open in his room, the dusty tome hovering through the house and into her palm. 

“Now then, let’s get started. First question!” She called as she set the book down on the table. “Your telepathy and my telekinesis, what magical category do they fall under?”

“I learned about Charms months ago, mom!”

“Ah, ah, ah, none of that sass, please. We’re going back over this so it'll be fresh in your mind. And yes, our inborn abilities are referred to as ‘Charms’. And what exactly defines a magical power as being a Charm?”

“They’re a part of us from birth, and they’re able to break the conventional laws of Elemental magic.”

“How many Mages out of ten are born Charmers?”

“One.”

“What’s the biggest difference between a Charmer and a regular Mage?”

“Charmer’s are born with an awareness of Mana, typical Mages have to gradually come to comprehend and understand their Mana over time. This means most Charmers have a massive head-start when it comes to learning Elemental magic. This, combined with how powerful Charms tend to be, creates a disparity between them and regular Mages.”

“Alright, you’ve got Charms and Charmers memorized pretty well, now let’s…”

 The evening progressed much like that, his mother quizzing him on the fundamentals of Mana for what seemed like an eternity. He found it difficult, stopping himself from just plucking the answers out of her head, but that was part of why he’d been homeschooled for so long. His Charm differed from most, in that his was constantly active unless he went out of his way to turn it off. Which, incidentally, was a wall he’d only recently overcome. 

He’d been told for as long as he could remember, ‘Never go near a crowd’ but for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why. Even when his parents would have friends over, the flow of thought and emotion never really seemed overwhelming or anything like that. Sure, it could be rather jarring, and sometimes there would be things that he simply didn’t understand, but aside from those rare instances his Charm felt perfectly manageable.

So why bother learning to turn it off?

By the time they’d gone through all of the fundamentals, he was getting rather tired, a sensation that was only amplified by the similar feeling he could sense in his mother. Her lips opened wide in a long, hearty, infectious yawn that hit him almost at once.

“Aaaaaahhhhh, I’m about ready to hit the hay. How about you?” She asked, stretching out her arms above her head, “You better get a few hours in if you wanna be in top shape tomorrow!” He rolled his eyes while he finished his own yawn, crackling his neck to each side.

“Yeah, yeah, I will. Actually, I wanted to practice with my Charm for a few minutes before bed, if that’s alright?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“I thought you could already turn it off? What, is there something else you’re wanting to try?” It was only a theory, but he figured it could be useful if it worked.

“I’m going to figure out how I can use it selectively. I mean, who knows? Could come in handy someday.” To his mild surprise, her initial reply was a heavy sigh.

“Mihail.” Uh-oh. “You know I don’t want you to feel like you can’t use your gift. Your Charm is unique, though, even among Charms, and it comes with a lot of strings attached. Just… be careful, okay?” He… wasn’t sure what to say. 

“U-um… I… I’ll try?” The worry he could feel through her was so embarrassing! Luckily, that managed to ease her concern, smiling gently.

“That’s all I can ask. Anyway, I’m going to catch some shut-eye. Try not to stay up too late!” She chirped brightly, ruffling his hair as she strode past him towards the master bedroom. 

…

“I’m waiting?” He jumped in his seat, turning to look over his shoulder. His mother was leaning against the doorframe, a sinister, expectant smile spread across her face. 

“L-l-love you!” 

“That’s better, haha! Love you too, sweetie!” With that, she turned and paced off to bed.

Mihail immediately hopped out of chair, still a little groggy, but clearer than when his mother’s fatigue was affecting him as well. He made his way outside, having to dip his head underneath the threshold.  

Nearly ten years, and I can still only barely get it to turn off.

Granted, he’d only really started giving it dedicated effort three years back, but still…

“Wish this was easier.” So he stood out in the open yard, the dark of the night obscuring anything beyond the treeline, and simply thought. 

Thoughts, to Mihail, were like snowballs. At their absolute root, every application of conscious sentience was built from a single, uniform structure, which then collided and stuck to each other in ways driven by the subconscious. On the large scale, this snowballing effect resulted in what most consider to be complex thoughts. 

Mihail could not interact with that deeper, subconscious layer that put thoughts together, and so he couldn’t possibly visualize what its machinations might be interpreted as. What his Charm allowed him to do, was perceive and interact directly with anyone’s conscious thoughts and emotions.

Without input or conscious effort on his part, this usually only went as far as making peoples thoughts as prominent in his mind as their actual voice. If the thought wasn’t as defined in words, it manifested as more of an imparted feeling.

If he chose to actively pry, it got quite a bit deeper. Motivations. Ideals. That sort of thing. Long-standing perspectives and opinions that the person in question held. For example, his mother absolutely despised the very concept of cruelty. He knew this, yet not once had there ever been a time where she’d openly expressed it outwardly. They lived a very quiet, very peaceful life. 

However, recently, Mihail had stumbled upon another facet of his Charm. He wasn’t sure exactly how far this new possibility went, but if it was what he thought…

He paced farther from the house, traversing all the way across the clearing and coming to a stop before two mighty oak trees. After taking a moment to clear his mind, he placed both palms gently upon the rough bark. Like before, he felt something. Not thought, or even emotion, but something… older. Vaguer. It was slow. Stagnant, yet never still. Before he knew it, he had to shake himself out of that sloth-like state. Blinking several times, he did his best to focus.  

Next, he tried mimicking the same process he’d learned to deactivate his Charm, but cutting it short before it finished. His telepathic attention narrowed down significantly, but was able to stop the cancel just in the right moment, where he couldn’t sense the presence of one tree, while still feeling the other’s connection.

There it is! Selective deactivation!

That was a trick he’d been trying to get right for nearly as long as he’d been able to turn his Charm off. A potent wave of levity swept through him, so heavily that he fell back in laughter.

Finally!

That morning…

“I! Said! UP!”  Consciousness came back to him all at once, his eyes snapping wide as he realized he was in a sudden freefall. He’d slammed back into his mattress before he could even react. When he raised his head to get a look at his attacker, he groaned when he realized that he had, in fact, overslept. His mother was glaring at him, hands still glowing faintly from the use of her Charm.

“Finally! Now hurry up and get your uniform on! You’re going to be late for orientation!” She snapped, telekinetically throwing the lavish box which held his school uniform at his face and leaving the room in a huff. A few seconds of silence passed, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched. 

After that, he got up and started to change into his uniform. It was… a little more extravagant than he was used to, but the black fabric and gold trim looked pretty cool. There was even a button-able pocket on the chest to give it a more academic feel, instead of just some expensive suit. He had some trouble getting the little tassels and patches where they were supposed to go, but after a few minutes it was put together like the manual displayed. It did say that students were allowed to pick and choose the look of their uniforms, but… well, why not just use the example and save some time? Buttoning his collar, he sat back on his bed to work on the dress-shoes that’d come with his uniform. Just like he feared, they were as rigid and uncomfortable as they looked.

Next, he got up again and walked over to his mirror, taking a moment to put his hair up before heading out the door. They were supposed to be given the supplies they’ll need after orientation, so he didn’t sweat packing anything. According to his mother, a previous attendee of ‘Drakeheart Academy’, they’d be given dorms to sleep in and all their needs would be taken care of. She said the world cared a lot more about educating Mages than getting fixated on financial costs. He didn’t really get the whole ‘financial thing’, but it sounded nice that he wouldn’t have to fend for himself the whole time.

A knock sounded from the front door, and just from the lightness of it he knew it wasn’t his father. He pushed the boundaries of his Charm, extending the range to encompass the entire house.

“Hope I’ve got the right house.” Distinctly male, a bit on the older side.

“I wonder how Mrs. Aletra is doing these days. I’m glad her son decided to come to my school.” Ah, so it was his Academy Escort. 

W-wait, his school?

“Are you ready Mi-Mi?!” His mother called as she swept over to the door to greet the escort.

Be there in a second!

Not wasting any more time, he jogged from his room, through the living room and kitchen, to the hall where the front door stood open, his mother apologizing profusely to the sharply dressed, maroon-clad man on the other side of the door. His ashen-gray hair was cut just short enough to not fall in front of his amber eyes, upon which he wore a pair of spectacles. He held a cane as well, a slender stalk of jet black wood with a single, thin groove about a foot from where his hand rested. Overall, he screamed ‘Professor’.

“Ah, is this the boy?” He asked, eyes scanning Mihail head to toe.

“No external markings… is he not a Charmer?” That made sense. After all, his mother was a Charmer, and his father wasn’t even a Mage. It would be rather odd if her son didn’t have one.

“Indeed, Headmaster Drakeheart. Is there a reason you came in person? You’re usually swamped in paperwork.” He smiled pensively at her curiosity.

“I believe I can make time for the son of one of my brightest graduates. Besides, you’re quite a bit further from the Center than our other applicants, so I figured it best to play things safe. You never know what ruffians might be skulking about the roads.”

‘Or worse.’

Worse than bandits? Mihail was suddenly quite grateful.

“So, uh,” He began, causing Drakeheart to meet his gaze.

“Yes, child?”

“Y-you’re the guy from the textbooks, right? Arturian Drakeheart?” It was so bizarre to see the very person who he’d read the work of for so long. Drakeheart was the highest authority among Mages, making strides unmatched in the development of Elemental Manipulation and Mana Theory. The way he wrote about magic was so… free. In his books, he asserted the only limits a Mage had, even non-Charmers, was the bounds of their own creativity. Anything could be done, if only one could open their minds enough to explore the possibilities.

“Hah! Well, it’s nice to hear you’ve been doing your homework. Yes, I am Arturian Drakeheart. Though I expect you to refer to me as ‘Professor’ moving forward.” He poked, earning a fierce nod from the boy.

“Y-yes, Professor, sir!” He felt his mother's hand smack lightly against the back of his head.

“Mihail, there’s a difference between respectful and just acting like a fool!” She badgered, turning to bow slightly in apology.

“Forgive him, Headmaster, Mihail hasn’t been around officials like you before.” 

“Bah, perish the thought, Mrs. Aletra! I already have a feeling Mihail here is going to be one of my finest pupils. I’m simply teasing. Now, I suppose it’s time we left. I’ll wait by the road while you say your goodbyes.” Dipping his head in a respectful nod, he turned and began to stroll off.

Mihail felt the shift in his mother’s mood instantly, and wasn’t surprised when she practically tackled him in a fierce hug. Her chin dug sharply into his shoulder as she held him.

“You be careful, hear me? I don’t want to get a letter one day telling me you’ve hurt yourself.” 

“Goodness, I hope he’s going to be okay…”

Mom. He projected, pushing all of the serenity and reassurance he could unto her worried mind.

I’ll be alright. I promise. Her grip loosened a bit, and he swore he felt something wet on his shoulder. 

“Oh, I know, baby.” She let go, holding him out in front of her by his shoulders and looked up into his eyes for a moment.

“I’ll miss you, Mi-Mi.” 

“I’ll miss you too, Mom.” And that was all that needed to be said. She gave his shoulders another squeeze, before stepping back to let him walk. As he moved to catch up with Drakeheart, he turned and gave her one last, happy wave. She waved back fervently, her face now beaming with a teary smile.

“You’re ready to leave, I presume?” He asked as Mihail made it over, much to the boy’s mild annoyance.

Someone’s in a hurry.

“Yep, let’s get a move on.” The novelty of meeting the esteemed Mage, while certainly interesting and cool at first, was already beginning to wear off. If anything, now he wasn’t very sure what to make of the Professor.

‘Perhaps his Charm is something more subtle…’ There it was again!

“Hey.” He began, coming to a stop as they walked. The Headmaster looked back at him so innocently, it just annoyed him even more. “Why do you care so much about whether or not I’m a Charmer? In your books you make out like they’re barely a factor when measuring a Mage’s worth.” He didn’t really care if the Headmaster knew his Charm, if the man would just ask he would’ve gladly explained it in detail. It was pretty funny, the look of complete disbelief that struck the Professor’s face when he realized he’d been found out.

“You… you can hear my thoughts?”

“My Charm is Telepathy. I also get emotions, and if I’m paying attention I can see what you’re about to do the moment you decide to do it.” Like he knew two seconds in advance that the old Mage was about to intentionally drop his cane in 'shock'. When it was just about to fall, he shot a foot out and caught it to prove his point. 

The man glanced down at the sight, then back up at Mihail. 

“Mind-reading, Empathic awareness, Precognition, anything else?”

“It’s also a continuously active Charm. Mom told me that was pretty uncommon.”

“Ah. Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it?” He chuckled, reclaiming his cane and turning to continue down the road. “I dare say, child, your Charm is even more powerful than my own. Teleportation may have its advantages, but you could quite easily just know where I might appear. You truly have been blessed.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don’t plan on using it all that much if I can help it. I only recently got to the point where I can turn it off, and sorry, but the idea of living without it is pretty appealing.”

“Are you trying to say you don’t want to be registered as a Charmer?”

“Would I be mentioning this if I did?” The Headmaster’s head tilted pensively, eyeing Mihail with a newfound air of caution.

“You certainly don’t sound like the same wide-eyed boy I met a few minutes ago.”

“Okay? I’ve been thinking this all through for a year or two, Professor, so you’ll have to bear with my impatience.” 

“No, no, I understand. Well, I suppose I cannot truly comprehend what living with a Charm such as yours must be like. Rather, I can respect wishing to separate yourself from it for a time.” With that, they started off again, and it wasn’t for several minutes of walking that he realized something was off.

“Why aren’t we just using your Charm?” Mihail asked warily, unable to think of a good reason. The Professor seemed to have expected the question, turning to face him without slowing his pace.

“Unfortunately, my Teleportation’s range is quite finite, and the further I go, the more it taxes my Mana. I could, in theory, simply blink the two of us to the Center, but it would likely leave me bed-ridden for the day. No, instead I shall simply walk with you.”

“Didn’t we just establish that I can read your mind? With all due respect, sir, that goes for lies too.” Again, Drakeheart flinched at being called out. This time, though, he managed to stay walking.

“This is going to be quite interesting, Mr. Aletra. It’s been some time since I’ve been seen through so clearly. Indeed, you’ve caught me in a bit of a fib. My Charm is actually almost entirely separated from my Mana reserves. Of course, I won’t just give out my greatest weakness to the one Mage who may someday outclass me. That would be the height of foolishness.” He explained, but Mihail was still skeptical.

“Then again, why haven’t we already teleported to the Center?”

“In truth, I had hoped to test you along the way. My deepest apologies for misleading you, it seems I’ve been accustomed to telling half-truths for far too long.” He stopped, “I trust your Charm can vouch for that, at least.” There was a genuine look of remorse in his eyes then, and Mihail couldn’t fault him. He… he knew why.

‘Perhaps a shift in priorities is in order. Too long. I’ve been acting alone for far too long.’ Drakeheart’s mind was a cloud of doubt and regret, images that Mihail blatantly couldn’t interpret flashing through his mind’s eye. It was… it was so much. In that moment, decades of deceit and feelings of betrayal washed over Mihail like an ocean. The only piece he was able to latch on to, the only familiar thing in that entire sea, was an image of…

His mother? Why did she look so pale?

He shut down his Charm before anything else got through.

Okay, note to self: Avoid reading his mind if I can. Or maybe it’s just older people in general?

He’d never actually had to deal with so much at once. Wait, hadn’t they been talking just now?

“S-so, uh… you said you wanted to test me right? W-what exactly did you have in mind?” The Headmaster’s eye refocused, meeting Mihail’s gaze again with a refreshed smirk.

“Correct. As for how, well, just react and that should suffice.”

“Rea-?” He stopped himself short, the ghostly image of the end of Drakeheart’s cane swiping through his stomach signalling the incoming attack. He shifted to the side, only for that same cane to suddenly be coming from the complete opposite direction. Again, he moved out of the way before the man had even begun to strike, reading his intent ahead of his actions. The Professor noticed, forgoing one strike for one sent from a different angle. But, again, Mihail could see the strikes before his foe even moved to act it out. To him, it simply didn’t matter how creative the movements were, or how much Drakeheart teleported about, he saw through all of it.

And then pain blossomed in his gut as a lunging stab knocked the wind out him. He breathlessly gasped, instantly dropping to his knees. The one responsible blinked into existence in front of him, looking quite amused.

“Very impressive, young man. Not a day of combat experience to your name, yet you can even keep up with my Charm in full swing. But, I think we’ve discovered a flaw in your Precognition.” Mihail pulled his head up.

“Y-yeah… can’t… really read… if you don’t think.”

“So instinctual movements can break through. That calls into question emotions and impulses, however. Where does your power draw the line between conscious thought and raw instinct?” 

“I think it’s less specific than that.” He answered, “That last one got through because you didn’t let yourself plan for it in advance.”

“So it’s moreso reading one’s pre-constructed strategies, than actual Precognition?”

“I guess? I’ve never been in a fight like that before. It was… pretty easy, actually.” 

“To be expected. You won’t meet many Mages willing to fight without some sort of plan, so think of this as the exception, rather than the rule. Would you be opposed to having lessons like these after your classes? It could work wonders for your Charm’s combat efficacy.” He offered, reaching down to help the boy back to his feet. Mihail rose with a groan, cradling his stomach.

“Ah, was that a bit excessive? Forgive me.” The apology was genuine, that much the psychic could tell easily.

“It’s fine, you didn’t mean to.” He stopped for a moment to think over his Headmaster’s proposition. “And, uh, sure. That was kind of fun, honestly.” Drakeheart’s response came in the form of a sly look.

“An adrenaline junkie, are we? Yes, the thrill of battle can be rather infectious. But.” His eyes sharpened dangerously, “I’ll not have you turn into some violence-crazed warmonger. Am I clear?” Something shifted in the air, at that moment. A kind of… incorporeal pressure that poured out of that heavy glare. Mihail felt his hairs stand on end.

“O-of course!” Just as abruptly, the pressure vanished. Now, the man was simply smiling happily, like the previous few seconds had never happened.

“Very well then. In that case, let us be off.” Without warning, the Professor clapped a hand on his shoulder and in a very jarring visual shift, they were suddenly in a large, lavish room. Emblems identical to the patches on Mihail’s uniform decorated the walls, accompanied by massive tapestries of art. The desk near the back of the room was stacked high with sheets of paper, backlit by the floor-to-ceiling window which looked out over a massive layout of monolithic architecture.

They had arrived.

“Come along, now. At this rate, we shall both be late for orientation.” Mihail realized he spaced out, staring amazedly out at the seemingly endless expanse of campus. He quickly turned to fall into step with the Headmaster, gazing to and fro at one fantastic sight or another.

Author's Note

A bit exposition heavy, but my magic system is a little more specific than most and it needs to be explained to clarify how Mihail being psychic is possible.
So, to condense it, everyone in this world can become a Mage. Only 10% of them are born with Charms. Charms are inborn abilities that ignore the laws of physics. They can be literally anything. Mages without Charms are able to manipulate anything within the laws of physics, this is referred to as Elemental Magic. It requires acute understanding and visualization. As in, to make ice, you need water, then you need to, in detail, imagine the process of the water freezing. They can also Manifest an element, given a high proficiency in manipulating said element, at the expense of Mana. This is dragging on, so I'll stop for now. There's more, but it can wait for later chapters.