Chapter 44.

PART 1.

After a month-long absence, Hatori’s friends find him sleeping in his bed. Hatori actually didn’t have any problems on his training ground, because it seems to shelter him from rain, cold, and anything which could harm him. But there’s just no comfort in there.

After he has enough of listening to the crackling of thunder and the patter of rain, he decides to sleep in his room in the bliss of silence.

“So. Finally decided to grace us with your presence, huh?” asked Josh, brimming with protective anger.

“Who am I to grace anyone?” Said Hatori. “Besides. It is necessary that I focus on my training.”

He actually wanted to say that he is lucky that he has such good friends. But Hatori didn’t have the guts to say that out loud. Honestly, he should take lessons from me. I say whatever the hell I want, consequences be damned. That’s probably I’m fired from every narrating job, but that’s not the point here.

The point is, Hatori’s friends are left fuming as he leaves them without an explanation once more.

PART 2.

During the combat class, Bali is surprised to see Hatori. The boy has been missing classes. What exactly is he doing outside of classes is the question every professor has asked at least once, except for that bastard Dhiraj. Now Bali has a chance to find that out.

“So. Decided to show us your face, huh? mind telling the class what you were doing by skipping your classes?” asked Bali, looming over Hatori.

“Training.” He replied simply.

“Training? What training could you do outside of your classes? Aren’t the professors good enough for you?” He asked.

“You allow older students to do that. Why are you asking me so many questions?” asked Hatori in return.

“Because they have a greater experience with magic. You have no such experience.” Said Bali.

“I’m not telling you about my training.” Said Hatori.

“And why is that?” questioned Bali.

“Because then it’ll spread to other students, and I’ll be in danger.” Said Hatori.

“Nonsense, boy. No one can threaten you for the first two years of the Academy.” When Hatori still did not reveal what he was doing by skipping classes, Bali decides to teach him a lesson. “Praduman Rao, you’re up. You’re going to duel with Hatori.”

‘Let’s see, how he fairs against the boy who actually attended his classes. His training will prove to be useless against the real teaching.’ Thinks Bali.

Hatori saw it as a punishment for defying a professor. This has happened to him before, so he can clearly see the signs. But he refuses to budge. He is completing the class assignments, knows the material, and he is sure that he can pass the exams at the end of the year. So he doesn’t see any problem with skipping classes, and focusing on his own training to improve himself faster. Professor Bali is doing this just to satisfy his ego.

Hatori is already familiar with Praduman. He met him at the party of Avinash about a month and a half ago. From his words, Hatori got the impression of him that he prefers brute force. But he decides he won’t rely on that impression, for it could be wrong.

“Now, whoever is knocked unconscious loses. Otherwise, I will decide the winner, depending on dominance. No spells to maim each other are allowed.” Bali explained the rules. “Begin!”

Hatori opens with a flurry of Stinger spells, surprising Praduman with his fast speed. He is casting his spells without moving his staff too much. After getting his bearings, Praduman fires his own spells, which do come at Hatori slowly, but hit hard, judging from the impact against the wall. Several students had to scramble out of the way as the exchange of spells got wild, and professor Bali was in no hurry to interrupt the contest.

Daphne watches this duel, along with his friends from the corner of the classroom. Praduman is unable to handle the rate of fire of Hatori for too long, and soon enough he has bruises to show for the hard-hitting Knockback spell, and several welts from the Stinger spell.

Professor Bali is impressed by Hatori’s control over his magic. To hit someone so hard with Knockback spell clearly requires a lot of skill and practice. Whereas Praduman needs to work on his control and his stamina. He lost his strength quickly by casting slow and power consuming spells, which missed their targets anyway, while Hatori hits him with a volley of lightweight spells with lots of damage as they find their mark.

When Praduman is thrown to the ground with a Knockback spell, Hatori expected professor Bali to end the duel there. But he didn’t do that, and Praduman got close to him and decided to attack him physically. Although he has gotten thoroughly trounced in this contest, there is a grin on his face.

He reaches Hatori, and grabs him in a bear hug, lifting him from the ground with his strength. But Hatori wiggles out of his grip. He kicks his knee from behind, and, after kneeling on his leg, strangles his neck. Professor Bali loses the color of his face after seeing that hold. When Praduman stopped struggling, Hatori released him.

This duel consumed the time for the class today. After everyone is dismissed for the day, and Praduman is sent to the hospital by Bali, he stops Hatori. “Wait a minute, boy.”

Annoyed, Hatori stops while the other children leave. Some of them gave him sympathetic looks. They think that the professor has a special punishment in mind for him. “You’re training with the book about physical magic, aren’t you?” He asked.

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“Yes.” Said Hatori. The book is in the library. It doesn’t surprise him that the professor knows about it.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to yourself?” scolded Bali. “That book reduces grown mages to tears with its mad physical exercises, never mind about the barbaric physical holds it teaches. You could end up hurting your body, and stunting your development!”

“I will become strong professor,” said Hatori. “At any cost. Once I’m strong, I won’t need to hide from anyone.”

Dismayed that his words are not reaching the boy, professor Bali waves Hatori off. He gets where the boy is coming from. Academia has its own brutal politics, so he can surmise that the children of powerful families are already causing problems for him. ‘But the boy doesn’t understand. This isn’t the right way to approach this problem.’

“Fuck you Zeko, fuck you with a giant staff!”

PART 3.

After the classes were over, Hatori changed his uniform (he considered stopping to wear that. But then decided it'd make him just an easy target,) and is now taking notes in the library from the book called Mind and Magic.

“Mind and Magic. The mind of a mage is their greatest strength. The one who can improve their mind will always have an edge over someone who just followed the standard practice of magic.” announced the robotic voice.

He has to take notes in the library, because he can’t take out the book. He is still working on the book about fociless magic.

His peace is interrupted when a bunch of second year students walk up to him. “Oy. Firsties aren’t allowed here. Get lost!” Said one of the students, while others laughed and jeered. Hatori thinks about why every bully has to follow the same script, and then decides he shouldn’t waste his time and energy thinking about it.

When they see that their threat is not having the intended effect, the boys grab Hatori’s collar, and try to drag him out of the library. But Hatori pushes them away with an instinctual burst of magic.

“Halt!” Several yantras come marching in after sensing the conflict. “Fighting is not allowed in the library.” They said, grabbing the second years.

“But he started it!” complained one of the second-year students.

“Doesn’t matter. All of you will be punished equally.” Said the yantra.

“I have no intention of suffering any punishment for the crime I did not commit. So buzz off!” said Hatori.

But the yantras did not listen. They came to grab him. Hatori flings the chair on one of them, and stomps on one yantra’s knee joint. After observing this impressive will of violence, the yantras have a quick discussion among them. “We have decided to let you go, this time.” They quickly communicate to other yantras to come in more force whenever this boy is involved in an incident.

PART 4.

At the same time, a discussion is happening in Hatori’s room. “That duel, it lacked the variety in the spells used. But it was very intense.” Said Raven.

“Yeah, and I’m happy that Professor Bali was put in his place.” Said Shin. “He clearly tried to punish Hatori with the hands of another student.”

“That’s fine.” Agreed Josh. “But I’m worried, you guys. How is he getting so powerful? What is he doing?”

“Let’s hope he is not taking some boosting potions.” Said James grimly. “The effects can be very bad, to say the least.”

PART 5.

After dinner, Hatori is leaving with his friends. Even though there is some bitterness between them, (which is entirely his fault, he accepts that), he is stopped by Maria before he could leave for the ground.

“You!” She said, brimming with anger. “How dare you forget the date of our duel?”

“What duel?” asked Josh.

“The duel over the board!” roared Maria.

“Ah, the chess match.” Remembers Hatori.

“YES!”

“Ug! Please stop screaming.” Said Hatori. “Tell you what, play a game with Raven. He plays better than me anyway.” said Hatori, and brushed past Maria.

Maria glared at Raven. Though Raven refrains from using the curses he has heard over the years, he swears profusely in his mind at Hatori for saddling him with this problem.

Hatori, ignorant of Raven declaring vengeance upon him, enters the ground, where Sargent Book is waiting for him. “Ah, you are here, boy. Good. Good.” The spirit bobbed up and down in the air. “I have to leave now; my job is done.”

“But—”

“I was supposed to teach and make sure that you performed your exercises on time. You do that now, without my prompting. Just keep practicing the holds, and I’m sure you will become a powerful mage one day.” The spirit disappears.

The ground seems lonely all of a sudden. Hatori goes to the square shaped platform, which he has been using as a bed during his stay in the ground. Today was an exhausting day. He had to fight a lot. With hopes of the next day being peaceful, Hatori falls asleep.

PART 6. SELECTED READING FROM MIND AND MAGIC.

While it is true that the body is important to maintain for a powerful mage, the mind is equally important. Otherwise, the mage suffers from various effects, from spells coming to them slowly, and eventual death due to slowness while working with magic.

Having a focused mind is also a boon while working with fociless magic. The feat of performing the magic through the shear will without any bodily movement is only possible through a focused mind. In this book, you will find ways to exercise the mind. Though the book is useful for all the mages, young mages benefit specially from the exercises we have designed.

(End.)