Nox arrived at Beginner Manipulation fifteen minutes early. A couple of students already sat at their desks. One stood at the front of the class, talking to the professor and his assistant. Fortunately, the young woman didn't take long. She had her form signed before taking a seat.

“How can I help you, Sir Ratra?” Professor Dwight asked.

“I constructed a spell that might just satisfy you,” he answered, unrolling two scrolls. One featured the spell script, and another several diagrams. Nox struggled to suppress a yawn. He hadn’t slept much the night before. The baths had wards to prevent people from fighting, but he hadn’t bothered guarding the space against mind magic. Only the workshops and laboratories featured such protections. Nox felt stupid for the oversight and had spent most of the night designing and implementing something large-scale. He still needed personal protection but settled for casting Crystalize essence at regular intervals.

“Interesting.” The older man pulled on his reading glasses and waved his assistant closer to have a closer look.

“I'm developing a new arcane technique. It's my dissertation topic for Advanced Mana Theory.”

“Killing two birds with one stone, I see.” The professor grabbed a quill, checking every rune and the accompanying diagrams. “Shaping, Animation, and intent-driven elements.” Reginald Dwight raised an eyebrow. He glanced at his assistant. The younger man had a similarly surprised expression on his face. “I wasn't expecting this.”

“Is this not good enough?” Nox's breath caught in his throat. “I'm sorry. I started working on your project but got distracted by my dissertation proposal. If you give me a couple more days, I'll come up with something else. Maybe—”

“No, Sir Ratra,” Professor Dwight interrupted. “I wasn't expecting this level of mastery. I'm aware of what courses you completed and have attempted thus far. They're all script intensive, and I expected you to struggle to break free of that mindset. What you have here is theoretically beyond Intermediate Manipulation's level. If you had a planet dedicated to the discipline and displayed adequate practical prowess, I'd enroll you directly in Advanced Manipulation.”

“Are you pursuing the Scholar Arcanum qualification?” The assistant professor asked.

Nox shook his head. “Between running the Galleria and preparing for my upcoming nuptials, I don't have the time necessary for such a qualification. I only want to fix the current issues with my mana system and complete Advanced Mana Theory. I'll be happy as long as I graduate with the title of Wizard.”

“It shouldn't be a problem for you,” Professor Dwight said. “Between alchemy and warding, you have the artisanal component sorted. If this is for your Advanced Mana Theory dissertation, I'm sure you'll complete the research component with flying colors. Since you’ve already completed an advanced combat course, you only need to complete a couple of advanced practical magic courses to meet the rest of the requirements.”

“If and when I fix my mana system and complete the Finesse Shaping, I will have completed half of those requirements, too,” Nox stated.

“Indeed. We don’t frequently find mages with equal proclivity in academia, artisanal arts, practical magic, and combat. Most of us settle for the title of magi.” Professor Dwight pulled a form out of his desk, wrote Nox's name on it, and signed it. “Good job. Intermediate Manipulation meets in the practical room directly above us. If you hurry, you'll catch the start of the class.”

“You don't teach it?” Nox asked, quickly rolling up his scrolls.

The professor shook his head. “I only teach the beginner class and a couple of advanced courses. The university was kind enough to lighten my load and delegate the intermediate course to one of my old prodigies. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family this semester.” He smiled. “Aren't they nice?”

After packing away his scrolls, Nox raced out of the lecture hall. The opposing tide of students made it a challenge. Five minutes remained before class started, and everyone was in a rush to find seats where they would get the most or least attention from the professor.

He broke into a run once he reached the end of the corridor. Nox raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Moving with the tide helped weaving through the masses of students much easier. Unwilling to make a poor impression during his first meeting with the professor, he cast Haste on himself. Several students swore at Nox and called him names as he pushed past them, but he didn’t care. Then, once he reached his destination, his heart sank.

Professor Dwight’s prodigy was none other than Leisel Wyrd. She raised an eyebrow when their eyes met. “Can I help you, Sir Ratra?”

“Professor Dwight offered to promote me to Intermediate Manipulation if I completed a little project for him,” Nox said. “So, here I am.”

“Do you have the appropriate paperwork?” Leisel Wyrd kept her tone cold and her body language professional as she spoke. Their previous interaction appeared forgotten. Nox handed her the form. “I’d like to see whatever spell he had you prepare, too.”

Nox complied and also silently cast Crystallize Essence on himself. The act emptied half of the mana stored in the new Ratra’s Bow.

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The professor looked over his script and the diagrams in silence. “Can you cast this?”

“I can,” Nox replied. “It takes me a moment since I don’t have a Manipulation planet yet. But—”

“Professor Dwight approved your admittance to Intermediate Manipulation despite the lack of an appropriate planet? That’s unexpected.” Leisel sighed. “I hope you know that my class has a strong practical component. You’ll struggle to meet my standards without a planet and the demonstration of standard Manipulation techniques.”

“Of course, Professor Wyrd. I don’t expect any special treatment.”

“This is decent spell work. I’ll give you that. Impressive, if I were to be honest. Unfortunately, theory isn’t enough to excel at Manipulation.” Professor Leisel scanned her already full classroom. “Please find a seat. The class should’ve started five minutes ago.”

The icy reception surprised Nox. He didn't expect her to treat him in the same manner as their previous meeting but expected better since she wanted him to enroll in her specialty subjects. He didn’t care as much since he had no intention of spending much time with a Mind Mage who used her magic for moronic ‘tests.’

The classroom only had twenty-three students, and they sat at rune-covered two-person desks six feet apart from one another. Runes and wards more intense than those in the Beginner Manipulation classroom covered the floor. Much to Nox’s disappointment, the closest free seat was next to another familiar woman he wished to avoid: Kurosaki Hinata. Joey smiled at him from the back row, but he already had a seat partner.

“Please sit down, Sir Ratra. I’d like to start the lecture.”

Unwilling to disrupt the class further by weaving to the back of the class, Nox sat next to the shadow mage. It felt as if some grand puppet master refused to let him have his peace of mind and was determined to make him spend time with the two women he wanted to avoid most in the city. He had already told Aria about the pair. It annoyed Nox that she found both situations amusing instead of annoying or infuriating.

Unlike Leisel Wyrd, Hinata flashed him a warm smile when he took his seat. She slid her notebook across the table, sharing the syllabus and everything they had discussed during the previous session.

“So. Let's expand on what we discussed last time.” Liesel scribbled on the chalkboard. “There are two primary schools of Manipulators. Cagers and Permeaters. Anyone cares to summarize what the first does?”

“Cagers contain the target of their Manipulation in mana cages,” a young woman at the front of the class said. “Instead of controlling the subject of their magic, they Manipulate the cage. Cagers don’t traditionally Shape their subject and use amorphous materials like water, dirt, and sand.”

“That’ll do. Now, who can tell me about Permeaters?”

Hinata spoke up. “Permeaters either conjure their subject or infuse it with their mana for absolute control over it. They don’t usually deal in the same volumes as Cagers and often need to Shape their subject to simplify their Manipulation.”

“Very good. Cagers often win when it comes to power, but Permeaters win at speed and precision.” Liesel added bullet points to the board, noting the key differences. “Manipulators are the kings of fluidity and versatility. The best of us don’t fall into either category and use techniques from both. Is anyone willing to put on a demonstration?” No one volunteered at first. “Anyone? It pays to win the professor’s favor in practical heavy courses.”

“Watch closely,” Hinata told Nox as she rose from her seat and walked to the front of the class.

Professor Leisel Wyrd conjured a copy of herself. It picked a banana off the desk and peeled the proof, proving it was not just an illusory clone. Shadows around the doppelganger and Hinata stirred to life. They stretched into tentacles, climbed the fake Leisel, and bound her limbs together. Then, one broke free of all surfaces. The tip solidified into a jagged blade and plunged into the exposed neck. Leisel’s clone exploded into a cloud of Faerie Fire.

“Very good,” the professor said. “Please tell the class what you just did.”

“I permeated the shadows with my mana, giving them solidity,” Hinata said, facing her fellow students. “Mana cages helped me contain and manipulate them. Permeation then helped give my solidified shadow dimension. I used Shaping to grant it sharpness and piercing power before the execution. My scripts produce the cages, assist with permeation, and cause the solidity. The rest is intent-driven.”

“Very good. Miss Hinata’s need to change the nature of shadows certainly makes this bit of magic more unique, but it’s a decent example of the individual disciplines combining to produce something extraordinary.” Leisel smiled at the younger woman. “Thank you. You may return to your seat.”

“Aren’t I impressive?” Hinata asked, nudging Nox as she sat down.

“You both are,” Nox admitted. “I’ve read about solidified and three-dimensional shadow, but this is my first time seeing it in executed properly.”

“Well, if you paid attention to me in class, you would’ve seen more of it.”

“Don’t you think I’d make an excellent addition to your party?” A wink accompanied the question.

“You were impressive, but I’m still not sure if our formation has room for someone new,” Nox whispered, trying to focus on the ongoing lecture. “Besides, this is a party decision. I need to discuss it with the others.”

“I don’t think Joey Greengrasse minds.” Hinata looked over her shoulder at Joey and winked at him. The warlock smiled, waving back at the pair. “I heard what you told Professor Wolfhammer. It would be foolish not to consider me for a delving party that utilizes stealth and infiltration tactics.”

“Miss Kurosaki!” Leisel called. “I’m grateful for the demonstration, but I’d appreciate it if you did not disrupt the class while I’m talking.”

“I’m sorry, Professor Wyrd.”

Leisel Wyrd’s ability to create solid clones out of Fae Fire impressed Nox a lot more than shadow magic. It was a rare ability, and he could see its potential in infiltration and espionage. He hoped Joey would learn the trick from the professor and also made quick notes on how to make wards to protect against spies with such powers.

As the class continued, Nox wondered which discipline of Manipulation he would need to master spatial magic. His current mana zone spell made him more of a Cager. Permeation felt too mana-intensive for use with spatial magic. However, it felt compulsory when playing with time within his domain. He noted several theories and hoped Sapna would help him solve the problem. Even though Nox found Leisel Wyrd impressive, he wasn’t ready to spend one-on-one time with her. Mind Mages willing to toy with humans terrified him.