Gio awoke after a deep and restful slumber. The first thing his mind went to was all of the new toys in his status that he couldn’t use whatsoever.

Nope. Not going there. What’s on the docket for today- oh right!

_____

“What do you mean not a single member of the school faculty uses mirror magic?!” Gio asked, flustered.

“Well, unfortunately, mirror mana has a particularly bad stigma surrounding its use. Most magic users consider mirror magic a tool exclusively for copying the work and results of others, or as a fringe case to advance other endeavors, like divination aids. In fact, Eudoria may be the best living mirror mage at the school currently.” The Owl said.

“Oh… well I suppose that’s something. Thank you for your time, Librarian.” Gio said.

_____

Gio sat at his desk, scratching out a list of options for what he could spend his first commendation on.

Mistress Blossom seems like she would be a fantastic teacher… and maybe this is greedy of me to say, but she already offers tutoring without a commendation. The way Owl talks about it, a commendation is something that also rewards the teacher who receives it. Maybe I should give it to her anyway… But, am I really in a position to be charitable at this point in time? I have two commendations, but I think I should probably be using them on myself first.

No mirror mages besides Headmaster Vespertine. Well, actually she’s not a mirror mage. She just happens to have mirror mana. Then why even mention her? It’s interesting that he specifically said that she was the best living mirror mage at- hold on…

At the entrance ceremony, she turned the ground of the auditorium into mirrors… and those mirrors had Manse access.

Gio turned around, looking at the “scrying plane” on his wall.

Such an everyday item that completely dazzled me during my first few days here. Best “living” mage, Owl? You tricky, tricky spirit.

Gio selected the cafeteria, allowing the now-familiar door to the Manse to open.

Walking inside, he looked around the endless, starry void inside the manse, and instead of walking forward to the exit to the Pearl Cafeteria, he stepped to the side of the doorways.

“Excuse me, I’m not sure if this is how this works at all, but if you can hear me…” Gio spoke, gaining confidence.

“Saint Baphelus, I would like to use a commendation to learn mirror magic from you.”

Gio felt a weight leave him as if a small burden on his person that he was unaware of had been taken from him.

That confirms that there’s something metaphysical about these commendations… that’s also probably why the Headmaster didn’t want anyone to have more than one.

One of the stars in the distance shot toward Gio, causing him to shield his eyes for a moment under the intense light of its landing.

When Gio opened his eyes, there was a small, ornate door. The lines of the translucent barrier in front of him were smooth and coiling like a cresting wave had been carved expertly into the glass.

Well, I guess he heard me.

Gio stepped forward into the door.

Blinding light from the sky above shone down upon a stone platform, inscribed with a sunburst pattern. Walls of diamond (much like the exterior of the Crystal Ring) seemed to reach up to the sky for miles above, creating a dazzling mountain of refracted sunbeams. Amidst the large stone platform, several titanic glowing arrays created pillars of scintillating, effervescent particles of teal light.

In the middle of it all, a man with a stylish beard and a mane of combed black hair sat at an elegant silver-looking table, holding a cup of tea. His attire seemed oddly current, being that if he was who Gio thought he was, he was a ten-thousand-year-old lich.

“Welcome to the Manse, dragonslayer. Not the astral hallways that everyone seems to think the Manse represents, but the actual dungeon seal.” the man said, sipping his mug.

“Greetings, Saint Baphelus. I am Giorgio deGloria.” Gio said, rendering his best formal greeting.

“And manners! Greetings to you, Giorgio. Have you come to slay another lich?” the man asked, with a predatory smile.

“I uh- no sir-” Gio stammered.

“Relax, I jest. If I required protection from a first-year, I would bring shame to this whole affair. My wife tells me that you’re something of a prodigy.” Baphelus snarked.

“Your wife, sir?” Gio asked.

“Eudoria. I can see the math going on in your little head. Worry not, I rebuffed her efforts for the first couple hundred years, telling her to talk to me when she reached four digits. And when she came in here, boldly, on her thousandth birthday- you know what? I shouldn’t be telling that to a student. My apologies, I don’t get many visitors. You’re here to learn from me?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Yes, sir. My class is [Student- Mirror Mage], and to my knowledge, there aren’t any other mirror mages in the school. Not that I would dare to assume that you wouldn’t be the best- I should stop talking.” Gio said, trying to calm his frazzled nerves.

“Interesting. We don’t get many mirror mages. There are hundreds of students walking around thinking that they might be the next best fire mage in town, but mirror mages? You might as well have walked in here with puppet mana. Fascinating! However, I must warn you that I am not a mirror mage.” The man stated.

“You’re not? But… the Manse…”

“Is a spatially asynchronous necromantic storage, management, and manpower distribution construct, eternally powered by the undying phylactery of an old windbag. Correct. Tell me, dear boy. What is the Manse?” the man quizzed.

“It’s… I don’t know.” Gio blanched.

“I’m not asking you to use any magic, and I am aware that you cannot currently do so. You don’t need your skills for this. Here, let me soften the question for you. Why do most of the Manse’s astral pathways utilize mirrors as entrances? I am looking for one word. Actually, several one-word answers here would work. I know that you know this.” the man asked.

Gio dug deep, trying to parse out meaning. He reviewed his entire time at the academy so far, attempting to create some sort of a satisfactory answer to satisfy a man who could end up becoming a valuable mentor. He found himself coming up short.

“Here, come sit and have some tea. Take your time coming up with an answer- you look like you’re ready to keel over, and I’m not resurrecting you. You aren’t wasting my time, so think it over nice and slow. I’ve got millennia to spare.” Baphelus said, conjuring another chair and a pot, from which he poured Gio a cup of fragrant tea.

Sipping the tea, Gio looked at the walls of crystals around him. The tea was probably the best Gio had ever tasted, and at the perfect temperature where it was cool enough to drink comfortably, but warmed his hands.

What did he say? A necromantic construct? But what does that have to do with mirrors? Honestly… all of the magic that the Manse does… so much of it is so incredible. I cannot even begin to think of how I would start to explain it. The mirror honestly just seems to be a flat surface for the door to appear on. But then, there’s the weird textures of those statues, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be a flat surface. Sometimes, the mirrors in the library aren’t even shiny anymore, and the manse still works, so it’s not about light. Is it just…

“Focus.” Gio stated.

“Explain.” Baphelus replied.

“The scrying planes, mirrors, and other entrances to the manse are only used as a focus to connect to the matrix of your spell construct. I think.” Gio replied, wincing at his own uncertainty.

“Very good. Yes, mirrors have been used since ancient times as foci for various magical workings. And that is why the Manse doesn’t utilize a great deal of mirror magic. I have found that mirrors are one of, if not the premier focus for the astral corridors, so there’s at least a small bit of mirror magic in there.” Baphelus affirmed.

“So… you can’t teach me mirror magic,” Gio said, slightly deflated.

“Oh do cheer up. You look like somebody just stole your puppy. I said I am not a mirror mage. What I am is a particularly unforgiving teacher, who has thousands of years of teaching experience, even if I no longer teach entire classes as I once did. I have knowledge of at least the first few things a mirror mage will need to learn, and I will teach you - If you are willing to work. So?” Baphelus asked.

“I am very willing to work, sir.”

“Excellent. You may find this somewhat funny, but I actually prefer to have my students begin their time under my tutelage by binding their ability to cast magic for some time. I find that it teaches restraint, and confirmation of hypothesis through logic, rather than blind experimentation.”

“So, with that being said, we’re going to start you off with a rather difficult first assignment. I am going to ask you something about a particular spellform, and you’re going to tell me everything about that spellform. And because you’re already teaching yourself how to scribe - and kudos for that- you’re going to scribe me multiple simple versions of that spellform. Here’s the question: why did mages in antiquity stop using mirror mana to cast the common illusion spell [Mirror Image]? You’re going to write me a report on this topic, and I want you to at least try to produce a spellform using mirror mana, and one the modern way with light mana. The spellforms need not be attuned, seeing as you are bound. We shall do that part together.”

Gio paled slightly at the assignment.

What have I done to myself? Am I a glutton for punishment? Is this why I was offered that shattered man class?

“You really need to work on not wearing your emotions on your sleeve as much. You seem the type to need a constant stream of validation, so I’ll give you a free tip: you’re not being graded on this, and I’m not going to drop you unless you really piss me off. This is a learning experience, It should be exploratory, not torturous. Ah, we must also talk about my fee.”

Gio paled even further. “F-Fee?”

“I feel absolutely foul for how good seeing that expression on you made me feel. I am a tea drinker. More than that, I have practically devoted myself to drinking tea over the last several eons. You’re going to have tea with me frequently, if not daily. It will be a time for us to get to know each other, and for me to assess your progress. The fee I posit, is that you will think of me if you find out about any new types of tea. I’ll pay for them if you find out where to obtain them. Marie and I have something of a… tea based rivalry, you see. We’re constantly trying to outdo each other. Oh! That brings me to my next point! This one’s exciting for me, as it’s been some time.”

The lich waved his hand, and a spark of teal magic flew toward Gio’s badge. Once it landed, the badge was transformed into a small, crystalline skull.

“There’s a little game some of us old farts play. That marks you as my official mentee. If it earns you an odd look, pay attention to whoever notices it, because that person might be more interesting than they appear. Well, with that- you’ve got an assignment, and I’m going to be here, in my own personal crystalline coffin. Drinking tea until time ends. Tata for now!”

Baphelus winked, spreading out a wave of mana that encapsulated Gio in a prism of mirrors, which faded away after a moment, depositing him in his room.

I think he’s more than qualified to teach me mirror magic.