Ulric and Jackson embraced one another in a comforting hug, safe in the knowledge that Jackson still had a chance to be a proper mage. Miss Aster watched them for a few seconds before dismissing them from her office, sending Ulric on his way back home and guiding Jackson to a new classroom opposite the Ego class he had previously attended. She motioned for him to enter, giving him a pat on the back as he walked through.

"You've got a few minutes before anyone shows up still," said Miss Aster, "so take a seat and get comfortable. Remember, all you need to do is convince Rialu that you are exceptional. She was already curious at your appraisal, so you just have to make sure she stays intrigued enough to let you off paying that extra tuition. Got all that?"

Jackson nodded, bidding her farewell as he took a seat at the front of the class. The room was almost identical to Miss Aster's classroom, but the curtains were a rich lavender instead of red. Students entered the room a few minutes later, but there were none that Jackson recognised from his Ego classes. Everyone had the same vibrant crimson cloaks, but the trimmings of these students were a deep and rich purple—most likely to identify them as Shapers. Now that he thought about it, despite his desire to be a mage, Jackson knew startlingly little about magic, how mages are categorised, or even the basic principles of anything remotely arcane. The term "Shapers" rang a bell though, Jackson recalling Miss Aster asking a question about it in yesterday's lesson. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Jackson sat and waited for Miss Abhar—Rialu—to enter the class.

As soon as the bell sounded, signalling the start of the lesson, she appeared through the doors to the room, drowsily strolling down the stairway to the centre of the class and taking her position at the podium. She scanned the class, presumably checking attendance, but doubled back upon noticing Jackson seated in front of her.

"Hello once again, everyone," Rialu began, "it's time for our second lesson. I have been made aware that another Hybrid will be joining us for today, so for their sake, will somebody tell me what makes us Shapers?"

A litany of hands rose across the room, with Rialu singling out a student near the middle of the class for an answer.

"Shapers can manipulate magic in the world around them. We can't transform matter since we don't generate our own magic, only control what already exists around us."

"Bingo," Rialu commended in a low-effort, monotone voice. "That's right. In terms of magic, we Shapers are as simple as they come. We are all capable of the exact same things. One such thing—the manipulation of water—which is where we will start. Follow along."

Without pause, Rialu hauled herself to the room's exit and opened the doors, signalling the students to follow her out. She led them through the winding corridors of Optima out into the lush greenery of its courtyards, marching groggily towards a large fountain at the centre. A carved statue sat atop the fountain—a knight with a three-pronged helmet thrusting their sword downwards into the earth. Water ran from the statue's eyes, flowing down into the chest and alongside the sword, eventually pooling in the fountain's base.

"Now," murmured Rialu, "we should get started. Pay attention now."

Rialu stood perfectly still, simply looking down at the water. Small ripples flashed across the water's surface as the water itself left the fountain, forming a massive bubble above Rialu's head. It began to swirl and take shape, thinning at the bottom and widening at the top, taking the shape of a tornado, waves now forming inside the mass without a drop of water flying out of control or hitting the floor. Without even changing where she was looking, Rialu willed the water back into the fountain with a splash, inadvertently flicking droplets of water onto the students.

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"Who wants to go first?" she announced with as little energy as before, as students began lining up and taking turns trying to manipulate the water. Almost everyone was successful, with a few taking a bit more time to get the hang of it than others. Eventually, it was Jackson's turn. He turned to Rialu, who was absent-mindedly sitting down beside the fountain observing the students, and began to question her.

"Miss Abhar?"

"Yes?"

"So, uh, I haven't actually used Shaper magic before."

"That doesn't surprise me—you awakened only a few days ago."

"Yeah, exactly. So, could you maybe, I don't know, help me out with it?"

"Hm... fine. It is what I'm paid for."

"Thank you."

"Okay, first things first, just give it a whirl. The worst thing that could happen is you fail to use magic—in which case I'll guide you more."

Jackson shrugged, agreeing with her line of reasoning. He tried to copy what Rialu had done, staring down at the water and screaming inside his head for it to move, for it to obey his command. The water didn't so much as ripple. He tried again, this time trying to bargain with the water, pleading with it to help him out, but yet again to no avail. He turned his attention back towards Rialu.

"Still nothing, huh?" she questioned.

"Unfortunately."

"You've got some potential as a mage, so I don't think that you're incapable of doing this. It is possibly just an issue of your perspective."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Using magic comes naturally to most mages, since they have it from so young. For them it's as natural as walking. For you, on the other hand, it's like a toddler suddenly had to fill out a tax return."

"I'm... I'm not sure I see what you're getting at, to be perfectly honest."

"Eh, I've been told I'm bad at analogies. Anyway, the point is—whilst it's second nature for them, it isn't for you. Think of it like having to manually blink whilst they can do it automatically. Their perspective of magic and how to use it is innate, but you'll have to actively change your perception until you get used to this."

"Okay, that makes a tad more sense. But how do I change my perspective? What does that even mean?"

"Look at it like this. Have you ever tried to move water before? I don't mean magically, just in any scenario."

"Sure, loads of times."

"Now, whenever you try to transport water, you don't grab hold of the water, do you? You can't—it would just slip through your fingers, which is why you need to put the water in a container before you can move it. But that's only the case when you don't have magic. With magic, that water becomes tangible—it's something you can grab hold of and bend to your desires. Your whole life that hasn't been the case—you haven't had magic. Now that you do, you need to throw away how you viewed the world before. Look at everything on a smaller and larger scale than you have. Reach out with magic, and grab hold of the water."

Jackson nodded, slightly confused by Rialu's long-winded rant, but grateful for the advice nonetheless. He stared down at the fountain once again, locking eyes with his reflection, trying to pour his magic into the water through his gaze. It was faint, but for a brief moment, a small ripple spread across the fountain's base. Jackson smirked, trying to grab hold of the water now that he could influence it, but it was not to be.

"Don't try and copy me verbatim. I'm one of the continent's best Shapers—it's easy for me, I can literally do it with my eyes closed. But you're a beginner. Try reaching out physically, like you're moving the water with your hand—it'll help you visualise it better."

Jackson took heed, placing his hand in front of him and splaying his fingers wide open. He felt some magic go towards his eyes once again, allowing him to see the colours around him almost effortlessly. He could see his colour now, but it was faint—a swirling black with shining dots scattered throughout, a multitude of colours shifting and dissipating across the surface of his body. He moved the colours down to his arm, then past his body, reaching out towards the water. Sweat began to form on his brow, the strain of using his vision and trying to move the water simultaneously evidently getting to him. Then black tendrils stretched out and formed a bridge from his body to the water, and Jackson began to raise his hand, lifting the water as he went. It wasn't as elegant or controlled as Rialu, with him dropping a consistent dribble of water from his far smaller orb, but it was progress. He sniggered to himself for a second before releasing the water back into the fountain.

"Very good," Rialu said from her seat. "I expect at least this much."

"That's fine," Jackson responded, "I've got plenty more to come."