Amy leaned against a stone wall, that of the main entrance to the Mage association building. With a wide-brimmed sun hat to ward off the harsh light, she wore a simple cream-coloured dress and a pair of matching shoes, decided upon after some extended deliberation. She had been fiddling with something in her purse to pass the time, Mage identification papers hidden away, just in case she needed them. At times, she almost wanted to see what would happen to them if she Recorded them, but reason won out. It might do something funky to the magical signature and if, worst case, I do have to show them this, I don't want it to flag up as something bad.

Boredom was beginning to creep in however, through no fault of her own though. Just in case she couldn't find the building, it being her first time in Harth, she had set off quite a while before the agreed time to meet with William, but, embarrassingly enough, it took her barely any time at all for her to find it. So, she was left her to her own devices, wondering how to pass the time.

I can't just start practising Spells, especially workings, even if this is in the magical district. Amy thought, setting the papers down to flick at one of her finger's cuticles, inspecting it. All the other performers here likely have a licence to do so, and I don't see any Mage-types with their Magicks out in the open. I can always do what Felin said to do though; consolidate my gains.

Turning her Sight inwards, Amy inspected her brain carefully, probes occasionally coming up from her mana pool to prod and poke at it, judging reactions. She especially noticed the difference in reactivity between the rest of her brain and her occipital lobe, the latter far more attentive than before. With each searching touch from her probes, Amy flickered between her mana and mundane sights, taking in the differences in each: the way the shadows seemed lighter when she touched the lobe in a specific way; or how the eddies in the Ocean seemed to connect to other channels and currents within the streams; or even how the two sights crossed over more deeply, Amy sometimes seeing sparks of mana from the performers around her, colourful yet dull.

As the maxim dictates, my Mind is Wielding all parts of my vision more effectively and yet I hesitate to say that's the only conclusion I can draw from both the effects of the enhancement and the maxim itself, Amy considered. Just like a Mageling's was the 'Sight to See' but the way I fully accommodated to the Tier was by more than just using my Mage Sight well. It was through seeing through reality, to dig deep into the truth of the matter of what was happening around me, and what was to come from it. And similar to that, I suspect the Apprentice's maxim doesn't end at just that either. But what else would it be?

When my mana pool first started attuning itself more to me, what was I thinking about? My goals. My path. And not just a Mage's path either, but my life's. So similar to how I saw through my life's troubles before in Mageling, I now need to realise what I need to do to escape them? I already did that though. I've escaped Triesen - for the most part - and am truly free. Unless I haven't? In order to truly escape Triesen I need to do more than what I have already? My... mental troubles, perhaps? Amy frowned at the thought, clenching her fist. Either way, if there's anything I've learned across these years waiting in Triesen is that I can wait. I'm a patient impatient woman at heart. Wait... that doesn't make-

"Amy!" A voice called from her side, accompanied by rushed footsteps on the ground coming up to her. Looking up, Amy saw who she expected.

"William!" She greeted happily, waving at him. He was dressed quite formally for such a last-minute outing, in long, fine Mage-robes the shade of deep indigo; the colour of the Weaver's Web. Looking him up and down, she asked, "Did I interrupt anything asking for you on such short notice?"

"Nope! It wasn't any hassle on my end, Miss Wachlund, I assure you," He smiled. "Just came from some boring duty at the Web's embassy so, as you can well see, I'm all dressed up."

"Definitely."

"Did I make you wait for long though?" He asked worriedly.

"No, not at all!" She replied with a smile of her own.

"Great! Should we go in then, my lady?" William offered with a slight mock bow with an exaggerated wave of his hand, ushering her to the entrance.

"Please," Amy laughed awkwardly.

Walking in, the two of them found themselves in the main atrium of the association building, brushing shoulders against the bustling crowd flooding it. The people went here and there, there being no order, no rhyme or reason to the organised chaos of the people. The library itself was upstairs, two parallel staircases straddling the main reception area leading upwards to the next floor, only a few people from the crowd climbing them. Led by William, Amy navigated through the hubbub the best she could, although she did accidentally bump into people a handful of times, leading to some annoyed glares and embarrassed looks.

The pair eventually reached the stairs, ascending them to the second level, overlooking the main lobby. Guarded by a strict checkpoint lay the grand archway to the archives beyond, a sprawling library as tall as the association building itself, and perhaps even as wide. Inside that library were magical knowledge beyond Amy's wildest dreams, wild and dangerous Spells and Magicks locked behind doors she'd never see within its depths. Fortunately, the archives did not contain just the magical but the mundane too. It was in that small detail that Amy hoped to find the information about the mind she sought, despite still only officially having Mageling-level access to it. And even then, William should have Apprentice-level access if I need it.

"So what're you looking to get from here?" William asked, stopping about half-way there and looking back.

"Nothing much," Amy murmured, trying to put on a convincing performance. Trying to recall how her Monstrous Visage looked, she emulated it slightly, adjusting her facial features the best she could to seem embarrassed and coy. Fluttering her eyes, she said in a whisper, "Just some stuff about the brain..."

"What was that?" He smirked teasingly leaning in. His eyes seemed especially large as they peered at her, her head lung low, pointing to his ear.

"Just some stuff on the mind, alright?" She finally said, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Why, I thought you'd never ask!" He laughed, catching Amy in her 'misdirection'. Noticing her apparent discomfort, he said, "I'm a Mind Mage, Amy, not only could I sense your nervousness, but I'm an expert on this sort of stuff. You should've just asked me."

"I know but..." Amy trailed off, trying not to think about how she had misled him. Focus on the nervousness, like he said, so he doesn't notice anything else. Maybe play up the shame aspect?

"It really wouldn't have bothered me if you asked," William said. "Come on, I'll show you some books on it and I'll teach you about some stuff myself."

"Alright," She lightly frowned.

"What's got you interested in it all though?"

"I'll... I'll say when we're actually in," Amy said, nodding to the front entrance as she went back to walking, the guards already looking in their direction at their approach.

"Alright then," He shrugged, speeding up a little to take the lead. Giving the guards a wide grin, William beamed, "Hello my good friends! Me and my associate are here to peruse the books you take post on; a very uncommon reason, I know."

"Your identification, please," The left guard stated, holding out her hand. William pulled his own smoothly out from somewhere on his person and placed the card on the hand while the guard's eyes darted over to his 'associate'. "And hers?"

"A Mageling I've come to instruct, my good friend."

"I see," She said blandly, inspecting the card lazily. "Permission granted for access up to Apprentice. We will know if you abuse this."

"As always," William replied, giving a serious nod.

"Carry on then."

And just like that, they were through.

It was only when Amy was some distance away from the pair of guards that she dragged William behind a large bookshelf, breaking line of sight.

"What was that about!" She asked in a mix of anger and confusion. "How did they just let us pass?"

"I am an Apprentice, Amy, and this isn't my first time at the archives either. It isn't all that unusual either for a higher Tier Mage to give someone he's tutoring a peek into higher knowledge either."

"Wouldn't they still need ID though?"

"They have mine, and that's what matters. If they find out if you did something bad while here, then I would be responsible. Yes, they'd likely still hunt you down and deal out some sort of punishment, but it's mostly on my own shoulders," He explained casually. Smirking, he said, "I do hope you aren't scheming anything nefarious in that head of yours, Miss Wachlund."

"Of course not," Amy sighed. "It seems too brazen though."

"I think...I think you're overestimating the quality of the books here in the association," William said, giving her a narrowed look. "The real good stuff you'll find in the Schools, or ancient and forgotten libraries or Mage Towers, not here in the middle of a city like Harth."

"I guess," Amy agreed reluctantly.

"Now then, what sort of Mind is on your mind today?" He asked grinning, leaning in again.

"Well..." She began anxiously, going over her excuse again in her head. Putting on her best blush, she said, "Ever since Triesen, I got... interested in Mind Magick stuff.

"I know I can't pursue it properly, I don't have the affinities," Amy added after seeing William's surprise, "But it would be nice to at least look into the mundane side of things, wouldn't it?"

"I can't comment too much on your affinities, but surely it's enough to learn a few minor Spells," He suggested. "All of the Web stuff is out of the question, but there's plenty I can teach. Mostly protections - I think you already have a ring of Mind Blank from the Ward programme - yet there is some really neat stuff in there I can reveal."

"You're not against teaching me then?"

"Of course not. You're my friend."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Amy, I'm sure," William chuckled. "Put those worries out of your mind and focus on the here and now, not what might or might not be. And, right now, I'm offering to teach you about Mind Magick. So, do you want to accept?"

"I..." Amy trailed off, contemplating. Originally I just wanted brain anatomy, but actual magical tuition? That's... I don't see anything off with the offer but that doesn't mean... To Hell with it. "Sure, let's learn some Mind Magick."

* * *

The sky was darkening, the sun low on the horizon, by the time Amy left the Mage association building. William had chosen to stay behind, needing to do a couple more things, so, for now, she was on her own.

In the end, she had been taught a fair amount but it wasn't anything spectacular. For most of the day, they sat at one of the benches as he ran through the parts of the brain with her, and how it all worked and joined together into a cohesive whole. It was only as they were finishing up that he offered anything magical; a simple technique that, at first didn't seem much, but Amy realised the truth of it not long after.

By teaching me to 'soothe' my brain with a sort of mana-cushion, he's slowly setting me up to teach me about the Apprentice ascension, Amy thought, staring at the clouds as she walked through the square. I can easily see him slipping in stuff about splitting and then eventually the actual ritual following on from that. And, well, I imagine the technique does work for a Mageling, however with my mind as inundated with mana as it is, the effect was minimal when I tried it.

Marching on, Amy meandered through the streets of Harth, making her way to The Morning Dew as she contemplated.

Mind seems a lot more interesting than Illusion though. Like, Illusion's alright and all, but it's just not... to be honest it seems like a worse Fae. Felin would have a fit if he heard me say that out loud, but the other two are so much more interesting. At least choosing two to study between the three is easy for me; I can't imagine if a Wizard liked all three equally and had to make a decision like... that... Why were Wizards only allowed to practise two? Was there something stopping someone studying all three at the same time?

Well, Amy stifled a laugh as she focused on a small part of her mind, compartmentalised away. An image of a piece of blank paper. I would usually say that it's something to ask Felin about later, but now I have Record.

Seeking an out of the way alleyway, Amy turned and hid around a corner, dark, shadowy and stinky from waste that had been piled up here. Flicking her thoughts to a section of the familiar Spellform, Fae mana tumbled out of her as she reached behind her and suddenly pulled out a strange leather book, seemingly from nowhere. Amy opened it to a strange looking page in its covers, a different texture from the aged etherealness of its other ones. A phantom quill appeared from the shadows directly in her hand as she wrote, penning her thoughts. And, just as easily, the quill vanished in a wave of her hands. The book itself joined it shortly, as Amy stored it back behind herself, vanishing from her grasp as soon as it left her vision.

Her mind was almost the exact same as before, barely any extra stress added onto her. All except one thing, hidden in the back of her head. The paper, previously disappearing from there, had returned and this time, no longer blank. Perfect.

For the first time in a long while, Amy actually felt like a Mage: casting Spells; delving libraries; and living life as it should be lived. Freely. And as the content relaxation of that realisation spread through her, even with her enhanced vision, she didn't notice a figure approaching from her side, cloaked in the darkness.

"Well, what a mighty fine coincidence," The voice announced its presence suddenly, Amy whipping around in shock. It was hard to see through the darkness, but even if her visual enhancements weren't much, they were worth something. A vague diminutive figure outlined itself, shorter than herself and hidden in a long, hooded black cloak. Beady blue eyes stared out from under the hood and an obvious smile creeped up from under them. Beatrice, the strange friend from the bird shop, said, "Hello Amy. Would you like a chat?"