Alex was confused as he stared at the bespectacled golden retriever. It felt like he’d missed a conversation between the canine and his girlfriend, too distracted by the book he’d just read.
“Why didn’t you stop him?” Becca asked Plato. There was a deep frown on her face and a slight quaver in her tone. Something had her very worried.
“Once he had begun to read, an interruption would’ve changed nothing,” Plato replied, “I am afraid that I grew complacent in my task, and didn’t watch what books you were reading too closely after weaving a compulsion for him to avoid that one in particular.”
“Compulsion?” Alex asked, his confusion rising, “You were messing with my head?” Mental magic was heavily frowned on, and there were no runes in the library that broached the topic. Why did possibly the most famous Attuned in the city use it?
“It would be more accurate to say that I was Guiding you away from that particular book. It carries an Impression that you are currently under the sway of,” Plato’s voice was tired as he spoke, “The Dean imbued that book with a spark of his second mana type, an idea that he hoped would lead to the city’s number of Attuned rising. So soon after the Imprinting you witnessed, it has escalated beyond that original purpose.”
Alex opened his mouth to respond, but the scholar interjected, “No. Do not speak. Think. Try to break the Obsession.”
Alex nodded, that made sense, he needed to think. It felt like the book had revealed a new path forward to him. Knowledge and understanding were not enough, he would have to find a way to gain insight. The how was murky, but it needed to be done, so it would be done.
“You are not yourself right now. You are driven by desires that are not your own.” Plato grimaced at him. How did a dog manage to grimace? “You need to focus on your thoughts. Try to find out what is wrong with them. It will help you break the Obsession.”
Alex frowned, why would this be a bad thing? He had learned so much, mana felt so close. It should be impossible, but he could tell that he was only a small realization away from gaining the insight that the Dean had mentioned. Did the book function like a Mana Baptism? He stared down at a different book he’d read earlier, remembering an anecdote.
Bonds between mana and thermal energy behave differently depending on the amount of energy present at the time of bonding. Higher temperatures will frequently lead to more drastic results, as the mana impresses a supernatural ability to spread. Heat will rise, and mana will continuously reinforce this until it grows to the point of catastrophe.
Mana made thermal energy significantly more destructive. It was simple enough in concept, but suddenly Alex could see more behind that information. He’d taken science classes, but they were hardly his strong suit. Still, it all seemed so obvious. If this was the only true thing, the world would have drowned in flames.
His thoughts turned to another book he had read, years ago, about mundane science. ‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.’ Did Newton’s laws apply to mana as well? Could mana also apply to thermal energy in the reverse, freezing the environment and restricting heat that tried to spread by supernatural means? That almost made sense…
No. That wasn’t right. He shook his head, knowing that there had to be more to it. If things were so simple, and the world still universally followed Newton’s Laws in a way that he could easily figure out, the scientists and researchers of the world wouldn’t have been so stumped. The Newtonian Laws were just a fragment of a greater whole. Mana was only loosely bound by the laws of physics, capable of stepping past those limits under the right circumstances. Insight wasn’t about understanding the rules, it was about understanding the exceptions. Once you had insight into the cause of those exceptions, you could make them happen yourself.
Magic, at its most basic, was about breaking the rules. Knowing the rules was helpful, but you had to learn how to break them.
He had stopped paying attention to the other two people in the alcove, so it was a shock when his perspective shifted. Suddenly he was on Plato’s back, the dog had somehow grabbed Alex and thrown him over his shoulder in some bizarre parody of a fireman's carry, “The Obsession is beginning to worsen. We have to leave the library. There is no chance of him actually gaining insight, but he can easily convince himself that he has. If the Obsession grows it can cause more enduring problems.”
That seemed unnecessarily dismissive, to Alex. Yes, he was untiered, so he shouldn’t be able to gain insight, but was anything truly impossible? It didn’t seem like it, not anymore.
He’d already discarded his earlier theory that the book worked like a pseudo-baptism, moving on to a more obvious thought. If it was all about breaking the rules, why couldn’t that one be broken as well? Who was to say that any absolute was true, in a world where so many had already been proven false? Connection could be seized, he would just have to do it without the help of a density surge.
Alex’s focus was broken by an incredibly rough ride as the dog seemed intent on running into every wall, bookshelf, and fixture on the way to the stairs. Was he just too heavy? No, the dog was at the peak of Tier 2, there was no way he was struggling under Alex’s weight.
He looked up and got a glance at Becca’s face before she pushed his head back down and he was staring at fur once again. He’d noticed tears, that was odd. Why would she be crying when he was on the verge of the impossible? He was going to succeed, he could tell that he was close.
With an effort that felt herculean, he broke the thought process and contemplated Plato’s earlier words. What was wrong with his thoughts? Why was Becca so distraught? It was an odd question, his thoughts were so much smoother, right now. The scholar had mentioned Obsession…
His thoughts flowed to the Imprinting that he had watched the day before, Muhammad had been impacted by an Impression. Councilwoman Deng’s mana body had been on full display, and Muhammad had done the reasonable thing, thinking deeply about the insights the woman had shared with them.
It was odd, now that he really thought about it, that he hadn’t done the same. Sure, he’d contemplated the woman’s willpower, but was that all he could learn from her? Nature didn’t have to be opposed to swordsmanship, as proven by Dale just minutes before the Imprinting.
Maybe that was something worth pursuing. A mixture of sword and nature. Dale had used wind to control leaves in ways that surpassed his understanding. Deng Jing had made herself into a tree…
Roots! That was a thought. The woman had reflected the seasons and the oak tree’s circumstances in each of them, but her feet had been like roots. Alex contemplated a future where he could control flexible blades styled after roots. Runes that he’d only gotten an imperfect glimpse of flashed through his mind as he tried to picture how they would come together to create a completely different… Everything went dark.
*****
Alex woke up immediately alert, which was weird. It wasn’t that he needed to be on alert, nothing had startled him awake. The normal fog that had to be blinked away was simply absent, he felt perfectly well-rested and ready to tackle a new day.
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He quickly took in his surroundings and remembered the events that had led him to his current situation. He was lying down in a hospital bed instead of his own. Thankfully, he was still fully clothed. Instead of a new day, the streams of light beaming in through the curtains told him it was still early in the afternoon.
As he took in his surroundings, he saw that Becca was seated at his bedside. That wasn’t surprising, she’d been with him in the library. What was surprising was the man sitting next to her. He’d never seen the Dean twice in two days before.
“Ah, you’re awake,” The Dean said, “It’s good to see you up so quickly. It is rare for Plato to react so decisively, he was truly worried for you.”
The memories came flooding back in, as Alex remembered the events that caused that concern. Plato had called it Obsession, but false insight had another name, “I don’t understand,” Alex said, “Isn’t False Enlightenment something that’s caused by heightened Connection?”
“Oh, what happened to you was not False Enlightenment. I can see why your friend warned me about you.” Alex shot a betrayed look at Becca. She just shrugged while the Dean chuckled, “What happened to you was simply a slight touch of Obsession, the madness that could be considered a prelude to False Enlightenment. It was closer to an Impression than a False Enlightenment. If you experienced the phenomenon more fully, Doctor Stirling would not have been able to cleanse your mind and soul so easily.”
Alex blushed, the Dean made a good point. False Enlightenment was a far greater event than just some blurry images of not-quite runes. Would the Dean just leave something capable of breaking a soul lying around in the library? He wouldn’t be able to undergo a False Enlightenment, regardless. Enlightenment was an experience your soul went through, even most Neophytes didn’t have the Connection required to corrupt their soul.
“Regardless, I would like to apologize.” The Dean continued, “Even if it was not quite so dangerous as you initially thought, Plato was right to treat this seriously.” Part of Alex wanted to argue that it wasn’t his fault, if only out of respect for the man, but even in his head the words sounded hollow.
Before Alex could respond, Mr. Stirling entered the room, “Good afternoon, Alex.” the man nodded at him. His casual demeanor showed that he wasn’t particularly worried about Alex’s situation, “I was under the impression you wouldn’t be entering my care for at least a few weeks. How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling good, actually,” Alex replied. It was true, he felt far more rested than he had this morning, “A bit annoyed about the Obsession thing, I guess.”
Mr. Stirling smiled at this, “Very good, your soul doesn’t seem to have suffered any lasting defects. The Impression from the Imprinting faded when I removed the Obsession, all that is left is your thoughts.”
That was reassuring, Alex had been a little worried that his newfound determination was a product of Councilwoman Deng’s display. He wasn’t interested in finding out that all of this was the cause of a minor compulsion directing his thoughts.
Alex wasn’t particularly upset. Now that the Obsession was gone, he was just left with the understanding he’d gained. The situation had been touch and go, but the book was there for a reason. He’d find it easier to form a mana type when the time came, thanks to the experience. Well, probably. It couldn’t hurt to ask.
“That book is designed to help you understand the process of gaining insight, right?” Alex asked, changing the topic to follow his thoughts. His mind was moving so quickly that he forgot to add any honorifics for addressing the Dean. He’d learned a lot in the space of a few hours and clearly not all of it was accurate.
“You can ask questions after I’ve double-checked to make sure you’re recovered,” Mr. Stirling interrupted, “Wait just a minute for me.”
After the promised minute had passed, Alex was surprised that he was actually allowed to leave. He had assumed that “a minute” was doctor speak for “several minutes,” but Mr. Stirling was efficient.
“You are correct about the book,” The Dean said after Mr. Stirling stepped back, “It normally leaves an unobtrusive Impression, designed to smooth the way. It blossomed into a full Obsession in your case, but the experience likely left more lasting benefits than just a minor Impression would after it faded.”
“Danger and opportunity,” Alex nodded, getting up while he spoke. it made sense that being momentarily Obsessed would leave behind some effects. He was just glad they were good ones. He did see a problem, though, “But didn’t Mr. Stirling say that my thoughts were entirely my own, again?”
“Very perceptive,” The Dean nodded. The man was in a surprisingly good mood for a school administrator visiting a student in the hospital. Then again, Alex had just received a clean bill of health, “The short answer is that he was right. Mana Obsession is a compulsion that affects your mind through your soul. Your thoughts are tainted, or even overruled, by a magical effect that attempts to force you down a specific train of thought. Mana Impressions are weaker versions of this, working more like a suggestion than a compulsion. Once they wear off or are removed, all that is left is your experience. You had a short experience, but it might prove valuable. Talk me through your thoughts while you were under the compulsion.”
Alex happily agreed with this plan. They started with the vision he’d had of himself as a root mage, immediately discarding it as useless. That had been when things had turned for the worse, and Plato shut things down, believing that the experience would become purely negative if it continued. His amateurish thoughts on Newton’s laws drew a chuckle from the Dean.
“No, that is at best an incomplete view of the world. There are some interesting kernels there, but your understanding of the science is too shallow to really gain insight through understanding physics. It is not the right path for you, I believe.”
“I also had a thought about what insight is,” Alex added, frustrated by how useless this was turning out to be, “If magic is all about using mana to disrupt the natural order, a mana type should focus on how to cause those disruptions, not what the natural order is.”
The Dean beamed at him, “That, Mr. Moore, is a still incomplete view. It is an invaluable realization for you, though. There is nothing complete about the early stages of a mana type, and you have likely found the way that you will gain your first piece of insight.”
“Just one more question, then.” Alex’s frustration was mollified by this news. The Dean gestured for him to continue, “How do Mana Impression and Mana Obsession even work? Why would a mark on my soul affect me when I have no Connection?”
“I wish I had an answer to that, Mr. Moore.” The Dean replied, completely unfazed by his inability to answer the question. He was a surprisingly cheerful guy in person, “You’ll have to tell me if you manage to unravel any of the mysteries of the soul.”
Well, if the Dean knew everything, he probably wouldn’t be stuck at Tier 3.
“I’ll do that,” Alex agreed.
“Now, there is another thing I feel must be discussed before we talk about your plans for emplacement.” The Dean stated, “You no doubt noticed that Plato read your mind to determine when he needed to knock you unconscious to disrupt your flow of thought.”
Alex’s attention had been drawn immediately to the mention of emplacement rituals. Had the Dean heard about his more ambitious plan from Becca? This other topic the Dean wanted to discuss was similarly attention-grabbing, however. Alex had noticed what he mentioned but hadn’t had time to consider the implications.
“I assume that you are uncomfortable with the fact that the privacy of your thoughts can be violated. It is a deeply upsetting branch of magic.” The Dean prompted. He gave Alex a moment to gather his thoughts instead of continuing.
“Yeah,” Alex replied. He wasn’t sure what else there was to say. He couldn’t complain, not when Plato’s interference had made this a bizarre experience with likely positive side effects instead of a disaster that would require significant care from Mr. Stirling and the city’s other healers to overcome.
“Your thoughts are private, in this city.” The Dean replied after waiting a second to see if Alex would add more, “Plato has sworn an oath to David and I to never use that Ability unless he is acting to protect himself or one of our citizens. The Ability was designed so that he could know when to flee a situation that would likely escalate. None of us take any use of it lightly. David, a member of the council, and I will review the circumstances and determine if he was justified in reading your mind today. I can also guarantee that no other mage in the city has been allowed to create a similar Ability. The runes he used are among the few that we do not record.”
Alex was surprised by the Dean’s sincerity. The man had covered his bases, trying to assuage Alex’s doubts. He certainly felt better, knowing that the high-tiered mages wouldn’t just read his mind on a whim. Remembering his thoughts before Plato knocked him out was almost as frightening as the idea that his thoughts weren’t private. There was no doubt in his mind that it had been for the best, he just had to trust the Dean’s word that it wouldn’t happen again.
Alex took a deep breath and nodded his acknowledgment of the Dean’s words.
The Dean’s frown lightened, “I imagine you will enjoy the next thing we need to discuss significantly more. I heard from Ms. Brighton that you have been researching emplacement ritual alternatives?”