After he finished entering his Personal Information and MMB's Profile, Michael proceeded to review the contents of the Exchange Center.

\\\

Exchange Center

Clearance Level: Low Rank 1.

Merit Points: 0.

Wallet: 0$.

Purchases: »

*

«

Search: ▭

View Lists: »

Caution! The Material Magick Bureau does not take responsibility for any purchase once it has been delivered to the recipient! Disciplinary actions will be taken against those who misuse their purchases!

* Items:…»

* Ingredients:…»

* Abilities:…»

* Runes:…»

* Paths:…»

* Guides:…»

«

Merit Conversion: Choose Currency…»

Trade In: ▭

Special: »

* 3 Tickets for Advanced Courses – can sign up to any Advanced Course for free up to three Courses.

«

///

"Wow," Michael murmured, his throat dry. The mere glimpse of the "Items" list unfurled a complex network of subcategories.

"Abilities!" he exclaimed, zeroing in on the third list. "I can't make any purchases right now, but perhaps… perhaps it's because I'm not a kid anymore, or maybe I'm just getting old."

Rather than being drawn to flashy, superpower-like Abilities, Michael found himself more intrigued by everyday Magick: Dust Clean, Dish Wash, Cooking, Clothes Folding, Drying, Repair, and the like.

'Let's see… ah, here it is! "Clean",' he located it under "Spells," a subtype of Abilities. 'Removes foreign substances from all surfaces – but you need to conceptualize the target for the Clean Spell to recognize it. Costs 1 Merit Point… Low Rank 0 missions pay in cash. Mid Rank 0 missions are where I can start earning Merit Points. Agent Peiss mentioned that mid Rank 0 is worth half a Merit Point. Since the Director bumped my rates up to 1.75, then the amount I should receive is… 0.875. Not bad, right? I should discuss this with Grace.'

Closing the "Spell: Clean" window, he resumed his search.

"Cooking Flame works exclusively on edible ingredients. There's a note about meats… the animal must be dead. Well, naturally! It costs two Merit Points. I wonder… can it burn zombies?"

Next, he discovered, 'Telekinesis costs 1.2 Merit Points. It's not listed under "Spells", and there are several versions… the most expensive being 20 Merit Points. It's not that much… what's the most expensive Ability?"

He didn't get a chance to find out. Someone knocked on the door. Rising to answer it, Grace greeted him with, "You do know you can set the door to voice command. It's under 'Requests' on your tablet."

"I'll set it later. Ready?" Michael inquired.

Her hair was still slightly damp, and she wasn't wearing any of the three casual sets; instead, she sported designer jeans, sandals, and a crop t-shirt.

Michael wasn't surprised. He had already discovered an entire sub-tree under "Items" that accepted both Merit Points and cash for clothes.

"Yep," she affirmed.

He exited his room. "So… where do we need to go to complete my registration?"

"Have you explored the tablet?" she inquired.

"A bit."

"Were there any TBDs?"

"Only for Magick Ions."

"Then the Testing Lab is the only place left."

…

The 35th Floor, Testing Laboratory.

Grace led the way to Reception as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Hi, Department Manager Tamara of Risk Management sent us," she said, gesturing towards Michael with her thumb. "He's a new recruit who jumped to the front of the line as a Rank 0 Agent. His Pool of Magick Ions has already formed. We need to assess its capacity and update his Agent's profile."

The receptionist, a white-coated man in his thirties, glanced at Michael over his spectacles.

"Place your palm anywhere on the counter," he instructed Michael.

Michael complied, and his hand was scanned.

"Someone will be with you in a few minutes."

Despite the room not being small, there was no designated seating area, so Grace and Michael stood in wait for four minutes until one of the two doors finally opened.

Another white-coated individual emerged, holding a tablet.

"Agent Mir?" he called out.

"Yes," Michael confirmed.

"Come with me."

Michael followed, and Grace followed suit.

"What? I'm your Partner," Grace interjected.

"Fine, but whatever they tell me about my Magick Ions, I want to know about yours… as your Partner," Michael negotiated.

"Deal," Grace agreed.

The white-coated individual led Michael down a corridor that terminated at the entrance to a spacious room aptly named the "Measurement Room". Inside stood nothing but a stand with a metallic sphere atop it, roughly the size of a bowling ball.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Michael surveyed the room. "That's the Testing Laboratory?" It seemed rather underwhelming to him. Then again… 'What do I know?'

"It's called the Sphere of Measurement. You'll understand once you inject your Magick into it. I'll monitor and guide you through every step of the procedure from the other room," the man explained.

Through the window between rooms, Michael could see Grace and the whitecoat, who hadn't bothered to introduce himself.

The whitecoat waved to Michael, and a second later his voice resonated through speakers discreetly placed at the corners of the ceiling.

"Relax and don't resist the sensation. Your information indicates you've enacted a Demonic Contract. You don't need to worry about anything you don't want to be divulged. For now, this test is solely meant to estimate the amount of Magick Ions your Pool of Magick Ions can produce and the trend of its development. Alright? You can indicate your readiness to proceed verbally or by raising your hand."

"Yes," Michael responded, complying with both options.

"Touch the sphere with both hands. You'll feel its tough surface slowly transform, becoming like jelly. Your fingers may sink slightly, and you might feel as though they're stuck. I assure you, they're not. The effect is purely psychological. Just remember to breathe and relax."

Michael followed the instructions, even as a sudden fear of the sphere crept into the back of his mind.

A cold sensation spread from the sphere, through the tips of his fingers, and into his body, settling in his heart. Meanwhile, String passively wandered in his chest.

As the cold sensation reached his Pool of Magick Ions, the surface of the sphere morphed into numbers.

"340 Magick Ions," the voice of the whitecoat roused Michael from his trance. "Nearly halfway to maximum volume."

"How is that possible!" Grace gasped. "I thought you had no experience. Wait! No! Is it because of the Demonic Contract?"

"Agent!" the whitecoat interjected sharply.

"Sorry. Sorry for interfering, Michael. If you don't mind, please tell me later how you did it."

"Agent Mir," the whitecoat asserted, trying to regain control. "I want you to squeeze the sphere with all of your physical strength, without the use of Magick. You will feel something pushing against your grip. Resist for as long as you can."

"Wait, Michael!" Grace exclaimed, but her voice abruptly cut off, as though the mic had been muted. Roughly ten seconds later, she spoke again. "Listen, Michael, the next test will determine the present trend of your Magick Ion's development. Ask me to explain if you're not sure what I mean."

"Explain," Michael requested, his hands still firmly pressed against the sphere.

"Here's the deal... the Path to Metamorphosis can be self-taught or inherent. However you choose to embark on your Path, your Magick Ions will enhance certain aspects of your body and mind more than others. These enhancements are predetermined and further solidified with each Metamorphosis. You could say that from the Second Metamorphosis onward, they become absolute, shaping the future of your Path. That's the gist of a very intricate subject we don't have time to delve into right now. However, it's pertinent to the next test you're about to undergo, as it will reveal your strength to us... to the Bureau. It will help determine whether you're more mind over body or the opposite... Although, for someone who hasn't undergone a Metamorphosis yet, it might not carry significant weight. Still, as your Partner, I think you should carefully consider taking the test."

"Have you taken it?" Michael inquired.

"Yes. Multiple times, but I received training from the Bureau. They've had access to everything about me from the start. It can be beneficial though. You can discover things about yourself that you might be unaware of. The trade-off is that the Bureau will learn them too."

"Is the reason I need to use physical force to determine how many of my Magick Ions enhanced my body, and the leftovers are then designated to improve my mind?" Michael queried.

"In simpler terms," replied the white-coated individual, "it's a far more complex formula, but we don't explore it with this device. Shall we begin?"

Michael hesitated, not confirming immediately.

'The sphere's scan is off by five Magick Ions from what the Condition Rune shows. It's possibly more precise, which is good, since in that case it means I have more Magick Ions than I thought,' Michael pondered the pros of the previous test. 'As far as division goes, my Physique and Psyche are influenced by my full amount of Magick Ions rather than splitting it between them. That's the same as having 680 Magick Ions… double when Symbiosis (ON), which if I understood correctly is way beyond what is possible before the First Metamorphosis. David…'

David was aware of his stats and referred to them as "Legendary". Nevertheless, he hadn't mentioned the need to keep them a secret, which led Michael to speculate that the shorter man hoped he would draw unwanted attention to force his growth.

'Either way, I can't let the Bureau know yet, and even when I do reveal it, it can't be the full truth… That can be my second trump card!' Michael resolved inwardly.

He withdrew his hands from the sphere, their surface unblemished. "I'll postpone the second test for a later date."

"Agent Mir-" the whitecoat's tone held dissatisfaction.

"Grace, do I need to undergo the test to receive missions?" Michael sought clarification.

"No. While for some missions it's beneficial to match your skills to the task, particularly when there's a specific requirement, your Grace Period offers a better alternative," Grace explained.

"The test is over," the whitecoat announced dispiritedly. He and Grace emerged from the other room.

"Agent Mir, I'm Éliott Dupont. Please forgive me for the late introduction. Now that the basic information in your Agent's Profile is filled, I feel more comfortable breaking formalities," Agent Dupont introduced himself.

"Don't take offense to his frigid demeanor," Grace reassured Michael, tapping his shoulder. "The Testing Lab's crew are all like this – it explains why they struggle to find or retain anyone outside the department for a secretary."

"Agent Mir, when I initially read the volume of your Magick Ions, there was a minor complication. The system bypassed it and provided as accurate an estimation as this facility can offer. However, if you don't mind my asking, do you happen to possess a Condition Rune?" Agent Dupont inquired.

"I thought the machine wouldn't pry into anything other than my Magick Ions," Michael frowned.

"It didn't. The complication originated from you. In previous cases, it occurred with others who have Runes engraved on their person – the cheap kind. The Condition Rune is the most common, and those are known to clash with different reading tools," Agent Dupont explained.

'It was a hand-me-down from David…' Michael pondered. "I have a Condition Rune."

Agent Dupont's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Please describe how it appears to you!" He quickly adjusted his tone: "I'm not asking for attribute values or Abilities, nor Insights. Only the attributes' names and the fashion in which the Condition Rune takes form."

"I don't have a Condition Rune, Michael," Grace interjected. "But there's an interesting reason for this question."

"I feel like a lot of trust has been exchanged between us, mostly from me to you, and we haven't even been Partners for an hour," Michael remarked to Grace.

"Don't just trust me. Trust Department Manager and Director Strange. Everything is their arrangement. For the same reason, I'm willing to place my trust in you," Grace replied.

"No," Michael shook his head. "Until proven otherwise, I'll trust all three of you. And I'll trust Agent Dupont's professionalism," he decided. 'I can make mistakes with my trust, but I cannot afford to look over my shoulder while trying to become a Second Level Metamorphosis.'

"I call it a 'Status Window', that's how I see it. Like a game character," Michael explained, and Agent Dupont nodded as though it was what he expected.

"There are three main attributes that everyone perceives in one way or another. The two I'd like to know about pertain to the body and the mind. Just their names," Agent Dupont clarified.

"Well, I have a Physique stat and a Psyche stat, if those are the ones you're referring to," Michael responded.

"Not Build and Mentality?" Grace seemed a tad surprised.

"The outline is the same," Agent Dupont assured. "Minor differences fall within an acceptable margin of error. Moreover, Build and Mentality are common among those taught by the Bureau and are simply options within the norm of this Era."

"What's the 'norm of this Era'?" Michael recalled David's emphasis that the Status Window was how his brain interpreted the Condition Rune.

Agent Dupont raised his tablet, motioning toward the way back. "Versions of this. It depends on your background, as well as when you were born during the Information Age – for someone your age, a better term would be 'New Media Age'."

"Thank you for elaborating," Michael expressed as the elevator arrived and Agent Dupont remained with them.

"It's no trouble. You can return the favor when you're ready to do the second test. I am curious about how a Demonic Client differs from a Bureau graduate. So please ask for me when the time arrives," Agent Dupont requested.

"I will," Michael promised, and the elevator's doors closed.