He slept restlessly that night, unable to get Leon’s words out of his mind. Worries, fears, and the knowledge that all those people he had met albeit briefly were dead lingered on his mind throughout the night, and even well into the next day.

He shared a simple breakfast with Damien upon the young man’s suggestion. They sat in a secluded corner of the cafeteria and ate in an awkward silence for a while until Ash finally decided that he couldn’t take it anymore.

He looked at the man sitting across the table. His platinum blonde hair was short and wavy. Bright blue eyes that reminded Ash of his own were clouded with worries. He was tall, strong, confident. “You’re a noble, aren’t you?”

Damien’s eyebrows raised. “You could say that, I suppose. I’m from the north, we’re nobles in name alone.” He put his spoon down, and leaned back, looking at Ash with narrowed eyes. “What about you? Golden hair like that, you’re a noble as well.”

Ash shook his head. “No, I’m not. I come from Serna, a small village at the edge of the Empire.”

Damien seemed surprised. “My apologies for assuming.” There was a hint of confusion in his voice. “You lived near the Wall? Have you seen it?”

Ash again shook his head. “No, the nearest section of the Wall is a few days away of Serna, and there’s a rather eerie forest between. Nobody steps foot in the forest.”

Damien chuckled softly, though it wasn’t a demeaning laugh like Ash expected. “There’s a creepy forest north of where I live too.” He said with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “It’s so overrun by old growth that you can’t see even a single ray of light when you stand under the trees. Legends say demons live there – though I’m sure that its far from reality.”

“Where do you live?” Ash asked, curious. Damien seemed so easy-going, if this was the norm for nobles there, he wanted to visit that place in the future.

“My family are the protectors of the Northern Pass.”

Ash’s eyes widened. He had heard of the Northern Pass, everyone had. It was the famous place of the battle against demonkin, where humanity stood their ground and fought for their very survival. It was said that the forces that clashed were so strong that their battle split the world in half. Ash was inclined to believe that legend – the Chasm existed, and indeed cut the world exactly in half in an oddly straight line after all.

Dozens of questions passed through his mind as he tried to think of something to say. Damien showed a faint smile. “I’m actually the first person of my family to come to Bhaile-Morn, to the High Tower Academy. I’m sure we’re similar in that regard. But that’s beside the point, let us head to class if you’re finished.”

The classroom was not far from the dormitory, and right next to the library. It was a large, circular room with small ground cushions for seats, and a single desk for the teacher placed near the door, as close to the wall as possible.

The hardwood floors creaked under Ash and Damien’s steps. They sat down on the cushions, and soon were joined by the other three students. The two girls sat far from them, while Leon was quick to pull a cushion right next to Ash. A mischievous smile split his face, and he leaned in closer as if he was about to say something, but the sound of the door slamming close startled them both.

A man wearing grey robes, with a head full of curly white hair had stepped inside. He had a slightly hunched back, and walked with slow, steady steps. His arms, visible from his wide sleeved robes, were so thin they looked like they could snap at the slightest force. His skin was wrinkled, and if Ash had to guess, he would say this man was a century old at the very least.

“Well, well…” The man said with a dry, upbeat voice. Despite his age, his bright blue eyes glimmered with a hint of mischief. His pale lips curled up as soon as he saw Leon. “Our troublemaker has found a new victim I see.”

Leon’s eyes widened for a split second. “You break my heart, professor!” He acted theatrically, then giggled cheerfully. “I would never cause any trouble!”

One of the girls scoffed at Leon’s words. Ash’s gaze turned to her. Her sharp features and stern expression made her seem perpetually annoyed. Her crimson hair was cut short just above her shoulders. As she glared at Leon with her crimson eyes, Ash decided to try and stay out of her way.

The professor chuckled at them both, then turned his gaze to Ash. “Well then… a new student.” He said with a heavier tone. “I’m Balthazar Maple, your professor for your first year here in the academy. You’ve already met your classmates, so I will skip the introductions, do tell me your name though.”

“I’m Ash Morgan,” He repeated for the umpteenth time in these past several days. Professor Maple repeated his name a few times silently as if he was trying to make sure he wouldn’t forget.

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“Well then, let’s go over the basic concepts of magic once more for Ash, since he missed the first couple of classes.” The professor kicked one of the cushions closer to Ash and the others, then carefully sat down. He massaged his knees before continuing. “Maya, Fionna, Damien, you can start cycling your mana since you already know the basics.”

The three of them pulled away from Ash, Leon, and Professor Maple. Sitting cross legged, away from each other as well, they closed their eyes and placed their hands on their knees. Not a moment later, the girl with the crimson hair, Maya’s body lit up with a red glow. Her mana whirled around her for a few seconds before slowly dimming until it was only concentrated right below her chest.

The other girl’s mana was golden just like the Princess and Prince, while Damien’s was a cold blue that reminded Ash of the river near Serna that froze over that one time, many seasons ago.

Professor Maple cleared his throat, prompting Ash to quickly turn his gaze back to him. “If I told you all about magic, we would be here for weeks, months even. Instead, let’s just go over the basics.” He touched just below his chest, exactly where Maya and the others’ mana was concentrated at. “This is where your mana heart is. Or it will be once we get it to form. Consider it an organ like a lung, or a heart. You need it to be able to properly control your mana – just like you need your lungs to be able to breathe.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is this clear enough.”

Ash nodded.

“Good,” Professor Maple then raised his hand. A familiar glow appeared just under his chest, where his mana heart apparently was. It was a soft, golden glow not particularly bright. If Princess Aoife’s mana was a like the Kindling, Professor Maple’s was like the flame of a candle. “Do you see anything on my palm?”

Ash raised his gaze to the orb of mana floating on the Professor’s hand. “A golden orb… about this large,” He gestured with his hands. “It’s a bit dim though.” He added.

Professor Maple scowled. “Uh-uh, right, dim.” He sounded annoyed for a second before his eyebrows raised. “Wait, golden? You see colour.”

Ash nodded. From what the royal siblings told him, he already knew his vision was unusual. “How do I form a mana heart?” He asked in an attempt to refocus the conversation on the subject. It would probably best to not draw too much attention after all.

Professor Maple’s lips curled up for a split second. “Right now, you can’t. A human’s life isn’t long enough to form a mana heart.” He raised both his hands before his chest, his palms about a head apart and facing each other. “First of all, you will learn to cycle your mana. Since you can see colour, you should be able to see what they’re doing,” He glanced at Damien and the others. “I’ll teach you how. Leon, you try it again too.”

“Close your eyes.” Professor Maple said with a gentle voice. Ash felt the Professor’s hand touch just below his ribcage, where his mana heart was apparently supposed to be. He felt a warmth, much like what he felt like when Princess Aoife healed his wounds. Then, a familiar sensation overcame him – as his mana was forcefully moved by Professor Maple, he felt exactly the same sensation as he did when he ate the Serenpetal flowers back at home. A cold, gaping hole in his chest, where his mana heart would form.

He had been able to move his mana before when he ate Serenpetal flowers. He had even been able to make his mana do things, like push a small pebble. He had always assumed it was because the Serenpetals gave him that ability, but now he felt like he could do it again. He could feel his mana, like an extension of his mind and body.

He moved his mana, focusing it inside the gaping hole that felt so, so cold. He mimicked what he saw Damien and the others do, albeit much more slowly.

“Good.” Professor Maple said, then pulled his hand away. Ash gasped as his mana suddenly became sluggish, refusing to obey him. It’s slow but steady motion came to a halt. “Don’t force it to move – guide it. It’s a part of you, not some tool you’re using. You don’t force your hands to move, do you?”

His awareness of his mana slowly began to fade, just like it happened after the effects of the Serenpetals subsided. He couldn’t quite feel his mana anymore.

Professor Maple let out a sigh. “Let’s try this again.” Once more, he touched just below Ash’s ribcage. Once again Ash became aware of his mana, moving and controlling it became trivial, and once again as soon as he pulled his hand away, Ash lost all control over his mana. He opened his eyes in frustration, to his grey coloured mana slowly dissipating around him.

The Professor scowled. “Seeing the report Erin gave me, I was sure you would have an easier time controlling your mana.” There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. “In that case, we’ll have to do this the longer way.” He rummaged through his pockets, frantically searching for something. “Aha,” he softly exclaimed a few moments later, and pulled a small object out of the inner pocket of his robes.

It was a small, glass bead about the size of an eyeball, and it was filled with golden mana to the brim. Professor Maple placed the bead in Ash’s hand. “There are a few ways you can train yourself to have fine control over your mana, but unless you started at a very young age, only prodigies learn to do so before getting their own mana heart.”

The professor glanced at Leon. The young man’s eyes were still closed as he sat cross legged, his hands calmly resting on his knees. His mana was swirling around him, not entirely like the Professor had instructed, but it was moving relatively smoothly, nonetheless.

“Anyways,” Professor Maple turned his gaze back to Ash. “Since you’re neither – which is perfectly fine – you’ll have to get a mana heart before I can start teaching you how to make your mana move. Do you remember the Seer’s Orb?” Ash nodded, prompting the professor to continue. “Once your mana is able to fill the Orb completely, you will join one of the Military Academy’s expeditions to find yourself a suitable mana heart.”

He pointed at the nobles still calmly cycling their mana at the back of the classroom. “Or, if you have the funds, we can simply buy a suitable mana heart from the auction.”

Ash looked at the Professor with a blank expression. “Right, not an option…” Professor Maple let out a sigh. “The expedition it is.”

“What do I do with this?” Ash asked, tapping the clear glass bead. The golden mana within swirled where his finger touched.

“Sit down, close your eyes, hold it in your hands and try to absorb the mana within.” The Professor explained. “It’s pure mana, so it shouldn’t cause any issues. Give it a try.”