Every day was the same. They woke up, had breakfast, went to class, and meditated there until dusk. Rarely did Professor Maple allow them to leave earlier, and when he did, he sent them back to the dorms with homework.

There was little to no time to socialise, and even less time to spend alone. Every moment was filled with either meditating to build up his mana pool, or with reading books on magical theory and spellcasting basics. So it wasn’t a small surprise when he was asked to wait outside the classroom after the day’s class was finished.

It was an even greater surprise when Professor Maple asked Maya to speak privately at the same time. Ash stepped outside the classroom along with Fionna, Damien, and Leon. “Did you do something to get on his nerves?” Leon asked with a mischievous grin.

“Not that I’m aware…” Ash muttered. A lump had settled in his throat already. What was this about? Had he done something wrong? Was he too slow to progress?

He felt a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry so much Ash.” Fionna said with a gentle smile. “You’re pale as a sheet of paper. If I’m right, there is nothing to worry about.”

Ash raised his gaze to meet hers, then immediately realised how close she was standing to him. Her green eyes glimmered as she turned her gaze to the closed door. Her long, raven black, flat hair was tied in a high ponytail, though some locks of hair had somehow gotten free, and were covering the side of her head, and her left eye just a little.

“Come on, let’s go.” He heard Damien drag Leon off towards the dorms. “You’ve still got yesterday’s essay to write.”

“But-“ Leon’s voice faded before he could continue as the two disappeared behind a turn in the hallway.

“If you’re right?” Ash asked, ignoring Leon. “I don’t follow.”

Fionna pulled her hand away, then leaned against the wall. “I can’t say much, but I think you’ll just be asked to help.” She looked at her palms. Despite her small hands and elegant, thin fingers, Ash could spot callouses in her palm. Had he understood things wrongly? Was she not a noble?

“Maya is a good friend of mine,” She said with a bitter voice. “She is a good person, when you get past the front she puts up to deal with everyone else.” She chuckled, probably remembering one of the many times Maya had gotten angry over something relatively insignificant. Usually, her anger was directed at others though – soldiers, upperclassman and random mages who tried to boss her around. So far, Ash or the others hadn’t quite tasted her anger – in fact, they had been protected by her from some rather rude upperclassmen.

“So yeah, I think the greatest of your worries should be tomorrow’s essay.” She finished with a cheerful chuckle.

Before Ash could reply, the door swung open, and Maya peeked outside. The skin around her eyes was slightly red, and she clenched a handkerchief in her palm. “Do you mind coming inside?” She asked with a sharp, loud voice. Her gaze turned to Fionna with an almost pleading expression.

Fionna simply smiled and waved cheerfully. “I’ll see you in the dorms!”

Maya’s shoulders dropped, and Ash hurried inside, trying to avoid looking at her too much. She seemed stressed, and he didn’t want to suddenly end up as the target of her anger.

Professor Maple was sitting on one of the cushions on the floor, and as Ash walked inside, he gestured at another cushion. “Maya,” he reminded her to come back inside. With drooping shoulders, she closed the door and returned inside. Once they were both seated, Professor Maple took a deep breath.

“Ash, how well exactly can you see mana?” He raised his hand, and golden mana flowed into his palm, creating complex weaves and patterns. “Can you describe what you see here?”

Ash hesitated. The Princess’ warning was fresh in his mind still. “I see the golden colour,” He spoke, choosing his words carefully. “And some strands of mana that are more loosely floating around that orb.” He didn’t mention the complex weave he could spot, or the patterns he saw on the surface of the orb forming in Professor Maple’s hand.

“I see…” The professor muttered, then he shot a glance at Maya, who was sitting quietly. “Seeing mana is vital to a mage’s progress. You can’t avoid a spell if you can’t notice it, you can’t finely control your own mana if you need to feel your way through the world.” He spoke with a weary tone. “You are lucky to be able to see quite so much – people tend to be unable to make out the colours of mana, much less be able to spot the strands you saw separate of the orb.”

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Ash pressed his lips together. Had he spoken too much? Should he have told even less? The lump in his throat seemed to grow larger as he felt his chest tighten. Why were they having this conversation?

“Which is why I asked for you. You see, very rarely people are born blind to mana.” The Professor grimaced, his gaze turning to Maya for a split second. “And as far as we know, there is no way to cure this blindness.”

“You said you had a way to fix it!” Maya snapped. “You told-“

“I think I have a way to fix it.” Professor Maple cut her off. “But it requires you to be able to form your mana heart and advance quite a bit before we can even start thinking of curing you.”

Ash shot Maya a glance. The cold and perpetually annoyed noble suddenly seemed much more human to him as her eyes filled with tears. “But how is she supposed to be able to advance without seeing mana?” He blurted out without thinking. Maya’s eyes widened, “Exactly!” she exclaimed without a moment of hesitation. “He’s right, how do you expect me to do that?”

Professor Maple’s lips formed a faint smile. “That’s exactly why I wanted Ash to be here. He can see mana well – he doesn’t need to make up the lacking visual information with his mana sense like the rest of us do. He can see colour – so he can tell the difference between your mana and someone else’s.” His smile widened. “Ash, I’ll ask you to act as Maya’s eyes for the foreseeable future. Would you do that?”

Maya raised her eyebrows as a look of confusion settled on her face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Ash asked at the same time. “I mean… I don’t mind, but I don’t understand what you want me to do.”

Was he supposed to just tell her every bit of mana he sees? There would never be enough time, the High Tower was so full of mana, it sometimes hurt his eyes to see. Or was he supposed to describe what her mana was doing? What was the point of that? She was aware of her own mana, she was controlling it after all.

“From tomorrow on, we will be heading to the High Tower grounds to conduct our classes.” Professor Maple explained. “You would need years to fill your mana pools by just cycling your mana, so we’re going outside to find some natural mana to absorb.” He smirked. “It’s a relatively safe and quick way to get all of you ready to form your mana hearts.”

Maya and Ash shared a glance. “Dad said it’s dangerous.” Maya bluntly replied.

“Well, it is usually.” Professor Maple chuckled. “But we aren’t going somewhere with wildmagic. We are going to the fields down below in the gardens. Everything is there carefully curated, so it’s safe. As long as you listen to what I say, of course.” He narrowed his eyes. “And Victor should keep his nose out of my classes.” He almost sounded offended as he added that last bit.

Maya seemed uncertain still, but Ash was quickly reminded of what he did for years – eating the Serenpetal flowers always made him feel much more alive. The same feeling he now began to get when he used the small glass orb the professor gave him. Absorbing mana was what made him feel so alive, it filled the void where his mana heart was supposed to be.

“I don’t know…” Maya muttered.

“Ash has been using the same technique for the past week and he’s perfectly fine.” Professor Maple smirked. “And he didn’t even use mana of the same attribute as him. Why do you think it will be any more dangerous to you?”

Ash scowled. “Wait – did you use me as a test rat, professor?”

Professor Maple ignored him. “The faster you gain your mana heart, the faster we can begin preparing to cure your blindness.” He stood up with some effort. “I’ll be waiting for the class at the entrance to the tower tomorrow morning. Do not be late – and come without breakfast.” With that, he walked away, letting the door close behind him.

“He absolutely used you test his hypothesis.” Maya finally spoke after a few silent moments. She also stood up, then offered Ash her hand. He took it after a moment’s hesitation and was surprised as she easily pulled him up. How strong was she?

“We should let Fionna and the others know about tomorrow’s class.” Maya said with a sigh. “Um…” She seemed hesitant. “To be honest, nobody but Fionna and my family knows of my mana blindness. It’s not something I share since it basically means I won’t ever be able to hope reaching ascension. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about it with anyone.”

Ash nodded. She was protecting herself from the shame of her condition, even though it wasn’t her fault. He then scowled. “Ascension?” He asked, confused. What was that supposed to mean?

Maya’s eyebrows raised with surprise. “Why are you here, Ash?” She asked as they left the classroom. “I mean, why did you come to the academy? You seem so lost, even more than Leon, though both of you are commoners.”

Ash averted his gaze and clenched his right hand with his left. The mark of that enforcer was still shining through his glove, with a light even stronger than before. “I was chosen, one of two in my village.” He said as they stepped aside to let a group of older men and women pass. They seemed in a hurry, their cloaks fluttering behind them as their hasty steps carried them through the wide, lavishly decorated hallways. “I came because I could. It was a way out of a h-“ He stopped himself. “… simple life.” He said instead.

Maya tilted her head. “I see. So you’re not chasing power? Ascension, or otherwise, almost everyone who comes here has a goal. You don’t?”

Ash shrugged. “I mean… I’d like to learn, and I’d like to keep up with everyone else, so I don’t get sent back.” He awkwardly smiled. “Is it so odd?”

Now that the group of mages had passed, they kept walking towards the dorms. Maya simply shrugged in response to his question. “I’ll let the others know,” she said as they arrived at the common room of their dormitory. “And no, it’s not odd. It’s just not the way I think about life.” A smile flashed across her lips before she hurried inside.