Mike

(Colosseum, Academy Grounds)

"I... sir, I don't know what you mean, it's always looked like this!" Mike hurriedly tried to explain the state of his Gift Page.

"Real clever kid," Dranor answered with hostility. "You fire off an A-rank explosion with psychic effect, and you're trying to convince me you don't know how to project a forged Gift Page? You're clearly somewhat skilled since you're the only one in your class who uses the Link mentally as well. Yet, it seems my threats of expulsion fall on deaf ears."

Mike couldn't believe it. Here he was, on official day one just trying to get his bearings, and now not only had his power just decided to break out on its own and draw almost all the attention of his entire house to himself, but now he was being threatened with expulsion. The shock riveted him in place, though it was accompanied by no small amount of indignation. Mike was beginning to get angry.

"To prove to you that I'm not all talk, and seeing as you flagrantly ignore and disrespect my wishes over and over again Mike, I have no choice but to..." he was about to say when an approaching voice cut through his words.

"Whoa! So soon honey? That would have to be a new record! You just met the kid, and remember they're brand new. La'ar said no 'hasty' decisions, yeah? Was he the one who drove you to this? Was it the explosion?" Eleanor, Dranor's wife interrupted, looking Mike up and down before he could be sentenced. She'd apparently run over after Mike's little explosion fiasco just moments ago.

"Partially, though Mike here is either really lucky or has ulterior motives for being here. Not only did he resist inspection of his GIft and hurl an attack spell at me, but now he has the gall to display a forged Gift Page. This blatant lack of respect cannot be condoned. They're supposed to be the best of the best." Dranor explained.

Eleanor glanced back at Mike. "Is that true, Mike?"

"No. How would you know though, since I'm not even allowed my own voice to tell my side of the story? Some Academy this is turning out to be. You'd think incoming novices who've never had powers before would be afforded a little grace, though since I'm not a Legacy, I guess not. Seems like I'm being expelled anyway doesn't it, Sir." Mike looked Dranor right in the eye as he spoke. Dranor's nostrils flared and his eyes went wide before Eleanor stepped between them.

"Stop!" she shouted, drawing both of them out of their reverie. She turned to Mike and said, "Mike, it is not wise to aggravate a professor on your first day, if indeed you don't wish to be seen as some sort of troublemaker, yes? Also, Dranor would not expel a student so soon. There are procedures in place to objectively analyze a situation, though he, like me, has little time for people with perceived superiority complexes. Do you understand?"

Mike was uncertain, but he didn't want to be expelled on day one, so he bit his tongue and decided to simply nod.

"Good. Now, please show me your Gift Page."

Mike didn't hesitate, and once more brought up the page.

• Gift - Will o' Wisp •

• Type - Unknown •

• Effect - Unknown •

• Sub-effects - Unknown •

• Level - 1 •

• Proficiency - None •

• Advancement potential - Error? •

She raised an eyebrow after glancing at it. "See?" Dranor said over her shoulder.

"Mike, you're certain that this is the original page? There are ways of detecting if this is a lie or not." Eleanor asked sheepishly.

Mike refrained from rolling his eyes and answered, "Yes, it's real. Why is this so strange to you? Isn't everyone kinda like this? We all need to grow into our powers, and the Link doesn't know how we all stack up yet, right?" he asked exasperatedly.

Dranor and Eleanor shot each other a glance before Dranor answered, "No, Mike. This is incredibly strange, if it's even real of course."

Mike wasn't going to let himself be goaded so easily. "Okay, but I don't even know what a 'normal' page looks like! I have no reference, I've been busy trying to settle in and come to grips with my surroundings. My entire life had been thrown upside down, so I'm sorry I'm not asking everyone to show me their gift pages. Isn't all this really personal too?" he asked defensively.

"Mike, you'll all be getting lessons on the Link later today and I imagine this is rather a large shock to the system, but this is unprecedented for us, except as tasteless pranks. You understand why we would be skeptical, and why we're wondering if you were being influenced by Legacy Students even perhaps?" Eleanor asked with genuine concern. "As Chosen, you're held to an incredibly high standard, so please understand our reactions to this, alright?" she pleaded with him,

Mike was undecided. On one hand, Dranor had been a complete asshole to him all because of a misunderstanding, and a moment ago his integrity and standing at school had just been questioned, in front of his new peers no less. Everyone was staring too, it was now a scene.

Great start to Academy life, huh?

"I don't agree that your reactions were appropriate, but I understand your reasoning. I'm not lying though, I promise. You can ask La'ar, he knows about this situation too." Mike responded civilly.

Eleanor smirked. "Name-dropping The Great Cultivator himself huh? Aren't you mister popular already! Very well. Honey, try to be reasonable with him, we don't know what's going on yet, but I sense no lie from him, and you have a class to teach, yes?" she said sweetly to Dranor who was eyeing Mike quizzically.

"Show me your Stat Page." he said gruffly, his arms folded across his massive chest. Eleanor shot him a glance that clearly had meaning only for them. "Mike, you don't have to. It's personal information. It's your choice. It's the one page you can't forge no matter how anyone may try." Eleanor said before shooting Dranor another pointed 'look'.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Mike just wanted the fiasco to end, and he didn't want to give them any reason to suspect him further. "It's fine, I have nothing to hide. Here." he said as a page of light emerged in front of him, winking into existence to replace the Gift Page.

Name - Michael Seagal Baker

Title - None

Race - Human

Gender - Male

Class - Adolescent Civilian

Level - 1

Eye Colour - Blue/Green

Hair Colour - Brown

Skills - Body Control, Flexibility, Minor Enhanced reflexes

Magical Skills - Magic Sense, Minor Magic Manipulation

Special Attributes - Champion, Lucky

Magical Attributes - None

Eleanor and Dranor took a moment to read through the chart, but when they hit the bottom, a palpable shift in their demeanor occurred, and they practically looked Mike in the eye simultaneously, the expressions on their faces identical, ones that Mike simply couldn't place. Without so much as a word to one another, they both glanced back at the page, then at each other before nodding at some unspoken agreement.

"Thank you, Michael. That will be all. Holler if you need anything honey." she said before kissing her husband on the cheek and jogging back to her class of waiting water-users.

Michael? She'd been calling me Mike this entire time, why the switch? Also, why did they get so quiet all of a sudden? What in the hell is going on!?

"Michael, er, Mike, let's put this aside for now and get to class. We can speak later today at the house if you wish." Dranor said much more formally than he had before. He gestured for Mike to move towards the target area where the rest were waiting before shouting "Next!"

Mike moved off and caught the stares all around him from the others who were waiting as he approached.

Great, now everyone's gonna wanna know what happened. I really didn't need to stand out from the get-go. If this doesn't make my life a living hell, then at least I'll have a memorable first-day story to tell back home. If I'm not expelled first. he thought miserably.

It was then that a grouchy voice cut through his thoughts.

"Hey, just because a lecturer pisses you off doesn't mean it's okay to blow him up, idiot. What, did you think you'd be able to take him out when you have no idea what you're doing? Get real, it's stupid and you should know better. Unlike you, I'd actually like to make something of myself, and I need a teacher who isn't dead so I can do that, yeah?" Aden, the boy with the flaming hammer commented as Mike walked towards them. Mike was not in the mood to be dealing with Aden nicely right now, and before he knew what he was saying...

"Is that why at sixteen you need a walking stick to help you use your power? Yeah, actually I can totally see why you need the help, you probably wouldn't get very far on your own."

I'm being so petty, ah geez. Now even more people are gonna notice me. Shut up, dumbass. The damage, however, had already been done.

A small whoosh announced that a flame had sprung to life, and an orange glow alerted Mike that a certain hammer had just slipped into its magically activated state.

"Say that again? I could have sworn you just opened your dumb mouth and pretended you had a brain for a second." Aden grinned, staring daggers at Mike, who retorted.

"The only one who's pretending they'll amount to anything is you, though good on you for trying," he said as a grin began forming on his own face. He couldn't help himself, Aden knew just where to push his buttons. However, it seemed Mike had that effect on Aden too. He hefted his hammer with two hands now, seeing as it looked like it weighed half a ton by Mike's estimates.

"Those sound like fighting words, Mike. You..."

"Students! We begin class right here, and right now. If any of you wish to be expelled, keep playing around with your Gifts. As I just nearly did with Mike, I have the power to start the process of expelling you at any time, though I asked Mike to show me his power when he has no control over it, so in his case, it's an exception that was my fault." Dranor glanced at Mike with that same strange look before turning around and announcing, "Right, Aden, you're up first, show us what you've got! The rest of you, stay close, today you learn how to wield fire!" he said, marching towards the first lane of the target range.

Did...Dranor just defend me? He totally made it seem like it was his fault, and took the heat off of me, literally! I guess there's more to him than just being...well, a pigheaded lecturer. Mike admitted to himself quietly. A begrudging respect formed in the back of his mind. Hmmm, I wonder if he can help me figure out Wisp after all, it 'responded' to him, and to me being 'hurt' after all, and...it spoke to me! Like how Eris did, but differently... Definitely don't wanna tell just anyone about that. What if they think I'm schizophrenic, then I definitely won't be allowed to stay! La'ar should know though. Mike decided, Joe's cautionary words about playing his cards close to his chest coming to the fore. For now, he just wanted to start his very first magic class.

Aden glared at Mike a moment longer before he deactivated his hammer and huffed in disdain, moving off to follow the professor.

If this keeps up, it's gonna be a long day.

* * * * *

Joe

(The Aurora)

Joe was lying on his bed in his 'quarters', currently going over the data he'd just received.

This program is so comprehensive, it's like a game! Ta'rel coded this beautifully! Man, I've gotta thank her when I get the chance.

Joe was going through the footage he'd taken of E'rel, and from the looks of things, he was glad he'd chosen to focus most of the instruments on the caster, and not the magical effect itself. Joe was taking a particular interest right now in the infrared recording. The heat signature E'rel was giving off seemed kinda normal, but when he cast, the skin that was visible got slightly warmer for a moment, before almost immediately cooling off after a second. This phenomenon was consistent with both recorded blasts he'd taken.

It's not like he's using fire spells or anything, he's just using air. That means that the casting itself is generating heat in his body as he casts. Cause and effect? How does Conservation of Energy factor in here as well? Magic has an origin, if Va'al's premise is to be believed. Magic either causes or creates energy manipulation right?... Wait, energy manipulation...

Joe switched to the MRI/MRA tab on his tablet and was met with the most in-depth analysis of an 'MRI scan' he had ever seen. Technically, an MRI took 'slice photos' or miniature image portions of the body, which would later be reconstituted to show what was going on inside the body, blood vessels, organs, and basically all soft tissue. What the Livar's MRI did was...probably technically not within human capability just yet. Joe was witnessing an insanely detailed full-body moving MRI of E'rel as he cast.

Doctors back home would kill for this kind of tech! Whoa, that is freaky! Joe noted, seeing E'rel's brain and insides working in real-time. There were three parts to his brain, unlike a human's two, he had 4 lungs, two hearts, an oddly similar digestive tract, and overall bodily musculature to a human.

Wait, where is his... oh...OH!

Seeing as Livari's anatomy was so similar to humans, it came as a surprise when Joe found that where human anatomy had external reproductive organs, Livari had...nothing. E'rel's...organs... were apparently inside his abdomen, judging by the scans Joe had been given.

What the hell Joe! Stop looking at him, and focus on the data! Yeah, I can do that. Joe mentally berated himself, deciding to focus on the six digits of the Livari's hands and feet. Their heads were also bulbous at their temples and foreheads, and their brains were much more enlarged and dense than those of humans. That was when Joe's mind came to a screeching halt.

Wait...do you think...no. If I used the machine on Ta'rel then I would see... everything! No, no way that's right. I can't do that. Sorry Ta'rel, but you definitely can't be a part of my experiment when using the MRI, nope! Not happening. Joe thought as his cheeks flushed and he slapped himself on both cheeks to get his mind back on track.

Focus! There's work to be done.

Joe decided to test out just what the program could do. Apparently, the answer to that question was...a lot! One could highlight specific organs and systems within the body. Joe decided to watch it all in its complex glory and he hit play. He watched the delicate interplay of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons working side by side to create something so unique he had to stop and watch it over and over again. And all he was doing was casting an air blast!

Oh man, you don't see this every day! It's amazing, but you can even see the blood flow, the billions of cells flying around the body like that... It was then that Joe noticed something. He replayed the one test a few times, squinting at the screen. He tapped on the blood vessels and tried to enlarge them, which they did, in surprising clarity as well. He played it again, and to his surprise, he saw something he hadn't anticipated.

The blood is lighting up when he casts! But is that okay? I guess it must be, since they cast with no side effects I can see. We set it up so that fast blood flow lights up and slow blood flow is dark. There's nothing dark about the flow, to begin with, but the casting speeds up... wait, can this zoom in further?...

It was then that the limitations of human technology were surpassed. For all of humanity's technological prowess, MRA blood imaging could get really really close, but it couldn't tell the difference between the Livari equivalent of a red blood cell, a white blood cell, platelets, and...

Wait...there aren't meant to be four. Oh no, does that mean...

The magnification was incredible, the resolution far in excess of human capabilities, and right there in the bloodstream Joe could see a fourth type of cell.

Joe grabbed his tablet as he dashed out of the room, just a few steps from the lab where he found his target.

"E'rel!" he shouted, running to where the scientist had bumped his head on a nearby scanner from getting a fright at the abrupt announcement.

"Joe, whilst it is good to see you once more, I ask that you don't announce your presence quite so...loudly. It is somewhat disruptive." E'rel said with a tone Joe could have sworn was ever so slightly miffed while he rubbed his head.

"E'rel, sorry, I have bad news for you." Joe looked at him with concern. "I think you have a disease." Joe handed the tablet over to E'rel who took it and with his ever placid demeanor returned, glanced at the highlighted cells.

"Joe, I appreciate your concern..." he paused to look up at something only he could see for a moment, Joe guessed it was the Link, before he continued. "Ah, I see the reason for your concern. Normal human beings have only 3 types of blood cells in their vessels. I cannot tell you about this fourth variety you see here, as it is part of the non-disclosure we are sworn to concerning your research, but suffice it to say this is perfectly normal for a Livari." he handed Joe the tablet.

Joe heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, I was so worried there for a second! I guess I don't have to worry about anything more than your weird pe...ah...bodily functions." Joe couldn't believe he'd just said that. "Forget I said anything." Joe turned slightly red as he fumbled with his near-Freudian slip. E'rel cocked his head slightly as he regarded Joe, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Ah, I see. There are a number of human body parts that begin with the letters 'pe', and many if not most are analogous with the Livari. There are a number of differences, though given your age, only one could truly be considered 'weird', and would elicit the reaction you now show. Would you be talking about the human male pe..." E'rel was about to say before Joe cut him off rather loudly.

"Reproductive organs, yes, though there's no need to spell it out for everyone, so I'll just..." It was Joe's turn to be cut off as he looked around frantically.

"Is this embarrassing for you Joe? It is a normal function of the body. Male Livari have retracted organs which deploy during times of arous..."

"Aaaaand I don't need to know more than that, thanks Earl, I'll see you later!" Joe called loudly over his shoulder as he almost ran out of the lab.

E'rel watched Joe leave quizzically. It was then that a light snort sounded from a few machines over where Ta'rel was concealed by an enormous apparatus.

"I don't see the humor in that discourse. Is there something I missed?" E'rel spoke out loud.

Ta'rel couldn't contain herself and laughed out loud. "E'rel, you are the smartest and simultaneously the dumbest man I've ever met." she laughed as she walked away.

Back in his quarters, Joe had promptly set an alarm for a few hours from now and set his tablet down. He dimmed the light with the controls he'd been shown earlier and climbed into bed.

Damnit. Thank goodness Ta'rel wasn't there. I couldn't have made that more awkward if I tried! I think I definitely need to get some...

Joe fell asleep almost instantly as the excitement and work had taken their toll. For the next four hours, sleep would be Joe's domain.