As the final examination of Theoretical Glyphs ended, Jeb looked at his piece of Manaweave and sighed. He had truly thought that he was going to be able to inscribe a Glyph today. Looking at the strokes of ink on the page, he could not find any issues.

The Professor came by to pick up his final attempt. Seeing what Jeb had drawn, he smiled and nodded. His smile froze when he saw that Jeb was far from happy.

“Is something the matter?” he asked.

Jeb’s frown deepened. “I didn’t manage to inscribe a Glyph.”

Understanding seemed to light in the Professor’s eyes. “Oh!” he exclaimed, “do not worry about that. I have seen how much effort you put into this course, and you will absolutely pass.” Seeing that Jeb did not seem cheered by that, he frowned and continued, “Was that not your concern?”

Jeb shook his head. “Dean Aquam had already told me not to expect to make a Glyph. I just really hoped that I would be able to.”

“On the bright side,” the Professor replied, “In approximately three seconds, you will be able to.”

He handed Jeb a blank piece of Manaweave, which Jeb noted was one that was made of his Managrass. Jeb looked at it, wondering what the Professor had meant by three seconds. Just as he was about to ask, the restrictions that had been placed on him that term disappeared. Jeb felt his Status restored to him, like it had been during his day trip out into the Capital. With barely a flick of effort, he pushed Attune Sand Mana into the sheet of Manaweave.

The Professor tsked. “Are you truly satisfied to have wasted all the effort you spent trying to inscribe Glyphs by hand?” He put another piece of Manaweave in front of Jeb.

Jeb paused for a moment, trying to understand what he had done wrong. As understanding dawned, he gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I completely forgot-”

The Professor interrupted him. “I understand completely. After all, I too have had my System sealed off from me. When it comes back, it can be incredibly easy to fall back into whatever habits you had formed before losing it. If you are able to refrain from that impulse, however,” he gave Jeb a meaningful glance, “you may find that you are able to progress much more quickly.”

Jeb picked up the pen he had used for an entire term and began drawing Attune Sand Mana. As he did, he felt the System once again guiding his motions, and paused for a moment, marveling at how much information it was giving him. At once, he understood what he had been doing wrong.

Even though Glyphs appeared two dimensional, especially when inscribed onto a piece of Manaweave, they were not. Portraying depth and higher dimensional impressions was not something he had considered at all without the System. Now that he had it back, though, Jeb saw how changes in pressure while writing or changes in the thickness of a stroke could represent places where the Glyph moved out of plane.

It was as if all of the information that Jeb had been learning over the term was suddenly intrinsic to him. He did not have to think about the fact that Magic flowed better when the ink was laid down in a certain manner. Instead, he just drew, and his body laid the ink down properly. In just a few minutes, he had finished the second Glyph.

Looking at it next to the one he had inscribed using his Mana, Jeb saw some obvious differences. After studying Glyphs for a term, he was uncertain which was a better imprint of the Glyph onto Manaweave, which was strange. He never would have guessed that forcing his Mana into the shape of a Glyph and pushing that onto a sheet of Manaweave could be in any way inferior to drawing a Glyph by hand.

The Professor clearly saw the thoughts going through Jeb’s mind. “It is interesting, is it not? The most accurate representation of a Glyph in two dimensions is not always the two dimensional projection that your Mana produces.”

The Professor finally seemed to notice the Glyph Jeb had inscribed and frowned slightly. “Is this the Glyph that you have been working to inscribe all term?”

Jeb tried to remember whether he had started by working on another Attune Mana Glyph. “I think so?” he hazarded, “or at least, it’s the one that I’ve been working on for most of the term. Why?”

“It was constructed in an,” the Professor paused, clearly considering his words, “interesting manner. Do you happen to know where you learned this Glyph?”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I created it myself,” Jeb replied.

The Professor’s eyes widened slightly. “When did you do that?”

“Before coming to the Academy.”

The Professor began to nod. “Do you know any standard Attune Mana Glyphs?”

Jeb shook his head. “Every Attune Mana Glyph I know I made myself.”

The Professor gave Jeb a speculating look. “Interesting.”

In the silence that followed, Jeb was unsure if there was something he was supposed to say. Just as he was about to ask a clarifying question, the Professor pulled out a sheet of Manaweave and inscribed a Glyph on it.

Looking at it, Jeb cocked his head in confusion. It was clearly Attune Fire Mana, he knew at a first glance. But, it was somehow different than the Glyph he had made for himself. Frowning, Jeb pushed a small amount of Magic into the Glyph and worked through the process of learning it. A few moments later, he felt the searing in his soul that let him know he had learned a new Glyph.

When he went to confirm that he had learned it, though, he saw that his Status remained unchanged. “Is there a reason that I cannot see this Glyph on my Status?” he asked the Professor.

The Professor began nodding excitedly. “I had wondered if this would happen! When learning variations on the same Glyph, some find that their Status shows an entry for each variation. Others find that every variation falls under the same name. There has not been enough research to show systematically why this happens, though I can say that in my own anecdotal experience, those who have Modified Glyphs tend to fall into the latter camp. Try casting Attune Fire Mana.”

Jeb pulled the Glyph to mind as his teacher had instructed. As his Mana started to focus, he found that it was willing to go down three paths. There was the base Glyph that he had crafted and learned what felt like a lifetime ago, and the small path leading from it that represented the Modification he had made to it. But, in a branch that seemed just as large as the first, he saw the variation of the Glyph that the Professor had just taught him.

Jeb shook his head, dispelling the Glyph. “That was strange.”

The Professor nodded. “The first time that I had to deal with variations of a Glyph, I nearly fainted from the strange sensation.” Looking at the clock in the room, he jumped. “My apologies!” he cried, “but I am late for a meeting. If you would like to discuss Glyphs in the future, I am certain that Dean Aquam can point you in the direction of my office.” He fell though the floor.

Jeb shook his head, trying to digest the conversation that he had just been a part of. As the lights in the room slowly faded, Jeb took the hint that he had been sitting there for too long, still confused by the interaction. He left the room and moved to finish preparing for his other finals. With his access to the System restored, studying suddenly went far more easily. It was as though he had been walking in a dimly lit corridor, and suddenly the sun rose. Connections that he had missed all term suddenly appeared in the material.

Jeb nearly missed his next final, too engrossed in studying. As the bells started tolling, though, a book fell on his head. The distraction was enough to shake his concentration, and he rushed to see Professor Fredrick for his final Civics examination. Unlike the other courses he was in, Professor Fredrick did not give him a piece of paper and tell him to solve some issue. Instead, he began asking Jeb questions about laws and regulations within the Capital and Republic at large.

As Jeb kept answering the questions, he saw Professor Fredrick grow more and more animated. Just as he was certain that the examination was over, the Professor asked a final question.

“Finally, Jeb, if a person was to Enchant an object within the Capital without being a part of the Enchanting Guild, what are the penalties associated with that action?” He winked at Jeb.

Jeb rolled his eyes. After his day trip and conversation with Dean Aquam, Professor Fredrick had spent their next three meetings going through all of the regulations pertaining to the different Guilds in the Capital.

“Is it the person’s first offense?” Jeb asked, a smile growing on his face.

Professor Fredrick smiled as well, “it is.”

“Would I be able to assume that this person is also a student of the Academy who is unaware of the regulations pertaining to Guilds within the Capital?”

“If you wish.”

“Then, as per the Enchanting Guild’s charter, it would be up to a Magistrate to decide the penalties. In nearly every situation, though, the student would be offered membership into the Guild, along with an appointed older guild member that they will serve as a Journeyman under.”

“And if the student does not have the Enchanting Skill?”

“As per,” Jeb recited the ordinance which stated that any Child Skill can be used to satisfy a Skill requirement unless explicitly forbidden, “the student could still be inducted into the Guild.”

“What if the student has neither the Enchanting Skill nor one of its Child Skills?”

Jeb rolled his eyes good naturedly. “That is an unexplored question. There is no specific answer in the regulations. However, as you have made clear, regulations are only the base of the law in the Republic. From experience, I can say that such a student would not be inducted into the Guild.”

“Congratulations, Jeb. You have demonstrated sufficient proficiency in your knowledge of Civics. If you should wish to continue your Civics education, I would be happy to give Dean Aquam a list of courses you could consider.”

Jeb grimaced slightly, and Professor Fredrick laughed. “I am only kidding. I understand learning this subject is, at best, a necessary evil to you. I have enjoyed our meetings, and I wish you the best of luck in your future studies.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Jeb replied earnestly. He left the room and resumed his studying in the Stacks.