“I don’t know if I can do it, Q.” Cedric spat. “I really don’t think I can make it through an entire year of that.” Utter disgust pinching together his friend’s brow. Shaking off like a wet dog, likely in an attempt to rid himself of the aftereffects of the last hour. Leaving Transmutation, they headed towards the practice field where their next class was to be held.

Not yet complete with his rant, he continued. “The headmistress has to be aware one of her instructors is a potential pervert, doesn’t she?”

Stifling a laugh, Q looked at his friend with wide-eyes. “Cedric—” he hissed. A quick look around showed no one was close enough to have overheard without the use of a Gift. The lack of any reaction by those within sight, told him they’d gotten lucky.

Wincing, his friend agreed. “Yeah, OK. That one may have been pushing it a bit. But you see my point. How many of those poor girls do you think will fall for his trap this year? What about last year, or next?”

As scandalous as his words may have been, he made a fair point. For many of the students, this would be their first time away from, and outside the influence of their families. An Instructor taking advantage of that fact, could have serious repercussions.

“I do, and I agree with you. Surely, if it was an issue, it would have been addressed already.”

Cedric stopped walking entirely. His eyebrows lost beneath his bangs as he stared at his friend in disbelief. The sudden wind whipping down the pathway between courtyards tugged at their robes and sent a shiver running up Q’s spine.

Son of the Archmage, King’s Edicts providing a societal grey area… yeah, Q thought, unknowingly clenching his hands into fists. That sounds like a recipe for injustice.

Nodding when Cedric recognized Q’s understanding, they continued on, walking past Reginald and Taylor in the process. The pair wrinkled their noses as if they smelled something rancid, the childish act more funny than it was offending.

Cedric watched the duo go by and asked, “You said they shared your first class this morning? Assholes?”

“Assholes,” Q agreed, “They went for the jugular, socially speaking. I threatened to break Taylor’s nose, just like Reginald’s. Honestly, I almost wish they’d doubt my willingness to introduce them to these hands,” Q said. Throwing a couple of shadow punches for emphasis and trying to work off the chill from a few moments prior.

Laughing, Cedric demanded. “Just make sure I’m there if you do. How a sour apple like Taylor could be related to Ronan is beyond me. Those two becoming friends so quickly, is less of a surprise than it should be.”

A cluster of white-robed students was gathered near the main doors to the training field. Cedric perked up when he noticed Celeste among the group, elbowing Q unnecessarily, indicating her with a nod.

Choosing to ignore his friend’s excitement. Q recalled that his grandfather once told him that Elemental and Physical gifts were the most commonly seen in Rivenna, and based on what Q was seeing today, he was right. A quick head count put this group at twenty-four students, even larger than his Elemental class.

Unlike his previous two classes, when a black-robed mage arrived, they were not alone.

This time, a pair of them would be running the Physical class. The instructors, both of middling height, and sporting brown hair. Though, in differing shades, One so dark that it was nearly black and the other accented with red like a bed of coals.

The latter’s hair wasn’t the most interesting thing about her.

No, that honor went to the wicked scar tracing from the corner of her mouth to her ear, in a ghoulish smile that marred the beauty across the bridge of her nose. In a world of healers that could do so, leaving little to no mark as evidence, it was a shocking thing to see.

“I am Instructor Foster and with me, is Instructor Marks. We will be teaching you how to effectively and safely use Physical magic. This Gift is often looked down upon as the least valuable of the Gifts due to it being the most common.” Her words hung in the air as she looked from face to face. “It’s not, and if I hear one of you call it the Farmer’s Gift, I’m going to let Instructor Marks here. Explain your folly. She takes it personally when any Gift gets disparaged, especially this one. It saved her life.”

Clapping her hands together in a move that looked casual, but contained so much force that it sent out a shockwave of sound. ruffling the hair of those closest, she asked. “If you can’t tell, we at the Academy like volunteers. So, can anyone give me an example of how they’ve used their Physical gift to do anything other than move quickly or pick up something heavy?”

Her question was met with silence as the group looked amongst themselves.

Q nudged his friend, tapping his ears. He wasn’t sure what made him feel comfortable stepping up now. It just felt different from in his other classes.

Cedric nodded and raised his hand high. Taking notice, everyone, including Celeste, turned to look at him.

“Yes, you. In what ways have you used your Gift other than the obvious?” Instructor Foster asked, pointing at Cedric, a touch of surprise in her voice. She traded a look with Instructor Marks, a pleased curl pulling up the other woman’s unmarred lips, in a distorted mirror image.

Augmenting his voice, Cedric answered, “I have used it on my ears to improve my hearing.”

Instructor Marks’ irregular smile turned into a full-blown grin in a flash of teeth. Stepping forward, she said, “And, in your vocal cords to amplify your voice.” Pausing, she gave Cedric a wink before addressing the class. “Both of these are great examples of subtler ways we can use Physical magic. With those in mind—.”

Cedric basked in the attention, until, that is, Q leaned over and in a low voice said, “You should tell them about the thing you did with the barmaid and your—” His words turning to laughter while trapped in his friend’s head lock. He continued to laugh through the attempted strangulation, but the two immediately knocked off their horseplay the instant they felt the instructor’s stares burning into them.

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Turning their attention back where it belonged, Cedric caught the faint smile on Celeste’s lips, and struggled to suppress the grin threatening to break free.

The remainder of their first class on Physical magic was spent covering the theory behind physical augmentation, and delving into the famous ways in which mages had used it over the years. From the most well known of increased strength, speed, and agility, to the heightened senses Cedric described, and even a few obscure augmentations, like increased lung capacity and decreased sensitivity to hot or cold climates.

It was an interesting class, with competent instructors. Something Q was glad to see after Transmutation earlier in the day.

Filing out with the other students, Cedric and Q made for the main hall and the evening meal. Upon entry, they saw Ronan, already seated, and staring red-faced down at his plate.

Q’s eyes locked on Taylor as he walked away from his brother with a satisfied smirk on his face. Skipping the line to grab food, the two hurried over. Sitting down, Q asked Ronan, “What was that about?”

“Nothing,” the older boy mumbled, still looking at his food.

Cedric slapped the table with his palm, causing the nearby plates to jump. “None of that now, we’re friends here. If your brother wants to be a little shit, you can share with the two of us.”

Ronan looked up, his eyes flicking between the two, finally settling on Q. “It wasn’t me he was being a shit to. He wanted to make sure I knew who my new friend was, and to warn me that my continued contact with you would do nothing but bring shame to our family’s name.”

Q nodded slowly, giving the older boy an appraising look. “All of which you already knew…?” he said, his voice trailing off at the end.

Ronan, picking up on the unspoken question, waved it away. “Of course I did. That’s not what’s bothering me.” Looking around the room, he shook his head and turned back to Q. “No, I’m more concerned about some of the other students and how they will react to the news. I’m not the only one with an influential parent at the academy this year.”

Not sure what to say to that, Q just shrugged. His stomach let him know with a rumble that it was not OK with skipping dinner. Rising to his feet, Cedric stood up a moment later and followed him to fetch a plate.

On their return, Ronan pondered aloud, “I do wonder how Taylor figured out who you are so quickly. I know it wasn’t from me.”

“Easy,” Cedric mumbled around the half-a-roll he’d managed to stuff into his mouth. Pausing only long enough to swallow it down with a drink of water, he said, “Remember that guy we pointed out a few nights ago? The one from the tavern. Apparently, he and your brother are best friends now.”

“Really? Usually, Taylor has a hard time making friends.” Ronan asked, relaxing his weight on to an elbow and raising a single brow.

With a theatrical sigh, Q tilted his chin up in mock disdain. “Bringing people together through mutual hatred. I’ve found my life’s calling.” He turned to Cedric and asked, “Speaking of which, how do you feel about a little petty revenge?”

The question, spread a wolfish grin across his friend’s face, in contrast to the frown it brought to Ronan’s.

*****

Instructor Burns was waiting for them in the same classroom they’d met in that morning. Q and Cedric found him seated on the lower dais in a cross-legged position with his hands resting on his knees, his eyes shut.

The two hadn’t been speaking when they’d entered the room, but the idea to do so now, and interrupt whatever Burns was doing, seemed wrong. Trading glances, he and Cedric made their way down to the dais and took the same seated position as their instructor.

They waited like that, without a sound, for several minutes. When Burns finally opened his eyes, he smiled at them both.

“Thank you for waiting. I appreciate your patience. It shows you’ve learned discipline. That should help you with much of what I want to teach you. Have either of you ever heard of meditation?”

Cedric spoke up, recognizing it as something he’d seen his mother do from time to time.

“Yeah, but I’ve never tried it.”

Burns looked at him in surprise until he remembered who the boy’s mother was. “Ahh, I shouldn’t be surprised that your mother knows the technique. Did she teach you how it works?”

Shaking his head no, Cedric explained. “No, she told me that it was supposed to help focus the mind and improve the use of Mental magic, but it was not something she personally saw much benefit from.”

“That is not an uncommon sentiment. For some, it helps significantly. For others, like your mother, it can be a frustrating act, similar to banging one’s head on a wall. Did either of you feel anything odd when you first entered the room?”

Thinking back, Q remembered the sensation that he needed to remain quiet while descending the stairs to the dais. He described the sensation to Burns and earned a smile in return. Cedric nodding along as Q put a description to his own feeling.

“That,” Burns said, “Was me projecting my desire for peace mentally throughout the room. It is a subtle manipulation of mind magic that I have only managed to do when centered and while in meditation. Its combat effectiveness is nearly non-existent. Which, is why it is an application of magic that few, if any, choose to learn, but it is an example of the different ways we can influence the world around us with more than just telekinesis when it comes to Mental.”

He paused to look them both over before continuing, “Q, I asked you to be here tonight as the normal curriculum was not made with mages of your power in mind. There are so few that have more than three Gifts, that each is treated as a special case.” Turning to Cedric, he said. “You though, Cedric. Achieved something that has only been suspected of being possible in your duel today. The manifestation of telekinetic force, what you did when you used it to change directions and to block Q’s movement during your duel. Is something I would love to help you explore, if you are amenable to working with me.”

Q did not take offense to Cedric being given more attention by their instructor. He knew his friend often struggled dealing with the reality that he did not have his mother’s gift. What he did not realize, was that in his desire to prove himself, He created something uniquely his own.

Techniques like this were what family legacies were built on. Trying to learn how an ability was developed had resulted in violence and generational feuds in the past. Even asking for the chance to study a spell would typically be considered an extreme breach of etiquette, and Burns was risking serious backlash if Cedric chose to take his request the wrong way.

With a quick glance at Q, who just raised an eyebrow in return, Cedric said. “I have only developed the technique recently, and would like to test its applications on my own before bringing in outside influence. I will consider your request and let you know later if my decision changes.”

“Perfectly acceptable.” Burns assured him with a bow of his head. “You may choose to join in each of the evening’s sessions with Q. I only ask that you do so consistently, or not at all.”

Burns then began to explain the basics of meditation, how to position their bodies for extended periods of stillness. He described the correct way to breathe and had them count each inhale and exhale. His instructions became almost meditative in their own right, and Q was shaken out of the trance when the next bell rang, indicating the end of the session.

The trio rose to their feet and Burns surveyed them with a smile, asking, “How do you feel?”

Cedric rolled his shoulders and complained, “Stiff. Is every session going to be like that?”

Q felt the opposite. His body felt pleasantly loose, and he felt a sense of calm he hadn’t realized had been missing since he’d left Country Wycliffe.

Burns laughed, “Only until you get the hang of it. Though, you may take after your mother, and meditation simply may not be for you, time will tell. Now, have a pleasant evening, and I will see the two of you tomorrow.”

With that, he turned and made his way up the stairs towards the chamber’s exit.

“It is no wonder mother had us lifting weights, I was dying of boredom.”

With a grin, Q responded, “I don’t know. The silence was kind of nice. It’s so rare in your presence.”

Snorting, Cedric pushed Q over and out of his meditation position. Rising to his feet, he headed for the stairs. Q’s chuckle bouncing off the stone walls and chasing him from the room.