Michael's dreams were unpleasant at best, and nightmarish at worst. The vestiges of sleep tug at his mind even as hot water cascades down his back. Michael forgets to wash his hair, and instead simple stands under the showerhead for several minutes.

The walk to the cafeteria with Scy is uneventful. Michael gives short replies to everything Scy says, but he can't remember what they talked about afterward. Michael just focuses on putting one foot in front of the other.

Smells of good food and sounds of breakfast chatter fail to being Michael out of the doldrums. Jamie meets up with them at some point, and Michael orders his food without making a conscious decision on what he wants to eat.

Magic stings Michael's scalp as Scy injects his magic into him. The shock of it finally brings Michael back to the present.

"Are you okay?" Scy asks gently.

"Yeah... I just didn't sleep well." Michael replies weakly.

Jamie stares at Michael for a moment before poking an odd purple lump of food on Michael's plate with his fork. The thing twitches as if alive, and Michael's face pales.

"What's wrong babe? You haven't touched your Unicorn Poop." Jamie teases Michael.

Michael's expressions darkens as he realizes he absentmindedly ordered the "Unicorn's Blessing" which is comprised of unicorn waste.

"Ugh..." Michael groans.

Scy shakes his head as Michael pushes his breakfast away. There are dark circles under Michael's eyes, but the faraway look he wore all morning has been replaced by the curious look others are used to seeing.

Michael reaches over to pluck a Gilded Hash Brown off of Scy's plate. Scy gives Michael an offended look as he eats the stolen goods, yet that offense turns to a smile of relief.

"Feel better now?" Scy asks.

"Sort of, yeah." Michael replies with his mouth full.

Jamie grins slightly upon seeing Michael return to his usual self. Jamie passes a whole half of his Demon Bird Egg Omelette to Michael.

"...Isn't this a bit much?" Michael asks.

"Nah, take it." Jamie replies.

Michael isn't one to turn down free food, and enjoys the rest of breakfast thanks to his two friends.

~

The students are all whispering about David being absent when Professor King appears behind his podium in a shower of golden sparks. He clears his throat, catching everyone's attention.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Today you'll be learning a mundane spell..." Professor King starts.

The reaction is unanimous as students groan audibly before nervously shutting their mouths. Professor King's golden eyed gaze is that of a lion eyeing helpless prey.

"It is a very practical spell." professor king states firmly.

The space above Professor King's palm glows white before a beam of white light zig zags through the air to disintegrate a clump of dried gum on the floor of the classroom.

"This is the clean spell, an efficient method for magic cleaning." Professor King explains.

The reactions are mixed as some students look disappointed while others are excited to learn something so useful. Michael is a little saddened as he was hoping to learn a new spell, yet Professor King taught him this same spell just yesterday.

"You look disappointed." Jamie comments.

Michael turns to look at the usually quiet boy and nods slightly before casting the cleaning spell to demonstrate.

"I already learned this for my detention..." Michael explains with a sigh.

"Oh... Really?" Jamie raises his brow.

"Yeah, it was a lot... Anyways, are you up for visiting Magi-Market tonight?" Scy changes the subject.

Michael pauses before nodding, his spell changing as he tries to see if it can clean things further away without increasing the cost of magic power. It fails.

"Yeah of course... Mages have video games right?" Michael asks.

Scy laughs a bit and Jamie just smiles.

"Of course we do, mages aren't a bunch of cavemen!" Scy sounds baffled by the notion.

The trio gets a stern growl from Professor King who's standing beside a student he was helping. Scy's complexion pales as he sees the firm look on Professor King's face. Michael and Jamie both look wide eyed at Scy, but none of the three open their mouths for several minutes. Silent spellcasting goes on for the rest of class with very occasional conversation about the activity rather than other things.

~

Michael swears he can hear faint creaking and gurgling from beneath the classroom as he sits stiffly in his chair. Professor Nan's bubbling legs make him jump as she slides over. She sighs, shaking her head at Michael's reaction.

"S-Sorry Professor Nan..." Michael replies sheepishly.

"It's fine, but I can assure you I cleaned the entirety of the drainage system after last nights fiasco." She assures Michael.

Doubt is present in Michael's gaze as he glances at the grates in the floor. Professor Nan shakes her head as she gives up on convincing the boy the classroom is safe to study in. Prof. Nan slides up to her podium whilst casting a few bubbles of red and white up into the air.

"Attention, class!" Professor Nan calls out.

As the students settle down Professor Nan's magical bubbles pop upon the blackboard; Each bubble turns into chalk lettering which explains the object of today's lesson.

Gurgling Death

- Incredibly dangerous

- Born of mixed magic concoctions

- Unintelligent

"Today we'll be talking about this monster and a potion meant to counteract it." Professor Nan explains.

Michael's attention falls back to the drains in the floor of the classroom as he recalls last night's events. Saving David had felt like the right choice, but now he feels so vulnerable sitting above the monster's former lair.

Darker stressful thoughts rear up from the events of last night, and a strange shame that Michael finds so very uncomfortable fills his gut. The sight of his short bare nails is strangely... uncomfortable now. It reminds him of being seen by Professor King in his manifested form, but less intense.

"You okay?" Scy snaps Michael out of his spiral.

"Uh... yeah." Michael replies softly.

The blackboard now has a recipe for a detoxification potion. Michael takes note of the ingredients, finding the recipe simple yet the process difficult. The baking soda keeps causing the mixture to bubble as soon as it makes contact with the manashroom. Michael's thankful for the distraction, and wipes his desk before starting the potion over.