The following days went by in a rush for Ezekiel, as he was fully immersed in his studies. He spent his mornings analyzing Leo and his classmates' combat styles, and his afternoons and evenings were dedicated to his meditation research. The days passed by so quickly that he barely noticed their progression. Friday arrived once again, marking the time for his weekly battle with Leo. Ezekiel used these weekly battles as a means of measuring his progress throughout the week.

Last week, he had surprised Leo with his two new spells, and had managed to force the young man into using his fire magic. Leo had even joked that Zeke might be able to force him into using his saber this time. But after the battle, Leo was rather disappointed. Zeke had not improved by a lot compared to the previous week.

"What's wrong, Zeke?" Leo asked after sending his opponent to the ground once again. "You're not focusing. You're not even trying to use any new strategies. This is not like you."

Zeke was also disappointed by his lackluster performance. But he had been working on his [Analyze] spell all week and had no time to focus on his personal improvement. He told Leo that he was working on something big and that he could look forward to Zeke's performance next week. Placated, Leo left to go and fight someone else.

Zeke had not been lying. He had finally realized what the missing component was to his [Analyze] spell's ability to measure real combat strength. The parts that were missing were: Experience, Instinct, and Synergies.

He had spent the entire week pouring over his notes, trying to understand how to incorporate these missing components into his spell. The problem was that experience and instinct were hard to quantify, and synergies were even harder to measure. But he refused to give up. He knew that if he could crack this problem, his [Analyze] spell would be unrivaled in its ability to measure real combat strength.

But now that the weekend had arrived, Zeke had no more time to devote to his personal project. He had made a promise to Maximilian to visit his sister and observe her progress with the meditation technique. Zeke was filled with excitement as they boarded the Alexandria to journey to his hometown of Feldstadt. Part of this excitement was due to the opportunity to reunite with his family, but he was even more eagerly anticipating his second experience aboard the magnificent airship.

However, Zeke didn't anticipate the reaction that the landing of a massive airship would cause in the small village of fewer than 1,000 people. As the Alexandria descended, people stopped their work in the fields and gazed at the enormous flying behemoth in awe. Zeke observed some farmers running for cover, their faces contorted with fear and panic. He felt remorseful for not taking a carriage for the sake of convenience, knowing that his decision had caused so much distress.

Maximilian took it all in stride, hopping off the boarding platform of the airship as if he had arrived in a regular carriage.

Zeke just followed him silently, a little embarrassed by the commotion they had caused. The moment Zeke pointed out which house was his, Maximilian basically sprinted towards it and left Zeke behind. When Zeke caught up a minute later, he was witness to a truly comical scene. He could see Maximilian standing in front of his house and trying to talk down the angry pair of Zeke's parents, who were berating Maximilian in a way Zeke had not thought his parents were capable of. He approached the scene with the intention of rescuing his teacher, but he was not in a hurry to stop the ongoing tirade, as he was silently enjoying the show with glee.

Upon getting closer, he could hear his parents' voices getting louder and more agitated. They were really upset about something, and it was clear that Maximilian was having a difficult time defusing the situation.

"You disgusting bastard son of a whore." Zeke could hear his mother yell. His father wasn't far behind her and with his deep voice called Maximilian a "disgrace to the human race that should have died in his father's balls." Zeke was laughing hard now, he was certain he knew how this misunderstanding had happened. He made his way over a little faster now, to stop his parents from doing something that they might regret.

He reached them just as his father was about to take a swing at Maximilian, and he quickly stepped in between them. "Dad, stop!" he said, holding up his hands. "What's going on here?"

His parents, calming down a little upon seeing their son, started to explain the situation from their perspective, and Zeke laughed even harder as he heard the story. "This strange old man came to our door and asked if Maya was home," his mother said. "When I asked him how he knew my daughter, he told me he didn't have time to explain and needed to look at her body urgently."

His father chimed in, "When I heard your mother screaming, I came running. This old man looked at me and told me to quickly go and get Maya. He said he couldn't wait any longer."

By the time his father finished the explanation, Zeke was barely able to remain on his feet, struggling to breathe through his bouts of laughter. After calming down enough to speak normally, Zeke starter to explain the situation to his parents. "I'm sorry I didn't explain this in my letter, we are both here to check on Maya's progress with the meditation we've been working on," he explained, still chuckling. "I really should have warned you ahead of time."

"Mom, Dad," Zeke began, his voice steady and confident. "It's time that I introduce you to my teacher and, technically, a member of our family since I was adopted by him. This is Arch Magus Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim. He is my teacher and mentor at Elementium, and an unrivaled genius when it comes to developing new spells and magical research."

At the grandiose introduction, Maximilian calmed down a bit as well. He remembered that it would not behoove a man of his station to lose his temper over a simple misunderstanding. He had been furious with the insults that Zeke's parents had thrown at him. How dare they speak to him, an Arch Magus of the empire, a veteran of a hundred battles, and the commander of the western wall, in such a manner? But then he realized how his arrival must have seemed to Zeke's parents, and he became a bit sheepish as he introduced himself properly.

"My apologies, good sir and madam," Maximilian said, bowing his head slightly. "I did not mean to cause any offense. I was simply in a hurry to see your daughter, Maya, as I was eager to observe the progress she has made with your son's meditative technique."

Zeke's parents looked at each other, then back to Maximilian, their expressions softening. "Well, we apologize as well," Zeke's father said. "We were just taken aback by your sudden arrival and urgency. Please, come inside and make yourself at home."

As they entered the small house, Maximilian couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement at the situation. He had never been spoken to in such a manner before, and yet here he was, in a humble farming village, simply accepting an apology from a couple of simple folk. Truly, the world was a strange and unpredictable place.

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As they sat and chatted over tea, Zeke couldn't help but notice that Maximilian kept stealing glances at his father, as if he recognized him from somewhere. Zeke asked Maximilian about it, but the old man just waved it off, telling him that it was just a feeling. Zeke's father didn't seem to recognize Maximilian either, which struck Zeke as odd.

But the matter was quickly forgotten as they made their way to Maya's room. The girl was overjoyed by Zeke's arrival, and even more so when she learned that even his teacher had come to see how well she was progressing with the meditation technique. Zeke could definitely see the progress that his little sister had made in the past week. Using his [Perfect Sensory Recall] spell, he compared the state of her nascent core with the recordings of the previous weekend. He discussed his findings with Maximilian, and they both came to the conclusion that Maya would have a functioning core in about two years, if she continued at her current pace.

Zeke had the realization that his understanding of the process of core formation must be incomplete, as he processed the information that he and Maximilian had just discovered. He couldn't figure out why everyone was made to wait until they were 14 to go through the evaluation with the fatebringer crystal, when it was clear that a magic core could form earlier. Wouldn't at least the nobles want to give their children every advantage? Why, then, would they also wait for the same 14 years before sending their children to the evaluation?

Maximilian, upon hearing Zeke's question, took a sip of his tea before elaborating. "Zeke, what you don't realize is that the fatebringer crystal is more than just a tool for determining a student's affinities," he explained. "It also serves to awaken the magic core, making the student an official apprentice and allowing them to start gathering ambient Mana to strengthen their core."

"But if that's the case," Zeke interjected, "why don't the noble families awaken their children's cores earlier, to give them a head start?"

Maximilian leaned back in his chair, considering the question. "Because it is an established truth that a core can continue to develop new affinities or improve up until the age of 14," he said. "After years of trial and error, and a tremendous amount of data collected, the Mages guild has found that there are never any cases of children developing new affinities after they turn 14. That's why 14 is the official cut-off point for awakening the core."

Zeke sat in silence, contemplating the revelation that his mentor had just shared with him. The fatebringer crystal, commonly used to determine a young mage's affinities, was apparently capable of much more than just that. It could also "awaken" the magic core, allowing the mage to officially begin their apprenticeship and gather ambient Mana to strengthen their core.

As he pondered this new information, Zeke's thoughts turned to his friend Markus, who had undergone the evaluation but was not a student at Elementium Academy. He turned to Maximilian with a sense of urgency in his voice. "What will happen to Markus? He has a metal affinity and his core was also awakened by the fatebringer, but isn't studying at any academy. Won't he go through the same pain that I went through with my core? If he doesn't master a spell to engrave in time, his core might even collapse!"

Maximilian, who had been waiting out Zeke's panicked rambling with a patient expression, spoke up in a calm, reassuring tone. "My dear boy, there is no need to fret. Markus's situation is not unique. Many people, like your friend, have their cores awakened at the evaluation but do not attend any academies. It is not a requirement to attend an academy to become a True Mage. Markus will simply have to find a different way to get his hands on a Metal Magic spell. Alternatively, there is a service provided by the Mages guild that lets people get rid of their magic core painlessly. This is usually used as a last resort for people that did not manage to find a spell to engrave in time. Either way, Markus only has a lesser affinity, it will take him years or maybe even decades to be at the point of advancement."

Zeke sat there, deep in thought, his mind racing with worry about his friend Markus. Though he knew his fears were not entirely unfounded, he also realized that the situation was not as dire as he had initially thought. Markus would need years to reach the point where he could advance to a True Mage. Even if he began to feel the pain of his over-saturated core, it would likely take even longer for that pain to become a problem, given Markus' slow rate of gathering ambient mana.

Despite this, Zeke was determined to help his friend in any way he could. He wondered if he could develop a spell for Markus to engrave on his core, something that would aid him in his chosen profession of blacksmithing. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was the solution to Markus' problem.

With a newfound determination, Zeke turned to Maximilian, his mentor and teacher, and explained his plan. Maximilian listened intently, nodding thoughtfully as Zeke spoke. "It's a sound idea, Zeke," he said when Zeke had finished. "You should definitely explore this further. But if you really want to help your friend find the perfect spell for blacksmithing, you might want to do some research on the subject. It's never a good idea to assume to know what people of an unknown profession need or want to be successful."

Zeke felt a weight lifted from his shoulders as he and Maximilian discussed the idea further. They spent a few minutes discussing potential spells and smithing techniques and how to go about learning more about the subject, both of them excited at the prospect of helping Markus achieve his goal. Zeke, in a great mood after having made so much progress, remembered that Maya was still here with them. Tentatively, he looked over at his sister, scared at what he might find. Maya's face was distorted after being ignored for so long, her eyes were starting to redden and Zeke saw the first traces of tears in the corner of her eyes. Zeke sneakily nudged with his elbow to get the old man's attention. Maximilian, after interpreting Zeke's frantic signaling, nodded his understanding, and they both focused back on the girl they had initially come here for.

Zeke and Maximilian took their seats on either side of Maya, opting for the comfort of her small bedroom floor. The young girl's eyes lit up with excitement, as she eagerly described her experiences with the meditation technique that Zeke had taught her. Zeke was astounded by the progress she had made in just a week of practice, and he could see the pride shining in her voice. He and Maximilian had decided to teach Maya the newest version of the technique whenever they came to check on her.

"Maya, I want you to close your eyes and focus on your breathing," Zeke instructed, his voice calm and steady.

Maya nodded, her eyes fluttering shut as she began to breathe deeply and steadily.

"Now, I want you to imagine a bright light at the center of your chest," Zeke continued. "This light is your magic core, and we are trying to make it stronger. With every breath you take, try to hold it in your chest for as long as you can. Imagine the light in your chest like a seed. It is nurished with every repetition, growing a little bit bigger every time you hold a breath in your chest."

Zeke continued to guide his sister through the steps of the newly improved meditation technique. And Maya seemed to be really talented at this form of training. If Zeke had to guess, he would say that Maya's vivid imagination was what let her adapt so well to the technique, but only time would tell how she would develop. After they had finished the session, they had dinner at Zeke's parent's house. Zeke's parents were happy to see him, and they were delighted to finally get to know Maximilian, as he was his mentor.

As the evening came to a close, the two mages said their goodbyes, promising to return the following weekend to check on Maya's progress.

Maximilian was pleased with the progress Maya had made, and he was happy to return next week. Maya was the student who had been practicing the meditation technique for the longest time, and he wanted to check on her progress as often as possible.

As they journeyed back to the academy, Zeke felt a swelling sense of pride. He had aided his younger sister in her journey to becoming a mage, and he was eager to see where the future would lead her. And Markus, he would do whatever it took to support his friend. He had trusted Zeke's guidance for years, never protesting about the untested and unproven meditation technique, even though Zeke knew that his friend never enjoyed the practice. He would not let the core that Markus had formed through his hard work go to waste.