Markus was distraught. Today was supposed to be the last day to secure for himself a teacher. Although it wasn't mandatory, to be a personal student of a teacher had a lot of benefits. There were increased access to resources to cultivate, better living arrangements, and much more.
As an orphan, Markus didn't have a lot going for him. He had a simple dream, to be able to protect everyone in the orphanage. The life of orphans in this world wasn't easy. There were dangers everywhere, be it beasts or even humans themselves.
For that, they needed strength. And of all the other orphans in the orphanage, Markus displayed the greatest level of perception of mana. Humans weren't naturally predisposed to magic, unlike most other species in this world. It was only those that could sense the flow of mana in the environment that had some level of aptitude in pursuing mage-hood.
With that in mind, the other orphans and Markus scrounged, did odd jobs, and finally earned enough to pay Markus' enrolment fees. His goal was to advance far enough to be able to protect the small orphanage he lived in and the caretaker mistress that ran it.
But his dreams died a slow and painful death with every day that passed during his time in the Academy. He was only a simple 12-year old who was thrown into the deep end with no friends or acquaintances. With the constant bullying from his peers and his lack of potential, Markus' spirit was gradually waning. He was doomed to be stuck at the lowest level of the Mana Condensation realm.
Technically, those at the Mana Condensation realm and aspiring to become mages are called mage practitioners. This was because almost everyone with a base level of mana perceptivity could practice basic cantrips. Cantrips are spells that depend on the most basic mana manipulation. Spells such as |Magic Missle|, |Inspect|, |Mana Ball|, and |Mana Wave|.
But cantrips couldn't help mages to advance. To progress within the Mana Condensation realm one needed to exercise their mana pathways. This could be done in two ways. The first, and the most common, was to utilise a cultivation method that resonated with the person. Cultivation methods included insights and mantras that exercised the mind and will. When the mind resonated with these insights, the mana within the body would circulate.
Markus tried countless cultivation methods in the Academy library. None of them resonated with him. They were either too profound or delved into abstract ideas that didn't make any sense to him. He couldn't ask anyone for help since everyone edged away when he approached them.
The second method was to exercise the pathways by casting spells. It was a cruder strategy, akin to brute forcing through the first realm, but it worked. The only issue was that all spells, apart from cantrips, were Rank-1 in complexity and required the person to be at least in the middle stage of Mana Condensation.
This was also impossible for Markus who was still stuck in the lowest stage of Mana Condensation.
After the end of the first semester, there was usually a fresher's week where newly enrolled students could look for prospective teachers who would take them on as personal students. Generally, all students would get picked since there was usually a similar quantity of students and apprentices.
Only those students that couldn't stand out, yet still wanted to take a final gambit, would attend these fresher's weeks. The gifted students would be plucked by the certified teachers much earlier.
As a last-ditch effort, Markus decided to attend the fresher's week. And that was the decisive blow.
During the entire week, every teaching apprentice Markus approached would send him away politely or straight up reject him to his face. With each rejection, Markus' self-esteem took a hit. On the final day, in the final hour, there was only him left in the yard. Markus was distraught. He was at a point where he was regretting ever joining the Academy.
'Why bother? People like me aren't meant to cultivate,' he said while slowly started to internalise his shattered self. If he were left to his devices at this point, Markus would have been truly lost. But something, or someone, saved him that day.
Before Markus left the yard, he looked up and his eyes met another person's who was standing on the other end of the yard. The person's attire indicated that he was a teaching apprentice. Markus didn't hold any hopes, there were still a few students who didn't have a teacher that didn't show up today. The teaching apprentice would probably pick from them.
'Why would he pick me?' Markus scolded himself for raising his expectations.
As Markus observed the man's face, he saw that the man was thinking about something.
'Will he pick me?' Markus asked himself. 'No!'
But then the most surprising thing happened. The man's expression morphed from uncertainty to unwavering confidence. He then started to walk towards Markus. Markus looked around him, there was no one else. If the man wanted to leave the yard, he would have to walk the other way.
'He's coming this way!' Markus exclaimed excitedly.
Each step the man took was like another inch of rope descending into the dark well Markus was currently stuck in. By the time the man was an arm's length away from Markus, the rope was practically dangling in front of him. Markus wanted to grab on, but he was apprehensive. He had learned better than to have false hope.
"Excuse me. Hi Mr…" the man searched for Markus' name tag, "Ah! Mr. Reva" The man spoke with respect. This startled Markus. This was the first time someone extended a modicum of respect to him.
"Yes?" Markus asked.
"Hi. My name is Guy Larks. I'm a Teaching Apprentice. I came here to inquire whether you're looking for a teacher? Because you see I'm looking to take on a personal student, and I wanted to know if you were interested?" Guy enunciated his words steadily and kept his eyes locked onto Markus'.
Markus was a little shaken at the development. He wanted to accept right then and there, but involuntarily, he blurted out, "Why me?"
"Huh?" Guy was taken aback at that question. Observing the expression on his face Markus swore inwardly. He just got an opportunity and he blew it!
"Why not you?" Guy asked inquisitively.
"Umm… I'm still stuck in the lowest stage of Mana Condensation realm. And I couldn't find a suitable cultivation method from the school's library. I'm afraid I am unsuitable to be a mage. So I was just wondering why you chose me?" Markus asked cautiously.
Guy laughed out loud. "Young man you have the worst case of low self-esteem I have ever seen. Do you think you're the only disappointment in this Academy? Look at me, I've barely reached the late stage of Mana Condensation! Worry not! I chose you because you seem to be looking for someone to help you out of a dark place. And you see I am also stuck in a dark place myself. Why don't we both help each other? Hmm?"
Markus was completely taken in by Guy's response. If he wasn't actively holding himself back, Markus feared he would have burst into tears right then and there.
Guy was a little worried observing Markus' silence, so he decided to elaborate further. "Here's the deal. You are looking to advance, correct? Well, I need to hold onto this job too. So I'm going to make a promise. I promise that by the end of this semester, I will find a way for you to advance in your cultivation. If I fail, I will lose my job. You on the other hand won't have anything to lose. What do you say?"
Guy extended his arm towards Markus, who involuntarily flinched. But seeing that the Guy was asking for a handshake to seal the deal, Markus, who was at first on the ledge, readily grabbed it and shook it aggressively. With each shake, Markus slowly ascended from the dark well of despair.
Guy radiated a warm smile. After working as a teacher and meeting a lot of kids, he could easily read their expressions. Markus, while he tried hard to hide his emotions, wore his heart on his sleeves. Guy empathised with the poor kid, he had seen students who were so bullied that their entire psyche was shattered. He had taken a few courses in child psychology when completing his teaching degree, and Guy had become more astute in picking up on clues.
Guy truly wished for him to have success. The promise he made was not half-hearted, he was prepared to go all out to help Markus overcome the shadows in his heart.
"Alright, so let's get ourselves registered and settled in shall we?" Guy pulled Markus towards himself and the two walked side-by-side towards the student registration building to officially enrol Markus as Guy's personal student.
As they entered the registration office, Guy picked up on some conversations from one of the other offices.
"Did you hear? That Jo… Yea that kid who caused one of Teacher Hinds' students to suffer a deviation in his cultivation… He picked up a personal student and you won't guess who! No… No… Alright alright, I'll tell you. It was that crippled Bori kid! Yea Gaige Bori! HA! Those two wastes joining in, what are they going to accomplish? That Jo made a bet with me that he could get Gaige to enter the middle stage of Mana Condensation within 2 weeks, and that the loser would run naked around the schoolyard… Yea of course I took on that bet!"
Guy coughed loudly to attract one of the clerks' attention. A plump woman slowly made her way from inside. She wore a pleasant smile and had cheeks so rosy you'd want to pinch them until they fell off.
"Hello, Apprentice Larks. How can I help you?" the clerk started.
"Hi. This student here, Mr. Markus Reva, would like to be my personal student. I'm here to go through the formalities," Guy spoke politely.
"Sure! Sure!" The clerk exclaimed.
The entire process was fairly basic. Signing a few forms, applying for new accommodations, picking up a few items. The usual.
Once everything was done, Guy and Markus made their way towards Markus' new living accommodation.
"It was a long day today, so let's not exhaust ourselves. I want you to rest well. Since you're my personal student, your morning classes have been moved towards the evening. So I want you to meet me outside the library first thing in the morning," Guy instructed.
Markus nodded excitedly and thanked Guy profusely for accepting him as a student. Guy simply waved it off and gently shoved Markus into the building.
That night Markus found it difficult to sleep. Usually, it was because his roommates would assault him or cause some disturbance. But now that he was in a solo room, there was no such problem. The reason why he couldn't sleep was due to the sheer excitement!
Although he was only 12 years old, Markus was more mature than other children his age. He already knew that advancing for him was difficult. Even with a teacher, he didn't have any expectations. All he was thankful for was that there was someone who didn't give up on him straight away. Someone that actually wanted to help him.
For many people, even basic respect was something hard to get.