In the cottage in the mountains that stood strong in the middle of a blizzard that never seemed to cease, Elam was setting a cup of tea. For once, he wasn't lying on a couch or lazing in a rocking chair, what changed as well was the fact that he was preparing too much for a single person.
He heard some groaning behind his back, his only student was starting to wake up. A small smile appeared on his face, it contained genuine happiness, for once. Elam was one of many mages that didn't like needless killing, but he himself had made a mistake in the past, making him loose on of his best students. From then on, he rarely adopted new pupils, across the years perhaps a few lucky ones had the chance to enroll with him. They didn't last very long though since he barely taught anything and made some unreasonable demands.
"Grnh", yet now, a new student was present in his little home with the potential to realize his goals. A student he didn't know all that well, nevertheless, boundless potential wasn't difficult to find. The moment he opened his eyes, he knew what kind of future would be waiting for him.
Lucas opened his eyes to see the familiar wooden ceiling in the cottage. He wasn't breathing heavily nor sweating like he had been until then. He had been stuck in an illusion that lasted years with no end. The end was so devastating that it made him start to go unconscious from the pain, only through his complex yet sturdy mind did he last to see the end.
"Welcome back, Conrad."
The smile and smell of the lovely tea was the only thing Lucas could sense.
"How was your trip?"
"What exactly happened?", Lucas was calm on the outside, but the sudden spasms and his darting eyes betrayed that he was still experiencing the aftereffects of the illusion.
"I put you in an illusion that would let you experience a tale from one of the greater mages this world has known. What you saw depends on you, all I can hope for is that it was worth the trip."
Lucas started to check his body to find out how much of the dream became reality. He felt that something was wrong. He had been experiencing the memories of someone else for more than a decade, all the things the boy experienced he felt as well. The experiments done to the boy felt like it was being done to him.
Seeing that his arms and legs were still human did put his mind to rest, but the moment he tried to channel magic he was stunned.
'It...he succeeded.'
'That he did.'
The magicules came out from the core but floated randomly throughout his body. The fixed pathways were easy to use, since he simply had to push it in order for it to move forward. But now, it didn't have a direction to go to, pushing it made it move in a random direction. It stayed around the core, circling it.
The problem was that he needed to quickly get rid of it, or the magic would manifest and turn whatever it landed on into mush. His body realized the threat too late and sprung into action, forcing the magic away from the body. His stomach started to produce a tiny pool of water, leaving a big stain around his crotch.
Elam looked on in stunned disbelief, "Were you that scared?"
"What? No, I can't channel my magic normally!"
The misunderstanding quickly cleared up, not that Lucas was embarrassed, but it did put Elam in an awkward position. "Talk to me, what exactly do you mean?"
There was a slight moment of hesitation of whether to reveal what he gained or keep it a secret. Lucas knew that with enough time he could figure something out by himself, but the realization that he was practically as weak as any human now shocked him to flap out his inner thoughts.
'It's not too late to cover it up, he'll be suspicious and know we're hiding something, but he wouldn't know how fragile our state is now.'
'No, this is the same thing with Liam, we need to be capable of trusting others with the bare minimum.'
'Are you saying that he is on the same level as Liam?'
'Not exactly, but why bother hiding it now? He could've easily killed us if eh wanted to, right? Plus, it's Elam we're talking about.'
'Yeah, I guess he wouldn't even bother to think of experimenting, fine, do what you will.'
Lucas decided to share what he had seen, what he felt and how it changed his body. He skipped most of the details and kept the great mage a secret, only telling him that someone powerful experimented on him. Part of Lucas was willing to share everything, but to satisfy his other half, he kept it vague enough to interpret certain things.
"So you're saying that you don't have pathways and gateways anymore?"
"Yeah, that's the gist of it."
"I see...Welp, that means you'll have to start training, I guess."
Elam didn't seem all that shocked or weirded out, not even a moment of hesitation in his voice was present.
"Don't you think this is a little weird?"
"Hmm? The world of magic is filled with the strangest of things, I've had a few people experience that illusion and each one came out completely different. Some grew horns and wings, others...simply never woke up."
Elam served Lucas a cup of tea before sitting down on the nearby rocking chair. He was about to take a sip before suddenly remembered something.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Since you woke up a lot earlier than I suspected, it means that we still have some time before you need to start participating in the school's competitions. Thus, I invited a friend over that will help me teach you. I'll be your combat teacher, and he'll be your theoretical teacher."
The sudden influx of information made him snap back to reality. "Wait, did you do everything I asked you to?"
Elam looked over, although his eyes were always closed, with a look of disappointment.
"You think I can't complete some easy tasks?"
Lucas stayed silent, he knew that if Elam had followed his instruction, a lot must've changed in the academy. Elam picked up on his curiousness and elaborated.
"Everything went according to your plan, if I interpreted correctly, of course. Vires was arrested and Gilbert has been put on the bottom of the list of suspicious individuals. Eleven also found out what he wanted to, and I've been to the blacksmith to purchase a fitting weapon. Anything I missed?"
Lucas shakes his head, most of what he wanted came true, so he had no reason to complain. He was about to leave the bed he had been lying on, but he felt pressured to stand. Elam wasn't done yet.
"Now, boy, you have a lot to explain to me, don't you? Don't try to sneak your way out of here. After talking with Leo and the other priests, there was a lot that came up that didn't make a lot of sense. So tell me, how did you know Vires was a killer?"
Lucas had a small internal debate on how much he should reveal, but the look in Elam's eyes showed that it would be better to not hold back.
"I didn't, I don't even think he's proficient in killing."
"What? That doesn't make any sense, why were there so many souls than that proved exactly that?"
"Oh, that whole thing? During Gilbert's lessons, we learned that lingering souls have a strong attachment to something. To me, this means that souls still have desires, no matter how superficial. Imagine yourself always watching the world around you endlessly without anything to do. You don't grow old or experience change, you don't sleep or eat. Smell, taste and touch are all prohibited, you're doomed to live without anything but jealousy.
You can only watch people enjoy their life instead of you. If you could offer them a moment of materialization and coming into contact with the world around them, letting them experience things they have dreamed of for so long. Wouldn't they easily accept? Even if they have to spout some lies?"
"But then, why Vires of all people?"
"Simple, Gilbert was being suspected of having connection to the Demonic Cult. I can't disprove that in any way, so what would be the best way to solve this situation? Having someone else come out as the big bad guy and taking the blame. In other words, creating a scapegoat.
If I chose a random teacher, it wouldn't be so attention grabbing. Choosing Vires also increased the chance of possible souls that are willing to work with us. Those who are jealous of his achievements wouldn't mind pushing him further in the ground. If the souls did as I wanted, they would imply that Vires had a link with the cult, making all the spotlights fall on him. It wouldn't clear Gilbert's name completely, but enough for him to continue teaching."
"Hahaha, so you thought so far ahead, I see, then the girl that died."
"An unfortunate accident, I don't have anything to do with that."
A slight grin appeared on both their faces. "I don't suppose you'll answer if I ask why you kept your talent hidden?"
To which Lucas didn't budge in the slightest. He would use his skills when it came to his own desires, but if many knew of his prowess, how many would try to take advantage of him?
"Or why you kept your name hidden under a false one."
Lucas eyes shot wide open for a split second before returning to his normal self. He put on his complete poker face.
"Don't worry, Leo investigated you after meeting you. He didn't find much, but when we talked he shared some information, one of which is that the closest person named 'Conrad' was in a little mansion that got overrun by monsters. Besides that, there aren't any registered 'Conrad's. Like I said, I don't mind if you keep yourself hidden, but we have an agreement and I plan to fully utilize your capabilities to prepare you for that competition."
Elam would be oblivious to his background, but train him to his limits.
"If I can win through your training and give you that prize, then it's a fair deal."