"It is done." Master Poralis's words are what Von was hoping to hear. He had watched the entire weaving as the archmage worked, but he was too exhausted to take in everything he saw.
The boy tired though he was, walked to the green-haired man. "Since time is now standing completely still for Mistress Eve, can you stop both wreaths of her probes from returning to her without another person?"
Stephen deliberated for several second before responding, "I think so." Going down to his knees, he breathed deeply.
"Wait, can I watch through your mind?" Despite looking exhausted, he was curious to learn how to help those around him in the future. "You'll have to help me understand how to do it, though. I read in Master Whitehair's study, myalomancers could learn from each other this way, and I want to try it. Please?"
Having seen the boys test results, he knew the lad could become a decent mental wizard, and this was one of the easiest ways to advance his career. Stephen wanted to give the boy a lesson in proper decorum while helping him learn two useful skills. "Von, it's crucial to approach mental probing with the utmost respect and consent. Always remember delving into someone's mind requires permission. It's not about manipulation or intrusion; it's about understanding and learning together. Once they give permission, you may learn much better from them than if you force the issue."
Despite being aware of Eve's unrequested attempt at probing him, he understood what the man was saying. "Thank you. I understand violating a person's privacy is inappropriate, Stephan. If you would give me permission, please help me learn how to go about it."
Feeling the boys first lesson was going well, and he was unlikely to abuse the power, the green-haired man began his explanation. "First and foremost, establish open communication with the person you want to connect with mentally. Make sure they're comfortable with the idea and willingly give you permission. Consent is the foundation of ethical mental magic. For the record, you have my permission. Now, start by creating a mental link with them. Think of it as a shared space where both of you can communicate freely. Focus on empathy and understanding rather than control. Remember, the goal is to learn and share perspectives, not to impose your will on them."
The boy looked concerned, "is that a possibility? Wouldn't imposing your will be akin to slavery?" Slavery has long been illegal in Khehep even for those sentenced to debtor's prison. Mental slavery was suddenly the worst thing Von could imagine.
Stephan's response was not unexpected, but still quite scary. "Unfortunately, yes. In the past some mental wizards abused their talents and had to be imprisoned in special cells where magic wouldn't work. To begin, form a probe with your aura focusing on the mental energies around you and allow this to work its way to the person you are learning from. I tend to picture mine entering via a person's ear, but it doesn't matter if you choose this, or through their skull directly. practice active listening in the mental realm. Once the probe has reached the other person, gently expand it to cover their brain. You will begin to discover their surface thoughts. You can then follow what they are thinking and feeling and even delve deeper. When learning from another myalomancer, you will immediately feel the boundaries they set within their mind. Respect these, and if they express discomfort or ask you to withdraw, do so immediately. It's about building trust and maintaining a harmonious connection while learning. With average people, you will feel a place where they seem uncomfortable with you entering, these are their boundaries, respect them."
He paused to ensure the boy was paying attention. Upon seeing the boy beginning his probe and watching it follow his instructions, he waited until it found its place within his mind before nodding. "Okay, with the connection formed, I will continue directing you mentally." Can you understand me?
Von nodded despite the conversation being silent, he both spoke and thought, yes.
Good. Breaking feedback loops is a delicate art. If you sense any distress or negative emotions, guide the person toward understanding and resolution. Help them break free from harmful thought patterns. Remember, our abilities should almost always be used to uplift and empower, never to cause anguish. Each loop is a tangled thread in the person's mind. We need to gently unravel them one by one. Focus on the first loop – acknowledge it, understand its source, and then visualize it slowly unwinding. At the same time, to protect yourself, envision a protective barrier around your mind, shielding you from the chaotic energies. This will help prevent the loops from attacking you and help prevent them from reforming.
With these thoughts, Stephen began seeking to unravel the first feedback loop caused by the forced probe into Von's mind. Shocked by this revelation, he immediately backed his mind away from the loops and exclaimed aloud. "This is not a normal feedback loop. She attacked you! It was a full out violent attack with the intention of unwillingly searching your mind." The older man's mind was full of terror discovering the collegiate head would do such a thing.
Von could feel the man's shock at what happened. It's alright. I don't think she will want to try it again soon. My helmet was strong enough to repel her attempt. He then shared the memory of the attack as he had seen and felt it.
Stunned again at the power of the boy's defensive skills, he suddenly felt a chill in the air and within his mind realizing an untrained boy of seven had repelled a full mind-ripping probe from the best myalomancer in the academy. Stephen tried to hide his sudden fear of the boy's potential as he actively thought, impressive. Your defenses are very strong! We are now going to try to untangle these threads again. Reaching out with his aura, he started using tracing these thick ropes of energy flooding out from his instructor and back into her own mind. Channeling his willpower and making sure the youth watching was keeping up with what was happening, he began forcing the splices of mental rope apart unraveling them until he could draw them off to the side of her mind.
Realizing she was devoid of thought within her stasis, and her mental loops could not immediately attempt to rejoin themselves, he didn't have to concentrate on keeping them separated, only on separating them into their individual threads and pulling them away from the downed woman. Normally, we would each be working on a loop, taking them apart slow and meticulously to prevent them from trying to reform, which ensuring the pace matched out partner's pace. With time at a standstill, we don't need to exert so much effort and we can concentrate on just separating them away from the victim er mistress Trapper's mind.
He continued to work until he finished the first circuit then moved to the second intertwined knot of magical mental energy as Von, who was watching actively, helped trace the threads to their sources aided him in completing the task more smoothly than ever before. Once the two loops were separated from the older woman, Stephan went back to his instructions. We're not done yet. Now, let's focus on grounding exercises. Picture roots extending from your being into the earth, connecting you to its stability. Feel the grounding energy flow through you, providing strength and balance. Now, concentrate on your inner calm by thinking of a serene place where you feel at peace. We are going to place a small knot of our own grounded feelings and image of these serene locations and place them near the untangled ends of the loops before slowly wrapping these ends around our knots. We'll use your image of sitting by the river watching the fish jump for the bread you are throwing in the water.
It's a creek. Mill Creek just upstream from Arthur Miller's grist mill, the small boy responded.
I'm sorry, I just enjoyed the steady lapping sound of the water in the mill wheel as the water left each compartment. It is a lot more soothing mine with the sounds of the bog at night while looking at the stars. Taking these images and feeling and creating small spheres of mental energy and placing them at the edges of the threads of the probe, he forced several ends of these threads to be almost on top of these spheres. This will cause the probes to discover them and return serenity to her brain allowing it to begin recovery from the feedback from the vicious probes. They will return nothing but good feelings. Backing away both physically and mentally from the woman, he thought to Von, you may remove your thoughts from mine. This is the entire procedure.
Von backed his mental energies from the man with a few words of thanks for what he had helped him to learn. Feeling completely exhausted, he sat in the chair he had occupied recently before placing his arms on the table and using his hands to cushion his head as he rested it on his palms.
Looking at the temporal archmage, Stephen opened his mouth. "Wait, before you allow time to resume for her, are any of you strong enough to lock her focus? She attacked Von and Monica violently with her probe. She should be tried for this crime once she recovers."
The three instructors looked at one another each certain their myalomancy skills were insufficient for the task. Again, the temporal master spoke. "While I can't break the attunement from her by removing her focus, because she is younger than I am, and I can remember her and it before the two of them had become attuned, I can use an ability called chrono-cleansing to return her tiara to a time prior to her having attuned to it. However, it may cause her aura to fluctuate for several weeks and cause her ability to focus her aura and willpower to be almost non-existent during this time. It will also likely lengthen the time required for her to recover from this incident."
"This is fine," he said, running his fingers through the spikes in his hair. "I would like to make a formal complaint again the wizard Mistress Eve Trapper for abuse of her abilities and position. If the elders and other masters will open to my memories, I will show you what I have seen in her mind, her loop, and her victim's memories."
Alden caused the floor to alter itself becoming a chair appropriate to settle his carapace and sat. "I, archmage of the fifth rank Alden Morningtide, will hear your accusations against Eve Trapper, and hereby open myself to your memories and evidence," he said, forgoing the woman's title.
Not to be outdone, Alendoria summoned a deep comfortable well-cushioned throne-like chair with high armrests and a high padded back beside the tortoise mage and sat gracefully within its confines. "I, archmage of the second rank Alendoria Grovewalker, will hear your accusations against Eve Trapper and hereby open myself to your memories and evidence." She too omitted the woman's title, know if she was found guilty, her title, and magics could be stripped of her depending on the desires of her victim.
Von looked around for the third instructor before remembering Oren too was a master pyromancer.
Oren looked around before laughing, "I can't summon a fancy chair, but I, grandmaster smith, grandmaster pyromancer, master of elven xylomancy, master transmuter, skilled in various and minor magics Oren Moonrise, will hear your accusations against the myalomancer Eve Trapper and hereby open myself to your memories and evidence."
Von was surprised at the titles given by Oren. He failed to mention during his discussion in the refectory how high a level his affinities were for xylomancy and chloromancy. He listened carefully as things unfolded.
The kind-faced Brook also spoke up since the masters were finished. "I, master hydromancer and adept healer Brook Baker, will hear your accusations against Master Eve Trapper and hereby open myself to your memories and evidence."
Stephen looked at Von and Monica inquired, "Will you accept my memories and evidence against your tormentor myalomancer Eve Trapper?"
Surprised he was to be included as well, Von accepted, "yes," as did Monica.
Stephen responded, "thank you. Please correct me if any of my memories are in error."
With this, Von nodded while watching sleepily as Stephen sent forth tendrils to each of those sitting before him including himself. He breathed carefully and tried not to show how anxious this made him feel as the tendril moved into him mind connecting his head to the head of the bronze skinned man standing before them. He watched as the scenes containing the attacks played forth from the mind of Eve and the anger at having her first attack fail came through the bond including the fact, she intentionally put a lot more effort into strengthening her second attack and splitting it to attack both Von and Monica with enough strength she felt would be certain to break through his infuriating mental shield.