When Nick finished reading the book, it was already 6:30 pm. In summary, the book stated that to become a Apprentice Magician, one had to carve certain laws into something called a 'mindscape' where a persons affinity with magic will be nurtured. Nick got to thinking.
(The mindscape, on the face of it seems to be like an imaginary world existing in someone's mind or something similar. The book says that after the laws are carved into the mindscape, magic will be attracted to the mindscape and processed in a way that gives that person's magical powers certain characteristics. The level of development of the mindscape apparently determines what 'rank' that person is as a magician.)
(There are in total, ten ranks within the system used by most Magicians. Ranks 1-3 is considered Apprentice Magician, ranks 4-7 is considered Regular Magician and ranks 8-10 are considered World Class Magicians. The book goes on to say that as a Magician's rank increases, the difference between them and lower ranks will become increasingly significant; it also says that each rank beyond Apprentice Magician has its own name besides the general classification but those names are not listed.)
(In regards to the mindscape, the book says that in the distant past many persons became Magician Apprentices by interacting with certain magical phenomena for a certain period of time and laws in relation to that phenomena would be carved into their mindscapes but in today's age, persons can take the initiative to carve laws into their mindscapes through some kind of meditation. To do this meditation, apparently a language known as Valteese is required in order to form and develop the mindscape)
(The book says that a person can carve laws that are identical to an existing set into their mindscapes in order to have a predictable path of development and this is what most families with Magician ancestors do or a person can carve laws unique to themselves using the Valteese language into their mindscapes to create unique magical characteristics and powers. The former is the common and easier path because there is a predefined route up to a certain rank and since these laws have been around for a while, all the related spells and skills are encoded in Valteese which is the common language for all laws and magic which makes it easier to modify said spells and skills according to ones own taste; the downside however is that a person's advancement slows drastically once he gets to the highest point that those laws have been developed to, because it is fairly easy to convert your own laws to Valteese but it is extremely difficult to convert Valteese into your own laws which you will need to do in order to progress beyond the limitations of your ancestors. The latter route of creating your own laws using Valteese is the more difficult route but doing this at the start will give you a significant advantage at the higher ranks; apparently some of the strongest mages in the world have taken this route. The book pretty much ended after getting to that point so I don't even know what Valteese looks like or how to actually begin the meditation to become an Apprentice Magician.)
Nick got up from his desk and rubbed his eyes. He went to the bathroom to take a shower and when he was finished he left his room to go to the dorm's cafeteria. On the way, he was wrapped up in his thoughts.
(Tomorrow, I should return that book to the library and pick up a book on Valteese. I could probably get a book on meditation but from what I've already read, that's probably useless without knowing Valteese.)
(I wonder...should I get someone else's laws carved into my mindscape or do I create my own laws using Valteese as the foundation? I guess the answer to that question will become clearer the more I learn. I should just work on my base knowledge for now. I think I heard it said before that knowledge was the basis for action...yeah that sounds about right.)
While Nick was thinking, he reached the entrance of the cafeteria where suddenly a woman seemingly his age bumped into him and fell.
"Huh? Are you okay miss?"
Nick reached out a hand in order to help the young woman up but she slapped his hand away and got up on her own.
"A less than shouldn't even think of touching me."
"A less than?"
Nick repeated, confused. He didn't know why this girl who he had never even met was insulting him when she was the one who bumped into him.
(Aren't you supposed to say I'm sorry after bumping into someone? I've met rude girls before but this is on another level.)
Nick was pissed for sure and ended up taking a closer look at the woman.
(Hold on, isn't this the woman that that Don Bartholomew guy had pinned up against the wall the other night.)
Nick felt so awkward that he forgot what he was going to say and said nothing for all of five seconds. The girl scrunched her face, thinking that Nick was a retard and was about to say something when a voice called out.
"Marcia, why are you wasting your time with that guy. Lets hurry and meet up with Don so that we can talk about the upcoming school year."
A tall woman with long bluish hair shouted at the woman in front of Nick who was apparently named Marcia.
"Hmph"
With a sound, Marcia squinted her eyes at Nick and ran over to a group of girls, about six of them. All of them being very pretty, not that Nick cared much about that.
Nick stood there looking in there direction, not really understanding what all the rudeness was about.
"Do you want to know why she called you a less than?"
Nick turned around in response to the question to face a young man that seemed to be around the same age as him. This young man was white and had an athletic build with short, silverish hair; he also had a sharp look in his eye.
"Sure, I'm a little confused. My name is Nick Capitol by the way."
"Ha, Ha. I already know your name. My name is Marcus Delvey of the Delvey family. We are a family with a long history of Magicians in our bloodline. Never mind that, that girl called you a less than because she knows that you are not affiliated with a family of Magicians. You see, after registration is completed, all the families with some influence would find a way to get a list of the new students attending the academy. This is usually for reasons such as recruiting any talents later on. They usually pass on this list to their family members and servants that are attending the academy in order to help them in building relationships with seemingly worthwhile individuals. I also got a list, and your information and photo was on it. The information pretty much said that you had no background other than that you got the highest grades in your last high school year. That doesn't mean much around here and especially to the women as most of them study the list in order to attach themselves to promising Magicians in training. Laws and magic is a hard and dangerous road and most people here don't waste time acting nice with someone they think can't help them."
Nick was startled by the information.
"You mean to say that there are people who've actually done a background check on me and are discriminating against me just like that. Damn, and here I thought things would be great after coming to this academy."
"Ha, ha, your troubles are only just beginning, these people operate like hyenas, they bite anything that doesn't walk, talk and shit like them. Good luck and no need to thank me for the info, I just hate seeing those bitches act like they own the place. See you."
After replying to Nick, Marcus passed him and went into the cafeteria.
(I don't care what anyone else does, as long as they don't touch me or my benefits I won't even bother spitting in their direction. Other's contempt didn't matter to me in high school and it doesn't matter now. I just have to keep moving forward.)
Nick also entered the cafeteria.