The book's warning jolted Zeph into action. He clutched *The Wandsmith's Echo* to his chest and pressed himself against the hidden section's deepest shadows as security chimes echoed through the library. His damaged practice wand sputtered, corporate-mandated safety crystals still trying to realign despite the crack running through their matrix.
"Equipment malfunction detected," the wand chirped in its standardized voice. "Please return to nearest Sterling maintenance station for recalibration and incident reporting."
Zeph's sensitivity tingled as waves of detection magic swept the library. The corporate systems were searching for unauthorized power usage, but here in the hidden section, the natural flows of magic bent around him like water around a stone. His heart thundered in his chest, yet the magic responded to his fear by wrapping closer, instinctively shielding him from the probing tendrils of the security system.
The book in his hands pulsed with quiet power. More words formed on its pages:
"Decent instincts, at least. Now, concentrate on the magic around you. Feel how it moves naturally, not how they claim it should."
Zeph closed his eyes, letting his sensitivity guide him. The corporate teachings insisted magic needed to be forced through crystalline matrices and standardized channels. But here, raw power flowed like a vast web of rivers, each current following paths that felt ancient and true.
"I can see them," he whispered. "The real patterns, beneath all the corporate channeling."
"*See* them?" The book's words carried a hint of derision. "Don't just observe, boy. *Touch* them."
Hesitantly, Zeph reached out with his magical awareness. The currents sang to him, so different from the rigid structures he'd failed to master in class. Where approved techniques demanded magic be pushed and pulled through artificial channels, these flows invited harmony and resonance.
His hand moved instinctively, fingers tracing patterns in the air. Power responded, swirling around him in delicate spirals that felt more natural than anything he'd ever produced with corporate equipment. The cracked practice wand's power meter flickered wildly before displaying an error message:
```
WARNING: Invalid power signature detected
Current Level: ERR_UNDEFINED
Recommended Action: Immediate technique correction
```
"Ignore that corporate trash," the book commanded. "Focus on the resonance. Let the magic move as it wants to move."
Zeph drew a slow breath and relaxed his grip on control. Instead of forcing power through approved paths, he opened himself to the natural flows. Magic rushed through him like a spring breeze, exhilarating and right. A soft light bloomed above his palm, not the harsh standardized illumination taught in class, but something deeper and more real.
The security chimes grew louder. Through the hidden section's entrance, he glimpsed library assistants scanning the theoretical stacks with corporate detection wands.
"They're getting closer," he murmured.
"Then perhaps it's time for your first real lesson," the book replied. "Watch carefully."
The pages filled with intricate diagrams unlike anything in his corporate textbooks. Where standard magic relied on rigid geometric forms, these patterns flowed like water, each line feeding naturally into the next. The longer Zeph studied them, the more his sensitivity resonated with their truth.
"That's... that's how magic is supposed to work, isn't it?"
"Obviously. Now, unless you'd prefer detention and a thorough corporate memory modification, I suggest you try replicating the first pattern. Quickly."
Zeph's fingers trembled as he traced the flowing lines. His first attempt scattered power uselessly into the air. The second felt stronger but unstable. On the third try, something clicked. Magic surged through paths that bypassed his damaged wand entirely, weaving around him in a pattern that felt as natural as breathing.
The air shimmered, and suddenly the detection magic slid past him without a ripple. He'd become invisible to the corporate systems, hidden within the natural flows they worked so hard to suppress.
"Decent," the book admitted. "For a first attempt. Though your resonance could use considerable work."
A ghost of a smile touched Zeph's lips. Even the book's criticism felt more genuine than the corporate platitudes about "approved progress within standardized safety margins."
"What are you?" he asked softly. "Some kind of training manual?"
"Training manual?" The words practically radiated indignation. "I am – or rather was – Archmage Thaddeus Blackwood, Grand Archivist of the First Age. And you, boy, have just taken your first step away from those corporate butchers' mockery of true magic."
The security chimes finally fell silent. Through gaps in the shelving, Zeph watched the library assistants conclude their sweep, finding nothing amiss in their carefully monitored systems. None of them looked twice at the section of wall concealing him and his newfound mentor.
His damaged practice wand gave a final sputter and went dark, its crystals burned out by exposure to unrestricted power. Zeph knew he should feel worried about explaining its condition, but a strange calm had settled over him. For the first time in his life, magic had responded exactly as it should.
```
Status: [Power Level: ERR_UNDEFINED (Corporate) | Resonance Achievement: Basic Flow Mastery | Hidden Potential: Activating | Equipment Status: Practice Wand Burnout | Security Risk: Active]
```
"I suppose I should thank you," he said to the book – to Thaddeus.
"Save your gratitude for when you've learned something useful. Though I will say..." The words appeared more slowly now, thoughtfully. "It's been a very long time since I've seen someone with your level of natural sensitivity. The corporate fools truly have no idea what they're suppressing, do they?"
Zeph glanced at his ruined wand, then back at the hidden library section stretching out before him, filled with uncensored knowledge of true magic. "No," he said quietly. "I don't think they do."
The pages turned by themselves, revealing more flowing diagrams that called to his awakening power. "Well then," Thaddeus wrote, "shall we begin your real education?"