Time seemed to crystallize around Zeph as he faced Professor Kendrick in the empty training hall. His sensitivity buzzed with awareness of the currents flowing around them – corporate channels laid over ancient paths like steel cables trying to constrain a river. The weight of *The Wandsmith's Echo* in his bag felt suddenly very obvious.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Professor." The words came out steady, wrapped in the same camouflage as his power. "I've only used the approved sections—"
"Stop." Kendrick's command carried an undertone of power that had nothing to do with corporate authority. She gestured sharply, and Zeph's sensitivity detected a ripple through the local monitoring fields. "There. Two minutes before the systems register activity again. Now, show me what you can really do."
His mind raced. Thaddeus had warned about the Houses' infiltration of the academy, but this felt different. The way Kendrick's power moved...
"That's not standard magic," he said carefully. "The way you just modified the monitoring field."
A smile touched her lips. "Neither was what you did in class today. Hiding true magic beneath corporate channels? Advanced technique. Who's teaching you?"
The crystals hummed overhead as Zeph weighed his options. His camouflage was good, but Kendrick had already seen through it. Yet she hadn't immediately reported him. And that field modification...
Taking a calculated risk, he let a fraction of his true power flow unconcealed. Just enough to demonstrate understanding without revealing everything. Natural currents swirled around his fingers in patterns that no corporate training could produce.
```
Status Check:
[Apparent Power Level: 12.4]
[True Power: Partially Revealed]
[Control Rating: 87% (Basic Patterns)]
[Security Risk: CALCULATING...]
```
Kendrick's eyes widened slightly. "Interesting. Your resonance patterns are... old. Pre-corporate old. Where did you—" She stopped, looking closer. "You found the library section, didn't you? And its guardian?"
"You know about Ms. Voss?"
"Millicent? Of course. She's been protecting that knowledge since before I was born." Kendrick ran a hand through her short hair, suddenly looking less like a corporate instructor and more like someone who understood the weight of hidden things. "There aren't many of us left. True magic practitioners, I mean. The Houses are very... thorough."
The last word carried layers of meaning that made Zeph shiver. But questions burned inside him, pushing past caution. "How many? Are there others at the academy? Why do you teach corporate magic if you know the truth?"
"Slowly." Amusement colored her voice. "First, let's discuss that remarkable resonance camouflage you used in class. Self-taught?"
Zeph hesitated. Thaddeus had been clear about maintaining secrecy, but something about Kendrick's own carefully hidden power felt trustworthy. Like recognizing like.
"I had help," he said carefully. "A... mentor. From before the corporate age."
"Ah." Her eyes flickered to his bag. "I thought I sensed an echo of old power. One of the preserved teaching tools?"
Before Zeph could respond, the air rippled with approaching magic. His sensitivity screamed a warning – corporate patterns, rigid and artificial, moving with purpose.
"Security sweep," Kendrick said calmly. "Right on schedule. Here." She pulled something from her pocket – a standard-issue practice wand, but his sensitivity detected subtle modifications in its crystal matrix. "Your replacement equipment. Try not to burn this one out too obviously."
The wand hummed against his palm. Unlike normal corporate tools, its crystal structure had been altered to allow power to flow both through and around it. Perfect for maintaining his cover while practicing true magic.
"Professor—"
"Later." She was already moving away, corporate persona sliding back into place. "Work on your efficiency rating, Cooper. I expect to see improvement by next class."
The security sweep passed through the training hall moments later, finding nothing but a teacher advising a struggling student. But Zeph's sensitivity caught the edge of Kendrick's hidden smile as she turned away. The same way he felt Thaddeus's quiet approval thrumming from the book in his bag.
```
Status Update:
[Equipment: Modified Practice Wand Acquired]
[Allies: +1 Confirmed]
[Security Status: Maintained]
[True Magic Network: Expanding]
[Training Options: RECALCULATING...]
```
He had just enough time to meet Ash before afternoon classes. His friend's technical expertise might prove invaluable, especially now that he knew others were watching the hidden currents. But first, he needed to consult Thaddeus about this development.
The book's presence stirred as he hurried towards a quiet corner of the academy grounds. New words were already forming on its pages, sharp with centuries of wisdom:
"So, you've found another survivor of the old ways. Interesting. Perhaps this generation isn't entirely hopeless after all. Now, about those resonance patterns you attempted to hide behind..."
Zeph smiled as he settled in for another lesson. The corporate channels hummed overhead, rigid and constraining, while true magic flowed beneath like a secret river – growing stronger with each new connection, each hidden practitioner, each small act of rebellion against standardized control.
His sensitivity tingled with the familiar resonance of Thaddeus's power preparing to demonstrate a technique. Ancient knowledge passing to a new generation, hidden in plain sight within the Houses' carefully constructed cage. They thought they had contained magic, forced it into their corporate channels and crystal matrices.
But true magic, like water, had a way of finding its own path. And with each passing day, more cracks were appearing in the foundation of their artificial order.
"Again," Thaddeus commanded. "This time, feel the natural flow before you try to direct it. Magic isn't meant to be forced, boy. It's meant to be understood."
Around them, the academy's crystal spires reached toward the sky, their corporate patterns a thin veneer over currents older than civilization itself. Currents that were slowly, steadily, beginning to wake.