Before he knew it, in the space of three seconds, Zavier's consciousness was knocked out of his body. A gloomy darkness enveloped him on all sides. He felt like he was trapped in the bowels of the earth with no single photon whatsoever. It was perfect and complete darkness.
It was strange because even in that blackness, Zavier had perfect situational awareness. So, he could sense that he wasn't alone. He couldn't explain it, but all he knew was that he could see the middle aged creep with all his other senses. No one was present. It was just him, and the man.
Harry was very impressed. Even though he had hurriedly cast the illusion spell, still it was a bit shocking that an ordinary high school student could be able to actually resist him for three whole seconds. It was a very powerful illusion that could easily get an A-rank mage subdued in a second- perhaps maybe faster. In this construct that was his illusion space, mobility wasn't limited by any kind of law.
So, Harry brought himself over to Zavier to bring him down from his heightened state of apprehensiveness;
"Relax boy. We are in a mental construct of mine that is exclusive to only the both of us."
Zavier didn't need to be told that. Even though he wasn't sure how he knew exactly, but deep down, he was fully aware of the fact that he had been caught in a very powerful illusion spell. He had tried countless times to break through, but found that it was a rock solid construct. He just couldn't seem to be able to escape it.
It slowly dawned on him that this illusion was far beyond his current level. Internally, Zavier got angry with himself, and then with Calista. Only this morning, he had been willing to put aside everything else to try out his new found abilities. Had he been left alone to do that, then he would have definitely been able to gain some level of experience to match this guy.
Also, contrary to what the middle aged man had thought, Zavier wasn't apprehensive at all. he knew that the man wasn't going to harm him, at least not yet. Clearly, the man was trying to force him into this abstract construct just to keep Zavier from blurting out the shameful events from the other day. This was actually good for Zavier because it meant that the man obviously had some iota of shame. And therefore, was willing to go this far to protect his own reputation.
This actually put Zavier in a position of strength.
"Relax? Did you just tell me to relax?" Zavier scoffed. "What a joke!"
Harry paused. He actually paused for real.
"Well, I can see that you're clearly not afraid of me."
"You overestimate yourself way too much. What I am worried about is the fact that I don't know what is happening in the outside world. Specifically, to both our bodies. If the two of us appear to be like wooden statues, soullessly staring at each other, then people around would get suspicious for sure. Thus defeating the purpose of trying to keep me silent."
Harry was a bit impressed.
"Fair point. You did a fine job acting brave, but the nature of your initial question tells me you're still a novice."
"A novice? I am in high school you creep! Of course I'm still a novice! If you'd spend less time watching kids fuck, then maybe you'd remember that every so often."
Harry swallowed his tongue. Maybe he deserved that one.
"Like I said earlier, you don't need to worry. The flow of time in here when compared to that of the outside world in relatively different. You could spend an eternity in here, and when the illusion comes to an end, you will find out that you've actually spent less than a second in the outside word."
This part, Zavier did not know. And it took him a while for him to settle into that bit of information.
"Hmm, I guess it's like genjutsu then."
"What?"
"Never mind. Who are you? And why were you creeping about that night?"
"I could ask the same about you. But anyway, I am Harry. Also known as the illusionist."
Now it was Zavier's turn to be surprised. Even though he hadn't consciously delved into the memories of his body's past life, the man's name and nickname evoked a ripple of memories. In a second, Zavier came to terms with the fact that this mage was a pretty big deal. In fact, he was so revered that it would be considered almost impossible for anyone to see him in the light Zavier had seen him the other night.
But this only begged more questions. How could such a respected and reputable figure do something so smutty? This was a powerful mage by any standard! What exactly was wrong with him? Zavier immediately shot him a questioning look, as if trying to see any physical hint that pointed to an underlying mental or psychological issue. The mental image and reputation Zavier had of Harry wasn't aligning with what Zavier knew about him at all. The contrast was just too much!
But then again, if every human being was downright predictable on the spot, then life would be incredibly boring. Zavier reexamined himself for instance. Some might argue that he was a walking enigma. A loser who had been at the bottom of the barrel for basically most of his life, and had suddenly grown into something of a big shot overnight. He himself was mystery. So, on this ground, he felt some kind of kin spirit with Harry. So, Zavier also introduced himself;
"I'm Zavier Adam. No AKAs, just Zavier."
Now it was Harry's turn to observe Zavier closely. This was a strange boy indeed. He knew the Adam family well enough to know that they were an extremely virtuous bunch. They were basically the moral police of the town. Some might even call them prudes. This was exactly why Zavier's case was such a mystery to him. How could a boy from the Adam family be spying on people having sex at such a young age?
Both men stood on opposite ends as they regarded each other with observing, and yet disbelieving eyes. It was almost as if they couldn't believe the other person's truth. It was a really awkward scene. For both of them that it. Finally, Zavier decided to break the ice by asking one of the foremost question that had been on his mind all this while.
"Hey, I got a question for ya…"
"Go on, ask away." It wasn't like Zavier was asking for his permission, but sure, Zavier played along anyway.
"How come the couple didn't notice your presence? You know, back then in the woods when you were sp---"
"I know what you mean!" He rasped. Clearly the kid wasn't going to let that go. But he explained though.
"You might not know anything about it…" he started in a rather brag-ful tone, "But that was a very special illusion spell. It is a superb kind that can affect not just the vision of the people involved, but their general perception of their general environment as well."
Zavier was impressed.
"Sounds good, I bet it comes in handy for perverted old mages like you who go around creeping in the forest at night looking for…"
"Hey! Don't forget you were there as well, don't take the high road on this one!"
Zavier waved him off. "Will you relax, you really can't take a joke can you? Look, all I am just saying is that is a pretty powerful illusion, I would like to learn it as quickly as I can."
Harry chuckled. It was a soft laugh that had a little bit of condescension to it, and just enough disbelief as well.
"Ah, kids of this these days. You think it's something you can just learn on a whim huh? Don't be ridiculous boy!"
But Zavier's eager eyes showed Harry that he wasn't joking at all. He was damn serious about learning that illusion, no matter what he had to endure from this condescending, pervvy old douchebag.
Harry on the other hand took one look at Zavier and recognized the look of a student that was determined. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh, you're serious?"
Zavier nodded.
Harry voice took a serious tone as he charged Zavier; "Listen up pal, this isn't just some cheap trick. It is an exceptionally difficult illusion that requires the caster's full attention and sacrifice. And trust me, I don't throw the word 'difficult' around. You need to be really talented."
Zavier answered cleverly; "Well, you said difficult, not impossible. Either way I'm up for it really."
Harry cut right to be point. "Quite frankly, I was just trying to be considerate. Realistically speaking, I think this illusion would be impossible for you at your level. It's just way too difficult."
Zavier rolled his eyes. "All I keep hearing are excuses! Aren't you a little too old to be throwing those around?" Before he could reply, Zavier dropped his ace card; "Okay, here's what's gonna happen if you refuse to teach me…"
He kept his jesting eyes on Harry as he spoke;
"Maybe I might just run off to the president and have a little conversation about how his protégé goes around watching teenagers fuck in the woods! I'm sure he'd love to hear that!"
Of course it was a joke. But Harry didn't realize it. For a man of his caliber, this was basically the worst thing that could happen to him. In fact, he would almost certainly pick death over the tarnishing of his image, anytime, any day!
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