384 Anti-Mage
Once Guy, Al and Revian were at the practising field, which was cleared up to accommodate them, Al turned towards the dismayed boy and said, "Pain tells you when something is wrong. It is the body's natural feedback mechanism that tells you where the problem lies. So, following the standard process of diagnosis, we need to check to see whether you are in pain. Nearly everyone that has ever been crippled or had their mana core obliterated suffers through unbearable pain. Some female mages have told me that it feels like you are giving birth to a hundred babies at the same time. Of course, I am certain that these accounts may not be wholly accurate since the psychological pain of losing something so precious can exacerbate the physical pain as well."
Al mumbled for a few minutes before shaking his head and saying, "So let us confirm whether there is pain. I will physically press your abdomen. Tell me if there is tenderness or pain."
Revian nodded and Al moved forward and inspected the boy's abdomen by pressing it in different locations and tapping it.
"No physical pain through contact," Al declared. "A good start. Now we need to test to see if there is any physical pain through internal stimulation. I need you to meditate first. Let the mana flow through your channels and your core and tell me if there is pain."
Revian affirmed with a hum and sat down in the lotus position. He closed his eyes and allowed his mana to circulate through his channels. Just as he felt the mana reach his core, he braced for impact and ensuing pain. But nothing happened - the mana passed through without even a tinge.
"No pain during meditation either; another good sign!" Al encouraged. "Now for the main test. Spellcasting."
Revian retrieved his wand, pointed at the target dummy far away, and formed the |Fireball| spell. The ethereal purple circle took shape at the tip of the wand and started to glow. But it immediately fizzled as an exhausted expression marred the boy's face.
"Is there pain?" Al intervened.
"No..." Revian said while panting. "It's just tiring."
"Mana exhaustion," Al concluded. "It seems that your core doesn't have enough mana to sustain even a basic spell. That is concerning. But since there isn't pain, it seems that you aren't actually crippled."
"Is that a valid conclusion, though?" Guy interjected. "Is the lack of pain when the mana core is being exerted sufficient indication to deny the possibility of him being crippled?"
"Do you WANT the boy to be crippled?" Al responded sarcastically.
"I just want to be thorough," Guy corrected. "I am not doubting your expertise in this matter either. I'm just... concerned."
Al shook his head dismissively and waved Guy away, "I am going to continue other tests. Stop breathing down my neck and distracting me."
Guy bowed apologetically and retreated to a corner.
"He's right, you know?" A voice cut through Guy's distracted state, causing his head to jerk sideways. It was Grace.
"What are you doing here?" Guy asked in surprise. "You don't usually come to this part of the Sect."
"I heard what happened to Revian," Grace responded. Her hand then subconsciously moved towards her abdomen and rested there. Guy's gaze followed, and a realisation struck him like a hammer on an anvil.
"It's extremely painful," Grace continued. "Being crippled, that is. And it isn't a fleeting pain like childbirth, not that I can attest to that. The pain of being crippled lingers. It radiates constantly. Even remaining completely still doesn't stop it. Even the slightest of stimulating thoughts can cause the pain to resume. It's like you're being stabbed with a hot poker again, and again, and again. And this is just the physical part. Mentally, you feel like killing yourself. You just wish that the pain would just take your life away - what more do you have to live for, anyway? Because cultivation once lost is never recoverable."
"I'm sorry..." Guy said with a morose tone.
"For what? You weren't the one to cripple me," Grace said with a mirthful snort.
"No, but I did cause you to relive memories that you wished had remained buried," Guy admitted.
"That isn't possible, nor is it healthy, and you know that," Grace responded. "It's part of my life now, and I have to learn to live with it. And if this is Revian's future, he needs to learn to live with it too. So... if that IS going to be his reality soon then... I felt that I could help him out. You know...?"
Guy reached around and pulled Grace into a side hug, "So the Ice Queen has a warm heart..."
"What the heck did you call me?!" Grace retorted while immediately pushing Guy away.
"I didn't- That wasn't- Look, it's what the kids are calling you-"
"I want names," Grace demanded with a scarily blank expression.
"I don't know... It's just what's going around," Guy mumbled.
"Oh yeah? So what do they call you?" Grace snapped back.
"You're supposed to be the last person to know what people call you behind your back," Guy dodged. "Since you don't know what my nickname is, it is only apt that I don't either."
Grace leaned forward and grabbed Guy by his collar, "I will find out who started it, and when I do, there will be blood."
"G-Grace, let's take it easy," Guy stuttered while trying to calm her down. But he was interrupted by Al who yelled excitedly.
"How did you do that?!"
Guy dislodged himself from Grace and rushed towards the ruckus. "What happened?!"
Revian had his hands held out together with a shocked and elated expression on his face. Al was midway between excitement and surprise.
"I think it's better to just show you," Al said before casting a spell which Guy immediately recognised as a |Fireball|. The moment the spell left his hand, Revian caught the ball which decelerated, quickly shrank and dissipated. Guy suddenly felt a cold chill washing over him for a few seconds.
"How in the world did you do that?!" Guy exclaimed as well.
"I-I don't know. When Teacher Jeeves cast the spell, I suddenly felt a rush of mana entering my core, and cold started to course through my mana channels. I directed it to my palms and caught the |
Fireball| which got absorbed as well," Revian explained.
"How did this happen?" Guy asked Al.
"I wanted to see if he could cast wards," Al explained. "Evidently he can't but we managed to discover something else altogether. Okay, let's retry, but keep your senses peeled on the mana in your surroundings. Boy, do it again!"
Al quickly cast a |Fireball| and sent it towards Revian. As instructed, Guy observed the mana in the surroundings with his mana sense. The moment the ball of fire left Al's palms, something insane happened. The by-product volatile mana rushed faster than the |Fireball| and entered Revian's core. He was like a magnet and the volatile mana was iron filings.
The adults ignored the physical interaction as it was a predictable outcome. Al immediately cast an |
Ice Lance|, which also decelerated drastically as it neared Revian's open palms, melted and dissipated.
"Did you see that?" Al asked Guy rhetorically. "The boy is a volatile mana conduit. It makes sense! His cultivation hasn't been damaged at all, it's just been attuned to work solely with volatile mana."
Al's eyes defocused and moved around erratically as his mind started to prance around, unbound. "Do you realise what this means? No spell will be able to affect him because his mana core naturally produces the counter to it. I don't know what you have done, boy but do you realise what you are?"
Revian looked tuned out as he ascertained the fact that he wasn't completely crippled.
"You've become a true Anti-Mage," Al declared. "Not the posers that the Empire has recruited and trained as part of their Black-Ops Forces."
"But how will this affect his cultivation moving forward?" Guy asked anxiously.
"That... I don't know," Al admitted, his enthusiasm drowning slightly. "But on the bright side, we have confirmed that this isn't a dead end."
"But I can't cast any spells," Revian intervened. "H-How can I still be a mage if I can't cast spells?"
"You can't cast any spells that we know of," Al corrected. "If there is one thing I have learned through my experience, it is that if there is a will, there will definitely be a way. That is the nature of cultivation itself - having a will so robust that it breaks reality altogether."
He then patted Revian on his shoulder and said, "Experiment with this ability. See what its limits are. Understand yourself as well as you can. But please, do so under constant supervision. You aren't in a position where you need to put your life on the line. And you are surrounded by people who care and support you. You don't realise just how fortunate you are. So, before you do something stupid again, make sure to have someone competent around to catch you when you fall."
"Let's not celebrate just yet," Guy interrupted at that moment. "You made a mistake, and while you were fed your just desserts, it doesn't save you from the consequences the Sect imposes on rule breakers."
"N-No..." Revian blurted out. "Not that..."
"I need a formal apology letter written and delivered to my desk tomorrow morning. After I have read it, you will be reading it out in public before the entire Sect."
"How torturous," Al commented. "Why don't you just give him a few beatings and call it a day? Why break someone's spirit like that?"
"People forget beatings," Guy retorted. "But social assassination makes it harder to forget and reduces the possibility of the error recurring."
"Sorry kid," Al said to Revian. "Can't help you out of this pickle. I'm taking my leave now."
And with that, Al left just as quickly as he came. Leaving a shuddering lad who should be celebrating his advancement and learning that he was not crippled.
"Let's go," Guy said finally. "Grace has some work for you in the kitchen?"
"Am I being punished? I thought the apology was my punishment?" Revian said in disbelief.
"This is from Grace's side - it's her punishment for you. The Sect is not affiliated with Grace's punishments," Guy said with a lawyer-like tone and walked away briskly.
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